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« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »

March 30, 2006

Where are the Lawyers at Legal Technology Seminars These Days?

The nice people at IKON put on a great legal technology seminar in St. Louis yesterday. I learned a lot and took a lot of notes. Among other things, there was great coverage of electronic discovery, records management and legal tech from the corporate law department point of view (something I call "client-driven technology").

It was well-attended (more than 70 people), but when they "qualified the audience," there were only a handful of lawyers in the room.

The rest were IT staff, paralegals and legal administrators. I've noticed this trend over the last several months as I've attended legal technology and electronic discovery seminar sessions that are increasingly made up of IT people rather than lawyers.

Maybe I'm off target, but I feel that lawyers should want to hear a representative from the legal department of a major corporation talk about where they would like to go with their technology and how their law firms could help them. They might also like to know where their clients feel that their law firms are not responsive enough.

If you want one "take-away" to consider carefully, it was this: corporate legal departments are increasingly being called on to be part of the business team in terms of budgeting and other standard business approaches. Law firms that do not help them do that should expect to find a growing impatience. Electronic billing is one way to help.

I learned a good deal about the current state of affairs in electronic discovery, compliance and records management, and other things as well, but, looking back on my notes, I can't help but notice this comment - "What is the mix of this audience and where are the lawyers?"

If you are one of those lawyers who seem to be staying away from good educational events on legal technology, let me encourage you to attend ABA TECHSHOW 2006. Hope to see you there. I guarantee that you'll get a competitive advantage over the lawyers who seem to be isolating themselves from learning about the leading technology issues of the day that are front-and-center for their clients.

My thank you goes out to IKON for inviting me to this seminar and I'm glad I had a gap in my schedule to attend it. Well worth it and, if this show comes to your town, I recommend it.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 07:41 PM | Comments (3)

March 29, 2006

Keeping Your Mobile Phone or PDA with You For Always

Martin Geddes at the Telepocalypse blog reports on a "just when you thought you had heard of everything" story of people being buried with their cell phones at their sides in their caskets.

No reports yet of people being buried wearing those headsets with the bright blue LEDs. However, there are apparently stories of people being buried with extra batteries.

Hey, if you consider what ancient pharoahs and royalty have been buried with, maybe it's no so strange.

Well . . . yes, it is strange.

In my case (thank you Verizon), my reception six feet underground probably cannot be any worse than the reception I get on my cell phone at my house.

By the way, I like how Martin turns this weird story into a lesson that he draws about the telcom industry. I met and had dinner with Martin last year after the Chicago BlogWalk and was greatly impressed with his knowledge of the telcom industry and its trends and challenges. Be sure to read his whole post.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.

Posted by dmk at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2006

Congratulations to Evan Schaeffer on a Year of Podcasting Legally

I listened today to Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground Podcast #47, which is his un-anniversary podcast honoring his first anniversary of podcasting.

As always, it's well-produced, witty, insightful and very professional. If you wondered what podcasting is and how lawyers might use it, this is a great podcast to check out. It's just over 8 minutes long, so it's an easy one to get on your to-listen list.

Longtime readers of this blog, especially those with sharp memories, will recall that Evan's podcast won my 2005 Blawggie Award for Best Legal Podcast.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.


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Posted by dmk at 05:14 PM | Comments (0)

BlawgWorld 2006 eBook Now Available for Public Download

TechnoLawyer's BlawgWorld 2006 is a great sampler of useful, thought-provoking and enjoyable blog posts from more than fifty of the many law-related blogs out there these days, including two posts from me - one from this blog and one from the Between Lawyers blog. Download it for free here.

BlawgWorld 2006 gives those new to the world of blogging a great sampling of the range and nature of the law-related blogs. It's not comprehensive, or even designed to be, but it's a very nice sampler, especially for those who have heard about blogs, but haven't really read any blogs yet.

Although it's easy for people these days to over-think and over-discuss the whole "blogging phenomenon," I will note that if you read through BlawgWorld 2006, you'll see why I've begun to describe blogs as "online newspaper or magazine columns without the newspaper or magazine." Don't think so much about the items in the eBook as part of "blogging," just view them as short, informative and enjoyable articles.

Download it for free here.

blawgworldbook.png


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.


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Posted by dmk at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2006

National Sleep Awareness Week 2006 Starts Today

I'll be ringing in National Sleep Awareness Week this evening by taking a follow-up sleep study tonight. As some of you know, I'm among the estimated 18 million Americans trying to deal with sleep apnea. My condition has lasted several years and is characterized as mild-to-moderate (but still difficult). I have made some significant improvement and have gotten praise from my doctors for doing everything they suggest.

As a result, I've become a big advocate for getting sleep-tested when the symptoms are apparent (male, over 40, snorer, 17" neck size, to name a few). For more info, check out this article and Wikipedia entry.

If you have sleep apnea or know someone who does (or might have), the best resource I've found is Paretz Lavie's excellent book, Restless Nights.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).


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Posted by dmk at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2006

SaaS: The Next Big Thing?

Eric Knorr's InfoWorld article called "Software as a Service: The Next Big Thing" is a great overview of the current state of affairs in the world of the "hot" Software as a Service ("SaaS") trend.

Although it's tempting to see SaaS as the old Application Service Provider model with a new name, those in the SaaS industry see some important differences, or at least some important evolutionary developments. This article helps you see those differences.

The article points to Salesforce.com as a leader in SaaS and, more specifically, its AppExchange as the key development to watch in this area.

Even though the following quote is pretty technical and jargon-laden, you will be well rewarded for unpacking this one, making it my money quote:

The ultimate disruptive effect of the “services wave” may well resemble that of the dot-com era, when companies that were smart about leveraging the Web exploited unforeseen growth opportunities. As the viral growth of Web 2.0 mash-ups and walled gardens like AppExchange make clear, every true SaaS application is potentially part of an XML-driven ecosystem.

As you probably know, I've long been a fan of the ASP, hosted services or SaaS model as a technology strategy and have written and spoken about it on many occasions over the years.

You can also read about my thoughts on the unique legal issues raised by SaaS approaches in Jennifer Jones's ComputerWorld article called "Data Diligence."


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)

Replay of Law Firm Tech Committee Webinar Available

Aspen Conferencing has made the replay of my recent video webinar "Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees" available for free viewing. You can view it here (https://ase.on.raindance.com/confmgr/view_stored_doc.jsp? docId=91919523631781116747306485130&docType=recording).

I encourage you to check it out and let me know what you think.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page. This post brought to you by Dennis Kennedy's legal technology consulting services, featuring RSS and blogging consulting, technology audit, strategic planning and technology committee coaching packages especially for medium-sized law firms (15 - 100 lawyers) and corporate legal departments. More information on the "Second Pair of Eyes" packages for legal technology audits and strategic planning may be found here (PDF).


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Posted by dmk at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2006

Introduction to the OODA Loop and its Business Implications

I mention John Boyd's OODA Loop on this blog from time to time. OODA is an acronym for Observe - Orient - Decide - Act. I'm fascinated by the OODA Loop literature and the discussions around the topic.

Chet Richards, one of the leading thinkers on the OODA Loop, has recently made available his PowerPoint slides for a briefing that explains the OODA Loop. The presentation is an excellent introduction and I especially recommend it to anyone who wonders what the heck I'm talking about when I mention the OODA Loop.

I also recommend it to those who might like to join a conversation with me about the implications of the OODA Loop in the practice of law and Law 2.0.

Perhaps an even better introduction to the business implications of the OODA Loop and Boyd's thinking bbis Richards' Certain to Win PowerPoint presentation (with lots of notes).

If you want to dig deeper into to this very rich vein, I thoroughly recommend Robert Coram's Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War and Chet Richards' Certain to Win.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.


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Posted by dmk at 09:11 PM | Comments (0)

Strategic Planning Tips for Mid-sized Law Firms (and Others)

I'm a fan of Tom Collins and his More Partner Income blog. Today, he features a guest post from John Remsen, Jr. called "Keys to Successful Strategic Planning."

It's a good list of sound, solid information with an eye toward the needs of mid-sized firms.

The money quote:

Many midsized firms seem to think that strategic planning is for larger firms. However, any firm with an eye toward the future can benefit from the process. Planning can help a firm develop a consensus on key big-picture issues, promote internal communication within the firm, inspire attorneys to get out and do things they wouldn’t otherwise do, and help the firm allocate its resources more effectively.

My favorite tip relates to measuring and rewarding desired behavior.

A good strategic plan makes your technology (and other) decisions so much easier. If you have a good strategic plan, you'll see the benefits of creating a strategic technology plan for your firm, something that really makes sense in the mid-sized law firm category.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

This post brought to you by Dennis Kennedy's legal technology consulting services, featuring RSS and blogging consulting, technology audit, strategic planning and technology committee coaching packages especially for medium-sized law firms (15 - 100 lawyers) and corporate legal departments. More information on the "Second Pair of Eyes" packages for legal technology audits and strategic planning may be found here (PDF).

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Posted by dmk at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2006

Trimming Your News Aggregator Subscriptions

Fred Faulkner's "Information Overload = Loss in Productivity: Trimming Down the News Aggregator Fat" offers some good practical tips for people who feel that they have subscribed to too many RSS feeds from blogs and other resources. How many is too many? Well, that can vary - see my post called "Heart of Blogness."

Here are a few techniques I use:

1. Saved Searches. Most newsreaders allow you to run searches over all of the posts in your newsreader. I have a set of saved searches on terms of interest to me (e.g., ABA TECHSHOW or LexThink). These "saved search" folders will locate any posts from all of the feeds to which you subscribe that contain those terms. In a certain sense, they make the total number of feeds to which you subscribe irrelevant. You can easily get to the posts that interest you. Long-term potential problem: too many saved searches.

2. The "River of News" approach. There's no requirement that you read every post in every feed in your aggregator. Think of a newspaper - you don't read every item in a newspaper. Your news aggregator will probably have a folder that collects all items that are from "today" or "unread." Simply scroll through, as if browsing a newspaper, and read what catches your attention without considering which blog or feed the item comes from. If you build up a backlog of unread posts, simply mark them "read" and move forward. Again, in this approach, there's no real need to limit your number of subscribed feeds.

3. "Page 1 / Page 2." I used to organized subscribed feeds in folders by category. However, the number of category folders can grow and your system can become unwieldy. I'm now trying an approach that is almost the reverse of Steve Nipper's "probation folder" approach. I have a "Page 1" folder and a "Page 2" folder. The Page 1 folder contains feeds I like to read on a daily basis. "Page 2" is everything else. I may move items from Page 1 to Page 2 and vice versa on a regular basis. As you might expect, I tend to read most of the items in Page 1. I tend not to read most of the items in Page 2 (but, remember that I'm catching the items that interest me in Page 2 with my saved searches or I may see them if I am reading in the "River of News" mode).

I haven't found it to be a good use of time to do a lot of trimming of feeds, although I will delete a good number of feeds from time to time. If I find a new feed, I'll subscribe to it and throw into Page 2 (or, rarely, right into Page 1). If something continues to catch my attention, I'll move it into Page 1.

I've found that this combination of approaches serves me well and offers me several techniques to use depending on the time I have available, what my mood is and other factors.

It also seems to scale pretty well as you move up in the number of feeds. I prefer to add a few more feeds that try to delete feeds that I basically like in order to get down to an arbitrary number of feed subscriptions.

By the way, if you don't use a news aggregator and this seems oh-so-arcane to you, remember that (assuming that you are reading this post on my blog) you can get each of my new blog posts delivered to you automatically via email by using the Feedblitz subscription form in the left column of the front page of my blog.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2006

A Better Way for Lawyers to Accept Credit Card Payments? Special Offer for Readers of this Blog

I've always liked to try new ideas on my blog that might benefit my audience. Here's the latest one.

I was contacted recently by the nice people at "Accept by Phone" about their merchant credit card accounts built with attorneys who bill for their time in mind.

They offered and now actually agreed to do something special for my blog audience for the next 4 days (through March 25).

"Accept by Phone" is one of those ideas that works just like it sounds. You can process payments from a client quickly by dialing a toll-free number, entering your client's credit card number through an automated system, and then authorizing and processing the payment, all in a few seconds.

The pertinent facts: The system supports Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover cards. Payments will automatically transfer from your Accept by Phone merchant account to your own bank account in about 24-72 hours.

So, what are the advantages, you might be wondering, as I did. It only costs $5.00 a month and 3.95% per sale. There are no equipment leases (that's an important feature) or other add-on fees, and you can cancel at any time without penalty. Hey, they even include free sales slips.

It's simple and it might be a good way for you to eliminate the hassles of dealing with bad checks, late payments and accounts receivable - and it could also help some of your clients to pay their legal fees. And you can accept payments from anywhere.

That's the idea of Accept by Phone. I liked what they told me about the service and said that I'd be happy to publicize the service if they would do a special promotion for readers of my blog. I'm getting no commission. We're trying this as a blog marketing experiment.

They agreed, and here is the special offer:

Normally, it's $99.00 to apply for an account. For the next four days, that application fee is waived if you use the codes below. Think of it as a $99 reader appreciation gift.

To take advantage of this offer and bypass the $99.00 fee to apply, you must click on the "Special Offer Login" link on http://www.accept-by-phone.com/attorneys.html (or go directly to http://www.accept-by-phone.com/spec_offer.html. Study the service carefully and see if it makes sense for you and your needs. I'm happy to bring the offer to you, but you'll need to do your own due diligence.

Then use the following user name and password to apply to receive the application fee waiver.

Username: techlaw

Password: abp7

If you have been considering accepting credit card payments, then be sure to take a good look at what Accept By Phone is offering.

This special offer will only be available until 11:59 PM, Saturday (March 25).


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).

Posted by dmk at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

Ray Bradbury on the Uneasy Coexistence of Art with Advertising

Something to think about:

"If you go to the newsstand today, you see 1,000 magazines, and there's hardly an idea in them. They've been invaded by advertising. I had a poem in Good Housekeeping a few years ago. I looked through and I couldn't find it. I finally called them and asked, 'Where's my damn poem?' It was on Page 150, opposite the Clorox ad."

Ray Bradbury, author of Farenheit 451

From the March 19 NY Times via the Rock & Rap Confidential email list.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).


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Posted by dmk at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2006

Top Ten Tips for Law Firm Technology Committees

I've written a new article on my top ten tips for law firm technology committees that distills and captures in one place a lot of my current thinking on legal technology. This article will only be available to attendees of the video webinar I'll be presenting on Tuesday, March 21.

Here are the details:

Last Call: 'll be presenting my first video webinar on Tuesday, March 21 (12:30 Central time), thanks to Anthony Reading and Aspen Conferencing.

The free webinar is called "Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees: Making Good Decisions in a Time of Too Many Choices." Registration details are at http://www.aspenconferencing.com/invite.html#.

If you are a member of a law firm technology committee, are appointing members to a tech committee or may join a tech committee in the near future, please join us for this informative, thought-provoking and action-oriented presentation.

There are a limited number of slots for the webinar, so I encourage you to register soon. It's free and you will get some great information not available elsewhere.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2006

Reminder: Dennis Kennedy's Video Webinar on Law Firm Technology Committee Best Practices on March 21

As I posted recently, I'll be presenting my first video webinar on Tuesday, March 21 (12:30 Central time), thanks to Anthony Reading and Aspen Conferencing.

The free webinar is called "Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees: Making Good Decisions in a Time of Too Many Choices." Registration details are at http://www.aspenconferencing.com/invite.html#.

The webinar will provide ideas and information on law firm technology committees that is solid, practical and based on my experience and what I've learned from others.

I've written a new article on my ten tips for law firm technology committees that distills and captures in one place a lot of my current thinking on legal technology. This article will only be available to attendees of the webinar.

I spent some time with Anthony today learning the technology and I'm excited about not only the video aspect of this, but some of the tools for presenters that I'll have available.

The webinar will cover:

Building a Solid Foundation

1. The technology committee horror story that you don't want to have to tell.

2. Technology committee basics - answers to the questions: who? how? and what to do?

Moving Forward with Style, Support and Success

3. Getting things done - focus, strategy and what really works.

4. Setting your agenda - point A, point B and getting from point A to point B.

Making Your Best Plan for 2006 and Beyond

5. Dennis Kennedy's Top Ten Tips for Technology Committees in 2006 (available only to attendees of this seminar).

6. A sampling of Dennis Kennedy's favorite action steps to help you get to a great start at your firm.


If you are a member of a law firm technology committee, are appointing members to a tech committee or may join a tech committee in the near future, please join us for this informative, thought-provoking and action-oriented presentation.

There are a limited number of slots for the webinar, so I encourage you to register soon. It's free and you will get some great information not available elsewhere.

If you would like to receive information on other resources I may be providing in the future for law firm technology committees, please email me with your contact info at denniskennedyblog @ gmail.com.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 07:27 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2006

Blog Posts That Got My Attention Today

A few blog posts I liked today, all of which will make you stop and think:

Shelley Powers' "Simple Philosophy"

David Maister's "Why Training is Useless"

Deborah McMurray's "Are companies really firing their outside law firms in record numbers?"

Tyler Cowen's "Why don't more businesses use prediction markets?"

Steve Dembo's "EdTech Connect Webinar Series| DiscoverySchool.com"

Jonathan Snook's "Feeds as a platform + future of aggregators"

MasterMaq's "Teaching Kids About Cybersecurity"

Jesper Bindslev's "Strategic Agility and Corporate Blogging - The OODA loop as a model for organizing corporate blogging activities"

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.

Posted by dmk at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)

Archived Version of My Information Lifecycle Management Webinar Available

RenewData is making the recording of my recent webinar on information lifecycle management available here.

I'd like to thank RenewData (especially Alan Brooks, Eric Feistel and Rob Robinson) and the audience for making this presentation a very enjoyable experience for me. You can download the white paper on which the presentation was based here.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.


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Posted by dmk at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2006

TECHSHOW Early Bird Discount Deadline Extended, But Act Soon

Jim Calloway reports that the deadline for getting the early bird discount for the ABA TECHSHOW has been extended until March 17.

As a former TECHSHOW Board member, I'll always have a fondness for TECHSHOW and encourage you to attend if you want to learn more about ways that technology is transforming the practice of law. This year is the 20th anniversary of TECHSHOW and it should be one of the best shows ever. I'll be speaking at a couple of sessions and hope to see you there.

TECHSHOW is being held this year in connection with the Spring Meeting of the ABA's Law Practice Management Section. Joining the Law Practice Management Section (especially getting involved in Section activities) has been one of the smartest moves I've made in my legal career. This year, you have an opportunity to attend TECHSHOW and also attend the regular LPM Section meeting to learn more and consider joining.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 07:08 PM | Comments (0)

Flying Solo: Buy and Download the Chapters You Need

One of the essential resources for amy lawyer with a solo practice (or planning to start one) is the Fourth Edition of the book, Flying Solo, edited by Bill Gibson.

Some solos may want to learn about specific issues and not wish to buy the entire book. The good news is that if you are only interested in a few chapters, you can download about half of the chapters as individual downloads so you can get exactly the materials you need.

Along with Storm Evans, I edited the technology chapters in Flying Solo and it's good to see that they are well-represented in the available downloads.

I wrote three chapters for the book, all of which are available for download: Email Management; Computer Security for Solos; and Leaving a Firm: Guidelines for a Smoother Transition. The chapter on leaving a firm has surprised me with the amount of positive response it has gotten.

There are lots of other helpful chapters available for download and the book is hard to beat.

Other great resources for solo lawyers include the excellent MyShingle.com site and the new Oklahoma Bar Association Starting a Law Practice Web Directory.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2006

Last Chance to Register for My Information Governance Webinar on March 15

On March 15, I'll be presenting the webinar "Making the 'Right' Decision at the Information Lifecycle Management Crossroads." Registration details are here.

We can both better manage risk and extract more business value from our information if we consider carefully how we treat information at each stage from the time of its creation to its final disposal. That's information lifecycle management, and this webinar addresses some practical approaches for addressing these issues.

The webinar is based on a white paper on this topic I recently wrote for RenewData (white paper available for free download here).

I invite you to join me on the 15th to learn more about this topic.

A big thank you to my friends at RenewData for making this happen.

Register here.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.


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Posted by dmk at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2006

Tracking the Way You Navigate Other Websites Will Help You Improve Your Website

This post is a follow-up to yesterday's post called "Current Standards in Law Firm Websites - Some Improvements for You to Consider."

I visited a website today because I wanted to find out more about the company (not a law firm) and its services, but really more about the company.

I went to the home page. Unlike too many pages these days, this site had general pricing information and service descriptions displayed prominently on the home page.

Then I looked for and found a navigation bar near the top of the page. I was looking for a tab that said "About Us." I found it, but also saw that there was a "What We Believe" tab.

I went to the "What We Believe" page. It was personal and created a good impression about the company.

Then I went to the "About Us" page to see what it said. It had a nice picture of the company founder and a well-written, friendly description of the company and its services.

I saw a link to "Testimonials" and went there to see what people had to say about the company. (Note that law firms are probably prohibited under the applicable ethical rules from using anything like standard testimonials, but notice how important they are in the thought process when we navigate other websites).

Next, I saw that the site had an "FAQ" or "Frequently Asked Questions" page and I took a look at that. Now I was ready for a "Demo" or "Tutorial" page, and I found one.

Finally, I looked in the top navigation bar and found the "Contact Us" tab and went to a page that gave me multiple ways to contact the company.

In terms of a user experience, this was a home run. The site was otherwise nothing special in terms of design or use of current gee-whiz tools.

How does your website stack up when you run it through the same thought process?

Given that law firm websites probably are prohibited from doing testimonial and demo pages, and FAQ pages are extremely rare on law firm websites, look at how you are short-circuiting the normal thought and navigation process, making it likely that a visitor will bail out before trying to contact you. If you then make it hard to contact you, it's difficult to see how your website is really helping you.

Think about it. Then give your site a test.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by Dennis Kennedy's legal technology consulting services, featuring RSS and blogging consulting, technology audit, strategic planning and technology committee coaching packages especially for medium-sized law firms (15 - 100 lawyers) and corporate legal departments. More information on the "Second Pair of Eyes" packages for legal technology audits and strategic planning may be found here (PDF).


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Posted by dmk at 05:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2006

Current Standards in Law Firm Websites - Some Improvements for You to Consider

I've spent some time recently doing some research that required me to look at a lot of law firm websites. I have a few observations.

I first wrote and spoke about law firm web pages in 1996. You can see a review of St. Louis law firm sites I did in 1998/1999 here, which might be interesting for nostalgia and other reasons. Most of my wrting on law firm web pages can be found in the collected columns called The Internet Roundtable I co-write with Jerry Lawson and Brenda Howard on LLRX.com.

However, I have written much, if anything, about websites in the blog/RSS era - that's how much blogs and RSS have changed the landscape.

It would be very instructive for firms without blogs to look at a few law-related blogs and then visit their own website. Traditional websites seem so, well, static in comparison.

I was looking for specific information, including contact information for individual lawyers, so I did not take an in-depth look at any of the sites I visited. In general, my sense is that many firms have websites that are working against them and not for them.

Here are a few problem areas:

1. Not Considering Likely Usage. Many times, I go to a law firm website simply to get contact information for a lawyer or the firm (phone number, mailing address , email address). I have to believe that this a common reason people go to websites. It surprises me how many websites do not have the office mailing addresss and main phone number on the front page. It shocks me, though, how difficult some sites make it to find that information. As an another example, it can take a trip to several pages and a search box or two to find lawyer bios, some of which still do not include phone numbers and email addresses. It's almost impossible to put standard contact info in too many places on a website.

2. Making the Biographies Hard to Find and Use. I do not mind finding a page that has a short bio (with contact info) and a link to PDF version of the full (long) bio. However, some firms force you to go directly to the long PDF bio (which sometimes does not have the firm's name or the lawyer's direct dial number or email address). Even worse, some of the long PDF bios have not been optimized for the web and take a long time to download. PDFs can be quite useful, especially if you expect someone to print them out, but what happens a few weeks or months later when I look at the printout of your bio and it doesn't include the firm name on it or other contact info?

3. Building a Fortress Around Your Email Addresses. Many times, I go to a law firm website just to get an email address for someone I've met or already know. At some law firm websites, it would be easier to get into the office safe than it is to get a lawyer's email address. While my guess is that this is done as a spam prevention technique, it sends a clear "do not email us" message. This is bad idea for at least three reasons. 1. Your clients and people who might be looking for your email address to ask you if you were interested in a referral might not bother to track you down by other routes. 2. In every case where there was a method to shield email addresses in some way, I could find the email address through Google or another route. 3. These techniques offer no protection against spammers, but they do work to discourage people from sending you work. By the way, many bloggers also are guilty of this.

4. Forgetting the Non-Lawyers in the Firm. From legal administrators to IT directors to librarians and others, many firms have employees who appear in public through speaking, writing and other channels. As many people have noted, very few law firm websites contain any mention whatsoever of these people. That's unfortunate because someone may have met one of these people and then try to contact them as an entry point for a potential new client or referral.

5. A Relentlessly Internal Focus. Law firm websites generally are organized in ways that make sense only to insiders of the firm. This makes them expecially hard to use and navigate.

Oh, you wouldn't be surprised to find that I had a bunch of other observations as well, but these struck me as being both very basic and very fixable.

It's probably a good time to look at your law firm's website with fresh eyes.

Here are three suggestions:

1. Visit 5 or 6 of the websites (non-law) that you use on a regular basis (Amazon, et al). Then visit your law firm's website.

2. Visit 5 or 6 of your clients' websites. Then visit your website.

3. Visit a few of the websites of your law firm competitors. Then visit your website.

I think that you'll have plenty of notes by the end of that process.

Although many of the tools and feature of websites have changed in the last ten years, most of the core principles remain in place. First and foremost of the principles is to think like someone who is actually trying to use your website.

By the way, I did bail out on some websites before finding the contact information I wanted. I hope it wasn't your website, but can you be sure it wasn't?


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology and law firm websites at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 12:20 PM | Comments (1)

A Just-In-Time Knowledge Base For Corporate Counsel For Innovative Companies

"A Just-In-Time Knowledge Base For Corporate Counsel For Innovative Companies" is a new article of mine that was just published in the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel magazine. I wrote this article on behalf of LawyerLinks and, as you will see from the article, I''m convinced that LawyerLinks is an attractive use of technology that lawyers will find exceptionally useful in the areas of corporate and securities law.

LawyerLinks is another example of a use of technology tool that helps a lawyer work the way that lawyers work rather than forcing a lawyer to work the way a technology tool works. Read the article and see what you think.

I've recently branched out into writing the occasional commissioned articles and white papers on topics, products and services that appeal to me. I'd be happy to discuss that further with you.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2006

Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees Videocast

I've served on technology committees for the law firms I've worked at and regularly talk to lawyers on technology committees. I've noticed that there is a lack of solid information targeted directly to tech committees and tech committee members. In fact, it would be impossible for me not to notice because my friends on tech committees regularly ask me about this.

So, I've decided to see if I can help provide some information for this audience that is solid, practical and based on my experience and what I've learned from others.

My friend Anthony Reading at Aspen Conferencing is helping me take the first step down this path by producing a free video webinar on March 21 that will showcase the very cool videoconferencing technologies at Aspen. The webinar is called "Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees: Making Good Decisions in a Time of Too Many Choices." Registration details are at http://www.aspenconferencing.com/invite.html#.

Here's the program description:

In this first of its kind video seminar called "Best Practices for Law Firm Technology Committees," legal technology expert Dennis Kennedy will cover what you and your law firm must know about setting up or fine-tuning a technology committee and help your firm deal with the technology issues of today and tomorrow.

Every law firm has at least an informal technology committee and all firms with ten or more lawyers either have or should have a formal technology committee. However, it is rare to find lawyers, IT directors or law firm managers who feel that their firm's technology committee functions at an optimal level.

As a member of a technology committee, you want to learn more about the issues your firm faces, understand the legal technology landscape and determine how to make good decisions and set priorities.

Management committees want to know how to select the right people for technology committees. Both lawyers and IT people want to learn how to communicate better.

In this sixty-minute session, Dennis Kennedy will take you from "Tech Committee 101" to the best practices he recommends for law firm tech committees today. He believes that law firms have reached a crossroads on technology and that it is vital for firms to make good choices about what directions to take. Most firms delegate those choices to a technology committee that has too little guidance and lacks the tools to make the best decisions. The best firms are always looking for better ways to move forward.

The seminar will cover:

Building a Solid Foundation

1. The technology committee horror story that you don't want to have to tell.

2. Technology committee basics - answers to the questions: who? how? and what to do?

Moving Forward with Style, Support and Success

3. Getting things done - focus, strategy and what really works.

4. Setting your agenda - point A, point B and getting from point A to point B.

Making Your Best Plan for 2006 and Beyond

5. Dennis Kennedy's Top Ten Tips for Technology Committees in 2006 (available only to attendees of this seminar).

6. A sampling of Dennis Kennedy's favorite action steps to help you get to a great start at your firm.

The approach of the seminar will be highly practical, with a focus on how you can improve what you are already doing and make good choices for the future built on what you are doing well now. The seminar will feature observations drawn from Kennedy's own experience on technology committees at mid-sized and large law firms and his familiarity with what is happening in the industry.

Seminar attendees will also receive handout materials that include a specially-selected set of Kennedy's articles and other writings on technology committees and legal technology decision-making and his Top Ten Tips for Technology Committees in 2006 (available only to attendees of this seminar).

If you are a member of a law firm technology committee or may be so in the near future, please join us for this informative, thought-provoking and action-oriented presentation.

There are a limited number of slots for the webinar, so I encourage you to register soon. It's free and you will get some great information not available elsewhere.

If you would like to receive information on other resources I may be providing in the future for law firm technology committees, please email me with your contact info at denniskennedyblog @ gmail.com.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.

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Posted by dmk at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

Repeat of Information Lifecycle Management Webinar on March 15

I greatly enjoyed presenting the webinar "Making the 'Right' Decision at the Information Lifecycle Management Crossroads" yesterday.

The good news for those of you who missed it is that I will be repeating the free webinar on Wednesday, March 15. Registration details are here.

It's been calculated that electronic discovery costs will be in the neighborhood of $2 billion in 2006. However, total costs of compliance, including Sarbanes Oxley, are estimated to be $27 billion.

These numbers are just part of the reason why many people are rethinking their efforts in information management.

In the world of electronic discovery, there has been a focus on information retention and deletion issues or, if you will, how information "dies."

As we look more closely at the use and value of information within an organization, however, there is a growing realization that information has different uses and value from time to time, and there are many more things that we care about than simply whether a document should be retained or deleted.

In fact, we can both better manage risk and extract more business value from our information if we consider carefully how we treat information at each stage from the time of its creation to its final disposal. That's information lifecycle management, and this webinar addresses some practical approaches for addressing these issues.

The webinar is based on a white paper on this topic I recently wrote for RenewData (white paper available for free download here).

As I write, speak and learn more about this topic, it strikes my as one of the most important information issues facing organizations today. I invite you to join me on the 15th to learn more about this topic.

From the program description:

A myriad of challenges - from corporate governance to regulatory compliance requirements are affecting the approach organizations are taking to records and electronic discovery management.

With these challenges in mind, this Webinar is designed to:

+ Provide insight and education on the evolving world of information lifecycle management (ILM).

+ Discuss the challenges that decision-makers face when considering treating organizational data as evidence.

+ Explore an approach to managing these challenges by focusing on an integrated, needs-based approach to providing long-term, forward-looking solutions which promises better results in meeting both today's requirements and tomorrow's challenges.

It's an important topic and I hope that you can attend. A big thank you to my friends at RenewData for making this happen.

Register here.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.


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Posted by dmk at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2006

Blogging: The Safest Form of Employee Communication?

On the Between Lawyers group blog that I am a part of, we have had an ongoing discussion about corporate blogging policies and the related legal and other issues that arise when employees (and officers) blog. In part, our discussion has been a response to the "the sky will fall if you don't have a blog policy" marketing some law firms are doing these days.

I mention this because Denise Howell has posted "Blogs: Least Risky of All?" It's an an analysis of blogging as part of the overall communications channels that a business or organization might use. Denise concludes that blogging, properly understood, rather than being feared, might in fact be the least risky of all corporate communications channels. Her reasoning is compelling.

Let me quote a couple of key passages:

Specifically, of all the various communication tools available to employees, whether while on the job or off the job or both, blogging may actually be the least risky and most innocuous from a corporate risk management standpoint. Consider first that people commonly assume phone, email, cocktail party, and/or hallway discussions are invisible, transitory, and/or confidential. Any one of those situations is thus fairly likely to involve remarks that the speaker, rightly or wrongly, does not expect to come back to haunt them in a public way. Then consider the extent to which public blogs, podcasts, and similar tools are conceptually different from the get-go. The accessible nature of the information put out by these means is part of of the compact. Except in the limited case of behind-the-firewall blogging or podcasting, people using these tools are much more likely to comprehend that a broad audience is possible (usually, desired), and to tailor their communications accordingly.


Denise goes on to say:

Though there are a host of situations whereby an employee's blog, podcast, photo, or video clip could conceivably subject an employer to third party liability — inadvertent disclosure of confidential or regulated information; harassment, discrimination, or other civil rights violations; false advertising or other unfair competition concerns; and much more — not only are none of them unique to online communications, but it seems to me those using such methods would be almost certain to appreciate that what they're doing is not "private." Picture a world in which it was a newsworthy event every time someone was fired due to something said in an email or a hallway. Or every time company secrets were clandestinely or inadvertently shared over the phone or over drinks. You'd never hear about the dangers and pitfalls of blogging, because it would constitute such a small part of the overall "problem."

And, finally, to me, the key theme in all of these issues:

Unlike a great deal of the reporting I read about the dangers and pitfalls of blogging, I have a hard time isolating any primary legal problems that inevitably go along with employees using communication tools of any sort. Instead, the potential problems are a direct product of the extent to which clear expectations have been set, and the extent to which a particular employee is oblivious or doesn't care.

I was interviewed yesterday for an article on Internet use policies and used the occasion to make my usual point when I talk about these issues: Policies are good things, but, without proper emphasis on training and enforcement, they may do more harm than good. Also, when I hear people talking about "blogging policies" in isolation from "communications policies" or "technology use policies," I cringe.

When I discuss the "dangers" of blogging, I like to point out that under the standards people want to apply to new technologies, use of the telephone could never be adopted today - just think of the untold damage caused over the years by telephone calls.

So, check out Denise's post, in its entirety. I believe this post is a very important contribution to this debate and deserves much more attention.

While you are there, check out the other recent posts at Between Lawyers and you'll see why it's one of my favorite law-related blogs (although I may be a little biased).


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).


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Posted by dmk at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)

Too Busy to Be Productive?

Everyone I know is incredibly busy. As an example, here's a quote from a recent email from a friend of mine: "I am DROWNING right now."

We all face the ironic situation that our labor-saving devices and productivity tools (software and hardware) have left us with a vague feeling that they have helped us only to work harder and less productively.

So you see people stretched thin and becoming less patient. Notice what happens 15 or 20 minutes into a meeting or phone call. People even schedule calls a few minutes before another meeting so they can jump off and feel they have knocked another item off the to-do list.

People regularly come to me with ideas for group projects (often related to blogging). My new test is to say that it will be worth pursuing only if the people who want to do it are willing to commit to doing a one-hour conference call. Often, that call never gets scheduled - people get too busy to give up the time and effort to put together, set-up and have that call.

So, for all you busy people, which is probably all of us, I've found something that you must find some time to read and think about. It's from Dave Pollard and its a post called "Too Busy Being Unproductive to Learn to Be Productive."

The money quote (among many):

One of the paradoxes of modern life is we're too busy to learn to do things that would make us less busy and more productive. . . . If you're skeptical, spend a half hour observing a co-worker at his/her PC and you'll be astonished: It's like watching someone being tortured -- awkward workarounds, unnecessary steps, time wasted searching in the wrong places the wrong way. The cost to every enterprise, and our economy as a whole, must be gargantuan.

An important guide for the too busy society.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.

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Posted by dmk at 04:01 PM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2006

Reminder: My Information Lifecycle Management Webinar is Tomorrow (March 9)

I have been putting the finishing touches on the free webinar I'll be presenting tomorrow (March 9; with a repeat on March 15) called "Making the 'Right' Decision at the Information Lifecycle Management Crossroads," a presentation created to accompany my recent whitepaper on this topic. You have a choice of attending on March 9 or March 15 (registration information here).

From the program description:

A myriad of challenges - from corporate governance to regulatory compliance requirements are affecting the approach organizations are taking to records and electronic discovery management.

With these challenges in mind, this Webinar is designed to:

+ Provide insight and education on the evolving world of information lifecycle management (ILM).

+ Discuss the challenges that decision-makers face when considering treating organizational data as evidence.

+ Explore an approach to managing these challenges by focusing on an integrated, needs-based approach to providing long-term, forward-looking solutions which promises better results in meeting both today's requirements and tomorrow's challenges.

It's an important topic and I hope that you can attend. A big thank you to my friends at RenewData for making this happen.

In many ways, electronic discovery is just a small subset of ILM and it will be fascinating to see whether ILM swallows up electronic discovery in the coming years. I'll touch on that topic, and more, in the webinar.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.

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Posted by dmk at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

Practical Tips for Evaluating E-Discovery Vendors and Providers

"Practical Tips for Evaluating E-Discovery Vendors and Providers" is the title of the brand new Thinking eDiscovery column by Tom Mighell, Evan Schaeffer and me that's been posted on the excellent DiscoveryResources.org website.

The title is descriptive, if not overly catchy - we may have to hire our friend and title writer extraordinaire Denise Howell to punch up our titles.

In the column, we talk about some of the lessons Tom and I learned during our recent trip to the LegalTech NY trade show and give some pointers for making some sense out of the confusing world of electronic discovery vendors.

If you have comments or questions about this column or want to suggest topics for future columns, let me know.

Note that our previous column, "Mining the Value from Metadata," can now be found at http://www.discoveryresources.org/04_om_thinkingED_0601.html


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.


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Posted by dmk at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)

Eighty Computer Security Tips (and an Alert for Mac Users)

Lots of discussion about Macintosh security lately because of this ZDnet article indicating that a Mac OS X system can be compromised in 30 minutes. The responses have, not unexpectedly, bordered on the religious, as you will see in this Slashdot discussion.

In fact, Apple recently released a patch to fix twenty security vulnerabilities after reports of worms and other security issues, only to be greeted by concerns about whether the patch fixed the problem.

Here's the important point to remember.

When it comes to computer security, the appropriate response is NEVER to say, "Oh, yeah, but Windows is much worse." You are on notice that there are security vulnerabilities - exploits are likely to follow. Get the patch and get it installed. Too many Mac users think that Macs are immune from security issues.

Running unpatched operating systems is one of the very worst moves you can make when it comes to security, even on a Mac.

Today, I found a great resource on the PC Magazine with 80 security tips all neatly collected for you.

Even better, you can attend the session on computer security that Dan Pinnington and I will be presenting at ABA TECHSHOW 2006 on April 20. Our focus will be on practical security tips and pointers with the needs of lawyers in mind.

This would also be a good day to check to see if you have installed all of the Windows critical updates.

UPDATE: PC Magazine has a new article on Mac security tips.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 04:13 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2006

Applying Clausewitz's Principles of War to Electronic Discovery

Here's a great five minute exercise for anyone involved in electronic discovery.

Check out Rob Robinson's online slide presentation called "Clausewitz and eDiscovery: The principles of war in relation to the eDiscovery process."

It's a great thinking exercise that might help you see electronic discovery in a new light and start some new conversations. I really like approaches that bring principles from other fields into the practice of law. I'm now tempted to write about John Boyd's OODA Loop and its application to electronic discovery.

Highly recommended.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.

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Posted by dmk at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2006

Navigating The Information Lifecycle Management Crossroads: Free One-Hour Web Seminar

I will be presenting a webinar called "Making the 'Right' Decision at the Information Lifecycle Management Crossroads," a presentation created to accompany my recent whitepaper on this topic. You have a choice of attending on March 9 or March 15 (registration information here).

From the program description:

A myriad of challenges - from corporate governance to regulatory compliance requirements are affecting the approach organizations are taking to records and electronic discovery management.

With these challenges in mind, this Webinar is designed to:

+ Provide insight and education on the evolving world of information lifecycle management (ILM).

+ Discuss the challenges that decision-makers face when considering treating organizational data as evidence.

+ Explore an approach to managing these challenges by focusing on an integrated, needs-based approach to providing long-term, forward-looking solutions which promises better results in meeting both today's requirements and tomorrow's challenges.

It's an important topic and I hope that you can attend. A big thank you to my friends at RenewData for making this happen.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.

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Posted by dmk at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2006

Poor Electronic Discovery Practices Determining Case Outcomes?

Toby Brown's post "Poor e-Discovery Deciding Case Outcomes?" raises some important questions about the approach many lawyers and law firms are taking to electronic discovery.

Toby makes three important points, each of which will give you plenty to think about:

1) Poor/Sloppy/Lazy e-discovery practices by lawyers are determining case outcomes.

2) Most lawyers are focused on defending e-discovery requests right now.

3) The amount of available electronic information in discovery is so voluminous; humans can't possibly review it all.

Toby's second point is especially interesting. He suggests that lawyers are so focused on defending requests that they are passive in their own e-discovery requests, in large part because they are afraid that they cannot defend an aggressive request that comes right back at them. Think about it.

Toby's post reminds me to mention that it's the time of year to finalize your plans to attend ABA TECHSHOW 2006.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about electronic discovery at Dennis Kennedy's Electronic Discovery Resources page.

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Posted by dmk at 06:57 PM | Comments (2)

March 01, 2006

Of Counsel Resources

A while back, I did some research on of counsel arrangements between law firms and lawyers. I didn't find a lot of resources, but I found a few and thought I'd post them here as a little starter research packet.

All roads seem to point to Harold Wren and Beverly Glascock's The Of Counsel Agreement, Third Edition : A Guide for Law Firm and Practitioner as the definitive work on the subject. It costs $89, so I concentrated on resources freely available on the internet. In most situations, however, the Wren and Glascock book will be a reasonable purchase (or worth a trip to a law school library).

Here's my starter list:

This list should help you get started. I'll note that much of the materials dates from several years ago and do not explore the ways of counsel arrangements might be used in non-traditional ways.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


This post brought to you by LexThink!(R) - The Legal Unconference. Ask us about private LexThink retreats and conferences for your firm, business or organization. Coming soon - LexThink Lounge - April 19, 2006.


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Posted by dmk at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)

Spring Bike Rides

The temperature today hit 75 degrees and I had to go out on my first long bike ride of the winter. I took my usual route - Grant's Trail. The good news was that the gap between my hoped-for level of fitness and my actual level of fitness wasn't as big as I had feared it would be. The bad news is that someone seems to have made the hills a little higher over the winter.

As I rode today, I realized that part of what I like about bicycling is that it is a form of moving meditation, giving you both a time to think and a time to slow your thoughts down.

Part of the reason for this comes from the safety issues. It's not safe to ride while listening to an iPod on headphones or talking on a cell phone. Checking email on a Blackberry - pretty dangerous.

So, you get a time of relative quiet and removal from distractions - a good combination for most of us.

Now, if there were only a good, safe way to capture the thoughts and ideas that flow while riding . . . .

When I returned from my ride, there was a single yellow crocus blooming in our front yard. It's not spring yet, but it's a taste of spring, with a promise of more rides to come.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).


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Posted by dmk at 08:03 PM | Comments (1)

Another Law Blogger Goes the Solo Practice Route

Anthony "Biz Bang Buzz" Cerminaro makes his announcement that he is leaving his law firm to start a solo practice. Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson also made a similar announcement today.

I noticed that Tony made a passing reference to what has jokingly become known as "Kennedy's Law of Blogging" - that bloggers are highly likely to make a significant career change within about 18 months or so of starting a blog. It's my little take-off on Moore's Law.

I will note that these kinds of moves do not surprise me. Many law firms experience partner departures in the first few months of each year.

The trend that really strikes me, however, and one that should give many law firms some concern, is that it is the most tech-savvy lawyers in a firm that are often the ones who are leaving. These are often the lawyers who are the "de facto" technology committees and certainly the "go to" people on legal technology issues. They are also often the people who can work as the go-betweens between the IT department and lawyers and clients.

Departures of tech-savvy lawyers can have significant short-term and long-term consequences for law firms. This is a trend to watch. I find that most of the lawyers who know the most about technology are no longer with the firms they started with - they are now consultants, solo practitioners and doing other work related to technology. This "brain drain" from law firms bears some watching and some study.

In all events, congratulations and all best wishes to Ernest and Anthony on their new endeavors.


[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Learn more about legal technology at Dennis Kennedy's Legal Technology Central page.


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Posted by dmk at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)

Ernie the (Solo) Attorney

In a story that is sweeping what some affectionately call the "blawgosphere," Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson has officially announced his departure from his former law firm and the opening of his solo law practice.

The respect and affection that law-related bloggers, especially the old-timers among us, have for Ernest is as real as can be. Ernest and Denise Howell were the inspiration for many of us to blog in the first place and set a standard of quality, generosity, good humor and inclusiveness that has helped create the unique niche that "blawgs" have in the world of blogging.

In fact, it is a sign of the respect that other bloggers have for Ernest that none of the people had been given the heads-up on this story posted about it until Ernest announced it himself.

So, Ernie, my friend, all best wishes on this next step in your journey. As a song lyric says, "the storm that rends also mends." As you continue your post-Katrina search to find your path, know that you have many friends who will be happy to lend a hand, in no small part for what you have done for us.

As Ernest says:

Dreams that seemed not so pressing before Katrina now seem to be more urgent. I've learned a lot from Katrina, as I'm sure many people have. One thing Katrina taught us is that massive change can arrive very quickly, and have unpredictable results. If uncontrolled massive change can come into your life then why not try to bring about a little purposeful change just to balance things out?

I'll note that, for now, Ernest has decided not to go with my advice that he open a string of "Ernie the Attorney" franchise law firms across the country. I'll also raise the question that I know that is on other peoples' minds - what might a law firm comprised of lawyer bloggers look like?

As my gift to Ernie on the start of his new firm, I am bequeathing to him the spot I have been inexplicably given on the new MyHQ Blawgroll in the category of "Blawgfathers" and a lifetime hotline to call me about technology and other issues.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]


Like what you are reading? Check out the other blogs where I post - Between Lawyers (feed) and the LexThink Blog (feed).


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Posted by dmk at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

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