BE PREPARED

One of the most terrifying and exhilarating days of my career was the first day I walked into the San Francisco federal courtroom of Judge Samuel Conti as the law clerk for Albert Abramson (left). Abramson was  the lead attorney in a multi-plaintiff Alaska plane crash case. During the eight-week trial, my job was to take care of anything Al needed, from exhibits to power strips for the projectors, to a cup of coffee.

Al has been a wonderful mentor, and he was instrumental in helping me navigate my quick transition from actually practicing law to writing about law. I cherish my memories of working at what is now Abramson Smith Waldsmith -- the lessons Al taught me have shaped my understanding of litigation and the practice of law (and life!). I was admitted to the bar during the trial, and will never forget the enthusiastic welcome I received from Judge Conti, all counsel, and the jury on that wonderful day.

In our latest LTN video, Latham & Watkins' John Cleaves offers concrete tips on how you can reduce your anxiety when it's your turn to take the litigation support hot seat in a courtroom. Cleaves is the supervisor of practice support in the firm's Los Angeles office and a frequent contributor to Law Technology News.

It all boils down, says Cleaves, to the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared!" Before trial, says Cleaves, visit the courtroom and scope it out. Introduce yourself to the clerks and ask about protocols, e.g., what the judge likes and doesn't like. While there, check out all the electrical outlets.

Be sure to always have a backup laptop — (über-aggressive opposing teams have been know to "accidently" spill water on opponents' computers).  And always keep a Power Bar in your bag so your stomach won't growl if you don't get a chance to eat lunch.

Want more? Here's a cover story from last year on the same topic.

STEER INTO THE SKID

Legal trade shows can intimidate even the most veteran attendee. So, with the International Legal Technology Association's annual meeting fast approaching, we interviewed James McKenna, senior manager of practice technology at Morrison & Foerster, to get his advice on how to best navigate convention floors.

"Maximizing LegalTech" was shot during June's LegalTech West Coast, where McKenna, a member of Law Technology News' Editorial Advisory Board, was speaking on a panel about cloud computing. He encourages first-time attendees to study the program guide and sketch out a rough game plan -- before you arrive.

But don't lock yourself into too rigid a regimen, he cautions. It's great to attend seminars and hear about successful projects, but your best education may come during networking, where you can learn about the "black ice" and "potholes" your peers encountered. That intelligence can help you prevent spin outs on your next project!

HELP, PLEASE!

Erica Greathouse, of Cox, Castle & Nicholson, has a lot of experience when it comes to handling legal professionals' gripes about imperfect technology. As a veteran CIO, she's seen the best and worst behavior, from both frustrated lawyers and the IT staff trying to serve them.

So we had a very entertaining discussion taping our latest LTN video, "Help, Please!" where we discuss the results of the 2010 LTN Vendor Satisfaction Survey. We resonated with the tsunami of respondents (more than 80% of large and small firm folks) who declared that customer service -- quick resolution of problems -- was the number one factor they considered when buying technology.

That's also the title of our July LTN cover story where I analyze key points from the survey, which was conducted by our colleagues at ALM Legal Intelligence. And if you want even more, check out this month's Law Technology Now podcast, where Ross Kodner and I discuss the survey after we chat about his "Big Squeeze" article on how small firms can stretch litigation support budgets.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

During LegalTech West Coast, I taped several videos for our Law Technology News website, including discussions with our e-discovery columnist Craig Ball, consultant Tom Allman, DLA Piper's Marean Browning, and Patrick Oot, of the Electronic Discovery Institute.

They all are scheduled to participate in this fall's 7th annual Advanced E-Discovery Institute, which will be held November 18-19 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington, Va.

I'll be attending for the first time, on a panel addressing "The Business of E-Discovery." Conference topics also include an EDD case law update; proportionality; corporate counsel concerns; class actions; evidence, authenticity and admissibility; early assessment; ethics; and more.

For information about the program, visit  here.  Patrick Oot and I discussed the conference on his video, so I'll give you a heads up when it's scheduled to debut!