Reinventing Professionals

Enhancing Law Firm Operations With a Digital Workspace

I spoke with Robert Gray, the CEO of Legality Software, a subsidiary of Matters in Motion and a provider of custom-development solutions and other technology for legal professionals. We discussed the genesis of Legality Software, how the challenges of running a law firm changed, ways that the pandemic has forced the legal marketplace to change, and the benefits of the One Step Workspace.

Design Thinking in Navigating Legal Transitions

I spoke with Katherine Porter, an executive coach for female attorneys and the founder of the Transition Navigator. We discussed how design thinking can enhance a professional’s work, its relationship to the practice of law, the advantages of incorporating a designer’s mindset to client service in legal, ways to overcome the barriers to using design thinking to improve law firm operations, and how it can help law firms through this period of uncertainty.

Meaningful Legal Entity Management

I spoke with Adrian Camara, the CEO of Athennian, a developer of legal entity management software. We discussed who uses legal entity management software, what the focus on legal entity management indicates about the changing nature of legal services, and the challenges associated with raising capital in the current environment.

Adapting Litigation to a Virtual Environment

I spoke with Phil Anthony, Ph.D., division president at DecisionQuest, a U.S. Legal Support company. We discussed how the pandemic has changed trial consulting, ways to adapt in-person litigation to a virtual environment, how legal professionals are approaching virtual depositions and trials, and reactions from jurors to COVID-19.

Going Public in the Pandemic

I spoke with Johannes Stiehler, the CEO of ayfie Group, an Oslo-based company that provides technology for collecting and processing data from different silos using linguistic technology. We discussed the company’s mission, how the appeal of linguistic technology at law firms and corporate legal departments has evolved, and ayfie’s listing on the Merkur Market in Oslo in July of 2020.

The Appetite for a Suite of Tools in Legal

I spoke with Soumya Nettimi and Sarah Schaaf, the CEO and general manager of payments, respectively, for ASG LegalTech, a platform of legal SaaS products including PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase, and now following its recent acquisition, Headnote, of which Sarah is a co-founder and the former CEO. We discussed the alignment of Headnote with ASG LegalTech’s suite of products, how the future of payments in legal is evolving, and what the appetite for a suite of technology tools indicates about the shift in the business of law.

Outsourced In-House Counsel

I spoke with Amy Osteen, the founder of Outside CLO, a service for corporations that need an outsourced chief legal officer. We discussed why a company would outsource its in-house counsel needs, how that work differs from outside counsel at a law firm, and how the pandemic has impacted the appeal of outsourced in-house counsel services.

The Convergence of Consulting and Chat Software

I spoke with Jared Correia, the founder and CEO at Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, and the co-founder of Gideon Software, a website chatbot and automatic scheduling tool built exclusively for law firms. We discussed the challenges that Gideon helps law firms address, ways that the pandemic impacts how lawyers approach and use technology, and advice for launching a consulting practice and a legal tech startup.

The Impact of Automation on the Practice of Law

I spoke with Evan Shenkman, the senior director of knowledge management at Fisher Phillips, a labor and employment law firm. We discussed how knowledge management has changed over the past few months, the firm’s recent alliance with LegalMation and Thomson Reuters, how it will benefit clients and practitioners, and what the heightened focus on automation means for the future of the practice of law.

Calling All Lawyer Mom Owners

I spoke with Carolyn Elefant, an attorney, who focuses her practice on energy and environmental matters. She is also the author of several books, including the popular, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be, and has been blogging at MyShingle for almost 18 years. She is producing a virtual conference called the Lawyer Mom Owner Summit for lawyers who are moms that own or want to start a law firm. We discussed the Summit, what its attendees can expect, and how the practice of law has changed.