LexConference

Peter Mahler on Law Blogs

LexBlog — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:50:21 -0800

Law blogs are a great way to take the practice of law to the next level. Just ask Peter Mahler, attorney and author of the New York Business Divorce blog. Here Peter and Lorraine Sullivan, Director of Marketing at Farrell Fritz, talk with Kevin O'Keefe and Kevin McKeown about how Peter's blog has elevated his stature in the legal community. Peter offers advice that any lawyer with a blog can implement to improve their own practice. Lorraine outlines the key elements to being a successful blogger by illustrating what makes Peter great at blogging.

Jill Windwer on the Future of Legal Publishing

LexBlog — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:14:05 -0800

Jill Windwer, VP of Digital Products and Law.com at ALM, talks with Kevin O'Keefe about the future of legal publishing online. From video, to webinars, to digital content distribution, Law.com is leading lawyers into the future with many new ways to consume content, both as an aggregator of ALM publications and the originator of many new content offerings. Windwer also offers some great insight on LegalTech, the conference she helped plan for years.

Christy Burke on PR in the Legal Space

LexBlog — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:10:12 -0800

Christy Burke, Founder and President of New York-based PR firm Burke & Company, talks with Kevin O'Keefe about the impact of social media and blogging on the business of PR. In addition to reaching out to bloggers and non-traditional media outlets, Burke talks about the role of getting her clients to blog as part of the new model for engaging decision makers and influencers. Burke & Company specializes in serving the needs of technology companies selling into the legal space.

Peter Vogel on IT Law Blogging

Jake Ludington — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:44:10 -0800

Peter Vogel is among the best lawyers in the country for IT-related legal issues. His Internet, Information Technology, and e-Discovery Blog is widely respected for his informative and authoritative take on legal issues in the information technology space. In the interview with Kevin O'Keefe presented here, Peter Vogel talks about how blogging fits in his practice of the law and his rather unique path to becoming a lawyer.

Monica Bay on Law and Baseball

Jake Ludington — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:36:34 -0800

Monica Bay has been part of ALM for 25 years and is currently editor-in-chief at Law Technology News. Monica talks with Kevin O'Keefe about the successes of LTN, which law firms are going to succeed in the current economic client, and what she's learned about management from being a Yankees fan.

CLECenter.com Online CLE Programs

Jake Ludington — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:42:17 -0800

As more states expand support for online continuing legal education, the opportunity to complete CLE requirements easily and conveniently increases. Kevin McKeown, EVP or Client Development at LexBlog, talks with Ashley Eckel of CLECenter.com about his own continuing legal education, how online education creates opportunities to learn outside the classes available in your state, and why CLECenter.com a the resource you should look to for continuing legal education.

Dan Schwartz on Law Blogging

Jake Ludington — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:14:44 -0800

In the following video interview, Dan Schwartz, an attorney at Pullman & Comley and successful law blog author, talks with LexBlog CEO & Publisher, Kevin O'Keefe, about how his Connecticut Employment Law Blog enhances his ability to practice law. In addition to talking about his own success with blogging, Schwartz offers some key insights in how other lawyers can use blogging as a means to enhance their practice.

Steve Harber of DiscoverReady on i-Decision

Jake Ludington — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:58:35 -0800

DiscoverReady announced their new i-Decision automated document review solution at LegalTech this year. The software is designed to eliminate some of the human error and high cost of attorney hours invested in the document review process. If you've ever participated in a document review, you know that one of the major time components is sifting through information to determine what might or might not be relevant, followed by additional passes to determine relevance. i-Decision takes most of this guess work out by performing a full analysis of every document in the first pass, which more effectively eliminates irrelevant documents from final review stages. In the video interview, LexBlog CEO & Publisher, Kevin O'Keefe, talks with Steve Harber, co-founder of DiscoverReady, about i-Decision and how it can save time and money in document review.

John Day, Tennesse injury lawyer : LexBlog Interviews

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:42:22 -0800

Rob LaGatta interviews John Day, Tennessee injury lawyer, blogger and member of the LexBlog Network. John reflects on why he came all the way out to Seattle for the conference and what he has learned in the first day of the conference.

Bob Ambrogi, lawyer & social media consultant: LexBlog Interviews

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:32:25 -0800

Rob LaGatta speaks with Bob Ambrogi, who gave the keynote at the Avvocating Conference. He shares his insight on what lawyers can do to 'get out there' in the world of social media. Bob also reflects on the themes recurring throughout day 1 of the conference.

Tim Stanley, CEO of Justia, Inc: LexBlog Conferences

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:19:31 -0800

LexBlog speaks with Justia CEO Tim Stanley, who discusses what he talked about in his presentation at the Avvocating conference, how he'd advise lawyers to get started and what Justia is working on right now.

Kathy Gill, Senior Lecturer, Digital Media, University of Washington: LexBlog Interviews

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:50:49 -0800

Kathy Gill, a professor in the Department of Communication lecturing on digital media at the University of Washington, takes a couple minutes to speak with Rob LaGatta after presenting at the 2010 Avvocating Conference.

Doug Mandell of Mandell Law Group: LexBlog Interviews

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:40:22 -0800

LexBlog's Rob LaGatta interviews Doug Mandell, founder of Mandell Law Group, and former General Counsel with LinkedIn. Mandell discusses how lawyers can use LinkedIn and what role it will play for lawyers in the future.

Mark Britton, President & CEO of Avvo : LexBlog Interviews

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:30:58 -0800

LexBlog's Rob LaGatta got a chance to speak with Mark Britton, President and CEO of Avvo, who was (obviously) putting on the well-received Avvocating Conference.

Craig Bachman of Lane Powell, PC : LexBlog Interviews

Lisa Kennelly — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:05:29 -0800

After Lane Powell's "Social Media: Expect the Unexpected" panel wrapped up at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle on July 7 2009, LexBlog's Rob La Gatta spoke with Craig Bachman -- a Portland-based attorney with the firm -- about his use of social media and more.

Get a Life Conference Presentation on Networking Through the Internet

Lisa Kennelly — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:23:32 -0800

Kevin just finished up his presentation at the Get a Life Conference on Networking through the Internet: It's Not About Technology.

I followed along on the live video stream and on Twitter to see the commentary. Here's a sampling of the chatter and reaction to the presentation:

Miami defense lawyer Brian Tannebaum (@btannebaum): This is great. @kevinokeefe is probably making all you SEO addicted idiot lawyers cry.
Chicago consultant Francine McKenna (@retheauditors): #GAL09 @kevinokeefe "Go where the people are. Don't build a shrine to yourself. " Well, I like my blog, but that's why I'm on Twitter.
Chicago legal marketer (@TIFFLS): "If you don't have a gmail account, get one. It's like a social security number.You're going to need it to survive in the world." Kevin O'Keefe
Chicago legal consultant Gwynne Monahan (econwriter5): Law schools don't teach client development. Of course new law school grads suck at client development. #gal09
New York State lawyer and legal technology consultant Nicole Black (@nikiblack): #GAL09 Key to blogs and social media is not how to get your message out, but to listen and interact
New York practice management and business development consultant Allison Shields (@allisonshields): O'Keefe: The key isn't the tool (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) - it's how you use it to engage w/your target audience. #gal09
Marketing consultant Nancy Myrland (@nancymyrland): #GAL09 Kevin's right. Don't do a half-baked job w/these Soc Net'g tools. Spend time, look good, commit, connect, engage.

Get a Life Conference 2009: follow live streaming online

Lisa Kennelly — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:29:50 -0800

LexBlog CEO Kevin O'Keefe is in Chicago this week for the Total Attorneys "Get a Life" Conference. The conference focuses on how to "run your practice without running yourself into the ground." There will be over 20 speakers, discussing client relations, marketing techniques, staff support, and other topics.

For those who couldn't make it to Chicago, you can still follow the speakers and panels online with their live video stream.

There is also a healthy Twitter discussion on the event, which you can follow with the hashtag #gal09.

We'll continue to have some updates and recaps from the conference today and tomorrow.

Legal IT 3.0 recap: Dominic Jaar, conference chair and founder

Lisa Kennelly — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:07:13 -0800

To finish off the week, we reached out to Legal IT founder and conference chair Dominic Jaar for his reflections on the event. Dominic is also legal counsel at Ledjit Consulting Inc.

Though economic concerns took a small toll on attendance, overall the attendees showed how Legal IT has grown since its inception.

"More than 45% of the people were from out of Quebec, which clearly shows the international recognition that LegalIT has achieved," Dominic said.

Read the rest of our email exchange with Dominic after the jump.

Lisa Kennelly: Overall, what were your expectations for the conference, and how did you feel it went?

Dominic Jaar: Year after year, our objective is to educate jurists about the benefits and risk of technologies. We want lawyers, judges, notaries, IT support staff, etc. to know how they could be more effective and improve access to justice by using different technologies and tips. In terms of attendance, given the current economic crisis and the fact that many law firms and organizations have cut CLE budgets, our expectation for this third edition was to get as many people as last year, i.e. 300 attendees. I must admit we failed by less than 20 people. However, we had a greater reach outside of Quebec. More than 45% of the people were from out of Quebec, which clearly shows the international recognition that Legal IT has achieved. We also proud ourselves of bringing world renowned speakers in Montreal for what is now Canada’s premier legal technology conference.

Lisa Kennelly: How did it compare to the two previous years?

Dominic Jaar: As I mentioned, I think that content-wise this edition substantially surpassed previous years in terms of speakers and topics. It was the first year that Legal IT lasted for 2 days and we have had many positive comments regarding the fact that people had time to network and meet with the speakers and sponsors over the two days as opposed to previous years where people did not have as much time to mingle around.

Lisa Kennelly: What sort of feedback have you received from presenters and attendees?

Dominic Jaar: We are now compiling the answers to our annual survey but we have already received many comments, via email and viva voce, from attendees who were thrilled at the content and organization. One must understand that everyone that work on the organizing committee do it for free on top of their demanding full-time job. This partially explains the low price of attending Legal IT. We were told numerous time by attendees and speakers that this is THE conference where you get the most bang for your buck.

From what I have heard and read, speakers have thoroughly enjoyed their trip to Montreal. They felt that the attendees were engaging, organizers were friendly and the food was fantastic! I know you already read about that...

Lisa Kennelly: Did you perceive anything at the conference regarding advances in or attitudes toward legal technology that particularly struck you?

Dominic Jaar: I am always shocked at the questions speakers are getting. As a speaker, I am always surprised to hear people ask about metadata, e-discovery 101, OCR, blogs, etc. I feel this topics are so 1999! However, it must be the time that I spend with many experts across the world that makes me a tough crowd!

On the other hand, I am always glad to see attendees leave the conference after learning new tricks. We had a judges panel over lunch about technologies in the courtroom and must say that I have been pleased to hear that judges are waiting for and expecting lawyers to use technologies in a more sophisticated and savvy fashion. I think this is amongst the most powerful statement we have heard at LegalIT this year. Let’s hope the judges will be heard!

Live from Legal IT 3.0: Connie Crosby of Crosby Group Consulting

Lisa Kennelly — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:45:49 -0800

For our final, a bit belated, interview from Legal IT 3.0, we have social media consultant Connie Crosby of Crosby Group Consulting.

Connie joined Kevin O'Keefe for the Monday session on "Building a Better Web Presence" and she also blogged and Twittered about the conference.

Read more of our email exchange with Connie after the jump.

Lisa Kennelly: What were your overall impressions of the conference?

Connie Crosby: It was my first time attending, and I was only there for part of day one, but I found it extremely informative. I took lots of notes at the sessions I did attend. In some ways it was a wake-up call for me and others that it is time to really practice what we preach and really start using the electronic tools at our disposal.

Lisa Kennelly: What session or panel did you find most interesting or compelling?

Connie Crosby: During the first day lunch, conference organizer Dominic Jaar spoke along with Hon. Jean-Pierre Bonin of the Court of Quebec and Hon. John D. Murphy of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on information technologies and the Judiciary. I found this talk particularly compelling because the judges were all but pleading with Canadian lawyers to stop using paper and to submit materials electronically. Essentially the courts want to be more technologically efficient, but they can't improve until lawyers become drivers of technology.

In particular, Dominic pointed out that 95% of documents in the law firm are created electronically, while 95% of documents submitted to courts across Canada are in paper. That means that the paper received by the courts has to be scanned back into electronic versions, and metadata reapplied. I was shocked as to what a huge disconnect there is! And it is the clients who pay for this inefficiency. I see a huge opportunity here for making things so much better in our legal system.

Lisa Kennelly: What response, if any, did you get from attendees to your Online Marketing panel with Kevin and Steve Matthews?

Connie Crosby: I had some very positive feedback. Essentially we had Kevin and Steve talk about how to build a web presence online using a number of tools, and I "drove" the Internet on the screen behind them, giving everyone a visual of what they were discussing. No PowerPoint. Those who approached me afterward said it was a very effective presentation method, and they wished other sessions had been done in this way. I hope, though, that they heard some of what we were saying, too.

Lisa Kennelly: Do you see any difference between Canada and the US in terms of their respective legal communities' openness or willingness to embrace technology and social media?

Connie Crosby: From where I sit, we all appear to be in the same boat. There is a small percentage who are exploring what is being used in the business world today, seeing how we can leverage the tools to advance ourselves and what we do for our clients. The rest either are averse to it or just have not yet heard that things like blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter can raise their profiles immensely.

Adoption is slow in both countries, but there are some jumping in with both feet and getting the full benefit of tools for networking and self-publishing. It does take time for these things to reach a wide adoption rate, especially in a conservative profession such as the law. Those who try it out this early will have a huge advantage over others who don't; this can really allow smaller firms to raise themselves up to compete with larger firms.

Live from Legal IT 3.0: Craig Ball, computer forensics expert

Lisa Kennelly — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:41:05 -0800

This post comes a day after Legal IT 3.0 concluded, but we wanted to be sure to get you the answers from Texas trial lawyer and computer forensics expert Craig Ball, another attendee and speaker.

Craig gave his popular presentation, "Power Persuasion (using PowerPoint in novel ways to increase attention of your audience)" and also presented on e-discovery, "Ten Nerdy Things You Need to Know about E-Discovery."

Read more of our email exchange with Craig after the jump.

Lisa Kennelly: What are your overall impressions of the conference?

Craig Ball: I found it a well run conference built on engaging topics and capable speakers. If any legal tech conference deserves to be called "classy," it's this one. Really nice, bright volunteer staff.

You will only derive maximum value from this conference if you are bilingual in English and French. Some speakers—including [yesterday] morning's keynote—delivered their presentations exclusively in French, without translation.

Lisa Kennelly: What session or panel have you found most interesting or compelling?

Craig Ball: I really can't single out any program over another. I go to so many of these events, that there isn't much I haven't heard before. Consequently, I'm a poor arbiter. All I saw were well prepared, but no barn burners.

Lisa Kennelly: Do you see any difference between Canada and the US in terms of their respective legal communities' openness or willingness to embrace technology and social media?

Craig Ball: My impression is that Canadian lawyers' embrace of technology resembles the status of forensic technology among lawyers in the States as it was perhaps ten years ago. It's a bit of a time tunnel, but not necessarily backward. No one seems particularly unhappy with the state of affairs; and if it ain't broke, no hurry to grab the tiger's tail that is e-discovery.

There is very little execution on electronic discovery, although the discipline is finding recognition in the Rules. The Sedona Conference has a lot of stroke here—perhaps more than in the States. Judges are receptive to EDD, but lawyers are not driving EDD issues into court here. My sense is that some judges are almost longing to grapple with some of the e-ddiscovery issues like those seen in the U.S. The paucity of juries and small size and collegiality of the bar may account for the lack of issues making it to court. I think I've worked in buildings with more lawyers in them than in all of Nova Scotia.