Dennis Kennedy

October 06, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - October 5, 2008

DennisKennedy.Microblog is a supplement to this blog that can be found on Twitter at @dkennedyblog. I invite you to become a follower. An explanation of the microblog can be found here.

Here are posts from the microblog for the last week or so:

"Windows Cloud" - Nick Carr on Amazon EC2 + Windows - http://bit.ly/WpYmk - Big story - I highly recommend Carr's book, The Big Switch, too

Green legal technology - http://tinyurl.com/3qjscy - my new ABA Journal column. 8 ideas to help the planet

Practicing Law with SaaS - http://bit.ly/5Ic6Z - Good overview of SaaS concepts, with quotes from some of my favorite people.

Eliminating the middlemen - lawyers - from the legal equation - http://bit.ly/BWFkn - disintermediation

Let me know what you think about the microblog idea.

Also, Tom and I have started to do some regular posting at the Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration blog. I invite you to check it out and add it to your RSS reader.

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

Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0

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October 02, 2008

Go Green, Save Green

Green legal technology. Is there such a thing? My new ABA Journal column, "Go Green, Save Green," offers my answer to the question.

Subtitled "8 ideas to help the planet, your pocketbook," the column takes a practical approach to green technology and argues that "green" initiatives will have more traction when there is a saving of green money. I also note that recent tech developments make it easier to go green than ever before. I get 8 tips and practical ideas that focus on potential cost savings associated with green efforts.

The column also mentions the ABA's Law Office Climate Challenge, which has a great set of resources for those thinking green.

The money quote:

Whether you want to save the world or just save some cash, greening your technology has become an attractive, easy path for lawyers and law firms. Small steps will produce measurable results.

Check out the column and the rest of this month's issue of the ABA Journal.

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

Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology green legal technology Law 2.0 climate challenge

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September 30, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - September 30, 2008

DennisKennedy.Microblog is a supplement to this blog that can be found on Twitter at @dkennedyblog. I invite you to become a follower. An explanation of the microblog can be found here.

Here are posts from the microblog for the last week or so:

Rajesh Jain's primer on the Don'ts of Public Speaking and Panels - http://bit.ly/4v8gog - BTW, if you start with an apology, you've lost me.

John Jantsch talks about how the telephone doesn't use any gas and benefits of online meeting tools (http://bit.ly/1K5S3i) Good suggestions.

Marshall Kirkpatrick on why it makes sense to read (work-related) blogs at work - http://bit.ly/1Fhemm - even better, monitor RSS feeds.

Ralph Losey's must-read on ediscovery - http://bit.ly/2D1Adk - balancing client & ethical obligations with legal & technological competence

John Heckman on reading off a computer screen - http://bit.ly/zLBBJ - If you don't like it, why do you do so much of it? Possible lessons.

Ten technologies that will revolutionize PCs from Charlie Bess - http://bit.ly/3ppmvp.

Let me know what you think about the microblog idea.

Also, Tom and I have started to do some regular posting at the Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration blog. I invite you to check it out and add it to your RSS reader.

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

Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0

Posted by dmk at permalink | Comments (0)

September 24, 2008

Planning for Legal Technology in a Recession (Or Worse) - Revisited

Back in January, I took a fresh look at some of my earlier thinking on what to do in connection with legal technology planning in bad economic times. My 2008 legal tech trends article had "dancing with a recession" as one of the eight trends.

But I never imagined what we've seen over the last week or so.

Difficult times make for difficult decisions. It's hard to wrap your brain around the current crisis. While financial concerns are certainly taking center stage, it makes sense to devote some attention to technology to make good decisions about how you go forward and, as they say, what to leave in and what to leave out.

Here's the core of my earlier post. It's a good starting point.

The key: being willing to think of technology in terms of investment.

I like to think of technology investing as a form of portfolio investing. Much as we rebalance our investment portfolios in changing economic conditions, the same principles apply to technology investment. . . . The interesting conclusion in modern portfolio theory is that the most prudent approach, over the long term, includes a reasonable proportion of high-risk, high-return investments, regardless of the investment climate. In a slow economy, sticking with a diversified approach is mandatory.

Investing in technology requires a similar portfolio approach.

Here are six areas to consider carefully when developing your technology portfolio:

1. Technology That Cuts Costs

2. Technology That Makes You Indispensable to Your Clients

3. Technology That Helps You Get New Clients

4. Technology That Helps You Move into New Practice Areas (or Creates Profitable Niche Practices)

5. Technology That Helps You Recruit and Retain Great People

6. Technology That Makes You Saner

The article concluded with these thoughts:

In a slow economy, you need to make smart choices about technology. Focusing hard on return on investment is important, but not if you are using that as an excuse to shut down technology investment. A better approach is to get a lot of options on the table and consider their likely risk and potential return. Then prudently pick a diverse portfolio of technology investment projects and step boldly forward. Not all of them may work, but the diversification will, and you’ll find yourself well positioned for the changes to come, both in the economy and the practice of law.

For another set of useful tips about how to use technology to save money, see John Jantsch: The Telephone Doesn't Use Any Gas - Benefits of Online Meeting Tools.

You can also follow the microblog companion to this blog at @dkennedyblog on Twitter.

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

Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology recession planning

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September 22, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - Sep 22, 2008

DennisKennedy.Microblog is a supplement to this blog that can be found on Twitter at @dkennedyblog. I invite you to become a follower. An explanation of the microblog can be found here.

Here are posts from the microblog for the last week or so:

+ One source of content with many channels and user choice, ABA Journal really gets where mags need to go. http://www.abajournal.com/subscribe

+ "But the most essential thing law firms do for their lawyers is to share their brand" - @jordan_law21 in great post, "We are All Solos"

+ Just curious: If you follow @denniskennedy, why would you not also follow @dkennedyblog? Or vice versa?

+ Putting Blinders on to Enhance Productivity - http://bit.ly/44Z6fs - let good people work the way they want with the tools they want

+ Hanselman on telecommuting technologies. http://bit.ly/3THqXK Game changing?

+ ReadWriteWeb survey finds that 21% are using online word processors - http://bit.ly/45cwU [Note: Please participate in our informal poll on word processor usage]

+ Jon Udell on what is an Internet operating system - http://tinyurl.com/3eg7oh

Let me know what you think about the microblog idea.

Also, Tom and I have started to do some regular posting at the Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration blog. I invite you to check it out and add it to your RSS reader.

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

Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0

Posted by dmk at permalink | Comments (1)

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