The Digital Edge

If you’ve struggled to afford cyber insurance, you’re not alone. In the past year, prices rose by 30 to 40 percent, and some law firms, especially solos and smalls, were forced to cancel or downgrade coverage in the wake of sudden price hikes. Additionally, inadequate cybersecurity in a firm may lead to a denial of coverage altogether. So, what’s going on? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Judy Selby to get a handle on the rapid changes in the cyber insurance industry and what firms should do to maintain coverage in this difficult market.

Judy Selby is a partner at Kennedys and a member of their global cyber team. She primarily serves as cyber coverage and monitoring counsel to insurers.

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When starting your own law firm, you don’t know what you don’t know! Thankfully, those who have gone before have plenty of tips for avoiding common mistakes. One such lawyer, Mark Bassingthwaighte, joins Sharon and Jim to share insights from The ALPS Guide to Getting Started Solo. Drawing from his own experience, Mark lays out the key steps new solos should follow to establish a successful practice. 

Mark Bassingthwaighte, Esq. has been a Risk Manager with ALPS, the nation’s largest direct writer of lawyers’ malpractice insurance, since 1998.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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Is there potential for a mass exodus of women from the legal profession? Multiple studies have shown that the pandemic was harder on women, with increased home responsibilities falling disproportionately upon them and often leading to a continued need to work remotely, even after their law firms reopened. These shifts have had major impacts on gender parity in workplaces. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome Roberta Tepper to discuss these issues of inequality and what law firms should do to support women in the profession. 

Roberta Tepper is the Chief Member Services Officer at the State Bar of Arizona.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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TECHSHOW is coming up March 2-5 in Chicago! Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome this year’s co-chairs Brooke Moore and Ivan Hemmans to learn more about the in-person and virtual offerings for conference-goers. Visit techshow.com to register! 

Brooke Moore is the legal editor for Legal Templates LLC and founding attorney of MyVirtual.Lawyer, an online, limited scope representation law firm model.

Ivan Hemmans is a senior manager of technical development at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and has extensive experience with information technology.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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The pandemic forced the use of virtual technology into the courts, but there is still plenty of room for growth. Though there has certainly been some struggle throughout the transition, the profession as a whole is already seeing many benefits from new remote-based procedures. Judge John Tran joins Jim and Sharon to talk about the advancement of courtroom tech and his top tips for lawyers involved in virtual proceedings. 

Judge John Tran is a circuit court judge in Fairfax County, Virginia. 

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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Digital court reporting has been invaluable throughout the pandemic, and new tech in this area continues to help court proceedings run more smoothly. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway chat with Tony Sirna about how AI can work hand-in-hand with digital reporters, how these tech and human elements aid in both in-person and virtual proceedings, and what has changed as a result of pandemic-era changes in the courts.

Tony Sirna is the legal strategist and customer success manager at Verbit.ai.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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Tech Toys are back! Jim and Sharon ring in the holidays with an abundance of gift recommendations for the tech-lovers in your life. Tune in for their curated list of practical and not-so-practical wishlist picks. Happy Holidays!

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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Payment platforms can be a lifesaver for law firms big and small. Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson get to know Dru Armstrong, recently appointed CEO of LawPay, and talk with her about how payment platforms help lawyers get paid faster, improve client relationships, manage trusts, and much more. They also discuss LawPay’s upcoming offering, ClientCredit, and how it will allow attorneys the opportunity to provide more payment options for their clients.

Dru Armstrong is the CEO of LawPay.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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Judge Herbert Dixon, newly elected chair of the ABA Journal Board of Editors, joins Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway to discuss the publication’s plans for the future. They take a look at the longstanding importance of the ABA Journal and its efforts to reach the profession as a whole, and Judge Dixon gives a few sneak peeks at what may be coming during his time as chair. 

Judge Herbert B. Dixon, Jr., is a senior judge with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball.

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New developments surrounding re-regulation in the legal industry have left some lawyers uncertain about what these changes mean for the future of the profession. Digital Edge hosts Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson bring on legal analyst Jordan Furlong to hash out trends in legal re-regulation, dispel myths, and explain the underlying intent behind it all. They discuss the re-regulation’s goals of protecting public interest and providing meaningful, affordable access to justice and offer wisdom for lawyers on how to best navigate future changes in legal regulatory structures. 

For more of Jordan Furlong’s thoughts on this subject, see his post The legal regulation revolution and other content on his Law21 blog at https://www.law21.ca/blog/.

Jordan Furlong is principal at Law21 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is an internationally renowned legal sector analyst, author, speaker, and consultant deeply invested in a better future for the legal profession and the society it serves.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Blackletter Podcast, Alert Communications and Nota.

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