Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Michael Potters, the co-founder and CEO of the Glenmont Group, a leading recruiting firm in the legal industry. We discussed how recruiting has evolved over the past two decades, the positions that are in highest demand today, how the Glenmont Group pivoted in the pandemic, the qualities and types of experience on which employers are focused, advice for candidates, and tips for employers interested in securing the best talent in 2021.

I spoke with Jennifer Bantelman the Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at Zapproved, a cloud-based software company that builds e-discovery tools for corporate legal, from legal holds through processing and review. We discussed the E-Discovery Hero Awards, its mission, the honorees, and reimagining the event for a virtual world.

I spoke with Roman Zelichenko, an attorney and the founder of both GMI Rocket, a marketing firm for immigration lawyers, and LaborLess, a cloud-based software platform for H-1B visa compliance. We discussed the genesis of both companies, the value of digitizing traditionally paper-based processes, the unique nature of marketing for immigration lawyers, how the pandemic has impacted the way lawyers market, ways that marketing will change in 2021.

I spoke with Andy Wishart, the Chief Product Officer at Agiloft, a provider of software for contract and commerce lifecycle management. We discussed his new role at the company, how remote working and the pandemic have impacted CLM solutions, and where the sector is headed.

I spoke with Justin Hectus, the chief information officer of Keesal Young & Logan and of the firm’s technology spin-off, KP Labs. We discussed the 2020 BTI Client Services All-Stars 2020 list, to which he was named and the only allied professional among the 475 winners to receive that acknowledgment, what distinguishes his approach to client service, what makes a law firm CIO indispensable, and how law firms are approaching new technology in 2021.

I spoke with Tracy LaLonde, the founder of the professional development consultancy Xaphes and the author of The Joychiever Journey: Evade Burnout, Surpass Your Goals and Out-Happy Everyone (James House Media, November 30, 2020). We discussed her inspiration for writing The Joychiever Journey, whether legal professionals are happy, best practices for finding joy in your work, and the link between joy and innovation.

I spoke with Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide. We discussed how the increased adoption of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics is changing the work of legal professionals, the best practices that law firms should implement before they incorporate A.I. processes into their workflows, and whether the billable hour inhibits a firm’s ability to fully deploy technology.

I spoke with Eimear McCann, a former practicing lawyer and the head of strategy at Summize, a contract automation platform. We discussed her move from practice to legal tech, how Summize supplements the technology that legal teams already use, how professionals can ensure that legal tech solutions solve practical problems, the trajectory of the contract automation sector.

I spoke with Nick Whitehouse, the general manager of the Onit AI Center of Excellence, which is Onit‘s centralized initiative to incorporate AI into its suite of software tools. We discussed the recent acquisition of his company, McCarthyFinch, artificial intelligence trends of which in-house lawyers should be aware, how can AI enhance customer support in legal departments, and ways that the pandemic has affected the impression of AI.

spoke with Darrell Mervau, the president of FileTrail, and David Worth, the chief information officer at Nelson Mullins. We discuss how the role of the CIO and most technology leaders has evolved in law firms, the increased interest in information governance, what to expect from an IG solution, and where the sector is headed.

I spoke with Rakesh Madhava, the founder and CEO of Nextpoint, a company that develops e-discovery and trial prep software. We discussed the genesis of Nextpoint, how the pandemic has changed e-discovery, and where e-discovery is headed.

One of the initiatives that Ari Kaplan Advisors launched in 2020 was a periodic CEO Roundtable to address trends, challenges, and objectives with market leaders. During the fifth and final conversation of the year, I discussed lessons learned, silver linings, and the road ahead with: Haresh Bhungalia, CEO, Casepoint; Kiwi Camara, CEO, DISCO; Ian Campbell, CEO, iCONECT; Craig Carpenter, CEO, X1; Dana Denis-Smith, CEO, Obelisk Support; Steve Fredette, CEO, The BARBRI Group; Keith Laska, CEO, Hanzo; Kim Massana, CEO, Neota Logic; Soumya Nettimi, CEO, ASG Legal Tech; Tim Pullan, CEO, ThoughtRiver; and, Chris Stock, CEO, PCLaw | Time Matters.

I spoke with George Socha, the Senior Vice President of Brand Awareness for Reveal, an e-discovery software company, and a member of the advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. He is also the co-founder of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model. We discussed his new role, the role of AI in e-discovery, the eDiscovery Leaders weekly video program on the ACEDS network, the value of a CEDS certification, and how the pandemic is changing e-discovery.

I spoke with Scott Wallingford, the Vice President and General Manager of LexisNexis’ Law Firm Software Solutions business unit. We discussed the new LexisNexis Interaction business development initiative, how law firms can identify new strategies and tactics in their 2021 business plans, and the most effective business development techniques for the New Year.

I spoke with Victoria Blake, the senior director of product at Zapproved, a cloud-based software company that builds e-discovery tools for corporate legal, from legal holds through processing and review. We discussed the E-Discovery Unfiltered report, how the pandemic has impacted the way legal teams manage litigation, what litigants should understand about e-discovery, why the appetite for the cloud is so strong, and how e-discovery will evolve in 2021.

I spoke with Jeff Catanzaro, the executive vice president of contracts, compliance, and commercial services at Integreon, a global managed services provider, and Ajay Agrawal the co-founder and chairman of SirionLabs, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered contract lifecycle management technology. We discussed the partnership between Integreon and SirionLabs, why the contract lifecycle management sector has become so popular, how the pandemic has impacted the growth of contract lifecycle management, and whether corporate legal departments are taking a greater interest in leveraging technology to solve business problems.

I spoke with Pieter van der Hoeven, the co-founder and CEO of Clocktimizer, a business intelligence platform designed to help law firms make data-driven decisions related to matter management, budgeting, and pricing. We discussed the current challenges for law firm leaders, pricing managers, and legal project management professionals, why firms need to analyze their data in the current climate, and how legal professionals can distinguish themselves in 2021.

I spoke with Zolo Mundur, the CEO of Codelex, a Mongolia-based developer of legal technology and the creator of a lawyer-to-lawyer legal document marketplace called Lexub. We discussed the genesis of Lexub, how the legal document marketplace is evolving, and where legal tech in Mongolia is headed.

I spoke with Megan O’Flynn, the assistant general counsel at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), and Doug Donahue, a partner in the finance practice at Linklaters in New York City. We discussed ISDA Create, a collaboration between the association and Linklaters, how developing tools with outside counsel can impact client expectations, and ways that projects of this type can influence the attorney/client relationship.

I spoke with Maya Markovich, the Chief Growth Officer at Nextlaw Labs, and one of ILTA’s five “Influential Women of Legal Tech” for 2020. We discussed the skills that future lawyers will need to succeed and how can they obtain them, how the entrepreneurial mindset aligns with how lawyers approach problem-solving, and ways that the pandemic has affected innovation in legal.