Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Victor Medina, the founder of the Medina Law Group, a New Jersey-based estate planning firm, and the creator of MILOfest, a national attorney-tech conference solely for those using Macs in their law offices. We discussed Medina’s practice and the genesis of MILOfest, the level of Mac usage in the legal field, the rising popularity of MILOfest, and the type of programming that can attendees expect during the event taking place November 12th through the 14th, among other topics.

I spoke with Mary Mack, the new executive director for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. With more than a decade in the e-discovery field, Mack is a frequent commentator on industry issues as well as the author of A Process of Illumination: The Practical Guide to Electronic Discovery and the co-editor of the Thomson Reuters treatise, eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel. We discussed her new role at ACEDS, the importance of certification for e-discovery professionals, key trends in training, and the organization’s 6th Annual E-Discovery Conference.

I spoke with Stephanie Giammarco, a partner at BDO Consulting, as well as the national practice leader for forensic technology services. We discussed BDO’s approach to e-discovery, how leveraging data analytics differs from filtering data, the ROI of data analytics and visualization, the impact of globalization on e-discovery analytics, and best practices for organizations interested in managing their data more proactively.

I spoke with Bob Gogel, the CEO of Integreon, a leading legal process outsourcing firm serving both global law firms and corporations. Prior to joining Integreon in 2011, he was the CEO of Enrich, an employee benefits consultancy, and has held positions on the executive boards of AXA Group and Siemens Business Services GmbH. We discussed why legal processing outsourcing has become so attractive to law firms and corporations, Integreon’s new global delivery center in Austin, offshoring and onshoring preferences, and data security best practices.

I spoke with Todd Miller, the CEO of gwabbit, a leading ERM and data optimization solution. Miller is also the founder of WebFeat, the former CEO of Knight Ridder’s SourceOne subsidiary, and the owner of four information technology patents. We discussed the genesis of gwabbit, the problem it solves in the marketplace, how firms in the AmLaw 100 and 200 are using it, and the company’s plans for the 2015 ILTA conference, among other topics.

I spoke with Doug Horton, the president and CEO of Handshake Software, a provider of SharePoint-based products and services to the legal market. We discussed how Handshake Software is helping law firms streamline their use of SharePoint with its Jumpstart portal for rapid deployment, its Expertise Locator, and key integrations with LexisNexis and Neudesic, among others. Horton also highlighted how Handshake Software supports Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint Online, and what the company is planning for the 2015 ILTA conference.

I spoke with Jeffrey Roach, president of Encoretech, a learning & development organization delivering technology training to the legal and corporate communities. We discussed Encoretech’s Training-as-a-Service initiative (a finalist for ILTA’s Innovative Solution Provider of the Year award), innovative ways that law firms are providing technology training and gauging proficiency, the trajectory of the trend of issuing technology certifications and assessments to help law firms support their technical skills, and the company’s plans for the upcoming ILTA conference, among other topics.

I spoke with Chris Bright, the vice president of marketing for Zapproved, a provider of software used to help corporations manage litigation responses. The company is hosting its PREX15 conference on preservation excellence in September for in-house legal teams and we discussed the genesis of the event, what attendees can expect, its stellar line-up of speakers, and the latest trends affecting e-discovery and preservation, among other topics. (Use the prex200 discount code at registration and save $200.)

I spoke with Jim Buckley, the Senior Practice Director at RGP Legal, a legal services consulting organization that provides advisory services to law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed how organizations define legal operations, how it provides the greatest impact to those who want a greater level of transparency and accountability, why the role of a director of legal operations is becoming more prominent, and best practices for how companies are incorporating legal operations, among other topics.

I spoke with Diogo Fonseca e Silva and Cristóvão Silva, the Hotel Manager and Customer Experience Manager, respectively, for the Grand Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa in Cascais, Portugal. We discussed the elements of a unique vacation, what people want in a resort, why one might want to choose Portugal, and how technology has changed the vacation experience, among other topics.

I spoke with David Freeman, the CEO of the David Freeman Consulting Group and founder of the Law Firm CultureShift® process. He is a best-selling author who has written four books on law firm leadership and business development, including his upcoming book – Creating a Cross-Serving Culture Shift: Mastering Cross-Selling for Lawyers and Leaders. We discussed how the economic realities of running a law firm are fueling interest in cross-selling, ways to shift your culture to support cross-selling opportunities, how to overcome key challenges, and how to get started. He shares of few of the 13 accelerators that can help firms thrive in the current market, including getting and acting on client feedback, as well as creating trusted relationships within the firm.

I spoke with Tom Lambotte, the CEO of GlobalMacIT, which he notes is the only company in the world that specializes in providing IT support to Mac-based law firms. Tom is also the author of Hassle Free Mac IT Support for Law Firms. We discussed the genesis of GlobalMacIT, the growth in the Mac-based law firm market (which he estimated at about 4,500 members), why so many law firms using Macs in a profession that has historically been PC driven, the perceived challenges associated with switching, and the benefits of outsourcing IT support, among other topics.

I spoke with Keith Conley, the president of DTI Legal Solutions. He is a member of DTI’s executive team and leads the company’s discovery operations. He highlighted the key challenges that clients are facing in the current market, which include growing litigation portfolios, increasing data volumes, and general cost containment challenges.

I spoke with Kevin Chern, an attorney and the Managing Partner of UpRight Law, a national virtual consumer bankruptcy and consumer protection law firm. We discussed the genesis of UpRight Law, how technology has enabled its growth, what the rise of firms like UpRight Law signify about the traditional legal market, and how the regulatory environment impacts new law firm models, among other topics.

I spoke with Ian Zack, an attorney and the Director of Business Development at CaseRails, a software company that provides a web-based document automation platform for attorneys. We discussed the advantages of document automation for attorneys and law firms, the associated challenges, how variations in billing arrangements impact an attorney’s reliance on new technology, and best practices for incorporating document automation into your work.

I spoke with Deborah Baron, the chief strategy officer of Align Matters, a cloud-based software platform that helps in-house lawyers tie the management of their matters to client business objectives. She has also served as the CEO North America and CMO of Nuix, as well as the vice president for legal and compliance solutions at HP Autonomy. We discussed her role at Align Matters, the value of leveraging a proverbial GPS for legal management tool, how technology can help lawyers become better business leaders, how Align Matters helps law departments build efficiency with benchmarks and repeatable processes, and the future of holistic cloud-based matter management.

I spoke with Deborah Epstein Henry, an internationally recognized expert, consultant and public speaker on the future of the legal profession, new legal models, women in the law, and work/life balance. She is the author of LAW & REORDER: Legal Industry Solutions for Restructure, Retention, Promotion & Work/Life Balance (ABA, 2010) and co-author of FINDING BLISS: Innovative Legal Models for Happy Clients & Happy Lawyers (ABA, 2015). She is also the co-founder and managing director of Bliss Lawyers, a firm that employs high-caliber lawyers to work on engagements for in-house legal department and law firm clients. We discussed her new book, examples of innovation in both new and traditional legal models, and best practices for measuring value and harnessing talent, among other topics.

I spoke with Annie Webber, the co-founder and CEO of Legal Hero, a platform that delivers legal services to businesses on a fixed price basis. Prior to founding Legal Hero, she worked as an M&A attorney at Ropes & Gray in Boston. We discussed the genesis of Legal Hero and how it works. Webber highlighted that as individuals become more comfortable with distributed labor models like Uber and clients continue to demand fixed prices on limited budgets, there are opportunities for ventures like Legal Hero, which reinvents the traditional legal services model and automates invoicing or document creation to empower many businesses.

I spoke with Ian Campbell and Iram Arras, the founder and CEO, and Vice President of Product Strategy, respectively, for iCONECT, a multi-party document review platform. Legaltech News recently named iCONECT-XERA a finalist for Best E-Discovery Review Platform. We discussed the rise of glanceable dashboards in document review, the evolution of predictive technology, the integration of corporate branding to create a more seamless discovery experience, and where the market is headed.

I spoke with Tim Cheadle, the founder and CEO of MatterMojo, a cloud-based client and matter management system for small and mid-sized law firms. Prior to founding the company, he was the General Manager of the LexisNexis UK & International Enterprise Solutions business. We discussed his background and the genesis of MatterMojo, the significance of the name, the company’s extensive partnership with Microsoft, and the future of cloud-based client and matter management.