Capturing Lightning

One of the lessons of The Social Network is how lightning fast a new technology can feel like it's been with us forever. It's almost impossible to grasp that Facebook was launched in 2004 — the same year Google had it's initial public offering. 2004 — seven short years ago.

Andrew Grove, in Only the Paranoid Survive — talks about the moments in time when there is a tsunami change to technology that isn't just a quiet evolution, it changes everything. 

We are there. I'm always cautioning new journalists to be skeptical of the declarations that a new technology is "revolutionary,"  but I am now convinced that  Twitter, text messaging, and Facebook are indeed worthy of that word. (Throw in Skype and iPhones/iPads to the mix as well). Can it really be that Facebook — which started out as essentially a boys' club for dating — may end up being one of the most influential technologies in the history of this planet. And I don't think I'm being hyperbolic, here.

Monday's edition of The New York Times' DealBook (Andrew Ross Sorkin) notes today that financial giant JPMorgan Chase wants a piece of Twitter. The firm, he says, has established "new fund aimed at investing in social-media companies is seeking to buy a minority stake in Twitter that could value the service at close to $4.5 billion, people briefed on the matter told DealBook on Sunday. The $1.22 billion JPMorgan fund appears to see Twitter as its beachhead in the highly popular social-media sector, much as Goldman Sachs established its presence in the category by raising $1.5 billion to invest in Facebook, an amount that included $1 billion collected from wealthy private individuals outside the United States. It is not clear whether the fund, known as the J.P. Morgan Digital Growth Fund, will invest directly in Twitter, or buy current investors' stakes with the company's consent," says Sorkin who not related to The Social Network's screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Full story here.

Of course, the flip side of all this change is how fast technology can disappear. Just ask anyone (like me) who bought an eight-track cassette player or Beta rather than VHS.

Three's the Charm

The always-prolific Craig Ball has sprinted faster than even his usual brisk pace, with not one, not two, but three contributions to Law Technology News in the last few days. Last week, he shared details of how Facebook has added a new tool that will be a boon for e-discovery, allowing its users to easily capture their content on the sizzling social media site. (By the way, if you have not yet seen "The Social Network", don't miss it! Hopefully, it won an Oscar last night for Best Screenplay, if not Best Picture -- Aaron Sorkin's astonishing writing grabs you from the film's first images.)

Today, Ball takes a break from electronic discovery to discuss another one of his passions — Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software. Anyone who's ever seen Ball give a speech will testify that he has some of the most creative slides in our industry. In "PowerPoint Powers Up: 9 New Features," Ball raves about nine new changes to the popular software, and explains how you can use the new tools to create dynamic (and literally animated) images.

Tomorrow, visit the top stories area of our homepage to see the March edition of the "Ball in Your Court" e-discovery column, which addresses effective protocols for metadata, including a detailed list of what information should be produced. A particularly relevant topic in light of Southern District of New York Judge Shira Scheindlin's latest opinion in National Day Laborer Org. Network v. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency, 2011 U.S. Dist. Lexis 11655 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 7, 2011). Here's a recent story, "Much Ado About Metadata," from Jennifer Rearden and Farrah Pepper about the ruling.

Windows 8?

More reports about the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, from my colleague Brendan McKenna, LTN's news editor (while I'm hunkered down with the LTN magazine launch):

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO, described what some are calling "Windows 8" (O.K., everyone is calling it that but the CEO himself, who referred to it as "the next generation of Windows"), according to the Forward Thinking blog from PC Mag.com.

  Ballmer (right)  highlighted some of the planned features of Windows 8, saying that it "would support ARM-based chips from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments; as well as traditional and SOC versions of chips from Intel and AMD" and will run "on ARM-based chips for the first time (as well as on x86 cores from Intel and ARM)."

However, despite murmurings from the press, it seems unlikely that Windows 8 will see the light of day in 2011. So for now, Ballmer also went out of his way to extol the virtues of  Microsoft's current operating system, Windows 7. He again repeated the oft-heard refrain that it was one the most successful launches in history, and continued by cheering that "20 million people are running the Internet Explorer 9 beta; 500 million people have now downloaded the latest version of Windows Live; and 20 million people have used the Office Live applications."

Ballmer also took some time to discuss future upgrades to the new Windows phone, and said it was faster than any other platform. But, he continued, "Microsoft's biggest challenge was showing the phone to more people ... 9 out of 10 Windows Phone customers say they would recommend the phone." The blog post goes into much more detail about where things stand for Microsoft at the beginning of 2011, but in summary: Windows 7 is a hit, Windows 8 may be on its way in 2012, and the new phone has visibility issues.

Ballmer's CES keynote video

Help, Please!

Want to start an heated discussion? Just ask any lawyer how they feel about their firm's IT Help Desk. Or ask IT staff how they feel about the attorneys they serve.

No question about it: It's hard to hire effective entry level IT staff. In CIO|Insight, Dan Resinger cites a York College of Pennsylvania survey of 520 HR professionals/hiring managers to see what they look for (beyond baseline tech skills). The results were obvious, but why is so difficult to find candidates with these traits: 1. Courtesy and respect, 2. communication skills, 3. appropriate appearance, and 4. accepting responsiblity.

A third of respondents said that professionalism has eroded over the past five years; and 60% of hiring managers complain about "a sense of entitlement" among first-year, college-educated employees. And 39% reported problems with IT etiquette among new employees. But maybe the economy has kicked a little, um, er, attitude. Forty percent of respondents said the diminished job market has helped improve the quality of candidates.

Candidates' top concerns: opportunities for advancement, and work/life balance. 

Does success boil down to basic customer service? Castle & Nicholson CIO Erica Greathouse and I recently discussed why law firms sometimes prefer a less-competent IT staffer to an aloof expert. 

What's your take? Lawyers, what is your pet peeve about Help Desk? IT staff, what drives you crazy about lawyers? Post a comment below? 

Merging Compliance and EDD

More evidence that compliance, risk management, and e-discovery are overlapping: Iron Mountain has debuted its Enterprise Discovery Suite, which offers information governance and discovery capabilities. It includes four components: NearPoint, Connected Classify & Collect, eVantage, and Legal Review, all designed to help organizations collaborate, address investigation and litigation, and reduce cost, risk, and time. Catch videos here that advocate for the merger of information management and discovery.

Meanwhile, on the Darwin Watch, Wave Software has acquired E.L. Native Review software from Electronic Legal Software. The deal also includes the customized E.L. Native Review for LexisNexis Concordance. The software streamlines the native document review process by displaying a document without first installing the native program, (e.g., Microsoft Word). E.L. Native Review is already integrated into Wave's Trident Pro. The acquisition helps Wave control more aspects of the technology, it says. Terms were not disclosed.

For more news about litigation support developments, check out the October issue of Law Technology News.

NY EDD UPDATES

New York has been a hotbed for e-discovery advances, what with Judge Shira Scheindlin's landmark cases (Zubulake, Montreal Pension, et al), and Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck's opinions on keywords.

The state's judiciary recently finalized alterations to §202.10(b) and §202.70(g) of the Uniform Rules of Trial Courts, which became effective on Aug. 17, after approval by Chief Judge Jonathan Lipmann and the presiding judges of four appellate division departments. The New York Law Journal offers this analysis by Joel Stashenko about how the amendments -- which state that all attorneys "must be sufficiently versed in matters relating to their clients' technology systems to discuss competently all issues relating to electronic discovery" at preliminary conferences -- will push recalcitrant lawyers to understand EDD.

And after 11 years of experimentation, New York has also begun to institute mandatory e-filing in some areas, he reports.

OLD IS NEW AGAIN

In our July issue of Law Technology News, we revived our "Compare & Contrast" feature, which takes a look at similar products and their features, to help you determine the best product for your needs.

We re-inaugurate the column with a look at e-readers, which -- with the introduction of the Apple iPad -- have gained more attention in the last few months. News editor Dan Howley and editorial assistant Heather Schultz compare the iPad (which obviously is more than an e-reader, but is being touted for that capacity) with offerings from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony.

Check it out. You might be surprised to see which e-reader won the verdict for best option.

FTC ANSWERS FAQS

Melissa Krasnow, a partner at Minneapolis' Dorsey & Whitney, checks in to let us know that the Federal Trade Commission has recently posted answers to some frequently asked questions about its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The guides cover general principles, with examples, that the FTC uses in evaluating endorsements and testimonials in advertising, including social media, under section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, she says. They provide the basis for voluntary compliance with the act by advertisers and endorsers. Krasnow is one of the authors of our EDD Update blog.

LTN VENDOR SATISFACTION SURVEY

The results are in from the inaugural LTN Vendor Satisfaction Survey, conducted by our ALM Legal Intelligence research group under the direction of vice president Kevin Iredell. Conducted this winter, via a confidential online poll, the survey asked legal professionals who buy -- or influence the purchase of -- legal technology to review the vendors and to tell us what they want from those vendors. (LTN's editorial team was not involved in the process.)

Anyone who has ever tried to call a major company, from a bank to an airline, will easily predict the criteria that tops the "wish list" -- customer service. Overwhelmingly (77%), respondents screamed for "responsiveness to issues and prompt resolutions."

Topping the list of technologies used in firms of all sizes is online legal research. LexisNexis and Westlaw top the charts, as might be expected, but alternative Fastcase, which offers lower-cost research alternatives, has gained traction.

In our July issue cover story, "Help, Please!" Law Technology News explores the survey, and analyzes its results. Here's a sneak preview of the article!

COWEN GROUP: PM IS EXPLODING

The Cowen Group, a New York-based legal recruiter and consultancy, has announced the results of its 2009/2010 eDiscovery and Litigation Support Professionals Salary Survey. According to managing partner David Cowen, 487 professionals at 100 major firms shared their salary data with TCG for its 5th annual report. The data was gathered between November 2009 and February 2010.

As usually occurs, salaries are highest on the East Coast, lowest in the central part of the country. TCG broke the results into six different categories, with these median 2009 base salaries and projected 2010 East Coast figures:

* analyst $67,500 ($72,000)
* specialist $91,000 ($93,000)
* project manager $115,000 ($125,000)
* regional coordinator $135,000 ($145,000)
* national manager $165,000 ($205,000)
*  firmwide director $267,000 ($295,000).

Biggest trend? Cowen told Law Technology News that he sees legal project management exploding for both attorneys and non-attorneys. Firms are embedding "legalists" (read: attorneys) into lit support, and everybody's comfortable with that model, he says.

Of course, you'd expect a headhunter to say people are the first priority, but Cowen says savvy firms are recognizing that successful e-discovery requires investing in "people, process, and technology" -- all three, not just one or two. He cites Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Fulbright & Jaworski; Wilmer Hale; and Chicago boutique EimerStahl as among the industry leaders using this approach (none are his clients).

What surprised him? Despite the turbulent economy, most professionals who were pink-slipped weren't out of work for more than a few weeks, and that there was a small uptick in salaries.

And, as George Socha and Tom Gelbmann predicted in LTN last August, one of the biggest 2010 EDD challenges isn't hiring, it's retention. Firms that don't provide coaching, training, and other career growth opportunities may find key professionals walking out the door.

Cowen's bottom line is a familiar refrain to LTN readers: It's all about better, faster, cheaper; transparency; and aligning legal and business goals. "If you are going to be successful in this new, new world to have to engage in enlightened management techniques that have been long established in Fortune 500 corporations. You need to run your firm like your clients' [companies]," says Cowan.

TRIALDIRECTOR 6: RAVE REVIEW

Ted Brooks, a San Francisco-based trial technology consultant and frequent contributor to LTN, reviews TrialDirector 6, inData's upgrade to its litigation presentation software, on his Court and Trial Technology blog.

"If you’ve never before used trial presentation software in your practice, now is the time to consider it. If you’ve used previous versions of TrialDirector or other trial presentation software, now is the time to consider springing for the upgrade," says Brooks. Among the improvements, he says, is "the return of the Grid View. The Document Manager tab now brings back the fully functional, editable, and sortable database view," that was offered in past versions.

The Transcript Manager has been revamped, and now users can input the page and line designations to the start and end of clips, or select the desired text. "A clip wizard helps users assemble [clips], or you can use the segment editor," notes Brooks.

RUDOY & MAHONEY: "SWIM OR SINK"

As law firms and law departments struggle to thrive in the new economy, they look to technology to help them navigate. George Rudoy, director of global practice technology and information services at Shearman & Sterling, predicts key trends for the year ahead — one of our new videos on our newly revamped Law Technology News website. (We launched it late last year; it merges the former LTN site with the wonderful Law.com technology site, and is co-managed by my colleague Sean Doherty et moi!)

Rudoy and Australia's Michelle Mahoney, of Mallesons Stephen Jaques — for the second year in a row — wrote LTN's January cover story about how we're all coping with the economic turmoil of the last 18 months. In this year's  "Swim or Sink" they explore the sometimes counter-intuitive ways that law firms and law departments are approaching the business of law.

Rudoy and Mahoney are among the voices (which include Foley & Lardner's Doug Caddell) who insist that the days of "doing more with less are over." Instead, they argue that it's time to rethink IT.

Rudoy says IT leaders should get more involved with the business of law. A conversation with IT should not be about applications and infrastructure, says Rudoy. It should be about how technology can help lawyers provide legal services and conduct business, including development and marketing.

E-DISCOVERY BILL OF RIGHTS

In January's Ball in Your Court column, Craig Ball argues that it's time for a "Bill of Rights" for requesting parties who seek electronically stored information from their opponents. Requesting parties, he insists, have rights -- and duties -- during litigation.

Among the rights, says Ball, an Austin, Texas-based attorney and forensics consultant, is that ESI be produced in the format in which it is kept in the usual course of business; and that the producer clearly and specifically identify any intentional alteration of ESI.

Among the duties: an obligation to anticipate the nature, form, and volume of the ESI under scrutiny, and tailor requests to minimize burden and cost of securing the data. Read more in the current issue of Law Technology News.

Craig and I will be speaking Thursday (Jan. 21) at the New York City chapter meeting of Women in E-Discovery. It will be held at noon, at Credit Suisse, 11 Madison Ave., floor 2B, in the Club room.

To RSVP please visit newyorkcity@womeinediscovery.com. We hope to see you there!

HERE COMES LEGALTECH NY & COBALT

I turn the mic over to my colleague Sean Doherty, Law.com's technology editor:

 After welcoming the new year with a bevy of new predictions, we are looking forward to another LegalTech new year in New York from February 1 to 3. And it promises to be like the forthcoming Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger, projecting a positive year with a motto of "I win." Only at LegalTech, I think the motto will be "we win."

It's going to be a new legal technology year when IT stops talking about feeds and speeds (read: hardware and infrastructure) and focuses on making it easier for lawyers to provide legal services and tend to the business side of the law.

That said, we are already getting some news on Westlaw's Project Cobalt from a number (one, two, three) of sources. The new project appears to offer users an easier interface (read: Google-like) to legal resources. I can only hope that the hype does not give us any game changers. We have the game, ladies and gentlemen. We need the tools to master it.

(Hat tip to Aric Press for pointing out the sources.)

THE CHANGE AGENDA

The American Lawyer has been tracking the earthquakes that have been reconstructing large firms for about a year now. Editor Aric Press, in a recent update on the Am Law Daily, notes that not all expectations have materialized: outside investors aren't quite breaking down law firm doors, and "the transformational technology remains a slow-gestating messiah"; but "there are plenty of disparate events that support the observation that this business change is more than just a sideshow."

Among the signs: Half of the TAL's "A-List" firms have started alternative fee arrangements with important clients (e.g., Pfizer, Citibank). "If Microsoft could chop K&L Gates and Sullivan & Cromwell from its preferred provider list, what client-firm relationship is inviolate?" Press asks.

And more firms are exploring legal process outsourcing, be it to Bangalore or Bangor. Firms may want to heed the advice of Microsoft GC Brad Smith: "Work on process improvement. That's the holy grail for us."

As Press observes: "Think of it this way: Why is it that law firms are the only businesses in which increasing productivity is a measure of how many more hours a lawyer bills rather than how more efficient she has become?" Read more on the Am Law Daily here. And check out TAL's 2009 Law Firm Leaders Survey here.

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.

STRANGE TIMES: 2009 SOCHA GELBMANN REPORT

In their annual exclusive report for Law Technology News, consultants George Socha & Tom Gelbmann do away with their traditional vendor rankings and instead offer analysis of a turbulent e-discovery year.

Among their conclusions: a seemingly contradictory trend, the simultaneous constriction and expansion of e-discovery services; and a continuing shortfall in qualified EDD staff attorneys, paralegals and litigation support IT staff. 

Read it here.

NEW IS OLD AGAIN

Sorry, Baltimore, we got Tex & we ain't givin' him back. Even if he got jussssst a little bit  spooked by the "welcome" booooos he got on opening day at Camden.

Now usually when the Yanks meet up with the O's in Maryland, there's about 65% Yankee fans in the stands
(I suspect most from New Jersey because it's so easy to get to from the Garden State, and Camden is so economical and family friendly.)

But not on Opening Day. It was more like 10%. To be honest, it's the first time I've felt juuuuussst a little intimidated in the friendly confines of Camden. The hostility to our newbie Tex rivaled that of the pissed off Yankee fans chanting "Who's Your Daddy" to Pedro Martinez in 2004 postgames, the noise level so intense that the Stadium literally shook.

But anyway..... it was big fun, even tho we got clobbered. My colleague Jai Wallace and I are sending huge thanks to our guests, the delightful Mary Ellen Belusci, Yankees fan Joe Zanta, and Scott Bogash of Needles; and Yvonne Dornic  of eSentio Technologies and her finace Jim Rhodes,  and Red Sox fan David Horrigan of Covington & Burling. Yvonne and Jim helped me recover from the trauma with a nightcap at their amazing restaurant, Ze Mean Bean in Fells Point.

I'm hoping tonight's game has a much happier ending for the New Yorkers. Should be interesting, as my O's rep Matt Dougherty notes: It's the Far East match-up, with Taiwan's Chien Ming Wang facing the O's new addition, Koji Uehara -- former ace of the Yomiuri Giants-- in his major league debut. And Thursday I get the pleasure of spending time with Cataphora's fascinating Susannah Smith, and Kelly Klyn, litigation technology specialist for Goodwin Procter. Can't wait!

I'm also LOVING the brand new Baltimore Hilton -- Check out the view from my room! It is literally yards from Camden, and gorgeous. But I must admit has a kinda odd color palette -- but it works: tangerine, gold, cobalt blue and lime green. So much better than 2008's obsession with chocolate and aqua (Yes, yes, yes, I watch way too much HGTV.)

Tuesday was an off day so we headed down to DC to visit with Robert Erich Jr. of Select Associates. We had a terrific conversation about how the economy is affecting the time/billing/acctg vendors -- Erich noted that his company's star* collect  product has seen quite a spike in sales in recent months. Select Associates, says Erich, specializes in a variety of add-on software that integrates with Elite, Aderant, and other T&B/A software that targets the top AmLaw firms, he explained, including data warehousing and business intelligence tools. One of the newest offerings star* targetCash which helps firms project cash flow.

I suspect that interest in these types of products will most definitely continue to jump as purse strings tighten throughout the legal industry.

Tuesday night, we had the pleasure of joining Sally Gonzalez (Baker Robbins & Co.) and Stan Wasylyk (Michael Farrell Group) for a boisterous dinner at the Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria. Years and years ago, when I was vice-chair of the ABA's Law Student Division, we had a ton of meetings in D.C. and made regular pilgrimages to the HTC. It's a lot of fun, and it was great to return, although I probably ate more carbs in one sitting than I normally eat in a month.

Sally and I can bore anyone to death when you get us talking about our adventures on United Airlines. Sally's in the coveted rareified air of Global Services -- so elite that they don't even publicize it or tell you what the membership requirements are -- but it pretty much boils down to flying overseas a lot. Sally was based in London for a long stint, and also frequently visits clients in Switzerland, so she has that elusive BLACK Mileage Plus card that the rest of us mere mortals drool over. I hope we didn't drive our companions toooo nuts but we sure had a good time comparing road warrior stories.

(Btw: this could be a very interesting year for road warriors because so many of us will probably drop at last one level in the elite tiers because so many firms/companies are reducing travel.)

So... two more days in the wonderful Inner Harbor before I head back to NYC. Of course I save the best for last.... thanks to a dear friend who is a Cubs season ticket holder I actually got tix for last Saturday's Cubs/Yanks Exhibition game at the New Stadium.

OMG, it totally takes your breath away. It's just magnificent. But the strangest thing about it is that once you are inside, in your seats, it's almost Twilight Zone Deja Vu -- because it FEELS like the old Stadium. Even the FTI ad is in its proper place. The new video screen is awesome, and the Batter's Eye is now a restaurant, but the subway still screams right by the Short Porch, the Bleacher Creatures still do roll call, and it just feels great. Only the courthouse is missing from the tableau, because of the slight change in real estate.

And making the day even more touching: the first pitch was thrown out by Captain Sully, and the USAir 1549 skyboat crew! (He was joined by the first officer Jeff Skiles and chief flight attendant Doreen Welsh.)

Saturday, Cano christened the Stadium with its first home run,  and Tex got back-to-back homers! (Jeter got the Stadium's first hit Friday night.) Joining me at the day game was the fabulous consultant Brad Blickstein, of Chicago's The Blickstein Group (above left), who took most of the photos on this page, and two terrific marketing dudes from Deloitte: Alan Numsuwan and Michael Rachlin. (We had a great conversation about off-shoring e-discovery and the impact of the economy on outsourcing.)

Two things da Yankees gotta do: 1) Get Sweet Lou (who got a standing ovation from the crowd during the Saturday game) to give us another one of  his bats to sit on top of the center field flag pole, so we can see the wind direction (Mattingly took the original from the old stadium) and 2) they HAVE to install those nylon rope bank-line things to control the concessions line from blocking traffic all the way across the huge broad concourse.

But no complaints. It's wonderful.  It's awesome. Even the birds are already finding their niches. And yes, no question about it, Aura & Mystique and the other ghosts have cheerfully crossed the street. Welcome home. 

NO EXCUSES

Don't expect to go into a courtroom and plead computer illiteracy, warns Joseph Howie, in LTN's March cover story.

Increasingly, judges simply won't take that as an excuse to dodge e-discovery. Howie follows up on some of the themes of U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola's LegalTech New York keynote presentation, including the suggestion that it may be time to require all lawyers to be tested for technology competence.

And in the same issue, the community offers support to its pink-slipped sisters and brothers. Find good advice here.

ATTACK PANIC!

As we all reel with the spiraling economy, Topic A is how to dodge a pink slip.

In Law Technology News' February issue, in the article,  “Staying Afloat,”  article, IT leaders offer astute advice:

* Matt Kesner, CIO of Fenwick & West, says everybody should take on as many new duties as they possible, and “prove every day that you are worth employing.”

* Says Kraft Kennedy’s CTO Marcus Bluestein: “It’s easier to let a name go than a face,” so work on building your relationships with attorneys!

* Concurs Henry Chase, CIO of Burns & Levinson: “Show your worth. Share your knowledge. Stay on top of technology.”

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Bad news, better news:

1. 800 law firm jobs were lost yesterday (maybe they did it yesterday rather than today to avoid Jason's wrath?) http://tinyurl.com/ltn213 (The Recorder).

2. Horrible news from Buffalo, Continental commuter plane down, all lost -- stunning  photos  on The New York Times' website. Adding to the misery, the flight originated in Newark, N.J., second plane incident from our area in a few weeks, and sadly this one with no miracle ending. 50 dead, including someone in the house that the plane hit.

On a MUCH happier note:

1. Terrific article by @pogue (David Pogue) in the New York Times about Twitter http://tinyurl.com/tcs213 (image courtesy of the NYT.)

2. Yesterday was not just Honest Abe's birthday, but the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of my idols (No, not Joe Torre - but I did just buy his audiobook and plan to listen to it over the long weekend) - but Darwin.

3. My colleague Jill Windwer found this hysterical "tech" rant by George Carlin. Love the jargon!

4. Another colleague, Anthony Paonita, editor-in-chief of  Corporate Counsel magazine, will discuss its new  Technology Survey via webinar on 2/19 at 1 EST: Registration info here.

Update: Mark  Reichenbach checks in, to advise me to "Forget Friday the 13th. Forget Valentines Day. Today is soooo much more: Using UNIX or POSIX time, at 6:31:30 seconds EST PM today, it will be 1234567890. Numerologists and Unix freaks will be having parties all around the world." He blogged about it here.

And I did forget about Valentines Day.. so a shout-out to all of us who don't have sweeties to celebrate with, including my mom... it's her first VD without Daddyo. May past and future joys buffer the bittersweet day. As an old friend once said, "You never know, when you wake up in the morning, what will happen that day."

May tomorrow bring us all  new possibilities for unexpected delights.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

With the news of layoffs at two EDD providers (i365/Metalincs and SPi), I thought you might want a sneak preview of Craig Ball's column "What Lies Beneath."

Ball warns us to be sure we have considered how to protect our firms and clients should a vendor evaporate.

View it here  or download it here: Download Ball_In_Your_Court

MAILBAG #010209

New Year, More Mail:

* Kevin O'Keefe checks in to advise us that he has just launched beta of lextweet.com. Sez he is "changing text Friday to make clear it is open to all legal community, not just lawyers." Kinda a mini-Twitter, interesting!

* Ross Kodner offers 33 New Year's resolutions here.  His # 1 prediction: at least 10% of AmLaw 100 firms will collapse by year's end. "The era of the megafirm is over. Heller Ehrman and Thelen are history. Who’s next? (Take a look at these websites - it’s positively chilling - when Goliath falls, he falls hard."

* Related topic:  "Will BigLaw firms gain -- or lose-- business in tough economic times? Integreon's Ron Friedman has an interesting dialogue going on his blog, PrismLegal, here.  (Hat tip to WP.)

* Turbulent skies: A holiday message from  United's pilots:

December 16, 2008

To our passengers,
As the Holiday Season approaches, the professional pilots of United Airlines want to assure our passengers that whether you are headed home to share the holidays with loved ones or enjoying vacation travel, we'll continue to go the extra mile to make sure that you get to your destinations in comfort with minimum stress and inconvenience.
We are very much aware that the friendly skies have become less friendly in recent times because of increased costs, reduced flights and cutbacks in in-flight service and amenities. We have been at the forefront when it comes to resisting these cost-cutting initiatives because we do not believe that our passengers should be penalized for the mistakes of United's management. We still feel that way and are still fighting the fight on behalf of our passengers.
As we get into the winter months, we want you to know that United is an all-weather airline. United pilots pioneered many of the safety innovations such as onboard weather radar, anti-skid brakes, enhanced weather forecasting, and improved navigation instruments that allow safe operation in inclement weather. And we will not allow our airline to fabricate excuses for not serving the needs of our passengers.
On behalf of United's professional pilots, we want to extend our best wishes to all for a joyous Holiday Season. We will continue to do all that we can to make the skies friendlier for our valued passengers who continue to be our number one priority.

--The Pilots of United Airlines
United Chapter, Air Line Pilots Association

WALL STREET RAINING IT TALENT?

E-Week Careers suggests that the implosions on Wall Street may be excellent news for folks trying to hire top IT staff. They cite an article from Crain's:

Traditionally, Wall Street has been the tech industry's stiffest competition on the hiring front. Banks typically beat out tech firms because they offer bigger paychecks and better benefits ... Banks have been willing to pay $250,000 base salaries plus a bonus for top talent, said Michael Flannery, managing director of Redwood Partners, an executive search firm. "That made these people untouchable," he added. But the
changing landscape on Wall Street will help level the playing field.

Full E-Week Careers article  here.