Reinventing Professionals

After two years, it was great to feature an array of perspectives on legal technology during Legalweek 2022. Thanks to Alex Babin, Darin Bartik, Haresh Bhungalia, Dean Brown, Lydia Flocchini, Tim Follett, Ned Gannon, Laura Keily, Rakesh Madhava, Joshua Schnoll, Jason Smith, Ari Treuhaft, Laurence Winters, and Laura Wooster for sharing their views on the day before the conference began.

I spoke with Scott Reib, an attorney for business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, and providers of professional services. We discussed the firm’s Access legal services subscription, the difference between legal advice and legal coaching, how lawyers can support the success of a client’s business, and how the pandemic impacted the way that businesses approach transactions remotely.

I spoke with patent attorney Gabe Sukman, the CEO and founder of ClearstoneIP, an intellectual property technology provider with offices in the U.S. and Europe. We discussed why the freedom-to-operate sector is important, trends in IP enforcement, and the biggest challenges that IP lawyers are facing today.

I spoke with Alex Babin, the CEO of ZERO, a company that provides productivity automation software for law firms. We discussed why law firms are leveraging productivity automation technology, the tasks for which legal professionals should apply artificial intelligence, the company’s $12 million Series A investment round, and how the appeal of automation will evolve.

I spoke with Chris Cartrett and Raphael Shure, the CEO and COO, respectively, for Aderant, a developer of practice management software for legal professionals. We discussed why legal teams are increasingly focused on leveraging technology for practice management, how the pandemic impacted the way law firm leaders manage their teams and operations, Aderant’s acquisition of American LegalNet, and the most promising areas of legal in 2022.

I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, the developer of a cloud-based IP docketing software platform that helps legal professionals prepare and manage their IP filings. We discussed how legal technology companies can adapt to a changing legal climate, growth opportunities, the appeal of automating legal tasks, Alt Legal’s acquisition of Towergate, and the launch of the International Intellectual Property Standards Organization.

I spoke with Erez Bustan, the former CEO of American LegalNet, a leading docketing and litigation management software developer, which Aderant recently acquired. We discussed the sale of American Legalnet, the factors that an entrepreneur should consider when deciding whether to sell a legal technology company, and future opportunities for innovation in legal.

I spoke with Sang Lee, the CEO and co-founder of Thine, a technology company that develops and deploys pre-hiring and integration assessments. Sang is a lawyer and entrepreneur who has also owned and operated SJL Attorney Search and Volta Talent Strategies. We discussed Thine’s new report, The Rise of Innovation in the Recruitment of Lawyers in a Hyper-Competitive Market, how the pandemic has impacted law firm talent management, ways that technology can help law firms hire and retain talent, and where law firm innovation is headed.

I spoke with Jennifer Whittier, the president of Cole Valley Software, developer of the ContactEase CRM platform, and Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide, which has just announced its acquisition of Cole Valley Software. We discussed how the acquisition and inclusion of ContactEase in SurePoint’s portfolio will empower its customers, and how customer relationship management aligns with profitability and financial performance.

I spoke with Bill Coletti, the founder of Kith Crisis Management and the author of Critical Moments, The New Mindset of Reputation Management. We discussed the difference between crisis management and crisis prevention, how law firms can align their brands and reputations, and how crisis management is evolving in a tech-enabled hybrid work environment.