Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Michael Grupp , the founder and CEO of BRYTER, a no-code platform for building digital applications in the legal and compliance industries. We discussed the genesis of BRYTER, how it works, its most popular use cases, how BRYTER’s team adapted to the remote working environment, its successful round of funding during the pandemic, and its expansion plans.

I spoke with Dana Denis-Smith, the founder and CEO of Obelisk Support, a UK-based company that provides flexible legal services worldwide. We discussed the genesis of Obelisk Support, how the company has adapted to the COVID-19 crisis, the skills that are necessary to thrive in the current environment, and her research focused on empowering female founders.

I spoke with Ray Bayley and Lois Haubold, the co-founders of Novus Law, a global legal services practice. We discussed how corporate legal departments, law firms, and legal services organizations are reimagining their work in the current environment, how legal teams will operate going forward, and how the legal profession is evolving to accommodate a remote culture.

I spoke with John Snyder, the co-founder and CEO of Agnes Intelligence, an artificial intelligence software tool for searching and reviewing data. We discussed the genesis of Agnes Intelligence, where artificial intelligence is most effective and least effective, and the trajectory of e-discovery.

I spoke with Will Norton, the co-founder and CEO of SimplyAgree, a signature and closing management platform for transactional attorneys. We discussed the genesis of SimplyAgree, the transactions they are accommodating, the challenges associated with leveraging technology for closing management, and how the transition to remote work is impacting SimplyAgree and the overall legal market.

I spoke with Gary Markham, the founder and CEO of Bilr, a legal billing software platform. We discussed the genesis of Bilr, how it differs from other time entry tools on the market, the biggest challenges associated with legal timekeeping, why it has become such an important issue for law firms, and where timekeeping is headed.

I spoke with Mona Datt, the founder and CEO of both Loom Analytics, a legal analytics software company, and eDecree, a legal and insurance transcription company. We discussed how she has helped her teams work from home, the biggest challenges she has faced in that effort, how she is preparing to return to a physical office, and her recommendations for other companies transitioning back to a central location.

I spoke with Chris Ende, the Chief Value Officer at Goulston & Storrs, and Michael Byrd, the Global Process Owner at Baker McKenzie, who are board members for the Legal Value Network, a new organization dedicated to the business of law. We discussed the genesis of the Legal Value Network, the benefits of participating in it, ways that its programming will adapt to a virtual environment, and how the concept of legal value is evolving.

I spoke with Matt Homann, the founder of Filament, a company that designs and facilitates virtual and in-person meetings. We discussed the genesis of Filament, whether you can replicate a memorable in-person event experience online, recommendations for developing successful online programs, and how legal events are evolving.

I spoke with Josh Schoen, the CEO of AiLanthus, a litigation collaboration platform and knowledge management system. We discussed the genesis of AiLanthus, how collaboration and knowledge management align with litigation support, and ways that legal technology is adapting to the current crisis.

I spoke with Brandon Greenblatt, the CEO of Precision Reporters, which provides litigation support and court reporting services. We discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted court reporting, the practical innovations and preparations his company is making for the move to virtual litigation, and how advancements in court reporting align with the rapid advancements taking place in legal technology.

I spoke with James Barclay, the head of client success at Passle, a sales and marketing platform focused on professional services. We discussed how professionals should approach content creation in the current environment, ways that Passle enhances how individuals can broadcast content, the benefits of a LinkedIn audit, and how content creation has changed in a work-from-home world.

I spoke with Arthur Raguette, the co-founder and executive vice president of Ultria, an artificial intelligence-based contract management platform. We discussed how working from home has changed how legal professionals are leveraging technology, how to align what artificial intelligence can do with the expectations of what it should do, and where contract management technology is headed.

I spoke with Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and CEO of Opus 2 International, a case management software platform. We discussed how Opus 2 integrates with the array of software tools that a typical law firm leverages, global litigation, arbitration, and mediation trends, how virtual hearings and court proceedings will evolve.

I spoke with Mike Hewitt, the CEO of vTestify, which provides virtual deposition software and services. We discussed how vTestify differs from Zoom, the role of remote hearings and depositions as social distancing restrictions are eased, and how litigation is evolving.

I spoke with Joy Murao, the founder and CEO of Practice Aligned Resources, a legal technology consulting and education company. She is also a member of the advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed how legal technology training has evolved since she started Practice Aligned Resources in 2015, how the emergence of legal operations in both law firms and corporate law departments has impacted expectations of how skilled legal professionals need to be, the impact of advanced training on one’s career, and where legal technology training is headed.

I spoke with Mike Whelan, a lawyer and communications strategist, who is the author of Lawyer Forward: Finding Your Place in the Future of Law. We discussed his inspiration for Lawyer Forward, how the law firm business model is changing, his vision for a modern law practice, ways that legal education needs to adapt, techniques law firms can employ to train and support their professionals, and how law students and newer lawyers can reimagine their futures in the profession.

I spoke with David Cunningham, the chief information officer at Winston & Strawn in Houston. He is leading the Legal Metrics initiative, which is an industry-wide group designing a solution to understand and visualize legal operations metrics. We discussed the genesis of the initiative, how metrics can change behavior, and ways that Legal Metrics will help law firms, law departments, other legal organizations.

I spoke with Lutz-Christian Wolff, Steven Gallagher, and Joyce Wong, the dean, associate dean for teaching and learning, and faculty secretary, respectively, at the Faculty of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. We discussed the university’s approach to legal education, how its professors have altered their teaching styles and methods to adapt to distance learning, evaluating student performance remotely, and which elements of the new model of education will become permanent.

I spoke with Bob Rowe and Jamie Berry, the CEO and litigation business unit leader, respectively, at Integreon, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the technology and workflow strategies necessary to rapidly transform a global company into a completely remote workforce, how to effectively protect client-sensitive documents and communications in that environment, and where the legal industry is headed in light of the current crisis.