OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF SUCCESS

I'm a huge fan of Malcolm Gladwell, and I'm absolutely fascinated by leadership, so I was eager to grab his new book, Outliers: The Story of Success. I know it got trashed by some critics, but ignore them. It's a fascinating study that sets out to debunk the cowboy notion of "self-made men" -- and explores the factors that have come into play to create successful people.

Gladwell concludes that everything from when you are born (for example, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both born in 1955, so they were young adults at a critical time in cyber-history), and how much time you invest (it takes just about 10,000 hours to perfect any craft), and what type of social/family/cultural  structure you were raised with, can sharply influence your ability to succeed.

Gladwell studies a cross section of powerful, successful people, from Gates/Jobs, the Beatles, Canadian hockey players, to Joseph Flom -- the first associate at  Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. And he looks at how his theories played out with Gladwell's own family. His observations are fascinating and encouraging.

And do buy the audiobook -- Gladwell reads his own book, and he's a perfect storyteller, none better.

WHAT I HATE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY

Anthony Paonita, editor-in-chief of Corporate Counsel magazine, and I are organizing a panel for LegalTech New York that should be a flat-out blast. We've got a GREAT crew of speakers, and a great topic: "What I Hate About Technology - and what i expect my outside counsel, co-counsel, vendors and staff to do about it!"

It will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3 -- from 3:30- 5 pm -- and will also be taped for my Law Technology Now podcast series. Come hear about their pet peeves and  their wish lists. Whether you are outside counsel, a vendor, or also in GC offices, you're bound to hear pragmatic, real-world information that can help you help your organization -- and your own career.
 
Scheduled speakers include  Alexander Arato of CA, Ted Banks, formerly of Kraft Foods,  David Cambia, of Aon Corp., Janine Dascenzo, associate general counsel of GE, and Kim Townsan, of United Technologies Corp.

And the wonderful Ted Banks wrote an article in our January issue of Law Technology News, which should go up online by the 2nd (if not before)

I'm so looking forward to this program!

So what's YOUR pet peeve about tech? Dive into the comments and let's compare notes.

1/28 Update: I'm thrilled to announce that our program will be proudly sponsored by CommVault,  which offers e-discovery services.

A SWEET GOODBYE

I received sad but not unexpected news this morning — my dad died last night.

Our family was so blessed — for the last two years, Daddyo was in a fabulous assisted living home, with warm, caring attendants. Mom and my wonderful brother Bill and his remarkable family were just five minutes away, so Dad was never isolated. We had the gift of an expected departure, so all four children and five grandchildren had opportunities to visit with Dad over the last months.

He died as he would have wanted — in his sleep, without all of us hovering over him (which would have driven him nuts), and relatively pain free. Dementia isn’t a terrible way to go — he flew gently into the night, leaving us right around midnight.

He was a good man, a good father and a great husband — he adored my mom, and they had 60 years together. I can't remember them ever having heated words with each other.

Dad had strong opinions, a fierce moral compass, and best of all, a wicked, irreverent sense of humor that defused the strong opinions -- and probably kept all of us from murdering him on occasion. The best thing I inherited from him was that humor. (I'll forgive him for also sharing the need for Dramamine if I even look at a boat.)

I think I always somewhat puzzled him. As a young girl in the turbulent '60s, in the SF Bay Area, I was artsy, liberal, and cared more about writing and music than skiing or football. (My baseball gene didn't kick in until I moved to NYC). Like most airline pilots, Dad was right-wing Republican, and saw the world in sharp black-and-white, where I saw a lot of confusing grey. There were rough days when I am sure I frustrated and disappointed him as I stumbled toward adulthood.

But Dad was always there when I needed him, and he had an amazing knack for saying exactly the right thing when I was struggling with a difficult life decision. He was a man of few words, but chose them well.

There is no question that I would not have gone to law school if he had not looked me in the eye and asked “Why not?”  when, at age 28, I half-seriously stated that if I had my education to do over, I would have gone to law school. "It's not too late," he said. I took the LSAT a week later, and started the University of San Francisco that fall.

When I struggled terribly with ambivalence about going forward with my wedding, he gently advised, "Monica, if you are this torn up you'd be doing yourself, and your fiance, a favor to call it off." I needed to hear that before I could decide to not marry a very good man.

Bill Bay had no patience for BS, stood up for what he believed in, and taught us to be unafraid. The most important lesson I learned from him was “You can do anything. It might be tough. You might have to overcome obstacles, but if you really want it, you can do it.”

I once told him he was a feminist, and he said, “I have three daughters, of course I am.”  Not expected words from a pilot.

Dad loved Hawaii; his last flight before retiring was from Honolulu to Chicago. On his birthday, February 21st, our family will gather in Honolulu and rent a boat to take us near his favorite runway at HNL. We'll throw leis and his ashes into the warm Pacific Ocean, and celebrate a life so very well lived. (Yes, I'll buy lots of Dramamine).

Thank you, Daddyo. You taught me to fly.

I’ll miss you very much.

& THE WINNERS ARE:

The results are in for the 2008 LTN Vendor Awards, as voted by YOU, our readers. Full list is here.

This year, there are three tiers of winners: gold/silver/bronze.

Here's the New Product of the Year:
Gold - Acrobat 9 Pro Extended,  Adobe Systems Inc.
Silver - Tabs3 & PracticeMaster 14.3, Software Technology Inc.
Bronze - Clearwell E-Discovery Platform, Clearwell Systems.

Congrats to all the winners!

POST A COMMENT, FEED A FAMILY

Tyson's using social networking to promote its HungerRelief program. For every post it gets it will donate  food to feed Eastern Mass. families. Check it out!

Update: There were problems with the previous link (not sure if they are continuing the SN program). However, I have updated the link to the company's HungerRelief website (3/30/09). Main site is www.tyson.com.

75% OF LAW DEPTS FACE BUDGET CUTS IN 09

Altman Weil has released a new Survey on Law Dept Cost Control that shows that 76% of responding GCS say their law depts face budget cuts averaging 11.5% for '09. And 15.6% say budgets will increase -- but by a smaller percentage than in prior years.

More than 80% of respondants cited outside counsel costs, and the unpredictable nature of legal spending. Third place, cited by 40% -- finanical exposure from litigation or potential litigation.

The survey was conducted in November and polled 1,292 GCs.

SAD NEWS FROM SF: JOHN McGUCKIN HAS DIED

 Just heard the very sad news that one of my favorite people lost his battle with cancer, John H. McGuckin. I got to know John during my Recorder days, and he was a gem. Modest, generous, good-spirited, kind  and smart, he always warmed my heart and treated everyone with dignity and joy. He retired in June after serving as GC of Union Bank of California, where he worked for 27 years.

I'm so saddened to learn that he's left our little blue ball. Here's the Chronicle obit. And the Mendocino Beacon obit.

One issue we both were very passionate about was our belief that the current system that requires lawyers to work only in the state(s) they are admitted in is flat-out silly, and should be replaced with "drivers license" jurisdiction -- eg you get admitted in one state and can practice in the other 49. Here's a wonderful article he wrote for Law Technology News on the subject.

OZ JOINS WHITE & CASE, WHICH IS RETOOLING

Oz Benamram,  formerly of MoFo, has joined White & Case as Chief Knowledge Officer.

The firm, according to our sibling blog, The Am Law Daily, is undergoing a major reorganization. "Under a new structure put in place this week, power will shift from 35 individual offices to 14 regional groups, with a renewed focus on 16 different global practices. The moves come in the wake of a four-month review by McKinsey," reports Ben Hallman.

Oz has been a member of the LegalTech educational board.

IT SECTOR M&A EXPECTED TO GROW IN '09

52% of corporate executives said they expect merger & acquisition growth in the IT sector to outpace overall global M&A growth in '09, according to a survey conducted by mergermarket, MoFo & Updata Advisers.

Press release Download Press-Release-IT-Sector-December-08(2)

Full report Download IT_Sector_M&A_Spotlight

ABA JOURNAL'S BLAWG 100 IS UP

The ABA Journal has posted its 2nd annual Blawg 100 list. Congrats to our Incisive Media colleagues who made the roster, including:

• Legal Blog Watch (Bob Ambrogi, & Carolyn Elefant, who also got listed for MyShingle.com.
• Am Law Daily
• BLT (the Blog of Legal Times)
• L.A. Legal Pad 
•  The Shark

And LTN board members:
• Ernie the Attorney
• Larry Bodine LawMarketing Blog

Plus - Bob Ambrogi & J. Craig Williams' podcast, Lawyer2Lawyer

CONGRATS!

P.S. Be sure to  vote for your favorite Blog/Podcast in each category.

BLACKBERRYS & PDAS SAVE LAWYERS

Bob Ambrogi writes on Legal Blog Watch about three members of our community who survived the horrific attacks in Mumbai, aided by their BlackBerrys and international cell phones. Check it out here.

Here's a harrowing excerpt:

For Australian lawyer David Jacobs, trapped in a room on the 16th floor of the Oberoi/Trident Hotel, his BlackBerry proved to be his salvation, according to the Sunday Mail. Hiding in a closet, the 58-year-old Baker & McKenzie lawyer exchanged a stream of e-mails with his family in Sydney and two U.S. security experts.

"I don't know if I'm going toget out of this and I love you and I love the kids, and we've had a great life together," he wrote in one e-mail to his wife. Throughout the ordeal, he received advice from security experts on escape options and what to do if taken hostage.

NEW YORK LAWHELP IN RUNNING FOR PRIZE

Pam Weisz of ProBono.Net checks in to share the good news that The New York LawHelp Consortium has been chosen as a semi-finalist for The Colllaboration Prize -- a new $250,000 award designed to recognize and encourage non-profits. the Consortion developed and runs LawHelp/NY, an online resource that offers detailed, statewide legal aid referrals, "know your rights" information, and other self-help tools for New Yorkers who face legal problems.

The prize was launched this year by The Lodestar Foundation, in association with the Arizona-Indiana-Michigan Alliance.

The winner will be announced on March 6, 2009. Here is the list of semi-finalists.

WIN A WINE EXPERIENCE

The team at eSentio has extended the deadline to bid on a wonderful "once in a lifetime" wine experience, with proceeds benefiting The Nature Conservatory, a non-profit that works to preserve natural habitats and wildlife worldwide.

Destination Cellars has donated a "luxury customized wine experience for two" -- in the Napa Valley, plus a  signed bottle of 2003 Paul Hobbs Stagecoach Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.

The deadline is WEDNESDAY - Dec. 3.  411
Opening bid is $300 for the package, which is valued at more than $6,000.