Students: Maybe You Shouldn’t Become a Lawyer

Posted on October 25, 2010 by InsideLegal

During Simon Chester's (Partner, Heenan Blaikie) presentation at the COLPM Futures Conference (more coverage to come), he told of an announcement that came in 2009 from the Law Society of England & Wales cautioning people considering a law career due to the time and financial commitments it requires. A Law Society spokesperson said:

"Working closely with the Junior Lawyers Division the Society is looking to inform and educate those considering a career as a solicitor to think long and hard about the commitment it requires to succeed – particularly in the face of increased competition. Last year alone, more than 1000 people who completed the Legal Practice Course  did not get a training contract. This is about responsible management of entry to the profession. Alongside this campaign the Society and the profession have long been working hard to create a level playing field for those who are genuinely talented and meritorious in order to overcome the barrier of financial disadvantage."

Can you imagine the ABA or a similar organization making that type of announcement in the US?

Posted in Career, COLPM, Legal UK Industry | Leave a comment

Making the Case for Social Media … MyLegal Social Media Conference Revisited

Posted on October 25, 2010 by InsideLegal

[CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT]

MyLegalMedia Last week, we had the opportunity to participate in MyLegal's inaugural social media conference "The Case for Social Media" that focused on helping attorneys establish and manage their online presence and social media profile. The well crafted agenda included a mix of social media 101 and practical how-tos and showcased several well established speakers spanning social media, eDiscovery compliance and solo lawyering. Lisa DiMonte, the event's brainchild and 32 year court reporting/litigation support industry veteran, pulled off a great 'first time' event by putting her own social media prowess to work – it turns out many of the session speakers first linked up with Lisa online and via various social media avenues. 

Lisa DiMonte The 7 sessions were definitely assembled with much thought to how a lawyer looking for guidance and answers on social media could get the most out of the day. Many of the attendees we talked to made the trip to DC's Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center specifically to gather tips and tools to execute their very own social media strategy. While we managed to catch snippets of the first few speakers (Avvo's Conrad Saam and Carolyn Elefant and Nicole Black) via the online remote stream, our first full onsite session was Sharon Nelson and John Simek's expert take on the ethical, compliance and eDiscovery implications of social media. This session was in our opinion the most dynamic, eye-opening and practical lecture of the day thanks to the many 'no way' examples of social media litigation pitfalls presented by the very charismatic and knowledgeable Sharon Nelson and John Simek of Sensei Enterprises, a Fairfax, VA-based computer forensics/IT/IS Security consulting firm. While many of the presented social media usage facts indicate that corporate America especially, can no longer ignore employees use (and abuse) of social networks, the biggest 'a-ha' moment for us was the discussion around social media data preservation and archiving. Per Nelson's insight, social media archiving – basically locking down all the historical data generated by Facebook, websites, Twitter, company blogs, etc.) is increasingly becoming a major corporate concern and action item warranting consideration for any social media compliance policy. Nelson and Simek recently discussed the topic on their popular Ride the Lightning electronic evidence blog and are hosting an invite-only, C-level-focused product demo and discussion seminar for UK web archiver Hanzo Archives early next month. After being scared (hopefully not scared off) with these social media compliance and regulatory realities, attendees settled into an afternoon focused on what many consider the sole purpose of effective social media … business and client development.

Adrian Dayton While legal business development advisor Larry Bodine focused on LinkedIn and how the 1 million lawyers already using it can get more out of their profiles, connections and recommendations, Adrian Dayton, author of "Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition" and legal social media marketer, zeroed in on broader marketing and business strategies leveraging Twitter, blogs and content. Designed to appeal to social media newbies, Dayton's session covered Twitter basics but also made the connection of how stellar content (via blogs and websites) and strategic distribution (via Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks) can lead to direct sales leads and new business. Other sessions covered the use of trademarks in social media marketing (speaker-Matthew Asbell, Associate at Ladas & Parry LLP) and attorney Steve Crandall wrapped-up the busy day with his 'Social Media and the Law' session. Editors note: We spoke to Steve earlier in the day but we were unable to attend his session so we encourage readers to look for his streaming video on MyLegal.com.

MyLegal All in all, Lisa DiMonte and her crew deserve a hand for giving attendees a taste of the ever expanding social media pie and staying true to the seminar title "Making the Case for Social Media". Mission accomplished!

Posted in Events, Legal Industry, Marketing, Social Media | Leave a comment

Announcing the COLPM 2010 Fellow Inductees for Legal Achievement

Posted on October 24, 2010 by InsideLegal

The 2010 Fellow Inductees to the College of Law Practice Management (COLPM) have been inducted today and they are… [Link to pictures of the announcements and introduction of each Fellow]

  • Stephen Dempsey, Sidley Austin
  • Susan Saltonstall Duncan, RainMaking Oaisis, Inc. 
  • Jeffery Flax, Jeff Flax and Associates, LLC 
  • William Freivogel, Freivogel Ethics Consulting 
  • Patrick J. Lamb, Valorem Law Firm 
  • Norman Letalik, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
  • Stewart Levine, ResolutionWorks 
  • Susan Manch, Shannon & Manch 
  • Aric Press, ALM 
  • Jeff Reade, Cole Valley Software, Inc. 
  • Vedia Jones Richardson, Olive & Olive, PA 
  • Elonide Semmes, Right Hat LLC
  • Caren Ulrich Stacy, Lawyer Development Strategies LLC

COLPM Fellows have to be nominated and must have made a significant – and sustained (at least 10 years) – contribution to the field of law practice management. Congratulations to all!

Posted in COLPM, Industry Awards, Law Firm Leaders, Legal Industry, People, Thought Leadership | Leave a comment

College of Law Practice Management (what it is!); the MyLegal Conference and the Spy Museum

Posted on October 22, 2010 by InsideLegal

Today was the Case for Social Media Conference that was produced by MyLegal.com. We had a great time and had a chance to meet with a few of the presenters in addition to attending the sessions. We will have coverage of all that in the next day or so, but in the meantime you can check out all the action at MyLegalMedia.com. The conference was also streamed live on the internet and featured sessions by Sharon Nelson and John Simek, Adrian Dayton, Carolyn Elefant and Niki Black and Larry Bodine to name a few. Thanks to Lisa DiMonte at MyLegal.com for putting on a great conference! Stay tuned for coverage…

After the MyLegal conference, tonight was the opening reception for both the ABA Law Practice Management Section's Fall Meeting and the College of Law Practice Management's 2010 Futures Conference. The event was held at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and was attended by some of the biggest names in the industry. After the reception, we had all access pass to the museum and everyone took advantage of it! Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the exhibits but I did take a few at the reception…

COLPM Opening Reception

Dennis Kennedy & InsideLegal's JoAnna Forshee COLPM Trustee Andy Adkins & wife Becky

Karen Rosen, COLPMs Administrator
Jim Calloway, Dennis Kennedy, Tom Mighell
A question we have gotten a lot lately is "What is the College of Law Practice Management?" For starters, no, it's not an actual college. The College of Law Practice Management, commonly referred to as COLPM, is a group that was formed in 1994 to "honor and recognize distinguished law practice management professionals, to set standards of achievement for others in the profession, and to fund and assist projects that enhance the highest quality of law practice management." The members are nominated and have to be voted in. You can read the full requirements here, but essentially Fellows are to have made a significant – and sustained – contribution to the field of law practice management. For only the second time this year, the COLPM's annual conference is open to the public and we'll be reporting from there tomorrow. Can't wait!

Posted in Consultants, Legal Industry, Thought Leadership | Leave a comment

Join the Who’s Who of Legal at the Futures Conference

Posted on October 15, 2010 by InsideLegal

COLPM Next week, three legal conferences will be held in Washington D.C.- The College of Law Practice Management's (COLPM) 2010 Futures Conference & Symposium; the ABA Law Practice Management's Fall Meeting and MyLegal.com's The Case for Social Media. Of particular intrigue is the COLPM's Futures Conference which will bring together the who's who of law practice management on October 22 and 23 at the American University Washington College of Law. This is only the second year that the COLPM Conference is open to the public. The conference theme is "1, 2, 3, RESET: Getting Back to the NEW Business of Practicing Law". Here's more info from COLPM… 

"It's time to turn the dial to 'reset' and, starting now, do things differently in the business of practicing law! The worst is over and as businesses of every type pick themselves up, dust themselves off and forge surprising new routes for the future. 

The College of Law Practice Management invites you to attend the 2010 Annual Conference at American University Washington College of Law to hear how other lawyers and law firms are breaking that horrible precedent habit. You'll want to be there as assumption-changing speakers explore and predict ways in which the legal enterprise will "reset" after two years of upheaval. Small group discussion sessions will get up close and personal about what's really happening in law offices around the globe. You'll come away with a list of ways in which your firm can press the reset button and set out in new more profitable directions."

If you aren't familiar with The College of Law Practice Management, it is an honorary organization that recognizes distinguished law practice management professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to the field. The list of Fellows is a roster of who’s who in the global law practice management world. In addition, the InnovAction Award winners are being recognized at the event.

REGISTRATION
Below is information on the sessions and speakers. InsideLegal will be onsite covering the event so stay tuned. Register at the conference site and select the option for "ALA, LMA or ILTA member ($495)" to take advantage of InsideLegal's partner rate. For questions on the event, email COLPM Administrator Karen Rosen or contact her at 720-271-7015. 

CONFERENCE SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS

The Effect of the Growing Interdependence of the Capital Markets on the Legal Industry
For decades, top law firms striving to achieve global preeminence have migrated to New York and London in search of the best corporate work, particularly to build strong capital markets practices. But global capital flows indicate that the sources of capital are rapidly dispersing. Sovereign funds, private equity and emerging financial centers in the BRIC countries, particularly China, are growth strategy game-changers, creating opportunities and challenges in the quest for market leadership.

  • Peter Zeughauser, Zeughauser Group LLC

Developing and Choosing Leaders for the New Generation and Beyond
Law firms determined to do things differently will require leaders equipped to turn resistance into teamwork. This session explores where the new leaders will come from and how some firms are grooming them for the task.

  • Moderator: Harry Trueheart, Nixon Peabody
  • Maggie Callicrate, Pierce Atwood
  • Roland Smith, Center for Creative Leadership
  • Patrick McKenna, Law Firm Strategy and Practice Management Consultant

A Sea of Change in London
How equity investments, alternative business structures and outcome-based regulation are rewriting the rules of the law business in England, Australia and soon … everywhere.

  • Simon Chester, Heenan Blaikie

Law Firms with a Mission
Firms and clients commit themselves to pro bono activity, to diversity in the workplace, to community support, sustainability initiatives and more. Why do they do it and what are the outcomes?

  • Moderator: John Michalik, Association of Legal Administrators – retired
  • John Kirk, Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP
  • Ronald Martin, Holland & Hart LLP – retired
  • Kendal Tyre, Nixon Peabody

Social Media: the Ultimate Business Development Tool or a Huge Waste of Time?
Social media is hot. Staid law firms are opening their firewalls and venturing into the fray. Is there a legitimate commercial aspect to this? Our experts say “yes” and promise you’ll walk away from this session to implement a social media strategy that will change everything.

  • Moderator: Dan Pinnington, PracticePro
  • Steve Matthews, Stem Legal
  • Timothy Corcoran, Hubbard One

Inside the New Law Firm
We are outsourcing legal and support work, modifying fee-setting methods, replacing people and paper with technology and just basically upending the way we do our work.

  • Moderator: K. William Gibson, Arbitrator/Mediator
  • Patrick Lamb, Valorm Law Group
  • Mark Robertson, Robertson & Williams
  • Susan Saltonstall Duncan, RainMaking Oasis, Inc.

Hitting the Reset Button
Knowledge tools, elawyering, unbundling and more…technology lets lawyers work smarter, find and serve new markets and expand access to justice for real people and institutions.

  • Moderator: Ron Staudt, Center for Access to Justice & Technology
  • Marc Lauritsen, "The Lawyer’s Guide to Working Smarter with Knowledge Tools"
  • Richard Granat, Directlaw, Inc. & MyLawyer.com
  • Will Hornsby, ABA Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services

60 Tips in 60 Minutes
Get rapid fire proven tips from College Fellows on how they have pressed the reset button and what changes they are making to improve the business of practicing law.

  • Mark Tamminga – Management Tips
  • Ann Lee Gibson – Marketing Tips
  • Tom Grella – Finance Tips
  • Reid Trautz – Technology Tips

Now What?
Aric Press, Editor at American Lawyer Media puts together a “to do list” for the law practice entrepreneur.

Posted in Consultants, Events, Industry Awards, Law Firm Leaders, Thought Leadership | Leave a comment

Legal Experts Making the Case for Social Media

Posted on October 14, 2010 by InsideLegal

MyLegal Next week, MyLegal.com will be producing The Case for Social Media conference to assist lawyers in "Managing Your Online Presence To Build Your Law Practice". Whether you're arriving late or haven't quite figured out what to do and how to do it ethically and effectively, it's still not too late to get in the game. The conference will be held Thursday, October 21st at the Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center in Washington D.C. If you aren't able to make it onsite, the conference will also be streamed live on the internet via SMASH Technology (read more here), although registration fees still apply. The live stream of the sessions, along with the tweets, photos, blogs and chat-box conversations related to the conference, will be displayed on one landing page. After the conference the video of the sessions, along with the speaker presentations, will be available on MyLegal.com. 

Georgetown University Law students will be on hand throughout the day to assist attendees in setting up social media accounts, learning how to tweet and downloading Smartphone apps. Also, to facilitate onsite networking, all on-site attendees of the conference will be given their own Poken device when they arrive. When two Pokens touch, digital identification information is exchanged, including a photo, name, address, telephone number, email address and links to various social networks, including MyLegal.com, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The unique Poken ID is connected to a social business card that every attendee creates on the Poken website. Each Poken holder can enter contact information and links to his/her social networks. All contacts that you’ve made at the conference can be uploaded when the event is over, and they will appear on your “social timeline,” which is a complete record of everyone you meet at the conference. 

Below is information on the sessions and speakers. InsideLegal will be onsite covering the event so stay tuned. Register at the conference site and enter the promotion code "InsideLegal" to receive a special rate of $195 for each attendee.

SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Getting the Most Out of Avvo – Conrad Saam
Within three years, Avvo went from concept to market leader, surpassing established brands like Martindale as the definitive resource for people to get information and guidance for their specific legal needs.  Avvo is very new, very different, very web 2.0, and many attorneys have questions about how it works.  Lawyers who attend this session will learn where the information on Avvo comes from; what impacts the rating (and what doesn’t); how Avvo monitors client reviews; and how to gain visibility through an Avvo profile.

Social Media for Lawyers – Carolyn Elefant, Esq. and Nicole Black, Esq.
From Facebook to Twitter, from LinkedIn to Avvo, from Justia to JDSupra, social media can be a tremendously effective tool for building your legal practice. Here’s what you need to know before jumping in. Discover which online professional/legal directories are most effective in helping you achieve your professional goals. Learn which social media platforms make the most sense for your practice, based upon your areas of practice, geographical location and your “online personality.” Plus, hear the pros and cons of using free or lawyer-specific platforms.

Social Media: Ethical, Compliance, E-discovery and Liability Implications – Sharon Nelson, Esq. and John Simek
For legal professionals, the social media waters are still murky from an ethical standpoint. Our experts will help you safely navigate them. Lawyers and their clients often fail to recognize that they have a duty under compliance laws to preserve data. Learn more about preservation and production duties during e-discovery – and how to plan for them ahead of time. Get valuable information on how to avoid worst-case scenarios including trade disparagement, discrimination, defamation and even bar disciplinary actions.

Business Development with LinkedIn – Larry Bodine, Esq.
LinkedIn can be a potent business development tool, affording lawyers a unique, cost-efficient opportunity to make new contacts and turn them into face-to-face meetings. But simply putting up a profile and forgetting about it won’t do the trick. Business development expert Larry Bodine will discuss a variety of practical LinkedIn techniques that you can apply to your practice, including the most strategic ways to identify and join the right groups, participate in relevant discussions and send effective messages to key contacts.

The Use and Protection of Trademarks in Social Media Marketing – Matthew Asbell, Esq.
Establishing a strong online brand is increasingly critical to business success for solo practitioners and law firms, as well as their clients. Protecting that brand is equally important. In this insightful session you will learn how to protect your brand equity, how to encourage and control your employees’ use of your brand, and how to advise your clients regarding their brands in the social media space, whether as usernames, in user or company profiles, or in posted content.

Start Bringing in Business with Social Media – Adrian Dayton, Esq.
Tired of social media 101 presentations? Time to dive a little deeper. This session will cover case studies from some of the most innovative law firms in America as well as advice on maximizing your time with your social media tool-kit (bit.ly, Tweetdeck, and scheduled updates), power blogging tactics and targeted content distribution techniques and various strategies for measuring your ROI and setting appropriate benchmarks for success.  We will also look ahead to what technology is on the horizon.

Social Media and the Law – Steve Crandall, J.D.
Lawyers are now using new media platforms to deepen their professional networks and to demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency.  Learn how to create a winning profile and discover the most effective ways to showcase your expertise using social media tools. Find out the best practices to improve search engine optimization (SEO) and the quality of online leads. Plus, gain valuable insight on how to guard your online reputation and the ethics surrounding social media.

Posted in Events, Social Media | Leave a comment

Finalists of the 2010 British Legal Awards Announced

Posted on October 14, 2010 by InsideLegal

British Legal Awards Today, the finalists of the 2010 British Legal Awards were announced. The winners will be announced at the event hosted by Legal Week the night of December 2nd in London. Here is a little background on the awards according to Legal Week…

"Business lawyers have played a key role helping to lead Britain out of recession. They face an equally important task helping to ensure that the recovery does not falter. The British Legal Awards will celebrate the achievements of those law firms, teams and individuals who have performed outstandingly, despite operating in the most challenging business environment for a generation. The awards are divided into individual, team and firm categories and have been carefully chosen to reflect the range of practice areas and skills that lie at the heart of the successful law firm or legal department. The shortlist and winners will be chosen by an independent panel of judges made up of senior in-house lawyers, former managing and senior partners and other senior business figures. The judges meet in person to deliberate and the decisions of the panel are final."

2010 FINALISTS

The City of London Lifetime Achievement Award
This award will be announced on the night

Editor’s award: Managing/Senior Partner of the Year
This award will be announced on the night

Law Firm of the Year 
Berwin Leighton Paisner 
Clyde & Co 
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 
Hogan Lovells 
Sullivan & Cromwell 
Travers Smith


Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Industry Awards, Law Firm Leaders, Thought Leadership | Leave a comment

Mary Mack Resigns from Fios

Posted on October 14, 2010 by InsideLegal

Today, Fios announced that long-time Fios spokesperson Mary Mack has resigned. She will be joining ZyLab as 'enterprise technology counsel'. According to the EDDUpdate blog, "She will work from the company's California offices, and start her new post on  November 7,  after more than a decade with the Portland, Ore.-based e-discovery provider (Fios) as its corporate technology counsel." In addition to serving as Fios' corporate technology counsel, Mary is a regular on the legal technology speaking circuit, serves on many industry boards and is the author of the eDiscovery blog, Sound Evidence.

Posted in Career, People, Vendors | Leave a comment

Thomson Reuters Acquires Serengeti Law

Posted on October 5, 2010 by InsideLegal
Posted in M&A, Vendors | Leave a comment

ARMA & ILTA Present ‘LIT-Con’ Event

Posted on October 4, 2010 by InsideLegal

LIT-Con'10 With another extremely productive and very successful ILTA 2010 Conference under our collective belts, we want to re-focus attention to an upcoming ILTA/ARMA International co-production focused on risk mitigation and management for the legal IT target audience. The second annual Legal Information Technology Conference 2010 (LIT-Con) will take place November 6-7, 2010 in San Francisco. LIT-Con is being held concurrently with ARMA International's 55th Annual Conference & Expo giving LIT-Con attendees access to the ARMA expo floor packed with more than 200 exhibiting companies, education, activities, and unmatched networking opportunities.

WHO: LIT-Con is designed for legal IT, conflicts professionals, records managers, litigation support, legal administrators, and anyone else whose role includes mitigating risk in the firm or legal department.

WHY: "Mitigating risk and managing information to ultimately maximize revenue have never been more important."

Sessions include:

  • Finding the Hidden ROI in Information Assets: An Information Governance White Paper from The Sedona Conference
  • New Trends in Conflicts Management
  • Blogs, Social Media, and Information Leak Prevention
  • E-Discovery, Data Wrangling, and Maximizing Efficiencies
  • Implementing E-Mail Management: A Case Study
  • Cloud Computing Challenges in the Law Firm
  • E-Discovery Project Budgeting
  • How Recent Changes in Privacy Legislation Impact Your Business
  • Addressing Law Firm Confidentiality and Data Privacy Requirements
  • E-Mail Management from Inbox to the Cloud
  • How Law Firms Should Prepare Themselves for E-Discovery and Why Their Clients Should Be Concerned
  • Balancing Legal and Business Requirements in an Evolving Technological Environment 
  • Differences in How Records Managers and Lawyers Use Search Technology to Accomplish Their Goals
  • Behind the Firewall: Why Organizations are Deploying E-Discovery Solutions In-House
  • Records Retention for Law Firms
  • Defensible Disposition: How Law Firms Can Dispose of Legacy Records and Information in a Defensible Manner
  • Navigating the Cloud: Is Cloud Computing a Way to Maximize Revenue or Increase Litigation Costs?
  • Information Governance: Technology in the Spotlight
  • Leading the Charge: Guiding Risk Management Into the Future 

For more information or to register, visit LIT-Con's website.

InsideLegal is the media sponsor for LIT-Con 2010.

Posted in ARMA/LIT-Con, Events, ILTA | Leave a comment