InsideLegal

Virtual LegalTech Opens its Cyber Doors Tomorrow

Tomorrow, November 19th, marks the launch of Virtual LegalTech.  In anticipation of the launch, InsideLegal met with Rob Hafiz, ALM's Director of Sales & Business Development, to get the scoop.

 

To start, here is the answer to "What is Virtual LegalTech" from ALM's website...

"Virtual LegalTech offers all the powerful educational and networking opportunities of LegalTech, the premier conference and trade show for technology in the legal community. VLT is a showcase for the latest hardware, software, tools and services that are moving the practice of law ahead through innovative solutions. It's also an invaluable chance to talk with colleagues, share best practices and make connections with professionals from law firms and corporate legal departments from all over the world.

VLT's fully interactive virtual environment enables you to do all the things you'd do at a live event: attend presentations and panel discussions, talk with vendors, see product demonstrations, collect information, network with colleagues and get the latest news from the ever-evolving arena of legal technology. The show is open all year around, 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

In addition to being open 24/7/365, Virtual LegalTech will also have "live day" dates every quarter that will include live programs and webinars. The Virtual LegalTech agenda for the debut "live day" tomorrow consists of 6 sessions:

11am - Cost-Conscious Technology Adoption (Sponsored by IPRO Tech)

• Joe Utsler, Vice President of Product Strategy, IPRO Tech
• Rachelle Rennagel, Chief Knowledge Officer, Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLP
• Alston W. Walker, Manager, Litigation Practice Systems - Litigation Technology and Support Services, Fish & Richardson P.C.

12pm - The Challenge of Preserving and Collecting Evidence in a Cloud (Sponsored by Integreon)

• Jeff Fehrman, Vice President of Forensics and Consulting, Integreon
• Craig Ball, President, Craig D. Ball, P.C
• Tom Morrissey, Sr. Director, IT Litigation, Purdue Pharma LP (DC)

1pm - Thought Leader Series – Fixing the Broken Recruitment System (Sponsored by Mestel & Company and Hire Counsel)

• Ashish Nanda, Faculty Chair, Executive Education and Research Director, Center for Law and the Professions, Harvard Law School
• Aric Press, Editor-in-Chief, The American Lawyer
• Lynn Mestel, Esq., Founder and President of Mestel & Company and of Hire Counsel

2pm - International E-Discovery (Sponsored by Wave Software)

• Michelle Mahoney, Director of Applied Legal Technology, Mallesons Stephen Jaques
• George Rudoy, Director of Global Practice Technology and Information Services, Shearman & Sterling, LLP
• Chris Dale, eDiscovery Information Project
• Christopher Byrne, General Counsel, Wave Software

3pm - IT Leadership in Turbulent Times

• Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief, Law Technology News, ALM
• James E. McKenna, Senior Manager of Infrastructure Operations, Morrison & Foerster LLP
• John G. Roman, Jr., Director, Litigation Technology Services, Nixon Peabody LLP

4pm - The Microsoft Boot Camp

• Donna Payne, CEO, PayneGroup

  An example of a Virtual LegalTech booth

For More Information

Register to "attend" Virtual LegalTech

Informative FAQ on Virtual LegalTech

Exhibitor Guide

Attendee Guide

List of current sponsors (currently 13)

Sponsorship Information for Virtual LegalTech

Capsoft Buys HotDocs Software Business from LexisNexis

According to the press release...

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND & NEW YORK, NY, November 17, 2009 - (BUSINESS WIRE)--Capsoft, a leading international provider of document automation software and services, and LexisNexis, a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions, today announced the sale of the HotDocs® software business to Capsoft. Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

You can read the entire press release here.

Larry Smith Named Executive Director of ALA

The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) announced earlier this week that Larry Smith has been named its new Executive Director. In January 2010, Smith will succeed John J. Michalik, who recently announced his retirement after 15 years with the Association.

ALA President Susan French Koran, Director of Administration at Oklahoma-based Fellers Snider Blankenship Bailey & Tippens, P.C., expressed her confidence in Smith's ability to lead the Association: "Larry's experience, knowledge and familiarity with the legal industry and legal management profession as well as his strong financial background make him a perfect match to ALA's needs," Koran said.

Working with ALA's Board of Directors, Smith will oversee all aspects of the organization's operations, including its headquarters staff and 100 chapters. With more than 25 years of applicable experience in finance, management consulting, law and association management, Smith brings a strong background to ALA. Most recently, he has served for seven years as Director of the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section, where he developed and maintains strong relationships throughout the legal profession. Smith holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.

The official press release can be read here.

"In Their Own Words" Legal PMAs Spotlight: Laura Calloway

Who are you?  Who is your organization?  What is your role in the organization?
As Director of the Alabama State Bar's Practice Management Assistance Program, it's my job to gather resources for our lawyers on practice management best practices and products. I don't have to know it all, but I must know where to find it.
 
Where does your organization fit in the legal industry? 
We're a unified bar. With that role come admission and discipline.  But even though our membership is assured, our goal is to be the first, best support for our lawyers.  Our goals include ensuring the highest standards of professional conduct, ethics and professionalism; advance improvements in the administration of justice; serve member needs; and advance the principles of inclusiveness.
 
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the legal industry now and in the upcoming year?
Dealing with the current economic situation, and finding ways to re-make law firm processes and procedures to better serve client needs while still providing reasonable returns for the lawyers.
 
How can law firms work with you?
I'm available to Alabama lawyers for telephone, email, and on-site consulting.

How can the legal vendor community work with you?
I'm always interested in knowing what's happening in the legal vendor community, including hearing both about what's new and why and how it will benefit our members. Surveys and whitepapers that help illuminate the constant changes in the legal marketplace, and give clues to where the legal profession may be headed, are always useful and welcome.  As is information about how we can partner with legal vendors to better serve our members.

How can you help legal technology vendors be more successful?
Lawyers are so busy practicing law that they often run away from the information they need the most to make their practices more successful. My program helps legal vendors, and our lawyers too, by being a trusted source of accurate and impartial information on products and services available for the legal market.

What associations are you active in?
The American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section, and an informal group of practice management advisors from other states. I'm looking forward to my membership in the College of Law Practice Management.  And, of course, my own home bar association, the Alabama State Bar.
 
What online resource (website, blog, etc.) is most useful to you (i.e., you use it every day)?
The PMA Pipe, which is a feed of the aggregated blog posts of my fellow PMAs around the country, keeps me informed and inspired daily. And I couldn't do without the insights of Sharon Nelson at Ride the Lightening and the great information you and your team at InsideLegal provide.
 
What have been your top “moments” in legal technology?
My top "moment" in legal technology would have to be the end of 60 Sites in 60 Minutes at ABA TECHSHOW 2009, when I knew the event had been a successful one for both the lawyers, other legal professionals and vendors in attendance.  My greatest "ah ha" moment with legal technology was when I cranked up Dragon Naturally Speaking for the first time, and the words began to flow onto the page!  

Laura Calloway
Director, Practice Management Assistance Program
Alabama State Bar
(334) 517-2240
pmap@alabar.org
www.alabar.org

People You Should Know - Legal Practice Management Advisors (PMAs)

Here's the opening and a link to the post from InsideLegal's archive that introduces a group of very influential leaders in legal technology that not everyone knows about.  Learn more about the Bar PMAs...

Original Post entitled "PMAs - People You Shoiuld Know" authored by Laura Calloway

What in the world is a PMA?  In this age of acronyms, PMA is an especially useful one to know if you market to the legal community.

Background
PMA stands for Practice Management Advisor.  It’s not always an official job title (although it can be), but has come to be used within our community as a generic term to describe someone who works for a national, state, county, local or specialty bar association; a provincial law society or a mandatory professional liability insurance fund and provides information on law practice management to the association's members.