Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Willy Leichter, the Global Director of Cloud Security at CipherCloud, a technology company that delivers cloud information protection and enables users to navigate risks to data privacy, residency, security, and regulatory compliance. We discussed the impact of cloud information protection on the legal industry, the problems it solves for legal professionals, the shadow IT trend, and the advantages of implementing proven encryption and data loss prevention techniques. Leichter also identified a few of the biggest threats facing law firms today and prospective changes to privacy laws over the next five years.

I spoke with Monica Zent, the Founder and CEO of Foxwordy, a private social network for lawyers, and the founder of ZentLaw, an alternative law firm. We discussed the genesis of Foxwordy, which she launched in the spring of 2015, how it differs from other social networks, the use case for a legal industry specific portal, and the future of law practice.

I spoke with Kris Canaday, the founder of Integrative Legal Support, a paralegal support company providing litigation, corporate, and intellectual property services to attorneys, law firms, and legal departments throughout the U.S. She is also the author of Paralegal Support 101, a knowledge base for attorneys on the paralegal profession. We discussed the genesis of Integrative Legal Support, why attorneys and firms need a paralegal support service, her advice to attorneys and firms looking for non-traditional support, and the future of this sector, among other topics.

I spoke with Dr. Gavin Manes, the founder and CEO of Avansic, a firm that provides the legal, business, and government sectors with e-discovery, digital forensics, data preservation, and online review services. We discussed the genesis of Avansic, the biggest challenges that litigants are facing in 2015, the need to normalize vocabulary in discovery, and key legal trends to watch.

I spoke with Eric Hunter, the Director of Knowledge, Innovation & Technology Strategies at Bradford & Barthel, a California law firm. He is also the Executive Director of Spherical Models, a consultancy that focuses on spherical business models through innovations in big data, strategic pricing, predictive analytics, and social media. The Ark Group recently released his new book: “The Sherlock Syndrome, Strategic Success through Big Data and the Darwinian Disruption.” We discussed his inspiration for writing the book, its target audience, and the convergence of creativity and business models.

I spoke with Paul Mandell, the founder & CEO of Consero, an international events company that targets C-level executives at Fortune 1000 companies. We discussed the genesis of Consero, how the company’s events differ from traditional conferences with its invitation-only approach, and the types of programs it offers, including those for general counsel, CFO’s, and procurement leaders, among others.

I spoke with Dima Bobev, the co-founder of Forexus, an eDiscovery, IT Forensics and Data Analytics services company based in Switzerland. Bobev started his career at a Big Four accounting firm, where he managed large cross-border eDiscovery projects and was responsible for the development of the Swiss Analytics & Forensic Technology team. We discussed the genesis of Forexus, how Swiss data privacy rules are affecting eDiscovery, its presence at the Corporate Counsel and Compliance Exchange Conference, and the growth trajectory of international eDiscovery, among other topics.

I spoke with Alok Gupta, founder and managing director of Pyramid Cyber Security & Forensics, a provider of e-discovery, forensics, and cybersecurity services. We discussed the growing relationship between e-discovery, forensics, and cybersecurity, the global nature of litigation support, and the ways that companies are more efficiently and cost-effectively approaching these issues.

I spoke with Trevor Campion, the CEO of Inventus, a discovery management practice that supports global law firms and Fortune 1000 companies. We discussed the genesis of Inventus, its recent acquisition of London-based Unified OS Ltd., a similar discovery management practice, the new company’s impact on the global market, and the evolution of eDiscovery, among other topics.

I spoke with Brett Burney, the founder of Burney Consultants and the chair of the 2015 ABA Techshow planning board. We discussed how the nine-member planning board operates, and what this year’s attendees can expect, from educational sessions in seven concurrent tracks on going paperless and data security, among others, to dynamic networking and an inaugural App-a-Thon. He noted the potential for more than 1,300 lawyers, judges, paralegals, and law students to be walking the halls with 800-1,000 vendors and exhibitors.

I spoke with Stacey Coote, the CEO of Yerra Solutions, Ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of Yerra Solutions, AG, a Swiss consulting, managed services, and products company, which helps legal and IP departments with strategy, operations, and technology. We discussed his background and the mission of Yerra Solutions, as well the launch of the Legal Procurement Network, which it recently launched. Coote noted the benefits of membership to corporate legal teams worldwide and his vision for its evolution.

I spoke with Mark Torchiana the co-founder and CEO of Courtroom Insight, a litigation and knowledge management technology company. In addition to developing Courtroom Insight, he has over fifteen years of experience working as a testifying expert witness in the field of forensic accounting. We discussed the genesis of Courtroom Insight, the benefits of the application, its recent partnership with the Daubert Tracker, and the future of tools that enable greater transparency related to judges and expert witnesses.

I spoke with Paul Domnick, the president of Litéra, a software company focused on risk management and productivity enhancement tools. Prior to joining Litéra, Paul was the global CIO of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. We discussed how organizations can balance risk management and productivity tools, cloud and mobile challenges clients are facing, and the reasons that professionals struggle to operate within a more security-centric environment, among other topics.

I spoke with Jeff Fehrman, the chief strategy officer for Mindseye, a technology company focused on improving discovery. He is responsible for helping to design and launch Mindseye’s appliance and mobile offerings, as well as establishing key technology partnerships. We discussed how organizations are leveraging visual patterns and data prioritization to discover documents more efficiently, the benefits of scalability and robust reporting, and the adoption implications of artificial intelligence and the cloud, among other topics.

I spoke with Matt Tait, an attorney and the director of sales and marketing for Case Pacer, a cloud-based case management software platform designed specifically for plaintiff’s attorneys in personal injury, disability, and worker’s compensation, among other areas. We discussed how consumers can identify a truly cloud-based technology platform, Case Pacer’s primary consumers, strategies for selecting a practice management application, and the evolution of these tools, among other topics.

I spoke with Michael Dalewitz, the founder and CEO of Inspired Review, a New York City-based document review provider. We discussed the genesis of Inspired Review, how companies can distinguish between document review providers, techniques for balancing quality and cost, questions to ask when purchasing document review services, and the variety of available pricing models, among other topics.

I spoke with Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and CEO of Opus 2 International, a litigation technology and services company. He also created LiveNote, which Thomson Reuters acquired in 2006. We discussed the genesis of Opus2 and its flagship product, Magnum, which earned the company the 2014 ILTA Innovative Solution Provider of the Year award, and the future of online collaborative workspaces, among other topics. Smith-Bernal noted that 80-90 percent of all major litigation in London leverages Opus2’s Magnum and with offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Paris, and Dubai, lawyers around the world are applying collaboration to a host of distinct legal systems.

I spoke with Bill O’Brien, the chief operating officer at Brainloop, a cloud-based document management, storage, and collaboration software company. We discussed Brainloop’s technology, with a specific focus on how it helps clients ensure compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the ramifications of not adhering to ITAR, and his predictions for the future of cybersecurity in the legal industry.

I spoke with Marty Smith, a founding director of MetaJure, an automated document management system. He is also the co-founder of Attenex, one of the first document review platforms that incorporated visualization, and a member of the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services. We discussed the genesis of MetaJure, what makes it unique, how it integrates with existing document management systems, and the future of automated document management.

I spoke with Michael Tal, an attorney, who served for several years in the corporate and M&A departments of both Skadden, Arps and White & Case LLP, and the co-founder and co-CEO of BusyLamp, a provider of enterprise legal management solutions with offices in Frankfurt, Germany and New York City. We discussed the genesis of BusyLamp and its mission of bringing transparency into the billing cycle, the distinctions between how European and American companies manage their legal spend, and the impact of client influence on billing relationships, among others.