Tom Mighell and I have recorded another episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast and it’s now available on the Legal Talk Network and on iTunes, with an RSS feed here. The episode is called “Big Answers for Mid-Sized Problems” (show notes here), and it’s sponsored by Clio. A special thank you to readers of this blog who listen to the podcast – consider trying out an episode or becoming a regular subscriber through iTunes or our RSS feed.

We have a special guest host for this episode – our friend Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center.

Here’s the episode (#44) description:

There are lots of technology resources and conferences for large firms and small firms. Mid-sized law firms often feel that needed information and resources can be difficult or even impossible to find. Where can mid-sized firms get appropriately-focused technology assistance? In this episode, co-hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell and special guest host, Catherine Sanders Reach talk about the unique issues mid-sized law firms face, suggest practical steps those firms can take to address those issues, and discuss ways to improve the legal technology landscape for mid-sized firms.

I’ve long felt that the most underserved area of legal technology is the unique needs and issues faced by mid-sized law firms and legal organizations. If you are in a small firm or a big firm, you’ll find a lot of resources and conferences. However, it’s difficult to find resources (or conferences) focused on mid-sized firms. I keep thinking that I’d like to create a “portal” to resources for mid-sized firms in my spare time. Then again, I keep thinking that I’ll have some spare time to do that.

We brought Catherine in not just because we like her and think she is one of the most knowledgeable people out there, but because the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center has survey information and other data that give us some insights into the mid-sized market.

We start with a definition of mid-sized firms that moves from my “mid-sized is a state of mind” approach to a more practical definition of 10 – 100 lawyers, that breaks into two categories – 10 to 49, and 50 to 100.

There are a number of issues that begin to separate mid-sized firms from small firms – IT employees, sophistication of applications, tech committees, to name a few.

Catherine does a great job of highlighting key findings from the most recent ABA survey and looking at historical trends. If you deal with technology in a mid-sized firm, you’ll want to hear this information.

We also give a few suggestions for mid-sized firms and realize that this is a topic we’ll come back to in a future podcast.

I’ve become quite worried about mid-sized firms in today’s market and some of the issues they face. Technology might not be the most difficult one, but it’s well up on the list. Our podcast will give you some ideas, but providing education and resources for mid-sized firms should get a bigger share of the legal technology discussion than it seems to be getting today.

In our “stuff Tom and Dennis having been talking about” segment, we include Catherine and take a look at some recent surveys in Macintosh use by lawyers and discuss whether or not Macs are starting to make inroads into law offices. Perhaps the most interesting point is that the growing use of Macs by lawyers (and their family members) might have implications for future Mac use in law firms, especially as we see growing interest in the “Bring Your Own Computer” approach to work technology.

We end the episode with our Parting Shots segment, in which we give a couple of useful tips. Tom talks about Google’s new Cloud Connect. Catherine has a very useful Outlook tip. I mention TechnoLawyer as an excellent resource for mid-sized firm lawyers, as is the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center.

Let us know what you think about this episode. Show notes for the podcast are here. And try some of the back episodes as well. I recommend subscribing to the podcast on iTunes so you automatically get each new episode as it is released. You can also now follow the podcast on Twitter at @tkmreport.

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

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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