Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Dan Kalish, a partner with HKM Employment Attorneys, which has just launched One Hour Employment Lawyer, a new service that allows prospective clients to book live consultations focused on employment matters for a $299 flat fee.

I spoke with Dr. Rick Kabra, the CEO of CosmoLex, a cloud-based law practice management software tool that integrates time tracking, billing, and trust accounting into a single application. We discussed the recent release of CosmoLex for the cloud and the general advantages of cloud-based technology for solo and small firm lawyers, including mobility, technology management, and information security. Kabra highlighted the need to select tools that enhance productivity and profitability by allowing attorneys to focus more time on practicing law and generating business, rather than the administrative aspects of operating a firm.

I spoke with Mark Lassiter, a real estate attorney with the Lassiter Law Firm in Tempe, Arizona, who is also the founder of Lex Projex, a legal project management consultancy, and is now creating a closed legal community to enable attorneys in virtual law firms to provide collaborative services. We discussed his efforts to ‘re-engineer’ the practice of law and the delivery of legal services, the obstacles to promoting this transformation, and skills that legal professionals need to thrive in this new era.

I spoke with Eric Mandel and Chuck Ragan, National E-Discovery Counsel and Special Counsel, respectively for Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP about the group’s mission, the rising importance of discovery counsel at law firms, helping clients balance valuing their data with gauging the risks that it presents. We also discussed key trends related to information governance, data security, and privacy.

I spoke with Dave Kinsey, the President of Total Networks, an IT services company based in Phoenix, which serves as either the outsourced IT department or as a strategic partner to the in-house team for small to medium professional services firms in Arizona, with an emphasis on the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Total Networks, key technology trends (including cloud computing and managed services), and the impact that privacy and compliance will have on the legal industry in 2014. Kinsey also identified the three leading IT risks that law firms are likely to face this year: (1) back-up challenges; (2) data retention; and, (3) information security.

I spoke with Rajitha Boer, the Founder & Director of Yerra Solutions, a Basel, Switzerland-based boutique consulting firm for global law departments. We discussed the genesis of Yerra, the transparency challenges that corporate legal departments are facing, and Yerra’s inaugural in-house counsel conference in London called: “Empowering General Counsel to Lead and Succeed,” which featured speakers from AIG, Nestlé, Barclays, and various large international law firms. She highlighted how global law departments can enhance their efficiency in the current market and how they can unify stakeholders across the legal team in 2014.

I spoke with Jeff Guttman, the Director of Managed Review Operations for TechLaw Solutions, a full-scope e-discovery and managed review solutions provider. We discussed the changing nature of data, the importance of workflow processes, and the philosophical differences challenging predictive coding adoption. Guttman also addressed how legal teams can reconcile cost certainty and predictability with spend management and the need for reduction.

I spoke with Gary LeClair, the co-founder and Chairman of LeClairRyan, an AmLaw 200 firm with 22 offices nationwide; David Freinberg, the firm’s CEO; and, Dan Reed, the CEO of UnitedLex, a global legal services company, which focuses on litigation, contract management, and intellectual property. We discussed the recent collaboration between UnitedLex and LeClairRyan to create the firm’s new Legal Solutions Center, which represents a unique effort to acquire resources on what LeClair describes as “a just in need basis, rather than a just in case basis.” The initial focus of this new endeavor is e-discovery, but the firm’s management expects it to eventually expand to intellectual property, immigration, and transactional matters.

I spoke with Doug Caddell, the new chief information officer for kCura, the maker of Relativity, a web-based platform for the processing, review, analysis, and production of electronic data. Prior to joining kCura, Caddell served as the firmwide CIO at Foley & Lardner based in Chicago. We discussed his new position, the distinction between his role in a corporation vs. a law firm, kCura’s new Relativity Binders iPad app, and what the rise of influential CIOs means for the future of legal technology development.

I spoke with Owen Burns, a senior consultant in legal technologies for Control Risks, a political, integrity, and security risks consultancy specializing in hostile and complex markets. Prior to joining Control Risks, he was a managing partner with Ricoh Americas Corporation. We discussed the company’s eTrium technology application, as well as its focus on corporate investigations, global consulting, managing integrity risk, and due diligence. Burns also addressed the advantages of being familiar with each local international market on the impact of a converging legal technology, risk, and data protection environment.

I spoke with Dave Deppe, the president of UnitedLex, a global legal services company, which focuses on litigation, contract management, and intellectual property. Prior to joining UnitedLex, he was a founding partner of Focus Legal Solutions, an electronic discovery boutique, which Mutual of Omaha acquired in December of 2008. We discussed the release of Questio, the company’s new consultant-led technology platform, how it differs from predictive coding, its development cycle, and what it reveals about the evolution of client interaction with digital tools.

I spoke with Gary Kinder, a lawyer and the New York Times bestselling author of Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World’s Richest Shipwreck. Kinder is the founder and creator of WordRake, an editing software program that he reports is being used by thousands of law firms, universities, and organizations to help individuals write clearly and concisely. We discussed the genesis of WordRake, which he highlighted is “designed to get rid of words that convey no meaning.” He suggests that writers delete phrases like “in this case” and “the terms of the contract.” In addition, look for the words in or of and reduce words around them that force readers to slow down. In a legal market that values efficiency, writers need to make their points faster. Since everyone needs an editor, Kinder created WordRake to fill that void. He offers a variety of writing tips on his blog – WritetothePoint.com – and WordRake offers a 3-day free trial.

I spoke with Albert Buckwalter, the Director of Litigation Support for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, and the editor-in-chief of Litigation Support Today, a magazine for litigation support professionals that has been published since 2007. We discussed the genesis of Litigation Support Today and Paralegal Today magazines, as well as the types of article ideas in which the editors are most interested. Buckwalter also shared his perspective on the evolution of the litigation support sector, legal technology trends, and the 2014 International Litigation Support Leaders conference, among other topics.

I spoke with Leah Beckham and Beth Thompson, the CEO and Director of Business Development, respectively, for BillBLAST, a cloud-based application that helps law firms manage their e-billing and related reporting. Beckham discussed how her tenure as COO for McAngus, Goudelock & Courie for 15 years helped shape her view on law firm efficiency and her mission to help law firms manage the ever-growing client demand for e-billing. With over two decades in legal technology, Thompson echoed that view of streamlining complex and labor-intensive tasks while accelerating the payment cycle with user-friendly dashboards and metrics that enhance business intelligence.

I spoke with Brian Albert, the founder and developer of TheLaw.tv, which is both a legal news and information website for consumers, as well as a producer of online videos for lawyers. TheLaw.tv has purportedly shot and distributed more than 100,000 videos over the last four years. By way of background, Albert is a lawyer and a broadcast journalist, who has interviewed Barack Obama, Alan Dershowitz, and Eric Schmidt, among many others. We discussed the genesis of TheLaw.tv and how video transforms the experience of those who visit websites of providers of professional services. He advised that online video creates trust, showcases legal aptitude, and improves conversion rates. It also helps lawyers convey knowledge, compassion, and personality.

I spoke with Vincent Bell, the former Director of Administration for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s New York office, who recently founded the Upstream Consulting Group to provide financial and operational support for law firms nationwide. We discussed the genesis and mission of Upstream Consulting, how the legal field has changed over the past three decades, and the evolving role of legal administrators, among other topics. Bell offers ideas for optimizing billing and collection, strategies for implementing operational modifications, and key advice for managing partners.

I spoke with Jordan Furlong, an Ottawa-based lawyer, writer, and legal industry analyst, who is a partner with Edge International Consulting. Jordan is also the author of Evolutionary Road: A Strategic Guide to Your Law Firm’s Future, an e-book published by Attorney at Work. We discussed his background and the focus of his work at Edge, as well as what inspired him to write Evolutionary Road. He shared his thoughts on the distinction between sustaining innovation vs. disruptive technology, and the impact of each on the legal market. “Disruptive technology will open new doors for us,” he predicts. Furlong cautions that “This is not a period of incremental adjustment; it is a period of significant change.” He suggests that law firm leaders engage in two exercises to help their management teams consider key steps to take to accelerate their progress: Imagine that you are starting a law firm from scratch – how would you design it knowing that you have none of the constraints of the traditional paradigm? If your l

I spoke with Warren Kruse, the vice president of data forensics for Altep, a nationwide provider of electronic discovery consulting and services. We discussed what lessons legal professionals and learn during the remainder of 2012, including those associated with internal investigations and regulatory inquiries, as well as key long-term changes on the horizon. Ultimately, Kruse echoed the boy scout motto: “Be Prepared,” with respect to migration to the cloud and proactively addressing legal technology shifts as they arise.

I spoke with James Mendelssohn, the Chairman of MSI Global Alliance, a worldwide association of mid-sized independent law and accounting firms and the founder of Firm Management Associates, a U.K.-based consultancy focusing on the professional services sector. We discussed the release of his new book Life After Boris (SRA Books, 2013), which he describes as “an enchanting, quick-to-read fable about succession issues in a rabbit warren following the death of the leader.” Mendelssohn explained why succession planning is such a key issue in professional firms and why so many firms fail to address it. He also offered some best practices for firms of all sizes, including: (1) strip out the pride and emotion from the succession planning process; (2) start planning early since you cannot successfully navigate it under time pressure; (3) create a five-year plan; (4) incorporate a broad range of feedback; and, (5) engage a third party to help navigate the details.

I spoke with Mike Maslanka, an employment law partner and head of the Dallas office for Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP, who recently published a great article in the Texas Lawyer called: Seven Mindsets of Effective General Counsel. In it, he highlights that “How lawyers think determines how we act. So, to be truly effective, the wise general counsel does not seek answers but rather seeks useful mindsets.” Those mindsets include: (1) All news is good news (“Because then you know where you stand.”); (2) Pick the hill you want to die on (“Make a stand where it matters, not on a useless cul-de-sac.”); (3) ABR: Always be re-framing (“Lawyers can’t change the facts, but we can change the story.”); (4) Fight the fight, not the plan. (“Never get stuck on the original plan, and always deal with what is occurring now, in real time.”); (5) A GC is not a conscience for hire (“A general counsel is not a mouthpiece but a voice of reason.”); (6) Generate options, lots of them (“General counsel can’t direct C-level execu