Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Raymond Millien, the new CEO of Harness, Dickey & Pierce, an intellectual property boutique with four offices and headquarters in suburban Detroit. We discussed how in-house experience can help law firm leaders, techniques for understanding and connecting with clients in a remote environment, changing client expectations, and how law firms with a specific focus can maintain their competitive advantage in a shifting legal landscape.

I spoke with Collin Williams, the founder and chairman of New Era ADR, a platform designed to help litigants reimagine how they resolve disputes. We discussed the biggest problem in litigation today, how to reshape traditional alternative dispute resolution, and how litigation is evolving.

I spoke with Jay Sheldon, the general manager of the Equinox Golf Resort and Spa in Manchester, Vermont. We discussed ways to create unique client experiences, how hospitality and general client preferences have changed in the pandemic, and how organizations are adapting to a dynamically shifting business climate.

I spoke with Bill Piwonka, the chief marketing officer for Exterro, a provider of software for legal teams to defensibly manage their legal governance, risk, and compliance requirements. We discussed why legal professionals should leverage tools that provide automation and scalability, how e-discovery can realize additional benefits from artificial intelligence, and how AI is evolving.

I spoke with Colin Li, the chief financial officer and chief revenue officer for Paradigm, a suite of practice management solutions for law firms, and Chad Todd, the co-founder of TrustBooks, a legal accounting software platform, which Paradigm recently acquired. We discussed how TrustBooks aligns with Paradigm’s suite of products, ways that it differs from other accounting solutions available to attorneys, and Paradigm’s long-term vision for its technology portfolio.

I spoke with Mike Mandell, a lawyer with Mandell Law in California, who educates the public about the law through social media. We discussed how he produces content for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, his process for selecting topics for his videos, the message he conveys to consumers, and how he sees the use of content-driven social media tools for lawyers evolving.

I spoke with Jennifer Martinez, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and a partner at Hanson Bridgett. We discussed the policies and programs that have helped the firm support its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, its Agile Workforce Initiative, and ways that clients are driving change.

I spoke with Ed Sohn, the head of solutions at Factor, a provider of managed services. We discussed Factor’s Legal Transaction Optimization service for law firms, how law firms benefit from collaborating with ALSPs, and the impact of working from home on this alliance.

I spoke with Daria Shunina, the head of international startup relations for the Skolkovo Foundation, an innovation center in Russia focused on attracting foreign companies to the country’s innovation ecosystem. We discussed Skolkovo’s mission, the objective of the Soft Landing program, and how interest in legal tech innovation is evolving in Russia.

I spoke with Jim Delkousis, the founder and CEO of PERSUIT, a software platform that facilitates a competitive process for sourcing outside legal counsel. We discussed the transition from law firm partner to legal tech founder, the challenges that law department leaders face in selecting their outside counsel, and how the relationship between law firms and law departments is evolving.