Legal Commentary

A PERFECT DAY

Posted on September 08, 2009
"Ed Post" ? the esteemed editor of Blawg Review -- launched his "Blawg Review Bucket List Tour" this week (no, he's not ill -- no need to start writing obits). Perhaps another name for it should be the Magical Mystery Tour, because "Ed" is keeping everyone in suspense as to his itinerary...

LABOR DAZE

Posted on September 04, 2009
Just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone in the legal technology community, as we approach Labor Day. I've always viewed this American holiday as the unofficial New Year's Day, probably because I'm way overeducated and can't shake off my internal academic calendar...

SEA OF POSSIBILITIES

Posted on September 02, 2009
Sea of Possibilities: In September's Law Technology Now podcast, I am joined by Bob Ambrogi, author of Law Technology News' Web Watch column, and Jim Calloway, director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program. Calloway was guest author of the September Web Watch column (while Bob took a well-deserved vacation)...

SHOULD EDD PROFESSIONALS BE CERTIFIED?

Posted on September 02, 2009
Chere Estrin starts the debate over at EDD Update -- see why she and others have formed the Organization for Legal Professionals, and dive into the discussion and let us know whether you think e-discovery certification would help -- or hinder -- employees and employers.

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#ILTA09 DEADLINE 8/31 TO NOMINATE VENDORS

Posted on August 26, 2009
Rust never sleeps: Just a reminder that you have until Monday to nominate your company for the 2009 LTN Vendor Awards -- selected by the readers of Law Technology News! To refresh your memory: Here?s how it works: There are three food groups: 1) Vendor Awards, 2) Law Firm & Legal Department Awards, and 3) a brand new category, Lifetime Achievement Award...

#ILTA09 TECH PURCHASING SURVEY

Posted on August 25, 2009
2009 ILTA Survey: ILTA has released its 2009 Technology Purchasing Survey, which targets law firms with more than 50 attorneys. Produced in cooperation with InsideLegal.com, the 40 question web-based survey was distributed to 730 firms, and yielded 115 responses, says JoAnna Forshee...

#ILTA09 WHY I LOVE IT LEADERS

Posted on August 25, 2009
So I'm chatting up a couple of my favorite CT Summation dudes, and whining about how I could not believe that I fell asleep in the middle of Letterman and missed the Mark Texeira segment. "Oh Monica, it's probably already on YouTube," they said. Sure enough, it is!

#ILTA09 MORE FROM LESS

Posted on August 25, 2009
Monday morning, at the ILTA keynote address, Tom Koulpoulos of the Delphi Group started off the thinking with "Innovating More with Less," which was a bit long but very engaging. Koulpoulos argued that the three major constitutencies (Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y) approach technology through very different eyes...

#ILTA09 IN TURBULENT TIMES

Posted on August 25, 2009
Numbers Count: ITLA executive director Randi Mayes kicked off the keynote address at ILTA at the Gaylord National Hotel near Washington, D.C., with the relatively-happy news that despite firm travel cuts about 850 members were at the five-day conference...

#ILTA09 TECH TURB PANELISTS ON LEGAL CURRENT

Posted on August 25, 2009
Kudos to Angie Schaffer and her team at West for a terrific job condensing the wisdom of Monday's speakers on our Tech Turbulence panel into a tight video. Catch it here on West's Legal Current blog.

#ILTA09 HEADING TO D.C.

Posted on August 23, 2009
Heading to Washington, D.C. for #ILTA09, hope to see many of you there. Tomorrow (Monday) I'll be moderating a terrific panel on "tech turbulence" with George Rudoy (Shearman & Sterling), James McKenna, (Morrison & Foerster), and John Roman (Nixon Peabody)...

SWEEP

Posted on August 10, 2009
Thursday: NYY 13, Bos 6 Friday: NYY 2, Bos 0 15 innings, 5 hours, 33 min. (I was there for every pitch.) Saturday: NYY 5, Bos 0 Sunday: NYY 5, Bos 2

STRANGE TIMES: 2009 SOCHA GELBMANN REPORT

Posted on August 03, 2009
In their annual exclusive report for Law Technology News, consultants George Socha & Tom Gelbmann do away with their traditional vendor rankings and instead offer analysis of a turbulent e-discovery year. Among their conclusions: a seemingly contradictory trend, the simultaneous constriction and expansion of e-discovery services; and a continuing shortfall in qualified EDD staff attorneys, paralegals and litigation support IT staff...

LTN VENDOR AWARDS NOMINATION TIME EXTENDED

Posted on July 30, 2009
The deadline to enter the 2009 LTN Vendor Awards has been extended to August 31: To refresh your memory: Here?s how it works: There are three food groups: 1) Vendor Awards, 2) Law Firm & Legal Department Awards, and 3) a brand new category, Lifetime Achievement Award...

UM, ER, BRIAN....

Posted on July 30, 2009
Close the deal, eh??? We want to see this dude in pinstripes, pronto! TIA, Mrs. Chamberlain-Burnett ps. thx to SFJ for pix

MAILBAG #090730

Posted on July 30, 2009
Rummaging through the in-box: Monty Lunn has answered the siren call of New Orleans, and moved back. He most recently was a director at Huron Consulting Group. We'll letcha know when he gets settled in with new contact info. * Connie Moser, formerly of Elite, has joined another Elite-ite, Mark Goldin at American LegalNet...

BASICS OF ACCOUNTING FOR LAWYERS

Posted on July 27, 2009
Want to see me turn purple with anxiety? Put me anywhere near an Excel spread sheet. I may be a decent storyteller, but I'm notoriously awful with digits. My bosses long ago gave up on sending me anything that involves opening Excel, and even John Tredennick, author of two books on how great Excel is, couldn't get thru my brain lock...

ASBPE GOLD x2

Posted on July 23, 2009
Craig Ball is a magician -- he can turn the dryest, most esoteric nuance of e-discovery into a compelling story that rivals the latest Grisham offering. His vocabulary is unmatched; he always finds the perfect word to illuminate the most dense concept, yet never succumbs to jargon...

ANGELS UNVEIL 2010 ALL STAR LOGO

Posted on July 23, 2009
Particularly neat how they have incorporated the signature "halo" from the stadium! Way kewl!

USF LEGAL EMPLOYMENT SYMPOSIUM

Posted on July 22, 2009
My alum, the University of San Francisco School of Law, is offering a symposium on 9/17 to help law students and lawyers negotiate the changing legal landscape. It will include four panel discussions, featuring legal commentators, practitioners, and folks (like me) who have pursued non-traditional legal careers...

PRO BONO NET GOLDEN VENTURE FUNDRAISER

Posted on July 22, 2009
I turn the mic over to Pro Bono Net's Pam Weisz: "We've teamed up with the director of Golden Venture, an acclaimed documentary about the struggles of the 286 passengers of the infamous immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993...

THE BOOKS OF SUMMER

Posted on July 16, 2009
Going through beisbol withdrawal as the boys take their All Star break? Never fear, here are three books that will tide you over until Friday: Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain, by Marty Appel, is a rich and poignant account of #15, Thurmon Munson, who was killed while flying his private jet...

CHRIS ANDERSON'S BOOK FREE ON ITUNES

Posted on July 15, 2009
I turn the mic over to Jon Moreland: Hello, Monica! You turned me on to Chris Anderson?s book, The Long Tail, via The Common Scold, and I?ve recommended it to several friends and colleagues since then. I was pleasantly surprised to find that his new book, entitled ?Free: The Future of a Radical Price,? is available in audio format on Apple iTunes? home page for FREE (literally) as of yesterday...

TABBIES 2009 HONORS

Posted on July 14, 2009
We were delighted to learn today that Law Technology News has won two TABBIE awards, from the Trade Association Business Publications International. ? Our former colleague, Claire Duffett, who is now working as a reporter based in Cambodia, won one of two honorable mentions in the Best Department category, for her stellar Technology on Trial articles...

7th ANNUAL TWINS/YANKS FEST

Posted on July 12, 2009
Bye Bye Dome.... The 7th annual Twins/Yanks fest was, as always, Big Fun -- a chance to connect with the terrific Twins Cities tech community and say goodbye to the Metrodome... (well, unless we meet again in October!) As always, it was a jam-packed three days of vendor meetings and beisbol! We started off the trip with our annual visit to Thomson Reuters, with huge thanks to John Shaughnessy (far left), Gretchen DeSutter (below) and Scott Augustin (left) for setting up a day of helpful briefings...

MAILBAG #090629

Posted on June 29, 2009
Catchin' up w/ the in-box: * Ipro Tech had to write a big check ($246,470) to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Microsoft, and Symantec software, but CEO Jim King says his organization takes the full blame. "As part of the settlement agreement, IPRO Tech Inc...

#LTWC: NETWORKING OLD & NEW

Posted on June 29, 2009
We did some old-fashioned networking -- the kind where you actually talk in person -- at our "Green Your Career" breakfast at LegalTech West Coast -- where we had a packed house full of job seekers, vendors, and law firm folks. I'm already hearing from some attendees that the event may have linked at least one person with a new gig! Huge, huge thanks to the generosity of the vendors who provided so many gift cards that we were able to give every job seeker at least two! Thank you! And thanks to our speakers -- Brad Blickstein, Tom Collins, Babs Deacon, John Lipsey, Mary Mack, Mark Reichenbach, John Tredennick, and J...

#LTWC: DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS

Posted on June 25, 2009
Day 1 of LegalTech West Coast was terrific, major kudos to Henry Dicker and his indefatigueable team. As for me, I'm totally fatigue' (Sorry, can't figure out how to add that french accent on typepad.) Huge thank yous to George Rudoy, Tom Ranalli, and James McKenna for an amazing panel on "Leadership in Times of Turbulence...

PECK & WAXSE HOLD COURT AT ROUND TABLE

Posted on June 24, 2009
Fascinating dinner last night with the Fios (see below) gang, to kick off LegalTech West Coast. Mary Mack and Debbie Caldwell were among the orchestrators of the evening, which featured two prominent U.S. Magistrate Judges who you have been reading a lot about (in Craig Ball's EDD column): Andrew Peck, (far left) of the Southern District of NY, and David Waxse (left) , of the District of Kansas...

MANAGEMENT SHIFT AT FIOS

Posted on June 23, 2009
Apparently, there's been a big shift in the exec offices at Fios. I'll find out more details tomorrow when I meet with their team, but John Hesse (right) is now listed on their website as the "interim CEO" replacing Gerald Massey. According to a knowledgeable source, last Friday Prashant Dubey (SVP Consulting), Sam Panarella (VP Consulting) and Jeanette Siepian (SVP Sales & Marketing) were all let go...

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