Who are you?  Who is your organization?
Having been around as long as I have (since late 1980s), I’m what you might call a pioneer in the legal technology consulting industry. I’ve never sold any software or hardware and I don’t take commissions or referral fees from vendors I recommend. I work strictly for my clients, providing the best independent advice I can, as I have for more than 20 years. In 1989, I started consulting through my own business, Adkins Consulting Group, and in 1997, I was fortunate to be able to establish the Legal Technology Institute (LTI) at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. It is one of a handful of institutes at a law school that is completely self-funded (consulting fees pay for projects and salaries). I’ve worked with over 350 clients of all types and all sizes over the years, including private law firms, corporate law departments, government agencies, law schools, and several legal vertical companies.

Where does your organization fit in the legal industry? 
LTI is one of a handful of truly independent legal technology consulting firms in the country. Having been very involved in planning both the ABA TECHSHOW (Chair 2000, 2001) and LegalTech conferences (co-chair, 2000-2007), we know the legal technology, both as a consultant to law firms and working with hundreds of vendors over the years. I’ve published about 250 articles and made over 220 presentations over the years.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the legal industry now and in the upcoming year?
The economic downturn has also affected the legal profession in almost every area, including technology. While firms may know they need to upgrade their technology, or hire additional IT staff, they often put off these purchases. However, the “penny-wise, pound foolish” technology implementation plan often comes back to bite the firm in the form of additional technology problems (equipment breaks or software becomes outdated and no longer supported) or a need to suddenly spend unexpected dollars. Firms need to continue to plan on using technology and while they may put off the major purchases short-term, they need to plan on the long-term. The biggest challenge this year and the next will be balancing what is the “gotta have” versus the “want.” I often tell firms that in the down times, reinvest in your people – that means training and more training. Get the most out of what you already have.

How can law firms work with you?
Most of our consulting for law firms and law departments tend to fall into three categories: technology assessments, IT staffing assessments, and case/matter/practice management selection. Many firms hit a bump in the road, need to make a major upgrade, need a new software application, or have questions about their own IT; that’s when they decide they need an outside, objective review and that’s where we come in. I’m considered one of the country’s leading experts in case, matter & practice management system technology, and often help law firms and law departments select the optimal system for their practice.

A typical LTI consulting engagement starts with a two to three day site visit to the main office and meetings with various groups and individuals in the firm. These meetings focus on the individual roles in the firm and may last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. For example, when meeting with attorneys, we focus on what the attorney does in his/her practice, what technology they use, and what problems they are having (either with technology or with process/procedure). When meeting with IT, our focus in on the technology environment and issues IT faces with technology, administration, and management. When meeting with management, we discuss goals and objectives, problems areas, technology expectations, and budgeting.

After the site visit, we draft a Technology Assessment Report and provide recommendations for technology that will help meet the firm’s goals and solve their technology issues. We make specific recommendations for software and hardware to meet those goals. We provide cost estimates in order for the firm to understand and budget their technology, as well as an implementation plan as to what should be installed first, what impact the technology will be to the firm, and how long the implementation should take.

How can the legal vendor community work with you?
We’ve worked with several legal verticals over the years on various projects, including assisting with market assessment for their product, surveying existing and potential customers, and comparisons of competitive products. We’ve written white papers in the past on specific niches in the industry, providing an educational white paper to help lawyers understand the impact of a particular type of product or technology. There are many different ways we’ve worked with legal vendors and are always happy to provide advice based on our experience.

We’ve also conducted several national studies over the years (The Internet Study-1998; The ASP Study-2000; The Knowledge Management Study-2003; Partnering with Outside Counsel Study-2003, 2004; and our current Case Management Study-to be released 1st Quarter 2010. These studies are funded by sponsors who also provide significant input to help shape the study. Typically for this type of study, we mail the survey to a random list of about 25,000 legal professions, compile and analyze the results, and publish an extensive (250-300 page) Final Report.

How can you help legal technology vendors be more successful?
We don’t sell software, but our focus is to educate the legal profession about technology and how it can help them in their daily practice. Our forum includes consulting, presentations at national, state, and local conferences, published articles in industry trade magazines, white papers, and studies. It’s the vendors who need to focus on selling the software – our goal is to get the legal professional to call the right vendor(s).

What associations are you active in?
I’ve been a member of the ABA Law Practice Management Section since the early 90s. I was the Chair of the ABA TECHSHOW in 2000 and 2001. I’m also involved in ILTA as well as a faculty member of the Managing Partners Forum. On a personal note, I’m also heavily involved in the 80th Division Veterans Association, my father’s old WWII infantry division; I’m the National Secretary for the organization. I wrote a book about his experiences in the war: “You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with Company H, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division,” published by Casemate Publishing in October 2005; it was immediately selected as the Book of the Month for the Military Book Club in November 2005 and I was bitten by the history bug.

What online resource (website, blog, etc.) is most useful to you (i.e., you use it every day)?
ILTA is one of the most valuable resources for the profession. Besides having vendor input, these are real, day-to-day issues law firms face in technology. I find the forums extremely useful as well as their extensive online resources. I also spend a lot of time on the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center, which has tons of materials. Our own website is fairly extensive and one of our main niches is computerized case and matter management systems. Since I’ve written a couple of books about case and matter management (CMS), we try to keep up to date on CMS including links to vendors, links to articles, and many of our own consulting worksheets, RFPs, and resources we use in our consulting practice. Several bloggers I constantly monitor are Jim Calloway, Monica Bay, Adriana Linares, Ross Kodner, Robert Ambrogi, Rick Georges, and InsideLegal.

What have been your top three “moments” in legal technology?
I strongly believe that consultants need to share their experience with others, including clients, consultants, and vendors. I’ve been blessed in many ways in both my personal life as well as my professional life and have received many awards and attributes. However, if limited to three, I think I’d rank being the chair of the ABA TECHSHOW in 2000 and 2001 would be up there; we had a great committee and I was proud to work with each and every one. It’s hard to describe the “high” you experience after doing something that significant. In addition to TECHSHOW, I think being able to write and publish several books by the ABA Law Practice Management Section is way up there on the list.

Last, but certainly not least, many of those who know me know that I’ve often used the statement to describe them as “my family away from home.” When you travel as much as we do (consultants, vendors), you need to have that additional support; I get that from the vendor and consultant community. There’s a mutual respect that we all have for each other and for what we do in the industry. I don’t abuse that privilege, since I consider it such an honor. I know the names of many of the vendors’ kids as they do mine. We’ve been through some great times and some crappy times, but we do it together. That’s what’s great about this industry – sharing, connecting, and networking. It keeps me going, especially after being on the road for such a long time.

Contact Info:
Andrew Z. Adkins III
Director, Legal Technology Institute
Adjunct Professor, Law Practice Management
Executive Director, ICAIR
University of Florida Levin College of Law