Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Jason R. Baron, of counsel in the Information Governance and eDiscovery Group at Drinker Biddle & Reath in Washington, D.C. Jason served as the director of litigation for 13 years at the National Archives and Records Administration. We discussed a panel he is moderating at a seminar that UBIC is hosting about Conducting Legal Business in Japan and the Rest of Asia called Information Governance as a Global Priority: Some Thoughts Based on Recent U.S E-Discovery Case Law & Practice. Baron explained why information governance is such a popular topic in the legal profession, how Big Data is elevating information governance into a global concern, and key policy practices that can help organizations manage the convergence between information governance and electronic discovery.

I spoke with Mark Britton, the founder and CEO of Avvo, which he describes as “the largest legal marketplace directory and Q&A forum on the web,” about the company’s recently completed $37.5 million round of financing, as well as its upcoming Lawyernomics conference. We discussed Avvo’s plans for expansion, the keys to its success, and why the legal industry is attracting so much interest from investors. In addition, Britton provides key highlights of Lawyernomics, including descriptions of its marquee speakers Peter Shankman (who will be delivering the keynote address) and Above the Law’s David Lat, among others.

I spoke to David Horrigan, an analyst and counsel at 451 Research, a New York-based global analyst research firm. David covers law and technology, has served as a staff reporter and assistant editor at The National Law Journal, and is a contributing writer at Law Technology News. We discussed a panel he is moderating at a seminar that UBIC is hosting about Conducting Legal Business in Japan and the Rest of Asia called Law, Technology, and Asia: What Lawyers and Their Clients Need to Know. He described how attendees will benefit from the different perspectives, the challenges that litigants face conducting e-discovery in Asia, and the distinctions between e-discovery in Asia and the U.S.

I spoke with Dan Kalish, a partner with HKM Employment Attorneys, which has just launched One Hour Employment Lawyer, a new service that allows prospective clients to book live consultations focused on employment matters for a $299 flat fee.

I spoke with Dr. Rick Kabra, the CEO of CosmoLex, a cloud-based law practice management software tool that integrates time tracking, billing, and trust accounting into a single application. We discussed the recent release of CosmoLex for the cloud and the general advantages of cloud-based technology for solo and small firm lawyers, including mobility, technology management, and information security. Kabra highlighted the need to select tools that enhance productivity and profitability by allowing attorneys to focus more time on practicing law and generating business, rather than the administrative aspects of operating a firm.

I spoke with Mark Lassiter, a real estate attorney with the Lassiter Law Firm in Tempe, Arizona, who is also the founder of Lex Projex, a legal project management consultancy, and is now creating a closed legal community to enable attorneys in virtual law firms to provide collaborative services. We discussed his efforts to ‘re-engineer’ the practice of law and the delivery of legal services, the obstacles to promoting this transformation, and skills that legal professionals need to thrive in this new era.

I spoke with Eric Mandel and Chuck Ragan, National E-Discovery Counsel and Special Counsel, respectively for Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP about the group’s mission, the rising importance of discovery counsel at law firms, helping clients balance valuing their data with gauging the risks that it presents. We also discussed key trends related to information governance, data security, and privacy.

I spoke with Dave Kinsey, the President of Total Networks, an IT services company based in Phoenix, which serves as either the outsourced IT department or as a strategic partner to the in-house team for small to medium professional services firms in Arizona, with an emphasis on the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Total Networks, key technology trends (including cloud computing and managed services), and the impact that privacy and compliance will have on the legal industry in 2014. Kinsey also identified the three leading IT risks that law firms are likely to face this year: (1) back-up challenges; (2) data retention; and, (3) information security.

I spoke with Rajitha Boer, the Founder & Director of Yerra Solutions, a Basel, Switzerland-based boutique consulting firm for global law departments. We discussed the genesis of Yerra, the transparency challenges that corporate legal departments are facing, and Yerra’s inaugural in-house counsel conference in London called: “Empowering General Counsel to Lead and Succeed,” which featured speakers from AIG, Nestlé, Barclays, and various large international law firms. She highlighted how global law departments can enhance their efficiency in the current market and how they can unify stakeholders across the legal team in 2014.

I spoke with Jeff Guttman, the Director of Managed Review Operations for TechLaw Solutions, a full-scope e-discovery and managed review solutions provider. We discussed the changing nature of data, the importance of workflow processes, and the philosophical differences challenging predictive coding adoption. Guttman also addressed how legal teams can reconcile cost certainty and predictability with spend management and the need for reduction.