The LawTech Silicon Valley, presented by ALM Media publications The Recorder and Law Technology News, was a day-long event in Palo Alto, Calif. on October 7, 2014. The event featured eight panels that addressed some of the challenges law firms face when adopting legal technology. Here are ten “take-aways” from the conference:
1. More technology than ever before is available to support the diverse law practice of small, midsize and large firms. Selecting appropriate technology is a challenge facing many practitioners.
2. Technology has enabled the creation of different legal service delivery models, such as virtual law firms, national and global collaboration, and consumer legal services delivery. State bar regulations created to avoid these new models are eroding.
3. A growing number of attorneys are tech savvy. Curiously, many panelists observed that law firms have been slow to adopt technologies that could improve their practice. This view was echoed in the recent LTN article Surveys: Law Firm Tech Adoption Sluggish, October 2, 2014
4. Among the transformative technologies available to law firms are cloud services, which help relieve firms (particularly solo practitioners and small firms) from the burden of managing IT infrastructure. Cloud services may provide more security than the firm’s data infrastructure, as cloud service providers can invest more in security than many law firms.
5. Effective legal technology should respond to the users’ needs; it has to solve the users’ problems to be useful and adopted. Effective tools are intuitive, simple to use and well designed.
6. Data analytics technology has, and will continue to have, a significant impact on data management. “Predictive coding” technology has revolutionized litigation-related document review and related technologies can be broadly applied to records management.
7. Many law firms are employing new technologies and associated processes to deal with their clients’ technology such as cloud services and bring your own device (BYOD) environments.
8. Security, security, security. Recent data breaches highlight the need for firms to have strong security procedures in place to protect their data and their clients’ data. A growing number of clients are requiring law firms to provide them with information regarding the firm’s security practices and protocols. Law firms may look to insurance products to help them manage disclosure risks.
9. Security again. Lawyers have the added ethical responsibility to ensure that they protect their client’s confidential information. Attorneys should ensure that they understand how clients’ data are protected when data are in their custody.
10. As diverse technology adoption permeates law firms, clients and attorneys should have a good “IT IQ.” This conclusion is supported by Comment 8 to the ABA’s Model Rule 1.1 regarding attorney competence which admonishes attorneys to “keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.”
Jay Mandal, Charley MoorePhoto by Timothy Archibald
The inaugural LawTech Silicon Valley conference will be held on Oct. 7, focusing on four major challenges that lawyers face when they try to supercharge their legal practice with technology:
1. Eliminating—or delegating—tasks that get in the way of proving your value. 2. Articulating what your cases are all about to drive successful outcomes. 3. Collaborating with colleagues and clients through document sharing. 4. Solving the Big Data challenge that can be mind-numbing in major litigation.
The ALM conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto, and is presented by The Recorder and Law Technology News.
Here's a quick roster of the day's presentations:
• The intense agenda kicks off with "Gains Without Pain—Supercharge Your Productivity Without Systems/Staffing Overload. It features Anchorage attorney James Farr, whose practice includes criminal law, personal injury and representation of pilots in Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions; Michael Krieger, of MRK Technology Marketing Services; and Alessandra Lezama, CEO of Abacus Data Systems Inc., co-chair of the conference. Sponsor: Abacus Data Systems.
• Logikcull.com sponsors the second panel of the day, "Massive Cost Containment Through Smart Document Mangement." It features Melissa Frank, consulting litigation counsel, of SunPower, and Logikcull's CEO, Andy Wilson. The session promises to "examine common obstacles to cost containment and effective document review."
• Third on the agenda is "Using Technology to Organize Your Case and Manage Risks," sponsored by Alfresco, featuring its account manager, Faron Lyons, as well as Ryan McVeigh, vice president of enterprise content management at Zia Consulting. "Many businesses have content spread across multiple systems that are not integrated, and may not even be approved by the organization," they note.
• I'm delighted to be the lunch speaker, and will be offering the "Top 10 Legal Tech Trends," several of which will be "ripped from the headlines" of LTN. (Yes, cybersecurity will be one of the trends.)
• Speaking of headlines, our LTN October issue's cover story profiles the two speakers who will be offering the first afternoon program, "Virtual Law Practice: How to Embrace Technology and Deliver Legal Services Online." Rocket Lawyer's CEO Charley Moore and Jay Mandal, its senior director and head of the legal advice business, are involved in the new pilot project with the American Bar Association that hopes to address the long-standing problem that 80% of Americans cannot find or afford routine legal services, while small firm lawyers struggle to be profitable. At LawTech Silicon Valley, the two will participate on a lively panel (other participants to be announced shortly) discussing the opportunities and challenges of Web-based legal services. Sponsor: Rocket Lawyer.
• James Kleinberg, retired from the Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County, and now working as a JAMS neutral, will moderate "What Is Your Case Really About, and What Is at Stake?" It will focus on how tech tools and services can help litigators understand cases quickly. Panelists include attorney Corey Krueger, an associate at Law, Brandmeyer + Packer; Shana Scarlett, partner at Hagens Berman; and AJ Shankar, CEO of Everlaw. Sponsors: Everlaw and LexisNexis.
• BoardVantage sponsors "Maintaining Control, Security and Simplicity While Sharing and Using Documents On the Go," with Jason Martinez, sales director, presenting.
• The final panel, sponsored by Daegis, addresses "Solving the Recurring Conundrum of Data Management in Litigation," featuring Brendan Cullen, partner at Sullivan Cromwell; Connie Brenton, chief of staff, director of legal operations, NetApp; and Amy Park, partner, commercical and securities litigation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The moderator is Doug Stewart, Daegis' vice president of sales support. Anita Engles, vice president of products and marketing, served as co-chair of the conference.
After each presentation there will be technology showcases in the ballroom so that attendees can participate in a problem-solving sesson, said Molly Miller, The Recorder's publisher. Sponsors will also offer small group demonstrations of their products in the reception area, she noted.
General registration for attorneys and legal professionals is $29.99 (by Oct. 6), $50 onsite. Subscribers to The Recorder or LTN are eligible for a VIP promo code up to Oct. 3. (Email mmiller@alm.com). Vendors who are not sponsors can register for $3,995.
