BDO's Legal Tech Talk Podcast

Key Takeaways

• Christine says the way companies, law firms and vendors contract with each other is leading to poor mental health outcomes for e-discovery providers. She is part of The Mind-Body Connection, a group of attorneys and research volunteers who are looking into the problem.
• In the ALM Intelligence 2022 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Survey, 44% of respondents working at law firms of all sizes agreed that mental health problems and substance abuse are at a “crisis level.”

Christine is one of 23 women featured in Women in Law: Discovering the True Meaning of Success, who describe the ups of downs of pursuing a career in the law, and how they are finding success on their own terms.

Key Takeaways

• Brad sees LegalWeek as a homecoming after attending the conference for 16 years.
• He attends LegalWeek to find like minds and those who are a step ahead to fill in any gaps he may have in legal technology.
• Brad is interested in teaching the next generation because the legal industry is better when we share what we know.

Key Takeaways

• David is a thought leader in legal technology. He is EDRM’s Chair of the Project Trustees, and he’s on the Advisory Board of Georgetown’s Advanced eDiscovery Institute.
• David works with Reed Smith’s legal technology subsidiary Gravity Stack and writes for the Reed Smith’s Viewpoints blog.
• He says LegalWeek has changed a lot in the last five years. It used to have mainly E-Discovery exhibitors, but now there a lot of contract AI firms.

Key Takeaways

• Phil sees a lot of uses for generative AI, but he is concerned about fake content making it difficult to determine what is real.
• During a panel discussion at LegalWeek, Phil learned how some companies are using ephemeral apps. He compares ephemeral messages to water cooler conversations.
• To get ahead in the stressful environment of E-Discovery and litigation, Phil suggests being kind to others.

Key Takeaways

• Eli works in litigation and government investigations, primarily doing E-Discovery and specializing in exotic data types.
• Eli says using document units in how information is reviewed and exchanged is becoming increasingly hard to reconcile against the way that it exists today.
• He says no matter how rapidly legal technology evolves the needs are still the same.

Key Takeaways:

• Judge Peck says he expected the use of technology assisted review (TAR) to expand much more quickly that it has.
• He emphasizes the need for lawyers to understand new technology such as ephemeral messaging.
• Judge Peck suggests that companies involve their legal departments in technology implementation, and he recommends that they delete recordings of calls and regular meetings with no clear business reason after two weeks so that they are not subject to discovery requests.

Key Takeaways:

• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are about creating a climate of belonging. When we talk about equity, we want to make sure that processes and programs are fair and impartial, providing equal outcomes for every individual.
• Studies indicate DEI increases profitability and creates a more productive workplace, yields greater retention rates as well as innovative critical thinking. Metrics can measure success and determine areas for improvement.
• To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology. They should engage in continuing study and education and comply with all the continuing legal education requirements.

Key Takeaways

Using a project management framework can make legal work more efficient. Like all projects, legal matters have consistent workflows and parts such as the complaint, motions, discovery, settlement, and trial. Mike Quartararo wrote a book in 2016, originally for students, titled Project Management in Electronic Discovery.

The Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) seeks to advance technology competence. As president of ACEDS, Quartararo says lawyers need to be technologically competent because there's no aspect of modern life not touched by technology. Lawyers should have a basic understanding of algorithms, artificial intelligence (A.I.), machine learning, and cloud computing.

A legal department is a cost center, but there are ways that you can add value, increase efficiency, and reduce costs with technology. A.I. will not replace lawyers, but it can help find documents that still must be reviewed by a lawyer.

Resources

• Michael Quartararo - ACEDS
• Project Management in Electronic Discovery, Second Edition (ediscoverytoday.com)

Key Takeaways

• Meredith L. Williams-Range oversees Shearman & Sterling's global strategy in master data management, conflicts, governance, new business intake, records, legal project management, knowledge management, research services and more. Ms. Williams-Range is a lawyer with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. She is a member of the American, New York, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations. She is also the Past President of the Board of Directors for the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA).
• Law firms must change because clients want change. Clients are looking not only for legal advice, but also outcome-based pricing, outcome-based conversations, partnership in the path, and risk analysis.
• Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) should augment what lawyers do, so they don’t have to start from a blank sheet of paper. Lawyers still have to think critically and make certain that the final product is correct and encompasses the empathy that may be needed. Using A.I. is no different than starting from a precedent.
• Lean into who you are and the innovator inside you. Just because someone else doesn't believe in what you're doing doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do. Be resilient. Make connections and find kindred spirits.

Resources

• Meredith Williams-Range Builds the Law Firm of the Future - Profile (profilemagazine.com)
• Shearman & Sterling LLP | Legal Operations
• Home - ILTA (iltanet.org)