Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Erick Gunawan, the head of forensics for Law In Order, a provider of e-discovery services in Australia. We discussed how law firms, consulting firms, and service providers leverage technology differently, the challenges of recruiting and retaining legal technology professionals in Australia, how Royal Commissions are impacting the legal technology community, and where the legal market in Australia is headed.

I spoke with Paul Fontanot, the national practice group leader for forensic and technology services at Clayton Utz in Sydney, who is an equity partner in the firm, though he is not a lawyer. We discussed the services that the forensic and technology group provides, the impact on law firms of sharing equity with professionals who are not lawyers, and the future composition of professional services firms, including legal practices.

I spoke with Wendell Jisa, the CEO of Reveal Data, a provider of global eDiscovery and investigation software and services, which recently announced the establishment of its 19th worldwide data center and the launch of its Canadian operations. We discussed the genesis of Reveal Data, how it is helping law firms handle global eDiscovery, how cross-border eDiscovery differs from domestic eDiscovery, and the top challenges in this area.

I spoke with Adrian Lürssen, co-founder and vice president of strategic development at JD Supra. We discussed his program at the 2019 LMA Northeast Regional Conference – How to Turn Reader Data Into Business Development Wins For Your Firm – why it is such an important topic, and the key takeaways he hopes attendees will be able to apply at their organizations.

I spoke with Maddy Martin, the head of growth and education at Smith.ai, which provides integrated phone and web chat services for solo and small-firm attorneys, including a virtual receptionist & intake service, live website chat, and a keypad cloud phone system. We discussed how Smith.ai leverages artificial intelligence in its phone and web chat services, the misconceptions about AI, and how the use of AI in solo practices and small law firms is evolving.

I spoke with Timo Tschersig, the head of customer success for BusyLamp, a legal operations software platform, and Dr. Bernhard Waltl, a data scientist with BMW Group. Bernard is a co-founder of the Liquid Legal Institute in Germany and he and Timo are among the authors of the Institute’s 2019 Digitalization Guide. We discussed the guide, how it helps legal teams, and the impact of the Institute.

I spoke with Rick Weber, the co-founder and managing partner of Arbor Ridge Partners, a Legal Technology and Legal Services M&A advisory firm. We discussed the current state of M&A for legal technology and legal services companies, the difference between private equity and venture capital in the context of M&A, and where M&A in legal is headed.

I spoke with Jamie Berry, the litigation business unit leader at Integreon, a global provider of managed services. We discussed Integreon’s new Cyber Incident Response initiative, how cyber incident response differs from cyber or data breach response, the types of matters for which cyber incident response is best suited, and how this area is developing.

I spoke with Felicity Conrad, the co-founder & CEO of Paladin, a software platform that empowers pro bono activities in law firms, Christian Lang, the head of strategy at Reynen Court, a secure platform for law firms and corporate legal departments to adopt and manage their software, and Anna McGrane, the co-founder and COO of PacerPro, a system that simplifies access to Pacer, the online federal court filings system. We discussed New York University Law School’s series on legal technology, including its upcoming program on October 15, 2019.

I spoke with Tomas Suros, the chief solutions architect at AbacusNext, the maker of HotDocs, a document automation software platform, AbacusLaw, a legal practice management solution, and Amicus Attorney, a case management system. We discussed the technology trends that are driving progress in law firms, their security challenges, how the transformation to digital platforms is helping firms reduce their cost of operating, and developments in leveraging the cloud in legal.