InsideLegal

ILTA 2012: Essential Takeaways

The 35th Annual International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Conference wrapped up on August 30th in National Harbor, MD, and as usual, it did not disappoint. We attend many legal/technology shows and ILTA is by far one of the best run and organized events of the bunch. To begin with, what other show has member greeters at the doors to the hotel and throughout the lobby welcoming you and handing you a brochure with an overview of all the activities and most importantly, the free internet code? I'll have to  answer that and say none that I know of. Actually, most shows don't even have free internet to give you the code for! ILTA has all the normal components of legal events - networking, partnership meetings, a full exhibit program with many product launches, industry parties and peer awards - but the primary focus of ILTA is, and has always been, education. 

Taking the guesswork out of tech purchasing: Each year at the conference, ILTA and InsideLegal release the annual ILTA/InsideLegal Technology Purchasing Survey. The 2012 Survey, focused on feedback from ILTA member law firms with 50 or more attorneys, includes detailed technology budget data; updated information on firms’ social media and publication preferences; an in-depth analysis of cloud computing and mobile trends; and expansive sections on current and future legal technology purchases. The 37 question surveys always yields an abundance of invaluable legal tech budgeting and purchasing data and insight and 2012 was no different. While you can download the 16 page findings report here or check out our post on key findings, we feel the real value comes from an increasing number of ILTA members using this tool to help budget technology spending and better understand the many influences, ranging from ILTA e-groups to external consultants, that shape tech purchases. In addition, there’s real value in comparing tech budgets and purchasing over an extended timeframe, so we will soon provide detailed trend reports on 10 years of this survey.  

ILTA Conference App: It's no secret that we are big fans of the ILTA Conference App. The app was offered for Apple iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry and a mobile web version and provided access to the conference agenda, speaker details, the attendee list, conference Twitter feed, Gaylord Resort info and maps, new product announcements, latest ILTA news, online session evaluations and more. As in past years, the app was widely used with more than 3,200 installations - 81% Apple devices; 14% Android devices; and 5% BlackBerry devices. The app was open more than 91,000 times and 3,100 online session evaluations were submitted.

Some ILTA Conference Themes

Lean & mean: While it’s not household jargon just yet, Lean Six Sigma (aka, doing more with less via legal project management; process-focused business and operations management principles; black belts that karate chop law firm inefficiencies with process maps) might just be the next cloud computing and ‘BYOD’ buzz to hit the legal (tech) circuit. Based on what we saw and heard at conference as well as ILTA’s recent SharePoint Symposium, the legal trailblazer in all things lean and Six Sigma is Seyfarth Shaw with other firms, consultants and the legal cosmos looking on with interest. What does not sound like an ‘all-or-nothing’ proposition, firms already looking to LPM are bound to adapt some lean concepts in how they manage projects, people and processes. We spoke with Affinity Consultant Group’s Debbie Foster whose consultancy just launched the YourExecutive operations and business management program based on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) core methods. “While law firms are slow to adopt LSS on its own and unlikely to make a huge investment in it, we are seeing a lot more C-Levels ask about it and pay attention to what other firms are doing." 'Early adopters' include Seyfarth, Reed Smith (with certified LSS staff) and Bradford & Barthel (who setup their cloud-based LPM structure based on core LSS principals).

Keep it simple stupid: There's so much more to an ILTA conference than 'just' technology but obviously sharing tech best practices, lessons learned, favorite gadgets, tech 'gotchas' and the like is still the basis of most conversations. Something that we really have not heard much before, but resonated throughout the conference week (culminating in Thursday's CIO 'issues' session) was simplicity. Whether it was comedic keynote Don McMillan reminding us how our legal acronym salad can confuse anyone without even trying (his fave session title "No more FUD around BYOD"), or the wave of tablet adoption paving the way for simplistic computing, complex, hard and difficult to integrate was (at least in theory) replaced by straightforward & simple, easy to use and adopt, and seamless to share. Of course, listening to several CIOs discuss large firm user security concerns did not help matters, but the idea that advances in technology coupled with the consumerization of IT can eventually lead to a simplified view and presentation of technology in the law firm makes sense.

Tablets, “it's what's for dinner”: As mentioned in a mobile lawyering session, all the former complexity required to accommodate 'difficult' lawyers goes out the window with the advent of the iPad. Let's call it iPad amnesia - euphoric legal users are so thrilled by the coolness factor and simplicity of their iPad that they forget about the countless open helpdesk tickets they initiated for complex macros, remote working upgrades, etc. While the novelty will eventually wear off, the sheer number of legal-specific applications and tools will increase at an accelerated, demand-driven rate so our bet is that tablets are here to stay a while. Hard numbers also back-up this water cooler talk. According to the 2012 ILTA/InsideLegal Technology Purchasing Survey, 66% of all law firm respondents indicated purchasing Apple iPads. 74% of law firm IT departments provide support for employees’ tablet use whether purchased by the firm or via ‘BYOD’ policy. And, 35% of firms have a formal tablet security policy in place with 42% currently establishing one.

Turbo charge your careers: As we mentioned, ILTA is much more than 'just' technology. Another topic that was covered this year in several sessions was career/talent. One session, "ReAssess Your Calling to ReDesign Your Career" (audio file - must have login) featured a 'star-studded' panel of legal IT thought leaders including Judith Flournoy, Doug Caddell, Dave Hambourger, Andy Adkins, David Cunningham, Sally Gonzalez and ILTA president Michele Gossmeyer and was moderated by Monica Bay. The panelists offered up career advice, tips for coping with change within the law firm in particular legal IT, and the best ways to jump start your career with actionable interview and job hunting tips. Sally Gonzalez, SNR Denton's global CIO, suggested serious job seekers should start by simply reaching out to the likes of the panel and asking for 10 minutes of their time to pick their brain. "Before you know it, you'll have a network of influencers and advisers, all pulling for you." [A follow-up post will feature another career session, "Cultivating Talent in a Recovering Economy" that was moderated by ILTA member Joy Heath Rush and featured the Year Up program.]

Saving the best for last ..Thursday sessions: For the last three years, we have participated in 'last day' ILTA education tracks and sessions, and to our surprise have discovered that 'saving the best for last' definitely applies to ILTA content. Contrary to other conferences, where final day sessions are often added as fluffy filler, Thursday's ILTA content once again left us buzzing and provided lots of 'food for thought' for our trip home. The Thursday comedic keynote was definitely our favorite of the week primarily because it was truly funny and the standing room only crowd thoroughly enjoyed laughing at themselves and their 'techy and nerdy' legal tech personas. "Anyone remember when Blackberry was a fruit?"  Other noteworthy sessions included 'Attorneys Unplugged: Bulding a Mobile Office' focused on how to best cater to your mobile workforce with simple, yet secure technology solutions ranging from loaner laptops to the most effective remote connectivity options. Our two favorite sessions of the conference (we'll cover later) were also Thursday afternoon - Jobst's was "Should we build an app for that?" (audio file - must have login) moderated by Ayelette Robinson and JoAnna's was "Overcoming Irrationality: Improve Decision-Making and Client Service with Strategic Uses of Data" (audio file - must have login) moderated by Mary Abraham. 

The final verdict on creative marketing ideas, including room-drops: A week or so before conference we posted a summary of creative vendor approaches to ILTA involvement ranging from Workshare’s scholarship contest to Aderant’s comprehensive ‘Aderant at ILTA' landing page. Onsite the marketing push got a bit more intense with collateral room drops followed by sponsored ‘everything’ and the fairly standard offering of booth freebies. What stood out? IntApp continued its annual hotel room full-court press with no less than four booklet drops and a remote control wrap followed by two dedicated channels of IntApp programming. We hope no one made a night of in-room technology tutorials but ‘A for effort’ on the comprehensive branding front. In terms of sponsorships, a couple stood out … EncoreTech’s awesome wireless internet sponsorship and Digomé Legal’s printer station (best place to print out presentations, schedules, etc.) endorsement. This year, in addition to ILTA TV sponsored by ii3, there were other vendors offering thought leader video shoots. Our most creative and professional favorite was Copper Legal who produced a Legal Technology Documentary based on an aggregation of short influencer videos. Stay tuned to their site and InsideLegal for the final ILTA documentary. Finally, in terms of room drops, our winner for most noticed item was Workshare and their invitation to partake in cloudtinis and hors d’oeuvres on Wednesday night.

We respect attention span limits, so have prepared a 'part two' ILTA 2012 post - covering emerging technologies session; build an app session; strategic uses of data session; vendor education program; industry statistics; and vendor announcements - you can check out early next week.

 

Students: Maybe You Shouldn't Become a Lawyer

During Simon Chester's (Partner, Heenan Blaikie) presentation at the COLPM Futures Conference (more coverage to come), he told of an announcement that came in 2009 from the Law Society of England & Wales cautioning people considering a law career due to the time and financial commitments it requires. A Law Society spokesperson said:

"Working closely with the Junior Lawyers Division the Society is looking to inform and educate those considering a career as a solicitor to think long and hard about the commitment it requires to succeed - particularly in the face of increased competition. Last year alone, more than 1000 people who completed the Legal Practice Course  did not get a training contract. This is about responsible management of entry to the profession. Alongside this campaign the Society and the profession have long been working hard to create a level playing field for those who are genuinely talented and meritorious in order to overcome the barrier of financial disadvantage."

Can you imagine the ABA or a similar organization making that type of announcement in the US?

Mary Mack Resigns from Fios

Today, Fios announced that long-time Fios spokesperson Mary Mack has resigned. She will be joining ZyLab as 'enterprise technology counsel'. According to the EDDUpdate blog, "She will work from the company's California offices, and start her new post on  November 7,  after more than a decade with the Portland, Ore.-based e-discovery provider (Fios) as its corporate technology counsel." In addition to serving as Fios' corporate technology counsel, Mary is a regular on the legal technology speaking circuit, serves on many industry boards and is the author of the eDiscovery blog, Sound Evidence.

Legal Tech Industry - People on the Move

• Jordan Furlong has left his position as the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Bar Associations' member publication, National to join both global advisory firm Edge International (as a partner) and Stem Legal (as Senior Consultant and Principal of Stem's new Legal Media Strategy service).  Congrats Jordan!

• The College of Law Practice Management has announced its 2009 list of Industed "Fellows" for outstanding contributions to the law practice management profession over a period of not less than ten years. Full coverage from InsideLegal as well as a complete list of the inductees can be found here.

• Ross Kodner has been awarded the first annual John Lederer Solo and Small Firm Service Award  by the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Bar Association. The award will be presented to Ross at the Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference on Oct. 30. Well deserved Ross!

• Jenn Steele has left her role as IT Director of Morrison Mahoney LLP to join HubSpot as Inbound Marketing Consultant.  We're not exactly sure what that means, but we wish her luck!  Jenn has also joined Legal IT Professionals as a columnist.

• Christopher Junker has taken the role as CEO of Fios.  Junker, who previously held the role of GM of the Manage product under Autonomy, replaces former FIOS CEO Gerald Massey.

• Connie Moser has joined American LegalNet as Director of Marketing. Prior, she had served as Sr. Director of Marketing Communications at Thompson Elite.

• Allison Shields has joined The Lawyerist as a contributor.

• Jeffrey Brandt has joined Legal IT Professionals as a columnist.

If you have news on a legal industry M&A or staff move, send to [email protected].

Legal Technology Vendor Marketing Manager Position

A legal vendor is shopping for a Marketing Manager to coordinate marketing activities here in the US and in Canada. Details are below. If you are interested in this position, please send your resume/experience to [email protected] and we'll forward on. All requests are kept completely confidential. No phone calls, please!

Marketing Manager – US & Canada
Global legal technology vendor with 900+ clients worldwide is seeking a ‘Marketing Manager – US & Canada’ to continue to drive dynamic growth into the North American professional services markets. Based out of Chicago but liaising closely with international HQ, the Marketing Manager will be responsible for marketing planning & budgeting, PR agency liaison, telemarketing management, press release/case study drafting, devising sales campaigns & promos, partner marketing, social media, and all aspects of lead generation (events & trade shows, direct mails, webinars, etc). The Marketing Manager will also recruit a full time Marketing Assistant once on board and has gained a feel for requirements. Salary $60k to $65k, depending on experience. Minimum of 5 years applicable marketing experience. Additional experience of Mobile App marketing or B2B marketing across other sectors, not just legal, preferable but not essential. This role is suited to a highly driven self starter, used to working with a team of regional sales managers, who can demonstrate they have made a clear commercial impact through buzz marketing and lead generation in previous roles.

ILTA Vendor Education/Media Program - Produced by InsideLegal.com

For the sixth year, we at InsideLegal.com will be producing the Vendor Education/Media Program at the Annual ILTA Conference (August 23-27).  If you will be attending ILTA and have not already signed up to attend, please do so.  Again, we want to thank ILTA for making it possible to provide additional valuable education for vendors onsite Monday, August 24th in meeting rooms Potomac 1&2...

ILTA Vendor Business Meeting & ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey Results – 2:00-2:30 p.m.
This session will include an opportunity to meet the ILTA staff, to receive updates on conference activities, find out about future conference locations and get an update on general ILTA programs.  We will also be doing a short presentation on the findings of the 2009 ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey.  Take a look at the 2008 ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey to get an idea of the information we'll be covering and stay tuned to InsideLegal.com for more information.

ILTA Vendor Education Program – 2:30-4:30 p.m.
We are offering 4 sessions, with each panel consisting of 3-4 faculty - ILTA staff, ILTA officers and recognized industry experts.  Once again, one of our goals this year is to make sure the program is applicable to established vendors who may have attended all past events as well as new vendor attendees.  To participate, please RSVP for each attendee with their name, company, title and email address to JoAnna Forshee.

The 4 panels will cover the following topics:
• Working with ILTA (outside of the Annual Conference)
• Advice for Selling to Law Firms in this Economy (Economic Impact & Doing More with Less Marketing Budget )
• Utilizing Social Media to Maximize Your Company’s Message
• Working with Media

ILTA Vendor Reception – 4:30-5:00 p.m.
Join us following the program for an in-room networking reception affording vendors the opportunity to mingle with other attendees, participating media, and the panelists. 

Again, please make sure to RSVP for each attendee with their name, company, title and email address to JoAnna Forshee.  Thanks again to Peggy and ILTA!

Sign Up to Attend the ILTA Conference and Receive Complimentary Membership For the Remainder of 2009

The theme for ILTA's 2009 Annual Conference - Leading Technology | Optimizing Value - conveys two messages: It will be the premier place for ILTA decision-makers to come together to share their experiences as technology leaders to talk about how they best use leading technologies, and we'll all learn how to best optimize the value of IT in law firms and law departments, a particularly important focus in our current economic climate. The theme helps direct the conference educational program and the networking events of ILTA '09. The conference will be held at the Gaylord Resort in Washington DC, August 23-27. It includes 26 educational tracks and 192 educational sessions.

Due to unprecedented economic conditions and resultant constraints on expenses, ILTA is offering an incentive for non-member entities to join the association through the conference date at no cost, if they are sending at least one person at the full price of registration to the event ($1,025), either as an attendee requiring lodging for the week or under the “day tripper discount” ($750), if the attendee is in the DC area.

In that entities coming in to membership will require a review to ascertain qualifications, they must email Grace Palma, Membership Services Coordinator, or call her at (512) 795-4669 to apply for membership. Eligible entities include private law firms, law schools, corporate law departments (for corporations whose primary market is not legal), and government law departments. This offer, good until August 24, will provide all the benefits of membership to the entity at no cost beyond the conference registration fee. The membership will expire at the end of 2009, though the entity can renew for 2010 by paying the appropriate membership dues.

Don't miss out on the ILTA Conference! 

Legal Technology Vendor Sales Associate Position

Looking for a great career opportunity where your sales achievements will be appreciated and recognized?  Established in 1990, and headquartered in Atlanta, Client Profiles is a provider of Case and Financial Management software solutions to the legal community.  The company is preparing for an aggressive expansion into new geographic markets.  Our sales and marketing model has been well defined and successfully tested in a number of remote markets.  During the next several months, the company will embark on a carefully defined expansion effort to introduce our products to law offices throughout the county.

At Client Profiles, we have the products, the development team, the client base, the industry recognition, and an impressive listing of references. HOWEVER, we are in need of a few highly motivated software professionals to propel the company to the next level.

If you have a successful sales background and are interested in an exciting career within the legal software application market, working with a fast paced, rapidly growing, energetic company, we would like to speak with you!

Candidates for these positions should posses the following characteristics:

•  3 to 5 years of software sales success
•  Highly motivated self starter
•  Excellent written and verbal communications skills
•  Ability to demonstrate sophisticated software at all levels
•  On-line web based software presentation experience
•  Consultive approach to sales qualification
•  Capability to deliver results with a solution based selling approach
•  Thorough knowledge of current technology
•  Experience with database marketing techniques
•  Understanding of industry standard sales database software
•  Proposal configuration and pricing preparation
•  Ability to effectively handle all stages of the sales cycles
•  Outstanding closing skills

The ideal applicant will be extremely smart, well organized, disciplined, capable of “thinking on the run” and one who does not require constant supervision.  These sales professionals need to be flexible and willing to take on a wide range of sales and marketing responsibilities.  

At Client Profiles, our company culture is based on a family-like atmosphere, where everyone pulls together in a team environment.  Everyone works very hard, steps-up to handle the task at hand, and offers unparalleled support to co-workers.  We are conveniently located in Atlanta off Northridge Road and GA-400, just a few blocks from the exit.

Come join us at Client Profiles and become part of our team. We offer an outstanding compensation plan, including a competitive salary, commissions and team bonus, as well as benefits.  Please forward your resume and earnings requirements to: Recruiting Director, Client Profiles, 1215 Hightower Trail, Building A, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30350, Email: [email protected], Fax: 678-585-0698.

 

LegalTech West Coast & "Green Your Career" Breakfast

We are getting ready to head into the first day of LegalTech West Coast - we'll have more info on that soon.  In the meantime, here's a reminder of the "Green Your Career" breakfast that Monica Bay of Law Technology News will be hosting tomorrow at the LA Convention Center.  Here's the information on the event...

Law Technology News and lawjobs are hosting a "Green Your Career" networking breakfast, from 7:45--8:45 a.m. on June 25th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  The event is to support the many people that have lost their jobs in the legal industry and/or having a hard time finding a job.  If your organization is lucky enough to have positions open, please join them to get a look at some candidates.  If you are currently a job seeker, take advantage of this free opportunity to meet with firms/companies.  The beginning of the event will be a networking breakfast and then there will be roundtable discussions with industry thought leaders.

Vendors - If you have a position open, or would just like to support Law Technology News and lawjobs by sending/providing gifts cards for the attendees at the event, please contact Law Technology News at [email protected].  Thanks to Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief of Law Technology News for spearheading this event!

Here are highlights from Monica's post, but you can find it in its entirety here.

"This erratic economy has been tough on everybody, but none more so than the members of our legal technology community who have lost their jobs. It's difficult, scary, and challenging for even the most self-confident professionals.  On day 2 (Thursday June 25) we (Law Technology News and law.jobs) will host a very informal, free "Green Your Career" networking breakfast, from 7:45--8:45 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The event is FREE.  Job seekers will be encouraged to post their resumes on lawjobs.com, and all firms/vendors who attend will get free access to lawjobs.com (for a limited period, of course).

Please come, whether you need a job, or just want to offer encouragement. And if you are coming to show support, please bring along a gift card (you can pick them up at most supermarkets or drug stores), so we can give a day brightener "party favor" to each job seeker. It can be just a few dollars (or more if you can tithe a bit more generously) -- to a national "chain" such as Starbucks, Target, Macy's, Chevron, Von's, movies, SuperCuts -- you get the picture. Something practical and upbeat that will lift spirits!  (If you can't attend and want to send a gift card, mail them to us c/o Law Technology News, 120 Broadway, 5th floor, NYC 10271.)

Job seekers: Come for warmth, support and new contacts! If you e-mail us at [email protected], we'll have a badge ready for you (and that will help us make sure we have enough coffee and danish). But you can also just show up.

Firms/vendors: If you do have a spot open, what a better place to find great talent? And even if you don't, you might tomorrow -- so bring lots of business cards. And as an added incentive for technology vendors: We will raffle off a wonderful lunch or dinner with moi (you can even use the word "solution" and I will promise to try not to cringe) where you can tell me about your company's plans, products and services and get a great meal on LTN!

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE! E-mail LTN at [email protected] for details.

LAST but not least: Please help spread the word!  Twitter this! Blog this! Reprint this post freely! Let's get viral! The permalink is http://tinyurl.com/LTWCbkf."

Tune in to the Get A Life Conference Free Live Stream Wednesday & Thursday (May 27 & 28)!

As you might be aware, the Total Practice Management Association is hosting its inaugural Get a Life.™ Conference (follow #GAL09 on Twitter) Wednesday and Thursday of this week (May 27-28^th) in Chicago. True to its mission of educating legal professionals with practical, “how to” marketing, operations and practice management advice, the conference will be streamed live and free of charge during the two day event. Simply visit www.TotalPMA.org (and click on Watch the LIVE Conference Web Cast banner) beginning Wednesday, May 27^th at 8:30am CST to listen in live on any of the 19 sessions focused on helping attendees get more out of their law practice and life. The agenda highlights sessions from speakers such as practice development consultant Gerry Riskin; legal blogging expert Kevin O’Keefe; author of Law Business Revolution blog Alexis Martin Neely; law firm marketing expert Larry Bodine; and Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley on the following topics:

·         Bulletproofing® Your Clients and Your Joy of Life (keynote)

·         Effective Blogging and Social Media

·         Building Your Personal & Client Business Development Plans

·         Billing 101: Fees, Finance & the Bottom Line

·         Insights on Outsourcing

·         Recruiting and Selecting Talented people

·         Create Your Own Strategic Plan

Get A Life Conference Agenda

Get A Life Speaker List