Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Patrick Burke, Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel for Guidance Software, the makers of Encase, which is used by corporations for the collection and processing of e-mail and electronic information. Burke will be moderating a panel of judges and chairing the second day at the 2009 IQPC E-Discovery conference next week. We discussed the judges panel and the technology-related issues on which Burke expects the judiciary to focus in 2010.

I spoke with Kevin Werbach, a lawyer and professor of legal studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he focuses his research on Internet and telecommunications policy. Werbach served as a co-lead on the FCC review of the Obama Administration's Presidential Transition Team. He also founded the Supernova conference, which he describes as an "executive forum for the digital age." We discussed the new legal track at this year's conference (December 1st through the 3rd in San Francisco), including coverage of trademarks and intermediaries, privacy and the social web, and reforming copyright law, among others, as well as his goals for lawyers who attend. "I feel like value gets created and insight gets sparked when you put people in a room who are not necessarily always in a room together," he says.

I spoke with Rick Klau, the product manager on Blogger for Google, who was a contributor to the team that recently launched case law on Google Scholar. We discussed his work at Blogger, the purpose of the case law project, and its impact on the legal research landscape.

I spoke with Howard Reissner, Esq., the CEO and co-founder of Planet Data Solutions, a global data management services provider. We discussed the history of Planet Data, the evolution of the discovery industry, and his predictions for 2010.

I spoke with Warren Whitlock, the founder of BestSellerAuthors.com, and the author of Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online (Xeno Press, 2008). He is also a social media strategist, who works with authors, professionals and businesses. We discussed the genesis of the book, the impact of Twitter, best practices for using the short messaging service and the art of engaging in conversation online.

I spoke with Nancy Fox, the founder of HubStreet, a professional networking site for lawyers, accountants, and lenders (recently featured in Law Technology News). She is also the President of Fox Coaching Associates, a coaching and training organization that is focused on business development for lawyers and other service providers. We discussed the genesis of HubStreet, which she describes as an online representation of the two-year-old MetroRoundTable networking organization targeted at complementary trusted advisors. Fox also remarked on the ways that legal professionals are using technology for business development, why social media is such a hot topic for lawyers and the best way to get started (including visits to law-related sites, such as JD Supra, Legally Minded and Legal OnRamp).

I spoke with Chere Estrin, chairperson of the Board of Directors for The Organization of Legal Professionals, a non-profit organization established to provide e-discovery certification to attorneys, non-attorneys, vendors, and technicians through education and collaboration. Estrin is also the editor of SUE magazine for women litigators and KNOW magazine for paralegals. We discussed the timing of the OLP's launch this fall, its partners (including DLA Piper's Browning Marean and Verizon's Patrick Oot), and the certification process, among other issues.

I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. In this second part of our discussion, Bufithis talks about the recent Association of Corporate Counsel conference and the increased focus on technology that streamlines the in-house legal department, the dilemma for in-house counsel who are facing increased responsibilities with fewer resources, and the trend from ECA (early case assessment) to EIA (early information assessment). As noted in the earlier post, Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.

I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. We discussed the history of the Posse List, its growth from a few hundred names to over 18,000, its mission and the future of its posse. Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.

I spoke with Todd Gerstein, co-founder and CEO of Smart WebParts, a company creating time capture and entry software, which released its flagship product, Smart Time, on September 15, 2009. We discussed the genesis of the company, the timing of the release, and the way in which the company seeks to produce software that generates revenue for its users.