Dennis Kennedy

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July 01, 2009

Recent Microblog Posts - July 1, 2009

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 recent posts from the microblog. As an aside, it's intriguing to me that any one or all of these would have turned into a blog post with some discussion of the topic several years ago.

Martha Sperry on Friendfeed for Lawyers - http://bit.ly/dNdqg - still more reasons for having Friendfeed on my to-learn list

Steve Rubel: Blogs are Out of Beta, But Bloggers Should Always Be in Beta" - http://bit.ly/WztTW

Meryl Evans on 8 ways to extend your presentations - http://bit.ly/bl0xN

Tim O'Reilly and John Battelle on "Web Squared" - http://bit.ly/vIzrS - the Web on its collision course with the physical world

The Economist on social networking on Internet vs. traditional business networking - http://bit.ly/lfk8t

For fans of Babylon 5, JMS interview on Babylon Podcast - http://bit.ly/g6FGk 'Nuff said. Even better, there's a second part coming.

My new blog post - "A Blogging Guide for St. Louis (and Other) Lawyers (and Others)" - http://bit.ly/ZHrMm

John Heckman on Richard Susskind - Commoditization - Part 1 http://bit.ly/WyX15

RT @GreatDismal: Twitter: Return of "telegraphese". The headline writer's art. The core art of semantic compression. Lose the trim.

Steve Rubel's "Posterous is Changing How I Think About Blogging" is changing how I think about blogging - http://bit.ly/d9nTT

Is iPhone really a threat to domination of BlackBerry in legal profession? The new Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast - http://bit.ly/45TLG

RT @GreatDismal: RT @DougCoupland - a strange measure of technology's acceleration - no cell-phone images of 9-11 attacks.

RT @collabtools: Dion Hinchcliffe on Twitter on your intranet: 17 microblogging tools for business - http://bit.ly/dL2Er

We're looking for audience questions for tomorrow's recording of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast - why not yours? [Note: Email me with questions for our podcast Q & A segment any time]

Kevin Kelly on the increasing ubiquity of technology - http://bit.ly/dqW3G - esp. pace of change and impact of a billion of any technology

Peter Bregman: Two Lists You Should Look at Every Morning - http://bit.ly/XKdGY - your focus list & your ignore list - don't ignore the 2nd

Wish I'd seen Bernard Hibbitts (of Jurist fame) present on "The Technology of Law" - great summary by Library Boy - http://bit.ly/U0TJC

The new episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast is out; it's about ways lawyers can learn new technology - http://bit.ly/160RKh

Liked AppScout's "TuneUp Cleans your Music Collection" - http://bit.ly/fgV3r

Note to estate planning lawyers: is Suze Orman on your list of competitors? http://bit.ly/15dNE8 - what can you learn from this?

Check out the new The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast on the Legal Talk Network.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2009

A Blogging Guide for St. Louis (and Other) Lawyers (and Others)

With the help of my St. Louis blogging pals, Matt Homann, George Lenard and Evan Schaeffer, I recently put together a roundtable article on "blogging for lawyers" for the St. Louis Lawyer magazine. The article is now out in print, but I believe it's only available in print to members of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis in its final form. I liked the way the article turned out so much, and the information in it is so good, that I couldn't stand the idea that the article wasn't widely available. So, I dug up our unedited draft of the article and post it below. As longtime law-related bloggers know, St. Louis has long been referred to as "Blawg City USA," and this is the first time Matt, George, Evan and I have shared in one place our recollections, observations and practical pointers about blogging. Hope you enjoy reading the article as much as we enjoyed writing it. Let us know what you think about the article.

A Blogging Guide for St. Louis Lawyers

Having a website has been a requirement for lawyers and law firms for many years. As people continue to migrate to the Internet as the place to find information, the return on investment from advertising in traditional print outlets for legal marketing, especially in the yellow pages, has been called into question. There's probably not a lawyer reading this article who hasn't been told recently that he or she should have a blog. Does a blog really make sense for you or your firm?

St. Louis is the home of four of the earliest and best-known lawyer bloggers. We brought them together to get their insights and reflections on blogging for lawyers in 2009.

In this article, you'll hear about blogging from Matt Homann (The NonBillable Hour), Dennis Kennedy (DennisKennedy.Blog), George Lenard (George's Employment Blawg), and Evan Schaeffer (Trial Practice Tips and The Legal Underground), who have combined for more than 20 years of blogging experience.

1. When and why did you start blogging?

Dennis Kennedy (DK): I started my blog as a birthday present to myself in February 2003. My friend Jerry Lawson likes to point out that I wrote an article in 2001 where I recommended that lawyers consider blogging and then didn't start my own blog for almost another two years. The funny thing was that at the time I started the blog I really felt like the whole blogging thing had already passed me by. My idea was that my blog would create a new audience for my writing and give me more visibility while I experimented with a new Internet technology.

Evan Schaeffer (ES): I started my blogs in January, 2004, after having tried and failed in 2001. My failed blogs were updates on class-action news for the lawyers I worked with at the time. The blog concept was new then, and the technological aspect was more difficult. I also had trouble getting my legal colleagues to remember to read. When I started again in 2004, I tried to reach for a broader audience outside my own circle of co-workers. I also lightened up my tone. By that time, blogging platforms were much more reliable and I found it easier to make my blogs look just right. I had two other reasons for trying again. One, I liked the idea that I could instantly publish my writings to a wide audience of readers. Two, I was hoping that if I was engaging enough, it might bring some new attention to my law firm. This is in fact what happened.

George Lenard (GL): I read about some of the early blogging lawyers in an article in the ABA Journal and began blogging a few months later, in May 2003. My original purpose was knowledge management. As I put it in my first post: "Most days I read recent cases and materials on labor and employment law. But too often, by the time I need to cite a case or whatever, I’ve forgotten what I read and can’t find it. So one purpose of this is to have my own personal archive. While I’m at it, why not share it with the world?" (OK, to be honest, I was not unaware of the possible marketing benefit -- but I was skeptical enough about that to not make it a primary objective or expectation.)

Matt Homann (MH): Like Evan, I began my blog in January of 2004. For me, it was place to collect and share the things I found interesting with the handful of other lawyers who felt the same way I did about hourly billing, client service and law practice innovation. It also gained me entry into the then-small community of legal bloggers -- many of whom I knew and admired.

2. What is a blog?

MH: It's funny, but this is a question you don't hear much any more now that blogs have gone mainstream in our profession and others. When all of us first began blogging, it was a far different story. People thought blogs were diaries then, and had a hard time understanding the value they could add to a professional's practice. I used to tell people that my blog was simply a place online where I put things that people who thought like I did would find interesting or valuable, with the newest "stuff" featured on the top of the page.

ES: I began blogging when most people didn't understand the word "blog," so I often just described my weblog as a "website." That's a concept that everybody could understand, and it still works--a weblog is nothing more than website that is updated weekly, daily, sometimes even hourly. I still call my blog a "website."

DK: I like to describe a blog as an online newspaper or magazine column without the newspaper or magazine. There are a lot of ways to define blogs. In general, I'd call a blog a form of website where content is delivered in the form of individual "posts" in reverse chronological order. You also use a blogging software tool that makes it easy to write for your blog without the need to know any HTML or other coding that you must know when updating a traditional web page.

GL: Dennis certainly has the conventional definition down. I would add that with current blogging software it is possible -- and not too difficult -- to create an entire, very attractive website, with the blog page as one component. One could call the blog page something else, such as "news briefs," with the blog software making it much easier to ensure freshness of the "news." On the other hand, with blogs all the rage now, it might be better to label it "blog." So the blog home page, with the reverse chronological entries, can now be viewed as simply part of a website. Another equally valid vision of the blog is as a series of individual web pages that are likely to be quite attractive to search engines. That is because in addition to maintaining the blog entries in conventional journal style, the software creates a unique "permalink" web address for each "post," and if done correctly, search engines will "crawl" and index each page as a separate item to match up with searches. Although I do have a decent audience of somewhat regular readers, the fact is that nearly 90% of my traffic is one-time visitors from search engines (mainly Google) who land not on the home page, but on a particular permalink page that correlates with their search.

3. Why should a lawyer have a blog today?

DK: I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian here. I don't think that every lawyer should have a blog. In fact, for many lawyers, having a blog will be a bad idea. Blogging works best for lawyers who can write regularly for a general audience. However, if a blog is right for you, it gives you an easy way to update your web presence with regular new content, attract a returning audience, and improve your search engine rankings.

GL: I agree with Dennis that it's not for everyone. In my experience, blogging tends to become compulsive, if not addictive, with a desire to update regularly and corresponding guilt at failure to do so, which could make it a big distraction and source of additional stress for many lawyers. I would add that a lawyer should have a blog only if they feel they will have something relatively unique to say. The flood of online content has become a tsunami. If you're just going to contribute to the world's information overload by rehashing news stories or what other bloggers say -- please don't.

ES: Probably everyone on this panel agrees with Dennis. Many lawyers shouldn't have a weblog at all. You have to be committed to putting up new content, which takes some time week after week. You also have to be willing to share your knowledge and insights, which some lawyers prefer to keep to themselves, thinking that otherwise, their competitors might get a leg up on them. Neither of these points are problems for me. I've always had a writing habit. I also don't have any illusions that I'm giving away legal knowledge so valuable that some opposing counsel will be able to use it against me. When I was a young lawyer working at a large defense firm, there were always a few friendly lawyers that I could go to for tips and advice. With my weblogs, I try to emulate that attitude and in this way, give back something to the legal profession.

4. What do you write and how do you decide what to write about?

GL: My writing has meandered quite far from the original employment law focus, though I still return to it regularly. Several years ago, I began monitoring my traffic (great tools are available to learn many details about one's traffic). I learned from such monitoring that regardless of who I wanted my audience to be (employers and their lawyers), I had little control over that. Google was sending me an awful lot of people who -- judging from what posts they found and what key words they searched -- were employees, especially job seekers. Particularly given the current economy, I added a significant dimension of jobseeking advice, catering more to the growing audience I realized I had. As to my source of topics, this varies a good deal. I try to emphasize originality and quality over quantity and frequency. I should add that I could now write very many blog posts without any effort at thinking of topics, because I get one or more PR or press release emails daily suggesting topics, books to review, etc. (way more than I can handle).

MH: I focus on innovative, creative or just crazy ways lawyers can become better at what they do. Whether it's an innovative billing model, unique marketing idea or an off-the-wall client service tip, I've always tried to share ideas from other businesses or industries that lawyers can adopt for their own practices. Recently, I've begun writing a series of "10 Rules of ..." posts that have become quite popular.

ES: My blog Trial Practice Tips is self-explanatory. My other blog, The Legal Underground, has over the years been a repository for my more whimsical writings, such as "The Trial Lawyer's Prayer" or "An Introduction to Lawyers for Those Who Have Not Yet Have the Pleasure of Being Introduced." On Legal Underground, I don't hesitate to write about anything at all: in addition to humor, there's serious critiques of class-action or mass-tort law, travel writings from Prague, Mexico, and Argentina, round-ups of law-student weblogs, and more. I've designed The Legal Underground to be a vessel into which I can pour just about anything.

DK: I was writing regular columns and articles about legal technology long before I started my blog. In many ways, my blog is another outlet for writing on those topics. I look for topics to write about that interest me and that I think will interest my audience. In general, I try to stay "on topic," but I'm probably known among lawyer bloggers as one who is willing to write about almost anything. That said, most bloggers get the ideas for their posts from news stories, other blog posts and current developments in their subject area. I always recommend that someone starting a new blog sketch out a plan for the first 20 - 30 posts for their blog.

5. Is it still a good time to start a blog?

MH: Absolutely.

ES: Some might think that the legal world is already too crowded with lawyers who have blogs--that it will be impossible to be heard over the din. But that's not true, since you can easily insure that other bloggers notice you by commenting directly on what they are saying and providing a link back to their blogs. They may in turn link back to you, bringing you more readers. In addition, since the search engines pick up blogs so efficiently, you will also get readers by writing about a niche that you know well, then waiting for others to search for information on that topic. It will definitely happen, sooner than you'd think.

DK: There's still plenty of space for new blogs and new lawyer blogs coming online everyday. The blogging tools are better than ever. There are still very few St. Louis legal blogs. It's a great time to start a legal blog with a local focus.

GL: It is still a good time to start a blog. I think for most lawyers the best approach would be to target a very specific niche, in terms of locale and/or legal sub-specialty. I think "Missouri DUI Defense Blog" is still open, for example, and would probably allow an attorney to get on Google page one for "Missouri DUI Defense" with relatively little difficulty.

6. How would someone get started in blogging?

DK: First and foremost, take some time and read a lot of blogs, both law-related blogs and other blogs on other topics that interest you. You want to get a good sense of what's out there and what you like and don't like before you jump in. Most people today use a hosted blogging service that allows you to have your own domain name. TypePad (www.typepad.com) and WordPress.com (www.wordpress.com) are common choices. Kevin O'Keefe at LexBlog has created a business around developing and hosting blogs for lawyers and law firms. You definitely need to look into what he's doing. My latest blog (www.lawyersguidetocollaboration.com) is a LexBlog blog. Some law firms will host their own blogs.

MH: I concur. Learning how to blog is less important than understanding why to blog -- and the best way to get the "why" is to read lots of other blogs. The legal blogging community is still a very congenial one, so reach out to others blogging in your area of interest and ask them why they blog. You'll not only get valuable advice, but you may find yourself a blogging mentor.

ES: A working knowledge of other law-related weblogs is very helpful in getting started yourself. If you don't have any RSS reader like Google Reader already, set one up (it's free), and populate it with feeds from law-related blogs. This is the easiest way to stay abreast of a large number of blogs in the least amount of time. Next, find a hosting service like Typepad or Squarespace and just dive in. The technological aspect is now very simple. Once you familiarize yourself with the blogging software, posting to a blog is no more difficult than sending an email.

GL: I highly recommend WordPress, as it is open source software for which a huge community of users are constantly writing cool tools ("plugins") and templates ("themes"). It is highly advisable to buy your own domain name and use an independent hosting company, rather than Blogspot.com or Wordpress.com. This is a bit more costly, but allows easier portability and a more professional-sounding domain name. Despite the relative ease of use compared to creating a website from scratch, some geekiness or a geeky friend or consultant is still advisable. Therefore the LexBlog option (or a competitor) for a premier service with all technical details professionally handled is definitely worth considering.

7. What are the best benefits of blogging?

ES: When I started my blogs in 2004, I hoped it would bring a little boost to my business, but that's not the sole reason I blogged. I would have done it in either case. As it turned out, my blogs have led directly to business opportunities, justifying the time and expense I put into them. But this benefit is certainly not a guarantee. Even absent a direct business benefit, however, a well-written weblog will raise your profile as a lawyer. In the years before blogging, I used to write Op-Eds, and published quite a few in some big-name newspapers. These would seem to disappear without a trace. With blogs, my writing has a much longer--indeed, an indefinite--shelf life, and readers are continually drawn back to it by the magic of search engines. I have had press coverage of my legal views, for example, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the New York Times, and the Economist, among many other publications. My trial-practice blog also led directly to book deal with James Publishing--now I'm the author of a book about depositions.

DK: You'll hear a lot of talk about ROI (return on investment), search engine optimization, attracting new clients and the like. A good blog is likely to produce those things, and requests to be quoted in articles as an expert in your field. In fact, Matt often talks about the "instant expertise" a blog can give you. However, I'm going to say that the best benefit of blog is gaining access to the community of bloggers and the blogging audience. It's definitely the friendships and relationships, especially with other bloggers, that's been the highlight for me. If not for blogging, I'd guess that the four of us would not even have met, let alone become good friends.

MH: The thing about blogging that's most fascinating to me is that your readers won't judge you based upon your years in practice, the schools you attended, or the firms on your resume. Instead, your measured by the quality of your writing and the value of your information to your audience. This is the "instant expertise" that Dennis mentions and doesn't take years to earn. I also feel that, for me, blogging has given me the confidence to leave law practice and make legal innovation my business.

GL: I agree with Dennis and Matt. I have certainly experienced the phenomenon of instant expertise -- leading to speaking opportunities, interviews with journalists, and even an opportunity to co-author a book. Directly obtaining legal business is certainly a possibility, but in my view it depends very much on the focus of your practice and your blog. Newer bloggers that begin with the benefit of years of accumulated search engine optimization and Internet marketing advice and carefully tailor their blogs as marketing tools will perhaps have more success generating legal business than the earlier bloggers like us who wrote in considerable part out of enjoyment of the freedom and opportunity to write whatever we pleased and have it magically appear on the Internet with a single mouse click. The community and connections aspect has definitely been great. When blogging is coupled with social networks, one has the opportunity to build a very valuable network and actively use it through a network such as LinkedIn. Most of my LinkedIn connections came about in some way as a result of my blog.

8. How do the ethical rules affect blogging?

ES: I'm no expert in this area, but I've always behaved as if everything I already knew about being an ethical lawyer applied to blogs. Be truthful, don't reveal client confidences, etc.
GL: I think it will depend a lot on the nature of the blog's content and the extent to which the content and overall impression created by the blog causes it to appear to be more like "advertising" or "legal advice" than like the educational information we might present in a public seminar or webinar.

MH: Evan's right on here -- and remember that what you say and do on your blog will live online forever.

DK: I've been quoted before saying the ethical rules on Internet marketing are "impossibly confusing." One of the reasons I stopped writing about legal topics or my law practice on my blog several years ago was that I couldn't get comfortable with the changes in Missouri's advertising rules a few years ago. I've studied the ethical rules on lawyers using the Internet for many years. In general, I think that because blogs are simply a form of website, the same principles should apply, and probably do. However, when you try to apply the literal meaning of the rules to blogs, it becomes difficult to be certain that you in compliance with the rules. It helps a lot that the tradition of lawyer blogging since the beginning has been to focus on education and explaining legal concepts and developments. If you like clear, precise, black-and-white answers, you won't find them in the rules on using the Internet for marketing.

9. Are there "best ethical practices" for lawyers who blog?

GL: Write a good disclaimer. Use cautious qualifying words like "generally," "may," "likely," etc. to avoid appearing to make hard-and-fast statements when what you are really presenting is simplified statements for general public education concerning complex legal issues. Avoid excessive self-promotion. Let the blog content and a standard "About" page speak for themselves regarding your qualifications and abilities.

MH: Since my blog is about the business of law practice, I've never written anything that could remotely qualify as legal advice. That said, know that even if your clients don't hire you because of your blog, many of them will ultimately find and read it.

DK: Use good judgment. Some bloggers have said that the best advice is "don't be stupid." I always recommend that lawyers have a good sense of the lines between education, advertising and solicitation, especially the last two. Although I'm not convinced that lawyers blogs are necessarily "advertising," I do think it's best to treat your blog as if it is and use all of the required disclaimers. You definitely want to make it clear who the author of your blog is and where you are licensed to practice. Take special care if you get near the line between advertising and solicitation. In Missouri, you definitely want to use the great resource of Sara Rittman, our Ethics Counsel, who will answer questions on an informal basis.

ES: Again, I think the "best ethical practices" are those that apply to lawyers generally. The others on this panel also make some extremely good points.

10. What is the future of blogging?

MH: I think we'll see the continued adoption of blogs by legal professionals as much by choice as necessity. The next generation of law firm clients have lived their entire lives online, interact with Twitter and Facebook constantly, and read blogs everyday. They may have never used the Yellow Pages, and instead look to the web before making any major purchasing decision. They'll expect a robust online presence from the professionals they hire, and a blog is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build that presence.

GL: Integration with the surviving remnants of mainstream media into enriched, customized streams of information in manageable chunks for busy readers, plus continuing contributions to the wealth of information available to web users through ever-more-sophisticated search technologies. I was recently told by a web-content distribution company that my posts now have the potential of appearing in a news stream on the Wall Street Journal's law pages amidst conventional sources such as the ABA Journal, if they match the WSJ search criteria, with no distinction in appearance that would suggest that my content is in any way inferior or less professional than that written by professional journalists.

ES: I don't have any predictions about the future of blogging. If you think of blogging as merely a means of publishing one's writing, which it is, you don't have to be too worried about the future. Get into the habit of writing, and if you like it, you can always migrate to the next technological platform, if and when there is one.

DK: Among bloggers, Twitter and microblogging is all the rage. That will continue to affect blogging, but blogging still has great potential, especially to cover niche topics. I remain bullish on blogging. As for predicting the future, I still like what Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson said in an article on the future of blogging from four years ago in Law Practice Magazine (http://www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/articles/v31is5an4.html): "Perhaps the biggest question that remains is: How quickly will law firms move to develop blogs? It depends on a lot of internal and external factors. But the clock is certainly ticking. For some firms that sound is just loud and annoying, while for others it is stirring and prompting them to act. So when will your firm create a blog? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick . . . ."

Our Panel:

Dennis Kennedy is an inhouse counsel for MasterCard Worldwide in O'Fallon, Missouri, the author of the technology column for the ABA Journal, a co-host of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast on the Legal Talk Network (www.legaltalknetwork.com), and the co-author, with Tom Mighell, of the book "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together." His blog, DennisKennedy.Blog, is found at http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/.

George Lenard is managing partner of Harris Dowell Fisher & Harris, L.C., a management employment law firm in Chesterfield, Missouri. His legal interests include sexual harassment, employment of the disabled, the recruiting and staffing industries, noncompetition agreements, use of Internet information in employment decisions, and employment consequences of new technologies, including blogging and social networks. His blog, George's Employment Blawg, is at www.employmentblawg.com, and is always seeking guest posts on a wide variety of employment and career topics from aspiring or established bloggers, subject-matter experts, business leaders, and others.

Evan Schaeffer is a class action and mass torts lawyer based in the St. Louis metropolitan area. His firm is Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C. Schaeffer's weblogs are Trial Practice Tips at http://www.trialpracticetips.comabout and The Legal Underground at http://www.legalunderground.com. Schaeffer is the author of Deposition Checklists and Strategies (James Publishing).

Matthew Homann is the founder of LexThink LLC, a legal innovation consultancy (www.LexThink.com). He's also the author of the [non]billable hour blog (www.nonbillablehour.comtheir ), where he shares innovative billing strategies, creative marketing techniques, proven customer-service principles, and cutting-edge ideas from other industries and professions with lawyers to help them tap into their own creative reserves and make dramatic improvements in their businesses and their lives. He lives in St. Louis with his daughter Grace.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog. Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology blogging iphone st. louis primer
blawg

Posted by dmk at 09:43 PM | Comments (2)

May 19, 2009

2009 Legal Technology Trends Article in Law Practice Today Webzine

Let me recommend the new issue of the ABA's Law Practice Today webzine. Wendy Werner has put together another great issue and I'm sure you'll find several articles that will make your visit to the webzine worth your while.

This issue also contains my article, "Legal Technology Trends for 2009: The Year of Hunkering Down.

Readers of this blog will know that the legal tech trends article is annual tradition of mine. I also like to do what I did this year and post the first draft of the article on my blog before the article gets published elsewhere. If you are interested in my writing process, you can see how the article evolved a bit before it was published in Law Practice Today.

The article has nine sections:

1. Technology Budgets Get Decimated.
2. Making Do with What You Have or Doing More with Less.
3. The Mobile Phone as Platform.
4. Looking to the Cloud.
5. Using Tech to Get the Word Out and the Money In.
6. Focus on Client-focused Technology.
7. E-Discovery in Still Waters.
8. The Perfect Storm for Collaboration Tools.
9. A Potpourri of Predictions .

I'd enjoy hearing your reactions to the article. Also, we're collecting questions for the audience Q&A segment of the upcoming episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast. If you have a question about one of the legal tech trends in the article or any other legal tech question you'd like us to try to answer on the podcast, let me know.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology trends predictions collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:04 PM | Comments (1)

April 29, 2009

Nine Legal Technology Trends for 2009 - The Year of Hunkering Down

[In addition to my annual tradition of publishing an article on legal technology trends for the year, I've also experimented with posting drafts of the article on my blog before I've completely finished it and it's actually published as an article. This year's edition is running a little late and it feels done enough tonight to go ahead and post it as a first draft and get some reactions and comments (and some editing suggestions - there's no doubt there are still typos and other problems in this draft). Let me know what you think.]

Nine Legal Technology Trends for 2009: The Year of Hunkering Down

It’s my annual tradition to take a look at trends in legal technology for the coming year and make some predictions about where we are headed. I’m running late this year because the current economic turmoil has made it difficult to assess what is likely to happen.

I decided to observe what transpired in the first few months of the year, gather some information at ABA TECHSHOW 2009 and then see if my crystal ball became a little clearer. I also felt that simply to say that the 2009 trends would be the same as my 2008 trends, but even more so, would be emotionally unsatisfying, even if it seemed accurate.

Unfortunately, it really hasn’t, but it is April already and I thought I’d jump into this year’s article with the idea that it will be a conversation-starter more so than a roadmap.

I’m actually quite pessimistic about what we’ll see in legal technology, but I’ve taken a more positive outlook on these trends. Keep in mind that the economy could dramatically and negatively affect these trends. Let’s face it, when firms are laying off lawyers and staff and fighting to keep the doors open, technology is going to be less of a priority that it might be in a normal year.

There’s no doubt that there are pockets of enormous opportunity using technology in 2009 (think collaboration tools and client-focused technology), but it will be the rare firms or organizations that will be able to decide to make those investments. As a result, it’s what happens OUTSIDE the legal profession with technology that will ultimately be the most important trends inside the legal profession over the long haul. With that in mind, the best legal technology investment to make this year is to buy (and read) - Richard Susskind’s book - The End of Lawyers? - which is a great all-in-one resource on the big trends changing the profession and the outside pressures that will change the way lawyers practice.

With that said, I now launch into my 2009 trends.

1. Technology Budgets Get Decimated. At many firms, technology spending has crept up to be a substantial line-item on the firm’s budget. If it comes to cutting the tech budget or laying off people, most of us would like to be at a place that puts people first.

I originally was going say that technology budgets stay flat, but I’ve changed my mind. And I use the word “decimate” deliberately. The word originally meant the killing of one of ten soldiers. It later had the sense of drastic losses. In many firms, a large portion of the tech budget is set in stone and can’t realistically be cut during the year. That’s why my initial thought was that we’d see freezes rather than cuts. Now I believe that we’ll see cost—cutting as the year progresses. For the average lawyer, don’t expect to see a new laptop this year. In fact, don’t expect to see much of anything new this year.

What to do: Technology audits to determine what you are doing and where you can make cuts. Reduce duplication and increase standardization. Look for volume discounts, renegotiate large contracts, and consider outsourcing as an option in many more instances. Require IT department to explain and justify budgets.

2. Making Do with What You Have or Doing More with Less. Sensing a theme here yet? We’ll be hunkering down as a profession in 2009. That new Mac laptop you wanted will become a netbook. I wouldn’t be surprised to see law firms go to low-priced netbooks rather than laptops for the average lawyer. Cost is an issue. Moving to a new software version? Not likely. You better learn how to do more with the features in the version you already have. Perhaps most interesting, we could see the majority of the legal profession essentially miss a whole generation of Microsoft software (Windows Vista and Office 2007).

I’m not completely negative on this point. Constraints often help lawyers be creative. I expect to see more use of Web 2.0 tools and Open Source software and making better use of what they already own. Remember those WestKM licenses you already own but haven’t used – maybe it’s time to take a closer look.

What to Do: Learn more about what you have. Talk to vendors about features you don’t use and training opportunities. Look for better pricing and Internet deals when you do buy something.

3. The Mobile Phone as Platform. This trend actually relates to the previous one. The love affair between lawyers and the BlackBerry is well-known. Lawyers are also using the iPhone and other smartphones. If you aren’t likely to get a new laptop and your smartphone can do more and more, what is likely to happen? Yes, the phone is likely to become a mobile working platform that gives you access to data, documents, people and other things you need when you need them. The Apple Apps store for the iPhone and iPod Touch is looking to be a game-changer, and Blackberry and others are opening similar stores. These applications make smartphones even more useful than they already are. Don’t overlook the growing role that texting and instant messaging will play for lawyers, which work very well on a mobile phone..

What to Do: Umm, haven’t I just given you the business reason you were looking for to justify getting an iPhone? Look for ways other than email to use your phone to access your office and data. Experiment with applications for your phone. Drop your request for that new laptop and ask for an upgraded phone instead. For firms, consider ways to enable access through phones as a way to delay or avoid hardware purchases.

4. Get Your head into the Cloud. You will hear even more talk about “cloud computing” and “software as a service” (SaaS) in 2009. In simplest terms, I’m referring to ways both programs and data can be hosted and managed on the Internet through a third-party provider. Google Apps and other online SaaS options have gotten a lot of attention in the past year or so. SaaS options for existing legal software and new legal-specific SaaS services have become increasingly available to lawyers.

The benefits: manageable monthly costs, lack of need for infrastructure and personnel investments, access from anywhere, provider handles patches, upgrades, security and the like. The concerns: data hosted elsewhere, business prospects of providers, unique legal concerns like ethics and confidentiality.

Law firms, especially start-up firms, have been testing this water. Budget constraints will also make this a more compelling option in many cases. There will definitely be more attention to this area, and probably increased usage.

What to Do: Please, please, please do your homework and due diligence on this option, especially in this economic. Take a hard-headed realistic approach and make sure you compare SaaS options with what you are currently doing now rather than against some ideal of perfection that you aren’t close to achieving. Pick some areas to experiment with this approach rather than jumping all the way into the water at once.

5. Using Tech to Get the Word Out and the Money In. My approach to technology planning is really quite simple: does it save money or does it make money? I’m shocked when firms launch new tech initiatives without having a clear, quantifiable answer to this question.

In 2009, firms will be focused on bringing in new work, retaining existing clients and getting paid for the work they do. If your technology initiatives don’t directly address these concerns, you are missing the boat. It’s definitely not the most exciting area of legal tech, but investment in back office technology to get better bills out faster, improve collections and evaluate the profitability of clients and projects would be something I’d recommend for every lawyer and every practice. Boring is good in 2009.

On the exciting end of this trend is using technology to get the word out to market yourself, your practice and your firm. There is so much happening in this area that it is difficult to keep up with it all. The one thing I can guarantee is that by the end of 2009 lawyers will be using an Internet marketing vehicle that no one expected today (actually, my guess would be something in the SMS/instant messaging family).

Had you even heard of Twitter a year ago? Now you can’t turn around without seeing something about using Twitter, Facebook and social media tools for marketing. You can put video up on YouTube, publish PowerPoint slides on Slideshare, create your profile and groups on LinkedIn, have a blog, create a podcast and do many, many more things to get your message out and create a brand. The financial cost of most of these tools is next to nothing. Think about how your clients (and potential clients) get their information today. Create a channel to reach them that way.

What to Do: Look at the ways to use back office tools to streamline and standardize billings, improve collections and truly analyze the financial aspects of your business. Take better advantage of reporting functionality to give you reports that help you cut costs and improve profits. Evaluate your current Internet presence (hint: Google your name). Pick one or two of the Internet and social media channels to try. Don’t be over-influenced by what “everybody else” is doing – one or more of these approaches will suit you best – go with that one.

6. Focus on Client-focused Technology. OK. I pick this every year, but it’s a trend that’s clearly happening and it’s one that Susskind’s book also highlights. If you are looking for a simple approach to technology, this is what I recommend. Are your technology plans driven by what your clients want or by their needs?

Technology in this category includes simple extranets, collaboration tools, 24x7 access to documents, providing documents in preferred formats, and electronic billing. I’ve written extensively on this topic and posted some slides on SlideShare. so I won’t add a lot here, other than to say that this economy dictates that you find better ways to work with your best clients. The best way to start: just ask them.

What to Do: Simple client technology surveys. Identify pain points clients have with your technology, such as document compatibility or preferred formats. Focus on simple, practical extranet functionality (e.g., access to copies of documents) rather than gold-plated, all-inclusive extranet platforms. In general, keep it simple. And find ways to make it easy for clients to stay with you.

7. E-Discovery in Still Waters. No area of legal technology receives more attention than e-discovery, and deservedly so. 2009 will be a deceptive year in e-discovery. At the surface, it will appear that not much is happening. Some contradictory decisions, some industry consolidation, some talk of reform and a concern about costs. There will definitely be discussion of cooperation and collaboration. But you won’t see game-changing new technologies, magic bullets or tectonic movements.

As I’ve said before, lawyers have won the first round of EDD battles and successfully resisted wide-scale changes to business as usual litigation.

But that’s just the surface view. Still waters run deep and, like the Internet, we overestimate the impact of EDD in the short term and we underestimate the impact of EDD over the long term. Under the surface, the changes are huge and will transform the practice of law. Those involved in this area need to keep their eyes and ears open and monitor developments.

There are a few trends I’ll highlight. First, the growing emphasis on cooperation and collaboration, just one aspect of the growing role judges have been forced to play because of slow-moving lawyers. Second, technologies and techniques to produce usable and workable datasets out of enormous amounts of data. Third, an increasing amount of focus on high costs of EDD, with the parallel trend of treating some EDD procedures as commodities, with commodity types of pricing.

The main trend you will want to take notice of is one that started a few years ago and has continued to grow. It’s the movement of the lawyers who know the most and who are the best at EDD out of law firms and into the employ of EDD service providers. This really is a tectonic shift with the probable long-term result of EDD service providers largely taking this work away from law firms and EDD, perhaps, no longer even considered part of the ordinary practice of law, leaving litigation lawyers to redefine what they actually do as clients route around them to the EDD service providers who have all of the talent. I invite you to give that some serious thought.

What to Do: Watch the developments. Keep up with industry developments by reading some of the excellent EDD blogs. Watch the flow of talent out of law firms. There are still plenty of opportunities for lawyers in EDD, but I suggest looking for niche areas of EDD that you can do well or new roles, like project management. If I were a litigator involved in EDD, I’d look for one EDD niche to become very good at in 2009.

8. The Perfect Storm for Collaboration Tools. Tom Mighell and I recently released a 2009 CD update of our book, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together. One of the features on the CD is our take on top trends in collaboration tools. Among the trends we note include cultural issues caused by mergers, layoffs and other economic turmoil, reduced travel budgets driving adoption of conferencing tools, the ability to find their own collaboration tools when you don’t provide them, the growth of instant messaging and Web 2.0 tools, and the growing role service level agreements play in collaboration tools.

If you go back and look at articles making predictions about legal technology at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, you’ll notice that most, if not all, of them made one or more references to collaboration technologies. Since the beginning of 2009, the changes brought about by our economic situation have accelerated the move to collaboration technologies. The most obvious example at most organizations is the reduction in travel budgets and how that has renewed interest in all forms of conferencing. As I write this, we wonder about swine flu and pandemics. There is no question that this, too, will place more emphasis on online collaboration. New features added to programs almost invariably involve collaboration and interest in Microsoft SharePoint among both large and small firms continues to be high. Perhaps most important, however, is the growing sense that email may be broken as a tool or platform to use when working together.

What to Do: I always recommend starting with a simple “audit” of how you are collaborating now and determine how you might better collaborate with others by using collaboration features of programs you already have or free collaboration tools. Look at alternatives to email, especially for simple tasks like sending large files. Experiment with some of the web 2.0 tools – Google Apps is an easy place to start. And, of course, ask your clients how you can make it easier for them to work together with you.

9. A Potpourri of Predictions. In “down” technology years, I have always argued that innovative lawyers and firms can greatly widen the gap between themselves and those who stand still. Similarly, firms feeling that they have fallen behind can catch up to or even leapfrog today’s leaders by making a concerted effort in down years. In 2009, the retrenchment will be so great that I don’t expect to see a lot of innovation or investment. But the opportunity is there.

Here are a few predictions/trends that don’t really fall into specific categories, but I didn’t want to leave out of this article.

I’m intrigued by interaction of encryption and confidentiality, the way encryption might offer a technological solution to confidentiality obligations.

I’m quite concerned that a lack of understanding of, or an unwillingness to understand, how technology works by ethics regulators, especially in the area of web 2.0, social media, Twitter, cloud computing and metadata could result in rulings and regulation that negatively affects legal innovation at exactly the time innovation should be encouraged. I expect to see several important examples of that by year-end.

For innovation, I’m looking to the newest generation of lawyers and, equally important, those involved in provided services to lawyers. You’ll find them out there in blogs, on Twitter and Facebook, and other places on the Internet. I’m impressed by their energy and creativity. I learn a lot about new uses of technology from them and, as a profession, we’ll find them a source of innovation.

At ABA TECHSHOW 2009, I had a great conversation with Marc Lauritsen, Jordan Furlong and Ariel Jatib about where the next game-changing development in legal technology would appear. It arose out of a discussion about Twitter, which, interestingly, we all seemed to think was a bridge technology that was taking us to something else.

My contention was that audio and video was the easiest and most obvious answer. I had also just listened to a fascinating podcast of a presentation by Rajesh Jain in which he discussed innovative uses of SMS (simply put, instant messaging) in India. This also relates to the idea of mobile phones as a platform. We actually spent quite a bit of time on this possibility, which I believe holds a lot of promise. Finally, we talked about one of Marc’s favorite ideas of combining artificial intelligence concepts, decision trees and related technologies into tools that assist lawyers or take the place of routine aspects of the practice. The conversation we had around that topic and related topics like crowd-sourcing and recommendation engines was quite energizing and, as Jordan noted later, what makes a visit to a conference like TECHSHOW so worth the trip. My conclusion: while others hunker down, this is the year to take some time and think some bigger thoughts.

Concluding Thoughts. My best recommendation for 2009 is to read Richard Susskind’s new book “The End of Lawyers?” and familiarize yourself with the two biggest influences on the legal profession he mentions – commoditisation and information technology – and the way they will disrupt and change the profession, probably faster than we expect. Then engage in the conversation about where technology is taking us. It might not seem like much will be happening in 2009, but big changes will be taking place under the surface. Hunker down, but keep your eyes and ears, and your mind, open.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology trends predictions collaboration

Posted by dmk at 10:24 PM | Comments (6)

April 27, 2009

Has PowerPoint Killed the Presentation? New Episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast

Got the word today that the newest episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast is now available for download. You can also subscribe to podcast on iTunes.

This episode has been given the intriguing title of "Has PowerPoint Killed the Presentation?" There's no doubt that PowerPoint can be deadly in the hands of lawyers. We take a fresh look at PowerPoint in the light of some of our recent presentations, and give some of of favorite tips for improving your slides and presentations.

It's just Tom and me in the studio for this episode, as we go without a co-host and experiment with a new format. We really like the new format - a main topic, answers to audience questions (thanks for the great questions) and our parting shots of a favorite tip you can use. We welcome your feedback on the episode and the new format. I expect that we'll keep the new format and see the return of a co-host for the next episode.

We also welcomed our friends at RocketMatter as a sponsor of the podcast. As usual, we had the great production team at the Legal Talk Network. Follow the LTN Twitter feed (@legaltalk) for info on sending us questions for the podcast, details on a live feed during the podcast recording and info on the other great LTN podcasts.

If you'd like some helpful tips on improving your use of PowerPoint, the tips in one of my most popular articles ever will give you a good starting point, even ten years after I wrote them. My parting shot was about how helpful screen capture tools can be in a variety of settings. I referred to this Lifehacker post about the five best screen capture tools.

Give the new episode a listen and let me know what you think.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast powerpoint collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:22 PM | Comments (2)

April 22, 2009

Seeking Audience Questions for Next Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast

We'll be recording the next episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast on Friday. In the last episode, we had a segment in which we answered an question sent to us in advance.

We enjoyed it so much that we're thinking of making it a regular segment in the show.

Of course, that means we need to have some questions to answer.

For the upcoming episode, we're planning talk about whether lawyers have turned PowerPoint into a presentation-killer, with ways we think PowerPoint slides and presentations can be improved. As an aside, the tips in one of my most popular articles ever give you a good starting point, even ten years after I wrote them.

We'd welcome audience questions on (1) something to do with PowerPoint or the usage of slides in general or (2) legal tech issues in general.

You can email me your questions at denniskennedyblog @ gmail.com or leave a comment on this post.

Give the podcast a listen and let me know what you think.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast powerpoint collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:37 PM | Comments (2)

April 21, 2009

Recent Microblog Posts - April 21, 2009

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:

Very wise words from Penelope Trunk: "Reality check: You're not going to make money from your blog" - http://bit.ly/2Mteq - a must-read

2009 update CD for The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies available for pre-order at http://bit.ly/RcspY

Audio of Richard Susskind's #techshow keynote available for download at http://www.techshow.com - see my live notes at http://bit.ly/jd6wN

Patrick Lamb reports on Futurefirm 1.0 and the future of law - http://bit.ly/qgfm8; another report by Aric Press at http://bit.ly/yZSrQ

Dave Snowden - "Think anew, Act anew: Scenario Planning" - http://bit.ly/Wb3H4 - from planning for scenarios to true scenario planning.

Benjamin Sutherland notes another step in continuing evolution of iPod Touch as a computing platform - http://bit.ly/j9D7Z

Lifehacker covers five best screen capture tools - http://bit.ly/SftLU - very useful tools for presenters

Gary Marshall asks what if our tech is "good enough"? http://bit.ly/2S6wuh - "Now, though, the weakest link isn't your PC: it's you."

Carolyn Elefant shows us another good way for lawyers to experiment with Wordle - http://bit.ly/YqiEX

Matthew Apsokardu on what PowerPoint teaches about martial arts and vice versa - http://bit.ly/DXI9G

A new blog post: Looking Back at (and Looking Forward from) ABA TECHSHOW 2009 - http://bit.ly/3gAzGm #techshow

Trent Hamm reviews Bert Decker's You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard - http://bit.ly/RddGv - Want to be a better presenter? Read this book

Check out the new The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast on the Legal Talk Network.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2009

Looking Back at (and Looking Forward from) ABA TECHSHOW 2009

Episode 2 of The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast is now available at its new home on the Legal Talk Network. In this episode, Tom and I talk with our guest co-host, Adrian Linares, about our take-aways from the recent ABA TECHSHOW 2009.

As I mention in the podcast, TECHSHOW reminded me of one of the recurring themes in my work – that legal technology (and information technology in general) is always more about people than it is about the technology. I recommend that you give the podcast a listen to hear our reactions to TECHSHOW and about some of the social aspects of legal technology today. Note also that we are looking for audience questions to answer in future podcasts.

I’ve been meaning to write a wrap-up post on my TECHSHOW experience, and this seems like a good place to do that.

As I first made my way to the TECHSHOW floor, I immediately saw Tom Mighell and Adriana Linares at the Conference Concierge booth and I felt like everything was in the right place in the legal tech world. From there, it was on the Twitter session and the three-day whirlwind that my TECHSHOW visits have become. I think that I did a good job of trying to visit with everyone I could, but if I missed you, it wasn’t for lack of trying, just a shortage of time.

My one disappointment at TECHSHOW was not getting much time on the exhibit floor to visit with vendors. I had a great conversation with Rick Borstein of Adobe about some ways to use Acrobat 9 (think portfolios and RSS feeds) and have some great suggestions to try. Otherwise, I got the chance to visit with my RocketMatter pals, Larry and Ariel, JD Supra, TotalAttorneys, Clio and Thompson West. I learned some interesting things, some potentially practice-changing, but didn’t get a strong sense of where the vendors are at today. As others have mentioned, electronic discovery is definitely a big item these days on the vendor floor.

As I was lamenting the lack of exhibit hall time I had on Friday afternoon (as the exhibit hall neared closing time), I ran into my friend, Andrew Sandler, at LegalQB, who was busy at work shooting videos of vendors and creating a virtual exhibit hall. You could go to the LegalQB site and mouse over vendors on the floor map and get info and see videos of vendor reps answering basic questions about products and services. The idea is that, at your own pace and without being bothered by sales pitches, you can learn about a vendor and come to the booths that interest you armed with basic knowledge and knowing what questions you have. Cool idea. Even cooler, LegalQB plans to make that info always available outside the conference setting. Andrew shot some video of Tom and me talking about our book and podcast that will be up on the LegalQB site. Give LegalQB a look.

I really enjoyed the three presentations I gave, two with Tom Mighell on topics related to our book, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies, and one with Joel Alleyne, who was excellent to work with as a co-presenter, on a “client-focused” approach to collaboration. I’ve put up stripped-down black-and-white versions of slides from two of the presentations on SlideShare (here and here) as an example of how you can use this online tool to share presentation slides. There was a fair amount of twittering during the sessions and legal blogger extraordinaire Allison Shields has a nice summary of one of the sessions.

Tom and I did a roundtable session on collaboration tools, where we experimented with some “unconference” techniques. After introductions, we found that two of the attendees were actually on opposite sides of some matters. We took the opportunity to break into groups and discussed what, to me, is the hardest, but very common, collaboration situation – collaborating with people on opposite sides. While I’d characterize the success of the experiment as mixed, the planned 5 to minute discussion went much longer and people had some good ideas. I learned a lot. Then we discussed some questions about confidentiality and encryption, Google Docs, SharePoint and some other specific tools.

As a presenter, doing three presentations in a row reminded on the need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and to protect your voice, especially on the night before. I was a little lacking in both departments, but left with my voice pretty much intact.

We gave away copies of our book – meaning the book and the new 2009 update on CD – at each of my sessions. After very limited success with the “trivia question” approach last year, Tom and I have done the book giveaways by finding the person in the audience who is newest to the legal business. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well this approach works (it always narrows down to one; trivia questions often draw many simultaneous hand-raisers). The rest of the audience stays interested and there is a good feeling in the room for the winner. Several people came up to me after sessions to say how much they liked this approach.

We heard from several sources that collaboration was a hot topic and that our book sold well. That’s always good to hear. As I mentioned, there’s a new CD update for 2009, with a new chapter of tips, new developments, forms, audio and more. We also took advantage of the opportunity to lobby our ABA publishers to release the book as a Kindle experiment. I’m not sure that we made much progress, but let Tom or me know if you would be interested in a Kindle version of the book and we’ll keep pushing our publisher.

The Sessions. For many years, my friends have discouraged me from attending their sessions, saying “you already know this.” That’s not really true, but I know what they mean. I’ve noticed that I attend fewer sessions at conferences, in part because the best learning really does happen in the hallways and lobbies outside the sessions. I also have a unique position where I can talk to many of the speakers outside the sessions, especially at TECHSHOW where many of the speakers are friends, but for any attendee, access to speakers at TECHSHOW is second to none and one of the big plusses of the show.

There were two sessions I attended that I wanted to note. The first was the Twitter session at the start of the conference. While, admittedly, sitting by Jordan Furlong was guaranteed to result in Twitter shenanigans, and it did, it was fascinating to observe the twittering during the session and how the #techshow hashtag moved up to the #3 trending search term on all of Search.twitter.com during the session. While I liked the session, my sense by the end of it was that I’d probably focus more on the whys, hows and so whats of Twitter if I ever presented on the topic.

The other session, which I think was the centerpiece of the conference, was Richard Susskind’s keynote speech. I posted my notes from the session here, so I won’t go into any detail here. A few conclusions – buy the book (The End of Lawyers?), read the book and discuss the book with others. I enjoyed getting a couple of chances to chat briefly with Richard. I compare the book favorably to Tom Friedmann’s “The Earth is Flat” in that pulls together and synthesizes a lot of important ideas that people have been tossing around, systematizes those ideas in highly understandable ways, and provides a single point of entry for those new to the discussion. The presentation was excellent on so many levels and gave me many touchpoints to tie into my presentations the following day.

Probably my favorite part of the move of TECHSHOW to the Chicago Hilton has been the willingness of the TECHSHOW chairs and ABA Law Practice Management Section to open up a suite to attendees to hang out in the evenings. As I mentioned before, the access to speakers is a huge selling point of TECHSHOW.

Anyway, I spent more than a few hours at the suite on the evenings I was there and appreciated the chance to talk to others about technology and other topics. On the first evening, I found myself in a great conversation with Marc Lauritsen, Jordan Furlong and Ariel Jatib in which we were trying to predict what the next wave of lawyers’ use of the Internet would be. If websites were generation one, and blogs were generation two, was Twitter the start of generation three? Maybe. We went well beyond that and the conversation was worth the trip for me. The Twitter length summary of what’s next from our conversation – audio/video (the easy answer), SMS as a platform, and automated decision-making / legal risk management.

Thanks to Adriana Linares, Kevin O’Keefe, Ed Adams (my “boss” for my ABA Journal tech column) and others who organized events like Beer and Blawgers, the great dinner events, and other activities. One of my favorite TECHSHOW moments was at the Beer and Blawger event, where bloggers/twitterers who knew each other by reputation got to meet in person for the first time. It was funny and cool at the same time to hear people shouting, “Oh my God, you’re @legaltypist!” or @econwriter5 or other Twitter handles. It was also fascinating to see the difference in approach of people who brand their names on Twitter (e.g., @denniskennedy, @tommighell, @jimcalloway) as compared to those who use handles.

Tom and I hosted a very nice dinner at Catch 35, a very good seafood restaurant with a very memorable bread pudding dessert, where we talked about Kindles and a bunch of other topics. Thanks to all who signed up for our dinner.

The last day of sessions ended with the speaker luncheon and the passing of the torch from the current board chair, Laura Calloway (fabulous job, Laura!), to the next board chair, Debbie Foster, and the first meeting of the new board. As a former board member, I always enjoy that tradition.

On Saturday afternoon, I had the rare chance to sit down and talk for a couple of hours with my friend and honorary cousin, Dan Pinnington, something we haven’t had the chance to do for a few years. Dan, along with Reid Trautz, has co-written a new book , The Busy Lawyer's Guide to Success, which is chockful of law practice management tips (more than 700) and is a must-read. Lots of great info in it and they have a website for it at http://lawyersuccesstips.com.

I made the comment in my presentations that, especially because of the economy, TECHSHOW was a gathering of the right people at the right place at the right time on legal technology. I suspect that the ideas, relationships and energy generated by TECHSHOW 2009 will one day be seen to have played an important role in the evolution of the practice of law toward the ideas some of us loosely call Law 2.0.

Toward that end, I end by pointing to the continuing Twitter conversation that began at TECHSHOW and has keep going at a great pace ever since. It can be found by searching for "#techshow" (or just "techshow") at Search.twitter.com. You can even join in this conversation by adding the hashtag #techshow to your related tweets. It's definitely a space to watch.

A big thank you to everyone for making this one of my best TECHSHOWs of the ten or so I’ve attended. As I said, legal technology ultimately is more about people than technology.

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

Check out the new The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast on the Legal Talk Network.

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 10:08 PM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2009

Recent Microblog Posts - April 12, 2009

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 to give you a flavor of what expect:

Contract Drafting for 21st Century: Conversation Between Ken Adams and Ron Friedmann - http://bit.ly/8JyAk - contract drafting = commodity?

Joshua Poje on reliving ABA Techshow 2009 on Twitter - http://bit.ly/pDJN - the continuing discussion at #techshow might be the big story.

Nassim Taleb on ten principles for a black swan-proof world - http://bit.ly/3u32GO

James Maule on a tide of change in legal education: a crisis that won't simply go away - http://bit.ly/nPBJ - worthwhile change from turmoil

Kevin Carey on what colleges should learn from newspapers' decline - http://bit.ly/19taz2 - lessons for lawyers, too

Twitter: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Jim Calloway http://tinyurl.com/cu87a6

Ron Friedmann suggests the cylinder may replace the pyramid in BigLaw structures - http://bit.ly/Ubr9T - the big squeeze and right-sizing

Very useful! InsideLegal's Legal Technology/Law Firm Management Master Events Calendar - http://bit.ly/VMzTa #techshow Thanks, JoAnna.

Here's a #techshow picture to celebrate episode 1 of the new Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast (http://bit.ly/JKCH2) - see http://bit.ly/SzOO

The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast returns - on the Legal Talk Network! http://bit.ly/JKCH2 Adriana Linares guest hosts.

Mitch Joel on the rapid growth of Twitter with the stats to prove it - http://bit.ly/28Ik5 - useful info for presentations and discussions

Lifehacker Hive Five's Five Best Mindmapping Applications - http://bit.ly/Nw2Hx - my intro to mindmapping article - http://bit.ly/BU1c0

Trent at The Simple Dollar wisely notes "You can’t get better results without changing anything" - http://bit.ly/BPrKx [Good reminder]

Con Frantzeskos says that Twitter is for old people - http://bit.ly/138rvc - good discussion point for #techshow Twitter session

Professor Maule discusses what must happen next in legal education in must-read post at http://bit.ly/oDWuZ Note esp. last three paragraphs.

Check out the new The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast on the Legal Talk Network.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 05:32 PM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2009

Liveblogging Susskind's Keynote Presentation at TECHSHOW

Wanted to try my hand at liveblogging, which is really blogging your notes from a session: Let me know what you think.

My notes on session:

At the end of these economic difficulties, the legal landscape will not return to “normal,” instead it will be drastically changed.

KPMG mission statement – we exist to provide value from our knowledge to our clients. Lawyers must look for ways to find new ways to produce these values.

Clients want client dispute avoidance, not dispute resolution.

This means next wave for lawyers is legal risk management.

Understand the fundamental difference between automation and innovation. Not computerization what we already do but to making new things possible.

In other words, the best way to predict the future is to invent it.

The key is turning ideas into action. Some of these ideas have been around for a while.

“Fit for purpose” legal profession.

Inhouse legal counsel are under significant pressure – something has to give. I.e., clients want “more for less.” This is a fundamental premise.

Note the coming reality of external investment in law firms in the UK.

Two possible strategies:
1. Efficiency strategy – cut costs, move toward commoditization, multi-sourcing
2. Collaboration strategy – cost sharing, harnessing collaborative IT, online community

Disruption beyond imagination

Commoditisation:
Bespoke vs. Commoditised – Custom vs. commodity

A path:
Bespoke -> Standardized -> Systematized -> Packaged (packaging your knowledge) -> Commoditized

Legal expertise as product. Eversheds as a model

Many see packaged knowledge as anathema

Commodity in the sense of legal services is a metaphor. An online information service is his example of commodisation in legal services.

Another path:
Hourly fees -> flat fees -> free

Innovation seems to happen in the systematized and packaged areas for Susskind. Most firms see that they are and want to stay in the bespoke area. Has bespoke become just a romantic vision of what we think we are as lawyers?

Clients, on the other hand, generally want to move away from bespoke and toward commoditization.

In other words, client work needs to be rethought.

Clients – cut costs, make costs predictable, quality improves (via standardization and systemization)

Watch for this axis to largely flip (in terms of percentages in each category over the next 10 years)

Multi-sourcing – using the least costly of many potential sources of services and/or the bringing together of multi-sourced work into coherent single product.

Susskind has 12 ways of multi-sourcing (NOTE: this is a key section of his book) e.g., insourcing, outsourcing, home sourcing, open sourcing, co-sourcing, leasing, computerizing, no-sourcing (not devoting legal resources/effort to low risk areas)

Law as project management.

Tendency among lawyers (outside this presentation room) that Google and BlackBerry is their technology. And belief that legal profession is the one area that will not be impacted fundamentally by the Internet and technology.
The interesting point (at least to me) is are we starting to see early impacts/symptoms of Singularity effects (e.g., Vinge and Kurzweil).

As technology comes to heart of our lives and work, no reason to believe law will be exempt.

Change is accelerating.

Another set of examples – Social networking, online communications, mass collaboration
[NOTE: It’s fascinating how our collaboration book is a handbook for using the practical tools that will power these trends in the profession. Don’t know if we were especially prescient or lucky. Or both.]

The key is how to apply these techniques (online communication, collaboration, social networking) in the legal profession.

Ten disruptive (in the Clayton Christiansen sense) technology for legal profession (listed in his book).
Four examples:
1. Closed client communities (collaborative) – Network of solo practitioners or clients
2. Online dispute resolution
3. Embedded legal knowledge
4. Electronic legal marketplace

Traditional pyramid model and shape of law firms will change dramatically

“What parts of lawyers’ work can be done differently?” Answer truthfully.

If we see ways Internet can destroy our business, shouldn’t you be doing that? That’s the challenge.

For what will lawyers be needed? A more fundamental question.

Deep expertise (legal) and complex communication.

Note that complexity and expertise can be modeled. Modeling is a key concept.

Lawyers tend to exaggerate level of creativity (across the board).

Direct contact is diminishing in many areas

Future jobs for lawyers
Expert trusted adviser
Legal knowledge engineer
Project managers

He calls what is coming is an incremental revolution toward an IT-enabled legal profession and a fundamental change in the way legal services are delivered.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast techshow collaboration susskind

Posted by dmk at 01:47 PM | Comments (4)

April 01, 2009

The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast Now on Legal Talk Network

I'll be at the ABA TECHSHOW April 2 - April 4 and hope to see many of you, especially those from Chicago, there, although I expect I'll live up to my reputation as the worst liveblogger ever.

However, I have some big news. The Kennedy-Mighell Report, a podcast Tom Mighell and I produced on an irregular basis over the past few years, has been relaunched as part of the excellent Legal Talk Network, with a new format and the great production team at LTN.

Episode #1 is called "Reality Check - The Impact of Legal Technology on Lawyers" and, as part of our new format, features our good friend and legal tech maven, Adriana Linares as a special guest co-host. We had a lot of fun making the podcast and it has some great practical information on legal tech.

Here's the description:

Technology can help you manage your law practice OR make you want to throw the computer or mobile device of choice out the window! Hear the economic reality check and the impact on legal technology for lawyers - the hard but helpful facts. Time's up for computer illiterate lawyers - find out why! And too much stuff to search for discovery, case law, etc - what to do?

We'll do the podcast every other week and it's available on iTunes and via RSS feed. Details here.

Please give it a listen and let us know what you think. We're happy to get suggestions for topics to cover in the future.

I'm very much looking forward to Richard Susskind's keynote presentation at TECHSHOW (to me, this is a must-see for anyone seriously interested about the future of the practice of law. If you are in Chicago, you really have to consider at least going for the TECHSHOW day-pass to see this one). Tom and I will be doing several presentations on collaboration tools on Friday (another good use of the day pass option, if you ask me). Please say hello if you see me.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast techshow collaboration

Posted by dmk at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2009

Technology Choices for Newly Solo Lawyers

The ABA Journal has just posted my latest legal technology column. It's called "Going Solo on a Budget," and it's part 1 of a two-part series on technology for new solos and small firms.

The legal profession is not exempt from the current economic turmoil. I wrote the introduction to this column before the last big wave of layoffs, so it feels even more true now than when I originally wrote it: "Given the current economy, odds are there will be many more lawyers in solo practice at the end of 2009 than at the beginning. Change might come about by choice or by circumstance—the “suddenly solo” phenomenon—as news stories are illustrating all too well."

In the column, I focus on how a new solo, especially one who is transitioning from a large firm, needs to think about technology and set priorities. I wanted to focus on the questions to ask.

I highlight three key questions:

First, what is your practice area?

Second, what is your expected volume of clients, work and documents?

Third, what is your budget?

Over the years, I've become convinced that "volume," meaning number, amount and the like, really does drive technology choices. Think about it.

Although I would refer people to resources like Carolyn Elefant's great MyShingle.com, and The 2009 Solo and Small Firm Technology Guide (by Sharon Nelson, John Simek and Michael Maschke), and, of course, Ross Kodner's writing on solo and small firm technology when making specific technology choices, I tried to give some general technology recommendations in the article.

I also suggest that adopting a client-focused strategy when making technology choices is a solid approach for new solos.

I've been pleasantly surprised by getting quite a few positive emails already in response to the column. It seems like it touched a nerve, especially as more lawyers face layoffs, layoff rumors, firm closings and other uncertainties.

Take a look at the column and let me know what you think about it. If you plan to attend ABA TECHSHOW next week, maybe we'll get the chance to talk about the article or other technology issues. I'll also note that Tom Mighell and I are hosting one of the "Taste of TECHSHOW" dinner events on April 3, which will give you a chance to talk with Tom and me about collaboration tools and other technology topics in an informal setting.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology solo small firm collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:50 PM | Comments (2)

February 22, 2009

By Request: Any Open Source Apps to Create Legal Pleadings and Documents?

As part of blawgiversary week at DennisKennedy.Blog, I've invited readers to send me their questions and I'll try to answer each of them with a "By Request" post.

Not surprisingly, real life has intruded on my plan, so I'm running behind. However, keep sending your questions in and I'll see how many I can answer this week.

Here's the next question:

By Request: Any Open Source apps I can use on Ubuntu to create legal pleadings and documents?"

As longtime readers know, I'm a big fan of Open Source applications and the whole Open Source concept. However, I don't use any flavor of Linux, Ubuntu or otherwise, so I don't have an answer based on my own experience., although I have two suggestions for you.

If you are looking for Open Source software, I generally suggest checking Sourceforge to see what specific applications might be available. In this case, however, I'd suggest starting with something much simpler - Open Office. OpenOffice is an Open Source competitor to Microsoft Office. It's available in a Linux version. I'd check into its capabilities and see if can do what you want it to do. Check some of the OpenOffice resources and forums to see if there are other suggestions. I just did a quick search and found some interesting comments on the topic here.

I'm also thinking that your question also shows some of the reasons Software as a Service (SaaS), or hosted applications, has become such an intriguing alternative. In SaaS, you are able to access the functionality of full-featured applications over the web using only a browser. On Ubuntu, you'd need only run a browser (such as Firefox) and find a hosted service that provides the functionality you need. For example, if you wanted to use document assembly to automate your forms and document creation, you could sign up for a doc assembly service like that from Exari and you be able to do what you want to do in a platform-independent environment.

Those would be my best two ideas. I invite readers to leave comments with other thoughts and recommendations.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology ubuntu open source legal

Posted by dmk at 08:47 PM | Comments (3)

February 19, 2009

By Request: What Will It Take to Get Howard onto Facebook?

As part of blawgiversary week at DennisKennedy.Blog, I've invited readers to send me their questions and I'll try to answer each of them with a "By Request" post.

Not surprisingly, real life has intruded on my plan, so I'm running behind. However, keep sending your questions in and I'll see how many I can answer this weekend.

Here's the next question:

"What Will It Take to Get Howard onto Facebook?"

OK. One of the risks in doing "By Request" is that people will ask questions that are too "insider" or don't have application to my general audience. That said, I'll still take a stab at this one.

Although on the surface, this might seem to be a question about one of my high school classmates, there are really two different, and increasingly important, questions hidden within this question, and I'll answer those.

The two questions are: 1. How do you convince an adult, professional person (let's say a lawyer) that it actually makes any sense at all to sign up for Facebook? And 2. Has it become obligatory for all of us to have an active Facebook account as part of our Internet presence?

Let's take the second question first.

I've been on Facebook for a while. I did so as an experiment at the time bloggers and others first looked to Facebook as a possible platform for business networking. It's still an experiment for me, and I have mixed conclusions about it. In fact, Tom Mighell and I did a podcast about a year-and-a-half ago about the ways lawyers might use Facebook. I'm not sure that my opinions in that podcast have changed in many meaningful ways since then.

My biggest difficulty with Facebook is that it is an additional silo for me - one more destination that isn't among the first tier of Internet places I frequent. So, I'm not actually "on Facebook" that much, especially since I have an RSS feed for friends updates on Facebook.

That said, I'm gradually reaching the conclusion that having a Facebook page has become almost like having an email address. It's one of the basic building blocks of an Internet presence, and it's striking how often now I hear adults talking about having a Facebook page. The "killer app," if you will, is using Facebook to reconnect with high schools, college and childhood friends.

The key word to keep in mind with a Facebook account is judgment, judgment and judgment, especially if you expect to have colleagues, clients or potential clients with any kind of access to your Facebook presence. Equally important is trying to make sure that your Facebook friends are friends who exercise good judgment as well, especially about you. In simplest terms, there are privacy settings on Facebook and you need to know what they are and how to use them.

Let me say it again: use good judgment.

Question #2. How do you convince someone who is reluctant or dubious that they need to be on Facebook?

I personally think that you can't, but you can point to the path that will help someone make their own decisions.

In many ways, Facebook reminds me of the earliest days of Internet email in law firms. As I've said in several of my presentations, it wasn't clients that led lawyers to use email; it was the children of law firm partners in college who wanted to communicate with them that moved lawyers to use Internet email. I see a similar pattern with parents today.

I probably cannot convince anyone of overwhelming benefits or "need" to get on Facebook, but I can point them to the ability to connect or reconnect with family, friends, high school classmates, fellow bloogers, legal technology experts, and the like. If there is a sufficient "hook," people will try Facebook.

There are a lot of issues lawyers who use Facebook need to think through carefully (and I'm planning to write about that in the near future), but, in general, it will be the ability to connect personally with an important group of people that will motivate people to try Facebook.

Finally, what about the Howard question? What will it take?

I thought we were going to get him quite a while ago. When Mike got on Facebook, I thought we had him. When both Eric and Elaine were on, I thought we had him. When Howard IMed me that he was actually working on setting up an account, I almost believed him. I recently thought that Roger would be the tipping point. I doubt that this blog post will get him over the hump, but I'm an optimist. And I know that one day soon, we'll see him and maybe even you on Facebook.

But remember the word "judgment" if you go there.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology facebook judgment by request

Posted by dmk at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

By Request: Are You Aware of Any SharePoint Training Programs for Lawyers?

As part of blawgiversary week at DennisKennedy.Blog, I've invited readers to send me their questions and I'll try to answer each of them with a "By Request" post.

Not surprisingly, real life has intruded on my plan, so I'm running behind. However, keep sending your questions in and I'll see how many I can answer this weekend.

Here's the next question:

"Are you aware of any tailor-made programs being offered as CLE programs, or simply in-house training presentations for Sharepoint use in-house or in the small/large (legal) office setting?"

My short answer is "no," but I did some checking into this question.

When it comes to SharePoint questions, my "go to" person is my friend Randy Holloway at Microsoft, who, among other things, has written a book on SharePoint, SharePoint 2007 and Office Development Expert Solutions (Programmer to Programmer).

Randy pointed me to Microsoft's online training for SharePoint Server 2007 as a good place to start. It has a set of 21 twenty to thirty minute sessions on a variety of topics.

For legal-specific SharePoint seminars, I'd consider attending the annual ILTA conference or seeing what local or regional ILTA programs might be scheduled on the topic of SharePoint.

I'm curious about whether readers have other suggestions for SharePoint seminars, online or live, or other ways to learn about SharePoint for law firms and legal departments. If you have suggestions, leave a comment.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration sharepoint by request

Posted by dmk at 08:25 PM | Comments (3)

February 16, 2009

By Request: Can You Give Us More Details on Your Presentations at TECHSHOW?

As part of blawgiversary week at DennisKennedy.Blog, I've invited readers to send me their questions and I'll try to answer each of them with a "By Request" post.

Today's question was: "Can you give us more details on your presentations at TECHSHOW?"

While I like the new design of the ABA TECHSHOW 2009 site, I haven't found a way to see in one place a list of presentations by speaker with descriptions of the sessions, so I'm sympathetic to this question.

I'll be co-presenting at three sessions on Friday, April 3. All are about collaboration tools and technologies.

1. Building Bridges: Collaboration Tools Corporate Clients Will Love, with Joel Alleyne. (10:30 - 11:30)

Here's the official description:

There is no room for inefficiency or insecurity during information exchange between client and law firm. Save your clients money and provide a unique experience by mastering the wealth of collaboration tools available to work with clients, co-counsel, and even opposing counsel. Extranets, webinars, SharePoint, online project management, online video conferencing and many more tools provide alternatives to voice and email communication. Come learn about the different options, both synchronous and asynchronous, to share information and collaborate on work product with these effective new technologies.

In this session, I'm expecting to focus on client-focused collaboration tools and strategies, with an emphasis on some fresh approaches to one of my longtime favorite themes - client-driven technologies.

2. Smart Ways to Work Together: Collaboration Tools and Technologies for Lawyers, with Tom Mighell. (12:30 - 1:30)

Here's the official description:

Cut out the phone tag and down time while getting more work done with your colleagues. Learn what new or ripening technologies are available, how to select the right tool for the job, and practical tips for using collaboration tools in common settings, including ethical issues and other considerations. Shared calendars and documents, meeting managers, IM, wikis, video conferencing - it's all waiting to boost your productivity, and much of it is FREE!

This presentation will, of course, be based on our book, but Tom and I have decided to take a modified "60 Collaboration Tips in 60 Minutes" approach to this session to maximize the amount of practical information we deliver and to provide useful info to all attendees regardless of their levels of experience or expertise with collaboration tools.

3. Collaboration Tools for Lawyers, with Tom Mighell (2:30 - 3:30)

Here's the official description:

The authors of Collaboration Tools & Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together will lead this roundtable discussion, which will cover all the many technologies, both general and legal-specific, that lawyers can use to work together more effectively. Come hear what works for others, and share what has worked for you.

In this session, Tom and I want to focus on what the audience wants to learn. We are planning to use an "unconference" approach (probably some modified Open Space and LexThink techniques) to make the session as interactive as possible and to help share the experience and expertise of everyone in the room. It was great to see Bob Ambrogi's blog post today with his very favorable response to his recent experience with "unconference" approaches. Here are some of my thoughts on unconferences.

In addition to the presentations, I expect to put in some volunteer time as a "conference concierge" at the entrance station, and expect that Tom and I will co-host one of the dinner outings.

If you still haven't made a decision about attending TECHSHOW this year, now is the time to make up your mind. There's a $200 early bird discount available until the end of February. If you join the ABA's Law Practice Management Section (and you should if you read this blog and are an ABA member), you will be eligible for a discount as well. If someone else from your organization is also wanting to go, multiple attendee pricing is also available. Lots of good deals for a great legal technology conference. Hope to see you there.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration techshow by request

Posted by dmk at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2009

Recent Microblog Posts - February 15, 2009

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 to give you a flavor of what expect:

Want to understand cloud computing? Great explanation at http://bit.ly/TBTIN

New post on DennisKennedy.Blog: "Using #Collaboration Tools in the Real World" - http://bit.ly/Ud3Zh

Bruce Marcus on "surviving in the current cascade of economic disaster - http://bit.ly/1aFhgV - the end of business as usual?

Kevin Kelly's fascinating piece on Amish hackers and early adopters - http://bit.ly/Tr3l. In a similar vein - http://bit.ly/CgJVN

Based on the books I've read on the list, this list of 100 best business books is excellent - http://bit.ly/38F7sQ

This strikes me as a must-think-about post w/ bigger implications: Matt Ingram on "The NYT API: Newspaper as Platform" - http://bit.ly/dVEg

Gary Goldhammer reminds us "technology can’t help you if you have nothing to say" in useful tips about social media - http://bit.ly/42ftJI

Michelle Golden offers sage advice on operating and growing in a down economy - http://bit.ly/4izk0B

Ron Friedmann asks "Legal Tech New York 2009: Is EDD the New DOS?" - http://bit.ly/21tGb1 My early EDD 2.0 ideas - http://bit.ly/3de2 #ltny

Nick Carr talks about cloud computing and the Big Switch - http://bit.ly/p8Bo - podcast is a great intro to cloud computing concepts

Hildebrandt and Citi Private Bank 2009 Client Advisory on Trends in Legal Market - http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/020482.html

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/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 05:34 PM | Comments (1)

February 11, 2009

Using Collaboration Tools in the Real World

I wrote a post on LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com the other day called "Eating Our Own Collaboration Tools Dog Food." For those unfamiliar with the reference, "eating one's own dog food" is a term, often associated with Microsoft, that refers to a company that actually uses its own products.

The reference in my post was to an example of Tom Mighell and I actually using some of the collaboration tools we wrote about in our book to actually, well, collaborate on a project we were working on. I recommend the post because it walks through some of the basic tools we used and how and why we used them.

I noted five takeaways from our experience:

1. We actually use the collaboration tools we write and talk about.

2. We like having a tool box of collaboration tools for different purposes rather than being concerned with a single all-purpose collaboration tool.

3. Different tools work well for different purposes.

4. Even in the same project you might use a number of different tools to do the same types of thins.

5. We really like the way you can open a constant communications channel to help you work by using instant messaging.

I've gotten some email about the post. I was struck by how people recommended another all-in-one tool that we could have used (for example, Acrobat.com) instead of the variety of common tools we actually used.

The emailers are exactly right - we could have done that. And it would have worked well for us, although we are creatures of habit and tend to use the tools we are most familiar and comfortable with..

The most interesting thing about collaboration tools is that there are many ways to get to the same place. The more versatility and flexibility you can have with these tools, the more collaboration options you'll have and you'll be able to find a good way to work with whomever you happen to be working with.

I appreciate all the comments, and invite others as well, once you read the post.

As I look back on the post, I also want to highlight the "takeaway" that instant messaging really can play a key role in collaboration efforts. Tom and I have written an article about this topic that should be appearing soon in the ABA's Law Practice magazine.

This seems like a good time to mention that Tom and I will be speaking on collaboration tools at the ABA TECHSHOW in April, including a roundtable session in which we plan to use some "unconference" techniques. Hope to see you there. You can get quick updates on collaboration tools and our upcoming sessions via Twitter by following @collabtools.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 07:34 PM | Comments (1)

January 28, 2009

Client Technology Surveys - A Powerful Little Tool

Client technology surveys are an easy and inexpensive way to improve your use of technology and make it easier for your clients to work with you. In my latest ABA Journal tech column, A Powerful Little Tool You Must Use, I talk about the basics, benefits and best tips for using client technology surveys.

To summarize:

"It’s a great time to focus on client technology surveys. They are simple, surprisingly effective, can fit on a single page and can be used as a script on a phone call."

I prefer a short and simple approach and suggest five types of questions to use. Tom Mighell and I also have a sample client tech survey in our book because these surveys can really help you pick the right collaboration tools to use with your clients. It's also worthwhile checking with Adriana Linares for her latest suggestions about client tech surveys.

I also suggest some good times to use a survey and how it can be a way to create a positive "touch" of your best clients, an especially good idea in tough economic times.

I invite you to read the whole article and let me know your thoughts on the topic.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology client technology survey Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 08:32 PM | Comments (2)

January 25, 2009

Will Law Firm Technology Budgets Be Decimated in 2009? Discuss.

I'm running a little late on my annual legal technology trends article, but I've been thinking a lot about it and reading other technology predictions to give me ideas and help me clarify my thinking. I especially liked those from TechnoLawyer and Ross Kodner.

I was thinking about the topic today, with the idea of doing some writing, and I realized that there were two real (as opposed to many imaginary) reasons why the article was difficult to write this year.

First, to a certain extent, I'm not sure that what I wrote about 2008 trends doesn't still basically apply for 2009, perhaps with a little more oomph in certain places, especially in the evolution of collaboration technologies.

Second, the discussions of legal technology and law practice management, for the most part, seem to be more optimistic than I feel about the topic and the economic crisis seems like the elephant in the room that no one wants to mention in polite conversation.

Today, I read and considered a number of items that I recommend to all my readers as they think about technology in 2009.

Fabius Maximus on Situation Report About The Global Economy, As The Flames Break Thru The Firewalls

Ron Friedmann on The Crisis Goes to Waste as BigLaw Muddles Through

Ron Baker on Recession-proofing Your Firm

Shelley Powers on The Frugal Algorithm

Bruce MacEwen's Report from London

The Greatest American Lawyer on The Adam Smith Blog Contemplates the Potential Consequences of Economic Downturn on the Legal Profession

Jordan Furlong's Avalanche Alert

Wendy Werner on Starting the New Year with Optimism

What Should You Do Now? A Roundtable Discussion on Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil

LawPro's Surviving the Slide (pdf)

You get the idea.

Here's my thinking. You don't really see much discussion of the impact of the economy on legal technology.

Yet, if law firms are laying off lawyers and staff in large numbers and those who haven't been laid off at least a little nervous because no one knows where things are headed, should we still conclude that it's business as usual for legal technology, including electronic discovery?

In my original mindmap for my trends article, one of my trends was the likelihood of frozen budgets, of little or no new spending, of making do with what you had, and the likelihood that most of the legal profession would elect to skip a generation of Windows (Vista) and Office (2007).

Most of that is likely to stay in the version I'm writing, but the discussion I'd like to have (and where I'm starting to think that we are really going) is whether we are going to see just lack of increases or budget freezes.

Technology budgets at many firms have increased steadily over the years and have grown to be a significant line item in firm budgets. Significant line items are likely to get cut this year and there's probably plenty of misdirected tech spending in many firms to cut, although decision-makers aren't always able to see and understand that.

I chose the word "decimate" in my title for a reason. It originates from an extreme Roman practice that killed one out of every ten soldiers as a form of punishment, or a decimation. It has evolved to have the sense of drastic reduction.

The question I have, and I'm inviting you to think about with me, is whether we are in fact likely to see or might already be seeing 10% or greater reductions in legal technology spending by law firms and law departments for 2009? That's the question I'd be asking if I were attending Legal Tech NY next week to as many people who would listen to me and not try to change the subject.

I think that's where I'm headed in my trends article, but would like to discuss this and see if people can convince me otherwise.

So, the question on the test is: "Will law firm technology budgets be decimated in 2009? Discuss."

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology decimated trends 2009

Posted by dmk at 08:53 PM | Comments (1)

January 14, 2009

By Request: Will Dennis Kennedy Be at Legal Tech NY?

In the last few days, I've been getting a surprising number of emails (way more than one) asking me if I'll have time to get together at LegalTech in New York. It's flattering and it reminds me how much fun attending LegalTech can be. It's also interesting how people assume that I'll be at the show.

Unfortunately, however, I won't be attending LegalTech this year. In person, that is. I'll follow happenings there via reading blogs and Twitter.

If I were there, I'd be very interested in assessing the impact of the current economic turmoil on the legal tech industry. So, I'll be looking to my friends there to report to me on that. I'm a little disappointed, though, because I've already been invited to meet with people who would give me some excellent inisghts into new products and developments in legal tech.

In terms of 2009 legal technology shows, I'll definitely be at ABA TECHSHOW, where I'll be speaking on collaboration topics. There's also a chance that I might be at the ILTA conference this summer.

There's also an excellent chance that you will be able to see me at Matt Homann's upcoming Lexthink event.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog legaltech collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2009

Recent Microblog Posts - January 7, 2009

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:

AMC is offering a chance to view the highly-influential TV series, The Prisoner, for free online - http://bit.ly/17sra

Steve Dembo (@teach42) asks if joining a PLN is bad for morale - http://bit.ly/KJzi - Really like the notion of "personal learning network"

"Lower your standards, take action, and be bold!" saysThomas Huynh in Chet Richards' Sun Tzu New Year's post - http://bit.ly/l9Kn

Toby Brown predicts the "paradigm of profitability" will shift the legal profession's reliance on the billable hour - http://bit.ly/bzej

The Great Reboot from @johnrobb - http://bit.ly/9q5B - "You start at the the small." Ideas on reconstructing a hung system.

Adam Smith, Esq. asks "if you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" - http://bit.ly/sT9g - How do we improve our critical thinking skills?

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/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

January 06, 2009

DennisKennedy.Blog: The Year 2008 in Review: Part 3: The Posts I Didn't Write

This is part 3 of a 3-part retrospective on the year 2008 on DennisKennedy.Blog.

In part 1 of this retrospective, I covered the articles I wrote in 2008 and the related posts about them. In part two, I covered the other posts I wrote on this blog in 2008.

In this part three, I cover the posts I planned to write but never got written.

I decided to write this post for three reasons:

1. The idea itself came from an idea I had for a post that I didn't write a few months ago when a meme was making the rounds in which bloggers wrote about how they chose what they posted about.

2, I've always loved the writings of Jorge Luis Borges in which he wrote book reviews of books that didn't exist. This is a small homage and it's better than my old idea of writing software reviews of programs that didn't exist. I realized that people would really believe the reviews and that might not be a good thing. You probably noticed all the excitement over the "keyboardless" Mac joke today. You do have to be careful about taking ironic approaches on law-related blogs.

3. I actually have notes of blog post ideas that I have jotted down throughout the year.

And it also gives me a chance to put a bit of closure on the one post that I didn't write that I've thought about for the last few months: the dreaded Part 5 of my series on My Next Laptop is an iPod Touch.

Here's part 5, in a nutshell. The iPod Touch as secondary laptop worked almost exactly how I planned. When I travel, it's great. I can go to conferences and carry only the iPod Touch rather than a backpack and a laptop. At the public library, I can get on the WiFi and check my Amazon Wishlist to see if books are available at the library. Checking Gmail, Google Reader, weather, news and the like whenever I have access to WiFi is great.

There's just one problem. For me (and in part, but just in part, it's because I'm using iTunes on Windows in connection with the iPod Touch), iTunes remains one of the quirkiest and most frustrating programs I've ever used. Unless I exit out of iTunes and reopen it before I sync to the iPod Touch, the time and date will be set randomly. Google it and you'll see that that's not an issue unique to me.

Bottom line: I'm a huge fan of the iPod Touch and it extended the range of my laptop and serves as a second laptop in a great way in situations where I travel or have access to WiFi. However, I'd suggest that people might have better luck with iTunes on a Mac than on Windows or might expect some odd behaviors in a Windows environment. I mean, I can live with it OK, but it is frustrating (and I have to take a big deep breath and say a short prayer before I install an iTunes update) even for me, and I doubt that others will want to be as patient as I am. On the other hand, it all might work just fine for you, and that's the quirkiness I refer to. By the way, my experiment was purposely done in the Windows environment, so there's no need to give me the "get a Mac" advice. However, I'd enjoy reading your post if you try the same experiment in a Mac environment.

On the posts I didn't write.

As I said, I pulled together some of my notes on blog posts I had planned in 2008. I often think up posts on my bike rides. Some of them get written. Some of them get noted. But there are a lot of unwritten blog posts scattered to the side of Grant's Trail.

Here's the list I pulled out of my notes, plus a few I remembered as I was writing this:

Here's What's Bugging Me about iTunes Now (just joking)

Legal Ethics and Web 2.0

Three Inexpensive Technologies I Really Like and Use Myself

Reflections on Raymond Chandler

Four WInds

Blog/Blawg 2.0

An Audience Survey

My Favorite Podcasts

Recommended Podcasts for Lawyers

The Power Cord is the Weakest Link

Using Extension Cords to Make Friends at Conferences

Projector Tips from Projector Failures I've Known

The Best Skills a Lawyer Can Have

Using the LazyWeb

Some Reflections on my Experience with Twitter (and Facebook and LinkedIn)

The Difficulties of Staying on Topic on Your Blog

Thoughts on Editing Podcasts

What Can ESPN's Pardon the Interruption Show Teach Presenters

Why I Love getAbstract

Getting Deeper into Podcasts

The Library of Nineveh

Various Reflections on Books I've Read

A Guidebook for Fourth Generation Legal Technology

Marty Schwimmer is a Genius . . . Again

My Recent Conversation with Tom Mighell

Revisiting Open Space Technology

Improving Brainstorming Sessions

A Fond Memoriam on BlogWalk (Thank you Jack Vinson for inviting me to one of my favorite events in my whole blog history)

Open Source Programs Lawyers Might Use

My Facebook Friending Policy

Reconnecting with Childhood Friends Via the Internet

I Just Finished a 50-mile Bike Ride

A Fresh Look at RSS

Why I Hate Using Old Versions of Software

Finding Great Podcasts

The Hardest Thing(s) about Writing a Book

I Love FireFox and Tabbed Browsing, but Too Many Open Tabs is a Hazard

Tony Colleluori Reminded Me What the True Benefits of Blogging Are - see this post

How to be a Better Mentor

That's the list. I'm not sure I'll go back to any of these (some would be long posts), but if I see that there might be interest in some of these, I might work on writing a post on the topic. Also, I haven't done a "By Request" post for a while, so if you have a question that I might answer as a post, let me know in the comments to this post.

On to 2009. Coming soon: my annual legal technology trends article/post.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology 2008 Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 04:51 PM | Comments (1)

January 05, 2009

DennisKennedy.Blog: The Year 2008 in Review: Part 2: The Posts

This is part 2 of a 3-part retrospective on the year 2008 on DennisKennedy.Blog.

In part 1 of this retrospective, I covered the articles I wrote in 2008 and the related posts about them.

In this part two, I cover the other posts I wrote on this blog in 2008. Part three might be the most interesting: posts I planned to write but never got written.

Overview: In many ways, 2008 was the year of the link at DennisKennedy.Blog. It's ancient history now, but my original website started as a collection of links to useful resources and I wrote a column, often with Tom Mighell, called "The Strongest Links" for a number of years that focused on presenting useful links to resources on a variety of topics. I found that I wanted to get back to my roots and tried two separate approaches to create posts with links to posts, articles and websites that thought my blog audience might enjoy and find useful.

1. The Links Posts. The first experiment was called Links of the Week and appeared for about five months. There are a lot of great links in those posts. I ended up deciding, for several reasons, that I did not like this approach and began thinking about an alternative approach.

The second approach, which I really like, is something I call DennisKennedy.Microblog. The idea is to use Twitter to post a link to something I find especially interesting on a more or less daily basis and then collect those "tweets" on a more or less weekly basis in a post on this blog to create a post with a good collection of useful links. You can find the collected Microblog posts here. You can follow the microblog on Twitter here (@dkennedyblog) I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of followers to-date.

2. My Favorite Posts of 2008 (or a Great Introduction to his Blog for New Visitors).

"Returning to the Internet Roundtable"

"The Internet Roundtable Revisited: The Blog Columns"

"I've Been Listening to So Many Podcasts that I Didn't Realize that Podcasting Might Have Been Declared Dead"

"Kevin Kelly on Better than Free"

"KM for Legal Apps"

"8 Legal Technology Trends for 2008"

"I am the Worst Liveblogger Ever: A Report from ABA TECHSHOW 2008"

"Using Word 2007 and Google Docs to Collaborate on Documents"

"An Illustration of the Beyond Bullet Points Approach to Presentations"

"Talking Legal Tech"

"My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch" - part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. (I have mixed feelings about this series because I never finished it, but that's a story for part 3 of this 2008 retrospective).

Dennis Kennedy's 2008 Law-related Blogging Awards (The Blawggies)

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

"The Land of Hope and Dreams"

"Why I Blog - 2008 vs. 2004"

"9-11-2008"

"52 Books in 52 Weeks"

Another good rediscovery while preparing this post was a link to the long interview I did for Lexblog in which I gave a lot of insights to my approach to blogging and my perspectives on it: My LexBlog Q & A Interview

Coming tomorrow: Part 3 - The unposted posts.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology 2008 Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 08:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2009

DennisKennedy.Blog: The Year 2008 in Review: Part 1: Articles

This is part 1 of a 3-part retrospective on the year 2008 on DennisKennedy.Blog.

The big news in 2008 at DennisKennedy.Blog was the publication of the book The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technology: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Tom Mighell and me. We're delighted by the response to the book, especially the excellent reviews it has gotten.

However, I can definitely tell you that writing a book takes a tool on your other writing efforts, especially the quantity of blog posts. I'm hoping that 2009 will see a return to a more traditional pace of posts on this blog. In addition to resting after writing the book, I also launched the Twitter-based "microblog" companion to this blog at http://twitter.com/dkennedyblog (or @dkennedyblog in Twitterese).

As I looked back at this blog and my 2008 posts, I noticed that there were three types of post and so I decided to do a three-part retrospective on 2008. Today, I'll cover the first kind of post: posts about other articles I wrote. Part two will cover the other posts I wrote. Part three might be the most interesting: posts I planned to write but never got written.

1. My ABA Journal Column. I write the technology column for the American Bar Association Journal. Probably the best way to find them all is to use this link.

Over the year, I found that enjoyed writing the blog posts about each column as much as I enjoyed writing the columns.

Here are the columns, with links to my post about each and a link to the actual column.

It’s Time to Talk Audio/Video - December 2008 - Rethink the text-based world and thinking seriously about ways to use audio and video delivered over the Internet. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/its_time_to_talk_audio_video/

Get the (Instant) Message, Dude! - November 2008 - Maybe my favorite column on the year, on ways lawyers can use instant messaging. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/get_the_instant_message_dude/

Go Green, Save Green - October 2008 - My most thorough discussion to-date of green legal technology -
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/go_green_save_green/

Master Your Disasters - September 2008 - Basics of backup and disaster recovery -
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/master_your_disasters/

Learning 3G-Speak - August 2008 - A primer of the language of mobile communications.
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/learning_3g_speak/

Become a Google Master - July 2008 - Some of my best tips for Google users.
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/become_a_google_master/

SharePoint: A Legal Killer App? - June 2008 - Maybe the most popular of my columns focused on Microsoft SharePoint as a collaboration platform. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/sharepoint_a_legal_killer_app/

Really Simple Competitive Intelligence - March 2008 - Some really simple approaches to getting useful competitive intelligence. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/really_simple_competitive_intelligence/

Hiding Assets - February 2008 - Encryption and methods to protect confidential information.
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/hiding_assets/

Tech Greats for ‘08 - January 2008 - I must admit that I still don't understand the title they chose for this column, but the column was a list of New Year's resolutions for lawyers using technology.
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/tech_greats_for_08/

2. Roundtable Articles. I was also involved in two roundtable articles, which exceeded my highest expectations and I recommend most highly.

Competitive Intelligence Roundtable Article. The ABA's Law Practice magazine published an article called "CI Tactics, Tools and Lessons to Be Learned," which featured a who's who of experts on the use of competitive intelligence in the legal profession.

Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil - Roundtable Discussion - A stellar cast of experts take a practical look at the impact of the current economic crisis on the legal profession in the Law Practice Today webzine - "What Should You Do Now? A Roundtable Discussion on Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil." Highly recommended.

3. Collaboration Tools Articles.

Tom and I found some time to start a new companion blogsite for our book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com (a big thank you to LexBlog where we'll both be posting on topics related to collaboration and the book (follow @collabtools on Twitter for regular updates on the topic of collaboration).

We also wrote a couple of articles on collaboration tools:

Collaborative Technologies: Working with Others Around the Corner or Around the World

Get Smart (starts of page 40 of PDF)

After reading this post, I now realize that I wrote more in 2008 than I thought I had. Hope you enjoy these articles.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology 2008 Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - December 28. 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:

The Great Reboot from @johnrobb - http://bit.ly/9q5B - "You start at the the small." Ideas on reconstructing a hung system.

Adam Smith, Esq. asks "if you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" - http://bit.ly/sT9g - How do we improve our critical thinking skills?

Tim Lee talks about the new innovator's dilemma - http://bit.ly/9jEO - what are implications of disruptive tech in legal profession?

From Deep Currents: Consequential ideas for 2009 - http://bit.ly/1q4s How might each of these apply to you?

The 2008 Blawggies (best Law-related Blogs) have been announced - http://bit.ly/JqLb #blawggies (Note: Lots of positive comments on this year's Blawggies - thank you, everyone)

Ernest (@ernieattorney) Svenson teaches us how to do digital signatures in Adobe Acrobat - http://bit.ly/dPBN - great explanation

Wow, you can now roll your own custom NPR podcast feed - http://bit.ly/IB06 (hat tip: Marshall Kirkpatrick) NPR rocks in the podcast space

If I could have gone to one conference this year, it would have been Boyd 2008. Rob Paterson summarizes the high points - http://bit.ly/xnSl

"Surviving the Slide" from LawPro - http://bit.ly/cAWk - read it with http://bit.ly/9hy0 for great expert advice on tough times for lawyers

Rob Paterson observes: It's not the news I want to lose - it's the "paper" - http://bit.ly/18nsq - great perspectives on paid content

Let me know what you think about the microblog idea or your thoughts on any of the items posted above.

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

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - December 14, 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. There's a lot discussion of Twitter these days and my microblog is an easy place to check into the Twitter phenomenon.

I'd like to remind you that Tom Mighell and I have created a new Twitter microblog for our book on collaboration tools and technologies. The microblog is another companion resource for the book and we will be posting useful links and tips there. You may subscribe to the book microblog by following @collabtools on Twitter. We'll also use the #collaboration hashtag on Twitter.

I'll also note that I've been very pleased by the feedback I've gotten on the article, "What Should You Do Now? A Roundtable Discussion on Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil" and encourage you to read it if you haven't already.

Now on to the posts from microblog for this blog for the last week or so:

Stephen Fairley asks "Is Innovation Overtaking the Law Profession and Law Firm Marketing?" http://bit.ly/12VCN Probably not, but . . .

Craig Ball asks "Why do so few of us seize this advantage?" The topic: e-discovery and why lawyers don't learn about it. http://bit.ly/lBp2

Patty Seybold celebrating Doug Engelbart's vision - http://bit.ly/2pnm - the original demo and the innovation superhighway - a must-read

Charlie Bess on ambient power - http://bit.ly/FHyu - one of my technologies to watch over the next few years

Mark Shead offers a solid set of tips for protecting your laptop (and what's on it) in "Laptop Contingency Planning" - http://bit.ly/hkue

Mark Ramsey interviews Seth Godin on Tribes and radio in podcast - http://bit.ly/osni - great overview of Tribes book, and spot on abt radio

Search.twitter.com as generation 4.0 of search - http://bit.ly/t053 - very important idea I want to write about in detail soon

Ken White: "Delegate beyond point of comfort" - http://bit.ly/uIqc

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/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - December 7, 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.

I'd like to announce that Tom Mighell and I have created a new Twitter microblog for our book on collaboration tools and technologies. As Tom explains, we plan to use the microblog as another companion resource for the book and will be posting useful links and tips there. You may subscribe to the book microblog by following @collabtools on Twitter. We'll also use the #collaboration hashtag on Twitter.

Now on to the posts from microblog for this blog for the last week or so:

Andrew Sullivan's must-read column on why print media are in big trouble but blogs will not take their place - http://bit.ly/15dvn

Fabius Maximus's guide to sources of geopolitical insight on the Internet - http://bit.ly/6W24 - emphasis on insight - I subscribe to most

Follow us: @tommighell and I have started a Twitter companion microblog for our collaboration tools book - @collabtools - http://bit.ly/IV2p

"Soon it will be time to start over, again" - @davewiner on cyclic nature of the tech industry and fighting complexity. http://bit.ly/8TGv

John Heckman's intriguing approach to tech in tough times: "self-managed independent bailout of inefficiencies" - http://bit.ly/yxY8

Jeff Beard has a nice explanation of how to open two instances of Outlook and why you might want to - http://bit.ly/2ccJWj - useful tip

Happy to discover that DennisKennedy.Blog is again one of the ABA Journal Blawg 100. Posted some thoughts here: http://bit.ly/2ONc

Tom (@TomMighell) Mighell gives a thumbs up to the new and improved Google Alerts features - http://bit.ly/16HLg

Excellent article (with survey results) on collaborative tools from law librarian perspective - http://bit.ly/xZgm - focuses on free tools

Kevin Kelly on becoming screen literate - http://bit.ly/PUTe - How can we browse a film the way we browse a book?

2008 ABA Legal Technology Survey shows continuing emphasis on mobility - http://bit.ly/b3CB

What Should You Do Now? A Roundtable Discussion on Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil - http://bit.ly/9hy0

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/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology microblog Law2.0 collaboration

Posted by dmk at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2008

Beyond Text on a Page: Time for Lawyers to Think About Audio and Video

My latest column in the ABA Journal is called "It's Time to Think About Audio/Video."

Here's the opening:

Lawyers love text on a page. The single-space letter or memo is the lingua franca of our trade. Our PowerPoint slides are usually dense with text, and even the mention of adding a chart, table or graphic to a document causes consternation.

My radical suggestion: It’s time to rethink the text-based world and think seriously about ways to use audio and video delivered over the Internet.

The idea for the article came from my editor, Reg Davis, who wanted to explore the question of whether audio or video might be "better" for lawyers.

My answer, not surprisingly, was a lawyerly, "it depends." The column explores why the answer is "it depends" and offers some practice advice about ways in which lawyers might start using audio and video as both consumers and producers.

I tend to be in the audio camp these days and am a big fan of podcasts, but I also think that the long-term trend is toward video. I'm shorting the prospects for the single-spaced, twelve page letter in Courier type.

The fascinating thing about this column was that after I turned in the article, I had several conversations with lawyers about audio and video and, in every case, I was asked exactly the questions I tried to answer in the column.

A "money quote":

Most lawyers will probably find the greatest short-term benefits from using audio and video as a learning platform. Those large stacks of ar­ticles, advance sheets and magazines to be read not only take up space but rarely make it to the “finished reading” category. Audio summaries, audio and video of seminars, podcasts and YouTube videos offer lawyers the same information in more succinct, accessible and portable form. Listening to a short presentation may also be much more effective than reading a 150-page law review article.

The key questions to consider: Where and how do you learn?

What do you think about the use of audio and video? I welcome your comments here or you can join the comment thread already started at the article.

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

Follow my microblog on Twitter - @dkennedyblog; Follow me - @denniskennedy

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. Twitter: @collabtools

Technorati tags: legal technology column aba journal audio video lawyers

Posted by dmk at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2008

DennisKennedy.Blog Named to ABA Journal Blawg 100

It was great to get notice today that this blog was again named as one of the ABA Journal Blawg 100 for 2008 in the "Plugged-in" category. There are nine other excellent blogs in the category and other excellent ones that did not get named, so I'm honored to be in the company and it's always nice to get recognition for what I do with this blog. I also like the way the blurb about my blog both referred to me as a "tech guru" and mentioned my companion microblog (DennisKennedy.microblog - @dkennedyblog), probably the most innovative thing I've tried in blogging in the last few years.

I want to congratulate every blogger who made the list. I also want to compliment the ABA Journal on the immense amount of work that went into the Blawg 100 selections and descriptions and for its support of the blawgging community.

However, I do have some mixed feelings about this recognition that come from the fact that, as the author of a monthly technology column for the ABA Journal, I'm a paid contributor to the magazine. For that reason, I really wouldn't mind if they left me off the list entirely, but, because of this and because my relationship with the ABA Journal might not be completely clear from the Blawg 100 blurb, I do have a favor to ask.

Part of the Blawg 100 is a contest for votes for the top blog in each category. There are nine other great choices in the Plugged-in or Technology category, several of which are likely to end up with one of my own 2008 Blawggie awards. Please vote for one of them - I would be very uncomfortable if I won this category and was a paid contributor to the magazine. It wouldn't feel right to me, and it probably wouldn't look right to others.

Instead, if you like my blog, I ask you to check out my most recent ABA Journal column, consider becoming a follower of my microblog (@dkennedyblog), subscribing to the RSS feed for this blog, or buying a copy of The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together.

While you're looking at the Blawg 100, pay special attention to the interview with Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson, with his observations on blogging and a great quote from Martha Graham.

And, of course, the Blawg 100, in addition to generating conversation about law-related blogs, gives you a great way to sample blogs and pick some new blogs to subscribe to.

[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 blawg blawg 100

Posted by dmk at 10:07 PM | Comments (1)

November 20, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - November 20, 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:

What Should You Do Now? A Roundtable Discussion on Law Practice in a Time of Great Economic Turmoil - http://bit.ly/9hy0

James Jones discusses Hildebrandt's client advisory on these dark economic times for law firms in a must-listen podcast - http://bit.ly/MFgA

Ernie the Attorney discusses recent decision on lawyers producing printed emails in discovery - http://bit.ly/uuG4 Earth to litigators . . .

Lifehacker has a great tutorial on freeing up memory using Windows Task Manager - http://bit.ly/2MfW - very useful tips

One Laptop Per Child "Give 1 Get 1" program now available on Amazon - http://bit.ly/10iKF

Joel Garreau on what to do with big box stores in what might become the post-mall period - http://bit.ly/11QCJ and http://bit.ly/pMQG

Alan Weiss shares some of his Million Dollar Consulting College notes - http://bit.ly/8I6Y - plenty there to make you think.

This picture of 22 boxes of printed emails suggests that the era of electronic discovery might still be a ways off - http://bit.ly/147xp

Lifehacker has great tips on speeding up the startup process on your PC - http://bit.ly/kue9

Let me know what you think about the microblog idea.

[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 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2008

A Short Instant Messaging Primer for Lawyers

In my latest ABA Journal technology column, Get the (Instant) Message, Dude, I tried to put together a short primer for lawyers who use and are considering using instant messaging.

My motivation for the column:

Three different times last summer, I was standing in a line behind teenagers and saw one turn to another and say, “I wish my mom texted.” In fairness, I didn’t hear anyone wish his or her lawyer texted, but I have heard several lawyers tell me their clients want them to use instant messaging.

I outline two types of instant messaging and offer some examples of when and how lawyers might use instant messaging effectively.

I also give six tips for those of you starting out in the world of instant messaging without a child to help you out:

1. Text first on your cell phone, especially to family members who text and who will be tolerant of your learning curve.

2. Find effective, practical uses of mes­saging for your firm and your practice. Hint: collaboration.

3. Understand the risks and deal with them reasonably.

4. Standardize to one (or a few) platforms in your firm.

5. Avoid acronyms and emoticons until you learn how to use them appropriately (IMHO).

6. Finally, if you plan to do any significant amount of business texting, you should go for an unlimited text plan on your cell phone.

The column might also contain the first use of the OMG acronym in an ABA Journal article.

Here's a link to the column. As always, I'm happy to hear what you think of the column and any of your ideas for future topics.

For another example of an instant messaging medium, check out the companion microblog for this blog 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 texting Law2.0 instant messaging aba journal

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

October 26, 2008

Recent Microblog Posts - October 26, 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:

Ross Kodner adopts the the laptop plus netbook dual computer approach - http://bit.ly/3CwrjU - great hands-on analysis

Nicholas Carr on Tim O'Reilly and Hugh MacLeod on cloud computing and network effects and the new platform - http://bit.ly/4yLVgq

Ron Friedman posts notes from a David Maister presentation on building success from the bottom - http://bit.ly/NtMZO Wish I'd been there.

Kevin Kelly's thoughtful & thought-provoking overview of cloud computing - http://tinyurl.com/6y5ars

Interesting to compare Bob Ambrogi's list of top 10 legal podcasts - http://bit.ly/3MMtex - to this July 2005 article - http://bit.ly/4tjABU

Mary Abraham on resistance to Web 2.0 from law firms and the weakness of the "not ready for prime time" excuse - http://bit.ly/3IX377

Huge KM news (at least to me) - Dave Snowden updates his 3 laws to 7 KM principles - http://bit.ly/NpfDz - essential KM reading

Putting together a list of seminar presentation ideas on legal technology topics. What most interests you these days?

Adam Thierer revisits Negroponte's "Daily Me" and Being Digital - a hugely influential book on my Internet thinking. http://bit.ly/3eQBNv

Brett Burney's positive review of Adobe Acrobat 9 - http://bit.ly/4l5qcS - I just installed it for myself and am liking it very much.

Ron Friedman on 2008 AmLaw Tech Survey - “Wow, there’s a lot new and nothing new.” http://tinyurl.com/4swuu9

Let me know what you think about the microblog approach.

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 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

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

Posted by dmk at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)

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

Posted by dmk at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)

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 09:35 PM | 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

Posted by dmk at 08:18 PM | Comments (1)

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 08:23 PM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2008

DennisKennedy.Microblog

I've noticed a lot of discussion in the last week or so about ways lawyers (and others) might use Twitter. There have been some good primers on Twitter and Kevin O'Keefe, in particular, has talked about ways lawyers might use Twitter.

I'd suggest that you start with Adrian Lursson's post listing lawyers who use Twitter and Grant Griffiths' Twitter tutorial for lawyers if you want to get some more background.

Here's an example of Twitter use that I've found compelling.

I've experimented with Twitter (I'm @denniskennedy on Twitter) for a while now - actually quite a while - and I have a few thoughts on the subject. They aren't too original, frankly.

Twitter is another possible channel of communication that for the right people with the right audiences might be quite successful for certain purposes. For others, it probably won't be very useful. And, as Jerry Lawson once presciently said about lawyer blogs, for some lawyers, it would be a disaster.

For a variety of reasons, I've found it easier lately to maintain a regular presence on Twitter than on my blog or other channels.

My friend, Marty "The Trademark Blog" Schwimmer, recently pointed me to a possible use of Twitter that I found compelling and launched the subject mentioned in the title of this post.

Marty started using Twitter to create a companion "microblog" for The Trademark Blog. I emailed him immediately when I saw it to tell him that he was a genius. He deflected my praise and said that he got the idea from Techmeme, but I'll still give him credit because we talked about some of the nuances of this approach over the last two weeks.

Typical of my approach, I became convinced about how the idea would work for my blog and then, rather than hopping right in, I let the idea incubate for a while and thought it through. At least for a couple of weeks.

Here's my thinking.

I've said before that the true difficulty of blogging is not the time commitment or the usual things people ask bloggers about. No, the real burden of blogging is the "everydayness" of blogging. How do you maintain a consistent, regular presence?

This is especially true when your style of blogging centers on longer, essayish posts. Or, God forbid, you commit to a series of posts. That final unwritten part (or two) of my series on "my new laptop computer is an iPod Touch" has blocked many a new post for me, as has the yet unwritten ILTA reflections post.

My idea then was to use Twitter as a microblog that worked with this blog. The Twitter blog will be a place for short items - quick links and observations of the "one quick thing" nature (another of Marty's great ideas). Then, to integrate with this blog, I'll collect them every week or so into a post on this blog with its own category.

It's a new and different approach, and definitely an experiment. I also expect it to find its own, somewhat different, audience. It can also see the Twitter posts turning into seeds for extended posts on this blog. I'm also planning to try using the hash tag #legaltech as a way to help people find the posts.

How to find the new DennisKennedy.Microblog? It's at @dkennedyblog (the Twitter character limit on user names got me there). I start there with the obligatory reflexive post and, of course, the obligatory Babylon 5 reference.

I welcome you to the new experiment and invite you to follow the new microblog. Let me know what you think about it.

[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 book's companion website at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology legaltech microblog Law2.0 twitter everydayness

Posted by dmk at 09:33 PM | Comments (1)

September 02, 2008

Master Your Disaster - Online Backup

My new column in the ABA Journal, Mastering Your Disaster, is out and, even though it was written a couple of months ago, it seems especially timely in these Gustavian days.

The topic is online storage and backup and the role it can and should play in your disaster recovery and other planning. I consider some practical approaches for using online storage, its benefits and limitations, and some of the services now available.

The money quote:

Should online storage be part of your backup and disaster recovery plan? The short answer is yes, but only as one part of a layered backup strategy and only if you do your due diligence on the online storage provider.

I welcome your comments on the column.

[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. Check out the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.

Technorati tags: legal technology online storage online backup collaboration tools disaster recovery aba journal

Posted by dmk at 10:12 PM | Comments (1)

August 19, 2008

See You at ILTA?

I've been working on the finishing touches for the slides Tom Mighell and I will be using for our presentations at the ILTA conference next week and noticing that I'm getting excited about going to the ILTA conference - one of the biggest and best legal technology conferences every year. If you're interested in legal technology and haven't yet been to ILTA, you simply have to find a way to attend it at some point - like this year.

Tom and I are pleased to get the chance to do presentations on two topics related to our new book. Here are the details:

Communications and Collaboration Tools Track Collaboration Tools and Technologies for Lawyers 8/26/2008 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Collaboration technologies and tools are the most important current developments in legal technology and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. During this session, the speakers discuss collaboration technologies for law firms, review tools and explore alternative platforms.

Information Management Track Legal Aspects of Collaboration Tools (Blogs, Wikis, MashUps, IM, Text Messages, Social Networks and More) 8/27/2008 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Collaboration technologies help promote information sharing, efficiency, cost reduction and can provide competitive advantages. How does the legal environment deal with the information overload and the security of confidential information escaping the realm of the organization? What aspects of legal information need to be considered to help determine how collaboration tools should be utilized in the legal world (and when they should not)? What policies must be in place to protect the shared information?

Please note that the two sessions will be quite different in focus and you can happily attend both sessions without much overlap in material. We're also working on a way to give away a copy of our book at each session.

I can already tell that I'll have my usual hectic schedule at ILTA, but, as always, would be more than happy to get the chance to meet and visit with readers of this blog at the conference. Please feel free to tap me on the shoulder and say hello. Or email me to let me know you'll be there.

For everyone attending the conference, I highly recommend the new ILTA blog, ILTA08Conference's Weblog, which already has some great practical information and should be a great way to keep up with what's happening at the conference.

I'll try to post a time or two from ILTA, but I'm notoriously a bad liveblogger at events.

[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. See the companion site for the book.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 book ilta

Posted by dmk at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 06, 2008

See Tom Mighell's Presentation on Collaboration Tools at ABA Annual Meeting

Readers of this blog who will be in New York City on Friday (August 8), either for the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting or otherwise, will definitely want to attend Tom Mighell's presentation, Working Together, Wherever You Are: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools (Friday, August 8, 2008, 2 :00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Conference Room D, Executive Conference Center, Sheraton New York).

The presentation is based on our book. I'll not be able to be there, but Tom will do an excellent job, and we're trying to see if I can participate briefly during a demo of one of the online collaboration tools.

From the program description:

Lawyers and firms are increasingly seeking new ways to collaborate with colleagues, clients, opposing counsel, and others. This program will focus on the practical ways every lawyer can use existing and new tools to work better and smarter with others. [This session] will emphasize how to select and use various collaboration tools and technologies. This session is equally useful for both "techies" and "non-techies."

We're also hoping to unveil the new book companion site (LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com) at the session.

This will be a great opportunity to explore some of the ideas in our book and see some of the tools we like in action. It's one session from a series by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section at the Annual Meeting and learn more about the benefits of membership in the LPM Section.

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

The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration tools technology presentation tom mighell

Posted by dmk at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2008

My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 4 - Purchase and Out-of-the-Box Experience

Here's the next installment in my multi-part series on my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer. The focus of this part is on my actual experience making the purchase and my first day with the iPod Touch.

As I mentioned, I had essentially made my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer as I drove home from the Missouri Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference and then cemented my decision after talking in great detail with an employee at my local Apple Store.

However, I didn't buy the iPod Touch right then - for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is that I'm just not that spontaneous. I wanted to spend a little time thinking about it. I was also running way late for the family Father's Day party and my daughter was telling me that we had to get going. Also, my salesperson told me that it made sense to wait until July 11 because the new operating system software would be out and I'd save the ten dollars on the updated software by buying later. More on that later.

I also decided that my salesperson had spent so much time with me that I really needed to buy the iPod Touch at the Apple Store and not look for a discounted price, say, at Amazon. And that would let me walk out of the store with instant gratification.

So, my plan became to buy the iPod Touch on July 12 (Saturday morning). I was a little surprised that I didn't shake in my resolve in the least, but I was thinking about the whole "Best is the enemy of the good" concept.

The apparent fiasco of the July 11 launch of the iPhone did give me some pause. When I went onto the website for my Apple Store to check the store hours, I saw that I could actually set up an appointment. That seemed like a good idea.

It was easy enough to set up an appointment and I get an email confirmation. So, I was all set. I also updated my iTunes.

Saturday morning, however, I got an email from the store confirming a different time for my appointment and suggesting that there would be no guarantee that I'd get my appointment.

Undeterred, I printed out my appointment confirmation from the night before and headed out to the store. One thing I'll always remember from that morning was that when I parked at the mall, I saw for the first time an instance of someone parking in a way that effectively took four (not just two) parking places (making them a candidate for this probably NSFW site).

I strolled through the mall and saw a line off a hundred or so people outside the Apple Store. I took my appointment confirmation to the head of the line and security let me right in, after I assured them that I wasn't there to buy an iPhone.

The purchase experience could not have been better, and the (new to me) salesperson told me that I was smart to have bought my iPod Touch after the 11th because I'd save the $10 on the software update. Apparently, the system would associate my serial number with the purchase date and I would be charged.

The Out of the Box Experience.

As with my other Apple experiences, I have to say that the boxing of the product was a thing of beauty. My only complaint, as always, is the assumption that no one really needs any kind of manual to get started - we all must be able to intuit what to do. I recommend buying a book or planning to find out some basic information on the web before getting started.

After determining that I had found the way to turn it on, but that it needed to be charged first, I started charging it and went off to the bookstore with my daughter where I picked up a new book on iPods and iTunes, with a chapter on the iPod Touch.

Later, I decided to start by updating the software, which, of course, the iTunes store charged me $10 for. I "reported a problem" with the charge, but noticed that it showed up on my credit card bill. Oh, well, at least I can whine about that in a blog post a lot of people will read.

I will note, as have others, this update takes a very long time. Unfortunately, it also failed about 2/3 of the way through it. I wrote down the error message, said a little prayer, and started the install again. It took another very long time, but successfully completed.

I got the iPod Touch synched and loaded, and started exploring it. I was very impressed. Connecting it to my home network was a piece of cake, and I was on the Internet. I posted on Twitter and Facebook, checked my email, and read newsfeeds in Google Reader. I checked out my website, viewed some videos and listened to some music.

At the end of day one, I was (1) very glad and relieved to be done with the setup and update process, and (2) convinced that the iPod Touch could actually do what I thought it could do for me.

Coming in Part 5 - observations about my experience to-date.

I've also noted a number of other people writing about iPhones and iPod Touches as alternatives to laptop computers:

Can you travel without a computer, and just take an iPhone?

Can the iPhone or iPod Touch Replace Your Laptop?

Forget the iPhone--The iPod Touch is Good Enough

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

The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.

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Posted by dmk at 09:11 PM | Comments (4)

July 24, 2008

My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 3 - Analyzing Needs and Usage

Here's the next installment in my multi-part series on my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer. The focus of this part is on how I looked carefully at actual needs and usage patterns to make my decision.

To review quickly and reset the scene:

I came to the conclusion it was time to consider buying a new laptop computer. I had broken the keyboard on my Tablet PC. My trusty Sony Vaio had just completed work on my book, but was five years old. And, this is a very important part of the story, I had a new employer-provided laptop to take care of my work needs.

Although my temptation was to just take advantage of the extremely attractive deals I was seeing on basic Windows Vista laptops, two things stopped me. First, the fact that by the time I configured a computer advertised at $600 in the way I wanted, the total was always in excess of $1,500. Second, I really wanted to try to focus on the way I use and I want to use a computer.

I've long had an interest in usability. Coincidentally, I was sitting next to a group of usability experts at work, giving me the chance to learn some practical details about usability and human factors analysis. And, at TECHSHOW, I had gotten the chance to talk about usability in this context with Ariel Jatib of RocketMatter, another usability expert.

So, I spent some time looking about how I actually used computers in non-work settings - home, travel, etc.

As usual, there were a lot of thought experiments and cogitation - the patterns I described in "The Best is the Enemy of the Good" still stay with me.

The key to my decision, however, came during the three days I spent at the Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference, where I took two laptops with me (it was a car trip, not a plane flight).

I had the usual unusual projector problem - it took the second AV guy who came into the room to notice that there was some kind of translucent (yet clear-looking) lens cover on the projector. Funny, yes, but I now have one more thing to the long checklist I have made up of actual projector issues I have experienced.

I used a backpack to carry around a laptop. I used the wifi to check email, RSS feeds, web sites and to do some Twitter posts. I searched for available electric outlets and the usual stuff.

I talked a bit with Ross Kodner about laptops. I later announced to Ross that, after observing how I used my laptop, that I felt that the MacBook Air was the way I was going.

The more I thought about it, the more the Air made sense to me - except for the price, which felt a little steep, and the small hard drive. That, and the fact that any laptop made wearing a backpack around at conferences a necessity.

When I got back to St. Louis, I had to go to the Apple store to replace the power cord for my MacBook Pro, which had, incredibly, turned into a melted, frayed, non-working mess. Looking on the Internet, you'll see quite a bit written about this problem. I saw some posts that said some Apple stores will replace the cord for free. My store happily let me buy a new cord at full price.

When they asked me if they could help me with anything else. I asked them to show me a few things about the MacBook Air. The more I saw and the more I asked, the less the Air felt like a fit.

I then asked, "Would you show me a few things about the iPod Touch?" In the back of my mind, I had the feeling that everything I did for three days at the conference with my laptop could have been done with an iPod Touch (and without a backpack on my back).

About 45 minutes later, I had the answers to all of my questions, including whether an iPod Touch would work as an eBook reader for me.

I didn't make the purchase on the spot, for reasons I'll discuss in part 4.

In the meantime, I thoroughly recommend Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson's post on his recent experience using an iPhone on a trip while leaving his laptop at home. I saw lots of parallels to my own thinking.

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

The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.

Technorati tags: legal technology ipod touch platform laptop computer cloud computing usability

Posted by dmk at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2008

Collaboration Tech: Around the Corner or Around the World

This month's issue of the ABA's Law Practice Magazine is out and it has an international theme. Lots of good articles, but I especially wanted to highlight an article called "Collaborative Technologies: Working with Others Around the Corner or Around the World," by Tom Mighell and me.

We based the article on some of the main themes of our new book on collaboration tools and technologies. This article is designed as an short introduction to the topic of collaboration tools. The sidebar addresses the all-important issue of collaboration culture and sets out some tips for handling cultural issues in your collaboration efforts.

The money quote:

Today it’s relatively simple for any lawyer, regardless of firm size or budget, to collaborate with clients, colleagues, co-counsel, experts or even opposing counsel in nearly any corner of the world. The difference? The rise of the Internet as a communications tool.

I also like this quote, which illustrates one of our aha insights while we wrote the book - the notion of co-evolution:

The ways that people work together shift over time, which can affect your culture of collaboration. More important, the introduction of collaboration technologies can also change the culture of collaboration. If handled properly, the tools and the culture will co-evolve.

Check out the article to get an idea of why I think that collaboration is the most important topic in technology today.

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

Follow me on Twitter: @denniskennedy.com

The new book: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here. Now available on Amazon.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 collaborative technology coevolution

Posted by dmk at 09:37 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2008

Talking 3G and other Wireless Acronyms

I'll get back to my blog series, "My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch," tomorrow, but wanted to point you to my latest technology column in the ABA Journal, which has an iPhone theme.

My editor, Reg Davis, had been suggesting a column that explained some of today's telcom and wireless acronyms. I liked the idea, although I was not quite as enthused about the topic as he was, in part because telcom acronyms are a world of their own.

However, when the new iPhone launched with all the hoopla over 3G access, I realized that I didn't have a very good idea about what "3G" really. The timing seemed right for the topic.

So, I took a stab about putting together a short primer to help people try to understand the arcane, daunting and confusing world of wireless acronyms, and the differences between services and generations of wireless standards, both voice and data.

The column, called "Learning 3G-Speak," takes you on a tour through the sometimes wacky world of wireless standards. Once you get the idea that 3G refers to third, it follows what 2G and 4G must refer to, but what the story about 2.5G and even 2.75.

The column should help you understand whether you really can take advantage of higher data speeds or not and aid in navigating the wireless world. Learning to speak the language will be a benefit in this area.

Let me know what you think of the article.

Follow me on Twitter: @denniskennedy

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology 3G aba journal iphone wireless standards

Posted by dmk at 09:54 PM | Comments (1)

July 17, 2008

My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 2 - Framing the Question(s)

I suspect that it won't surprise most readers that I have more than one computer. It might not even surprise readers how many computers I have and use regularly. I also tend to keep and use computers a long time.

So, deciding it's time for a new computer is a big deal for me. And it always strikes me as a way to come up with material for a new article or blog post.

In early 2008, a visitor to my house might find me using either my HP Tablet PC or my trusty old Sony Vaio notebook (depending on what I was doing), my wife on a desktop computer running Windows Vista, and my daughter using my MacBook Pro. There's another desktop computer that runs the main printer in the house and largely functions as backup storage.

Things changed in two key ways this spring. First, I broke the keyboard on my Tablet PC ( a long story), limiting some of its usefulness, to say the least. A replacement keyboard would be surprisingly expensive. Second, a new employer-provided (locked-down) laptop computer entered the mix.

I've found that the big issue with older computers is not necessarily performance, but lack of storage. Small hard drives fill up quickly and you need to clean them out and defrag on a regular basis or they get very, very full and you take a big performance hit. Keyboards start to get worn (or break) and the displays aren't nearly as good as they are today.

So, I found myself in a situation where I was actually thinking about adding another new computer to the mix.

Let's review the cast of characters.

HP Tablet PC TC1100 - I understand why many think that this might have been the best of all the Tablet PCs. I've thoroughly enjoyed using this computer. It really irritated me when I broke the (portable) keyboard, but this computer was showing its age. It also posed two difficult issues. First, its small hard drive constantly filled up and performance was becoming an issue, even after adding RAM. Second, and what had become a big problem, this computer had too many problems with projectors. It's never good to have projector issues when you are speaking about technology. A number of hotel AV guys told me that Tablets and projectors were not a good mix. It reached a point where I did not have confidence that I could take the Tablet to a presentation. That was too bad because it's a great computer for traveling.

Sony Vaio 505. I think this computer, on which I'm writing the post, is my favorite computer ever. I love writing on it. In fact, I brought it back into service to write Tom Mighell's and my book. On the other hand, it's five years old. That's 50 in computer years. Again, hard drive room has become an issue, it's a little heavy and bulky, and it runs hot. The keyboard is now either worn or has a nice patina, depending on your perspective.

MacBook Pro. Great computer and beloved by teenagers. For me, the 17" screen is too big and this computer runs very hot. Homework needs generally outweigh my ability to use this one, except for some specialty tasks - like audio and video. I'm a big fan of the MacBook Pro, but would have preferred the smaller model.

As I've gotten older, I've gotten more set in my ways in what I like and dislike about computers and also gotten a better sense of how I actually use computers.

Also, and you might find this a surprising admission from me, I don't like to buy new technology just to have new stuff. I realize that might cost me my legal technologist club ID card.

So, I found myself at a point when I had good reasons to buy something new, and some plausible reasons to stay the course. After all, I really like the computers I have.

The perfect recipe for running an experiment that could turn into an article or a series of blog posts.

I decided to take a hard look at how I use computers, how I want to use computers, what might best fit my actual needs, and ways to simplify. And that will be the story in Part 3 of this series, along with how I first began to think of the iPod Touch as a serious option.

Note: A big thank you to Neil Squillante and Sara Skiff at Technolawyer for posting Chapter 17 (on SharePoint as a collaboration platform) from the book as a Technofeature. See the chapter here and take the opportunity to join Technolawyer.

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here. The book has recently become available on Amazon.

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Posted by dmk at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2008

My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 1 - Introduction

My readers have often enjoyed my writings on why I decide to purchase or use a product or technology. That doesn't surprise me, because I enjoy reading about people's decisions about and experiences with new technologies. In fact, one of my articles on that topic, "The Best is the Enemy of the Good," is one of my most popular articles and one of my personal favorites.

So, I want to write a multi-part series of posts on my most recent purchase, an iPod Touch, which was the answer to my recent question: "What laptop computer should I buy next?"

In fairness, it was a bit of trick question, because I was really answering the question of what should be my secondary laptop?

It's a story of unexpected twists and turns. I really tried to make an effort to identify exactly what my needs will be and what best fits the needs. Along the way, I became intrigued by what might be the right platform in the coming world of cloud computing.

I also had a few constraints that I'll talk about in later posts. To answer the obvious question, I decided that the iPhone was not an option, although I have the occasional second thought on that. You might be surprised at what other choices I ruled out.

In upcoming posts, I lead you through the problem I was trying to solve, the thought process, the decision, the purchase and the actual experience. At this point, I'm feeling that I made exactly the right choice, although not without a few bumps in the road and a few reservations.

Stay tuned.

Reminder: You can follow me on Twitter: @denniskennedy

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here. The book has recently become available on Amazon.

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Posted by dmk at 08:14 PM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2008

Talking Legal Tech

Last night, I had a great time doing a presentation on legal technology for a practice management class at St. Louis U. Law School. As an aside, I love the idea of law schools experimenting with practice management courses.

One of my favorite parts of the recent Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference was the presence of a good number of law students from different Missouri law schools who attended the conference in connection with summer classes. I enjoyed getting some of their perspectives on the use of a variety of new technologies. In fact, everyone in the class last night had been at the conference.

I decided that it made the most sense to do a Q & A session and go wherever the questions took me, although I did feel a bit like a high wire artist about to take that second step (the tricky one) as I stood in front of the class with no slides or notes.

But, it was great. There were plenty of great questions that more than filled the time and I learned a lot by hearing more about their perspectives.

I also got to talk about blogging, because there were several questions about that. I realized that it's been quite a while since I've actually talked about blogging as part of a presentation. It's always been interesting to me how some of the long-time legal bloggers seem to rarely get asked to speak about blogging. Be that as it may, I really enjoyed the chance to share some of my observations and insights about blogging.

This was the third presentation on technology I've done in the last few weeks that turned into a Q & A session. I'm liking that approach. As a presenter, it keeps you on your toes, and as you try to give your answers some structure and continuity, it's fascinating how themes reveal themselves and you often find new connections and insights.

Ross Kodner and I did a session that was pure Q & A about legal tech at the Missouri Solo and Small Firm conference and we were both surprised at the directions it went (and how we continued it into our long conversation at lunch).

But, as Ross describes so well in this post, the session that surprised us was the Q & A session we did on electronic discovery that we never planned to be a Q & A session.

Both Ross and I have a bit of a reputation for having a few more minutes of material planned that actually fits into the allotted time. This was no different, but I was still surprised when Ross said he had 75 slides for our 60 minute session.

Almost immediately, though, we got questions from the audience. Every time we started to move back to the slides, we got more questions. Eventually, we looked at each other and decided to go where the audience took us. Ross noted that we actually showed only 4 of the slides. But, it was fun, informative and we got lots of great feedback. I told my wife about an older lawyer who came up to me later and thanked me for the presentation and for explaining the topic in a way that "an old guy like him" could finally understand. I told Colleen that it was such a great compliment that if I never talk about e-discovery again, I'll know that I went out on top with the last one I did. Ross's post makes similar observations about the session.

This sessions show to me why I've always been so intrigued by Open Space Technology, unconferences and other informal sessions. There's a fascinating dynamic and energy and you never know quite where it will go. I've long felt that, especially for a topic as difficult and complex as e-discovery can be, bringing people together with no set agenda and getting people to talk about what's on their minds might be the most useful session you could have. Whether in the context of LexThink or elsewhere, I could never get traction on that idea, so it was nice to find some confirmation in a way I didn't intend or expect.

Oh, and after talking with law students about technology, lawyers haven't seen nothing yet when it comes to the ways technology will change the profession. I'm very interested in seeing what the new generation of lawyers will bring to the profession, and hope that I can participate and assist in that process.

Talking legal tech can be quite fun.

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration Law2.0 LexThink! electronic discovery unconference

Posted by dmk at 08:31 PM | Comments (1)

Six Steps to Becoming a Google Master

I'm surprised how often I hear lawyers say that they want a document management, knowledge management, you-fill-in-the-blank program "to work just like Google."

As regular readers of this blog know, I don't fall into that camp. I have been known to mention that I'd like advanced search tools from Recommind, Attenex, DolphinSearch and others to come in personal versions that individuals (oh, say, like me, for example) could use.

My own private opinions about Google search aside (I might write about them some day), it's very clear that Google is quite popular among lawyers. In the "60 Tips" sessions on legal technology at continuing legal education conferences, it's now standard to see several Google tips.

Yet, many lawyers do not seem to use Google in effective ways. In fact, they seem to use it in strikingly ineffective ways.

So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite Google tips in my new technology column for the ABA Journal, Become a Google Master.

You will likely be familiar with some or even most of them, but, as with the best tips, several of them, especially the first, are self-updating tips that will keep on giving.

The overview:

1. School it.
2. Quote it.
3. Plus or minus it.
4. PDF or PPT it.
5. Blog it.
6. Advance it.

The details, of course, are in my article.

Will this make you a Google master in one sitting? Nah, it's a journey, not a destination. As I say in the article, "Ah, Grasshopper, with these six simple steps you can jump to the head of the class and move forward on the path to Google mastery without any concern about a query or Boolean deflecting you from your path."

Note: Twitter users can find me at @denniskennedy.

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 google tips lawyers

Posted by dmk at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2008

An Illustration of the Beyond Bullet Points Approach to Presentations

I'm back home after having a great time at the bigger and better than ever Missouri Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference. It once again lived up to its reputation as the premier conference of its kind in the US. But don't take my word - just count the number of people from other state bars who come every year to learn ways to improve their own conferences. I may do a blog post or two later this week about my experiences there.

Today, I thought it might be interesting to share some details about one of my presentations. The presentation was about "Internet presence" for lawyers and the ethical issues affecting the ways lawyers now use the Internet.

As many of you know, I'm a big fan of Cliff Atkinson's Beyond Bullet Points approach to PowerPoint presentations and have used his style for several years.

Too often, the BBP approach gets over-simplified and described as slides with pictures and few words.

Certainly the initial reaction can be that you are seeing the opposite of the dense, text-intensive slides that lawyers often use. But I think that misses the (bullet) point.

The fact is that you can do a great presentation with great slides, terrible slides or no slides. The key is the presentation itself and the context in which it is given.

The great value in the Beyond Bullet Points approach is in the way it helps you create a compelling story, organize it well with an audience focus, and keep the focus on the presentation, the presenter and the slides, in that order.

The part of BBP I like best is Atkinson's approach to starting out your presentation. It creates a structure that I really like.

I reproduce the draft of the intro I used for this presentation to illustrate the approach. I say draft because I changed it slightly to adapt to the the audience I found in the session.

I don't have the book at hand, so I'll lay out the steps in my own way. You'll want to read the book.

1. Set the scene. Cliff refers to this as establish the "when" and "where we are". Because you can't be sure how you will be introduced (even if you write it out and hand it to the moderator), I usually combine this with a quick statement of my bona fides (why people might think that I'm someone they should listen to). If I didn't do that, I would have started with the sentence that begins with "Currently." This works as a "hook" into your presentation.

I said:

"My first presentation on using the Internet for marketing and the ethical rules that apply was in 1996. I had been looking at the issues before going live with my first website in 1995. Much has changed since then, but it's also been an area of surprising stability, until recently. Currently, we are at a time when we see changes in both the rules that apply to Internet marketing, and other Internet usage by lawyers, and, more significantly, changes in the technologies and options lawyers now have to use the Internet to communicate and collaborate. In a real sense, we have to deal with two moving targets."

As an aside, I realized that if I gave this presentation on a recurring basis, I'd use the "two moving targets" as both a subtitle for the presentation and as a visual motif or theme for my slides. This reflects Atkinson's approach of finding and using a unifying simple visual theme to connect your slides and reinforce your main points.

2. Who are we? The "who" part of the intro also provides a quick and early answer to the all-important "what's in it for me?" question that your audience is thinking.

I said:

"As practicing lawyers, we all have similar goals – wanting to participate in the real benefits of using the Internet for marketing in proven ways to an audience that increasing seeks information online and doing so in an ethical way that meets all applicable requirements."

3. Point A. Where do we start from? Sketch out the place the audience starts from and what we all have in common. Another way to look at this is that you are setting out the problem.

I said:

"We've reached a point, as you'll see today, where we have a solid understanding of what Web 1.0 ethical compliance requires."

4. Point B. Where do we want to go? I sometime think of this as the answer to the "so what?" question. You can also see this as setting out the resolution of the problem.

I said:

"We also want to move to a point where we can have a strategy and approach that will keep us comfortably in compliance as the Internet landscape transitions toward what is often referred to as Web 2.0 and beyond."

5. What we'll try to accomplish today - getting from Point A to Point B. What we will accomplish or try to accomplish in this session - moving from Point A to Point B (or at least closer to Point B) in practical ways. Coming full circle and finishing the setting of the scene.

I said:

"When you leave this session, you will have a better sense for the popular new forms of Internet technology lawyers, and, as I'll discuss, especially solo lawyers, are pioneering today, the potential benefits of using these technologies, the old and new ethical challenges, and some useful guidelines, directions and action steps for using these technologies in ethically compliant ways."

As I said, I really like this approach, and think it works for me, but there are obviously many ways to give great presentations. The BBP method gives me a great structure and organization, whole giving me great great freedom and flexibility within the presentation itself.

See what you think. Then read the book. And remember that there's more to this than simply using pictured with a few words. Will this approach to creating an introduction help you in your next presentation?

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology beyond bullet points example Law2.0 legal ethics

Posted by dmk at 09:14 PM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2008

Legal Ethics, Blogs, Facebook, and Other Subjects at the Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference

How do lawyers moving into the world of blogging, social networking and Web 2.0 applications comply with ethical rules? How do you manage an increasingly complex Internet presence professionally and ethically under rules written for much simpler times?

Sara Rittman, Missouri's Legal Ethics Counsel, and I will discuss these and other related questions in our session called "Ethical Tips on Creating an Internet Presence: Websites, Blogs, Facebook and More" at the Missouri Bar's 13th annual Solo and Small Firm Conference.

I've been upping my social networking efforts in preparation for this session.

If you want to follow me on Twitter, you can see my Twitter tweets here. I'll try to post to Twitter during the conference, despite my woeful record as a liveblogger.

I've also created a Facebook group for the conference that I'll show in my presentation. A special thank you to some of my blogger pals for helping me "seed" that group.

You can also add me as a connection on LinkedIn or join groups for the book "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies" on both LinkedIn and Facebook.

For a few thoughts of mine on legal ethics and lawyers using video, see my video on the topic on YouTube.

I'm also doing two presentations with Ross Kodner, which will be lots of fun. We're presenting on e-discovery basics and, in what should be a great session, doing an unscripted "Tech Talk" Q & A session in which we'll try to answer whatever questions our audience throws at us.

I'll also moderate what promises to be an excellent "60 tips" session with Ross, Ellen Freedman and Nerino Petro.

I'm looking forward to all the sessions and hope to meet some of my readers there. Perhaps there will be some livebloggers there. (Speaking of liveblogging, a special tip of the hat to liveblogger extraordinaire Doug Cornelius for covering a very interesting Enterprise 2.0 conference today).

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology legal ethics solo missouri

Posted by dmk at 09:45 PM | Comments (1)

June 03, 2008

A Quick Intro to SharePoint for Lawyers - My Latest ABA Journal Column

Several years ago, I was at the ILTA conference in Phoenix. I wanted to attend a presentation on Microsoft SharePoint, but found that the room was standing room only and people were standing outside the door to listen to the presentation.

Now, I'm known for being able to spot trends and look at the future of technology in the practice of law, but this was easy to see as a legal tech trend to watch.

In Tom Mighell's and my new book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together (see review from Jordan Furlong here), we devoted one of the central chapters of the book to a discussion of SharePoint. Any lawyer, law firm, legal department or other organization considering implementing collaboration tools simply must have SharePoint on the list of tools that they consider. It's a force to reckon with and helps you understand what collaboration tools can do and what the basic collaboration functions are. I don't necessary believe that SharePoint will be the right choice for you, but I do believe that if you compare your other options to it, you will make good decisions about the tools you do choose.

My new ABA column is called SharePoint: A Killer Legal App, and, although I would have preferred that they put a question mark at the end of the title, I use the column to provide a quick intro to SharePoint and how lawyers might use it.

The money quote:

Because they affect our actual day-to-day work so much, I think the two most important areas in emerging technology for lawyers are project management and collaboration. SharePoint addresses both.

I hope you find the column a good starting point to help you understand the growing interest in SharePoint (and other collaboration tools) in the legal profession and elsewhere.

I'll also recommend that you check out the other articles in this issue of the ABA Journal at its excellent and award-winning website.

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration tools sharepoint Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 09:03 PM | Comments (2)

April 27, 2008

Using Word 2007 and Google Docs to Collaborate on Documents

Tom Mighell and I thought that the subject of collaborating on documents was so important that we devoted an entire section, with several chapters, to it in our new book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together.

I noted two good articles recently that give a good introduction to topics we cover in detail in our book.

The first Is Brian Zeve's article "Smarter, Faster Ways for Law Firms to Create and Share Documents" in the latest issue of Law Practice Today (many other good articles in this issue, too). Zeve highlights some of the collaboration features in Word 2007. You will want to familiarize yourself with these features if you will be moving to Word 2007 this year or are noticing that Word 2003 is now 5 years old and you want to put together good reasons to push your organization to Word 2007. The article also links to a Microsoft white paper on Word 2007 for the legal community.

The second is "Google Docs Lives to Share the Words." We not only used Google Docs as a prime example of a document collaboration tool in our book, but we also used it to collaborate on writing the book. The article summarizes the way Google Docs is built for a connected environment.

There is nothing more fundamental to the work of lawyers today than working together on documents and no more necessary skill-set than document collaboration skills. Understanding the available tools is essential. These two articles do a nice job of introducing some of the key tools and taking some first steps. When you are ready to go further, our book will be waiting for you.

[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. Join the book's Facebook Group here.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 book word 2007 google docs

Posted by dmk at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2008

Collaboration Tools Book Report

I've gotten some inquiries about the new book: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together. Let address some of the questions.

First, though, I wanted to say how happy Tom and I have been with the response to the book. The book took a lot of work and it's great to hear from readers - makes it all seem worthwhile.

We were thrilled to get the recent comments from law practice management guru Patrick J. McKenna, who has written some very influential books, including Herding Cats, First Among Equals, and First 100 Days: Transitioning A New Managing Partner. Patrick writes:

There is an old adage that one can either work hard or work smart . . . you have a choice. And we would all choose working smart, but once having made that obvious decision, you then have to figure out how. The good news is that Kennedy and Mighell have now produced the most comprehensive playbook, whether you are a solo, large law firm practitioner or working within a legal department, for how to choose and use the right technology tools to ‘smartly’ collaborate. And for those who know that collaboration is a profoundly human endeavor, the authors identify all kinds of practical and cultural issues to watch for. This is one of those few texts that will be dog-eared throughout, from continued reference.

Evan Schaeffer, one of the most influential lawyer bloggers and a collaborator with Tom and me on some my favorite e-discovery articles says:

No matter what the size or scope of your project, this book will get you started. Sections include the following:

* Collaboration on Cases, Transactions, and Projects
* Commonly Used Collaboration Platforms
* Developing a Collaboration Strategy

Since my own practice includes many joint ventures with differing plaintiffs' firm, each involving a single distinct groups of cases such as asbestos or Vioxx, I've been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard Kennedy and Mighell were writing it. (The three of us have collaborated ourselves from time to time.) Book finally in hand, I'm sure I'll find new and more effective ways to communicate with the lawyers on my team.

I'm especially having fun working my way through Appendix 3, which lists "tools by category," with web links to resources for conference calls, email, extranets, instant messaging, metadata removal tools, online meeting tools, online office tools, open-source software, PDF creation and management, project management, redlining tools, screen-sharing meeting tools, SharePoint tools, high-end platforms, wikis, file sharing, mind mapping, and social networking.

That's quite a list--which gives you an indication of the breadth and scope of Kennedy and Mighell's work. Recommended.

We'd love to get your comments as well.

The most common question we get:

Why is your book only available for pre-order on Amazon and other online bookstores and e-commerce sites?

We're agonizing over this one, but there will be a delay before the book becomes available at those locations. It sounds like it will become available this summer. The good news is that the book is available RIGHT NOW at the ABA Bookstore with available discounts. Note especially the great discounts for orders of 100 or more copies. ;-)

Can I get a sneak peak at the book before I buy it?

Yes. Both the Table of Contents and Chapter 1 are available as PDF downloads on the catalog page for the book.

When will the companion website for the book go live?

Uh, Tom, could you answer that one? Seriously, though, it looks like the site, which might be better described as a blogsite, will be live in a few weeks. I think that people will like it.

Are there Facebook or LinkedIn groups for the book?

Yes indeed. Details here. BTW, if you are the first one to help me figure out how to find the URL for the LinkedIn group, I'll give you a mention and a link on this blog.

Is the book for US lawyers only?

Collaboration is global. We look at many Internet tools. Interestingly, our first article based on the book just appeared in print in the Law Society of Ireland's Law Society Gazette.

Is the book only for lawyers?

Tom and I wrote the book with a broader audience in mind, but with a focus on lawyers. We've been pleased at how consistently readers are telling us that they see that the book has great information not just for lawyers in all types of practices, but especially for others than lawyers. In our view, anyone who is a professional services provider will find the book useful and we'd like the book to find that audience.

If you have other questions about the book, let us know. I'll answer them here from time to time until we get the book's companion site live.

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 book

Posted by dmk at 08:22 PM | Comments (3)

March 25, 2008

Book Groups and a Book Report

Tom and I could not be happier with the initial response to our new book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, which has been tagged as a "Best Seller" at the ABA Web Store.

If you've already bought the book, we thank you.

We're still working on getting the word out about the book, so we'd be grateful if you would mention the book to your friends or blog about it.

We're especially pleased by the people who've told us that they think that the book would be valuable to people who aren't lawyers. We think so too.

While we continue to work on getting the companion website for the book launched, we've started two groups for the book on the social networking sites LinkedIn and Facebook. On Facebook, check out and join The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies Group. On LinkedIn, look for the group called The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies.

If you've bought the book or are a regular reader of this blog and would to be a friend or connection of mine on either site, go ahead and invite me.

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration tools collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:10 PM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2008

Catching Up After ABA TECHSHOW

Still getting caught up after ABA TECHSHOW 2008. Hope to get back to regular posting tomorrow with a major announcement.

Thanks to everyone who I got the chance to speak with at TECHSHOW for making the conference such a great experience for me. Congrats to Tom Mighell and the TECHSHOW Board for putting on a great conference. The online coverage of the show was outstanding.

And a special thanks to all who bought the new book, getting it off to a great start.

If we got the chance to speak at TECHSHOW or you bought the book (or if you are a regular reader of this blog) and want to experiment with social network, please feel free to invite me as a LinkedIn connection or Facebook friend and I'll add you. Please mention the connection in your invitation.

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology ABA TECHSHOW collaboration tools

Posted by dmk at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2008

I am the Worst Liveblogger Ever: A Report from ABA TECHSHOW 2008

I am the worst live-blogger ever.

As always, I come an event like ABA TECHSHOW 2008 with the good intentions of "covering" it on my blog. I admire greatly the bloggers who post frequent accounts of show happenings, incredibly-detailed notes of conference sessions and the like, making me feel part of an event that I could not intend.

"Hey, I should do that," I think on my way to an event. And I map out ideas for how I can do it.

Ah, but, especially for me, good live blogging intentions never survive first contact with the actual event.

Inevitably, I decide that taking advantage of the opportunity to talk with people I don't see often enough in person overrides all my liveblogging intentions.

Then, I end up putting together an early morning post or two that in no way "covers" what is happening at the event.

So, that's where I find myself once again.

But, people always trump blogging whenever I have to choose. That's the greatest part of being at ABA TECHSHOW.

However, even worse, I now realize that, in addittion to not live-blogging on my own blog, I'm also the guy who keeping the bloggers you want to read from TECHSHOW - Tom Mighell, Jim Calloway, Kevin O'Keefe and others - from getting the time to blog about this event. I'd feel doubly guilty about that, if I weren't having so much fun getting to talk to the people whose blogs I read all the time and many other great people as well.

I've also convinced myself that I'm a more "reflective" blogger and my strength is in the posts I write where I have some time to think about things and to analyze them a bit. And I'm sticking to that story.

A few observations: great energy here, lots of people, and some new areas have caught my attention. I've also found myself in more interesting and productive blogging qua blogging conversations than I have been in for quite a while.

The part about TECHSHOW I love the most: constantly seeing the speakers (and some of the biggest names in legal tech) consistently making themselve accessible, answering questions, and providing amazing advice to people they meet.

It's also incredibly exciting to see the launch of the book Tom Mighell and I wrote.

Speaking a two sessions today and much else to do, so expect continued light posting, but I'll have some observations and analysis later.

In the meantime, I recommend following the TECHSHOW BUZZ (http://techshow.com/buzz) for aggregated coverage of the event and searching on the abatechshow2008 tag on Flickr for Adrian Linares' great photos from the event (and, yes, we're working on her to get her back on a regular posting schedule at her I Heart Tech blog).

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology ABA TECHSHOW

Posted by dmk at 08:28 AM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2008

Catch the ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Buzz

Whether you are attending ABA TECHSHOW 2008 this week or not, you can follow what's happening there at the new TECHSHOW Buzz site. It's a combination of social media and other resources that will add a brand new layer to the conference experience, with Twitter, Flickr, Del.icio.us and other components. There's also a combo RSS feed built on Yahoo Pipes technology.Congratulations to Tom Mighell (TECHSHOW chair), Fred Faulkner and the others involved in making this possible.

I've also set up an Unofficial ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Group on Facebook to test what Facebook can add to this process.

Looking forward to see readers there or virtually through TECHSHOW Buzz and other channels.

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology ABA TECHSHOW

Posted by dmk at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

Meet Me at ABA TECHSHOW

As I've mentioned, I'll be speaking at ABA TECHSHOW this week and Tom Mighell and I's book will be making its debut at the conference, so I'm really looking forward to being in Chicago later this week.

A number of people (well, more than one) have asked me about meeting up while at TECHSHOW.

The short answer is that I always make every effort to meet readers of this blog at any conference I'm attending. Despite my good intentions, it's become obvious to me that I'm often talking to people (these events are the main chance I have to visit with many of my legal tech pals) and might not seem as approachable as I'd like to be, especially if I schedule meetings.

My recent approach has been to avoid scheduling meetings and simply suggest that readers of this blog come up and introduce yourself as a reader when you see me, and I can thank you for being a reader and we can talk. I'm also really excited about the idea of actually signing copies of the book at the show.

That said, here is an overview of my plans for TECHSHOW.

Wednesday evening - speaker reception. I do have a couple of scheduled events for Wednesday, but I'll probably be around in the hotel common areas from time to time.

Thursday - Adriana Linares has talked me into volunteering significant time as a "conference concierge and probably a big exhibit hall day for me. I'll also be at the reception and start the day with Tom Mighell's introductory talk.

Friday - speaking in the afternoon, attending the ABA Journal's Blawgs and Beer event, and Tom and I are hosting a "Taste of TECHSHOW" dinner at the Exposures Tapas Restaurant. I believe that up to 10 people can sign up for that dinner to talk about collaboration tools.

Saturday - I'll be around all afternoon and Saturday afternoon is always one of my favorite times to hang out and talk with people.

I truly hope to see you at TECHSHOW. Remember that if you are in Chicago, you can get a one-day pass or even a free Exhibit Hall pass and see what's going on in legal tech. But the best part of TECHSHOW is finding out how friendly and accessible the speakers are - TECHSHOW is definitely a conference where you learn a lot both in the sessions and in the hallways outside the sessions.

One last thing: I've started a Facebook Group called The Unofficial ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Group for people planning to be at TECHSHOW. Go ahead and sign up. Tom Mighell has also set up a number of other social networking opportunities for TECHSHOW attendees.

[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.

Technorati tags: legal technology ABA TECHSHOW

Posted by dmk at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2008

Competitive Intelligence Roundtable Article

Just posted on the online version of the ABA's Law Practice Magazine is one of the best articles I've ever been a part of. It's called "Competitive Intelligence Roundtable: CI Tactics, Tools and Lessons to Be Learned."

I asked a who's who of experts on competitive intelligence in the practice of law (Mark Beese, David Bowerman, Cynthia Cheng Correia, Ann Lee Gibson, Mark Greene, Sabrina Pacifici and Meredith Williams) to participate in a roundtable discussion of the basics, practical tips and lessons learned about the use of competitive intelligence. To my delight, they all agreed to participate and the result is one heck of an article from which I learned a ton of things and so will you. I'm the article's moderator and a quasi-participant.

In the same issue is Ann Lee Gibson's How to Create and Use Competitive Intelligence: 45 Tips for Law Firms, a helpful CI primer to read as an intro to the roundtable article.

If you are familiar with CI, you'll benefit from the wisdom of this group. If you don't know anything about CI, these article will get you up and running. IF CI wa not on your radar, after you read these articles, it will be.

Highly recommended.

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

Debuting at the 2008 ABA TECHSHOW: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: competitive intelligence roundtable law pracitce ABA TECHSHOW

Posted by dmk at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)

February 29, 2008

The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technology: Now Available for Preorder

As Tom Mighell announced today, our upcoming book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, is now available for preorder at the ABA Web Store. There's a 15% discount if you preorder now.

The "official" launch of the book will be at the ABA TECHSHOW, where Tom and I will be speaking on the topic of collaboration tools, and will be happy to sign your copy of the book. There's still time to register for TECHSHOW or grab an Exhibit Pass and spend a day at the show.

Here's the book description from the ABA Web Store:

This first-of-its-kind guide for the legal profession shows you how to use standard technology you already have and the latest "Web 2.0" resources and other tech tools, like Google Docs, Microsoft Office and SharePoint, and Adobe Acrobat, to work more effectively on projects with colleagues, clients, co-counsel and even opposing counsel. In The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, well-known legal technology authorities Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell provide a wealth of information useful to lawyers who are just beginning to try these tools, as well as tips and techniques for those lawyers with intermediate and advanced collaboration experience.

Collaboration technologies and tools are the most important current developments in legal technology and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Explained with minimal technical jargon, the book focuses on highly practical and usable ideas that you can put to work straight away.

With practical advice on how to use specific tools and concrete action steps to take, lawyers and law firms at all levels will benefit from working together better.

You'll learn:

+ The basics of collaboration and collaboration tools

+ How to select and implement tools and strategies

+ The best ways to collaborate on documents, cases, transactions, and projects

+ How to collaborate inside and outside the office

+ How to collaborate using tools you already have or own

Technology now makes it easier than ever to work with others -- this is the first guide dedicated to the special requirements of the legal world with the practical steps it takes to do it right.

It's great to be reaching the point where all of our hard work will be appearing in book form. We're very pleased with the final version of the book and think that it is packed with solid, practical and helpful information. I encourage you to preorder now and take advantage of the 15% discount.

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

Coming Soon: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration book collaboration tools book lawyers guide

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

February 28, 2008

8 Legal Technology Trends for 2008

For many years, my favorite place to publish new articles I write for my my own enjoyment (not on assignment) has been LLRX.com. My favorite article I like to write for fun is my annual legal technology trends article, which Sabrina Pacifici usually publishes on LLRX.com.

2008 once again again brings my legal tech trends article and LLRX.com together in this month's issue - yet another great collection of articles.

This year's article is called "Eight Legal Technology Trends for 2008 – Good Times, Bad Times or Hard Times in Legal Tech?" and you can find it here.

I like to use the article both as a way of pulling together my observations about what I think is happening in legal tech and as a discussion-starter. I suspect that some of my comments will start some conversations and not everyone will agree with me. But I wrote what I saw.

A quick overview:

1. Making Better Use of What You Already Own.

2. Lawyers Win Round 1 in the E-discovery Battle . . . by a Wide Margin.

3. Security Begins to Matter . . . Really.

4. The Death Throes for Email?

5. Going Mobile.

6. Opening Audio and Video Channels.

7. Dancing with a Recession.

8. Smart Ways to Work Together – Collaboration Tools.

Take a look. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. Or, better yet, start talking about these issues and they might affect you.

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

Coming Soon: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology trends predictions electronic discovery 2008 Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 09:14 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2008

Really Simple Competitive Intelligence

In my last post, I was whining about how I've grown impatience at waiting for articles I've written for print publications to appear in print.

Today, my latest technology column for the ABA Journal appeared on the online version of the magazine. In that column, I want to write about simple, practical and inexpensive ways lawyers can use technology in ways to make their lives a little easier.

In this column, called "Really Simple Competitive Intelligence," I wanted to give a gentle introduction to RSS feeds, but in the context of how you can use them (and email alerts) to bring you information about yourself, your firm, your clients and other topics of interest with little effort and potentially big results. See what you think. This article will be a good lead-in to an article I'm involved in on competitive intelligence that will be coming out soon.

I also wrote (on a very short deadline) a sidebar for the feature article in this issue on Mac vs. PC for lawyers (by Rick Georges and Ben Stevens), where I was asked to do some quick recommendations/descriptions of three Macs and three Windows PCs (it's after the main article). Of course, new products have come out since I wrote this. I'm intrigued by the new MacBook Pros with multi-touch and I'm starting to be influenced by Ernie the Attorney who seems to be ditching his old girlfriend Google (inside joke) for the Mac Air.

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

Coming Soon: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology rss competitive intelligence mac vs pc

Posted by dmk at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

KM for Legal Apps

Judith Lamont's KM World article "KM for Legal Apps: Time is Money" gives a good picture of some of the practical uses law firms are making with knowledge management applications. Conflict-checking, integrating paper and electronic document management and enhanced full-text search are some of the uses highlighted in the article.

The article also highlights a number of KM and other tech tools being used, including Microsoft SharePoint, something on which I'm quoted in the article. As Judith points out, "Kennedy also expects the various products used in law firms to work better together, more as an integrated whole than a series of functionally unrelated products."

An interesting theme that the article covers is the move by law firms to find integrated search tools inside the firm and how KM products (sometimes already owned by firms) offers the potential to fill that need.

The money quote:

It’s one thing to fail to locate a document on the Internet using Google, but when in-house resources cannot be accessed effectively, time is wasted and complaints are loud.

There are some very good ideas in this article. Highly recommended.

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

Coming Soon: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology sharepoint knowledge management collaboration

Posted by dmk at 09:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2008

By Request: What Will You Be Speaking About at TECHSHOW?

Yes, ABA TECHSHOW is getting closer and I've recently been working on the slides for my presentations, having volunteered to take on the task of creating the first drafts of the slides.

First of all, let me once again say that every lawyer who wants to learn about and get better with technology (and every lawyer is on his or her firm's technology committee) really should try to attend one of the major legal technology conferences at least every couple of years. TECHSHOW is a great show for practicing lawyers because there is so much emphasis on the actual sessions and the sessions are directed at the interests of practicing lawyers. I'm a little biased in favor of TECHSHOW because I spent a couple of years on the TECHSHOW Board, but I also have spent time trying to figure out the differences among the major legal tech shows and the focus on practicing lawyers is what I consider the differentiator for TECHSHOW. Don't get me wrong, I like all the shows (and was disappointed to miss LegalTech NY this year), but each has its unique strengths and audiences. You still have plenty of time to register for TECHSHOW.

But on to your question.

I'll be speaking at two sessions, both on Friday, March 14, with two of my favorite co-presenters, Dan Pinnington and Tom Mighell.

Dan and I will be speaking at a session called "The Virtual Law Office: Is Software-as-a-Service Ready for Prime Time?" Long-time readers of this blog and my articles will know that the odds are very high that my answer will be "yes," but Dan and I plan to take a realistic and practical look at SaaS and the pros and cons for practicing lawyers. We have some new ideas for presenting this topic that I think people will like.

Tom and I are doing a session called "Working Together Wherever You Are: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaborating on the Internet." As the program description says: "Collaboration is no longer an option. Online tools like WebEx, Sharepoint, Acrobat Connect, Basecamp, Zoho, wikis and others make it easy for lawyers to work instantaneously with clients and colleagues, whether they're across the hall or on the other side of the world. Come join the authors of a soon-to-be published ABA book on collaborative technologies as they discuss the options available to lawyers, developing a collaboration strategy, and the ethical implications of working with others in an online environment." Yes, this session marks the official launch of our book, which is now at the printers and scheduled to debut at TECHSHOW. It looks like this:

Tom and I are also hosting one of the TECHSHOW dinner events for attendees on Friday night, giving TECHSHOW attendees a chance to talk about collaboration tools and technologies with us.

As usual, I will do everything I can to make myself accessible to readers of this blog while at TECHSHOW. Please say hello. I'd be delighted to see you at my sessions.

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

Coming Soon: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology techshow saas collaboration tools

Posted by dmk at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2008

By Request: Recommended Digital Audio Recorders

A reader asks:

My boss thinks the office should be in the market for a digital audio recorder, maybe something we could use for phone conversations that we could turn into podcasts. Any recommendations?

As a general note, for interview or roundtable podcasts, most podcasters these days do the calls over Skype and record the session (either recording each side of hte call and mixing the audio files or using one of many Skype recording software programs). Some conference call services and Webex will also record conference calls and send you the audio files. The laws around the country make me a little nervous about devices that record directly off of regular phones, so I haven't explored that area much. You generally want to avoid using a cell phone for any podcast.

If you are looking for a digital audio recorder that's portable, versatile and good for recording podcasts, the ones I hear people recommend most highly for podcasting are:

Edirol R-09 WAVE/MP3 Recorder

Zoom H2 Recorder (also the more expensive H4)

If I were buying for myself today, I'd probably buy the H2.

However, I bought a digital recorder last year and it has really impressed me. It's the Sony ICD-SX57DR9.

I bought it primarily because you basically get a free copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking with it. I use it to record my presentations live for myself and it does a great job. I also recorded my daughter's 8th grade graduation from my shirt pocket with it and the sound quality was amazing.

A key consideration is how you expect to use the recorder - stationary or portable.

For my podcasts amd when interviewed for a podcast, I like to use a Yamaha mixer

with an Audix microphone

and record directly into my computer. When I podcast with Tom Mighell, he uses a USB headset mike and we have the call via Skype. We generally record each side of the call separately and mix the tracks together using Audacity. Sound quality on podcasts is a big thing for me, so I think it's important to start with a good quality recording.

The podcasters who use the Zooms and Edirols tend to do some on-location or portable interviews. They might use the built-in mikes or the might mike temslelves with a lavaliere and use and external hand mike for interviews.

As I said, I'd look hard at the Zoom H2 when going the digital audio recorder route. I like the Sony a lot, but you do have to convert the files from Sony's format and the Zoom gives you more flexibility for podcasting.

Another interesting option (although it might be hard to sell your boss on buying you an iPod) is the XtremeMac Micromemo:

It fits onto an iPod. I've used it to record some of my presentations, especially when traveling (I got it before I purchased the Sony recorder). It does a surprisingly good job. If you do some shopping, you might be able to find the Micromemo for under $50.

For great information about hardware and other technical aspects of podcasting, I highly recommend Podholes.com and the podcasts you'll find there. Sadly, it's been a while since the last podcast, but the podcasts you'll find there are a treasure trove of information on practical and technical issues involved in podcasting, sound recording, and audio equipment.

Great question. I welcome any comments or suggestions.

Note: I like the handy way the Amazon links let me show the items, but I haven't gotten the display info finetuned enough to suit my taste. Please excuse the catalog-y feel to this post.

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

Coming in March from ABA Publishing - The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell

Technorati tags: legal technology digital recorders podcasting digital+audio+recorder

Posted by dmk at 09:40 AM | Comments (2)

February 10, 2008

Is It Time for Lawyers to Encrypt Data?

Has the time arrived for lawyers to begin routinely encrypting data, especially data carried on laptop computers and USB drives?

I take a look at some of the practical questions involving data encryption and the state of encryption in 2008 in my latest legal technology column in the ABA Journal called "Hidden Assets." I focus on recent developments in the area of disk encryption.

The money quote:

When you balance the risks of loss or exposure of sensitive data against the costs and effort in encrypting data and drives, it’s becoming clear that we’ll see many lawyers moving to disk encryption in the very near future.

Disk encryption looks to be a simple, effective way to address some, but not all, data security concerns. Have you tried it? Is it working for you? Have you become less comfortable with not encrypting data in the past year?

Here's the article. Your feedback is appreciated.

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

Coming in March from ABA Publishing - The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell

Technorati tags: legal technology aba journal encryption

Posted by dmk at 04:18 PM | Comments (3)

February 04, 2008

Cole Silver's Expert Audio Series

Lawyer and career and marketing consultant Cole Silver has put together an amazing collection of audio interviews with a who's who of experts in all phases of law practice management as part of his Expert Audio Series.

It's a collection of top experts interviewed about their best topics, with coverage of key aspects of business development and marketing, career planning and development, and organizational development and management. I've contributed an interview on "Technology that Drives Operational Efficiency."

What is great about Cole's collection is that I've heard many people (including me) with the idea (and best intentions) of putting together a collection of interviews like this, but Cole has actually done it. And done it extremely well. Even a cursory glance at what is already part of this collection will show you the potential value of this material to your practice. It's a great example of what the audio/podcasting world is bringing and how an iPod (or other mp3 player) might be the best business and educational tech investment you can make these days.

Check out Cole's Expert Audio Series.

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

Coming in March from ABA Publishing - The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together

Technorati tags: legal technology expert audio series cole silver podcast

Posted by dmk at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2008

Kevin Kelly on Better Than Free

Kevin Kelly's post, "Better Than Free," has given me much to think about, and I suspect it will do the same for you.

The money quote:

When copies are free, you need to sell things which can not be copied.

Well, what can't be copied?

Kevin starts with "trust," a (or perhaps the) key element of any professional services practice.

He then lists 8 "generatives" that are better than free:

1. Immediacy. (E.g., instant, targeted alerts)

2. Personalization.

3. Interpretation (or "how to" or support)

4. Authenticity.

5. Accessibility.

6. Embodiment (putting into the format you want).

7. Patronage.

8. Findability.

The second money quote:

These eight qualities require a new skill set. Success in the free-copy world is not derived from the skills of distribution since the Great Copy Machine in the Sky takes care of that. Nor are legal skills surrounding Intellectual Property and Copyright very useful anymore. Nor are the skills of hoarding and scarcity. Rather, these new eight generatives demand an understanding of how abundance breeds a sharing mindset, how generosity is a business model, how vital it has become to cultivate and nurture qualities that can't be replicated with a click of the mouse.

In short, the money in this networked economy does not follow the path of the copies. Rather it follows the path of attention, and attention has its own circuits.

Wow! To me, these are important, clarifying, and challenging (in the best sense) words. It also echoes the business models that have grown up around the Open Source licenses.

And, as Kevin notes, none of it involves selling ads.

I encourage you to read (and re-read) this post.

What do you think? I'd enjoy discussing this topic.

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

Coming in March from ABA Publishing - The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together

Technorati tags: kevin kelly open source Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2008

Ross Kodner on the Difference between IT and Legal Tech; Laura Orr on Blogging

Two posts of note today for those interested in legal tech and blogging, which I guess would be most readers of this blog.

First, Ross Kodner has a great post on the differences between legal technology and information technology (IT). It's a great discussion-starter and should make you think. Highly recommended.

The money quote:

A mistake I’ve observed SO many firms of ALL sizes across the continent is confusing IT and LT – not making, or not knowing there is a fundamental distinction between these two areas of information.

My short take is that legal technology focuses on lawyers, how they work, and technology that helps lawyers do their work better.

Second, Laura Orr has a great post chock full of great tips on blogging for lawyers. It was nice to see the reference to me, even though it reminded me that I really don't write or speak as much on blogging as I used to.

Among Laura's excellent tips, is one I want to highlight that's both simple and often overlooked:

Open an email account for your blog.

My best advice to starting bloggers is to find one or two of the blogging "rules" that you can break when you do your blog. Personal voice, more so than strict obedience of blogging best practices, is the key to a great blog (and a great blogging experience. That said, you won't find many better digests of the best blogging practices than Laura's post.

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

Coming in March from ABA Publishing - The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Technorati tags: legal technology blogging

Posted by dmk at 09:54 PM | Comments (1)

January 23, 2008

The Internet Roundtable Revisited: The Blog Columns

I recently mentioned the Internet Roundtable columns Jerry Lawson, Brenda Howard and I wrote on Internet marketing for lawyers several years ago and how they are some of my favorite articles.

Sabrina Pacifici emailed me that she has placed all of the columns in one location on LLRX.com. Even better, she relinked and added columns 36 and 37, a two-part series on blogging.

I remember that Jerry Lawson decided that it was time (July 2003) to cover blogs as part of Internet marketing in the columns. We had been talking privately about blogs and how they were changing all the rules and conventions of law firm websites.

I started the first column with: "When I notice that both Jerry Lawson and I have commented publicly that the energy and excitement around blogging remind us of 1995 and the early days of creating web pages, it's clear that blogging is a topic that deserves some attention . . . ."

We brought in two of our favorite bloggers as guests - Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson and Tom "Inter Alia" Mighell - and the columns are especially interesting to show their early reflections on blogging.

I've always felt that Ernie captured a core element of blogging with this comment:

I was always interested with the idea of having a website, but I would never have taken the time to set one up. But some easy-to-use weblog software with a free 30-day trial is all it took to draw me into the Internet fray. That, and an obsession to have my voice broadcast to the widest possible audience.

I thoroughly recommend the columns to anyone interested in blogs and blogging, and the early history of lawyers using blogging. Look for the discussion of the term "blawg."

Column 37 (part 2) marked the end of the Internet Roundtable columns, which was appropriate in a sense because blogs so radically changed the world of traditional law firm websites.

Jerry Lawson's final comment on that last article was both wise and prescient:

Blogs have enormous potential, but it's important to keep the phenomenon in perspective. I think we're going to see another instance of the "80/20 Rule." It will probably shake out something like this: About 80% of all lawyer web logs will fail. The remaining 20% will have greater or lesser degrees of success, mostly modest. One per cent or so, maybe less, will be extremely successful. However, some of that 1% will be so successful that they will make their owners very, very glad they got into the blogging game.

A big thank you to Sabrina for bringing back these columns. And, when you visit the articles, be sure to check out the rest of the always great content at LLRX.com.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology internet roundtable blawg blogs

Posted by dmk at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2008

Planning for Legal Technology in a Recession

The recession winds have hit the economy at gale force levels in the last few weeks. Many people spent a nervous day watching the stock market today.

The natural reaction to news of a slowing economy is to cut back on spending. Recession often goes hand in hand with retrenchment, and there's little doubt that the legal profession is already casting a nervous eye toward technology budgets.

Today, I took a look back at an article I wrote in 2001 called "A Prudent Approach to Legal Technology Spending in a Slowing Economy." It's been one of my most popular articles. I wondered how relevant it felt today.

The article actually holds up well, despite the outdated examples and reference to Y2K efforts.

It also reflects some of my common themes, including my stubborn insistence that the concepts of modern portfolio theory (diversity of investments, et al.) should play a role in legal technology strategy and planning.

Here are the key points in the article, which are worth thinking about in the coming days and weeks.

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.

The article identifies 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.

I really like the ideas in this article and find them quite appropriate for today. What do you think? Do you have other ideas and strategies? Is it time to focus on recession strategies?

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology recession strategy planning

Posted by dmk at 09:59 PM | Comments (1)

January 16, 2008

I've Been Listening to So Many Podcasts that I Didn't Realize that Podcasting Might Have Been Declared Dead

One of the amusing things about reading blogs, especially tech blogs, for many years is how quickly trends arise, blossom and get declared dead, sometimes, it seems, within a period of weeks or even days. There are times when a trend is declared dead even before many people have even heard of it.

Just pick a trend and do a Google search on "is [trend] dead?"] and you'll be surprised by the number of hits.

However, it's also true that the "is [trend] dead?" post or, more emphatically, "[trend] is dead" post, will definitely generate traffic to your post. (See linkbaiting - by the way, is linkbaiting dead?)

A lot of things have been declared dead by someone or another lately - email, Windows Vista, the billable hour, the horse and buggy, you name it.

I've always liked podcasts. Tom Mighell and I even talked about our favorite podcasts on our own podcast.

My biggest reservation about podcasts was that there would be so much great content that you would have such a backlog of podcasts that you could never hope to listen to them all. You can be a fast reader, but it's much harder to be a fast listener.

I can confirm that my reservation was well-founded. There are lots of great podcasts. What NPR has done in the world of podcasting is simply amazing.

I've wanted to blog more about podcasts, but I find it difficult to blog about podcasts. In part, that's because there is often a time lag from when the podcast was released and when you listen to it. That can make it harder to find the URL when you want to link to it in a blog post. Also, if you listen to podcasts on an iPod or other mp3 player, you probably aren't at a computer and won't blog about it contemporaneously.

I had reached the conclusion the other day that I was going to highlight podcasts and podcasting as a key legal tech trend for 2008.

Then, I realized that there is a big debate going on whether, surprise, podcasting might be dead. I like Dave Winer's take on the topic, especially when he says, "My phone doesn't have a business model. Neither does my porch."

By the way, my Google search on "is podcasting dead?" tonight shows a total of 3.570 results.

So, I reconsidered my opinion about podcasts, for a few seconds, and went back to listening to podcasting and recommending it as a trend to watch in 2008. If you haven't been introduced to the world of podcasts, I recommend that you take a listen. A good starting point is visiting the Apple iTunes store and checking out the wide variety of podcasts now available, on almost any topic that you can imagine.

Count me on the side of those who think that podcasts are alive.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology podcasts

Posted by dmk at 08:12 PM | Comments (1)

January 14, 2008

ABA TECHSHOW 2008: Early Bird Discount and My Sessions

I always recommend that lawyers interested in technology, especially lawyers within easy reach of Chicago in mid-March, try to attend ABA TECHSHOW. I might show a little favoritism for TECHSHOW because I used to be on the board, but it's a great show if you are interested in educational programs about practical ways practicing lawyers can use technology for their benefit.

I see that February 1 is the deadline for a $100 early bird discount. The registration page also details other available discounts. I'll also note that joining the ABA's Law Practice Management Section was one of the best moves I made in my legal career, and it entitles you to another discount for TECHSHOW.

I'll be speaking at two sessions this year, with two of my favorite co-presenters, Dan Pinnington and Tom Mighell.

First:

The Virtual Law Office: Is "Software-as-a-Service" Ready for Prime Time? Friday, March 14, 2007

What if you could work from anywhere that you had Internet access? Our experts will help you decide whether it's finally time to make a virtual law office your reality, and the online services that can help you make it happen. We'll also cover the ethical and due diligence issues you must work through to keep your virtual office as safe as one made of bricks and mortar. Whether you want to practice from the beach, the mountains, or a treehouse, it's time to start designing the virtual law office of your dreams.

Speakers: Dennis Kennedy, Dan Pinnington

Second:

Working Together from Wherever You Are: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaborating on the Internet Friday, March 14, 2007

Collaboration is no longer an option. Online tools like WebEx, Sharepoint, Acrobat Connect, Basecamp, Zoho, wikis and others make it easy for lawyers to work instantaneously with clients and colleagues, whether they're across the hall or on the other side of the world. Come join the authors of a soon-to-be published ABA book on collaborative technologies as they discuss the options available to lawyers, developing a collaboration strategy, and the ethical implications of working with others in an online environment.

Speakers: Tom Mighell, Dennis Kennedy

Hope to see you there. I always try to make myself available to meet with as many readers of this blog as I can while I'm in Chicago for TECHSHOW.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology techshow collaboration saas

Posted by dmk at 09:31 PM | Comments (1)

January 10, 2008

My Lexblog Q & A Interview

Thanks to Rob La Gatta and Lexblog for running a two-part interview with me as part of their excellent series of interviews with lawyer and law-related bloggers.

I enjoyed the interview greatly, as you probably will be able to tell. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

I talk about the early history of blawgs, my own first steps to blogging, lessons learned and useful advice I wish I had gotten when I started. I tried to share some of my best information and thinking about blogging.

I also recommend the other interviews in the series - you can learn a ton of great things,, and not just about blawgs and blogging.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology blogging blawg

Posted by dmk at 11:27 PM | Comments (1)

January 08, 2008

Returning to The Internet Roundtable

I was doing some research last night (for this) and wanted to find the first time that I had written about blogging for lawyers in a published article.

I actually know the answer to this question because Jerry Lawson likes to have fun and point out that I first suggested that blogs could be a great marketing vehicle for lawyers more than two years before I actually got around to launching my own blog.

So, if you go back to December 2000, in column #15 of The Internet Roundtable, a long-running series of articles on Internet marketing I co-wrote with Jerry Lawson and Brenda Howard, you'll find me saying:

"Blogs" . . . are my new favorite web phenomenon. In essence, they allow you to put an ongoing web journal of your writings on your web site, almost like a daily diary. If your site is designed to accentuate your personality, a blog might be a fascinating tool to let you easily put up opinions, idea and thoughts and get your audience to return on a regular basis.

Jerry's response was quite prescient, as always. In part, he said, "For most lawyers, blogs would be a fiasco, possibly even dangerous. On the other hand, for a few lawyers, they could be perfect."

The Internet Roundtable columns are some of my very favorite articles. We wrote 36 of them over a three-year period, all published on LLRX.com (although #36, which included Ernest Svenson and Tom Mighell in a discussion of blogging, seems to be missing). They were written as a conversation and I've used that "roundtable" format extensively over the years. It's such a great way to write good multi-authored articles.

We would pick a simple aspect of Internet marketing and kick around some of the basic ideas and concepts and offer practical insights and tips.

So, last night I looked through some of the articles. I still enjoy them and was struck by how relevant the discussions still are and how much you can learn from the articles. The columns seem to have captured some of the core principles of successful websites and improved web presence. It's interesting to see how, today, blogs, by their very nature, allow you to automatically execute some of the best elements of good content strategies.

We had a good number of guest authors, in a way a who's who in legal websites and Internet marketing from the late 1990s and pre-blog era. For example, there's a great column with Kevin O'Keefe talking not about blogs, but about creating virtual communities, the area where Kevin gained a lot recognition. Definitely worth a read.

I created this link, based on a search term, to give you quick access to the full set Internet Roundtable columns. If that link doesn't work for you, head over to the great LLRX.com site and run a search on "internet roundtable." Take a look. You'll probably find an idea or two that you can use for your website or blog. It'd be nice to see these articles get a fresh life.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology internet roundtable blogs legal marketing

Posted by dmk at 07:55 PM | Comments (1)

January 07, 2008

Talking Legal Technology for 2008

Angela Wilson interviewed me about a wide variety of legal technology topics for the ESQ Soundbytes podcast that appears in the most recent issue of the ESQ newsletter (link to mp3). It's described as "attorney and ABA technology columnist Dennis Kennedy sharing what you need to know about PCs, social networking, and helpful technological gadgets."

I enjoyed the interview, as you probably can tell from the recording, and there's some good information in the podcast. Thanks to Angela, who is doing a great job with these podcasts, and to the Missouri Bar, which is again pioneering ways to use technology for lawyer (and consumer) education.

For those looking for insights into where technology is taking the legal profession, let me recommend Neil Squillante's TechnoLawyer's 2008 Predictions, which includes links to other sets of predictions for legal technology.

All of which reminds me that I need to finish my annual article on legal technology predictions.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology predictions podcast

Posted by dmk at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 03, 2008

By Request - Taking a Firm Completely Electronic

A reader asks:

I am a legal assistant in need of some quick advice. My employer recently asked me to track down a powerful and efficient program that would help take the entire firm electronic- files, client information, discovery. Is there one all-powerful program, or a line-up of key programs, that you would suggest to help take us virtual?

I get asked this question in one form or another on a regular basis.

I always suggest that the questioner take a look at the latest version of Ross Kodner's Paper Less Office presentation as the starting point. Let me also say congratulations to Ross on his recent wedding.

I've always liked Ross's emphasis that scanning does not necessarily mean OCR and the presentation and article I link to above will help you understand the different factors that you should consider.

I've found that often people are really asking there is a fast, easy and inexpensive way to "go all electronic."

My personal "quick advice" on getting something workable, simple and inexpensive in place would be to take three steps:

1. Buy an appropriate number of licenses for Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional. And I do mean that you should spend the extra money on the Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional version. This way you'll use PDF as your standard format. You can scan directly into Acrobat, and it will index your PDF files, optimize file sizes, and let you organize and manage the files. It's a powerful all-in-one solution. Familiarize yourself with all the features of Acrobat 8 Professional and I think you'll agree. Note, too, that PDF is becoming a standard in electronic discovery as well as electronic filing.

2.Buy an appropriate number of scanners. This takes some thought. You'll need to think through your workflow and how "electronic" you really want to get. My general sense is that in most offices an approach with one centralized, high-end (meaning fast and able to scan lengthy docs in a large volume) and a scattering of inexpensive scanners on desktops of the people who will actually use them is a good way to start. Do some research, identify scanners that get good reviews and the features you want. I notice that Ross (and others I know) seem to like the Fujitsu scanners these days. I've always been happy with HP scanners.

3. Install a desktop search program that will search networked computers. I like to add the desktop search piece because it adds the search layer to your all-electronic system. Acrobat 8 does a good job on searches, but the desktop search engines are fast, impressive and invaluable. Some are free. Features tend to evolve and change, so you'll want to check the current feature sets and prices. I believe that currently Copernic Desktop Search (free) , Google Desktop Search (free) and X1 Professional ($50 per license) will search across networked computers. You might already have other search tools on your office network, too. I've used Copernic for a long time and am partial to it. I'm wary of Google out of a (perhaps misplaced) concern that my local info will become part of the Google data-mining ecosystem (not a small concern for lawyers with confidential client info).

There are many variations on this theme and you can definitely take more complicated approaches or build upon software (and hardware) you already own (e.g., document management software). Each will involve the three pieces: scanning software, scanner and organization/search tool.

That's my quick answer to an increasingly common question. I'm interested in hearing reactions and how others might answer this question today.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology paperless acrobat scanning

Posted by dmk at 08:39 PM | Comments (7)

January 02, 2008

A Mini Strategic Plan for Your Tech Purchases in 2008

My newest technology column in the ABA Journal is out and it's called Tech Greats for ‘08: Spruce up your buying strategy for a better year.

I say: "Here are my best suggestions for planning to im­prove your technology—and your relationship with technology—in 2008. These ideas won’t cost you much money, but they will make your daily experience better than ever."

The summary:

1. Get some storage.

2. Get a new interface.

3. Get a new bag.

4. Get an iPod.

5. Get a blog or a podcast.

6. My best advice for 2008: Learn a new skill or technology.

Read the column to get the details.

Also, a tip of the blog hat to Steve Matthews for his Clawbie awards for best Canadian law-related blogs - a great place to find some new blogs to add to your newsreader.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. Can be high volume, but lots of interesting items that will get you thinking.

Technorati tags: legal technology aba journal

Posted by dmk at 10:21 PM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2007

Best of DennisKennedy.Blog: 2007 in Review

I was reading Brian Clark's post "The Best of Copyblogger in 2007 and realized how much I like this type of year-end post. It tells a lot about the subject matter a bog covers and provides a roadmap to the best posts.

I've thought about doing similar posts each year, but the idea has always seemed a little too daunting. I took a stab at it today and it was easier than I thought. I looked through the 135 posts (a smaller number than in any calendar year of this blog so far, in part due to working on a book project) and put together this post. Enjoy!

January

In January , I looked at resolutions – for your PCh and for my own legal technology (hmm, some might be on my list for 2008, too). January was also the time for my annual Martin Luther King Day reflection. I ended the month looking at the biggest unanswered question in electronic discovery: What will "documents" mean in a world where almost all information is held in gigantic databases?

February

February was most notable for my experiment in publishing my annual legal technology trends article as a series of posts and in a number of forms. The idea was to let people see how I wrote and edited the article to create different versions. Here's the start of the long version and the short version. There was also an intermediate (and probably the best) version published on LLRX.com. Other highlights included two posts on newsreaders (here and here), one on wikis for lawyers, and a note that non-lawyers might not be treating electronic discovery with the same emphasis that lawyers are putting on it.

March

In March, Tom Mighell and I announced our upcoming book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies. March also had posts on two of my favorite concepts of the year: Impromptu Consultation and the Post-Email Era and The Electronic Discovery Continuum - Accelerating Complexity. I also covered topics ranging from Track Changes to Firefox productivity extensions to document assembly, and made my 2007 legal trends article available as a PDF download.

April

April found me a bit overwhelmed with email overload, but also making some of my better posts of the year: Green Legal Technology: Is the Time Ripe?, Are Lawyers Doing Work That Should Be Done By Machines?, Do Excerpt Feeds and Poor Sound Quality Podcasts Have Something in Common?, Reports of Death of PowerPoint Greatly Exaggerated?, and Has Blogging Peaked?. I also noted the tenth anniversary of Dave Winer's Scripting News blog, probably the greatest influence on my launch of this blog.

May

May was a busy month, with the number posts dropping somewhat. I noted the anniversary of Eric Raymond's seminal essay, The Theater and the Bazaar (essential if you want to understand Open Source), posted my Handout Materials on Ethical Issues for Law Firm Websites, commented on "peak blogging," highlighted some great tips on presenting from Jon Udell, and suggested that lawyers who thought that simple auto accident cases would not involve electronic discovery might be sadly mistaken.

June

I started June with a post on my visit with Marty "The Trademark Blog" Schwimmer and some thoughts about the history and future of blogging by lawyers in a post called Birth of the Blawg. I ended the month mentioning a white paper I had written on dealing with metadata under the new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In between, I posted on Pollard's Laws of Communication, Collection and Collaboration, Talking About GPL and Creative Commons for Bloggers, and Seven Step Guide for Knowledge Management Initiatives in Corporate Legal Departments.

July

July featured one of my most rantish and popular posts - Presumptuous Computing - A Trend to Reverse. Yesterday, iTunes presumed that a stray mouse click meant that I wanted to uncheck ALL of my songs and podcasts and I spent a long time rechecking the items I wanted to put on my iPod, earning iTunes a special place among my least favorite programs. I also posted on two of my favorite topics of 2007 – Google Reader's Shared Items and storage. I ended the month focused on Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.

August

August meant a new Springsteen single – Radio Nowhere. We lost power again in St. Louis. I had a great time at the ILTA Conference. A new episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast focused on lawyers using Facebook and the Google Reader. I also posted on the idea of using technology counsel in electronic discovery, clean legal technology, and a roundtable article I participated in on the impact of the December 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on electronic discovery.

September

In September, I took a nostalgic look back at Google on its 9th Birthday. The important post of the month was called The Brand is the Talent. I also posted about a roundtable article on lawyer podcasting. By September, it became apparent that working on the book was going to start cutting into my time for blogging, as I mentioned in the post Collaboration Tools, AmLaw Tech Survey 2007, and Expect a Reduced Number of Posts for a Little While.

October

October was a big e-discovery month. I started the month with Electronic Discovery Trends and Blogs: Thinking Aloud about Information Overload and Information Underload, which touches one of my favorite subjects, info underload. I followed that with 26 Electronic Discovery Trends for 2008, based on a presentation I gave, and then the short version, How About 3 EDD Trends Instead of 26? My new ABA Journal legal tech column debuted in October. I also commented on the RIAA's approach to customer relationship in The Benefits of Treating Regular Customers Like Criminals.

November

November had the smallest number of monthly posts in the history of this blog as most of my time went into finishing the final draft of the book. My infatuation with storage was on display in Windows Home Server and SharePoint and I noted Bob Ambrogi's useful article on electronic discovery blogs.

December

If it's December at DennisKennedy.Blog, then it must be time for the Blawggie Awards. This year was no exception. I must admit that I am a little disappointed that the Blawggies post did not inspire blawggers to post their own set of awards, but I had a lot of fun with the post and appreciate the kind emails and comments I've received. December also marked the untimely death of influential blogger Marc Orchant. I'll also note my post on the 2 trillion text messages sent in 2007 and the potential consequences of the move to email alternatives.

That was 2007 on DennisKennedy.Blog. Thanks for reading and commenting. If you are new to this blog, this post will give you a quick way to see some of the most representative (and best) posts.

Best wishes for 2008. If you haven't yet started your own blog, 2008 would be a great time to start.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology electronic discovery Law2.0 blawg dennis kennedy

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

December 22, 2007

The 2007 Blawggies: Dennis Kennedy's Best Law-related Blogging Awards

Welcome to the 2007 edition of Dennis Kennedy's annual Best of Law-related Blogging Awards, first unleashed on an unsuspecting readership in December 2004 and now an annual pre-Christmas tradition here. These awards, which have become affectionately known as the "Blawggies," celebrate the best of law-related blogs as determined from my personal and highly-opinionated perspective.

Background.

A little background on the Blawggies for those who are new to the concept. The Blawggies are not based on any popular votes, surveys or, God forbid, scientific measurements. They are highly-opinionated choices made by me, based on my experience, expertise and likes and dislikes gained from nearly five years of blogging and several more years before that of reading blogs.

My original idea was simply to illustrate how your blog is essentially your own printing press and you can do whatever you want with it - like hand out official-sounding awards. I actually expected that many bloggers would pick up on the idea and do their own awards posts. Still do - call me an optimist.

Surprisingly, if only to me, the Blawggies post has annually been one of my most controversial posts. Comments have ranged from "who is this guy?" to "he's so full of himself" to my personal favorite, "he only gives awards to the blogs he reads." Well, yeah. For what it's worth, it was no surprise at all to me that the ABA Journal's top 100 blawg list generated some controversy when announced a month or so ago.

Perhaps I should have done the Blawggies instead as one of those "tag, you're it" blog memes that said, "hey, I did some blawg awards and gave you one, now you need to do a set of awards too." Be that as it may, the Blawggies have become a tradition at DennisKennedy.Blog.

About the Blawggie Criteria.

In general, I like to see blogs (1) consistently useful content, (2) a generous and helpful approach, and (3) a combination of commitment and talent, with an emphasis on good writing. In other words, I like blogs that compel me to read them on a regular basis. I read almost all blog posts in a newsreader, so the awards will reflect a bias toward blogs with full-text RSS feeds as well as my many other biases and personal preferences, which are too numerous to list here.

The Blawggies are also intended to recognize the work of long-time bloggers who might otherwise get overlooked in the usual blogging focus on the newest and latest thing. Once again, I have provided an executive summary for those too busy to read the whole post, and I do recognize that some blogging pundits deplore even the idea of long posts, even as I consistently break that "rule."

But, first, let's do away with the suspense.

Executive Summary.

Here's the "executive summary" of the award winners. I do encourage you to read the whole post for details and the honorable mention choices.

2007 Blawggie Award Categories and Winners.

1. Best Overall Law-Related Blog - Tom Collins' More Partner Income

2. The Marty Schwimmer Best Practice-Specific Legal Blog - Ken Adams' AdamsDrafting

3. Best Law Practice Management Blog - Tom Collins' More Partner Income

4. Best Legal Blog Category - Law Librarian Blogs, Non-US Law-related Blogs and Solo Lawyer Blogs (Tie)

5. Best Legal Blog Digest - Stark County Law Library Blog

6. Best Blawg About Legal Blawgging - Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs

7. Best Legal Podcast - Bob Ambrogi's and Craig Williams' Lawyer2Lawyer Podcast

8. The Sherry Fowler Best Writing on a Legal Blog Award - Ernest Svenson's Ernie the Attorney

9. Best Law Professor Blog - Jim Maule's Mauled Again

10. Best New Law-related Blog - Doug Cornelius's KM Space

11. Best Legal Technology Blog - DennisKennedy.Blog

12. Most Important Trend in Law-related Blogging - Niche Blogs

I encourage you to read more about the winning blogs (and why they were winners) and the honorable mention blogs below. If you'd rather simply see if your blog is included in the honorable mentions, simply use the "find on this page" feature in the edit menu of your browser. ;-)

The Details.

As I've said in connection with earlier award posts:

What do they call it when you get thousands of lawyers, law professors, law librarians, law students, legal consultants and others writing blogs that focus on law-related content? A good start. My real purpose with the Blawggie awards is to encourage a whole bunch of legal bloggers to do their own "awards." I think that if they did this, it would be a great way for legal bloggers to highlight the blawgs they really like and a great way for me to learn about some great blogs I might have been unfamiliar with.

1. Best Overall Law-Related Blog - Tom Collins' More Partner Income

Tom joins previous winners, Sabrina Pacifici's BeSpacific.com, Tom Mighell's Inter Alia and Marty Schwimmer's The Trademark Blog. I wanted to use these year's awards in part to celebrate Tom Collins' retirement from active blogging. What a run he has had! I read this blog everyday and almost always put it into my starred and shared items in my Google Reader. I enjoy Tom's selection of topics, his style, his perspective, his incisive analysis, and the personal warmth and generosity that permeates his work. Tom has long history of seeing how law firms are run and we are all blessed that he has decided to share his perspectives and wisdom. In many ways, Tom's blog illustrates how organizations could use blogs to share the insights and wisdom of the most experienced people in KM blogs. Best wishes to Tom on his retirement. We'll miss your steady stream of excellent posts but always appreciate the mark you have left on law-related blogging. Best wishes to Brian Ritchey on taking over for Tom. Honorable Mention - Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs - I read every post and occasionally comment on them.

2. The Marty Schwimmer Best Practice-Specific Blog - Ken Adams' AdamsDrafting

I named this award for Marty Schwimmer's lifetime achievement with The Trademark Blog in setting an example of what you can do with a practice-specific blog. There are many more practice-specific blogs this year than ever before and that makes choosing a winner a difficult task. The big issue in choosing a practice-specific blog is that I tend to read the blogs that relate to my individual practice. Therefore, I'm going to miss great blogs that cover areas I don't work in (and that's why it's a good idea for others to do their own awards). Ken Adams' blog focuses on the practical aspects of contract drafting. He covers many of the issues that we transactional lawyers have discussed and debated over the years (e.g., "indemnify and hold harmless" or just "indemnify"?). His posts are especially valuable to my practice and his mission of helping lawyers create clear, precise and readable contracts is a laudable one. Honorable Mention - Rob Robinson's Information Governance Engagement Area (Electronic discovery seems to have become a practice area of its own, hasn't it?)

3. Best Law Practice Management Blog - Tom Collins' More Partner Income

Sensing a bit of a trend here? Thank you again Tom for the great work that you've done with your blog. I said last year that "For lawyers, the most beneficial aspect of reading blogs is how much you can learn from the enormous amount of useful, practical information you can get about running, marketing and improving your law practice. On a daily basis, you can get tips and insight that can make or save you thousands of dollars." When I sometimes struggle to find a topic for a post on my blog, I often look to Tom's blog for an idea or a post of his that I can point to. As a former partner in a law firm, I can attest that Tom hits on all the issues that partners have concerns and points the way to effective solutions. Honorable Mention - Bruce MacEwen's Adam Smith, Esq.

4. Best Legal Blog Category - Law Librarian Blogs, Non-US Legal Blogs and Solo Lawyer Blogs (Tie)

I have to be one of the biggest fans of law librarian blogs there is. I learn so much from these blogs and they get named for this award every year. As I said before, "across the board, these blogs have developed into strong information resources, often with links to primary source information that I'm not sure how I would find otherwise." There's a whole list of great law librarian blogs listed here. I've also been reading more non-US law-related blogs this year, limited only by my lack of non-English language skills. I singled out the great Canadian blogs last year, but have noticed more non-US blogs, especially UK blogs, in my reading in 2007. Here's a great starter list on Non-US blogs. 2007 also seemed to be the year that blogs of solo lawyers, always an important part of the "blawgosphere," really came to the forefront. There are a diverse mix of solo blogs out there, focusing on a variety of topics, and they all have a lot of personality and have developed a voice, to me the key in becoming a great blog. Add a few solo blogs to your reading list (start here) and you'll agree.

5. Best Legal Blog Digest - Stark County Law Library Blog

There are some excellent blogs that aggregate information from other legal blogs, digest posts from other legal blogs or highlight and point to posts on other legal blogs. You can effectively monitor the best posts from a number of blogs in one place. Nancy Stinson at the Stark County Law Library Blog has been blogging in this fashion for a long time and I've been reading her blog for just as long. It's a great way to keep up with developments when you don't have much time. Honorable Mention - Rob Robinson's Information Governance Clearance Area.

6. Best Blawg About Legal Blawgging - Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs

The name of this category is an inside joke so I could make Kevin use the word "blawg," which he hates, when he mentions that he won this award (bloggers like to do little things like that to each other). No one covers the world of legal blogging better than Kevin does. And no one today knows more about the practical aspects of legal blogging and what lawyers are doing in blogging than Kevin does. I've also enjoyed several chances to present with and talk with Kevin this year. If you want to learn how to start blogging and how to blog better, there's no better place to start than Kevin's blog. Honorable Mention - not a blawg, but Darren Rowse's Problogger Blog Tips is my favorite blog for learning about ways to blog better.

7. Best Legal Podcast - Bob Ambrogi's and Craig Williams' Lawyer2Lawyer Podcast

This regular weekly podcast of interviews and panel discussions has a new name for 2007, but is once again the clear choice as best legal podcast. The ability to produce a consistent weekly show with great topics and guests helps this podcast move to the top of the list. I'm consistently impressed by the way Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams put together shows on the leading stories of the day. If you want to learn about how to do a good legal podcast, you can go to school on this one. And it's fun to be a guest on ths podcast. I also like how their podcast intro shows that they have no blog or podcast self-esteem issues (see my comment on blog self-esteem in #11 below). Honorable Mention - This Week in Law.

8. The Sherry Fowler Best Writing on a Legal Blog Award - Ernest Svenson's Ernie the Attorney

Before commenting on this award, I wanted to quote my favorite paragraph of blawg writing this year from a post called "Law Blog vanity contests : ABA adds to the silliness" from Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs:

Law blogs represent disintermediation of publishers and gatekeepers. No more are those in supposed power and control going to screen and serve up what they think is important. A lawyer in a town with a water tower, an old grain elevator and 3 four way stops is on equal footing with a lawyer who clerked for a Supreme Court Judge. The democratization of publishing and dialogue we get through law blogs is at the very heart of what we stand for in America.

I'm a big fan of the pure writing ability of some of the best legal bloggers. I named this award after the legal blogger who had the biggest influence on my blog writing, Sherry "Scheherezade" Fowler. Ernie has won this award before, but I just like reading his blog, as do many others. No matter what his choice of topic, I'm ready to ride along with him. This year, Ernie has moved away from a legal focus, but I'm more than happy to move with him. Honorable Mention - Denise Howell, especially for Lawgarithms.

9. Best Law Professor Blog - Jim Maule's Mauled Again

Practicing lawyers often feel that their blogs never even get onto the radar of the law professors. Law professors often say, "there are blogs by practicing lawyers?" But, seriously, I always attempt to bridge that chasm (although realizing that a favorable mention of a law professor's blog outside academia might be disastrous for his or her tenure chances, I try to be careful). Jim Maule's Mauled again is all about tax law developments and it is so darn interesting that you won't believe. Or maybe the time I spent earlier in my career as a tax lawyers colors my opinion toward this blog. Jim has a great accessible style and an always-interesting perspective on his topics and legal education. Probably the best compliment you can pay a law professor blog is that it makes you want to take a class with them, and Jim's definitely does. Honorable Mention - the multi-authored MoneyLaw.

10. Best New Law-related Blog - Doug Cornelius's KM Space

It's a bit of a Blawggie tradition for me to accidentally give this award to a blog that actually started before the year of the award, so I checked the starting dates of the blogs under consideration this year. Doug Cornelius has been blogging since January 2007 on one of my favorite area, knowledge management, for almost a year. I got to meet him in person at the ILTA conference in August. One of Doug's signature skills is his ability to "live blog" conference sessions. Knowledge management seems to be making a comback in the legal profession and Doug's blog is a great place to track developments in this area. Honorable Mention - Sharon Nelson's Ride the Lightning.

11. Best Legal Technology Blog - DennisKennedy.Blog

I've tried, but, continuing my annual tradition (see my actual explanation here) of giving my own blog a Blawggie, I just can't objective about my blog - there are apparently no blawg self-esteem issues here. DennisKennedy.Blog covers legal technology and related topics from a variety of perspectives, with an emphasis on the business and practical implications of technology in the practice of law. You will find coverage of electronic discovery, strategic planning, technology developments, Web 2.0 and Law 2.0, sometimes all in one post. This blog also makes an effort to point you to great articles from other blogs and elsewhere, with the popular "money quote" from the blog posts mentioned. From practical tips to posts that challenge your assumptions and make you think about the future, you will find a broad range of legal technology coverage on DennisKennedy.Blog. Posts of note this past year include: Recapping ILTA 2007; Are Lawyers Doing Work That Should Be Done By Machines?; Green Legal Technology: Is the TIme Ripe?; Birth of the Blawg - A Historical Visit and Thoughts about the Future; 26 Electronic Discovery Trends for 2008; and How About 3 ED Trends Instead of 26?. Honorable Mention - Ron Friedmann's Strategic Legal Technology, Tom Mighell's Inter Alia (I've gotten a lot of great tips from Tom's non-blawg-of-the-day posts), Rick Georges' FutureLawyer, Jeff Beard's Law Tech Guru, Ross Kodner's Ross Ipsa Loquitur, Adriana Linares' I Heart Tech, Rick Borstein's Acrobat for Legal Professionals, and ABA TECHSHOW.Blog.

12. Most Important Trend in Law-related Blogging - Niche Blogs

If you read Tom Mighell's Blawg of the Day posts, you cannot help but be struck by the number of blogs that have titles like [State Name] [Practice Area] Law Blog. Throughout the history of blogging (and websites), niche blogs (blogs that focus on specific, targeted audiences) have always done well. My original blog was called "Estate Planning Links" and did exactly what you would expect from the title and drew a surprisingly audience. I've often said that strategically I know that my best bet for a blog for my legal practice would be "The Missouri Information Technology Transactions Law Blog," but I would have found that way too constricting. With "DennisKennedy.Blog," anything I want to write about is "on topic." Kevin O'Keefe has played a huge role in popularizing the niche blogging concept and it's clearly become a feature of this generation of law-related blogging, with positive results for many who have tried it. I still miss, a little bit, the early days of blogging when Latin legal phrases were often used for blog names, but I think that they were all used up. Honorable Mention - Law-related blogs from traditional legal publishers and mainstream media publications.

And there you have it - the 2007 Blawggie Awards.

It's painful not to give awards to all the blogs I like, but, as with any awards, you have to make some choices. This year, however, I'm making available for download an OPML file (you'll need to right-click on the link and "save as" the file) with the Blawggie winners and a pretty large list of many of the other law-related blogs to which I currently subscribe and grabbed for this list. Follow the instructions in your RSS reader for importing OPML files and you'll be able to instantly start reading the law-related blogs I do. I welcome your feedback, but really invite you to post your own awards as a way of saying "thank you" to the blogs and bloggers that matter most to you. Or, perhaps most important, if you don't have a blog, but have been thinking about starting one, I encourage you to jump right in.

Best wishes for 2008.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology blawggies law blogs awards dennis+kennedy 2007 blogginglawyers law-related blogs

Posted by dmk at 03:22 PM | Comments (6)

December 19, 2007

Two Trillion Text Messages

I've been working on my annual legal technology trends article (PDF of 2007 article) and was struck by the follow stats I found in a post by Steve Borsch on the Connecting the Dots blog.

He cites to a Gartner report Summarized in part in Cellular News:

As the popularity of SMSs continue to grow, Gartner forecasts 2.3 trillion messages will be sent across major markets worldwide in 2008, a 19.6 percent increase from the 2007 total of 1.9 trillion messages.

Those are "world-changing" numbers and I thinking, like Steve does, that there are significant implications to these numbers, not the least of which might be in the realm of electronic discovery.

The money quote from Steve's post:

With messaging schemes growing quickly (e.g., Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku) and mobile providers ostensibly opening their networks (e.g., Verizon and AT&T) to other devices and potentially more unrestricted data use, a rich always-on, always-connected critical mass of people will be using much more than simple SMS and it behooves any of us in business to keep tabs on this growth.

I was at a reception last night where people were talking about how IMs were changing the working world and how use of IM was increasing. Look for IM to play a bigger role in collaboration.

To learn more about instant messaging, especially for lawyers, check out the column Tom Mighell and I wrote on the subject two years ago, the column that actually led to us writing our upcoming book on collaboration tools and technologies.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology instant messaging IM electronic discovery

Posted by dmk at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2007

ILTA Webinar on Blogs, Wikis and Discussion Forums

Kevin O'Keefe, Gloria Fox, and Lisa Kellar Gianakos and I repeating our session on using blogs and wikis from last August's ILTA conference as a webinar on Thursday. I really enjoyed this presentation and getting to work with my co-presenters, so it's nice to get to do an "encore" performance. There's some great information in this presentation.

The webinar is called "How Wikis, Blogs and Discussion Forums Relate to Knowledge Management in the Legal Field" and you can get all the details and register for it at this ILTA registration page. The time is 11:00 AM Eastern on Thursday, December 13. We have 90 minutes for the session and hope to leave a good deal of time for questions and answers.

I thought that both members and non-members of ILTA could attend, but I didn't see a way for non-members to register on the registration page. If interested, please follow-up with the great people at ILTA. If you know how non-members can register, please leave a note with instructions inthe comments to this post. If your organization is not a member, this might be a good time to join - I've thoroughly enjoyed all of my experiences with ILTA.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology webinar blog wiki

Posted by dmk at 10:53 PM | Comments (1)

December 10, 2007

The Book Draft is Turned in

I'm feeling like a big weight is off my shoulders today. Tom Mighell and I turned in the final draft of our upcoming book, "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together." The book will be published by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section and will be available in early spring. There's still more details to wrap up, but it's great to have this draft done.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology book collaboration

Posted by dmk at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2007

Power Passwords

My latest technology column for the ABA Journal is called "Power Passwords" and it's available here.

Good security practices start with good passwords. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

The column covers some password basics and gives you three simple strategies to power-up your passwords and to start consistently using strong passwords.

An update: Tom Mighell and I are in the homestretch of getting the writing on our book finished. The official title will be "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together." We've just picked the cover design. Our book will be published by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section and will be available in early spring.

I'm looking forward to getting back to a regular blogging schedule once the writing on the book gets done.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology passwords ABA Journal

Posted by dmk at 09:23 PM | Comments (3)

November 12, 2007

The Definitive List of Collaboration Software Tools for Lawyers

Tom Mighell and I have finished the first draft of our upcoming book, tentatively titled "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools," which has earned us the green light to move on the second draft. We're pleased with the positive response to the first draft.

One of the things we want to do in the book itself (expect a companion website for updates) is to put together as a complete a list as we can of software and other collaboration tools geared specifically to the legal profession.

I know that a good number of legal software vendors read this blog and, of course, many others active in legal technology. Tom and I are hoping to get a little help from you to put together this directory of collaboration tools.

If you know of products or services that should go onto our list for the book, please email me at denniskennedyblog @ gmail.com. Tom and I thank you in advance for your help and for the interest people are already expressing in the book.

With the schedule we have for the second draft, expect posts on this blog to continue to be a little light.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration tools collaboration directory book lawyer's guide

Posted by dmk at 09:21 PM | Comments (4)

November 05, 2007

Windows Home Server and SharePoint

Microsoft's new Windows Home Server is definitely a new technology that has gotten my attention. If you are a reader of my Google Reader Shared Items, you will have already noticed a growing number of links to WHS items.

Windows Home Server acts as a central hub for your home network, simplifying backup, storage, access and even remote access to your files. There's a lot going on there. I've found the MS Windows Home Server blog to be a great resource on developments with Windows Home Server. A recent post pointed out that WIndows Home Server could be a platform for another of my favorite technologies - Microsoft SharePoint. WHS just gets more interesting to me.

Those of you interested in learning more about SharePoint will appreciate Microsoft's new SharePointPedia.

Speaking of SharePoint and collaboration tools, I'll note that Tom Mighell and I have turned in the first draft of our book (working title: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools). I'm looking forward to a short break before we launch into the second draft. We have an aggressive timeline to meet in order to make the goal of having the book out in time for the ABA TECHSHOW next spring, so blogging may continue to be light here.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but lots of items of interest to me that you might find interesting as well.

Technorati tags: legal technology windows home server sharepoint collaboration collaboration tools

Posted by dmk at 09:34 PM | Comments (2)

October 24, 2007

Dennis Kennedy's First ABA Journal Technology Column Now Available

As some of you already know, I'll be taking over the technology column for the ABA Journal. I consider that an honor - to continue in the tradition of legal tech pioneers, David Hirsch and David Beckman, who wrote their tech column for many years. I was a regular reader and a fan.

It's also an opportunity for me to write a regular column that specifically focuses on practical ways that individual lawyers can use technology to help them in their practices.

My first column debuts in the November issue of the ABA Journal and is now available online here. The column looks at simple ways to use desktop search engines as simple, but effective, personal knowledge management tools.

If you have topics you'd like to see me cover in future columns, let me know. A special thank you to Reg Davis for bringing me the opportunity to write the column and for being the editor for these columns. And, if you haven't yet checked out the new redesign of the ABA Journal's website, you really owe it to yourself to do that now. It's no longer "your father's ABA Journal web page."

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology column personal knowledge management desktop search

Posted by dmk at 09:04 PM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2007

Jeff Beard's New Legal Tech Column on "Matter-Centric" Systems

It's good to see that Jeff Beard will again be writing a regular legal technology column. He has the details here.

Jeff's first column explains the role that the "matter-centric" approaches, which are popular among large law firms, can play in corporate legal departments. Matter-centric systems allows groups to create consistency in workflow between the various document management, case/matter management and other systems (often legacy systems in isolated silos).

The money quote:

Now legal staff can simply start saving files into these shared electronic or virtual folders. No more hunting for the paper file, missing a string of e-mails or dealing with unruly network file folders. This consistency enables more productive searches as well.

It's a great start to what I'm sure will become a must-read column for corporate counsel and those who provide products and services for them.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology matter-centric corporate counsel jeff beard

Posted by dmk at 09:28 PM

October 08, 2007

Electronic Discovery Trends and Blogs: Thinking Aloud about Information Overload and Information Underload

The smartest decision I've made in my blogging career (other than starting this blog) was the decision I made a couple of years ago NOT to start a blog on electronic discovery.

I had the notion then that there was a need for a blog that focused on the actual technology and practical issues in e-discovery, not case law, rules and law-related news. I had the probably misguided notion that I could do exactly that. There were only a few EDD blogs around then.

I had a conversation at the time with Julia Wotipka about what she was planning at DiscoveryResources.org (a sponsor of this blog) and about Mary Mack's about-to-be-launched blog, Sound Evidence. I realized that I could contribute more to the EDD world with the Thinking E-Discovery column I've written with Tom Mighell and Evan Schaeffer on the DiscoveryResources.org site.

Instead of starting a new blog, I simply created an electronic discovery category on this blog with an archive into which all EDD posts get saved. It now contains around 70 posts on e-discovery topics that I've tagged to that category, all available in one place. It was designed to work more or less hand-in-hand with the set of electronic discovery resources on my website (on the "must get updated soon" to-do list).

Over time, I subscribed to the RSS feeds of E-discovery blogs as they've arrived on the scene. There are some excellent ones, and I'd single out Rob Robinson's Information Governance Engagement Area blog and Sharon Nelson's new Ride the Lightning blog as ones that I especially enjoy. To those who know me (and my tradition of the Blawggies), it's no surprise that I have a lot of respect for the EDD blogs that have been around for a long time.

I'm giving a presentation next week that will be an update (and a rethinking) of the Electronic Discovery Trends presentation that I've given over the last few years. That's the one where I first had my "electronic discovery 2.0" epiphany early on the morning before I gave it and wanted to rewrite the whole thing, but decided against it. I'll add some development of those ideas and a few new things to the presentation next week, but that's not the focus of this post.

As I have been researching the presentation, I've been paying attention to the posts on EDD that have been showing up in my newsreader and noticing several new EDD blogs. I was also reading Bob Ambrogi's excellent new article on EDD resources and comparing it to the article "EDD-ucating Yourself on Electronic Discovery" about EDD resources that Tom Mighell and I wrote last year, just to get a feel for the changes in the resources that have occurred in the last year. And I've also been noticing the increase in the number of EDD-related press releases I get by email lately - I must be on a lot of lists.

On a couple of days last week, I saw at least 50 items each day in my email and newsreader alone.

Now, e-discovery is a hot topic and I want to stay informed, but I guess I'm not convinced that there are 50 "news" items a day on the topic.

In other words, is getting 50 or more items a day the functional and practical equivalent of getting no items a day? At what point are you trying to drink from a firehose?

The interesting aspect of the phenomenon is that each individual blog or resource is great in its way, but, in the aggregate, they delivery something overwhelming. For me, it's even more overwhelming because I see the same case summaries and press releases in several places. One EDD article might get posted about, often excerpted, in several places over a period of time. If you follow my Google Reader Shared Items. you'll note that I'll sometimes share the same underlying item several times because I'm not sure whether it's a new item or one I've seen before.

I'm sure that people who get other print and email newsletters and publications on electronic discovery get even more information and duplication than I do.

I'm curious about how others are coping with this EDD information overload.

I've written and spoken before about the combination of information overload and information underload. In fact, my post on info underload is the post from this blog used in TechnoLawyer's BlawgWorld.

As I research my EDD presentation, I realize that I'm experiencing a classic example of information underload. I have mountains of information about EDD, yet it is very difficult to put my hands on information that's most relevant to my task at hand. The noise-to-signal is quite high. I have some strategies I use, but the problem seems to have increased lately.

Anyway, that might be my problem more than it is your problem, but I'm curious to hear if others are experiencing the same problem.

But back to my original point . . .

I'm now thinking that it was a smart move for me not to start a new e-discovery blog for several reasons, especially as events have turned out, but I still think that there's an attractive niche for an e-discovery blog that focuses on the technology and practical aspects of EDD with a unique voice and a focus on education, and that posts a few items a week. I think of Craig Ball's award-winning EDD column and how it might translate into a blog or Sharon Nelson's new blog as possible examples.

I also think that there's a place for a blog with a unique voice that steps back and offers perspective and analysis on developments in EDD a couple of times a week, rather than simply reporting and excerpting new cases and articles. For example, I like when Rob Robinson offers the occasional analytical post.

In the past couple of weeks, there have been a number of new EDD blogs that have gone live. The one that's gotten the most attention has been the Law.com EDD Update blog, with a splashy launch and some well-known Law.com-related names in electronic discovery. I subscribed to the feed immediately and was surprised by the sheer number of posts each day. Although it's seemed to have tapered off a bit, this blog really added to the duplication I experienced because it had a general coverage, multiple voices, and posts about press releases and announcements that I was getting elsewhere. On the other hand, if you are not following any other EDD blogs, it's a pretty good place to start (even though I always hesitate to recommend a blog before it's been around for a while). I'd generally suggest that people start with the Information Governance Engagement Area or the Electronic Discovery Law blog, as two examples, or some of the others Tom and I listed in our article.

At the same time, I noticed the launch of Mark Reichenbach's On the Mark blog. It's interesting to compare and contrast. On the Mark has a single voice and shows a personality even in its first few posts. There's a sense of perspective and analysis, and opinion more than just reportage. It's caught my interest, as did Sharon Nelson's blog did for the same reasons. It's worth noting, however, that some believe that the single-voiced blogs are losing ground to group blogs these days - I sure hope not. I've grown to like Dave Winer's definition of a blog as "the unedited voice of a person."

Those reading e-discovery blogs have a bit of a dilemma. How do you sort out what blogs to read and where to begin? Do you want general or specific blogs, analysis or news? How many posts, even if duplicated info, are too many? I don't have the answer, but am interested in what other people are doing?

Those starting EDD blogs have a larger dilemma. What direction do you go? Will your EDD blog be a case of "carrying coals to Newcastle" in already crowded blawgspace? What is your uniqueness and who is your audience?

We're past the early days of blogging when the few legal bloggers all knew each other and would (seriously) feel that if a legal blogger started a blog in a certain topic area, you probably would stay away from that area. There's a lot more to think about these days than ever before.

I'm fascinated to see how this stage in the evolution of law-related blogging plays out.

Adding a simple category for electronic discovery posts was the best approach for me, since I had an established blog. As I always say, let's see a thousand flowers bloom and see what all works.

I'll be curious to see next year, when Tom and I update our EDD resources article and/or Bob updates his, how much changes in the course of the next year.

In the meantime, I expect to be writing more about information overload and information underload. I found today two fascinating posts that address the notion of information underload and some of the other ideas I touch upon in this post that I highly recommend for further reading if this subject interests you.

The first is Robert Scoble's "Content Commodities" (money quote: "So, now that we’re awash in great blogs and other news, what does that all mean?"). Robert mentions his linkblog - my Google Reader Shared Items can be found here, to give you an idea of what he is referring to.

The second is Dave Pollard's "The Short Shelf Life of Information (and the Long Life of Memes)," which struck me as one of the most important and thought-provoking blog posts I've read in a while. It covers some similar topics as this post of mine, but touches on knowledge management, blog archives , and much, much more.

The money quote:

The only sustainable value you bring to an organization is what you show and teach and inspire in other people you work with.

Pollard's post gets my highest recommendation.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on my new linkblog or subscribe to its RSS feed High volume, but lots of things I find interesting and so might you.

Technorati tags: legal technology information underload electronic discovery edd e-discovery resources blogs edd 2.0

Posted by dmk at 08:12 PM | Comments (1)

October 05, 2007

BlawgWorld 2007

Technorati tags: blawgworld blawg

Posted by dmk at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2007

Google's 9th Birthday: A Look Back at the Early Days

Lots of mentions today on blogs about Google's ninth birthday. I thought it might be fun to fire up Copernic Desktop Search and find my first mention of Google and see what I said then.

I found a column I wrote for The Indiana Lawyer in March 1999 called "Internet Toolbox for Legal Research" that discussed ways to use the Internet for legal and other research. Tons of dead links in that article. It's amazing how much has changed in nt ver many years and how the whole search engine and legal research landscape have changed.

In the article, I had a list of five tips for using search engines. Tip #1 (which is still quite vailid, although I might now change it to "learn to use Google really well") contains my original reactions to Google and is fascinating for what it says about how Google has changed the search engine landscape. For Internet old-timers, the names of the search engines I mentioned will be a trip down memory lane.

Learn One Search Engine Well. Each search engine has its strengths and weaknesses. You will find the greatest success when you learn to work within these limitations. While the professional craftsperson may have the right tool for each job, he or she also has a general tool that can be used for most every situation. That’s what search engines are – tools that can be used to give you rough results or get a job done quickly. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the perfect tool – it just gets the job done.

For many years, I’ve used Altavista (http://www.altavista.com) as my general purpose search engine. It is fast and up-to-date. Lately, though, its search screen has become so cluttered with ads and extraneous material that I’ve found it difficult to use. I’ve found myself switching to Google (http://www.google.com), a new search engine that is lightning fast and has spartan, uncluttered screens.

Ask others who use the Internet regularly what search engines they use. Among the major search engines that most people use: AltaVista (http://www.altavista.com), Excite (http://www.excite.com), Google (http://www.google.com), HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com), NorthernLight (http://www.northernlight.com) and Snap (http://www.snap.com). Google and NorthernLight have recently become popular among Internet experts I know.

I've always thought that John Batelle did a great job of capturing why Google was such a breath of fresh air in 1998 - 1999 and why so many people moved to it early on in his book, The Search.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting in my Google Reader Shared Items or subscribe to its RSS feed. High volume, but always interesting material.

Technorati tags: legal technology google

Posted by dmk at 05:06 PM | Comments (2)

September 25, 2007

Recruiting, Paying and Retaining Lawyers: Quite a Discussion Going

Wow! There's been a lot of conversation over the last few days on lawyer salaries, the legal job market, recruiting and retention issues. As much as I'd like to believe that my post "The Brand is the Talent" last week set off this discussion, in fact it was Amir Efrati's The Dark Side of the Legal Job Market in the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog that kicked off the lively conversation. Bill Gratsch does a nice job of summarizing and linking to the some of the posts on this topic.

I also liked Rob Millard's America's Two Legal Professions, Gerry Riskin's Sharp Pin Approaching Associate Starting Salary Balloon, and Michelle Golden's Law Students Building a Better Profession (a great example from the LSBABP blog Michelle discusses is called High Billables & Attrition Take Their Toll on Summer Recruiting). It's worth tracking down and reading the posts on this topic.

The posts also brought me back to Ron Baker's Two Cheers for Gary Boomer post last weekend, which really got me thinking, in part because Ron touched on the role that technology and hourly billing play in professional services recruiting and retention.

My own view? I have a number of thoughts percolating and some of them will definitely appear in the quickly approaching webinar that I'm doing about the role technology can play in law firm recruiting and lawyer retention on Thursday, September 27.

As I've said, the role that the use of technology can play in recruiting seems to get all the attention, but the role technology can play in retention is the more important piece of the puzzle, not just starting salaries. There's still time to register and some spots available for the webinar. If you are interested in these topics, I hope you'll attend the webinar, but I also hope that you'll read the posts I've mentioned and think about their implications.

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

Upcoming webinar: On September 27 at 12:00 Central, Aspen Knowledge will present Frank Gillman and Dennis Kennedy on "Winning the Battle for Legal Talent with Technology." Information and registration information here. Please mention that you heard about the webinar on DennisKennedy.Blog.

Technorati tags: legal technology webinar recruiting retention Law2.0 starting salaries

Posted by dmk at 09:29 PM | Comments (2)

September 18, 2007

Legal Talk Radio on Demand: Podcasting for Lawyers

The latest issue of the ABA's Law Practice Today webzine has a great article called "Legal Talk Radio on Demand: Podcasting for Lawyers." It's a roundtable article about lawyers using the podcasting medium and includes a stellar cast of podcasters - Bob Ambrogi, Evan Brown, Jim Calloway, Denise Howell, Tom Mighell, and Sharon Nelson, with me thrown in as organizer and, since I was unable to resist joining in, as a contributor too.

If you have any interest at all in podcasting, you will find valuable, practical information and tips from lawyers who have been podcasting for a long time and have some of the best-known legal podcasts.

The money quote (one of many possible candidates) is from Bob Ambrogi, host of one of the longest-running, best-known and most-listened-to lawyer podcasts:

Podcasting is a powerful marketing tool, particularly if your practice relates to technology or media. Podcasting distinguishes you as someone who is innovative and on the cutting edge. It allows you to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise and to provide a more personal view of yourself than potential clients could glean from a simple Web site. You will reach audiences you never imagined -- we've mapped the IP addresses of our listeners and found that they come from virtually every country in the world, even China and Russia. All this, and the cost of entry is minimal.

The article includes links to the author's podcasts, links to other podcasts and podcast resources, and podcast recommendations from the authors.

I'm proud of this article, very pleased at how it turned out, and invite you to put it on your reading list. And, yes, we all appreciate the irony of an article by podcasters about podcasting that is not available as a podcast. This article is a good example of how you can use the Google Docs online word processing tool to create collaborative articles, something that the Law Practice Today webzine has pioneered and used frequently with great results.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast podcasting roundtable

Posted by dmk at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2007

The Brand is the Talent

Gautam Ghosh's post, "The Brand is the Talent," (also seems to work if you say the talent is the brand) makes some great points and directs you to a short, pithy video of Tom Peters speaking (on a slide that says "Brand = Talent") and a blog post from Peters called "Competing To Achieve Excellence: You Are Your Only Competitor!".

Ghosh singles out a passage in Peters' post in which Peters says in part:

it's not an externally directed "war to snatch talent from the other guy" by "being more aggressive than the competition"—but an internally directed competition against ourselves (and our outrageously strong beliefs about people) in which we aim to create an unimaginably attractive workplace.

I also like Peters' comment that:

I contend that the bedrock of finding and keeping and co-creating with great folks is not about clever tools to induce prospective "thems" to "shop [live] with us," but a 99% internal effort to create such an exciting, spirited, entrepreneurial, diverse, humane "professional home" that people will be lining up by the gazillions (physically or electronically) to try and get a chance to come and live in our house and become what they'd never imagined they could become!

Peters also links to a set of his slides on the topic.

However, the money quote for my post comes from Ghosh's post:

Think about great retention. And great recruiting will happen.

I had an interesting conversation with a law student who asked for a bit of my time to get a little advice about the job market and the profession this weekend. It made me think about recruiting and how many firms seem to focus on recruiting in ways that are difficult to fathom. The approaches make little sense and the turnover among those recruited is immense. Years ago, when I was on the steering committee for the St. Louis Minority Clerkship Program, I was struck by how the role of retention was far more significant that the role of recruiting in making positive steps in improving diversity in law firms. Unfortunately, the lack of emphasis on retention resulted in poorer results over the long term than the improvements in minority recruiting promised.

All of this fits in with the thinking and preparation I'm doing for the upcoming webinar that I'm doing about the role technology can play in law firm recruiting and lawyer retention. The role that the use of technology can play in recruiting seems to get all the attention, but the role technology can play in retention is the more important piece of the puzzle and the part that I want to emphasize in the webinar. If you are interested in these topics, I hope you'll attend the webinar, but I also hope that you'll read the posts I've mentioned and think about their implications.

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

Upcoming webinar: On September 27 at 12:00 Central, Aspen Knowledge will present Frank Gillman and Dennis Kennedy on "Winning the Battle for Legal Talent with Technology." Information and registration information here. Please mention that you heard about the webinar on DennisKennedy.Blog.

Technorati tags: legal technology webinar recruiting retention Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007

Collaboration Tools, AmLaw Tech Survey 2007, and Expect a Reduced Number of Posts for a Little While

Tom Mighell and I have been working on our upcoming book, tentatively titled "The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools."

I mentioned to him after the ILTA conference that I thought our timing for the publication of the book (Spring 2008) was bout right because collaboration was certainly a point of emphasis at ILTA. In fact, the current issue of ILTA's Peer to Peer magazine focused on collaboration technologies.

This morning, I saw that the new 2007 AmLaw Tech Survey had been released and in the feature article summarizing the survey, "Digital Dialogue Revs Up at Top Firms," the word "collaboration" is used 19 times, by my count. I highly recommend the article, and the companion pieces. It's always useful to take a close look at the AmLaw Tech Survey to spot trends in legal technology.

I've always noticed that bloggers who write books always seem to reach a point where they say that there will be light posting while they try to get the book finished. I wondered if I'd ever reach that point and, yes, here I am. I'm going to be concentrating my writing time on finishing the draft of the book for the next four to six weeks, so expect light posting here.

I've decided that the easiest way for me to write blog posts quickly and easily during this stretch is to shift over to the "By Request" mode and answer your questions. If you've had any questions (ideally ones that lend themselves to short answers) that you've wondered if I might answer, now's the time to ask them. I'd like to build up a stock of them and dip into them from time to time over the next several weeks.

You can leave your questions as a comment to this post, email them to me at denniskennedyblog @ gmail . com, leave them on the "wall" on my Facebook profile page, or leave them at the discussion board topic I'll be creating at the Between Lawyers group on Facebook.

I also wanted to recommend Ron Friedmann's recent post, "The Future of Law Practice Management."

To get a glimpse of blog posts that interest me and topics that might show up later, you can check out my Google Reader Shared Items linkblog and feed (warning: high volume, although I'll probably cut back on that as well).

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

Upcoming webinar: On September 27 at 12:00 Central, Aspen Knowledge will present Frank Gillman and Dennis Kennedy on "Winning the Battle for Legal Talent with Technology." Information and registration information here. Please mention that you heard about the webinar on DennisKennedy.Blog.

Technorati tags: legal technology amlaw tech survey collaboration collaboration tools book Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2007

Winning the Battle for Legal Talent with Technology

A while back, I had a great conversation with Frank Gillman, Chief Technology Officer of Allen Matkins LLP, about the different ways that lawyers could use technology to attract and retain lawyers and other professionals. Our conclusion was that there were many underused and untapped opportunities - some quite simple and inexpensive - to use technology in these areas.

Fast forward a few months (and after starting associate salaries took another big bump up into the $150,000+ range at leading US law firms). Andrew Sandler at Aspen Knowledge called me about kicking off the Strategic Speakers Series that he was planning. He wanted to produce a series of video webinars that addressed legal technology with a strong business focus. His goal was to give law firm decision-makers information on ways to think strategically about technology in law firms and to place technology squarely within the business needs of a law firm.

That's the approach I like best, and I also really enjoyed working with Andrew on a video webinar about best practices for technology committees last year.

I immediately suggested to Andrew that he try to get Frank to do a webinar with me on the topic of using technology for recruiting and retention so that we could extend our earlier discussion and share it with others.

I'm pleased to announce that on September 27 at 12:00 Central, Aspen Knowledge will present Frank Gillman and Dennis Kennedy on "Winning the Battle for Legal Talent with Technology."

Here's the program description:

The fight to retain and attract top legal talent is one of the most talked about topics in the legal industry and for good reason. The two most significant continual investments a firm makes are in legal recruiting and in technology. What many firms don’t realize is that technology itself can be a deciding factor in the recruiting wars. Our speakers will show your firm how to effectively connect these two factors to give you a competitive edge in this critical war.

You can get more information at Aspen Knowledge's Knowledge Center and register here. Please mention that you heard about the webinar on my blog when you register.

Also, if you have topics you'd like Frank and I to address, specific questions, or, best of all, examples of ways your firm is using technology to recruit and retain law students, lawyers, and other professionals, please leave comment to this post or email me at denniskennedyblog @ gmail . com. I know that I'll be mentioning some of the efforts Meredith Williams spoke about in our recent presentation at ILTA that Baker Donelson is using - if I worked at that firm and had regular access to those tools, it would be difficult for me to leave to a firm that did not offer the same tools.

This webinar will be especially valuable to hiring partners, members of technology committees, department chairs, managing partners, and executive directors of law firms in addition to lawyers and IT directors. It will also be a great way to check out the way that video can be used to present educational and other materials using Aspen Conferencing's videoconferencing services.

Register for webinar.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology webinar recruiting retention Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 07:40 AM | Comments (1)

August 28, 2007

Recapping ILTA 2007

A great technology show is way more about the people than the technology. That's why it's always been great to be part of the ABA TECHSHOW, and it's why I've really grown to like the ILTA annual conference.

Yes, I learned about some product developments and spotted some new trends, and I'll comment on those later, but my ILTA 2007 experience was all about the people. It was great fun, I learned a lot, and it was nice to meet so many people who read this blog (one of the chronic blogger concerns - there are days when you wonder if anyone is really reading your blog).

There were a good number of my legal blogger friends, a sizable contingent from St. Louis (including some of my favorite IT people from my old law firm), many vendor pals, and plenty of new people to me. As usual, I benefited from many kindnesses, especially from people helped me locate where I needed to be, who got me into various events, and who helped me learn about new technologies, both their own and those of others. I find ILTA to be a generous show.

I got to present with a wonderful group of co-presenters, all of whom I would highly recommend to anyone looking for speakers for their events: Gloria Fox, Kevin O'Keefe, Doug Hoover, and Meredith Williams. A big thank you to Michele Gossmeyer and Lisa Kellar-Gianakos for organizing our sessions. A special thanks to Doug Cornelius and David Hobbie, who both earn an A+ for live blogging all the sessions they attended, for covering the sessions I was part of here, here, here and here. I enjoyed getting the chance to talk with Doug and David several times.

I read Sean Doherty's article about ILTA 2007 this morning and noted that we agree on many of the same highlights (and talked to some of the same people). I don't really understand the title of the piece and would put the emphasis on some different areas, but I generally agree with his assessment. With one major exception that I'll mention in a moment.

To summarize my take on Sean's article, I see that he highlights litigation and records management tools (CaseMap 7.5, Recommind's Axcelerate eDiscovery, Interwoven), email continuity (MessageOne and Teneros), digital dictation (WinScribe and Big Hand), audio search (Nexidia), and Blackberries. He always gives a nod to CT Summation in the electronic discovery area. He also emphasizes the collaboration theme of the conference.

Money quote from Sean's article:

At base, collaboration and effective communication go a long way -- perhaps to the moon and back -- to resolve IT problems in the legal profession.

If you and I sat down for an extended conversation, I believe that I'd eventually tell you about everything that Sean mentioned in the article other than the Blackberry items (my epiphany at ILTA was that many of the most interesting developments I'm seeing can be traced to the growing failure of email as a communications platform - I'll return to that theme in later posts).

However, I would have highlighted some different areas and I have a completely different take than Sean about the ubiquity of e-discovery vendors at legal tech conferences. There are very important things happening in that space and we miss that if we simply take the "oh, everyone is in EDD these days and nothing is new" approach.

From my ever-opinionated perspective, I would note the following seven (for '07) highlights that really got me thinking:

1. SharePoint, SharePoint and More SharePoint. I'm not sure that I ran into anyone who was not looking into SharePoint or already had SharePoint projects on the table. I would call it the dominant topic of the hallway talk of this conference and there were plenty of sessions about it as well. I have to give a special shout-out to Seth Miller of Kraft, Kennedy & Lesser who gave me the full SharePoint tour, showed me what KKL is doing with SharePoint, answered all of my many questions, and made me want to work on some SharePoint projects with him. [Update: Seth's blog is now here.]

2. Thomson West's Firm 360 / Monitor Line of Services. I really liked this technology when I first saw it two years ago, but seeing Doug Hoover and Meredith Williams talk about it in our Current Awareness session emphasized to me how cool this technology is and how valuable it could be for competitive and other intelligence for law firms and their clients. Think "actionable intelligence."

3. Electronic Discovery at a Crossroads. I spent a good chunk of my plane ride home thinking about what's happening in EDD, in part because I'll be speaking about EDD trends in October. I had several extended conversations about EDD at ILTA, especially with Allen Gurney at Fios (and formerly at my old law firm). Here's what interests me. There are great tools, getting better all the time. The information environment is changing rapidly (think audio and video). There's consolidation in the industry and a pressure for companies to generate more revenues. The regulatory environment is forcing clients to manage information in new ways. And, at the same time, lawyers stubbornly resist the move to e-discovery, even after the new rules. I've said many times before that litigators in the US had better become familiar with what the word "disintermediation" means or they will learn it the hard way. I know think that process, given the pressures in this space, might well happen much more quickly than I would have thought. Are law firms no longer the primary market for EDD tools?

4. Backup and Storage; Disaster Recovery. OK, I'll admit that I've become a bit over-concentrated on storage lately, but Sean's emphasis on email failover solutions (I've always liked the Teneros appliance approach and got the chance to speak with Stephen Lewis, CEO of Teneros, at ILTA).

5. Open Source. I didn't get to investigate this, but I noticed a couple of Open Source sessions where the audience overflowed well out into the hallway. I also learned about a new Open Source case management project.

6. The Return of KM. OK, I spoke on the KM track, so that might have affected my perspective. However, I was surprised by the high level of attendance at KM sessions and the interest in practical KM efforts. The tools are definitely coming along (see Recommind, for example). Thought experiment: what happens if you take tools designed for EDD and turn them back onto your on data?

7. Great Minds Thinking Alike? I'm always interested when I see people I highly respect in the legal tech field interested in the same things. I found myself at a reception Recommind hosted and in the room was one of the highest concentrations of people I respect in legal technology I've been in for a while. Makes me think that something is happening and the conversation definitely involved points 1, 3, and 6 above. On the topic of Recommind, let me recommend John Alber's new article, Search at the Foundation of the Enterprise.

I have much more on ILTA, but it will filter into my posts over time. I wanted to get these thoughts down and share them. My compliments and thanks to everyone (and let me single out Adriana Linares for taking a group of us to her favorite Turkish restaurant and Michele and Lisa for inviting me to speak).

If you ever have the chance to attend an ILTA conference, you should definitely take it.

Apologies in advance to the many people I left out of this post. I had to end the post at some point.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on my new linkblog or subscribe to its RSS feed.The volume can be a little high, but you'll definitely find some useful information you wouldn't find in other ways.

Technorati tags: legal technology ilta electronic discovery Law2.0 sharepoint knowledge+management firm 360

Posted by dmk at 09:24 PM

August 21, 2007

A Quick Post from ILTA

Although my usual approach to conferences is to spend my time talking to people rather than blogging, Kevin O'Keefe convinced me that I should make a post or two.

Kevin has created a set of links to posts from bloggers at the ILTA conference, and I believe it will be updated from time to time. Kevin also mentions the other bloggers here and it was great to visit with some of them last night. This Technorati search will help you find other ILTA-related blog posts.

As ever, ILTA is such an impressive conference and it's great to be part of it. Lots of great people here.

I had a great time speaking with Kevin O'Keefe, Gloria Fox, and LIsa Kellar Gianakos on using blogs and wikis for KM yesterday, but I had an even better time after when Kevin, Gloria and extended our personal panel conversation for a couple of hours afterward. Ironically, it was personal proof of the "unconference" concept that I've advocated in connection with LexThink - the best part of conferences are the conversations that happen in the hallways.

David Hobbie, who I met after our presentation, has a great set of notes from the presentation that capture most of the key points we made in presentation. I've already subscribed to his RSS feed.

The one point I thought about but didn't make because of time constraints and what to capture here so I can return to it later is this: the renewed interest in KM and the surge in interest in blogs, Wikis, Facebook, and other Web 2.0 / collaboration / social networking tools is simple a response to the growing failure of email as a communication medium.

Off to a meeting.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology ilta LexThink! km unconference

Posted by dmk at 01:00 PM | Comments (2)

August 19, 2007

Facebook and Google Reader for Lawyers: New Episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast

Tom Mighell and I call our podcast, The Kennedy-Mighell Report (RSS feed), a legal technology podcast with an Internet focus. The latest episode puts the emphasis on our Internet focus.

Tom has posted episode 6 of the podcast, in which we delve into the use (or potential use) of Facebook by lawyers, our recent experiences switching to Google Reader for consuming RSS feeds, and our use of Google Docs and Spreadsheets as a foundational collaborative tool. We also answer a listener question and discuss some of the podcasts we listen to and how we listen to them.

We hope you enjoy this episode - there's a lot of good information for those wanting an introduction to these topics, especially those lawyers just beginning to consider some of these areas.One of the things we wanted to do was to discuss the actual ways we use these tools as guide to others and as a request for help from others who can help us use them better.

The episode is available here and you can subscribe to a feed for the podcast here. While you are there, you might as well listen to the earlier episodes too. We appreciate your feedback on the podcast and the ideas we discuss in the podcast.

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

Read the blog posts and RSS feed items I find most interesting on my new linkblog or subscribe to its RSS feed.

Technorati tags: legal technology podcast facebook google reader lawyers Law2.0

Posted by dmk at 05:13 PM

Hope to See You at ILTA

I'm looking forward to an abbreviated visit to the ILTA 2007 legal technology conference, where I'll be speaking on using blogs and wikis in KM efforts and on "current awareness" (focusing on uses of RSS feeds). I hope to see you there. I would enjoy getting to visit with as many readers of this blog as possible.

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

Get your legal technology information by audio. Check out The Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast.

Technorati tags: legal technology ilta current awareness knowledge management

Posted by dmk at 03:12 PM | Comments (2)

August 15, 2007

I Guess I Needed to Reboot Anyway . . .

I wrote a while back about something I called "presumptuous computing."

This morning, again, I found that two of my computers had rebooted themselves after Windows (XP) updates. I like automatic updates (and, frankly, updates are an essential part of basic computer security), but the automatic reboots, especially on mornings when you've left a lot of programs open the night before to get off to a fast start, are a definite downside.

The good news was that Outlook did not treat this exit as an improper exit. I've also grown to like the "restore" feature of Firefox.

The ongoing performance issues I've today on one of my computers, however, have not been what I would have hoped to see. I'll be doing some research to see if there's a way to block the automatic reboots and limit reboots after updates to manual ones. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd enjoy hearing them.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology updates presumptuous computing

Posted by dmk at 10:27 PM | Comments (5)

August 13, 2007

Electronic Discovery Trend to Watch: Technology Counsel

Ron Friedmann's post, "Why Specialists Should Manage E-Discovery," provides an excellent introduction to and arguments for the use of specialized lawyers dedicated to managing electronic discovery efforts. It also points to Ron's recent white paper, "4 Ways an eDiscovery Attorney Can Make Your Firm More Successful." I highly recommend the post and the white paper.

The money quote (from the white paper):

[Fullbright & Jaworski's Laurie Weiss] notes that the translation between law and technology is key. “E-discovery lives in the space between law and technology,” she said. “And mistakes happen in that vacuum. Our e-discovery and information management practice is working to fill that vacuum.”

When I speak about trends in electronic discovery, I highlight the growing role of litigation support managers in the everyday practical aspects of electronic discovery. The time of the litigation support manger has definitely arrived.

The arrival of eDiscovery attorneys makes great sense to me, but, as Ron notes, we are in the early stages of the development and evolution of this role.

Some have also described a similar or perhaps complimentary notion of "technology counsel." I say complimentary because I've seen technology counsel talked about more in the sense of being part of a corporate law department than in the outside law firm. I've been meaning to point to the Technology Counsel blog, another excellent resource from Fios that offers coverage of this area.

Let me quote from a post on the blog on the role of the technology counsel:

Technology Counsel is both an externally facing and internally focused position that requires a strong grasp of the connection between law and technology and its effect on the corporation. This position requires an experienced legal mind as well as a strong technical background. Furthermore, the position necessitates a firm understanding of internal enterprise resources, project management, project lifecycle, and the ability to function as a resource on high-profile and high-exposure investigations, regulatory events and litigation.

Internally, the Technology Counsel (or its designate) will provide guidance on current legal trends and requirements, as well as offer legal assistance on corporate technical processes and procedures as they relate to the application of law, particularly electronic discovery processes, and the application of technology, such as content management systems, email archiving systems, VOIP systems and the like.

The first post on the Technology Counsel blog gave some more details on the technology counsel role and who might fill it:

Do you fluently translate between legal and technology? If you answered yes, you may very well be a technology counsel. Corporations nationwide are searching high and low to find these remarkable (only because I am one too) individuals to lead the charge. If you are a technology counsel, a lot of responsibility falls on your shoulders and you are soon going to be a very popular person. If you are searching for a technology counsel, look closely and carefully. These people are becoming more popular than a water fountain in the Sahara.

As an aside, I must admit that when I read descriptions of technology counsels and eDiscovery attorneys I do get an eerie feeling that the descriptions are of, well, me. However, I've generally seen the arrival of these types of positions to be a ways down the read, in part because the adoption of electronic discovery has been so slow (see "The New Federal Rules on eDiscovery: The First 180 Days" for details).

With Ron's post and the presence of the Technology Counsel blog, I now am feeling that the arrival of these types of roles in which a premium is placed on being able to understand, work, and be comfortable in the intersection of law and technology is closer that I had been thinking. It's an EDD trend to watch, and I recommend Ron's white paper as a great starting point to begin your thinking about this trend. I'll be doing a presentation in October on e-discovery trends and technology counsels will definitely find a place on one of the slides.

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

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Technorati tags: legal technology technology counsel ediscovery attorney electronic discovery edd Law2.0 <general counsel white paper

Posted by dmk at 08:12 PM | Comments (1)

August 09, 2007

Clean Legal Technology

I just finished reading Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder's The Clean Tech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity, which I recommend as an excellent overview intro to developments in clean tech.

Among other things, it got me thinking about whether there could be something we might call "clean legal technology" in the sense that Pernick and Wilder use the term.

I've mentioned the notion of "green legal technology" before (hmmm. I still need to finish and post that green legal tech resources page).

My rough back-of-the-envelope notes would suggest that clean legal technology might include automatic metering of electricity, use of solar technology, energy savings in server rooms and data centers, use of new battery technologies, and use of green building techniques.

I suspect that "green legal technology" and "clean technology" would be used interchangeablely, but green legal tech seems to me to be a broader term and clean legal tech a bit more specific term.

I don't see clean legal tech moving toward the top of the law firm tech priority list for a while yet, but it will be good to make yourself aware of the developments in this area and consider clean tech might become a factor in your current decisions and your strategic planning. Reading Pernick