Legal Commentary

BUMMER: CLEAR FOLDS

Posted on June 23, 2009
I thought something was amiss when the Clear lane was closed at JFK Terminal 7 Saturday --with a sign saying the station was closed Sat/Sundays. Then tonight, and we got the letter. As of 11 pm Pacific time tonight, it's kaput. We just got a cryptic e-mail: "At 11:00 p...

MAILBAG #061209

Posted on June 12, 2009
I'm just about ready to head out to Charlie Haas' 7:30 p.m. book reading at the Barnes & Noble in the Village (396 6th @ 8th) for his new book, The Enthusiast... but before I dash out the door, need to catch up on some incoming! ? Attorney Paul Levine also has a new novel out -- Illegal -- and he introduces a new "trouble-prone hero," Jimmy (Royal) Payne...

& THE WINNER IS.....

Posted on June 12, 2009
As they say in all that propaganda for the New York Lottery: ?You can?t win if you don?t enter.? Nominations are now open for the Law Technology News 2009 Awards. 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...

CATCH PHRASE PLEASE!

Posted on May 21, 2009
Michael Kay's got his "SEE YA!" ? John Sterling, well he's just way too theatrical for me with all that A-bomb from A-Rod and vibrato chest thumbing "The Yannnnnkeeees winnnnn" nonsense. ? SNL Weekend Update has it gooey "Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow...

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MO' MAILBAG #052009

Posted on May 20, 2009
JoAnna Forshee checks in to let folks know that it will provide 10 scholarships to unemployed attorneys who are job hunting, to attend its "Get a Life" Conference that is presented by the Total Practice Management Association. It is a two-day workshop on marketing and practice management and social networking that will be held in Chicago on May 27 & 28...

MAILBAG #050109

Posted on May 01, 2009
Catchin' up with the inbox: ? Andrea Tecce, of Navigant Consulting, is one of the leaders of the Washington, D.C. branch of Women in E-Discovery. Contact her if you are interesting in 411 about upcoming events. ? Andy Adkins, of the Univ. of Florida (Gainsville) found this amazing update of Captain Sully's seaplane adventure: Download Hudson...

NOTHING GROWS FOREVER

Posted on April 29, 2009
The Am Law 100 Report is now online. Says The American Lawyer's editor-in-chief Aric Press and Am Law Data Analyst John O'Connor: For the first time since 1991, both average profits per partner and revenue per lawyer dipped last year among the Am Law 100 firms, the top-grossing firms in the nation...

HILTON / UAL PROMOTIONS: CAVEAT EMPTOR

Posted on April 21, 2009
Heads Up: If you are planning to use any Hilton Honors / United promotions -- such as the current Hawaii promotion to earn double Mileage Plus miles, a 10,000 HHonors bonus, and receive a free bathrobe (see 411 here) -- be sure your Hilton account is set up so that you are earning both UAL miles and points...

BACK ON THE PAYROLL

Posted on April 20, 2009
Good news from both Babs Deacon and Mark Reichenbach, who both got pink slip'd a few months back. Deacon has landed a new gig with Integreon, (which recently acquired Onsite3) as director of consulting. New e-mail here. Reichenbach is the new veep for client and industry development, with Capital Legal Solutions...

DREAM YOUR DREAM

Posted on April 15, 2009
My friend Linda Lake just sent me this, and wow oh wow, you simply must check it out. Susan Boyle offers an astounding reminder about why we should never, ever, ever underestimate or judge someone just because he or she is "plain." From Britains Got Talent (Never mind the bad punctuation...

GREEN YOUR CAREER: A NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Posted on April 14, 2009
This erratic economy has been tough on everybody, but none more so than the members of our legal technology community who have lost their jobs. It's difficult, scary, and challenging for even the most self-confident professionals. Our Incisive gang wants to help -- so we decided to team up at LegalTech West Coast and offer a simple, heartfelt gesture: On day 2 (Thursday June 25) we will host a very informal, free "Green Your Career" networking breakfast, from 8-9 a...

WATCH THE DOOR

Posted on April 14, 2009
With all the layoffs and corporate restructuring, sometimes legal holds can get lost in the shuffle. As computers and workloads get reassigned, sometimes key data can evaporate. In LTN's April cover story, "Watch the Door," John Jablonski, a partner at Buffalo's Goldberg Segalla, offers a check list for folks in IT, risk management and HR, to help preserve proper legal holds...

NEW IS OLD AGAIN

Posted on April 08, 2009
Sorry, Baltimore, we got Tex & we ain't givin' him back. Even if he got jussssst a little bit spooked by the "welcome" booooos he got on opening day at Camden. Now usually when the Yanks meet up with the O's in Maryland, there's about 65% Yankee fans in the stands (I suspect most from New Jersey because it's so easy to get to from the Garden State, and Camden is so economical and family friendly...

CONNECTING BUSINESS & PLEASURE

Posted on April 03, 2009
Marc Osborn and the gang over at LexisNexis' Martindale Hubbell have now officially launched Martindale Hubbell Connect, which has been in beta for a while. Bob Ambrogi raved about it in his Web Watch column last September in Law Technology News. As part of the launch celebrations, MHC invited six bloggers to do a mini-carnival from March 30-April 6...

KEEPING WOMEN IN BIGLAW

Posted on April 02, 2009
Another good step towards addressing the unacceptable gender pay and promotion gaps in the legal profession that I have been ranting about since the Census figures came out last fall: Our colleagues at The National Law Journal report that 8 law firm leaders and 7 corporate GC met recently to address how both can better support flex-time and part-time policies to advance women at firms...

IT'S APRIL FOOLS DAY

Posted on April 01, 2009
Kurt Leafstrand and his colleagues at Clearwell had JUST a little bit too much time on their hands yesterday: check out this "launch." I see Mr. Ball also caught this (below). Ditto for Google, with "CADIE." Hat tip to Sally Gonzalez. And Klingon & Porcine Latin review capabilities have been added to Orange Legal Technologies' portfolio...

DRU'S HEADED BACK TO SF

Posted on March 26, 2009
The amazing and wildly influential Drucilla Ramey is heading home to San Francisco, to become the next dean of Golden Gate University's School of Law. Here's the top of The Recorder's story. Read the full story here. By Petra Pasternak March 26, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO ? Drucilla Ramey is back in the Bay Area, this time to head a San Francisco law school...

#SESNY: BUBBLING ABOUT GUY KAWASAKI

Posted on March 24, 2009
Guy Kawasaki mesmerized the SRO crowd today at the NY Hilton, when he gave the kickoff keynote address at our Search Engines Strategies conference. #SESNY. Kawasaki is smart and irreverent, two of my favorite personality traits, and gave a crash course in using Twitter as a marketing tool...

TECH TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

Posted on March 19, 2009
Alan Cohen covers some fascinating nuances for international travelers trying to stay connnected overseas, in "Technology Tips for the Traveler," from Corporate Counsel magazine. Among his tips, he warns about surfin' the web from your cell phone or BlackBerry when abroad: "While it's true that checking short e-mails on a BlackBerry won't break the bank while you're overseas, the story is far different when it comes to Web browsing...

RAINMAKER'S ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE PACKAGE

Posted on March 17, 2009
RainMaker Software Inc. has announced a $1 million "Law Firm Economic Assistance Package," where firms can apply for discounts on software if they pledge to "pay forward" the sum to benefit their local communities. Says prez James Hammond, examples might include identifying new pro bono work programs for laid-off workers; helping families facing potential mortgage foreclosures; or participating in charitible organizations...

MED/TECH: THE $2 REPORT

Posted on March 16, 2009
Had a fascinating visit today with a specialist in retinas. At first, I was pretty frustrated because you have to wait a lonnnnnng time to see the doctor, but once you're in the exam room, Dr. Kenneth Wald is the model of efficiency. (A good sign: his support staff are awesome, and his patients looooove him -- in fact, when I was getting antsy, two of them told me to chill out, that he's worth the wait...

MADOFF WATCH

Posted on March 12, 2009
Interested in following the Bernie Madoff mess? Catch up on Twitter: @amlawdaily or @Madoff_watch, or at The American Lawyer website.

TOP IT SALARIES DROP, MIDDLE STEADY

Posted on March 10, 2009
On the Careers blog, by Don Sears, is his analysis of a report from New York-based Bluewolf on 2008/2009 IT salaries for the tri-state area (NY,NJ,CT). Not surprisingly, $ for top jobs -- and entry level spots -- is slipping. Says Sears:Salary numbers at the high end of each category are, as expected, down overwhelmingly, but average salary levels are holding steady...

CHOP CHOP

Posted on March 05, 2009

J. CRAIG WILLIAMS JOINS SEDGWICK

Posted on March 04, 2009

No Excuses

Posted on March 03, 2009

ATTACK PANIC!

Posted on February 23, 2009
As we all reel with the spiraling economy, Topic A is how to dodge a pink slip. In Law Technology News' February issue, in the article, ?Staying Afloat,? article, IT leaders offer astute advice: * Matt Kesner, CIO of Fenwick & West, says everybody should take on as many new duties as they possible, and ?prove every day that you are worth employing...

MAILBAG #090222

Posted on February 22, 2009
From da inbox: Video CLE: Ellis Mirsky says Trial.com www.trial.com, now offers free video CLE programs. Tarrytown N.Y.'s Mirsky is exec director and GC of Trial.com, which is a network of trial lawyers and firms. They are also offering litigation management podcasts on iTunes...

OBAMA: DON'T IGNORE EDD ISSUES

Posted on February 22, 2009
Law Technology News' e-discovery columnist has a message for President Obama: Don't ignore EDD issues while you revamp medical records." On the EDD Update blog Craig Ball urges the president to be careful about his push to digitize the nation's health care records...

ALOHA

Posted on February 22, 2009
One of the things I love about coming to Hawaii is that I pretty much stay on NYC time, so I get up at 4 a.m. (9 a.m. on da body clock) and have several hours of blissful quiet before the rest of the family gets up. Yes, yes, I know I'm a workaholic, but these days, who can afford not to be -- but anyway, it's one of the rare times when I can actually do mundane but necessary tech tasks, such as cleaning out my old e-mail & iTunes...

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