Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Debbie Foster, the managing partner of Affinity Consulting, a company focused on optimizing law firm performance. We discussed how successful law firms have maintained their operations in the pandemic, ways that they have automated and digitized their workflows, whether working remotely will remain a permanent component of legal practice, and best practices for firms that are returning to a central office.

I spoke with Jackie Schafer, the founder of Clearbrief, a platform that uses AI to improve the accuracy of legal writing and the experience of the reader. We discussed how Clearbrief works, the technology behind Clearbrief, how this software is impacting the legal profession, and how this technology could change the way law schools teach legal writing.

I spoke with Nicolas Leroux, the founder and CEO of Kalexius, an alternative legal services provider. We discussed the genesis of Kalexius, the difference between an ALSP and a legal technology company, how in-house legal teams can incorporate an ALSP into their portfolio of service providers, and ways that law department leaders can persuade other stakeholders to adopt their approach.

I spoke with Ram Vasudevan, the founder and CEO of QuisLex, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the genesis of QuisLex, how the company has enhanced client service in the remote environment, managing the return to in-person activities, and where the ALSP market is headed.

I spoke with Jim Leipold, the executive director of NALP, the National Association for Law Placement, which is an organization focused on career counseling and planning, recruitment and retention, and the professional development of law students, lawyers, and its members. We discussed how the organization’s mission has changed over the past half-century as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021, ways that law firms have adapted their approach to recruiting and training during the pandemic, and how the next generation of lawyers can thrive.

I spoke with Tobias Heining, the Berlin-based director of business, clients, and strategy for Osborne Clarke Germany. We discussed new ways that professionals are approaching business and client development, best practices for engaging with clients and prospects remotely, changes that law firms have made that will remain permanent when legal professionals return full-time to their central offices, and how technology has helped lawyers engage during the pandemic.

I am speaking today with Andrea Cannavina, the founder of LegalTypist, a virtual assistant service focused on the legal profession that is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We discussed the genesis of LegalTypist, the increasing levels of self-sufficiency among lawyers during the pandemic, projects that are best-suited to a virtual assistant, and advice for those interested in building a business that serves the legal profession.

I spoke with Jerry Ting, the founder and CEO of Evisort, an AI-powered CLM software platform. We discussed the difference between an AI-powered CLM platform and CLM, how Evisort will leverage its recent investment, the need for legal tech companies to prove their claims in this climate, and how the expectations of clients have changed in the remote environment.

I spoke with Janet Falk, the founder of Falk Communications and Research, which provides public relations and marketing communications guidance to solo practitioners and small law firms, as well as to business executives and consultants. We discussed the value of media relations for attorneys, how they can introduce themselves to reporters as authoritative sources, what legal professionals can do to be more quotable, and the types of articles professionals should publish.

I spoke with Patricia LeBel-Lasse, a litigation paralegal and litigation support professional with Pullman & Comley, a law firm with offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She is a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed the advantages for paralegals who become adept in e-discovery, why paralegals are best-suited to translate between legal and IT, and how the training of a traditional paralegal sets the foundation for more advanced litigation support.