Legal Commentary

STOP & SHOP

Posted on July 30, 2010
Robert J. Ambrogi gathers the shopping cart in the July issue of Law Technology News, as he reports on three new websites that can help lawyers save a few (or a lot of) dollars. First stop: GroupESQ capitalizes on social networking, and Costco-esque concepts of buying in bulk...

UP CLOSE: MARK BISARD

Posted on July 29, 2010
Up Close: Mark Bisard, vice president and senior counsel of American Express, has a job that may be the envy of most 20-somethings: He is AmEx's "cyberlawyer." Bisard's days include everything from negotiating interactive vendor agreements to developing online policies and protocols to providing legal counsel on everything from search engine optimization to social media to publishing technologies...

PRESIDENT'S CORNER: JIM KING

Posted on July 27, 2010
President's Corner: Ipro Tech has introduced its Ipro Eclipse database and case management program. It offers comprehensive discovery management, helping users manage and review case data from early assessment through trial preparation, says president Jim King...

PATENTS, PENDING

Posted on July 26, 2010
Christopher Sale, the administrator of Alexandria, Va.'s Young & Thompson, was facing a lot of demands. The patent firm, with 15 attorneys, three patent agents, and 20 paralegals, was geographically dispersed, and growing along with its client base that was now demanding digital communication and efficiencies...

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ANSWER MAN

Posted on July 23, 2010
Starting with the July issue of Law Technology News, Craig Ball has launched a three-part series explaining e-mail. "Huh?," you might say. "Why do I need to go under-the-hood about something so basic as e-mail?" Well, because it is "the most sought-after and fought-over electronically stored information" that you will encounter in even the most pedestrian dispute, explains Ball, an Austin, Texas, attorney and forensics master...

iRESEARCH

Posted on July 20, 2010
Fastcase is among the legal vendors who are jumping to develop apps for Apple's white-hot iPad tablet computer and its iPhone. The Washington, D.C., company says its namesake app helps users search its libraries of state and federal case law and statutes...

JUST FIND IT

Posted on July 19, 2010
During last month's LegalTech, Law.com technology editor Sean Doherty and I had a chance to chat with vendors about their new products and services. Among our conversations, we talked with Kate O'Brien, director of product innovation at RenewData, about the company's new search tool, Anagram Keyword Development...

A ROSE IS A ROSE

Posted on July 16, 2010
Anybody who has ever spent five minutes in any organization that creates products or services knows that naming those products or services can be pure torture. Like writing headlines or haiku, naming products is more angst-generating than choosing a moniker for a newborn...

STEER INTO THE SKID

Posted on July 15, 2010
Legal trade shows can intimidate even the most veteran attendee. So, with the International Legal Technology Association's annual meeting fast approaching, we interviewed James McKenna, senior manager of practice technology at Morrison & Foerster, to get his advice on how to best navigate convention floors...

THE BIG SQUEEZE

Posted on July 15, 2010
Small firm lawyers, with small cases and even smaller budgets, sometimes feel like the proverbial David facing Goliath. But fear not: less can definitely be more. Wisconsin lawyer and consultant Ross Kodner, CEO of MicroLaw, explains how you can go to court armed with simple but effective technology tools that help you organize and present your case -- developed from software you already own...

HELP, PLEASE!

Posted on July 15, 2010
Erica Greathouse, of Cox, Castle & Nicholson, has a lot of experience when it comes to handling legal professionals' gripes about imperfect technology. As a veteran CIO, she's seen the best and worst behavior, from both frustrated lawyers and the IT staff trying to serve them...

FREE GOVT DOCS

Posted on July 12, 2010
Alvin Podboy, director of library systems at Cleveland's Baker Hostetler, takes on the government in his annual essay chronicling the concerns of librarians, in the July issue of Law Technology News. This year's "Liberate U.S." article ponders whether government legal files should "belong" to the people, as Law...

iSCREAM, uSCREAM

Posted on July 12, 2010
I'm still watching the delivery carts in ALM's hallways, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Apple iPad. I keep irritating our IT folks with my daily nagging -- they told me today it's taking about two weeks for orders to get processed. While I count the days, our colleagues over at The Careerist blog note that London-based Eversheds has signed a deal to provide its lawyers with iPads...

OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Posted on July 08, 2010
In our July issue of Law Technology News, we revived our "Compare & Contrast" feature, which takes a look at similar products and their features, to help you determine the best product for your needs. We re-inaugurate the column with a look at e-readers, which -- with the introduction of the Apple iPad -- have gained more attention in the last few months...

PRAIRE, FLOWERING

Posted on July 08, 2010
In our July issue of Law Technology News, in "Prairie, Flowering," Nicole Hansen details how Thomson Reuters Legal helped restore 10 acres of its 297 at its Eagan, Minn., campus. Hansen, part of TRL's communications team, says the plot, with the help of experts, was plowed, tilled, and weed-treated before it went dormant last winter, to prepare it for planting this spring...

FTC ANSWERS FAQS

Posted on July 07, 2010
Melissa Krasnow, a partner at Minneapolis' Dorsey & Whitney, checks in to let us know that the Federal Trade Commission has recently posted answers to some frequently asked questions about its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising...

TOWERY TO HEAD CAL BAR DISCIPLINE

Posted on July 05, 2010
The California Bar has announced that trial attorney James Towery, who served as its president in 1995-96, has been appointed as the bar?s chief trial counsel. If confirmed by the state Senate, he will run the office that prosecutes California lawyers for professional misconduct...

POLLAK CHAIRS PRO BONO NET

Posted on July 02, 2010
Congrats to Bill Pollak, ALM president and CEO, who has been elected chair of the Pro Bono Net board of directors. Pro Bono Net is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that focuses on using technology programs (including web-based programs) to empower legal advocates and help them better serve the underrepresented...

ROCKET MAN WINS APEX AWARD

Posted on July 01, 2010
We were thrilled to hear from Larry Port, of Rocket Matters, that his hilarious article, "Macho & Mulch: Choosing a Hybrid in South Florida is a Very Nuanced Adventure," from Law Technology News' February, 2010 issue, won a 2010 APEX Award for Publication Excellence in Green Writing...

CH-CH-CHANGES

Posted on July 01, 2010
Andrew Adkins III, who for 13 years has been the director of the Legal Technology Institute, as part of the University of Florida's Levin College of Law, has decided to leave the school and return to private practice. Adkins, a longtime member of LTN's Editorial Advisory Board, has merged the institute into his own company, Adkins Consulting Group...

CH-CH-CHANGES

Posted on July 01, 2010
Andrew Adkins III, who for 13 years has been the director of the Legal Technology Institute, as part of the University of Florida's Levin College of Law, has decided to leave the school and return to private practice. Adkins, a longtime member of LTN's Editorial Advisory Board, has merged the institute into his own company, Adkins Consulting Group...

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Posted on June 30, 2010
During LegalTech West Coast, I taped several videos for our Law Technology News website, including discussions with our e-discovery columnist Craig Ball, consultant Tom Allman, DLA Piper's Marean Browning, and Patrick Oot, of the Electronic Discovery Institute...

EDD UPDATES

Posted on June 29, 2010
Law Technology News receives a lot of e-mail announcements of new e-discovery products and services. Among the new releases: Iron Mountain has debuted Stratify Legal Discovery OnPoint. The hosted system helps users load data for early filtering to help legal professionals assess the merits of their cases...

TWO EDD DEBUTS

Posted on June 28, 2010
Among new e-discovery releases: * Iron Mountain has debuted Stratify Legal Discovery OnPoint. The hosted system helps users load data for early filtering to help legal professionals assess the merits of their cases. It offers metadata-based faceted search, automatic concept organization, and random sampling technologies...

MAIL BAG #20100626

Posted on June 27, 2010
Checkin' the inbox: * Lawrence Savell, counsel at New York's Chadbourne & Parke, checks in to let his know his latest article, "Minimizing the Legal Risks of Using Online Social Networks, is now available on Law.com. * Timothy Corcoran is closing his management consulting practice...

LTN VENDOR SATISFACTION SURVEY

Posted on June 23, 2010
The results are in from the inaugural LTN Vendor Satisfaction Survey, conducted by our ALM Legal Intelligence research group under the direction of vice president Kevin Iredell. Conducted this winter, via a confidential online poll, the survey asked legal professionals who buy -- or influence the purchase of -- legal technology to review the vendors and to tell us what they want from those vendors...

INTEGREON OUTSOURCING DEAL: NEW MODEL?

Posted on June 18, 2010
CMS Cameron McKenna has signed a 10-year, ?538 million deal with California?s Integreon to outsource non-billable "middle office" services. The services include accounting and finance, human resources and training, marketing and communications, training, library and information services, research, IT, and facilities...

COWEN GROUP: PM IS EXPLODING

Posted on June 17, 2010
The Cowen Group, a New York-based legal recruiter and consultancy, has announced the results of its 2009/2010 eDiscovery and Litigation Support Professionals Salary Survey. According to managing partner David Cowen, 487 professionals at 100 major firms shared their salary data with TCG for its 5th annual report...

GREEN GRASS, BLUE SKY

Posted on June 16, 2010
Headed to LegalTech West Coast next week in Los Angeles? You'll face a smorgasbord of choices to help you stay up-to-date on the latest technology trends and products. Among the highlights, Erick Andersen, of Microsoft's legal team, will present the 6/24 keynote about how legal organizations can effectively use unified communications systems to reduce costs and improve collaboration among colleagues and clients...

LEGAL CURRENTS

Posted on June 11, 2010
During my recent trip to Minnesota, the Thomson Reuters Legal team invited me to tape another episode of its Legal Currents podcast. Moderator Leonard Lee and I had a lively interaction, discussing my cover story, "Risks & Rewards," in the May issue of LTN...

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