Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Howard Reissner, Esq., the CEO and co-founder of Planet Data Solutions, a global data management services provider. We discussed the history of Planet Data, the evolution of the discovery industry, and his predictions for 2010.

I spoke with Warren Whitlock, the founder of BestSellerAuthors.com, and the author of Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online (Xeno Press, 2008). He is also a social media strategist, who works with authors, professionals and businesses. We discussed the genesis of the book, the impact of Twitter, best practices for using the short messaging service and the art of engaging in conversation online.

I spoke with Nancy Fox, the founder of HubStreet, a professional networking site for lawyers, accountants, and lenders (recently featured in Law Technology News). She is also the President of Fox Coaching Associates, a coaching and training organization that is focused on business development for lawyers and other service providers. We discussed the genesis of HubStreet, which she describes as an online representation of the two-year-old MetroRoundTable networking organization targeted at complementary trusted advisors. Fox also remarked on the ways that legal professionals are using technology for business development, why social media is such a hot topic for lawyers and the best way to get started (including visits to law-related sites, such as JD Supra, Legally Minded and Legal OnRamp).

I spoke with Chere Estrin, chairperson of the Board of Directors for The Organization of Legal Professionals, a non-profit organization established to provide e-discovery certification to attorneys, non-attorneys, vendors, and technicians through education and collaboration. Estrin is also the editor of SUE magazine for women litigators and KNOW magazine for paralegals. We discussed the timing of the OLP's launch this fall, its partners (including DLA Piper's Browning Marean and Verizon's Patrick Oot), and the certification process, among other issues.

I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. In this second part of our discussion, Bufithis talks about the recent Association of Corporate Counsel conference and the increased focus on technology that streamlines the in-house legal department, the dilemma for in-house counsel who are facing increased responsibilities with fewer resources, and the trend from ECA (early case assessment) to EIA (early information assessment). As noted in the earlier post, Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.

I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. We discussed the history of the Posse List, its growth from a few hundred names to over 18,000, its mission and the future of its posse. Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.

I spoke with Todd Gerstein, co-founder and CEO of Smart WebParts, a company creating time capture and entry software, which released its flagship product, Smart Time, on September 15, 2009. We discussed the genesis of the company, the timing of the release, and the way in which the company seeks to produce software that generates revenue for its users.

I spoke with Eric Kuperman, Esq., a litigation support consultant for vdiscovery, which provides discovery management and e-discovery solutions to law firms and corporations nationwide. We discussed Kuperman's legal career, the changes in the legal community over the past decade and the expansion of e-discovery services into the small law firm market in 2010.

I spoke with Ed Walters, co-founder and CEO of Fastcase, a next generation legal research service seeking to democratize the law and advance the state of legal research. Walters is a former journalist and big firm lawyer, who wanted a different solution to the traditional research tools so he and a partner built it themselves. We discussed the genesis of Fastcase, which now has more than 380,000 subscribers, the future of online legal research and the impact of these changes on the practice of law.

I spoke with Charles Moore, the founder and CEO of RocketLawyer.com, an online legal service provider. Before founding RocketLawyer, Moore was an original member of the Venture Law Group and helped Yahoo! close its series B and C rounds of funding prior to its IPO. RocketLawyer's board members include Google CLO, David Drummond, and Martindale-Hubbell CEO, Ralph Calistri. We discussed ways that empowering consumers to manage their legal issues provides advantages to lawyers, the migration of the practice of law online, and future trends in the legal industry.

I spoke with Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.com, one of the leading online legal websites with 1.5 million unique visitors per month. Britton, a co-blogger on this site, and I discussed Avvo's history, its rapid growth, and the ways in which lawyers can benefit from its services. One of my favorite quotes from the conversation is: "We get lawyers tons of business! Avvo is just a fantastic place for lawyers to set themselves apart and attract new clients - all for free."

I spoke with Arihant Patni, the CEO of Bodhi Global, a legal support services firm based in the U.S. and India that provides litigation support, corporate due diligence and contract management. We discussed offshore outsourcing trends, the advantages of using overseas support services, and the future of outsourcing in U.S.-based litigation. Patni noted that it is no longer a question of where activities are taking place. The flattening of the world has placed the focus on quality, rather than location.

I spoke with Afshin Behnia, the CEO of Mitratech, a provider of legal matter management and e-billing software. We discussed trends in the legal industry and the economic impact of the recession. He reported an upward trend in litigation caused by, among other factors, increased regulation and stronger enforcement. He also highlighted that corporations could realize material savings on legal fees through coordinated outside counsel management and implementing a preferred counsel program.

I spoke with Joy Heath Rush, the Enterprise Multimedia Manager at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago and the President of the seven-member board of directors for the International Legal Technology Association about the upcoming ILTA annual conference, which she described as "the number one venue for peer networking for people who are professionals in legal technology and unmatched educational sessions." Among other interesting initiatives, there will be ILTA TV and additional early morning super sessions ("extra keynote sessions"), including one by Richard Susskind, author of The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services (Oxford University Press, 2009).

I spoke with Jane Allen, president and founder of Counsel on Call, a provider of flexible legal solutions for lawyers. She noted that success in the current environment is more about securing the best value for the money being spent, rather than simply cutting an organization's spending. In that regard, law firm partners are being strategic and are trying to make good business decisions to weather the down market. Law firms and clients are also trying to determine whether a new model of practicing law is emerging. She noted "on the bright side" that while the legal employment market has tightened, there are more opportunities for lawyers than ever before to do things outside of the traditional practice.

I spoke with Brett Owens, the CEO and co-founder of Chrometa, a company that makes time capture software for solo practitioners and small law firms, about its 2.0 release. The product records and organizes time spent by application, e-mail, Internet activity, and document. It also allows users to view their totals by day, week, month or a customized range. Brett and I discussed the innovation trends in the legal community and the impact of Web 2.0 tools on recent advancements in legal technology.

I spoke with Dale Drury, Vice President of AlphaLit, about his recent recognition in LTN's President's Corner and the company's release of PrivLog Builder, which helps create and manage privilege logs. Drury attributes the development of the new program to the "good ideas of our very smart clients." As he approaches his 23rd anniversary with the company, he notes that common sense and technology can help the industry move forward in this environment. He also highlights that strong project management can help with the recovery in the second half of the year because clients rely on their vendors' project managers to be their advocates.

I spoke with George Ruge, a partner with and co-founder of Paradocs, a company that creates e-briefs and deposition digests for law firms and corporations. We discussed the adoption by courts across the country of electronic briefing and streamlined pleading management, as well as the benefits to judges and practitioners.

I spoke with David Cowen, the managing director of The Cowen Group, an executive search and market analysis firm focusing exclusively on litigation support and e-discovery. We discussed hiring trends and the market for legal talent. While he is observing a flattening of the employment market in law firms, and possibly a depression, following years of double-digit growth, he is seeing an upward demand for staff on the corporate side. Cowen highlights that the moment an organization makes the decision to insource, they realize they need the talent to drive that strategy and will likely get it from law firms and vendors. He views the corporate market as similar to the positioning of major law firms in 2003-2005, who were just establishing major e-discovery practices. As such, he has an optimistic view of the employment picture.

I spoke with Jason Mark Anderman, President and co-founder of WhichDraft.com, a completely free automated contract assembly service, who advises members of the legal community that this is the greatest time to possibly start a business because there are a lot of services that you can offer in a down economy that save people money (e.g., drafting contracts for free). He notes that hopeful software architects need to take responsibility for determining what their product/service should look like themselves. Anderman suggests simply sitting down with a pencil and paper to sketch out the functionality, then scanning that image into a pdf and sending it directly to the developer. He discourages would-be entrepreneurs from taking a vague concept to a developer and hoping to cost-effectively bring the business to fruition.