Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Brian Schrader, the president and CEO of BIA, a provider of e-discovery services and digital forensics. We discussed 2021 trends impacting the e-discovery sector, permanent changes from the pandemic, the challenges that collaboration platforms pose to litigants, and the shifting regulatory landscape for data privacy.

I spoke with Rick Hellers and Bill Bice, the co-founder and CEO, respectively of nQ Zebraworks, formed from the merger of Zebraworks and nQueue, which provides scanning and routing, print management. cost recovery technology, and cloud-based integration tools for the business and practice of law. We discussed legal industry surprises during the pandemic, how firms should manage their return to a physical office, techniques for extending a firm’s technology infrastructure, where legal teams are focused in 2021.

I spoke with Esther Cho, a shareholder and the chair of the executive committee at Keesal, Young & Logan, who also serves on the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee. We discussed balancing firm leadership with an active legal practice, how the firm is managing the transition from remote to in-person activities, maintaining firm culture in a virtual environment, and facilitating meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion.

I spoke with Dean Sappey, the president and co-founder of DocsCorp, a software company that develops a range of document productivity and security tools for law firms. We discussed DocsCorp’s global strategy, its acquisitions of Docuble and Verowave Technologies, features that clients are requesting, and strategies for approaching growth in an uncertain business climate.

I spoke with Rick Merrill, the founder and CEO of Gavelytics, a litigation analytics company. We discussed why research into litigation analytics has become so attractive, how the approach to gathering and sharing data has changed, and the challenges associated with transitioning from practicing as a large firm lawyer to starting a legal tech company.

I spoke with Matt Kunkel, the co-founder and CEO of LogicGate, a SaaS platform that operationalizes regulatory, risk, and compliance programs. We discussed the genesis of LogicGate, the risk and compliance challenges that organizations are facing as a result of the pandemic, the impact of automation on risk and compliance, and how the regulatory landscape will change in 2021.

I spoke with Varun Mehta, the CEO of Factor, an organization focused on performing complex legal work at scale. We discussed the challenges that Factor helps clients solve, the competitive landscape in managed services, opportunities and challenges in the current distributed workplace, and the pandemic-induced developments that could remain permanent.

I spoke with Chris Dahl, the executive vice president of product development and advisory services at Lighthouse, a provider of e-discovery and information governance technology and services. We discussed Lighthouse Prism, the company’s new artificial intelligence and big data analytics platform, the biggest e-discovery review challenge clients are facing now, how the legal community is generally using AI tools, and where the use of AI in legal is headed in 2021.

I spoke with Jim Vint, a co-founder and the chief revenue officer at Breakwater Solutions, a provider of consulting, managed services, and technology for data risk. We discussed the importance of combining consulting with managed services and technology, how the pandemic has changed the way legal teams are approaching e-discovery and data risk, and the increased use of artificial intelligence in litigation support.

I spoke with Lutz-Christian Wolff, the dean of the faculty of law for the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the author of the newly published book, The Art of Law Teaching. We discussed the impact of replacing face-to-face teaching with remote learning, how a teacher can incorporate their personality, humor, and energy into online classes, and how law school needs to adapt to a world where machines are performing more legal tasks.

I spoke with Rob MacAdam, the vice president of product at BusyLamp, a legal operations platform for spend, matter, and document management, and the host of the Legaltech Arcade podcast. We discussed the differences between what one can accomplish in an innovation role within a law firm versus with a technology company, emerging workplace productivity trends, the rise of disaggregation and interoperability, and legal technology trends that will emerge from the pandemic.

I spoke with Knut-Magnar Aanestad, the country manager and head of market development at Maigon.io, an artificial intelligence application for contracts analytics, and the founder of Sebra Lawtech, a consulting firm focused on transforming the legal profession. We discussed the genesis of Sebra Lawtech, how the pandemic has impacted the way legal teams leverage AI, the features that potential users of AI should look for when making a decision, and where the contract analytics sector is headed.

I spoke with Tyrone Thomas, a vice president and deputy general counsel at Invenergy and the founder of Conversation For Six, a non-profit organization focused on expanding ongoing discussions about food insecurity. We discussed best practices for balancing community-focused work and a legal practice, how COVID-19 has affected the hunger crisis, and the impact of the pandemic on the legal community’s interest in starting charitable initiatives.

I spoke with Patrice Asimakis and Naseeha Machingal, the director of legal services and the client success and partnerships lead, respectively, for LegalEase Solutions, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the importance of forming partnerships in the current climate, how the pandemic has impacted client expectations, and where the market for alternative legal services is headed in 2021.

I spoke with Amy Hinzmann, the president, and Marla Crawford, the general counsel, respectively, for Compliance, an integrated e-discovery services and managed review provider. We discussed how Compliance has evolved since it was founded over 20 years ago, the e-discovery issues that in-house counsel are most concerned about, how in-house teams are managing discovery remotely, and where e-discovery is headed.

I spoke with Doug Lusk, the founder of the National Society for Legal Technology, a training and certifying organization focused on empowering students and professionals with advanced technical skills. We discussed the skills that legal professionals need to thrive in today’s economy, how the NSLT curriculum helps participants draw connections between e-discovery, cybersecurity, and related fields to gain a competitive advantage, and the NSLT’s alliance with ACEDS.

I spoke with Noah Waisberg, the co-founder and CEO of Kira Systems, a leading AI-powered contract analysis software company, and the co-author with Dr. Alexander Hudek of AI For Lawyers: How Artificial Intelligence is Adding Value, Amplifying Expertise, and Transforming Careers (Wiley, February 3, 2021). We discussed the growth of Kira Systems, his inspiration for AI For Lawyers, how AI is changing the law, and where it is headed.

I spoke with Andrea Miskolczi, the Europe Director of Innovation at Dentons, a global law firm. We discussed the definition of innovation, the importance of developing an intrapreneurial mindset in a law firm, the need for creativity, and best practices for demystifying the legal transformation process.

I spoke with Dr. Eric Cole, the founder of Secure Anchor Consulting, a provider of cybersecurity solutions and services. We discussed the most significant cybersecurity issues that law firms and law department leaders should be aware of in 2021, how the pandemic has changed the way organizations manage their cybersecurity, and the potential threats that professionals could face in the coming year.

I spoke with Martin Coen, the CEO, and Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and executive chairman, of Opus2, a software and services company that supports lawyers around the world. We discussed Opus 2’s growth strategy in the current market, how courts will balance virtual and hybrid proceedings moving forward, and the evolution of how lawyers use technology.