Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with David Schnurman, the founder and CEO of Lawline, a leading provider of continuing legal education, and the author of The Fast Forward Mindset: How to Be Fearless & Focused to Accelerate Your Success (Highpoint Executive Publishing, 2019). We discussed his work at Lawline, the inspiration for The Fast Forward Mindset, the most impactful lesson in the book, its 30-day challenge, and suggestions for other entrepreneurs interested in writing a book, among other topics.

I had the privilege of interviewing Jeff McCoy, Haresh Bhungalia, David Horrigan, Shawn Gaines, Ed Walters, Erez Bustan, Patrick DiDomenico, Ian Campbell, Brad Blickstein, Warrick McLean, Helle Schwartz-Grossman, Caterina Latte, Kim Taylor, Craig Carpenter, Scott Wallingford, Scott Winter, Sarah Schaaf, Rick Weber, and Tony Caputo at ILTACON 2019 and this is a mash-up of their perspectives.

I spoke with David Alain Bloch, the co-founder and CEO of Legartis, a developer of an AI-powered contract intelligence software platform. We discussed the genesis of Legartis, ways that technology is influencing contract management, and how artificial intelligence-powered contracts are evolving.

I spoke with Christina Ypsilanti, the Maitre de Maison at the SunRocks Boutique Hotel in Santorini, Greece. We discussed the history of Santorini, Greece and its most popular attractions.

I spoke with Philipp Kadelbach, the founder of Flightright, an automated service that helps passengers check and assert their compensation claims in Europe. We discussed the genesis of Flightright, how it works, the application of legal tech to travel, and whether technology is replacing lawyers.

I spoke with Barry Solomon, executive vice president at Foundation Software Group, the developer of a firm intelligence platform used by lawyers, KM professionals, marketing and business development leaders, and an array of individuals responsible for the business and practice of law. We discussed the value of focusing on firm intelligence over experience management and how it is impacting law firms.

I spoke with Emily Hostage, a vice president at Burford Capital, a publicly-traded litigation finance company. We discussed how litigation finance differs from other forms of capital, the advantages, the difference between how a law firm and a corporate legal department uses litigation finance, ways to evaluate litigation risk, and where the litigation finance market is headed.

I spoke with Vassilis Poravos, the hotel manager at the Domes Noruz hotel in Chania, Crete. We discussed the influence of wellness activities on tourism, how technology is impacting modern travel, and the appeal of the Greek islands.

I spoke with Joy Heath Rush, the CEO of the International Legal Technology Association, which provides educational and networking opportunities for professionals who support the practice of law with technology. We discussed how the organization has changed in the past 2 1/2 decades, her vision for this year’s ILTACON, new programming, the advantages of attending, and how to cut through the legal tech noise.

I spoke with Jerry Ting and Alex Su, the CEO and Director of Business Development, respectively, at Evisort, a software platform that provides artificial intelligence for contracts. We discussed why artificial intelligence has become so attractive in the legal sector, the benefits and challenges associated with implementing it, and where the field is headed.

I spoke with Thomas Martin, an investment professional with Hg, a private equity firm that recently acquired Litera Microsystems and Workshare. We discussed the types of companies in which Hg invests, the appeal of legal technology, the impact of consolidation on innovation, and how a legal technology company can attract interest from a private equity firm.

I spoke with Ray Zwiefelhofer, the president of World Software Corporation, the maker of Worldox, a document management platform that thousands of law firms around the world use to manage their information. We discussed what law firms are looking for in their document management and how document management has evolved.

I spoke with Ashley Pepitone, a practicing attorney in Atlanta and the co-founder of JurisBytes, the developer of JurisMS, a texting application for secure and private lawyer-client texting, which won the ABA Techshow Startup Alley competition in March. We discussed how attorney-client communication has evolved, current communication challenges, and advice for solo and small firm practitioners on selecting technology.

I spoke with Fayiaz Chaudhri, the CEO of Aimactek, an artificial intelligence and machine learning software developer focused on the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Aimactek, the difference between AI and machine learning, how AI is transforming corporate law departments, and where its application is headed in the legal industry.

I spoke with Isabella Galeano, a law professor at Esade Law School in Barcelona, host of The Quirky Lawyer podcast, and the founder of The Technolawgist media platform. We discussed the genesis of The Technolawgist, how it aligns with The Quirky Lawyer podcast, trends in the Spanish legal market, ways that lawyers are distinguishing themselves in the current market, and the direction of the legal industry.

I spoke with Nate Latessa, the president of Heureka, an index in place, search, and analysis software platform for corporate legal, compliance, and cybersecurity departments. We discussed the genesis of Heureka, the benefits of improving an organization’s data hygiene, how data classification impacts e-discovery, and where e-discovery is headed.

I spoke with Grover Cleveland, a former law firm partner and the founder of Lessons for Sharks, a firm that provides programs and coaching to increase lawyer performance. He is the author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving As a New Lawyer. We discussed how summer associate programs have adapted to the current crisis, the challenges of creating rich, virtual experiences, and best practices for ensuring that these initiatives succeed.

I spoke with Rachi Messing, a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, where he leads the company's internal e-discovery team. We discussed how Microsoft manages its own e-discovery, how e-discovery has historically fit into Microsoft's overall vision for a holistic workspace, where cloud-based e-discovery is headed, and Microsoft's plans for e-discovery in 2019.

I spoke with Alex Nwaka, a principal with Touchdown Ventures, which provides venture capital services on behalf of leading corporations. We discussed the model of providing venture capital as a service, why law firms are investing in venture capital, how they are deploying their capital, and the challenges of supporting legal tech companies.

I spoke with Aileen Schultz, a Toronto-based business strategist, the co-founder of the Global Legal Hackathon, and the founder and president of the World Legal Summit. We discussed the genesis of the World Legal Summit, its mission, and how it differs from other legal events and organizations.