LOVE RIDE

For the third year in a row, Judi Flournoy -- CIO of Loeb & Loeb,  and a member of LTN's Editorial Advisory Board --  is participating in the Harley Davidson of Glendale, Calif. "Love Ride," which raises money for 12 different charities, ranging from Special Olympics to Glendale Community College to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

On Sunday, Oct. 25, she will be one of "15,000 motorcycle enthusiasts will embark on a motorcycle ride from Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale, located at 3717 San Fernando Rd. Glendale, to the Pomona Fairplex (1101 West McKinley Ave. Pomona, CA. 91768) for a Concert and Trade Show."

To contribute, visit Judi's donation page here.

10/9 Update from Judi: "I was just informed that the ride was cancelled due to the weak economy.The donations collected thus far will still go to the various organizations."

FIRST TIME

Magistrate Judge John Facciola was the first jurist to electronically signed an order, on August 26th.

My colleague Sean Doherty details it on his blog, Legal Technology, here.

DIVISION CHAMPS!

Whooooopeeeeee!!!!

Congrats, New York Yankees!

NOW THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE

Like most daughters, I share a lot of personality traits with my mom. I can "work a room" comfortably because I grew up with a mother who can talk -- and will talk -- to absolutely anyone at any time.

Years ago, she emerged from a JFK-Manhattan shuttle bus and excitedly introduced me to a slightly befuddled and definitely disheveled man who had been her seatmate. In the cab, she spent 10 minutes telling me how nice he was ("nice" is her favorite word). I told her that if she sat next to Saddam Hussein, she would have been gushing about him too.

Mom is sharp as a knife, and so enthusiastic and upbeat about everything that it sometimes makes me crave insulin -- but I have always admired her fearlessness. Lillian Bay breathes travel -- she can't go six weeks without being on an airplane (another personality trait I have inherited). But walking more than a block is now difficult for her -- so that presents some definite dilemmas when she visits me in New York City.

Making plans for her visit to celebrate her 82nd birthday required finesse. She flew in from San Francisco, and Friday's agenda included mom's first Red Sox/Yanks matchup. (Like an enthusiastic Mormon, I am constantly converting people to the Yankees Universe.) 

I'm nothing if not well organized, and I thought I had carefully plotted out the day. I made a reservation at NYY Steak for 4:30 p.m., and figured we would grab a cab at 3:45, allowing double the normal amount of time to get to the Stadium via cab. I didn't want to cut it any closer, because NYY Steak is now so popular that if you don't show up within 15 minutes of your reservation, it's cancelled (like the airlines, they give away your seats.)

I completely forgot that on a beautiful fall Friday afternoon, before a major holy day (Yom Kippur), and with the Yankees playing the Red Sox, that  85% of Manhattan residents would be attempting to get on the Deegan (I-78). By 4:15 I was antsy, and said to the cab driver, "We will get there by 4:30, right?" and he looked at me and said, in essence, "Not a chance in Hell."  So much for my plans.

So I had a dilemma -- do we Zen it, stay with the cab, and eat hot dogs for dinner -- or make a run for it via the subway. I didn't want mom's birthday dinner entree to be Nathan's, so I said, "Mom, let's go." We jump outta the cab at 125th, and mom got to experience, for the first time, the 4 train at rush hour. Mom asked if she would be able to get a seat. I said, "Not a chance in hell, we'll be lucky to have room to breathe."

The train arrives, we jam in -- and then, as if scripted by the NYC Visitor's Bureau, a lovely woman took one look at mom and gave up her seat. We made the reservation by literally one minute.

But that wasn't the end of the adventure. After a fantastic dinner and a terrific home-run-filled bashing of the Red Sox, it was time to get back to Manhattan. This was the part of the day I was dreading the most -- there was no way mom could do the subway again, and under the best of circumstances, getting a gypsy cab involves walking eight to 10 blocks to their car.

During the game,  the Jumbo-tron featured an ad for car services at Gate 2. I thought, yes! We'll do that.

It was a mistake. If I had realized how long the walk was, I would have gotten a wheelchair for mom. By the time we finally got to the gate, we were literally some of the last stragglers to leave the stadium. And then I find out that the cars are incredibly expensive and unavailable without an advance reservation.

By now, I'm not just exhausted, but absolutely overwhelmed. I didn't know HOW I was going to get mom back to Manhattan without requiring an ambulance. Mom went to sit down while I figured everything out, when suddenly  a Yankees customer service fellow is helping mom, and a second comes and talks to me. (I think my distress was as visible as my mom's physical discomfort.)

The next thing I know, we are being escorted to the VIP reception area, and the Yankees front desk staff are arranging for a car service for us. As we sit in the small lounge, I start recognizing people. We were sitting with the STEINBRENNER family and their friends!!! (Hal, Hank, Jennifer et al.). COO/attorney Lonn Trost walks by. I was absolutely blown away. Suffice it to say, I did not open my mouth. I do, occasionally, recognize when silence is golden.

And then John Sterling comes off the elevator. Now I had a dilemma -- I doubted seriously that he would remember me, but I had met him on Labor Day when we had a delightful conversation about Jane Heller and her book. I didn't want to be rude, so I said instinctively "Hi John," and he warmly said "Hi, how are you" (but I'm sure he did NOT remember me, because he had that same split-second look that I often get when, during LegalTech, I can't remember the name of somebody I know I've met).

In the best moment of the day, Mom turns to me, with complete amazement and sez, "HOW do you know these people?"

All I can say is, the Yankees really understand customer service. I thank, from the bottom of my heart, the kind gentleman who noticed us, and took above-the-call-of-duty steps to help an average fan and her mother. I will never, ever forget the day I spent -- getting to and from Yankee Stadium -- and enjoying every minute of mom's first Red Sox game. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Oh yeah: P.S. We won!!!

ADIOS EMBARGO

OK, this post is a bit "inside baseball," i.e., it will be of interest probably only to journalists and flaks (both inside companies and 3rd-party PR folks), but it hits me where I live —and I'm going to immediately adopt the same policy:

No more embargos on news -- except under the rare situation where LTN has an absolute exclusive.

From Tech Crunch (with a hat tip to @BlawgReview:)

By Michael Arrington

Late last year I announced a new policy at TechCrunch – we don’t do embargoes. Well, it was a little more complicated than that, and designed to stir up chaos in the PR ranks. We said we’d break every embargo, and we also said we’d honor embargoes for exclusives plus a few select companies, particularly Microsoft and Google, because they had proven to be reliable. Overall, we meant to be confusing, and we were.

Embargoed news, if you aren’t familiar with the term: a company wants to announce news, like a product launch or a new funding. They brief lots of press with a stated day and time for the news to break. Press agrees not to write before that time. But generally someone goes early, with a really good excuse like a time stamp software problem, and then everyone floods out with the news. Whoever broke the story in the first place generally gets more eyeballs and attention than the others, so there are lots of incentives for mistakes. Particularly because no one ever punishes the offenders.

A lot of people said our new policy would be the death of TechCrunch. We’ve more than doubled our readership and page views since then, so with the benefit of hindsight I disagree. But what’s interesting is that since that post the embargo culture in the tech news world has essentially crumbled. Chaos rules, and even the once great Microsoft and Google have fallen.

Read the rest of Arrington's post  here.

REWARDS TRUMP RISKS

The theme of Monday's ALM program, "Social Media: Risks & Rewards" -- geared at corporate counsel -- was the question of whether the rewards of using new social networking technologies are greater than the risks of using these new tools.

Actually, there's a second layer of risk analysis: Are the hazards of not using social networking so great that you simply must dive in?

Based on conversations during the event, the over-riding consensus of the panelists and attendees at the day-long event, held at New York City's Harvard Club, was that the risks are indeed very real, and that savvy companies must not only protect their intellectual property, and brands — but that there are opportunities to use these same tools to proactively promote their companies.

I moderated the first panel, which featured speakers from MasterCard Worldwide; CNN Worldwide; NBC Universal (are we noting a theme here re: global) and an of-counsel lawyer to a small firm.

MasterCard's Cheryl Givner kicked off the discussion with a funny but spot-on example of how very, very risky it can be ignore criticisms aired on social media, such as YouTube or Twitter. Canadian musician Dave Carroll (www.davecarroll.com), frustrated when United Airlines did not respond to his requests for reimbursement for damage to his Taylor guitar, took his complaint to YouTube -- not once, but twice. 

His musical protest went, in web parlance, "viral" within 48 hours (think Susan Boyle). Carroll's first song got about 350,000 hits within two days, and to date, has more than 5.5 million hits. It even spawned several ancillary spoofs and a serious response from Taylor Guitars (with helpful information about TSA rules, and also an opportunistic pitch that the company could fix just about any guitar). The matter apparently was close to  resolution shortly thereafter. (And United, btw, actively uses Twitter now, with contests and updates, @unitedairlines.)

During the panel, we also fired up the still-famous YouTube video that pokes fun at what happened when Nixon Peabody "lawyered up" to try to squash a viral YouTube feed of its um, er, really perky cheerleader-esque victory song distributed internally after the firm won an award. In one of those you-hadda-be-there-moments, the replay triggered an hilarious spontaneous disclaimer from an attending Nixon Peabody attorney -- that was almost as funny as the YouTube post.

"YouTube video demonstrates the power and reach of social media," observes Givner. "The conference helped to solidify the view that social media is a channel not to be ingored, and has been used successful not only by consumers, but in the corporate and media worlds, as well as in the political arena," she says.

Which segues us perfectly to Andy Mitchell's presentation about how CNN exploited social media -- including an experiment with Facebook -- during the Obama election. His PowerPoint (Download Andy Mitchell - CNN Incisive Media) illustrates some of the ways the two companies integrated their online content, and then even came up with clever ways to brand, market,and promote the tandem (e.g., "build it yourself T-shirts) --even addressing the risk that consumers might get a bit, um, er, cheeky.

Michele Mitchell of NBC Universal, and Nicole Black, of  counsel to Rochester, N.Y.'s Fiandach & Fiandach, rounded out the panel, with excellent advice as to best practices.

Black stayed the entire day, and "live-tweeted" the conference (#lsmc) on Twitter (@nikiblack). She noted how the day's panelists covered a wide range of topics, and considered SocMedia impact "from a marketing and damage control perspective," rather than "the perspective of how lawyers are using it."

One panelist addressed the legal issues raised when companies launch sweepstakes or contests via social media. Noted Black: "It never occurred to me that when marketing runs sweepstakes, what lawyers have to deal with," referring to a discussion of what regulatory requirements can be triggered.  "It's a minefield for the lawyers to make sure that everyone else knows the right procedures and guidelines."

The panels covered a broad range of topics, including how to develop corporate policies for social media (which addresses HR issues, as well as protecting IP, employee free speech, and more, and is a topic we will soon be addressing in Law Technology News). Other speakers addressed how to protect your company's identity and intellectual property. I found particularly interesting Lesley Rosenthal's take on social media for not-for-profits, which raised a panoply of issues not faced by many corporations -- particularly about being careful that all art used in promotions is properly credited and paid for. (She's vice president, GC and secty of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.)

American Express' Mark Bisard cautioned attendees that it's critical to authenticate employees and usernames used for social media; many suggested that companies set up an area on their websites where they list their "official" handles/voices so consumers can be assured they are verified. (Twitter is now offering "verified" status to celebrities such as the Yankees' Nick Swisher (@nickswisher), who are often subject to fakes (just search for Derek Jeter to see a zillion phony handles).

Bisard urges corporate counsel to create numerous policies, for everything from privacy, vendors, internet use, and social media. "Make sure your policies are consistent," says Bisard, "and that your leaders follow your policies." And, he advises, be sure you have a "rapid response plan for when somebody flames you."

These are just a few of the highlights of the event, which we are looking into offering again this year, on the west coast. (Watch the 'Scold for updates, or check www.almevents.com).

Wells Fargo's Paul Mussell -- senior counsel, intellectual property group -- told the GC audience that they "need to where your customers are. If they're on Twitter, be there. Participate -- or others will do so on your behalf," he warned. "Instead of just monitoring social media, interact with the customers. Engage in the conversation; fill in the vacuum."

"Ed Post," the anonymous lawyer/blogger who runs BlawgReview, and Tweets at @blawgreview sums it up: The event, he says, "brought together in-house counsel and corporate lawyers with real experience using social media. Those relatively new to social media learned from others -- such as Mussell -- that the risks are manageable. Sooner than later, all legal counsel will be expected to be adept at advising their corporate clients how to manage those risks."

Said attendee Peter Markman, who is associate general counsel of Progress Software: Social media is "clearly not a fad, because it's just the current extention of communication — which is as old as people themselves. ...The consistent theme was the speed at which things happen, and the need to be prepared and monitor process and respond to things that happen at a pace much faster than anything that would have happened in the past." 

"Ed Post" channels Thomas Paine: "The choices for corporate counsel seem clear: lead, follow, or get out of the way."

LTN associate editor Theodora Blanchfield contributed to this report. 

Updates: Cheryl Givner forwarded this link to a compilation of social media and blogging policies.

Conference chair Bob Ambrogi's post  from Legal Blog Watch. 

Here's Amy Miller's account, from Corporate Counsel , of the Mussell/Bisard panel.

A QUICK REBUTTAL

Kevin O'Keefe has posted today on Real Lawyers Have Blogs , asserting that Law Technology News (actually he called us "Legal Technology News") ran an article by marketer Larry Bodine  that discusses social media options -- and happens to deride Twitter as a "time-waster."

Says O'Keefe:

"With American Lawyer Media's flagship legal technology publication running a feature article telling American lawyers that Twitter is a waste of time for client development, it's no wonder lawyers are in a time warp when it comes to adopting innovative and effective technologies."

and 

"I suppose if Legal Technology News were around in the days of Alexander Graham Bell, they'd be siding with the lawyers who thought a lawyer's use of a phone in rendering legal services was clearly unprofessional and, of course, unethical. A small group of radical lawyers decided to use the phone, probably for perceived mindless babble."

"Let's keep an open mind as to innovative client development tools for the American Lawyer. What's so bad about just saying a medium appears to be working for some folks, I don't use it to much, I don't understand it, and we'll have to see how things play out?"

"Perhaps I shouldn't get worked up about misguided advice from someone who I don't believe understands Twitter, but Legal Technology News decided to the run the story. A story that will passed around by managing partners and chief marketing officers clinging to the past. A story that will needlessly keep the legal profession lagging behind the industries, corporations, and consumers we serve. That's a disservice to the American lawyer."

Oh please.

1. For starters, get your facts right, Kevin: This article never ran in Law Technology News.  It did, however, run in an ALM newsletter, and was picked up on Law.com's Legal Technology site. 

2. Larry Bodine (who Kevin declines to ID in his post) is a member of the LTN Editorial Advisory Board, and often writes controversial articles that get everybody talking and thinking. This is a good thing.

3. As for whether LTN -- or any other ALM entity -- should have run the article: The last time I checked, LTN (and ALM) readers [lawyers, IT professionals, paralegals, GC, vendors, et al] are smart, savvy, and like to debate.

Speaking for LTN -- just because I am an active fan and user of Twitter (@lawtechnews @eddupdate @commonscold) doesn't mean that everybody else has to use Twitter (or that I will only allow twitter advocates to write LTN articles). I drive a Ford. Some people like Chevy. What works for me may not work for you. But that doesn't mean that I am irresponsible or misguided to allow -- and encourage -- all points of view in LTN.

In fact, I WANT all points of view in LTN, because that's how we best serve the entire spectrum of our wonderful legal community.

That's why I choose a wide array of articles (and opinions). And why I regularly participate in panels discussing important technology trends and issues. Oh yeah, btw, O'Keefe participated on two recent ALM panels that I moderated, talking about how lawyers can use Twitter (LegalTech NY 09 and LegalTech West Coast 09).

I personally think Larry Bodine is wrong in his assessment of Twitter, but lemme tell you something -- he is soooooo not alone in his view. I'm gonna give him -- and others -- the "microphone" and let the readers make up their own minds! And that is a very, very good thing.

Update: Kevin O'Keefe has corrected his post (and apologized). Much appreciated.

TESTING THE KITCHEN

We're all counting the days until The Capital Grille officially opens in our building (120 Broadway). I'm particularly excited because I often need to take visitors to lunch, and have yet to find many quiet, reasonably-priced places to conduct business lunches in our downtown neighborhood.

(Delmonico's is too pricey for most lunches, Les Halles too crowded, and a few of our other nearby options are frankly awful.)

I have no clue how I got on the roster (perhaps because I just rejoined the Met museum) but I rec'd an invite to the "2009 Guggenheim Director's Luncheon," and my colleague Anthony Paonita, editor-in-chief of Corporate Counsel magazine was kind enough to join me.

The invitation said the lunch would feature a discussion between Richard Armstrong, the director of the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, and renowned architect Frank Gehry. It took me about 2 seconds to say yes to that invite! (I love architecture!)

The folks at the restaurant acknowledged that the event was a way for them to test drive the new restaurant which is scheduled to open on the 28th. We were joined at our table by two architects from Perkins Eastman: Eric Brodfuehrer and Ty Kaul, who proved to be terrific company.

The food was excellent -- Anthony and I both had the salmon, which was crisp and savory, with sides of creamed spinach (superb), really good "Sam's Mashed Potatoes," and baby squash. (The architects both opted for the Roasted Tenderloin with Cipolini onions and wild mushrooms). A flourless chocolate express cake hit the mark for dessert.

"It was fun to see that the professional lunch crowd is alive and well," observed Paonita, of the guest list that was clearly dominated by Guggenheim supporters. "The friendly staff tried really hard to make us feel wanted."

The aspect of the restaurant I liked the best -- the acoustics allow you to easily hear your companions -- proved to be the factor that made the Armstrong/Gehry dialogue disappointing. The two speakers were not visible via the naked eye -- the discussion was played on flat screens with marginal audio. Unfortunately, the content was also marginal: the conversation was rambling not terribly enlightening.

It was a great idea, but the restaurant's nooks and crannies (which make it great for meals) undermined the attempt to offer an effective program. So thumbs up for the meal, thumbs down for the "Actor's Studio"-style interview session.

#LSMC SOCIAL MEDIA: RISKS & REWARDS

LTN's associate editor Theodora Blanchfield and I are at the Social Media: Risks & Rewards day-long program at NYC's Harvard Club.

Chaired by LTN's Web Watch columnist (and Law.com Legal Blog Network co-author) Bob Ambrogi, right (@bobambrogi) it's been a fascinating day!

Check out  live tweets from  @lawtechnews (Blanchfield's posts) or @commonscold (moi) @blawgreview ("Ed Post"), @nikiblack (Niki Black), @karasmamedia (Kara Smith)  among others -- or do a twitter search for #LSMC.

Congrats to ALM's Judy Kelly & Henry Dicker for a terrific event.

P.S. Here is the promised link to the 2004 Red Sox MasterCard "advertisement"

EGGS OVER EASY

After a series of power failures, system cooling malfunctions and a flood, Boston-based intellectual property firm Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers concluded that housing its IT infrastructure inside their offices did not provide the uptime or data security necessary for lawyers and decided to relocate their data center down the street. Crazy? Or crazy smart? Monroe Horn, Sunstein Kann's chief technology officer, explains the move in the September edition of Law Technology News.

iPHONE TRAIN APP STOPPED IN ITS TRACKS

From the Connecticut Law Journal, via LTN Daily Alert:

By Douglas S. Malan
The idea was born out of necessity. Greenwich, Conn., software developer Chris Schoenfeld was working irregular hours in New York City and needed access to updated Metro-North commuter train schedules for Grand Central Station. He couldn't access those schedules as he rode the subway to the train station because of lack of Internet access.

So he developed a software program for Apple's iPhone, which allows people to access train information without an Internet connection. "I developed the application for myself, and I knew others would appreciate it," Schoenfeld said.

Last October, Apple launched the application as StationStops.com, which is tied to Schoenfeld's blog of the same name. That's when the quasi-public Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the Metro-North Railroad, came calling. 

Read the rest here on Law.com

ORANGE CRUSH

OK, what's hands-down, the goofiest product we have ever reviewed in Law Technology News? But also breathtakingly kewl? The Sitness 5 chair by Germany's Topstar. It looks like a giant orange.

What exactly IS it? "A kind of exercise ball rests on five chromed feet of light metal," says the German manufacturer.

Air pressure can be regulated to body weight with a provided air pump, notes Test Drive columnnist Donna Payne (CEO of Seattle's PayneGroup), whose September column takes a look at how technology is changing office furniture. 

But it's better looking than the Isokinetics Executive Exercise Ball Chair, right. 

If you ask me, that one looks like charcoal beach ball sitting on top of a firepit.

Check them both out in the Sept. issue. 

And never fear, next month it's a more traditional topic -- we swerve away from the Northwest Corner's fascination with um, er, granola technology as Ms. Donna reviews another new but more traditional trend: netbook computers.

VIRTUAL LEGALTECH

A launch date has been established for our new "Virtual Legal Tech" (a.k.a. VLT). The cyberdoors will open on November 19, and then it will be available 24/7/365, says proud papa Henry Dicker, czar of all things LegalTech. VLT will offer CLE-accredited programming, social networking and a unique sales interface for vendors.

When the curtains open, Aric Press, editor-in-chief of The American Lawyer will present the "Plenary Session" -- an interview with Ashish Nanda, faculty chair, executive education and research director of the Harvard Law School Center for Law and the Professions. The hour-long discussion will focus on "New Associate Recruitment: Trends and Projections."

Other programs will include a discussion on "International E-Discovery," lead by Shearman & Sterling's George Rudoy, with Michelle Mahoney of Mallesons Stephen Jacques, Chris Dale of the eDiscovery Information Project, and Christopher Byrne of Wave Software.

I'll also be on the cyberpodium moderating a panel on "IT Leadership in Turbulent Times," with Morrison & Foerster's James McKenna and Nixon Peabody's John Roman Jr. We will discuss how CIOs can help their organizations, their teams and their own careers as we all navigate these challenging times and rethink law practice management protocols and policies.

And that's just three of the programs.

PROBONO.NET CELEBRATION

Congrats to ProBono.Net, which celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 15, with lovely dinner at New York City's W Hotel. The charismatic Mark O'Brien, co-founder and exec director, launched the dinner (great salmon, btw) before turning the mic over to Sullivan & Cromwell's of counsel, Michael Cooper; Phyllis Holmen, exec dir of Georgia Legal Services Program; NY deputy chief administrative judge Fern Fisher; Atlantic Philanthropies' Gara LaMarche (introduced by PBN's other co-founder, Michael Hertz, who flew in from London for the fete); and Allison McDermott, the group's deputy director.

Our CEO, BIll Pollak, is on the group's board of directors of PBN, whose goal, according to Hertz, is "increasing access to justice one app at a time." The organization has worked to create and promote technology tools -- such as its namesake probono.net network -- that help law firms and other organizations swiftly and efficiently provide individuals and resources to help give legal services to the under-represented.

Among its activities are LawHelp.org; LawHelp Interactive; Immigration Advocates Network; and Pro Bono Manager.

Miriam Buhl, of Weil Gotshal, who has been very active with the organization, was the recipient of LTN's 2008 Award for "Most innovative use of Technology for a Pro Bono Project." 

FOUR YEARS

After Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, photographer Russ Curtis and I traveled to New Orleans to report on how our legal technology community was coping.

 One of our first stops was Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann to meet with IT director Janine Sylvas, (right) who won the 2005 IT Director of the Year award for her inventive and flat-out heroic efforts to keep both her firm and family afloat.

Sylvas has subsequently joined Law Technology News' board and is a frequent contributor.

In "Four Years Later"  Sylvas is interviewed by fellow board member and New Orleans resident Tom O'Connor and discusses how the firm has adopted new disaster recovery/business continuity protocols and policies based on the lessons learned from the storm.

Photo albums: here  and here and here. 

More stories from LTN April 06 here and here and here and here and here

and here and here and here.

EIGHT YEARS

It is hard for me to fathom that today marks eight years after four airplanes fell from the sky and forever changed everything.

I now work one block from the site of the World Trade Center.
As I write this, despite a fierce rainstorm, a tight crowd of people (especially those in uniform) are somberly repeating the annual ritual of reciting names.

I welcome this tradition, because it keeps in my heart the names of:

• Gary Bird (husband of my dear friend Donna Killoughey, she long active in the ABA’s wild and wacky Law Practice Management entourage);


• Flight 93's Mark Bingham (a fellow United Airline brat, and former roommate of Per Casey of our tech circles); and




• Flight 93 flight attendant Lorraine Bay (undoubtedly a distant cousin, she certainly has the Bay family mischievous "sparkle" in her eyes).

And they are just three of the approximately 3,000 people who perished eight years ago today.

It’s soooo hard to write without cliches when addressing 9/11, but as they say, we take it one day at a time. So perhaps this is a very good day to quietly give praise to the people you cherish — and perhaps even be kind to those who irritate you.

I will never forget September 11, 2001. As a journalist it was my "personal best" of my entire career. I still struggle with "survivor's guilt" just a bit, but can only hope that the work I did that day helped comfort those who experienced such unimaginable pain.

And I'm grateful that 9/11 introduced me to my colleague David Horrigan, and that our instant bonding has matured into a steady and unbreakable friendship over these eight years. We try to get together every year on 9/11, as we will later today. We are heading up to Yankee Stadium tonight to see if Derek Jeter can add a happy memory to this date that has been so poignant and painful in the past.

Life is indeed short, and an amazing journey. I’m glad to walk it with all of you.

Update: Derek Jeter did it! :)

Arizona Central Buckley blog:

=============================================

9/11 photo album here.

Excerpts: LTN coverage from October, 2001 issue:

On The Tarmac, by Michael Latz
WTC Firms ReGroup, by Ashby Jones
A Sea of Paper, by David Horrigan
Fiat Lux, by Monica Bay
David Letterman Monologue, 9/17/01

BACK TO THE FUTURE

It's official! We're "back to the future," reclaiming our ALM moniker, and parting ways with Incisive Media. Our CEO/President Bill Pollak writes about it on his Bill's Blog here. Press releases from ALM can be found here and from Incisive UK, here.

Says Pollak (left):  "For those who have been with the company for a while, this will feel a bit like "back to the future". For 10 years, from 1997 to 2007, we were an independent company owned directly by a private equity fund (Wasserstein & Co.). And here we are, once again an independent company owned directly by a private equity fund (Apax). We were successful in the last go round, and I have no doubt that we will succeed in this one as well."

If the karma godz are good to me, I will hit my 25th anniversary with this company on Feb 5, 2010 -- and this is my sixth ownership regime. Personally, at the risk of sounding like an insulin-inducing über cheerleader, I genuinely love this place, and the entrepreneurial spirit and passion for first-class journalism that has remained its core since my cub reporter days at The Recorder under the leadership of the late George McDonald.

Over the last 24 years, we've been blessed with teams of smart, determined, fearless, charismatic, and occasionally-exasperating leaders — who each brought his or her unique vision to this organization and helped shape its evolution. No one of them is or was perfect; we have had our successes and disappointments over the years (I'm still smarting that Law Firm Inc. never quite gained critical mass). But through all the changes and personalities, ALM (née American Lawyer Media) has remained an environment that offers merit-based opportunities to excel individually while we collectively strive to creatively serve our audience with the best possible journalism, live programs, books, tradeshows, research, pro bono contributions, etc., etc., etc.

And we always have operated with a fierce determination that those opportunities are open to everyone, no matter gender, age, religion, physical disabilities, or the color of our skin. (We're even nice to Red Sox fans.) I am proud — and grateful — to work here.

Oh yeah: And I'm really, really happy that I can go back to mbay@alm.com. Goodbye m-o-n-i-c-a-.b-a-y-@-i-n-c-i-s-i-v-e-m-e-d-i-a-.-c-o-m. 

Congrats to Bill and the entire management team.

Onward.

SOCIAL MEDIA: RISKS & REWARDS

It's hard to believe that September is finally here!  But yup, it's time to go back to school! (Well, for a day!) I hope you will join Bob Ambrogi and me at the terrific "Social Networking: Risks & Rewards" program at the Harvard Club in New York City on September 21.

Ambrogi is chair of the event, which targets general counsel and their staff. We're going to address everything from "Social Media and the New World Order," to developing social media policies, protecting identity and intellectual property, and more. My panel, "Your Business and the Social Media Sensation," features speakers Michele Mitchell of NBC Universal, Cheryl Givner of MasterCard Worldwide, Nicole Black of Fiandach & Fiandach and Andy Mitchell of CNN Worldwide.

Givner, vice president and managing counsel of MasterCard's WorldWide Marketing & Core Products, offers examples of how powerful social media has become: United Airlines took a lot of heat recently from an unhappy customer who vented (with great humor) on YouTube when baggage broken guitar. The post has been viewed more than 5 million times and is a great example of the business risks of social media, says Givner. And here's the aftermath -- the consumer's statement about United's resolution and gesture of compensation.

And there's an early bird discount, too! Conference organizer Judy Kelly reports that legal bloggers and readers of Law Technology News and our blogs (The Common Scold and EDD Update) can save $50 -- just use promotion code TCS.

STRANGE TIMES ELABORATED

Can't get enough of the Socha/Gelbmann e-discovery survey report? (August Law Technology News' cover  story?)

Well, you have two different opportunities to hear more about it! We have produced both a podcast and a full webinar, both featuring George Socha and Tom Gelbmann discussing the always-anticipated report -- which found some seemingly contradictory trends -- including the simultaneous constriction and expansion of e-discovery services, and a continuing shortfall in qualified support staff.

You can listen to the free webinar, produced by Law.com, and proudly sponsored by Fios and Daticon EED.

The Law Technology Now podcast, produced by our partners at the Legal Talk Network, can be found here or here or on iTunes! 

INCREASE YOUR WING SPAN

I can just about guarantee that once you read Ross Kodner's arguments for using multiple monitors, you will be pulling out your plastic to make a purchase.

Says Kodner, who is the president of Milwaukee-based MicroLaw, "Why are multiple displays so seductive? Because by using more than one monitor, you can create a large display area — a wide virtual electronic desktop — where you can display multiple programs simultaneously, each visible without overlapping the other. With the smooth slide of a mouse, you can move files across both screens as if it was a single field."

I speak from personal experience -- I'm addicted to my Dell widescreen second monitor, which when plugged into one of my laptops more than doubles my work space.

It's so great to be able to simultaneously see my e-mail while I edit a story, then do a quick fact check on the web, or check out Bill Pollak's most recent Tweet. (He's our CEO :)

Ross offers a lot of options, with a few caveats about what not to buy -- for example,  ix-nay on the USB adapters: "USB-based multiple display video adapters are alluring and inexpensive, but can be relatively worthless because of low display resolutions and slower screen refreshes and response time," he says.

He's also a huge fan of Digital Tiger, but for some reason, does not share my appreciation of Best Buy. (Admittedly, I'm spoiled by the terrific staff at BB's Kingston, N.Y. store.)

And caveat emptor: Monitors can be as addictive as buying songs on iTunes: Be careful or you may find yourself surfin' that Tiger site for a wall o' eight monitors!

A PERFECT DAY

"Ed Post" — the esteemed editor of Blawg Review -- launched his "Blawg Review Bucket List Tour" this week (no, he's not ill -- no need to start writing obits). Perhaps another name for it should be the Magical Mystery Tour, because "Ed" is keeping everyone in suspense as to his itinerary. (You'll hafta folo it on his blog.)

We had a great visit, which started with a wonderful sunny! lunch at Rhinebeck's Beekman Tavern (allegedly the oldest pub in the nation). Then yesterday, we spent all day at the Stadium for two rounds with the Rays. (In tribute to "Ed" 's tradition of "anonymous" photos (above left), here's a shot of me (below) at the make-up Game 2 of the doubleheader, in my "upgraded" #33 shirt. )

The weather was fantastic, the company splendid, and the boys were on fire. The first game was a taut pitchers' duel between A.J. Burnett and Garza, with the Yanks exploding in the 8th. (I appreciate pitchers' duels, kinda like the way I appreciate Dixieland Jazz, but find both boring. OK, OK, I admit it: chicks do love the long ball.)

Between the two games, despite being unable to get reservations, the incredible staff at NYY Steak managed to work us in and get us a table. While waiting, we met WCBS broadcaster John Sterling (who is a friend of my pal Jane Heller) and we had a wonderful chat singing the praises of Jane (and deciding that the best thing that happened to Jane was that the Yankees' media czar/moat protector Jason Zillo never granted her press privileges —  which at the time seemed near-disasterous, but ultimately provided the main plot line of her terrific book, Confessions of a SheFan). Zillo, btw, is the brains behind the Yankees' brilliant HOPE project this summer, and from all reports is a very nice dude.

And if that wasn't enough, when we were seated, who should be sitting opposite us but one of my heroes, Brian Cashman (No, I did NOT pounce) — along with a posse of Yankees' front office top guns, including prez Randy Levine, and (I think) asst. GM Jean Afterman -- a fellow Univ. of San Fran law school alum. Too kewl. To the credit of Yankees fans, NOBODY bothered them! 

If you have not tried NYY Steak, I can't sing its praises enough. The atmosphere's perfect, the design and architecture is subtle and sublime, and the food is out of this world --  and very reasonably priced. I absolutely love this 125-seat facility, and have been three times already. It's the ideal restaurant for a business meeting, because it's comfortable -- and you can hear conversations without straining (important for Baby Boomers like me who wrecked our hearing with too much rock and roll!) Definitely go for the asparagus, it's the best I have ever had! (Caveat: do get reservations; we chatted with general manager Jacques Lamour -- who told us they are turning away 150 people a day!)

After our brushes with celebrity, it was time for game 2. I had bought separate tickets for #2 (it was not in my 20-pack) and couldn't believe it when we ended up in the same row in section 233b that I had the week before with my friend Ron Stevens for the Chicago series -- right in the middle of the greatest group of folks who all have a half plan (41 games) and have, shall we say, "bonded" over the years. They have now officially adopted me! 

Game 2 was as loose as game 1 was taut, and an NYY blowout. Joe pulled almost the entire team by about the 7th inning and brought in all the Sept. call up kids (Shelley Duncan et al) and it was like Spring Training in Tampa. Youngster Michael Dunn was such a newbie that he started the 8th inning with a 28 ERA and closed the 9th with a 10.80 ERA -- with every batter we were hootin' and hollerin' about his dropping stats, cheering him to the close with "Get it Dunn!"

From sublime to silly, it doesn't get any better -- I thoroughly enjoyed Labor Day and my 10 hours with  Mr. Blawg Review in the Bronx! 

P.S. Richard George: Welcome to Yankees Universe! We're happy to have you aboard. 

 

LABOR DAZE

Just want to take a moment to say
thank you to everyone in the legal technology community, as we approach Labor Day. I've always viewed this American holiday as the unofficial New Year's Day, probably because I'm way overeducated and can't shake off my internal academic calendar.

We all certainly have had a challenging year, with so many folks facing layoffs, restructurings, cut-backs, vendor collapses, etc., but it does help to remember that even the horrible wildfires of life, so frightening and disastrous when in progress, ultimately prepare the ground for new growth. That's another way of expressing my mantra -- "crisis is danger and opportunity" -- but I think it helps us stay focused on the positive.

How blessed we all are to have such a wonderful community, which was so evidenced this year at LegalTech shows and at August's International Legal Technology Association mashup.
It is always such a joy to see all of you, and your vibrant ideas and interesting lives. What a journey we travel together!

Thanks also to my colleagues at Incisive, especially the LTN, Law.com and LegalTech teams, and of course, our pals at the Legal Talk Network. How lucky I am to work with such amazing, smart and creative people. Hmmm ... this is turning into a Thanksgiving column.

I wish you glorious weather over the next three days -- our thoughts are with our friends facing fire and heat in SoCal -- but at least here in the Northeast we can FINALLY tell Noah to stop working on another Ark.

Enjoy!

SHOULD EDD PROFESSIONALS BE CERTIFIED?

Chere Estrin starts the debate over at EDD Update --  see why she and others have formed the Organization for Legal Professionals, and dive into the discussion and let us know whether you think e-discovery certification would help -- or hinder -- employees and employers.

SEA OF POSSIBILITIES

Sea of Possibilities: In September's Law Technology Now podcast, I am joined by Bob Ambrogi, author of Law Technology News' Web Watch column, and Jim Calloway, director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program.

Calloway was guest author of the September Web Watch column (while Bob took a well-deserved vacation). The three of us have a lively discussion about new web-based search tools, including the recent launch of Microsoft's Bing, and a nifty new "computational" tool, Wolfram|Alpha, that lets you compare data (say, for example, the 2009 home runs of the Yankees v. the long balls from the Red Sox).

Says Calloway, "Classically (if one can use that term discussing the web), there are two broad uses of Internet searching. One is to find something we know is there, as when one uses Google to find the link to the LTN website. The other is searching for something that might be valuable, but is not known."

After we chat about search tools, Ambrogi and I offer a sneak preview of the "Social Media: Risks Rewards" program that will be held at the Harvard Club in New York City on September 21. The aim is to help your organization exploit the best from social media tools while protecting your intellectual property, reputation and employees. (Scold readers can use promo code TCS to receive a $50 discount.)

 Law Technology Now podcasts are produced in partnership with the Legal Talk Network and also are available on iTunes.