tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31597865131056959932024-03-13T12:09:50.520-04:00CaselinesOn litigation knowledge management, enterprise social networks, enterprise search, matter management, and more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-62663698157263951412018-04-19T09:28:00.001-04:002018-04-19T09:28:36.962-04:00ILTACON Call For Speakers and Hiatus ExplanationI ceased even irregular blogging for quite a while--I wasn't seeing much interaction, and much of what I was working on wasn't really appropriate for sharing. But I'm hoping to get back in the game, partly I suppose because one of my current projects is looking at Microsoft Teams, a quite advanced threaded-chat-and-more platform that has gotten my collaboration juices flowing again. More on that later.<br />
<br />
My career has continued to evolve--I am now a Director at Goodwin, and also since September have been a co-chair of the incredible events that will be <a href="https://www.iltacon.org/home?ssopc=1" target="_blank">ILTACON 2018</a> (National Harbor, MD) and ILTACON 2019 (Orlando, FL). <br />
<br />
On that last point, I wanted to share that the <a href="https://www.iltacon.org/home?ssopc=1" target="_blank">ILTACON</a> website now provides a way (for the next few weeks, in any event), for potential speakers and moderators to <a href="https://www.cognitoforms.com/ILTA1/ILTACONSpeakerApplication" target="_blank">apply</a>. This is a new process for ILTACON, one of the joys of working with ILTA and this fantastic group of event professionals and peers is that they are not afraid to try new things!<br />
<br />
The way it works is, a full <a href="https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/ILTANET/2b2b30d7-696b-4a6a-9763-12c130f70387/UploadedImages/ILTACON_Sessions_List_for_Speaker_Application.xlsx" target="_blank">list</a> of sessions is available (the ILTACON committee has been working on developing a set of sessions since October). Potential speakers or moderators fill out the <a href="https://www.cognitoforms.com/ILTA1/ILTACONSpeakerApplication" target="_blank">form</a>, indicating the session where they are seeking to participate. Fill out a separate form for each session in which you are interested.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-39702648990156307742016-09-28T15:58:00.004-04:002016-09-28T15:58:45.270-04:00Article in Legal IT Today Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6VRtNWjPFGw/V-wf8DFaWiI/AAAAAAAASZQ/VrMsXzC_bvIRXvmgj2iV8lxHeuemLRP7gCLcB/s1600/LegalITToday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="37" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6VRtNWjPFGw/V-wf8DFaWiI/AAAAAAAASZQ/VrMsXzC_bvIRXvmgj2iV8lxHeuemLRP7gCLcB/s400/LegalITToday.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Today my article "<a href="http://bit.ly/2cKm9A2" target="_blank">Getting From List To Gist: Data to Insight to Action</a>" (pages 19-22) was published in <a href="http://www.legalittoday.com/" target="_blank">Legal IT Today</a>.<br />
<br />
The focus of the article is on the value of visualization tools for leveraging matter experience information. While I can't show the Goodwin Litigation Intelligence tool, I describe its development and functionality, and the benefits to my clients the partners at Goodwin and their clients in turn.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-55153124621591305602016-02-25T11:46:00.004-05:002016-02-25T13:56:02.376-05:00Business Intelligence and Analytics In the Legal Profession--Ark Group Conference April 28<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7TZzPxumXQ/Vs8vzuAC0vI/AAAAAAAASF0/ByBEJwqxEYo/s1600/Ark%2BGroup.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7TZzPxumXQ/Vs8vzuAC0vI/AAAAAAAASF0/ByBEJwqxEYo/s400/Ark%2BGroup.PNG" width="400" /></a>I'll be speaking again at an Ark Conference, this time, at the fourth "<a href="http://usa.ark-group.com/events-details.aspx?eid=207" target="_blank">Business Intelligence and Analytics in the Legal Profession</a>" conference, to be held April 28th at the AMA Executive Conference Center in New York. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Formal title: </b>Business Intelligence & Data Visualization Use-Cases<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Description: </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Legal organizations are awash in rich information about the work they do.<br />
Lawyers record time in six-minute increments, save dozens of documents a day,<br />
and even assign each client and matter a unique number, (a system much envied<br />
by our corporate knowledge management peers). Yet few legal organizations<br />
take full advantage of the data that they have, despite the increasing prevalence of<br />
advanced data analytics and visualization tools that make access and interaction<br />
with the data much easier and faster. This case study will share one law firm’s<br />
story about visualizing matter data, starting with a sophisticated<br />
matters information system and moving on to show an interactive business<br />
intelligence system focused on what lawyers need to know about their matters.<br />
Uses include business development, competitive intelligence, knowledge<br />
management, and pricing and budget analysis.</blockquote>
In many ways this presentation will be a follow-on from the presentation at ILTACON 2015 on "Best of Business Intelligence: Stories of Success" (<a href="http://www.iltacon.org/iltacon2015/communities/community-home/librarydocuments/viewdocument?DocumentKey=25166785-9b87-4fc7-b033-3836441c23be&Tab=" target="_blank">recording available</a>.) We've made progress in identifying some important use-cases and in leveraging our matters data since then, of course.<br />
<br />
Hope to see you there!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-65077539246906727732015-08-28T15:29:00.000-04:002015-08-28T15:29:31.686-04:00ILTA Conference 2015<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.iltacon.org/iltacon2015/home" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://www.esentire.com/assets/Uploads/ilta-thumb.png" width="320" /></a><span id="goog_194116241"></span><span id="goog_194116242"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
<br />
I've been neglecting this blog to some extent in favor of some other channels lately, and also in favor of some other activities. <br />
<br />
This year I've been the Team Coordinator for the Information Management "track" at the International Legal Technology Association's annual conference "<a href="http://www.iltacon.org/iltacon2015/home" target="_blank">ILTACON</a>," which starts on Sunday. The eight members of my team have developed a great slate of 32 sessions addressing knowledge management, information governance, data analytics, social media, innovation in legal services delivery, and related topics.<br />
<br />
On the ILTA blog platform, which is somewhat public, I've posted "<a href="http://connect.iltanet.org/blogs/david-hobbie/2015/07/08/find-your-way-to-education" target="_blank">Find Your Way to the Education You Want</a>" (about how to plan for ILTACON and how to search through conference sessions), and <a href="http://connect.iltanet.org/blogs/david-hobbie/2015/08/19/km-at-iltacon" target="_blank">"Knowledge Management Sessions @ILTACON</a>" that has a detailed description of a possible set of sessions of interest to knowledge managers.<br />
<br />
I'm also hosting the #tweetup, which is a Community of Interest, Sunday at 4 PM in Genoa. This year it's hosted by ILTA, and there will be discussion of tweets, tweeps, and tweeting, other social networking, social media sessions, and maybe a little viola playing so we'll have something to tweet about.<br />
<br />
Later in the week, if you want to hear me talk about a subject I've been working on a great deal this year, come to Roman 1 Wednesday at 11 AM for "The Best of Business Intelligence: Stories of Success", Session #100. I'll be discussing recent experience with the use of visualizations and business intelligence for practice improvement, matter analytics, and business development. <br />
<br />
Lastly, if any readers are at ILTA member organizations and have attended at least one ILTA conference, I hope you'll consider applying for conference committee. I promise that you will learn a lot, meet great colleagues you otherwise would never encounter, and have a great experience.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-72129605176803009562015-04-27T11:45:00.000-04:002015-04-27T11:45:04.188-04:00The Iron Tech Lawyer Competition, 2015 Edition<div class="MsoBodyText">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDNnxOpWMAAbRdQ.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDNnxOpWMAAbRdQ.jpg:large" width="239" /></a></div>
I attended the full <a href="http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/legal-profession/legal-technologies/iron-tech/"><span style="color: blue;">Iron
Tech Lawyer</span></a> competition on Wednesday and then spoke at (and attended most
of) the first <a href="http://www.law.georgetown.edu/continuing-legal-education/programs/academic-conferences/Legal-Tech.cfm"><span style="color: blue;">conference</span></a> put
on by the Georgetown University Law Center in conjunction with the ABA Journal,
titled “From Revolution to Evolution—Digital Tools in Law Practice”. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
This post addresses the competition: a later post addresses the conference. For pics and other's comments you can follow the hashtag #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Irontechlawyer&src=tyah" target="_blank">irontechlawyer</a> and follow @<a href="https://twitter.com/GtwnLawIronTech" target="_blank">GtownLawIronTech</a>.<br />
<br />
I have <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2014/04/iron-tech-lawyer-spring-2014-legal.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">previously covered</span></a> the Iron Tech
Lawyer competition; in essence, it is an app development contest targeting a
legal services-type challenge. What’s great about it is that the students get
to address client problems by combining their legal reasoning and analysis
with advanced technology. The technology (provided by Neota Logic) is
sophisticated enough to be able to embed a big chunk of their legal
understanding, but simple enough to develop and use that they can provide a
web-based app that actually could be useful.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I was intrigued this year by the different strengths and approaches shown by
the six teams (of three or four students each). Some teams did a great job at
identifying a clear user need that could be met by an app, or had carefully
teased out a coherent use-case for their solution; some had thought carefully
about what sort of design would be a good fit with what their users needed, or
perhaps designed their app while thinking about and preparing for its further
development; and some had developed a strong, coherent presentation or showed
strong presentation skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subject
matter ranged from Native Alaskan tribal child protection issues to federal
disability rights to California elder law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All
of them were able to get remarkably far in the 10 weeks or so that they had to
develop the app; if it is any consolation to them, they should know that any
kind of significant, enterprise IT project takes significantly longer than the
time they had in class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
The judges evaluated and questioned the students about how
they teased out the user / client needs, or identified the client population;
how they learned about the underlying law and built it into their applications;
and also the type of output or result that could be obtained. </div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Details on the six apps, also described <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/press-releases/sixth-iron-tech-lawyer-competition.cfm" target="_blank">here</a>, follow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<strong>ADA2GO</strong><br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
The first team’s Americans with Disabilities Act app
focuses on Title III, relating to accommodation of individuals with
disabilities in the provision of public facilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examples include restaurants, hotels, salons,
and bowling alleys. <o:p></o:p></div>
It is targeted at both individuals not aware of their rights and
businesses not aware of their obligations. They tried to focus on the needs of
their disabled users, making sure for instance that the app would work with
screen-readers. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
They started with a potentially discriminatory situation
rather than a venue. Tried to provide context-specific examples. Hover-overs
provide definitions and examples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
app also connects to the correct Department of Justice area. After answering a
series of questions, the users are provided a final report, which can be in
.pdf form. It provides a description of the users’ rights and responsibilities.
<o:p></o:p></div>
The app’s decision tree leads to different sets of .pdf reports.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
They worked with the Department of Justice division that
supports the ADA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They heard that the
disabled user community would not necessarily have sophisticated technology,
and would also might need to use screen readers. They tried to make the app
simple and easy to use. </div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
I really value the team's attempt to make the app about disability rights particularly accessible. I think they may have bitten off more than they could chew by addressing needs of individuals (potential claimants) AND businesses (potential defendants). This app has very broad potential applicationn. </div>
<strong>Alaskan Native Child Welfare Assistance</strong><br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
The app addresses the extensive removal of Alaskan Native
children from their families, with frequent placement away from Native Alaskan
families.The focus of the app was on the tribal representative needs rather than the individuals opposing removal in a particular case. <o:p></o:p></div>
The challenge is that most tribes can’t afford a lawyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of them are located thousands of miles
away from their tribe. Yet the tribe has the right to intervene in state court child
removal cases, <br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
and has a right to a guardian ad litem who knows about a specific Native Alaskan tribe. The app provides information about particular removal
situations and also yes/no answers about tribal and individuals rights, for
instance, that the tribe can participate telephonically in removal hearing even
if the representative can’t be there in person. <o:p></o:p></div>
This app had a very interesting targeted focus and use-case; I have some experience with child protective work, and appreciate the attempt to provide more information to tribes, who have needs that apparently are not being properly addressed, leading to injustice and loss of tribal integrity. The outcome of the app seemed to continue to contain a a fair amount of legal jargon, however, making the resulting information perhaps hard to digest.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<strong>California Legal Aid / Elder Law<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
<strong>
</strong>The challenge is the <a href="http://lawhelpca.org/">LawHelpCA.org</a> web site, which has a
ton of information, is not easy for users who may not understand legal
terminology (such as “capacity.”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
They use four different approaches to showing information. The app contains plain language descriptions of aspects of
California elder law. It provides pieces of information to the
users depending on their answers about their situations. </div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
The team saw their app as a "proof of concept", and clearly spelled out how the app could be further developed and
expanded. <o:p></o:p></div>
A user could (in the future) indicate if she was simply
interested in learning more about, for instance, in-home care, or could
indicate that they need specific questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I especially appreciated this team's focus on what it could effectively accomplish within the time and resource limits that they had, and the way they structured the work they did with an eye towards potential expansion. That's often the way apps like these might get started in the "real world" (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product" target="_blank">Minimum Viable Product</a>). </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<strong>Disaster Assistance & Recovery Tool (DART)<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
<strong>
</strong>This app addresses needs of hurricane and flood survivors to access
the many different resources and help that can help them. A secondary user is <a href="http://www.lonestarlegal.org/" target="_blank">Lone Star Legal Aid</a>. <br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
Their goal was to simplify legalese, keeping the language
to a sixth-grade level, and also have it available either in a mobile form or via PC browser.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
The app helps find disaster assistance resources and apply
for loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
They wanted to make the app user friendly, provide
guidance, tell users how to avoid pitfalls, and educate them. User-friendly to them meant very few questions on a page,
with a yes-no question response leading to an additional question on the same
page. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
They leveraged an expert’s knowledge of what people
commonly get wrong to provide tips and links to forms along with deadline
warnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Answers led to a list of types of eligibility, along with
a set of next steps, application forms, and a .pdf download. <br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
The app contains four separate decision trees for
eligibility determinations. They hope it can be expanded beyond hurricane and
flood disasters, and also to other states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
This was the winning app, according to the judges. I concur that DART did a great job focusing on a needy population and delivering targeted, well-designed help.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<strong>Transnational Anti-corruption Advisor<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
<strong>
</strong>This app represents the first attempt in Iron Tech Lawyer to work with foreign law
or with an international law firm. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<a href="http://a4id.org/" target="_blank">A4ID</a> “Advocates for International Development:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lawyers Eradicating Poverty” was their
partner / client. <o:p></o:p></div>
The app allows users to assess whether they have or are
about to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the UK counterpart the
United Kingdom Bribert Act of 2010. They had to blend two sets of laws, and
faced users who may not be familiar with the US or UK legal systems. Cultural
expectations might differ also between US/UK and international users. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
They wanted to make the app simple to use, and easy to
extend. They used short subheadings, and integrated definitions of key terms. <o:p></o:p></div>
They broke down the law into 9 small decision trees. <br />
<br />
<o:p>While it was interesting to see a foreign focus for this app, I was concerned about the leaps in judgement required of users, and potential client consequences for the unprotected information held in the app.</o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<strong>Veterans Benefits Disability Advisor<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
<strong>
</strong>The team was shocked to find that there are 3.5 million
disabled veterans in the US, constituting over 15% of all veterans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They worked with the Bob Parsons Veterans
Advocacy Clinic. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Veteran’s benefits law is a very tangled web. Many
veterans could have been better served in going through the benefits
acquisition process if they worked with a veteran’s services organization.<o:p></o:p></div>
The application helps with several specific processes,
such as obtaining medical records or determining discharge status. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />
<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Being there was better than observing on the web, particularly in giving a better perspective on the presentation skills of the different teams. The Iron Tech Lawyer competition and class continues to give law students a great perspective and actual experience on what it is like to apply legal technology to solve real-world problems. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-77304347978263658272015-03-04T13:27:00.001-05:002015-03-04T13:27:55.565-05:00Book Review of Eric Hunter's "The Sherlock Syndrome: Strategic Success through Big Data and the Darwinian Disruption"<a href="https://iltakm.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/book.png" sl-processed="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="book" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-784" height="300" originalh="300" originalw="212" scale="1.5" src-orig="https://iltakm.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/book.png?w=212&h=300" src="https://iltakm.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/book.png?w=318&h=300" width="212" /></a><a href="http://www.bradfordbarthel.com/profiles/eric-hunter/" sl-processed="1">Eric Hunter</a> is a legal knowledge management colleague and recipient of ILTA’s 2010 Knowledge Management Champion Distinguished Peer and Innovative Member awards. He is Director of Knowledge, Innovation and Technology Strategies at <a href="http://www.bradfordbarthel.com/" sl-processed="1">Bradford & Barthel, LLP </a>(a California law firm focused on worker’s compensation) and also Executive Director of the <a href="http://sphericalmodels.com/" sl-processed="1">Spherical Models</a> consultancy.<br />
<br />
His wide-ranging <a href="http://sphericalmodels.com/sherlock-syndrome/" sl-processed="1">report</a> puts business analytics and the insights it offers at the core of wide-ranging potential changes in legal and other industries. Though future-oriented, it spends most of its time on developments whose beginnings are firmly entrenched, such as video search, wearable tech, big data, and data visualization.<br />
<br />
Through my own work I have come to believe that legal organizations – and perhaps organizations in general – can obtain significant competitive advantage by leveraging analytics and technologies and taking better advantage of our increasing connectivity and ability to share inside and outside the organization. Hunter’s report provides more substantiation for those beliefs, and also projects ahead to suggest how to prepare for the increasingly rapid changes that are coming. I appreciate that Hunter is “walking the walk,” talking about increased sharing while doing so himself through this book and his many presentations at Ark and ILTA conferences (referenced throughout the report).<br />
<br />
<strong>Sherlock Syndrome</strong><br />
<br />
The title’s “Sherlock Syndrome” concerns our increasing ability to observe, sense, cross-reference, and analyze information and trends much more comprehensively than before through data analytics and Big Data. The trend is one of massive increases in the ability to recall, analyze, and leverage information. Hunter posits that, at least with respect to personal preferences and search patterns, “everything is becoming predictable (and therefore marketable) through analytics.” Particularly striking to me is the thought that not only are the abundance of data and power of our computers increasing rapidly, but also the sophistication and availability of easy to use analytics tools are making this information actionable in ways that were never before possible.<br />
<br />
I have seen this myself in my firm’s exploration of the Tableau data visualization tool. Business use-cases for Sherlockian advanced perceptions include forensic (criminal) investigations, insurance claim investigations, and, of course, targeted consumer advertising.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Darwinian Disruption</strong><br />
<br />
Hunter also believes that “Darwinian data disruption” is affecting the entire business world. It is not simply data—though the scope of data is increasing dramatically every year—but also computational and analytical capacity that is growing so dramatically. Hunter’s disruption is Darwinian because leveraging these changes provides a clear competitive advantage and those organizations and business leaders able to adapt to the new environment will survive. Businesses that cannot adapt to and take advantage of these technologies and changes may not survive. It may have been said many times before, but it is true: as Hunter observes with many examples, we are seeing accelerating levels of market disruptions as companies learn to innovate faster.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>The (Edward) Snowden Effect</strong><br />
<br />
Hunter spends a good deal of time digging into the “Snowden” effect (not David Snowden the KM guru, but Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor). In Hunter’s view, Snowden’s revelations of widespread government capture of vast amounts of personal information in pursuit of national security encapsulate the inevitable tension among privacy, the right to share, and the (security and other) benefits of access to others’ information. Snowden demonstrated that cross-border information sharing is happening and will happen more and more. The NSA, US government agencies, and other governments that capture and share personal information are in his view just taking to an extreme and for different ends what corporations like Facebook and Google already do to target advertising to consumers.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>The Predictive Orchestra</strong><br />
<br />
A skilled jazz and classical bass player, Hunter hits my sweet spot with an extended metaphor of a “predictive organization” as symphony orchestra, all playing from the same music and not simply following a leader, but also anticipating the melodies and entrances of other sections. (I would promote leaderless orchestras like New York’s Orpheus chamber ensemble <a href="http://www.orpheusnyc.com/" sl-processed="1">http://www.orpheusnyc.com/</a> as a better fit for his progressive view than the hidebound, intensely hierarchical traditional symphony orchestra. For instance, in a traditional orchestra, the musicians within a section are positioned on the stage by rank according to purported ability!)<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Legal Industry Impacts</strong><br />
<br />
Hunter does not neglect the implications of these much broader developments for the legal industry. Within law firms, Sherlockian advanced perceptions aid pricing, methods for doing legal work, internal communications, and understanding and addressing client needs. The new technology, analytics, and cross-border flow of information have the potential to greatly enhance law firms’ understanding of their clients and clients’ understanding of legal issues. The technologies increase the capacity for clients and firms to build “targeted relationships” and provide a continually expanding set of opportunities. And, the same data collection and predictive analytics that Facebook and Bing use to identify our consumer interests also identify our business needs. Analytics technologies can be applied directly to some types of legal issues, such as the likely extent of exposure from a given worker’s compensation claim.<br />
<br />
Another example is law firms’ new ability to bring transparency to matter work, including data analytics around pricing and profitability, staffing models, and project models. Hunter spells out how the concept of “velocity billing” combines client-specific account managers, predictive analytics driving client- and firm-appropriate fee arrangements, and social collaboration around matter and client work has affected his firm. In combination, these processes and technologies lead to very efficient and client-targeted legal work.<br />
<br />
Another instance of these technologies manifesting in law firms is his own firm’s adoption of Google Plus (“G+”). While much-maligned as the place where only Google employees “hang out,” Hunter sees G+ as a great example of a system that is both inward- and outward-facing and combines search with a designed social platform. Creating a G+ circle is the kind of fluid, effective, searcheable content and process management Hunter sees in the future of legal work. For Hunter’s firm, G+ is both an internal- and partially external-facing social network and platform. He notes that social network implementation and internal change management, like the pricing and client management projects he has had so much success with, involve different change management dynamics needing different approaches.<br />
<br />
For law firms and the general corporate world, the technologies, techniques, analyses, and insights gained and shared so rapidly can be applied to not just readily quantifiable attributes of work such as hours, effort, and outcomes, but also leadership and change management at the levels of self, team, and organization as a whole. Hunter’s exhortations on leadership are very similar to what you might hear from many an Eastern-philosophy or martial arts- influenced business leadership book; what differs is the tie-in to his Sherlock/Darwin analysis.<br />
<br />
Hunter suggests that people, teams, and organizations should be reinventing themselves through these enhanced perceptions and abilities every 18 months.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Complaints, Conclusions, and Inspirations</strong><br />
<br />
One concept that could have been more clearly elucidated is Hunter’s “spherical analysis/spherical modeling.” Google search suggests that these terms are not widely used in the business intelligence or data analytics communities—references to spherical analysis or models typically relate to <a href="http://www.bisolutions.us/A-Brief-Introduction-to-Spatial-Interpolation.php" sl-processed="1">variogram models</a> that address how distance effects correlation between variables or a method of modeling magnetic forces (see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_model" sl-processed="1">spherical models Wikipedia article</a>.)<br />
<br />
Much of the report is fairly abstract; I would not go to this book for an introduction to business analytics or Big Data. Nor was it entirely easy to read, with a fair amount of repetition and some extraneous quotes from Ghandi, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Hunter’s martial arts instructor. Finally, the size of the book’s print is too small (at no more than 10-point font) and somewhat faint. Perhaps the book is easier to read on-line (admittedly an appropriate production strategy given the book’s topic).<br />
<br />
Overall, I found Hunter’s report an intriguing and inspiring application of broad industry, technology, analytics, and behavior trends to the ground level of the key interactions between law firms, legal work, and clients. His predictions about predictive analytics and more are in some cases not predictions at all; he shows how these can play out and have an impact on a legal practice area. They should not be ignored. I would not be at all surprised if many of his other predictions are soon borne out more broadly in our industry.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-58724640348776729632014-08-16T17:15:00.002-04:002014-08-16T17:15:47.678-04:00Blogging at ILTA?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rtjEdswppo/U-_JQgAqOuI/AAAAAAAALTc/Zc_bgyw1v6Y/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rtjEdswppo/U-_JQgAqOuI/AAAAAAAALTc/Zc_bgyw1v6Y/s1600/photo.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a>Normally the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) annual conference is where I blog the most each year. Excellent, timely, substantive discussions or presentations, that I can report on without having to create--what's not to like?<br />
<br />
This year is a little different. I am on the "Conference Committee," the group of ILTA peers that organizes the educational sessions, as the representative from the ILTA KM Peer Group. We have responsibility for the "KM track," six of the sessions here that relate to knowledge management. Late in July I authored a <a href="http://km.iltanet.org/2014/07/25/ilta-conference-km-track-preview/" target="_blank">post on the ILTA KM Blog</a> that offers a preview of the excellent sessions that we'll be presenting. I encourage readers to attend or follow remotely (hashtages start with <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KMPG1&src=typd" target="_blank">#kmpg1</a> and go to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KMPG6&src=typd" target="_blank">#kmpg6</a>); but, needless to say, I'm going to be a little too busy to blog, at least for those six sessions. <br />
<br />
If you read this blog, and you attend one of those sessions, or otherwise see me at conference, please come say hi--I'll be there!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-71376268460430745402014-06-28T00:08:00.002-04:002014-07-07T09:59:51.000-04:00Law Department Knowledge Management News, Webinar, and DevelopmentAs suggested by reports from a <a href="http://prismlegal.com/legal-knowledge-management-km-trends-today/"><span style="color: blue;">recent
roundtable</span></a> moderated by Joshua Fireman and Ron Friedmann, law firm
knowledge management, while not booming, is certainly increasing in its
penetration among large firms, and continues to succeed in a variety of ways.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
A few recent developments have led me to believe that a
similar rise in legal knowledge management activity and interest is occurring
in law departments (general counsel’s offices).<o:p></o:p></div>
First, my firm’s knowledge management group was recently asked
to (and did) present on our KM journey, and our thoughts on how to get started,
to a few Massachusetts law departments.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Second, <a href="http://www.linklaters.com/Publications/Knowledge-to-Action/Pages/Index.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">Linklaters</span></a>
released their nicely-packaged “<a href="http://www.linklaters.com/pdfs/mkt/london/Knowledge-to-Action.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">Knowledge
to Action</span></a>” report, focusing on the value of knowledge management to general
counsel (though it disparages the term “knowledge management” and the term “general
counsel,” preferring “legal knowledge” and “legal risk officer.”).<o:p></o:p></div>
Third, along with <a href="http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/robert-w-bell/10/2b5/142"><span style="color: blue;">Robert Bell</span></a>,
Assistant General Counsel & Legal Knowledge Officer at RBC Law Group (Royal
Bank of Canada), I have been asked to speak on Legal Department Knowledge
Management by C4CM, also known as the “Center for Competitive Management.” (This webinar has been cancelled, however, but may run in the fall).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I have already been thinking some about the differences
between legal knowledge management as practiced in law firms and in law
departments (within corporations), and the conditions for the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Law departments have typically not invested significantly
in knowledge management, compared to law firms, and have less advanced
legal-related information access and delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In part, this may be due to the traditionally smaller numbers of lawyers
found in large corporations, compared to their outside counsel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Law departments may also be different from law firms in the
following ways, which impact the ability to initiate and sustain legal
knowledge management efforts:</div>
<br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">General
counsel have limited or no billable hour pressure; rather, they need to be
responsive to the direct demands from the corporation and its employees,
ideally as efficiently and broadly as possible.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">General
counsel work for a single company, usually in one industry; they are often
located in offices associated with different lines of business within a
company, and as a result may be far more geographically separated from
other attorneys than a law firm of comparable size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They likely have fewer information needs
around getting to know their industry—they deal with their company all
day, every day—and more around connecting with and learning from other
attorneys.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">General
counsel’s office are only one (non-revenue-generating) part of a
corporation; the general perception is that general counsel find it more
difficult to obtain IT resources and attention than is the case in law
firms, since the organization as a whole is not focused on legal work.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">While
legal-specific technology investment may be limited, law departments may
have access to corporate technology—particularly sophisticated enterprise
social network and financial analytics software—not broadly available in
law firms. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may also be
line-of-business knowledge management staff and processes that can be
readily leveraged for the law department.<o:p> </o:p></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">It
is perhaps unfair to compare so broadly, but I think this is a worthwhile
discussion to have, and the rise of law department knowledge management is a
very interesting development.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-50752757267216073692014-04-28T13:33:00.001-04:002014-05-01T16:53:17.360-04:00Iron Tech Lawyer Spring 2014--Legal Technology That Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIgFxU5i0yQ/U16QeguH-UI/AAAAAAAAB64/ZUfepjbjG1Y/s1600/Iron+Tech+Lawyer+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIgFxU5i0yQ/U16QeguH-UI/AAAAAAAAB64/ZUfepjbjG1Y/s1600/Iron+Tech+Lawyer+2014.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIgFxU5i0yQ/U16QeguH-UI/AAAAAAAAB64/ZUfepjbjG1Y/s1600/Iron+Tech+Lawyer+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</a><br />
I viewed most of the live streaming <a href="https://twitter.com/GtwnLawIronTech" target="_blank">Georgetown Iron Tech Lawyer</a> competition Wednesday afternoon (April 23rd). <br />
<br />
Previous related coverage of Iron Tech Lawyer includes Scott Rechschaffen's thorough <a href="http://km.iltanet.org/2013/05/08/iron-tech-lawyer-competition-budding-legal-engineers-innovate-to-improve-legal-services/" target="_blank">post on the ILTA KM blog</a> about his experience as an Iron Tech Lawyer judge last spring and my <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2013_12_01_archive.html" target="_blank">December 2013 post</a> about Michael Mills' visit to speak at the Boston Innovation meetup (for background on the underlying legal technology, <a href="http://www.neotalogic.com/" target="_blank">Neota Logic</a>, which graciously provided free software and support).<br />
<br />
I really liked how the law students worked. Each team tried hard to identify the specific client needs that could best be met by a specific application of Neota Logic's technology, recognized challenges that clients, and the clients' clients, faced, and proposed solutions that kept the apps simple and usable. <br />
<br />
<em>Answers Or Coaching?</em><br />
<br />
Normally I think of expert system applications as resulting in partial or complete legal answers. As with Littler's <a href="https://littlerhealthcarereform.com/a/hcradvisor" target="_blank">HCR Advisor</a>, a company or individual answers a series of questions, the system (very quickly) carries out an analysis, and, Hey Presto, you or your client is advised to [pay a $10 million Obamacare penalty] [pay no taxes for the next three years] [report the water quality violation to the EPA]. <br />
<br />
One of the applications, the <a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/oah-advisor" target="_blank">Unemployment Benefits Hearing Coach</a>, did not directly attempt to provide an answer, but rather, sought to in effect train individuals and companies about the unemployment benefits process and educate them about what may be the most important aspect of the hearing process, their respective burdens of proof, so they could be more knowledgeable about what they needed to do at the hearing. <br />
<br />
In a former life (or so it seems now) at another firm I actually spent a frustrating few weeks representing an employer in exactly those types of hearings. It turns out to be suprisingly challenging to prevail as an employer--typically employers have the burden of proof to establish that you fired the employee for cause, with a valid rule that is consistently applied. For what it's worth, I checked out the wizard in the factual situations I was familiar with, and it matched my recollection of the appropriate standards. <br />
<br />
What struck me is that these types of "training" apps could well be leveraged in a range of other situations. Even sophisticated firms could use an app like this one to provide basic information to a witness for deposition or trial testimony, in advance of meeting with the person, for instance. Or if a firm does a significant amount of a certain type of work, it could develop training apps for its associates or other junior lawyers, say around inter-state federal subpoenas or preparing deposition notices and logistics. <br />
<br />
<em>Apps As Workflow</em><br />
<br />
Some of the apps were anonymous; others resulted in a report being sent on to the non-profit that sponsored the app, in effect operating as a partial onboarding tool. In fact, one of the apps, the <a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/vlas-5">Triage and Intake Assessment System</a>, functioned in part as an onboarding tool, for the Virginia Legal Aid Society, It asked a simple series of questions that established the key facts (such as residence, income, and disability/age) that the VLAS needs to determine whether the user falls into the unfortunately comparatively limited pool of people who are its potential clients (compared to the demand for legal aid services). I think apps like these could serve as the start of an onboarding process for a law firm's pro bono or regular clients (as could traditional document assembly packages). <br />
<br />
I do not envy the judges. One of the entries that had the lowest vote in the straw poll was the <a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/nycsicktime" target="_blank">New York Sick Time Advisor</a> , where the team was dealing with as complex and challenging set of rules faced by any of the teams, but with what at least appears on first glance to be quite dry and limited. How would you rate a team that tackled a challenging issue, and handled it well, but simply didn't have a subject that compelled interest or had widespread impact? <br />
<br />
<em>Conclusion</em><br />
<br />
As I tweeted during the session, I found the whole set of presentations quite inspiring. These students students were using sophisticated technology to solve real-world legal service problems, using web-based, mobile-enabled applications that appeared simple to the user but can handle a high degree of sophisticated legal logic under the hood. They were able to pull these apps together quickly, without a rich understanding of the legal landscape, but with the ingenue's lack of apprehension and what is likely now a higher order of appreciation for the possibilities of legal technology than is the case with the broad run of lawyers. <br />
<br />
For more on the competition, you can view the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23irontechlawyer" target="_blank">#irontechlawyer</a> twitter stream, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/GtwnLawIronTech" target="_blank">Georgetown Iron Tech</a> on Twitter, and visit the <a href="http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/legal-profession/legal-technologies/iron-tech/Spring-2014-Competition.cfm" target="_blank">formal site</a> for the Spring 2014 competition.<br />
<br />
**********<br />
Update May 1, 2014--As recently announced on the official <a href="http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/legal-profession/legal-technologies/iron-tech/awards.cfm" target="_blank">Awards</a> page, the winners were:<br />
<ul>
<li>Iron Tech Lawyer--<a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/oah-advisor" target="_blank">Unemployment Benefits Hearing Coach</a> by Zachary Hutchinson, Stephany Fan, and Antonella Montagna</li>
<li>Best Design-- <a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/phlp_pcmaa">Pennsylvania Children's Medicaid Appeals Advisor</a> by Robert Brecht, Patricia Kim, and Erica Weinberger</li>
<li>Honorable Mention--<a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/vlas-5">Triage and Intake Assessment System</a> by Ari Atkinson, Michael Milea, Meredith Madnick, and Mauhan Zonoozy</li>
<li>Social Media Award a/k/a straw poll winner--<a href="https://lawstudents.neotalogic.com/a/jasa-den">The Den: New York City Debt and Eviction Navigator</a> by Matthew Smallcomb, Nicole Smith, and Kelly Wade</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to the winners and all the participants.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-15959173631503621952013-12-12T15:26:00.001-05:002013-12-12T15:26:02.101-05:00Neota Logic Founder Michael Mills To Meet With Boston Legal Innovators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0Bt0375xvY/UqobHDwyNJI/AAAAAAAAB5U/BwJlhvT-0Ms/s1600/Mills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0Bt0375xvY/UqobHDwyNJI/AAAAAAAAB5U/BwJlhvT-0Ms/s1600/Mills.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I'll be introducing <a href="http://www.neotalogic.com/" target="_blank">Neota Logic</a> founder Michael Mills at the upcoming <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Legal-Innovation-Meetup/events/151684582/" target="_blank">Boston Legal Innovation meetup</a>, next Monday night December 16th at 6 PM at the <a href="http://www.innovationdistrict.org/" target="_blank">District Hall</a>, 75 North Street (in Boston's Seaport District, near the Institute for Contempary Art and the Federal Court House). <br />
<br />
Here's the formal session description:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em;">
"<a href="http://www.neotalogic.com/">Neota Logic</a> is one of most interesting and important companies working in legal technology today. In recent months, it has <a href="http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/at_iron_tech_students_bring_tech_answers_to_legal_issues/">powered</a> the Iron Tech Lawyer Competition, partnered with <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/NeotaLogic/SeyfarthShaw/prweb11282908.htm">Seyfarth Shaw</a> and <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/neotalogic_littler/healthcarereformadvisor/prweb10806486.htm">Littler Mendelson</a>, and helped a NY non-profit <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/SSTB/NeotaLogic/prweb11128283.htm">streamline</a> its small business assistance program.<br />
But what exactly does Neota Logic do, how does its technology work, and what does it all mean for the future of lawyers, law firms and legal departments? Find out on Dec. 16th by joining us at Boston's new innovation center <a href="http://districthallboston.org/">District Hall</a> for a fascinating conversation with <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmillsny">Michael Mills</a>, Neota Logic's CEO."<br />
<br /></div>
I've known Michael for a number of years from a knowledge management peer group we both participate in, and also from various ILTA events. Most recently in August he was part of an outstanding panel at the ILTA conference on <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2013/08/innovative-online-legal-products-for.html" target="_blank">online legal services</a>; in 2012 he spoke on "<a href="http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/2012/08/the-lawyers-role-is-changing-are-you-keeping-upilta12.html" target="_blank">The Lawyer's Role is Changing</a>"; and back in 2010 we were on a <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2010/08/ilta-2010-upcoming-panel-km-supporting.html" target="_blank">panel</a> together addressing knowledge management and alternative fee arrangements. <br />
<br />
I've always found him one of the most clear-headed, thoughtful, and witty members of the legal knowledge management community. I especially admire what he's done in identifying and then developing not simply a system to answer or provide greater insight into a particular set of complex legal questions, but a platform for developing such systems. <br />
<br />
These systems work in similar fashion to document assembly or other "wizards" that walk the user through a series of factual questions, and then apply predetermined legal logic to produce a document draft. I've seen similar systems that could operate to generate a budget for a legal matter. <br />
<br />
Expert systems such as Neota Logic have a similar front end; the end result varies but could be as simple as an answer like "No, you don't have to worry about X regulation" or as complex as "here's a map showing you the states where you have to worry about that wage law issue." They require a whole new model of development and of legal work, asking lawyers to think not just about a particular factual situation, but all the possible factual situations relating to a particular legal question, and then requiring them to identify what chain of factual questions are required for the system to be able to provide a useful answer. I've previously called this "<a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/10/asking-right-questions-challenge-of-big.html" target="_blank">dendritic logic</a>," meaning that user's earlier answers influence which branch of additional questions they may have to answer. <br />
<br />
As with most cutting-edge technology, scalability is a key advantage ; once the heavy investment of thought and research has been distilled into a Neota Logic solution, it can be leveraged by thousands or even millions of users, for very little if any additional cost for each additional user. <br />
<br />
Probably the quickest way to gain an understanding of his company's work is to review the last two Iron Tech Lawyer competitions, for which Neota Logic has donated the software and services. On the ILTA KM blog, Scott Rechstchaffen <a href="http://km.iltanet.org/2013/05/08/iron-tech-lawyer-competition-budding-legal-engineers-innovate-to-improve-legal-services/" target="_blank">describes the spring 2013 competition and results</a>, which focused on legal services challenges (also covered by the <a href="http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/at_iron_tech_students_bring_tech_answers_to_legal_issues/" target="_blank">ABA</a>), and Neota's own blog described the <a href="http://blog.neotalogic.com/2013/12/06/irontechlawyer_neotalogic/" target="_blank">fall 2013 competition</a>, which focused on administrative law. See also Probono.net's <a href="http://www.connectingjusticecommunities.com/qa-with-michael-mills-legal-technology-pioneer/2012/06/" target="_blank">Michael Mills interview</a>. <br />
<br />
I hope you can join us next Monday. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-32750392453528898132013-11-10T08:38:00.001-05:002013-11-12T10:21:45.929-05:00Two Partner's Perspectives On Legal KM--Speeding and Improving Client ServiceI recently attended a meeting of knowledge management practitioners from law firms. We had two law firm partner guests, who effectively spoke as the voice of the internal "KM client," albeit from a firm with a sophisticated and established KM program. I especially valued their thoughts because there was one transactional attorney and one trial lawyer. In accordance with the expectations under which they spoke frankly to us, I do not identify them or their firm. Any comments of mine are in brackets.<br />
<br />
<strong>KM's Impact On Attorney Work</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
The transactional partner said that KM drives efficiency in his group. It helps to mitigate demand and improve client service in his matters. Generating work product quickly is of prime importance in his group's practice. People will always use a personal connection and network to learn how to do things and to get answers. KM can underpin that. When people contribute consistently to KM it can really take off.<br />
<br />
The litigation partner said that being able to leverage prior work product is a prerequisite to being able to do his work. He can tell an associate is leveraging KM when they are able find things more quickly and better. He can also infer that an associate is probably not leveraging KM when an assignment comes back incomplete and not on time.<br />
<br />
Speed of turnaround of answers is much faster between people who use KM systems and those who don't. It's about speed and delivery of service.<br />
<br />
The US experience with a "heavy IT footprint" is not as advanced as that of Magic Circle firms.<br />
<br />
Partners involved in KM need to continually remind senior leadership of the benefits of KM.<br />
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<strong>KM Advances Client Service For Transactional And Litigation Practices</strong><br />
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Clients expect that you have good systems for leveraging previous firm work. If you are continually inventing the wheel you will appear more expensive and less effective than your peers.<br />
<br />
Big financial services institutions expect law firms to be on top of their own business. The speed and depth and ubiquity with which you can marshal your firm's knowledge for your clients can be a competitive advantage.<br />
<br />
In litigation, how to keep clients informed about the progress or status on a matter without distracting the matter team may be a key area for KM. The litigation partner has had great success with a client extranet, in particular with very large complex cases where the client needs to be aware of the case status on a daily or weekly basis. More effective information sharing with clients on litigation matters is a real opportunity, especially in firms that have invested in effective internal information management.<br />
<br />
On the litigation side, some work product junior attorneys produce looks menial or routine. But there are usually case-specific nuances that require an attorney's eye, so document automation may be less useful. [I believe that document automation in more sophisticated practices is not necessarily designed to produce a final draft, however, so perhaps there is a role for document automation where there is a lot of consistency between work product types, for instance, in discovery "boilerplate."]<br />
<br />
<strong>KM Improves Marketing and Recruiting</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Reliance on previous experience in a pitch (appropriately) leads to client expectation that that experience can be leveraged quickly. Experience and leveraging that experience pertains to substantive legal knowledge as well the business and industry context of the client and its problems.<br />
<br />
Sharing relevant precedent documents can also be part of a marketing strategy. [I saw this at the International Bar Association as well--internationally, law firms are sharing "scrubbed" precedents with clients as a way to add value and attract the clients to their expertise].<br />
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KM can attract talent by creating a good environment to work and not waste time. Recruits take technology into consideration, and ask about it in interviews.<br />
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<strong> Fixed Fees and KM</strong><br />
<br />
The nature of how you value legal services has changed. Alternative Fee Arrangements are highly relevant to KM. Fixed fees can be put into place for a whole year or for a particular piece of work around a particular motion. That kind of arrangement puts a huge importance in investing up front in what could make you more efficient.<br />
<br />
Fixed fee work will continue increasing. The fee pressure is unparalleled.<br />
<br />
<strong>KM Staff Expansion?</strong><br />
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The Practice Support Lawyer ("PSL") role in the US is new but is gaining momentum. PSL and client development will merge as methods of developing business. PSLs can greatly assist a partner's focus on business development and billable work, because almost everything a PSL does in the way of client alerts, precedent development, and training, a partner would have done before.<br />
<br />
Video training has helped people manage their time without losing content. But there is a certain human element that we can't replace yet.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-27995196134330581242013-10-09T14:13:00.001-04:002013-10-10T14:39:48.528-04:00Knowledge Management Panel at the International Bar Association<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hcxN-srgTUY/Ulb0Vx5pONI/AAAAAAAAB30/A6fzvsvRmlc/s1600/Logo_of_the_International_Bar_Association.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hcxN-srgTUY/Ulb0Vx5pONI/AAAAAAAAB30/A6fzvsvRmlc/s320/Logo_of_the_International_Bar_Association.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
I just spoke on a knowledge management panel at the International Bar Association today titled "Knowledge Management: A Law Firm's Secret Weapon." The IBA is a huge organization; there are over three thousand lawyers here in Boston today, discussing topics such as "legal issues related to photography as an art form" and "strategic positioning in the global investment market" and, of course, networking up a storm. <span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">There aren't really many people tweeting here; as a side benefit to this not being a tech conference, however, the wi-fi is working very well.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>I spoke about knowledge management technology, specifically, what makes a piece of technology effective for KM purposes.<br />
<div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I concluded that effective KM technology:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Connects people, content, and firm processes; </li>
<li>Is easy to use for attorneys; </li>
<li>Signals or provides access to information about content's trustworthiness; </li>
<li>Does not normally require massive investments of attorney time outside their normal work; and </li>
<li>Is consistently leveraged at the right time during the course of work.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<br />
Since the session is broken up into two separate panels, and I am speaking on the second panel, I am taking notes on the first session. I found it to be a strong session providing an excellent overview of justifications for knowledge management in legal and other professional organizations.</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Speakers</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Aku Sorrainen, the organizer and chair of the session, is the founder of an Estonian law firm, a lawyer advising corporations in the areas of mergers & acquisitions and real estate.</li>
<li>Shelley Dunstone is a consultant from Australia, moderating the first panel.</li>
<li>Gerard Tanja is from Venturis Consulting, which advices governments, law firms, and corporations on HR and organizational matters. He founded the Clifford Chance educational academy.</li>
<li>Michael Peer is from KPMG (forensics).</li>
<li>Silke Gottschalk is Director of Compliance with the Luther law firm from Germany</li>
<li>Charles Coward is an attorney with Uria Menendez in Barcelona</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
We start from the premise that law firms have done a lot to reduce their costs. Law firms need to get creative about increasing their productivity since their continues to be pressure to reduce rates.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Gerard Tanja--What is the Knowledge We Want to Manage and Why?</b></div>
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<b></b> </div>
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He was at McKinsey, an organization that so effectively manages its know-how that it is considered a "learning organization." Know-how is systematically available there. He is seeing convergence between how other professional organizations like consultancies and accountant firms, and law firms are managing their knowledge.</div>
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The global legal market is a "Red Ocean" environment (think sharks and blood in the water). New entrants, fragmentation, and consolidation all roil the market. The market as a whole is not expanding. In a Red Ocean you compete in existing market, as compared to in a Blue Ocean "open water" environment, competition is much less. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This environment means you need to make systematic assessment of how to manage know-how.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Going forward, from the client's perspective, law firms will make available for free a lot of the templates that they have, via secure client portals. Doing this does not lead to fewer requests for assistance. </div>
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Operational efficiency is key. Much of that will be outsourced eventually. That's necessary if you want to compete in your existing markets.</div>
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Firms need to make clear trade offs and choices vis-a-vis your competitors. How you deal with know-how in relation to your clients becomes a major differentiator. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Firms should drive their knowledge management efforts in two areas; is the partner's knowledge only tacit, inside their heads, or has it been made explicit? And, is the organization's know-how unstructured, or structured? Firms need to encourage knowledge to be structured and explicit. [I believe that you can't really make a partner's knowledge explicit--but you do need some way of connecting the partner with the person who needs the tacet knowledge at a given point in time.]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>How did McKinsey do it?</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Know-how criteria is included in the compensation, evaluation, and "brainwashing"; at every level it is made clear that sharing knowledge is an essential part of the culture of the firm. When a colleague asks for help, you give it, even if it is not immediately rewarded.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Learning and professional development needs to be integrated with know-how. People need to get rewarded for contributing to know-how. Law firms should invest much more in technology and know-how systems. </div>
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<br /></div>
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McKinsey generally left their post-engagement review and client reports open, unless the client specifically requested (which happened less than 10% of the time).</div>
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<br /></div>
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The biggest return on investment is in ensuring that reinventing the wheel no longer takes place, and that the precedent quality is high. This will increase margins without requiring more people.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Michael Peer</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
He is from KPMG (an IBA sponsor), responsible for dispute advisory services across Eastern Europe. He runs a team that covers 45 jurisdictions. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
You have to embed knowledge-sharing into what you do every day or it gets lost.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
KPMG is a series of individual entities with fairly small global integration. Most sharing used to happen within each country's entity. They hired 50 people at a global level to support each practice and service line and developed a knowledge management strategy for each (cross-geographical) practice. They worked with designated "knowledge champions" who were there to collect and share information for each practice.</div>
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It was a major challenge to motivate these individuals. They built the level of effort into the evaluation process.</div>
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The global team had to do some "anonymizing" of the content to avoid sharing client-specific details. They also realized that they had to evaluate and periodically remove outdated content.</div>
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<br /></div>
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They wanted to create a credentials / experience database. Requests for experience can come in at the last minute. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
They also established a Facebook-style portal whereby you could have discussion threads; it was used to replace private "have-you-done-anything-like X" requests, but in a searcheable and retrievable form [I would call this an enterprise social network-- I believe theirs is based on <a href="http://www.tibbr.com/blog/topics/enterprise-social-network-topics/kpmg-recognized-as-a-social-business-leader-for-2013/" id="id_337_b44f_2bcb_801">Tibbr</a>].</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How at a global firm do you quickly find the right individual? How do you leverage the best practices others have developed? </div>
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<br /></div>
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They have a set turn-around time for conflict resolution (24 hours to ID conflicts, 24 hours to resolve / address). </div>
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<br /></div>
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They handle client confidentiality concerns by having the knowledge champions encourage their teams to share information in anonymized form and by putting up credentials. </div>
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<br /></div>
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KPMG will keep files limited to a particular group such as the "Czech practice" group, unless the clients impose specific restrictions.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
They spent a lot of time developing methodologies, such as how to approach a disputed advisory project, or how to collect information from a client. The documents were made available in conjunction with online videos.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Silke Gottschalk--KM Do's and Don'ts</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><i>Do's</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Most of the knowledge in a firm lies in the heads of the practitioners. You need to establish a formal process to build up a KM system.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Clients expect a mature KM system where clients can access your firm's knowledge. Clients also need to provide their know-how and information to firms.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You need to develop forms and precedents to get the most.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You need to set up KM goals and standards that comport with what clients expect from you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Create a culture of knowledge sharing by showing the benefits of KM systems and incentives for contribution, keeping in mind that voluntary contributions will usually not work. You should set up formal criteria and systems for contributions. Incentives at her firm include reputational and financial rewards.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The partner on the "service line" needs to monitor the quality of the KM inputs, to avoid "gaming" the system. They track the level of effort in terms of numbers of hours. You have to set up a culture where it is "normal" to contribute to the KM system.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Don'ts</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Look out for the "lone ranger." The only way to overcome him is to have top management support. If you don't have it then it can be very difficult to implement.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Your firm's KM and technology systems have to be up to date.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Her firm is sharing precedents, forms, business development information, and market information (deal terms?) with clients in a secure portal.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>Charles Coward</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Benefits of KM</i></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Knowledge management systems avoid the risks of losing important information.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
You lose a lot of partner knowledge if it hasn't been recorded.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
KM contributes to integration of a firm and its profitability.</div>
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It saves time in the preparation of documents, standardizes formats as well as quality and response time for services.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It provides much more precise information about who knows what, the firm's expertise.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Barriers to KM</i></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Strict time and billing can be an obstacle to an effective knowledge-sharing strategy. Partner compensation needs to include KM, but KM is hard to measure (you need quality more than quantity). Public recognition can go a long way. Get away from a culture where hoarding precedents is acceptable. Speciality groups may take special negotiation and treatment, for instance requiring notice to the specialty group of a precedent download. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another obstacle is the belief that everything is artisanal and unique. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
His firm has 19 KM staff, half of whom are lawyers, with 600 lawyers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Technology is essential, but is merely the conduit and distribution network that allows the interaction. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's easier to have KM in a "lock-step" firm than in an "eat-what-you-kill" law firm. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How much is knowledge being accessed by lawyers? By clients? Who is monitoring this?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
KM is essential. It gives many things that are intangible and hard to measure. If you spend money well, there will be an enormous return; if you don' t do it, you may not survive in today's world. </div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-27653347727347429912013-08-26T14:01:00.001-04:002013-09-04T12:36:16.163-04:00ILTA's Special Ops Track: Making Sure IT Matters and IT: The Catalyst<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The "Special Ops" set of sessions at ILTA this
year was a set of really great ideas (I suspect Mary Abraham's push for alternative
formats is behind it, though praise is due to team coordinators Betsy Parker, Chris Hunt,
Jim McCue, and Sean Power.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially
these sessions were organized around unusual formats, like alternative reality,
TED talks, or roundtables, and addressed a broad range of topics of interest to
legal technologists.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I participated Monday morning in the session titled
"Making Sure IT Matters," (<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23spec1" target="_blank">#spec1</a>),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>which featured a crowd-sourced list of five topics, and facilitated
discussion on a single topic at each of five tables, culminating in
presentations to the whole group on each smaller group's discussion. At my table of fourteen or so people, all but one or two contributed to the discussion, which focused on how to make sure IT "gets it," that is, understands the business of law and also lawyer's work and needs. The small group that organized the discussion will be developing a mind map and probably also some additional publications (like blog posts or articles) on the results of that effort, so I won't attempt to do so here. Regardless of that additional effort, I feel that the most impact occurred in the room at the time, when so many people had the opportunity to think about and participate in their own education and development. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A later Special Ops session was titled IT: The Catalyst #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23spec5" target="_blank">spec5</a>, featuring four very different speakers addressing
a very broad range of topics in one hour. The format imitated that of the TED talks. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hat tips to <a href="http://twitter.com/sperris13" target="_blank">Angela Dowd</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, <a href="http://twitter.com/Tim_Golden" target="_blank">Tim Golden</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
, and <a href="http://twitter.com/BenWightwick" target="_blank">Ben Wightwick</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">for tweets that supplemented my notes as I drafted this post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bill Caraher</strong>-- <em>Disruption, Risk and Opportunity</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The business model of the law firm is going to have to
change. If they want to stand out, law firms are going to have to buy
technology, build it, or partner with someone who can supply it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The top technology spend in law firms is still
SharePoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many users don't use
SharePoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn't think this should
be our focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is skeptical about the
value of portals and the social features in SharePoint 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His current investment priority is security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Typically we are not rewarded for taking risk, in fact
the contrary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clients have started to
look more seriously at firm capabilities.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bring Your Own Device ("BYOD") seems harmless
but has serious risks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The total cost of
BYOD is quite high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big banks have also
become worried about outside counsel who BYOD, because their regulators
prohibit them from BYOD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Phil Schneidermeyer </strong>--<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
C</span><em>ulture and Diversity as Catalysts for Continuous Improvement<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every conversation with a client of his executive
recruiting firm starts with culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are trying to get the fit right between recruits and companies. One
challenge is, do you try to acheive a fit with the current culture or the
target culture?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there any mention of
the people side of what we've accomplished on our resumes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Culture is a sense of what the organization is, its
history, attitudes, beliefs, and the like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Corporations with shared values and that are driven by
purpose and values tend to outperform ones that don't.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Training, onboarding, and orientation are critical for
culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corporate culture has risen as
a risk that corporations are considering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phil recommends that leaders should be role models for
the culture; reward those demonstrating good behavior [And punish those who
violate cultural norms?]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peers should
weigh culture heavily in considering their own roles and opportunities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Diversity encompasses gender, race, and generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generational diversity can cause tension
around technology and work ethics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A really good reason for diversity is that diverse
customers are best served by a diverse team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robust conversation and effective planning and execution amongst your
team<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is enhanced by working with people
who don't think like you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Ryan McClead</strong>-- <em>The Internet of Things<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are more things on the "internet of
things" than there are people on the planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These things communicate well on their own
but don't talk amongst themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Several competing technologies may lead to uniform
standards for things on the internet of things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is the internet of things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In quantum physics two particles can be
"entangled." When you spin one of the particles, the other one is
spun (observed?) as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
increase of devices that are on the internet, we're starting to see the
internet and the physical world become entangled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The internet of things allows for
"spooky action at a distance."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He thinks the "<a href="http://supermechanical.com/" target="_blank">Twine</a>" device is the coolest
thing on the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It senses
temperature, vibration, and light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
can tie it into the "If Then Then That" service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have his device turn off light bulbs
or warn him if his houseplants are too hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These sensors will get cheaper, more powerful, and
smaller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a certain point the physical
world can turn into the interface for the network.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It might feel like other technologies that
have become invisible, like motors. Things like Twine and the internet of
things have the potential to make computing background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Scott Rechtschaffen</strong><em>--"I Had This Great Idea For A
Presentation"</em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I tweeted out at the time I saw it, Scott's
presentation was brilliant, but essentially impossible to blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">His main point was, the legal industry needs to move online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would clients work with law firms that
aren't online when they wouldn't work with a bank, airline, concert venue, or
other business that wasn't online?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> [In similar vein, Kingsley Martin later in the week made the pungent observation that, if an airline's website was like law firms' websites, it would have pictures of the pilots, descriptions of how great its aircraft were, and the like, but no way to buy a ticket.] </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-8541047068711948022013-08-22T18:23:00.001-04:002013-09-04T12:36:06.578-04:00Innovative Online Legal Products For Clients <div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This top-notch panel shared important lessons about ways to
use to technology, not to simply improve attorney efficiency, but to actually
change the way that law firms deliver legal services. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Formal Title:</b> Should
You Create Innovative Online Legal Products for Clients?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Description:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Expert systems, document automation
and other online tools have come a long way, and innovative law schools and
legal aid organizations are using them to provide “self-help” legal services.
Given this explosion in legal technology, we’ll tackle a question looming for
law firms: Is it time for firms to consider using innovative legal technologies
to create online legal products and services for their clients?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">See tweets at </span><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#kmpg4"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">#kmpg4</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"> .<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Speaker(s): <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Mills - Neota Logic<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meredith L. Williams - Baker Donelson Bearman
Caldwell & Berkowitz<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott Rechtschaffen - Littler Mendelson, P.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kingsley Martin - KIIAC LLC<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scott Rechtschaffen introduced the topic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
It's important to learn from failure. Littler attorneys sent 10-15 emails each
day about "who knows these labor arbitrators." His group set up an
(internal) database about them. It was not a good endeavor. It's best not to be
guided by the attorneys. They wanted everything, not reviews of arbitrators of
the arbitrations, complete with briefs. They didn't do anything, it required
too much of the attorneys. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They later made a database of international employment
lawyers. This one did get some use, but you had to remember where it was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They then turned to Courtroom Insight. It creates a
Yelp-like reviews for experts, judges, arbitrators, and mediators, all in one
place. People who use it like it very much. Buying it created a lot less
anxiety and stress. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They also have a database of 50-state comparisons with 50-60
surveys, which also includes a database of legislation and regulation. They
charge clients for access to this. They've covered the cost 3x-4x.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">I described the Littler CaseSmart system </span><a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/08/ilta-session-beyond-extranets-what.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">elsewhere</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The clients love the dashboard on the CaseSmart tool. It has
a heat map, the type of charges, and the like. One client caught the impact of
a minor policy issue that led to charges around the country through the<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They also recently launched the Littler Healthcare Reform
Advisor, a tool that runs an online questionnaire and indicates the potential
penalties under Obamacare.<br />
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Buying off the shelf and adding the
legal nuance<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meredith Williams showed dashboards where clients can drill
in and see details about their matters. These dashboards wins over clients. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They will help map out the data collection processes for
clients using their in-house eDiscovery experts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They also have an "emerging company institute"
extranet that startups are charged to access. They developed 30-40 documents
that clients purchase from them and let them create documents via document
assembly. They use Contract Express, the same document assembly my firm uses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These systems stickiness with clients. A relationship
partner left and the client stayed with the firm because the extranet had all
the documentation they needed and used on the site.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you try to create an app, use someone external. Baker
provided an app with a quick guide to labor and employment law. They also
provide compliance education at the staff level via an online service. They
didn't want to have that compliance training for executives, since they wanted
the attorneys in front of the executives talking to them in person. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keeping It Simple<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--Simple
and clear is the best way and is the hardest thing in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Online client systems are the way forward. We may not get a
seat at the table unless we start to produce revenue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In our law firms we have collective experience resulting
from millions of hours of experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His tool takes a pile of documents, decomposes them into
clauses, and aggregates the clauses into one common outline. For example, in
employment agreements, what clauses are required, what are optional, and which
are frequent or common. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Simplification lessons also apply to the practice of law. We
need to simplify and make clearer contracts and briefs that we produce. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A simplified, focused approach might put most frequent
clauses up top. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He draws a lesson from Silicon Valley--"Get
Going--Build something!" <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Analyzing documents might start with clause elements.
Organizing documents addresses document structure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">He's released a an app for a non-disclosure agreement. He
completed it on the airplane ride to conference. </span><a href="http://www.kmstandards.com/kmauthor/mobile"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">www.kmstandards.com/kmauthor/mobile</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The content is HTML, library is JQuery Mobile, presentation
by ThemeRoller (lets you drag colors around when you design). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What's out there?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Baker McKenzie has some great apps on global equity. Goodwin
Procter has the Founder's Workbench. OMelveny has an FCPA app. Wilson Sonsini
has a term sheet generator. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pointer & Squirrel has an "eForeclose" site
allowing clients to generate foreclosure papers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At a lower end, on the Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP
site you can start a collection case, upload documents and start the case. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This helps law firms be more efficient, because the client
supplies a lot of the information lawyers need directly into the system.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do we assess the
viability of potential projects?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leon Litigator corners you. He's assessed 2000 cases and
determined 56 variables that determine the likelihood of success at trial. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His kid sister is a Google engineer who's already written
the algorithm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Always ask:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Is there a market for this? Who would purchase it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Do we have any support in-house to build this? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Is there a product on-market that does something like
this already? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Law firms are not product companies, and online services are
products. They do spend time thinking about acquiring lateral partners. Michael
Mills would start with what the business purpose is. It may be that revenue is
critical. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It requires substantive infrastructure as well as technical.
Online resources about substantive legal issues will decline if not maintained.
Building a product is a major commitment. Will they invest the effort necessary
to keep it up to date?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--lawyers
do want to monetize the experience that they have. The two pieces are expertise
and software development. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--they've
had most success when they partnered with outside vendors who had the
development expertise, they provided the “legal gloss.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Incentives &
Maintenance<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You also need the incentive systems to align. Product
building is different from the billable hour. Firms may not have the right
structure to incentivize attorneys to contribute to online services.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Expanded revenue fund program. Meredith has a laundry list
of projects, with lists of people who would do the work. They set up
client-matter numbers for the projects, people bill their time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They get 75% of the credit, so that they have an investment
in the success. The "Developers" get a coupon from the firm, they get
a percentage of the sale.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once you start handing over services to your client, you
develop a real responsibility. If you can't sustain it, it's better not
starting at all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attorneys regularly churn out articles for potential
clients. If they are willing to do that, shouldn't they be willing to give
content to developers who can productize it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A reputation for being innovative doesn't help. What helps
is delivering value that helps clients in very specific areas. Helping lawyers
gain business in particular areas, capturing some of the business development
activities and redirecting that energy, is useful. It's more useful to clients
because it's direct service. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clients are coming to firms are asking for things at lower
cost or for free. Online products are one way to do that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Does it skew the analysis when a client asks you to develop
an on-line service? Maybe, if it's a high-level client as a percentage of
revenue. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Development of online products should be considered a part
of the essential business of law firms. They are perceived as completely
different worlds from traditional concerns like practice area development or
opening offices.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first stage involves some benefits to "first
movers." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A second level is systems that create client
"stickiness."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third level is to move to revenue generating services.
The big concern is how to scale. Each app currently used is focused on a very
narrow area. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do you take the Founder's Toolkit and move to licensing?
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael has seen great examples of client stickiness
developing from building excellent online services. It makes clients less
portable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Our employees are so used to what you have, we don't
want to replicate that somewhere else." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do you assess a
market?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Market research is an outside expertise for most lawyers,
but there are people in firms who do that kind of work. You probably have good
market research people. There are also services you can subscribe to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trick is how to estimate revenues or sales on something
that hasn't been sold before. The business analysis looks for competitors. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They'll start small, offering something to a client and
seeing the interest. You have to be willing to pull the plug. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Shark Tank is a great way to hone your idea. Think of
standing in front of the people who will pay for it. "Kawasaki, the art of
the "<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The questions Meredith gets are around the economics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who does it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--She
brings together developers, IT Project Management people, a representative from
the attorney group that's asking for it, and a knowledge management attorney.
They may also bring the marketing team to the table. They keep the lawyer
population to just a few people. Lawyers tend to add unnecessary bells and
whistles. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kingsley</b>--He's
been able to involve clients as well. Develop in an agile matter. Set
parameters, a lot of things will take care of themselves. Set quality metrics
for what you aim to do. For instance at Cassels they set a target for a level
of plain English with a specific metric. It really hones the result. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Develop the "minimal sustainable product."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mills</b>--The front
end of these systems are pretty simple. There are mock-up and prototyping tools
that let you set up something, and start showing it to clients. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Insourced or
Outsourced?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--Do we
have the expertise? They don't with app development. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time constraints also come in. Internal resources may have
significant internal demands already. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mills</b>--Most
projects need aspects of both. The Contract Express tools, for instance, can't
be reproduced by a law firm. Law firms are talking to clients all the time, and
may be good at getting feedback from clients.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Which Idea? What if
something that looks better comes along?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--Kawasaki
would say, set you milestones and stick to them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--Don't
be distracted by the shiny object (like the dogs in "Up" distracted
by squirrels). Think about what you might be losing in what you've already
invested. The economics come into play. Look at it as a business decision, not
a technical one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Products and projects have constituencies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do you convince partners that they should invest in the
future?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--The
business of law has one of the lowest budgets for research & development of
any industry. What if law firms spent 0.25% of revenue on these new services? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He's tried to convince them that this is an extraordinary
opportunity. You could take advantage of the growing tsunami. It's hard to pick
the winners. He admits his pitch didn't work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mills</b>--It is a
year-to-year decision, and the way firms are organized financially. Firms do
make huge decision like opening an office, these are small change by
comparison. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--It's
easier today because they've had success with retaining and obtaining clients.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She scenarios out how it works. She spells out what will
happen if we invest or if we don't. Boards are bottom-line driven. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rechtschaffen</b>--There's
a false assumption that an hour spent on direct client service is more assured
than an hour spent on product development. Each hour is speculative, albeit in
different ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What's the future of
online services? Will law firms be the providers of online legal services?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--As long
as a product is viable and has a legal spin, then we have an area we're going
to firmly hold onto. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--The
future must involve the delivery of online legal services. Law firm websites
will enable the delivery of legal services.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Buyers don't modify a market. They vote with their money,
but they pick winners. A lot of this will be driven by vendors. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">LexMachina is analyzing and creating data around all patent
litigation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mills</b>-Some
publishers are starting to behave like lawyers. Users don't want search results
any more, they want answers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">eDiscovery is an online service. It's managed in the cloud
by people who for the most part work directly with clients. Why shouldn't the
rest of legal services delivery follow?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Williams</b>--If you
aren't in this space, you need to be in this space. The biggest request from
clients is for these type of services?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Martin</b>--Online
technology will disrupt the $260-270 billion market. Institutional VCs are
showing some interest in changing the market. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take technology you've used to create reputation or
stickiness and move into products.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-34663015404350331332013-08-21T19:34:00.001-04:002013-09-04T13:46:51.035-04:00Storytelling To Transform Your KM Projects, Strategy and Culture
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This was an
outstanding session that provided dramatically (pun intended) better ways to
motivate change, encourage adoption, and get things done that you want done. I
especially appreciate the organizers bringing in an actual professional
dramatist, it is always a breath of fresh air to hear from other areas of work
or art.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Formal
Description: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Masterful
storytelling is transformative: It stimulates knowledge-sharing and growth
within organizations. In the case of KM, it can build widespread, longstanding
support by weaving your KM message and strategy into your firm's and each
individual's stories. Interact with your colleagues as you learn about the
elements of storytelling, techniques for developing a compelling story about
your project, and how to use storytelling to promote a KM culture and obtain
widespread buy-in.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Speaker(s):<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ginevra Saylor - Dentons Canada LLP</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tracey Erin Smith - Actor and
Director, </span><a href="http://www.soulo.ca/%20%20"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">SoulOTheatre</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See tweet stream at </span><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#kmpg2" id="id_35dc_519d_6908_c4a9"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">#kmpg2</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Introduction
to Storytelling</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ginevra
Saylor introduced the subject of storytelling and provided some intriguing
clues as to why it works so well to drive change and encourage adoption. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Senior
lawyers mentor junior lawyers through war stories. "Where do you stand
when you introduce an exhibit?" "Boy, the first time I was in Judge
Carter's classroom."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lawyers also
use caselaw as stories. Every case is a fable. The moral of the story is the
judge's decision. When lawyers use cases to persuade a judge they are using
storytelling.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That part of
our minds called "Broca's Brain" is activated when language is
decoded for meaning. Storytelling also engages the other parts of the brain, so
if the story involves food the sensory cortext is stimulated. The entire brain
is activated by a story. That's why storytelling works so well to convey a
message.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Audience
members also synchronize with the storyteller, so that they have a similar
experience to what the storyteller has. The storyteller can transfer her
reaction to the listeners.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We've been
storytelling for more than 27,000 years. We are hard-wired for storytelling. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Storytelling
can ignite action, demonstrate value, and encourage change.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
storytelling for lawyers, don't tell them they're going to be transformed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Storytelling
works because that's how life-saving lessons were transmitted. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We're hoping
to learn something that will help us, gain something. A story feels like a
break. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tracey
Smith</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> T</span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">here are three type of stories:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It Happened</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We can make it happen</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don't let it happen (Red X / village
idiot).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In an "It Happened" story, you need
to get a handle on your characteristics. When you're talking to an audience who
doesn't know you, you need to give them a sense of who you are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Six
Characteristics of A Good Story:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. Relevance<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What's the
relevance to the audience? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. Time & Place<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">T</span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">he classic
fairytale formulation "once upon a time in a land far away...." sets
out time and place right away.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Set of
Events / Characters<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Joe walked
down to the farm. He came back.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4.Dialogue<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We are
engaged by hearing characters interact.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. Something
Unexpected<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An obstacle
or villain.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6. Learnings
/ Redemption / Transformation<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Something has
to change / has to happen. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Another
effective effective approach to storytelling is the "Hero's Journey"
(also called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth" id="id_c0f0_29f8_5a48_f3da"><span style="color: blue;">Monomyth</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ginevra was
able to fit an enterprise search story into the Hero's Journey paradigm. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Storytelling
Tips:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1) Put the
audience at the center of the story; explain the feeling they will get when
they move into the future. We don't want the convertible, we want the feeling
that convertible will give us. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2) Highlight
pain of the present and contrast it with the benefits of the future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3) Have
radical empathy for your audience.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Information
Handlers</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Who are KM
folk? Those who have been the handlers of information have the following
archetypes:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pioneer</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: discovers
and explores new territory, innovates<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Detective</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: organizes
information <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mediator</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: Patience,
skill, reads people, brings people together<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Networker</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: Forge
alliances, make connections among vastly different groups of people<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Storyteller</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: Explains
vision in compelling manner and motivates to action<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Student</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: studies the
environment and assesses where change is needed<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Visionary</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">: Design and
implement the future<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's
important to boost your audience's confidence and important. If you're leading
a group into the trenches you want a confident bunch. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Move your
audience to action, try to move them emotionally. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-45807726062785602013-08-21T16:10:00.001-04:002013-09-04T13:55:31.577-04:00 Alternative Rocks! Non-traditional Approaches to LPM
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Formal Description: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Do traditional
“waterfall” (PMBOK) project management methods really work in legal, or are
they too rigid for most legal projects and processes? Learn how some legal
project management teams apply Agile/Scrum software development frameworks or
other modified traditional methods for a more iterative and incremental
approach to the management and delivery of litigation, AFAs or any other legal
projects that can be mapped into phases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Speaker(s): <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Kim
R. Craig - Seyfarth Shaw LLP</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Andrew
Terrett - Borden Ladner Gervais</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">David
A Rueff - Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Suzanne
Wood - Norton Rose Fulbright<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">See tweets at <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#info8"><span style="color: blue;">#info8</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">These are my
notes from an intriguing presentation about an area of effort that may
differentiate law firms. The conversation emphasized lessons from the trenches.
The panel included representatives from three of the most sophisticated LPM law
firms and it was good to hear about their challenges and victories in implementing
LPM. I wish that they had spent a little bit more time explaining concepts like
scrum and waterfall to project management newbies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Kim Craig<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">[I've covered
the Seyfarth PM story elsewhere <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/08/ilta-session-alternative-forum-track.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/08/ilta-session-alternative-forum-track.html</span></a>
]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Lean Six-Sigma
emphasizes the voice of the client. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Seyfarth started
PMO in 2004 outside of IT. They did do some IT projects. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Using too much
historical data to develop process maps can be problematic because the way
we'll be doing things going forward is going to change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">They use
"Task Map" which is a light overlay on Visio. They've mapped out the
process of mapping out a process. They pull out a page that they've used
before. They range from 8-60 pages. Attorneys get hung up on rolling over from
page to page. They blow up one task and show how it's organized. Attorneys like
educating them on what they do. She's learned a lot about law. Hearing
attorneys talk about how they make decisions is really important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">These
conversations are a major KM opportunity. KM needs to listen to, capture, and
reuse the process mapping discussions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">We're all new at
this. PM techniques that look nice and take a long time to develop may not work
in legal. The first time she showed an attorney a SharePoint project chart it
didn't work out well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An email with
bullets was much more effective than a full status report. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">They used many
types of applications and not any one coherent piece of technology to do PM. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Agile has
self-managing teams, lets teams manage work. Scrum defines roles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">LPM needs to
take core PM concepts and twist and turn them to apply to legal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">We don't know at
the start of the engagement all the factors that come into play. You don't know
in advance how aggressive opposing counsel might be or what you might discover
in the documents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The agile
approach allows weekly planning meetings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Agile is really
a manner of thinking. You can adjust and be flexible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Kim's team
started out as a value add, but they are now billable (but without a billable
requirement). They measure ROI on retained or new clients. Clients very rarely
write off the LPM time. Clients usually have PM teams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">She's seen
increased sophistication in RFP information requests around LPM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Andrew Terrett <o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">BLG borrowed
from Seyfarth playbook, they have had an LPM office for two years. BLG has six
offices and a very diverse set of attorneys and practices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A lot of
traditional PM makes a lot of sense in legal. It needs to be simpler. They are
not writing things down in project plans. Lawyers have a high sense of urgency
and want to "do, do, do" right away. You can turn a long project
statement into one page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Attorneys don't
use Gantt charts. They do have deadlines and milestones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Process maps
enable bottom-up estimating instead of analogous or top-down estimating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Process maps
have been a great success, they elicit additional steps. Old habits die hard,
that process mapping work has been done for a particular piece of work does not
mean the matter team will actually leverage it in practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A process map is
like a GPS. It gives you direction but you're going to use common sense and
"keep driving when you cross the bridge" instead of turning into the
river like the GPS suggests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">What matters is
what works. Lawyers want the tools and approaches that will work for them. What
that is may vary from industry to industry and client to client. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The big LPM
challenge is change management. You're dealing with people who have been doing
things a particular way for a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>David Rueff <o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Traditional
project management workflow too cumbersome for attorneys to adopt. They spent
three months designing a specialized workflow "BakerManage" that
draws on waterfall project management, but is based on the way legal teams
actually work. Clients can see the same information attorneys are using to
manage the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">They decided to
develop a team of 10 project managers (paralegals, attorneys with PM
certification, technologists). Process improvement and management is included. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Agile sets up
regular times to revisit project schedule and plan. Not every two months, more
like every two weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The heart of the
work is the tasks and processes. They worked with a health care litigator to
develop a detailed process map. When the AFA request came in, they had already
developed the ability to provide a detailed estimate within 48 hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">BakerManage has
a budgeting tool that reconciles with time with the budgeting system to show
lawyers where they are against budget, and also provides email alerts. The system
requires daily time entry. Checking the system every 30 days is not often
enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Using a
consistent set of codes allows cross-office matter comparison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Lawyers need to
have initial meetings where whole matter / case team is educated about budget
and limits. Then they can operate as a self-managed team. It can't be business
as usual. LPM type systems are a way of communicating with the team about what
the client requirements are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">They use LPM on
matters on fixed fee matters. The consistent communications with the client
develops its own momentum. The LPM team doesn't bill to clients. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">They have had
client employees seconded to the law firm team to learn LPM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Resource
Availability<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An audience
member suggested that associate / resource availability is a real challenge for
LPM. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Don't assume an
associate only has an 8 hour day. Engineers have used critical path technique.
That may be the next phase, but right now we're just trying to get lawyers to
develop the plans at the time of budget development. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Identifying
resource availability is a next step [my firm has developed "iStaff"
software that could help with this, as associates identify their prospective
level of availability.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Clients are
forcing kickoff meetings where they want whole team is identified up front. </span><o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-79101967230790465572013-08-20T17:43:00.001-04:002013-09-04T14:33:02.579-04:00Bolstering KM Through User Experience Design
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Formal
Description</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">: Exposure to good industrial design and Web design in our personal
lives is now raising expectations within the industry. As a result, user
experience (UX) design is becoming increasingly important and may be key to
knowledge management endeavors. Get an overview of the discipline, and review
featured case studies from a few firms that have made UX a priority within
their KM efforts.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Speakers</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Stuart Barr, HighQ</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew Baker, Seyfarth Shaw</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tom Baldwin, Reed Smith</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Patrick DiDomenico, Ogletree Deakins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">These are my notes on an interesting session that talked about and in some cases
showed some advance designs for law firm intranets and extranets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Stuart Barr<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">[I had to miss the first few minutes of this presentation. One notable
tweet on the subject from Rebecca Gebhardt said "UX is not UI. It is a
user's perception of the product. Indeed in many ways it IS the product.].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The way people use things is changing. Desktop screens are only the
start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Macs, Androids and the like are changing the way people perceive
design. Devices are exposing people to ways of interacting with technology that
are more advanced. People have a better technology experience at home than at
work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">IT can be easy, powerful and simple (Dion Hinchliffe). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Good design is now a key aspect of technology. We're trying to do more
complex things with technology, but also need to keep it simple to use.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Aspects of the user experience may or may not be in the designer's
control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Make things simple by "bringing order to complexity." Don't
add one more button. And don't design for the "edge cases." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">An iterative design process is really key. See what mistakes users
make and design to avoid those. Design combines science and art. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Design matters for adoption and engagement. Internally design helps
staff efficiency and productivity, helping staff have nice experiences and do
their jobs more quickly. Client expectations are getting higher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tom Baldwin<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He's showing before and after of design. He recognizes that no one on
his team had the proper skills, and therefore brought in a design expert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He's moving to design standards based on the designer's work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">About a quarter of Reed Smith work is on a fixed fee basis, so
accurate matter profile was critical. They wanted to get more completed matter
profiles, and also increase ease of use. They also put in some gamification,
which surprisingly turned out to motivate partners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Their old matter profile system didn't allow for search of other
matters, only allowed for one area of law, and had a very long form you had to
scroll through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The new one had a tabbed view showing people the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The "confidential matter" was a critical question that was
often not answered before because it was at the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The questionnaire form breaks down questions by area and showed
percentage complete. Questions were presented in one frame. Save and spellcheck
options were not buried at the bottom of the form. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">A visual representation of completeness was important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He listed "Leading matter profilers" on the landing page of
the matter portal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">This led him to think about other areas where a leaderboard approach
might help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They'll have a rollup score for things that reflect good corporate
citizenship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tom indicated at the end that they are looking into programs like
badgeville to further leverage attorneys' competitive nature, and will be
integrating this with their enterprise social networks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Andrew Baker<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Their firm intranet has soothing colors, light blues and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They went with usage patterns in thinking about the most important
things. Every page has a way to provide feedback. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They ran a card-sorting exercise and met with people from every
department and office, asking them to sort the cards representing 77 different
pieces of content into piles that made sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Before they built anything, they created wireframes; these allowed to
adjust the approach as they talked with attorneys and staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They used the "Balsamiq" tool for wireframing. It saved them
a lot of time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Looking back, Andrew feels that the graphics were a little too much,
and that they also had a little bit too much information on each page. He's not
sure about the value of the intranet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">[Ed--to give some sense of the visuals, I have to note that the
Seyfarth intranet home page was much more content-heavy than the other two
demonstrated.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They've more recently rolled out a client extranet
"SeyfarthLink."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They first tried to figure out how clients used the previous extranet.
The clients are very focused on portfolio management or portfolio centricity.
They created matter sites, client sites, and portfolio sites. Content can be
collected and shared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They are sharing live financial data on the client extranets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He recommends Stephen Few's book on Information Dashboard Design. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Team pages can be really important, adding a human touch that
encourages visitors to trust the site. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">They didn't start with mobile, and think it may be difficult to go
back and make it work on mobile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">A lot of the Seyfarth work has been client-facing. That has a very
different value proposition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Patrick
DiDomenico<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He's talking about SharePoint intranet evolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Back before structured sites, everything had to be right on the home
page. They had a traditional intranet home page that had dozens and dozens of
links and small font. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Neuroscientists from Princeton have established that clutter makes
people anxious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Focus is very important for getting your point across. Don't design so
the user is confronted with a wall of words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The new "OD Connect" has a persistent banner with key search
and some buttons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">A news and announcements section is targeted to your own office and
practice group. It only shows the selected article but conveys the headlines of
the other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">A dashboard shows recent matters and also a financials preview.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He wanted to make it "magnetic," give people a motivation to
come to the intranet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">OD Connect has customized view for secretaries allowing them quick
access to their lawyers' matters and financials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Associate view shows associate bonus targets, calculated for the
individual. You can work with documents from the portal. A news tab shows news
about OD and about its competitors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Users can customize one of six feeds from a dropdown. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He is always asking, "What can we take away from the screen to
let people focus?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">OD Connect allows people to select specific top-left navigation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">If you go too far away from what people are used to, they may get
frustrated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The "Find It" button opens a navigation menu on hover-over.
The wins have been the Find IT button, search, and customized buttons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How people feel about your brand is important. He wanted to make
people feel connected to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The theme of pre-rollout communications was "making your life
easier." They distributed nail puzzles and matchbooks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">When they can, they put buttons at top and bottom of the form. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Expectations have risen, designing for mobile is critical, and we need
to simplify our tool. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">[Ed.--I really liked the clean look and feel of OD Connect, and also
the features that were customized to particular types of users like
secretaries].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Design is even more important for client-facing work. It's appropriate
to use design consultants in this type of work, because it doesn't rise to the
level of an FTE. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">It is important to have client-facing extranets have a consistent look
and feel with other online properties. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Lawyers may not know what cognitive overload is. But if you relate
some common consumer solutions to their problems, and show them visually, the
leaders can understand the need better. Don't try to explain, show. Use
Balsamiq to focus them on what's important and to move them away from what's
not important. Running too much by higher ups can paralyze the process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The project took about thirteen months but would have taken less if
they hadn't been interrupted in the middle. He used PLA and Joshua Fireman, as
well as a design/advertising firm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-79426531500940554752013-08-20T13:11:00.001-04:002013-09-04T14:26:35.872-04:00Law2020: Emerging Legal and Business Opportunities
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">These are my notes on the second keynote session at the ILTA
conference. I found it to be an intriguing presentation, interesting in the
projects of long-term impacts of some current technology trends, a bit flaky on
a few of the projections, but also effectively coming back to some approaches
to effectively talk to law leaders about the future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Formal
Description:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> The next ten years could see a dramatic rewriting of the law firm
playbook as innovators and entrepreneurs break from the pack to change the
rules of the game. What's driving these changes and how can law firms respond?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">...Global futurist Rohit Talwar will deliver a
keynote presentation and then be interviewed by Monica Bay, editor-in-chief of
Law Technology News. In his presentation, Rohit will draw on ILTA's latest
'Future Horizons' research to highlight how law firms can leverage emerging
technologies coupled to new paradigm thinking to transform everything from firm
strategies and business models through to the way tomorrow's lawyer is
recruited, developed and rewarded. Rohit will illustrate his talk with the
latest findings, technology opportunities and case examples emerging from
ILTA's Legal Technology Future Horizons research Project. The study is designed
to examine how emerging technologies could impact the design and delivery of
legal services over the next 10-15 years. The research is also exploring the
resulting implications for how law firms need to evolve the management of the
IT function to address an ever-quickening pace of technological change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Speakers:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> Rohit
Talwar, Monica Bay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">See twitter conversation at <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search/?q=#Key2&s=hash"><span style="color: blue;">#key2</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He's the CEO of Fast Future in London. He's the project director of
ILTA's Law 2020. His legal sector clients include LinkLaters and Norton Rose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How do we use insights on emerging technology to drive better
decisions today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Where could technology impact legal organizations?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The study involved interviews with vendors, peers, and legal
technology thought leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">His cross-industry research concludes that organizations that innovate
and adjust to technology change think in three time horizons. Over 12 months
they look for operational excellence. Over 1-3 years they try to innovate,
grow, and be efficient. Over 4-10 years they create the future. Corporations
need to allocate people to these different areas and allocate time at
management meetings for future-oriented discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The next decade will be quite turbulent. The global economy is $65-70
trillion, there are still around $700 trillion in derivative contracts. There
is no historical model from which we can learn because of the internet and
rapid changes in technology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The growth of the middle class will occur in Brazil, China and India. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Business cycles are faster. There are talent shortages, disruptive
technologies, and rapid spread of science and technology advances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">For instance, if autonomous cars can't have accidents, why would
consumers buy insurance? How would we work out who is responsible in accidents
between manual and autonomous cars? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The landscape by 2025 will be quite different. The population is aging
and life extension technology is evolving. We're looking at extending life by 4
to 10 times. How do you motivate a 190 year old network manager? Looking after
the elderly will be a phenomenal growth sector for the economy and the legal
industry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Every business is having to think about the potential impact of rising
energy costs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The "23 and me" website will provide a personal genetic
profile for $99-299. We'll be starting to use the information in contracting or
purchasing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">New materials might lead to novel energy sources or indestructible
materials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The internet will be more immersive, conveying touch, taste and smell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Could we knock out genes for rage, obesity, and stress? Human
enhancement is a real present development. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Every industry will have to go through 2-3 iterations. Vertical farms
may transform the food industry. All the industry changes will lead to
opportunities for legal work. Let's make our partners and associates have the
same awareness of the future of the industries as the industry participants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Clients will press to innovate around making information more
available and online. Traditional services will be provided at a commoditized
price. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Don't panic, ask how you want to engage and stay informed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">There are five strategic challenges for the legal industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How do you leverage transparency, and artificial intelligence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">What are the new working practices and models for delivery of legal
services?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Is there an over capacity of talent at all levels?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">New technologies and investors are driving new players into the
marketplace with a different perspective ("legal is about big data and
process improvement")<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">New types of companies have different expectations for their law
firms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">He's set out recommendations for the legal industry in a series of
ideas organized around words beginning with "M." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Markets<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Technology gives us the ability to create new services. 60% of the
world is in Asia. With the new technologies come opportunities to focus on
growth industries, like 3-D printing, energy, robotics, and biomimicry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Mastery<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">You can't wait for others to do things, you need to have foresight.
What are the big trends in a sector that have been announced? Lawyers and
accountants create maps, for instance, about the future of travel and tourism.
Taking an insight map to a client shows that you're thinking about their
business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Process excellence is another aspect of mastery. In the Narayana
hospital in India they can do heart surgery at 4% of the cost with a higher
success rate. They do a lot of the same kind of surgeries and work out the
complete process with all of the possible variations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How do we create more insight from the data? One insurance defense
firm looked at the characteristics of success & failure at trial and
created a platform for analyzing & predicting when to go to trial. They are
then selling that platform to insurance companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How will we gear up technology solutions for the future platforms? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Instantaneous translation will change business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Artificial intelligence-IBM's Watson is being used to diagnose cancer,
and it does better than human doctors at that and at recommending
post-diagnosis care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Muscle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The anatomy of faster decisions is part of muscle. Coke looked at a UK
firm that put out smaller tasty drinks at great speed. How to execute faster is
also muscle. A company in China can build an energy-efficient office building
in six days (after the foundation is laid). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Internal social media might be more effective than traditional
knowledge management systems at providing good answers. For instance, someone
looking for help with an oil contract in Uzbekistan might post about that need,
and receive not only sample contracts but a message to call a particular
subject matter expert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Magic<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">How do we give our clients access to the scarce knowledge of our
partners? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Latham has a series of apps called “<a href="http://www.lw.com/bookofjargon-apps"><span style="color: blue;">The Book of Jargon</span></a>,” on various
corporate, capital markets, and investment topics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Mofo has a court analyzer / dashboard that shows the key information
about complex financial litigation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Baker Donelson is providing client access to workflow, so the client
can see what is happening on their matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Mindset<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Build in the three-time-period orientation. Be tolerant of
uncertainty, encourage people to try things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Management<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Make time and space for change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Conclusions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Turn risks into opportunities. We can choose how to address the
future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Survey<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Monica Bay then interviewed Mr. Talwar. The Law2020 survey will close
in January. Take it at <a href="http://s.zoomerang.com/s/futurehorizons"><span style="color: blue;">http://s.zoomerang.com/s/futurehorizons</span></a>
and <a href="http://s.zoomerang.com/s/ILTAEmergingTech"><span style="color: blue;">http://s.zoomerang.com/s/ILTAEmergingTech</span></a>
.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">30% of respondents see the role of CIO shifting to embrace innovation.
You also have to reengineer to deliver to mobile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Key
Takeaways<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">It's very hard to maintain a strategic conversation if the DMS isn't
working. CIOs need to talk to firm leaders about using technology to create new
business opportunities and delivery models, how to create value and open up
innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Motivate lawyers to change by framing the problem as the risk of
losing something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Some of the most disruptive technologies are artificial intelligence,
the next generation of collaboration tools (spanning law firms and law
departments), and human enhancements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-18119647246721180692013-08-19T22:18:00.001-04:002013-09-04T14:35:16.522-04:00Alternative Billing: What's Working and What's Not?
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">These are my
notes on a panel that had representatives of the three key players in
alternative billing work; law firms, consultants, and law departments.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Formal Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">There are lots
of options for billing, but who is actually using an alternative billing
method, and which ones really work? Find out if certain billing options can
jeapordize a happy client-vendor relationship, how law departments can
determine if pricing is competitive and fair, and who is using analytics to
decide. Our seasoned panel of current and former law department members will
share successes and failures regarding billing options and vendor management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Speakers:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Lisa
Girmscheid, Rockwell Automation</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Chris
Emerson, Bryan Cave</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Donald
Knight, PNC Financial Services</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Eyal
Iffergan, Hyperion Global </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An
Trotter, Viacom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">See tweets at <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#ldpg2&s=typd"><span style="color: blue;">#ldpg</span></a> and
slides <a href="http://ilta.ebiz.uapps.net/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?tabid=478&productid=1501824"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.
These are my notes from the session, forgive typos and any misattributions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Overview<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">This session was
standing room only, though with an odd small-table-and-banquet layout. I was impressed
with the extensive and frank discussions that addressed a wide range of
critical pricing issues. It's great that ILTA can provide a forum for dialogue
between law firms and law departments, albeit at the staff and not business
owner level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>AFA Trends<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">AFAs are
increasing slowly in the last two years, from 16% to 19% of legal work. Chris
Emerson is not seeing increases in AFAs, but he is seeing increases in requests
for budgets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A budget is a
process statement, it isn't far from that to a statement of work. It's been
encouraging to see evolution of pricing directors and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Portfolio
analysis versus Bottom-Up<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Chris Emerson
suggests that law firms can take an "averages" approach with
portfolio work, but the best pricing comes from detailing tasks and assumptions
behind the tasks. How many depositions will there need to be? Who will be
leveraged to do the work?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Obstacles to
AFAs<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">The room agrees
that law firms are more comfortable with the billable hour than AFAs. This
strikes Eyal Effergen as "smoke and mirrors" as there is little
dialogue around value. 95% of firms are offering AFAs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An audience
member commented that law firms that have negotiated an arm's length fixed fee
arrangement shouldn't have to worry about "shadow billing" (in which
billable-hour and phase/task code information is provided despite a fixed fee
arrangement). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An Trotter and
her GC agrees with that comment. She expressed frustration around having to
notify firms that they have gone over budget, even though they get the data 60
or 90 days later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Donald Knight
doesn't agree with the objection to shadow billing. He wants to know what he's
getting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Profit and Value<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Clients wonder
why they should help law firms continue 35%+ profit margins when they are
getting by on 3-12% margins themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">It's not a
problem that attorneys earn lots of money, but corporations are upset about the
profit margins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Corporations may
be asking for this additional information because they don't understand what
they get from outside counsel spend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Another audience
member asked, what if lawyers started acting as general contractors, getting
autonomy to shop? Has there been mixing & matching of content and
service providers? Yes, in the eDiscovery area. The market dictates that the
specialized work will be able to bear the higher rates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An audience
member has seen this sort of thing happening in health care and IP practices
already. It hasn't really hit the litigation groups? Reverse auctions are
starting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Litigation AFAs<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Where 13% of law
firms say they use AFAs for litigation, 67% of law departments use AFAs for
litigation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Software<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Key areas of
software used are eBilling, matter management, and accounting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Most eBilling
systems for law departments also include matter management these days.
Accounting systems are only marginally useful for collecting information about
law firm matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><strong>Share Prebill
Information?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An Trotter would
like to see transparency around law firm information. She'd like to see law
firm pre-bill data fed into the law department data. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An audience
member (Julie Richer from the American Electric Power Legal Department)
indicated that the new cloud-based service <a href="http://www.viewabill.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Viewabill</span></a>
that would allow law firms to privately share prebill information with law
departments.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-18935956845047212392013-08-18T11:50:00.001-04:002013-08-19T01:41:47.794-04:00Blogging at ILTA 2013: CatalystI'm taking up the keyboard again for the fabulous 2013 edition of the International Legal Technology Association's conference, this year called "Catalyst." In broad outlines, I'll be participating in KM Peer-Group and session preparatory activities today, facilitating part of a discussion about making IT matter on Monday (#<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#spec1&s=typd" id="id_16a6_4950_29b0_7f41" target="_blank">spec1</a>) , and moderating a panel on how knowledge management supports firm operations (#<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=#kmpg3" id="id_3fa_8815_3f96_dd62">kmpg</a>) Tuesday at 3:30 PM (Florentine I-II). Of course, aside from "official" duties there are opportunities to learn about new vendors and new technology, hear inspiring keynotes, and meet / reconnect with legal technology peers. <div><br></div><div>Particular areas I'm hoping to learn about are secure client-facing extranets (particularly those that allow for "publishing" from within the iManage DMS), litigation pricing, and developments in law firm enterprise collaboration (I believe <a href="http://twitter.com/BoldKnowledge" id="id_9350_8ecd_7908_df5">Tom Baldwin</a> may have some advances to report on that front).</div><div><br></div><div>This year I've purchased the "BlogTouch" iPad app. It allows me to draft posts offline for the Blogger (f/k/a Blogspot) platform, which saves wifi battery life and avoids consistent reliance on not-always-perfect conference wifi. I still have the <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-ipad-and-me-personal-technology-and.html" id="id_aa96_1b1c_f17e_fcdc" target="_blank">Zagg keyboard</a> and a backup laptop. It should do better than the Notability app because there'll be no necessary intermediate step in publishing.</div><div><br></div><div>I'll be publishing notes on sessions and some keynotes. Comments welcome as always. And, I hope to see some of you at the KM Reception immediately following the KM and firm operations session.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-71186843541015812882013-07-31T15:51:00.001-04:002013-07-31T15:51:21.566-04:00Hobbie Returns From Australia--Belated Trip Report
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Trip Background</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">The
week of March 11-15 2013 I traveled to Sidney, Australia to speak at the <a href="http://www.arkgroupaustralia.com.au/" target="_blank">Ark Conference</a> titled "Advancing Knowledge Management in the Legal
Profession" as a guest of that organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eq-ayu38onQ/UflnpvSWNyI/AAAAAAAAB2M/T_xtBld8F4o/s1600/Ark+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eq-ayu38onQ/UflnpvSWNyI/AAAAAAAAB2M/T_xtBld8F4o/s1600/Ark+logo.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Needless to say I also took the opportunity to
investigate Sidney and its amazing surroundings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">To do
full justice to the trip would require greater length than I have here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll instead cover some professional,
touristic, and personal highlights. Some of this information was previously shared on an internal web site, though no endorsement by my firm has been supplied.</span></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Professional Highlights: Billing, Booming, and
Bonding<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">My two
presentations were well received. I spoke on a panel about encouraging
communication inside law firms through social collaboration (I note that the
larger firms in Australia seem considerably far ahead of US firms in this
area). I also spoke on my own about the many ways in which knowledge management
can support pricing and budgeting, and the types of information and information
management that pricing and budgeting efforts require. The Australian knowledge
managers at the conference were particularly invested in this area of work. I
also enjoyed separate meetings with several colleagues from firms such as
<a href="http://www.ashurst.com/" target="_blank">Ashurst</a> and <a href="http://www.kwm.com/" target="_blank">King & Wood Mallesons</a>, sophisticated firms that due to recent
mergers are larger than my firm (Goodwin Procter.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">I was
very glad of the opportunity to meet people in the Australian legal KM
community face-to-face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've met a few
people at ILTA conferences, and have been generally impressed with the state of
legal KM technology and adoption, as presented by those people in various
sessions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Based
on that exposure, I have a few observations about the state of the Australian
legal market and Australian legal KM. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">The
Australian economy is quite strong; it has been exporting vast quantities of
commodities, primarily minerals, to the growing economies of the Pacific Rim
and South Asia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Recent <a href="http://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/frequency/commodity-prices.html" target="_blank">commodities price drops</a> are a potential challenge, however). </span>The exports have greatly
increased the strength of the Australian dollar, and also led to significant
growth in the western part of Australia where these commodities are extracted.
The impact on the Australian legal market has been twofold; not surprisingly,
firms that may have only had offices in Sydney and Melbourne have opened
offices in Perth and other western Australian cities; and, a wave of mergers
between Australian and international firms has also occurred. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Legal
knowledge management as a field is doing well Down Under. Australia adheres to
the "Practice Support Lawyer" model, in which experienced attorneys
embedded in practice groups devote themselves to knowledge management, as well
as client development through activities like client alerts and pitches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legal KM practitioners have obtained varying
but quite high levels of support within their organizations--for instance, one
presentation at the conference addressed one practitioner's success in
obtaining billable-hour-equivalent status for km work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have already mentioned the advanced state
of KM at some of the larger firms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
the relative strength of the legal industry and the PSL model, there are
comparatively large numbers of knowledge managers, from surprisingly small
firms; one conference participant had flown in from Western Australia from her
firm of less than 80 attorneys. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">One
area of weakness is a comparative lack of formal and informal structures for
Australian legal KM attorneys to meet and get to know each other. There are
conferences (obviously), but they are rare and did not seem to provide the
social opportunities so important for building trust and sharing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Touristic Highlights--Sails & Mountains<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj79qnLapdQ/UfloH0wl9SI/AAAAAAAAB2k/RYsfdHULK5k/s320/Opera+House.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0in 25.0pt 50.0pt 75.0pt 100.0pt 125.0pt 150.0pt 175.0pt 200.0pt 225.0pt 250.0pt 275.0pt 300.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Sidney
is the site of one of the most if not the most famous building in the
world--the <a href="http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/homepage.aspx" target="_blank">Sidney Opera House</a>. I first encountered it the day I flew into
Sidney after a grueling 14-hour flight from San Francisco (and 24 hours of
travel). I viewed it from afar, walked up close that day and other days, took
the official tour, and to top it all off, attended a wonderful performance of
Puccinni's most popular opera "La Boheme" (featured in “Moonstruck”)
my last full day there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">The
Opera House may be popular and famous, but it is not overhyped. Its setting on
a point of land jutting out into Sidney Harbour and in front of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge" target="_blank">SidneyHarbour Bridge</a>--itself a major landmark on the scale of the Golden Gate
Bridge--is spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The white / tan
"sails" take on light and colour from the surroundings while serenely
projecting modernism and sophistication; they can resemble barnacles, feeding
whales, or schooner sails, and look different from every angle and at every
time of day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a musician, it is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a point of pride that this magnificent
building is also a major cultural institution, with *five* performing arts
halls, most notably the huge Concert Hall and the surprisingly smaller Opera
Hall, and a robust schedule of classical music, modern dance, and children's
theater performances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitely one
for your "bucket list."</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A3MqU4Sw1y8/UfloDVbSg5I/AAAAAAAAB2U/GHesHC8XxpA/s1600/Hobbie+Violin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ae69egGiJE/UfloGQ64jYI/AAAAAAAAB2c/Qwq8vrPuB9g/s1600/Koala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ae69egGiJE/UfloGQ64jYI/AAAAAAAAB2c/Qwq8vrPuB9g/s320/Koala.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj79qnLapdQ/UfloH0wl9SI/AAAAAAAAB2k/RYsfdHULK5k/s1600/Opera+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Another
highlight was a day trip to the Blue Mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I took a very reasonably-priced tour in a van (with 14 other tourists)
to this ecologically unique area, featuring a plateau, rainfalls, a
semi-tropical rainforest, and, oddly enough, quaint English-style garden
villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Australia has utterly unique
wildlife, and a 50,000 year-old aboriginal culture, both of which I got to see
up close (see this and this).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an
ecologist's son, I would have liked to spend more time in the rain forest, but
we had some older folk with us and that was not to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Personal Highlights--Have Violin, Will Travel<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">A major
feature of my personal life (OK, OK, "hobby") is extensive experience
as a classical chamber musician, performing and playing on violin and viola. I
tapped into some existing connections to the Sidney amateur chamber music
scene, and also used the "Chamber Music Network" to set up two string
quartet sessions with local musicians after the conference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">Playing
string quartets at a high level is like re-creating a transient work of art,
and usually is a bonding experience. These sessions did in fact give me a
chance to get to know people such as a math professor (viola), a sewing shop
manager (viola and cello), and a Sidney Harbour Park naturalist (cello), as
well as enjoy reading through Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Haydn quartets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm not antisocial, but neither am I the type
of person that can walk into a bar and get to know people quickly, so it was
great to be able to meet Australians I already have a lot in common with and
make some music at the same time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;">The
trip as a whole was marvelous and thought-provoking. It felt like a
once-in-a-lifetime event, but I would do it again in a heartbeat, perhaps next
time with family along. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: GillSans;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A3MqU4Sw1y8/UfloDVbSg5I/AAAAAAAAB2U/GHesHC8XxpA/s1600/Hobbie+Violin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A3MqU4Sw1y8/UfloDVbSg5I/AAAAAAAAB2U/GHesHC8XxpA/s320/Hobbie+Violin.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-64854007003302642282013-07-24T17:19:00.001-04:002013-07-24T17:19:32.191-04:00Boston Legal Innovation Meetup and "Tech-Enhanced Legal Services"
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Last Thursday July 18<sup>th</sup>
I attended the 2<sup>nd</sup> <a href="http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Legal-Innovation-Meetup"><span style="color: blue;">Boston Legal
Innovation Meetup</span></a>, hosted at the Suffolk University Law School and
sponsored by that school’s <a href="http://lawpracticetechnology.blogs.law.suffolk.edu/"><span style="color: blue;">Institute on Law Practice
Technology and Innovation</span></a> (“SILTI”). Adam Ziegler, former Goodwin Procter
associate and now start-up innovator at Mootus, organized the event, titled “<a href="http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Legal-Innovation-Meetup/events/125759912/"><span style="color: blue;">Tech-Enhanced
Legal Services</span></a>,” and featuring a broad range of experienced legal
innovators. (Bob Ambrogi covered the first event).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am pleased to see
this series of meetings get organized, and am also very happy to see legal innovation
/ legal technology programs launched at two Boston-area law schools. In
addition to the program at Suffolk, which started in the 2012-2013 academic
year, my former Bingham McCutcheon colleague Dan Jackson is directing a program
called “<a href="http://www.northeastern.edu/law/experience/leadership/lab/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">NuLawLab</span></a>”
at Northeastern School of Law. These programs join only slightly more
established programs at Georgetown Law School (see the ILTA KM Blog on <a href="http://km.iltanet.org/2013/05/08/iron-tech-lawyer-competition-budding-legal-engineers-innovate-to-improve-legal-services/"><span style="color: blue;">Iron
Tech Lawyers</span></a>) and at Columbia University, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inter allia</i> (Richard Granat identified <a href="http://www.elawyeringredux.com/2013/05/articles/training-and-education/13-top-law-schools-teaching-law-practice-technology/"><span style="color: blue;">13
such programs</span></a> in May 2013.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My understanding is
that Adam and the other organizers are looking for ideas for future meetups.
Contact him at <a href="http://twitter.com/LawInno"><span style="color: blue;">LawInno</span></a> , the hashtag
for the event going forward is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23lawinno&src=typd" target="_blank">#lawinno</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The meeting showcased
Andrew Perlman’s Google Glasses; document assembly expert <a href="http://capstonepractice.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Marc Lauritsen</span></a>; document assembly
vendor <a href="http://www.exari.com/the-team-usa.html"><span style="color: blue;">Terry Lee</span></a> of Exari,
and LawWithoutWalls Miami University professor <a href="http://www.law.miami.edu/faculty-administration/michele-destefano.php?op=1"><span style="color: blue;">Michele
DeStefano</span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Google Glass At Work<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The meeting started
off an appropriately geeky note. SILTI’s leader Andrew Perlman demonstrated
Google Glass, the mini-computer masquerading as a chunky pair of eyeglasses.
Once the Bluetooth connection to the projector was set up he demonstrated voice
commands, taking pictures, taking video, Googling the next Red Sox - Yankees
game and Googling images of Niagara Falls. It also has built-in messaging and,
appropriately for wearable computing, can provide turn by turn directions to
Quincy Market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He proposed several
uses for this technology in legal academia. He'll be using it in his legal
teaching by providing another way for students to ask questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He proposes that they could also be used in a
legal clinic where the pretend client would wear Glass and record the law
student taking the "client" interview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In legal practice, he
suggests that another possible application would be to use it to record a
deposition and have a Google Hangout going where other lawyers view the
deposition and make suggestions through Glass, potentially saving client spend
on lawyer travel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Document Assembly Landscape<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Marc Lauritsen next
spoke and gave a sweeping overview of the document assembly, automation, and
management area, its past and future. Marc teaches "Lawyering in Age of
Smart Machines" at SILTI and has his own document automation consulting
operation, and is a very well-informed practitioner of this art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Lauritsen
analogized the recent history of document assembly to the "Cambrian
Explosion" that led to a wild diversity of primitive marine life 500
million years ago. There was a comparable explosion of document automation
companies over the last fifteen years; the market remains small in comparison
to the market for legal technology generally, but has matured in terms of the
number of players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Document automation
includes creation, analysis, and management of documents. Document creation
includes power drafting and auto assembly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Analysis might include disassembly of clauses within an document, or
validation, or meaning extraction. Document management might include storage and
tracking of the documents themselves, or of the legal obligations therein.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Lauritsen mentioned that the remaining document automation
vendors cover a wide range of use-cases:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Content
Bundles such as <a href="http://www.smokeball.com/" target="_blank">Smokeball</a> (for small law firms) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Legal
Services—<a href="https://lawhelpinteractive.org/legal_information_and_forms" target="_blank">LawHelp</a> (there is huge latent demand for intelligent legal documents
serving middle- and lower-income people).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Automated
Legal Reasoning—<a href="http://www.neotalogic.com/" target="_blank">Neota Logic</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Document
Analysis / Benchmarking—<a href="http://www.kmstandards.com/" target="_blank">KM Standards</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Software
Management-style Document Assembly--<a href="http://www.commonaccord.com/" target="_blank">CommonAccord<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Going forward, Mr.
Lauritsen suggested that there will be innovations in collaborative online
drafting, with intermixture of freeform drafting and Q & A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Computers might suggest reuse of a clause, or
might raise an alert when a drafter attempts to define a term already defined. The
growth of interactive systems will change the nature of practice. (Ed.—his thoughts
here reminded me of Kasparov's <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/feb/11/the-chess-master-and-the-computer/" target="_blank">notes about computer-assisted chess</a>, where amateurs working with three weak computer programs were able to beat grandmasters playing without computers as well as the most powerful chess-playing computers playing alone).</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Are we free to code the law?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Lauritsen has recently
written on the legal implications of online legal software. Should it be
suppressible as the unauthorized practice of law?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Lauritsen has <a href="http://spotlight.cali.org/2013/06/05/marc-lauritsen-liberty-justice-and-legal-automata/"><span style="color: blue;">forcefully
argued</span></a> that it should not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A Vendor’s Perspective On Document Automation<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Terry Lee spoke about
the development of a successful document automation company, Exari. While I
knew that Exari is a serious competitor in the law firm document assembly
market, I confess I was surprised at the extent to which its services have been
adopted outside of legal organizations such as law firms, and at the major
drivers for its adoption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exari started out in
Australia, then it went to London; then the big banks realized they needed
auditable ways to create documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
work with 15-20 of the largest firms, but their clients also include large
banks which use Exari for onboarding documents and the like. The prime driver
is auditability and control rather than efficiency (though it is more
efficient).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the time lawyers are
involved, but the market has expanded well beyond law firms and legal
organizations; They've automated non-disclosure agreements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A collaborative
portal allows two people to work on a document at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's been some talk about collaboration at
the industry level. Exari is all .xml behind the scenes. It is all browser-based,
with creation, editing, and approving documents all possible through iPads and
the like. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Lee described a typical
adoption process for Exari. It might start with in-house lawyers using the
forms; then lawyers getting the people in the line of business to use the
forms; then the line-of-business people getting the corporation's clients or
vendors to fill out the forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Document automation
in smaller firms is often integrated with practice management software.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exari doesn't itself provide practice
management software or target smaller firms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exari has partnered
with Vermont Law School to develop a course on how to use document automation;
they've hired the first person to come out of that program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who Should Innovate? Legal Practice vs. Legal Education
vs. Legal Vendors<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Prof. DeStefano
founded the “LawWithoutWalls” program at the Miami University School of Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a very unusual background with a
combination of non-legal advertising experience, legal practice, and academic
excellence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She suggested that
legal educators and legal practitioners are blaming each other for the legal
industries’ failure to innovate and meet clients’ 21<sup>st</sup> century needs,
with questions like “When are legal educators going to train young people to be
21st century lawyers?” and “When will practicing lawyers start to innovate?” Rather
than mutual finger-pointing, she argues for cooperation between the academy and
practitioners to develop young lawyers and legal technologies that will meet
future needs. She calls for more permeability between law providers and law
schools, and also law-related service providers like Exari. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An example of that permeability
is her program’s partnership with the international “Magic Circle” firm Eversheds,
where that firm provides funding and expertise and obtaining opportunities for
its lawyers to work with legal innovators and law students. She believes that
an LPO will likely partner with a law school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Despite vast and
continuing improvements in technology, there will still be economic activities
like litigation funding that people with law degrees will be able to do better
than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Prof. DeStafano
acknowledges that we don’t know what the entire range of future legal careers
will be. How can we train lawyers for jobs that haven't been created yet? She
suggests that students need to learn higher-order skills such as cultural
competency or creating a business plan through attempting them, though they may
fail at first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Networking & Next Event</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As can happen at
meetings with a lot of bright people from diverse backgrounds, the chance to
chat in small groups afterwards was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the
event. I talked to a former Microsoft in-house counsel (who was friends with my
University of Michigan law school roommate), a solo practitioner who is moving
into coaching startups on IP issues (and who <a href="http://stayathomeattorney.wordpress.com/the-blog/"><span style="color: blue;">blogs</span></a>), Suffolk
Law School deans, an experienced elder law attorney; and others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My thanks to Suffolk for the generous
donation of space and after-event food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The next Boston Legal
Innovation Meetup will be hosted by Northeastern School of Law on Wednesday September
11, 2013, and is titled “<a href="http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Legal-Innovation-Meetup/events/130808132/" target="_blank">Legal Design: What Can Lawyers Lean From Design Thinking</a>?” The event is public; simply
obtain a meetup account and join the event (and group).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-33890385913185616262013-06-27T17:00:00.002-04:002013-06-27T17:00:26.020-04:00"New Professions Materialize For JDs" Article PublishedI'm pleased to announce that my <a href="http://epubs.iltanet.org/i/139453/68" target="_blank">article</a> "New Professions Materialize for JDs" in ILTA's Peer-to-Peer magazine has been released. It addresses four career paths for people who have law degrees but do not have a desire to practice law, in the areas of knowledge management (of course!), practice / group management, pricing, and staffing. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately I have to admit that I had nothing to do with the charming goldfish motif. Enjoy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-74199064572542851942013-06-20T16:56:00.000-04:002013-06-20T16:56:16.366-04:00ILTA KM Webinar "An Insider's Guide to New Corporate Drafting Tools"
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">ILTA KM Webinar "An Insider's Guide
to New Corporate Drafting Tools"</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These are my notes on today's webinar,
developed by ILTA KM Peer Group steering committee member Mary Panetta. The
all-star panel provided a coherent and thoughtful look at the challenges of
corporate drafting and some innovative new tools that improve corporate
drafting, which only recently have begun to be used in law firms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Formal
Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Drafting is one of the core activities
of a corporate lawyer. For years, the standard approach to drafting has been
largely manual: gather sample documents, read them side-by-side to determine
their similarities and differences, copy useful provisions, and then edit the
draft agreement to make it appear as if it was drafted by a single writer. Now,
however, there are several technologies that can help expedite and even
automate key parts of the drafting process. During this session, attendees will
hear an overview of the corporate drafting process, various drafting challenges
and the tools that can assist with these challenges. In particular, we will
look at two relatively new tools, Exemplify and KMStandards (formerly KIIAC),
both of which promise to make the drafting process easier and better. Finally,
we will introduce an approach to developing a business case for obtaining
drafting tools.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Speakers:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://twitter.com/vmaryabraham"><span style="color: blue;">V. Mary Abraham</span></a> of <a href="http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Above and Beyond KM</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://twitter.com/johngillies"><span style="color: blue;">John Gillies</span></a>, Director of Practice
Support Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP (and author of a five-part <a href="http://km.iltanet.org/2012/08/21/enterprise-search-implementation-step-5-pilot-testing/"><span style="color: blue;">series</span></a>
on enterprise search on the ILTA KM Blog).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://twitter.com/mlwilliams77"><span style="color: blue;">Meredith L. Williams</span></a>, Chief
Knowledge Officer at Baker Donelson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Why focus on corporate drafting?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corporate drafting takes a lot of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It applies to business transaction practices,
as well as real estate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The extensive
time taken to draft has a real impact on turnaround time and can harm knowledge
sharing within a practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firms want to
constantly improve the quality of their drafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practitioners can minimize risk by bringing a
more disciplined approach to corporate drafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What is the range of corporate drafting?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Abraham</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A vast range of documents and agreements are
produced by corporate lawyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kinds of
documents such as opinions, memoranda, agreements, and organizational
documents, are only high-level categories of documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each kind will require an organized approach
to drafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Gillies:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One logical structure for corporate drafting is to look first at the
type of document (agreement / memo / opinion); the type of agreement
(employment agreement / partnership agreement / purchase agreement); and the
category within an agreement type (e.g., an employment agreement for a senior
executive / manager).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The process and issues for drafting a
particular type of agreement can also be structured in logical form from
highest / broadest categories to the particular and minute issues. In the press
of time we too often accept the structure of a good sample. Clients are better
served by assessing and developing an optimal logical structure for articles
and clauses. Language for each clause needs to be developed, ideally the
"most conforming" language. Each clause also needs to be assessed for
completeness and functionality. Final editing passes for substantive and copy
editing also need to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Williams:
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Technologists implanting corporate drafting
technology should sit down with corporate practitioners to understand their
drafting processes. Three key functional areas for a corporate drafting
attorney are 1) Research and precedent selection, 2) Drafting &
Customization and 3) Review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Evaluate tools by how they fit into
these three functions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tools may fit in
multiple areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">New
Tool:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exemplify<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Williams:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.exemplify.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Exemplify</span></a>
[Ed. -- which I reviewed here <a href="http://caselines.blogspot.com/2012/09/clause-reference-and-creation-tool.html"><span style="color: blue;">in September 2012</span></a>] is a web-based tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Exemplify has been rolled out at Baker Donelson to all of its attorneys.
You start by pasting text into the tool. The tool compares your language against
public EDGAR documents. It shows you additions and variations from your text. One
really valuable feature is the ability to drill down into language specifically
drafted by a specific law firm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Strengths
& Weaknesses<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exemplify can help you review specific
language, but will likely not help you develop your own knowledge management
standards or products.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">One benefit is that it is not hosted. No
IT resources are required. Attorney training has been very limited, less than
10 minutes. Junior associates and senior shareholders alike have taken to it in
certain practice areas that can leverage EDGAR documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> T</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">hey've found that Exemplify generates
great efficiencies because it cuts down on reviews of public documents to
determine "what's market."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Comparing against market also reduces risk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> I</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">t's best when it's used to analyze one
provision at a time. Pasting in multiple provisions is possible but doesn't
work well when used extensively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exemplify is a startup, a new company,
another potential weakness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">New
Tool:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KM Standards<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Gillies:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.kmstandards.com/"><span style="color: blue;">KM
Standards</span></a> (formerly kiiac) works with a specific set of documents that a
law firm submits rather than a vast set of publicly filed documents. If you
"feed" it 65 documents, it will generate a standard set of clauses
and lets you compare a given document to that set. It graphically indicates the
degree of agreement between your (or opposing counsel's) draft and the
standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance a "legal
remedies" clause might be completely novel or different, indicated by a
small red bar next to that clause. KM Standards also indicates clauses that
*don't* appear in your agreement but that appear in most other agreements of
that type.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">KM Standards can be used to develop a
checklist of essential elements of an agreement. Checklist development normally
is a process of polling a certain set of lawyers. Lawyers tend to remember and
flag specific issues that arose during various deals. One module shows the
frequency of occurence of various clauses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Strengths
& Weaknesses<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It can be used to generate contract
standards or model agreements much more quickly than was possible before. KM
Standards can compare many more agreements and clauses than lawyers can handle
individually. The benchmarking and checklist creation modules are very
helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">KM Standards is also web based. KM
Standards can be, however, hosted on a firm's servers. It has a much more
complicated user interface than Exemplify (for instance).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">KM Standards has comparable risk
reduction benefits to Exemplify. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The tool has continuously been improved
for the two years that Mr. Gillies has been using it. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The "base documents" can be
exported to Word but it does not generate properly formatted drafts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Each template is a standalone document;
KM Standards does not generate a clause bank or library.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exemplify and KM Standards do different
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is some overlap but they
do very different things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the business case for the new tools?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Williams:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Build out the exact business problem. Clients
are asking for more efficiency and want their lawyers to produce commoditized
or semi-commoditized documents faster. Define the problem in terms of specific
requirements rather than generally "we need help drafting."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Feature requirements desired might
include drafting time reduction, partner review time reduction, increase
negotiation leverage, minimal cost, low attorney training, and updated
content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Show scenario planning for getting tool
1, tool 2, or no tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Make a business case by how it will
affect attorneys day-to-day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Break down
a "day in the life."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Identify
how the functions they are performing today will change with the new tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, how would benchmarking
provisions against a market standard change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Attorneys will cringe simply on being presented with a new tool. Sell it
to them with respect to particular tasks with which the tool can help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Comparing
The Tools<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where Exemplify "comes with"
the EDGAR collection, KM Standards requires private collection, or also can
leverage documents collected from EDGAR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Gillies mentioned that one issue
with a private collection using KM Standards is the possibility of ethical
walls or confidentiality agreements limiting which attorneys at the firm might
be able to access certain agreements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exemplify does not keep or cache the
language that you paste in to the tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>KM Standards is provided sample agreements and you need to rely on an
NDA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where Exemplify targets individual
clauses, KM Standards starts by analyzing whole documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KM Standards does a little more and is
correspondingly more complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Williams</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exemplify "is a benchmarking tool"
primarily. Its key function is to aid analysis and drafting of specific
clauses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can also reduce risks of
repetitive document drafting, at low cost and resource demands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Exemplify requires minimal KM team
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KM Standards will typically
require some KM support, depending on which features you intend to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Gillies:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KM Standards allows one to quickly identify
the "most standard" model for starting a draft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more detailed analysis is required, the
more KM support may be required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The key value proposition was improving
the KM team's ability to generate precedents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Highlights Ken Adams's blog <a href="http://www.adamsdrafting.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Adams on Contract Drafting</span></a> and two
Cassels Brock resources on <a href="http://ccbb.casselsbrock.com/Menu/Knowledge_Management/?srch=Drafting%20Tips"><span style="color: blue;">drafting
tips</span></a> and <a href="http://ccbb.casselsbrock.com/files/file/docs/CCBB_CBDraftingStyleGuide_1103.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">style
guides</span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gillies highlights
Butterick's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Typography-Lawyers-Matthew-Butterick/dp/1598390775"><span style="color: blue;">Typography
for Lawyers book</span></a> as a means to improve drafting for clients not just other
lawyers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
can you measure the purported improvements in efficiency, risk management, and
quality?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The panel kindly took my question, posed
through the webinar Q&A.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Gillies:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He's reviewed readability (Word tests) on KM
Standard-produced documents, and has found that readability scores tend to be
quite a bit higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham:
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could develop risk reduction assessment by
visualizing the degree of variance initially within a firm's document
collection "before" standards implementation and
"after."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Williams:
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will compare time entries for time taken
to draft certain matters for drafting at six months in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3159786513105695993.post-86947136218605542542013-06-10T12:14:00.001-04:002013-06-10T12:14:32.205-04:00Introvert Out Of The Closet--Video InterviewI sat down via Skype with <a href="http://twitter.com/jd_cot" target="_blank">Marc Luber</a> of the for-profit site <a href="http://jdcareersoutthere.com/" target="_blank">JD Careers Out There</a> and talked about my career path and legal knowledge management. The first segment of that interview has been <a href="http://jdcareersoutthere.com/networking-tips-how-to-seek-advice-while-finding-your-career/" target="_blank">released;</a> in it, I discuss how to go about doing networking via "informational interviews" with people in a profession that you may be investigating. I also talk about how people like me, who are somewhat introverted, can be effective in demanding social situations like interviewing. <br />
<br />
I didn't go into it in the interview, but my premise here is that introversion, like extroversion, is a personality trait. It's pretty much a part of who I am, and not something that I could (or would want to) change. In fact, it's part of what makes me effective at my job--introverts tend to enjoy solo activities like thinking over problems, drafting, and practicing violin. Introverts can enjoy social situations, but they are also drained by them--we recharge alone. The key is to be doing work that you enjoy and are passionnate about--an introvert can communicate as effectively about such matters as an extrovert.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10438652493186627980noreply@blogger.com1