Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Dave Terry, co-founder and chief operating officer for Chrome River Technologies, a provider of SAAS expense reporting and invoice automation solutions. We discussed the impact of the new tax laws on expense controls, as well as his predictions for 2013. He expects to see greater risk management and expanded use of mobile technology, among other developments.

I spoke with Dale Drury, founder of AlphaLit, a litigation support company with a long history in discovery document management. We discussed key challenges that clients are likely to face over the next 12 months and best practices they can use to overcome these hurdles. Drury noted that provider costs will continue to be a key issue and that fundamental practices like developing a privilege log will retain their importance. Despite all of the discussion about new tools and their impact on the legal industry, he predicts: “I can’t imagine pushing more technology into this industry.”

I spoke with Mark Herrmann, the Vice President, Chief Counsel – Litigation, and Global Chief Compliance Officer for Aon, about his fourth book, Inside Straight: Advice About Lawyering, In-House and Out, That Only the Internet Could Provide (ABA Publishing, 2012), which is a compilation of his columns for AbovetheLaw.com about life as an in-house lawyer. He balances his often-humorous guidance with selected comments from readers of his work. “Some of the things people write are unbelievably funny; some are strikingly smart … and collectively the commenters know an awful lot of stuff,” he said. The book highlights techniques for developing business, succeeding in the law, and navigating corporate politics, among other topics. He is also the author of the highly-acclaimed, The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law by Mark Herrmann (ABA Publishing, 2006), which itself started as a series of articles. In fact, he noted: “In some ways, Inside Straight is a sequel to the Curmudgeon’s Guide.” Herrmann is also the co-author of Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Statewide Coordinated Proceedings: State Court Analogues to the Federal MDL Process (Thomson-West, 2004). Since introducing his first column for Above The Law in November of 2010, he has been writing about his interactions with outside counsel, experiences collaborating with AON’s management, and the perils of modern communication, as well as other issues. In our interview, Herrmann discusses his passion for writing articles, which he started doing as a third-year associate, and provides advice for professionals interested in getting published, including: “Write [at least] one article per year. To crank out one [article] a year is just not that hard.” “As a lawyer, at a firm, maintaining a high public profile is worth things to you … and having all of your lawyers writing while raising the collective profile is good for the firm.” “Lots of people realize that writing matters; everybody doesn’t realize it, but lots of people do.” Ultimately, “I don’t like writing. I like having written,” he concluded.

I spoke with Ron Collins, the President and founder of Toronto-based Gavel & Gown Software, the developers of the popular practice management tool Amicus Attorney, about the company’s recent release of Amicus Cloud. We discussed Gavel & Gown’s motivation to introduce a cloud offering, how it differs from the desktop version, its unique features, and customer reactions, among other topics. Listen to Collins share his views on the adoption rate of cloud-based products in 2013.

I spoke with Brendan Ludwick and Claudio Dunkelman, the founders of LawZam, a free online video conference service which connects lawyers and consumers. Learn more about their service and listen to our interview during which we discuss the genesis of the company, what makes it unique, and how it facilitates more seamless communication.

I spoke with Alison Monahan, the founder of The Girl’s Guide to Law School, and the co-founder of the Bar Exam Toolbox and the Law School Toolbox. We discussed the genesis of the Girl’s Guide, advice on law school exam preparation, and ways that law students can balance academics with health and wellness, among other topics.

I spoke with Doug Stewart, Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Daegis, a provider of eDiscovery solutions, which has just updated its eDiscovery Platform with Acumen, its Technology Assisted Review tool. We discussed the genesis of Acumen, the adoption rate of similar tools, the challenges, and its impact on the big data trend.

I spoke with John Simpson, founder & CEO of One North Interactive, which recently announced the acquisition of the web assets of Thomson Reuters’ Hubbard One, about the mission of One North Interactive, the evolution of law firm websites, interactive marketing trends, and how social media is reinventing how lawyers and their firms connect with audiences.

I spoke with George Leloudis, the Executive Director of Woods Rogers PLC in Roanoke Virginia, who is also chairman of the event’s planning committee. We discussed, among other topics: (1) who should attend and why; (2) how the programming reflects the current state of the market; and, (3) key recommendations for maximizing the value of attendance.

I spoke with David Schnurman, the president and CEO of Lawline.com, a leading provider of online continuing legal education that is transforming the way professionals educate themselves on the web. In a discussion about the company’s new Lawline 2.0 initiative, which is making the site’s entire archive of over a thousand hours of programming free, Schnurman notes that “Lawline’s mission has always been to change the way people learn and since we are transitioning from a service-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, we are helping our audience make that change more seamlessly.” In addition to providing CLE accreditation services in 43 states (including for this course), Lawline.com also offers CFP programs for those in financial services, and CPE courses for those in accounting, among other fields. A self-described “lifelong learner,” Schnurman wanted to give others the opportunity to actively engage with technology to enhance the learning experience. Lawline 2.0 allows viewers to take “smart” notes that automatically form reference-like outlines, record five-minute course summaries for future use, and dynamically share their newly acquired expertise.