Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Damian Jeal, the vice president of Global Sales at Nikec Solutions, a U.K. based company that helps law firms enhance their efficiency through extranet & collaboration tools, secure file sharing, and paperless office options. We discussed Nikec’s mission, how the company’s various offerings combine to provide law firms with a holistic solution to their document challenges, the likelihood of a paperless future, how U.S. law firms approach their use of technology in contrast to firms overseas, and the company’s plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among other topics.

I spoke with Stuart Barr, the Chief Strategy Officer for HighQ, a cloud-based enterprise collaboration and content management platform. We discussed why collaboration matters for legal professionals, collaboration best practices that legal teams can easily implement, including a reference to the company’s new e-book: SmartLaw: Expert Insights for the Future of Law, how the collaboration landscape is evolving, and HighQ’s plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among other topics.

I spoke with Brian Smith, the President and CEO of Caseflow, an Australian software company that helps law firms enhance their case and matter management, productivity, and operational efficiency. We discussed the genesis of Caseflow, how law firms can improve their operational efficiency, the difference between Australian and North American law firms, how its software differs from other tools on the market, and its plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among others.

I spoke with RJon Robins, the founder & CEO of How to Manage a Small Law Firm, an outside managing partner service for solo and small law firms nationwide, and one of the creators of the Law Firm 500, a new ranking that highlights the nation’s fastest-growing law practices. We discussed the genesis of How to Manage a Small Law Firm and the Law Firm 500, the accolade’s selection process, the type of firms under consideration, and how to apply, among other topics.

I spoke with Ralph Losey, a partner with Jackson Lewis in Orlando, Florida and an internationally-recognized thought leader in electronic discovery, who has created the Electronic Discovery Best Practices model, a lawyer-centric workflow that describes the best practices of legal counsel in this aspect of litigation. We discussed his practice, the genesis of the Electronic Discovery Best Practices model, how members of the legal community can use it, and the benefits of understanding the role of legal counsel in e-discovery, among other topics.

I spoke with James Jarvis, the vice president of product and partner management for Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information corporation. We discussed the genesis of the company’s new e-discovery tool – eDiscovery Point, why Thomson Reuters decided to enter the e-discovery software market, how its new technology differs from other available products, and the reception it has received in the legal community, among other topics.

I spoke with Michael Quartararo, the Director of Litigation Support Services at New York-based Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and the author of Project Management in Electronic Discovery: An Introduction to Core Principles of Legal Project Management and Leadership in eDiscovery. He was named the 2016 E-Discovery Person of the Year by ACEDS. We discussed his role at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, the genesis of his new book: Project Management in Electronic Discovery: An Introduction to Core Principles of Legal Project Management and Leadership in eDiscovery, the core elements of legal project management in e-discovery that are most important, and how the subject has influenced the litigation support community, among other topics.

I spoke with Paul Metselaar, the chairman, CEO, and founder of Lawyers Travel, a full-service travel management company for law firm lawyers. We discussed the genesis of Lawyers Travel, how risk management impacts travel for professionals, and how the evolution of technology is affecting the mobility of lawyers, among other topics.

I spoke with Jason Parkman, the CEO of Mitratech, an enterprise legal management software provider that helps corporate legal teams reduce their costs, collaborate, and increase their visibility. We discussed Mitratech’s acquisition of CMO Software, a provider of Environment, Health and Safety & Governance, Risk, and Compliance solutions, as well as the integration of that company into its prior acquisitions of Bridgeway Software in July 2015, CaseTrack in August 2015, and Viewabill in March 2016. Parkman highlighted the competitive advantages that joining these entities provides, the benefits that clients can realize, and his views on future consolidation in the legal industry.

I spoke with Ed Walters, the co-founder and CEO of Fastcase, a leading legal research service. We discussed the genesis of Fastcase and the evolution of legal research, advice for legal tech start-up entrepreneurs, and the integration of Loislaw into the company’s signature research tools, among other topics.

I spoke with Eric Mosca, the co-founder and director of operations for InOutsource, an information governance consulting and technology implementation services provider. We discussed the typical conflicts of interest that impact law firms most frequently, best practices for managing those issues, and how law firms can establish automated processes for new business intake, among other topics.

I spoke with David Ahrens, the chief marketing officer of FRONTEO USA, Inc., a publicly-traded global technology and services company that specializes in big data, artificial intelligence, information governance, managed review and litigation consulting for the e-discovery market. He is responsible for developing and executing an integrated marketing and communications plan, which is particularly important given FRONTEO’s rebranding to integrate UBIC North America and its subsidiaries. We discussed the rebranding, the impact it will have on the company’s business, and the key factors that distinguish FRONTEO from its competition, among other topics. In addition, FRONTEO is sponsoring and participating the Today’s General Counsel exchange on e-discovery on July 18th and 19th at the New York City Bar Association.

I spoke with Matt Kivlin, the Senior Director of Product Management at Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions, which helps law departments holistically manage technology and processes in a unique ecosystem. We discussed the benefits of leveraging a legal ecosystem for law departments, including enhanced efficiency and improved decision-making, how corporate legal teams can begin adopting this approach, and ways that the ecosystem model helps align the interests of law departments and their outside counsel, among other topics.

I spoke with Alberto Estrella and Mayra Artiles, the managing partner and associate, respectively, at Estrella LLC, a full-service law firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We discussed the firm’s new business immigration practice, how it leverages technology to enhance client service, the unique legal issues that companies face when doing business in Puerto Rico, and how the overall economy is influencing the evolution of legal services.

I spoke with John Jeffcock, the Chief Executive of Winmark, a U.K.-based organization that facilitates networking events and shared best practices across global companies and governments worldwide, including the Chief Legal Officer Network. We discussed the genesis of Winmark, how the Brexit vote will impact the legal industry, and findings from the latest Winmark C-Suite Report, among other topics.

I spoke with Jonathan Hoy, the Vice President of HotDocs Market, a cloud-based, e-commerce marketplace for automated legal document creation. Jonathan has focused on legal technology for over 15 years, most recently with LexisNexis and the American Bar Association. We discussed the genesis of HotDocs Market, how Hoy defines document automation, why legal professionals are using HotDocs Market, and what the rise of HotDocs Market signals about the changing nature of the legal profession, among other topics.

I spoke with Anne van der Heide, the business development manager for Bizzomate, a consulting firm based in the Netherlands that builds apps for many organizations, including professional services firms, using the Mendix software platform. We discussed the genesis of Bizzomate, its unique value proposition, the power of what it offers, and how law firms and other professional services organizations will leverage this type of technology in the future.

I spoke with Kevin Colangelo, the Vice President and Head of Strategic Accounts for Bloomberg BNA, a legal technology and content provider. We discussed how law firms are changing, what firm leaders need do to stay one step ahead of their peers, key technology that is sparking the industry’s transformation, and where the field is headed, among other topics. Colangelo recommends that law firm leaders think differently, focus on investing for the long term, and leverage technology to filter the signal from the noise.

I spoke with Roy Zur, a cyberintelligence expert, who is a retired major from the Israeli security forces, and the CEO of Cybint, an Israeli cyberintelligence company. Zur has developed cyber training programs for financial institutions, law firms, and government agencies. We discussed the genesis of Cybint, why legal professionals need to be concerned about cyber matters, what distinguishes his cyber-centric training, and four of the most common cybersecurity mistakes that law firms make, among other topics. Zur also announced an upcoming partnership with Barbri to offer his unique programming on a broader scale.

I spoke with Joe Kelly, the founder and CEO of Legal Workspace, a cloud solution that hosts a variety of software applications needed to run a law firm. We discussed the genesis of Legal Workspace, why the cloud has become so important for law firms, the key security questions law firms should ask a prospective cloud technology provider, and the company’s research associated with HIPAA compliance and law firms, among other topics.