Web-Tones

Open Source Law?

Link: Harvard Law School goes open access! - Boing Boing. Why shouldn't the masses be free to read the best in legal scholarship right along with the elite few? This is an important step on the part of Harvard Law School. Hopefully we will see many other law schools follow suit.

There will be some resistance of course, but I am not sure how the argument on the other side can be justified. The law belongs to everyone and to no one. Accessibility to it through quality legal scholarship simply underpins that which has always been foundational in principle, although not in practice.

Lawyers: Risk Aversion = Missed Opportunities

Link: Strategic Legal Technology :: Risk Aversion and the Failure to Consider Alternatives. This little snippet is indicative of why many law firms will be slow to leverage the Internet in an aggressive way. It seems that lawyers are mostly trained to think that legal risk (liability) is somehow different from other kinds of business risk, that it lives in a kind of vacuum. That is why entrepreneurs often resist having lawyers participate directly in deal making, only bringing them in after the fact.

The Internet is a chaotic environment and obviously the online world has as much legal liability inherent in it as the business world in general. However, notice that this has not stopped the best and the brightest from forging new business models and inventing new industries out of whole cloth.

My point is this, those firms that are willing to take some calculated risks with their Internet strategy are likely, if executed properly, to build a sustainable competitive advantage if for no other reason that most of their competitors will be slow to follow. Slow on the Internet is a death knell. Once a prime piece of real estate is established it is difficult to move into the neighborhood.

Expect most of the innovation to come from attorneys that were born digital. They get it more than their elder brethren and have a lot less to lose.

Lawyers Blaming IT? The song remains the same.

Link: Strategic Legal Technology :: Blaming IT. Ron has an interesting take on the results of the survey, and no doubt there is probably enough "blame" to go around, but the problem is more deeply rooted. Many knowledge workers are struggling with information overload and Ron's point about "hygiene" is well taken, but hygiene has to start from a strategic perspective at a firm vis-a-vis how information should be managed. Without the necessary vision in place, the lone knowledge worker will continue to "burn out."

The quantity (and velocity) of the information that we need to deal with is only going to increase. The problem lies somewhat in the mis-use of email (other collaborative technologies are better suited for many business conversations), but a much greater emphasis needs to be placed on organizational culture. The legal industry (and many others) are lagging in their understanding, and their people, productivity, and ultimately the bottom line will continue to suffer because of the deficit.

Legal Professional Services: A Blood Sport?

Link: Adam Smith, Esq.: An inquiry into the economics of law firms..... Yes the PSF landscape is becoming even "dicier" with enabling technologies now allowing boutiques to compete more effectively with BIG LAW--there is simply very little (in any) by way of technology infrastructure advantage that bigger firms have over the nimble and the smart. A "blood sport" is an apt description and there is no end to the "blood letting" in sight.

Let the games begin...

Legal Marketing Wisdom!

Link: Build A Solo Practice, LLC: "Tip of the Week" (II) - How Creativity Will Save the (Legal Marketing) World. This post is actually more profound than what might initially be apparent. Why? Because lawyers appear to be much too conservative in how they approach marketing. Sure you need to stay on the right side of the PR rules (and pay attention specifically to what your state bar says about advertising) but that does not mean that you should not be inviting the dragons over.

There is ample evidence (anecdotal) that law school kills creativity. Not only are most law students not well grounded in basic business concepts (i.e. marketing) they are instilled with fear because of all the war stories they hear about (and are taught). That means that very few "get marketing." That is the very reason why you should be inspired to do it, in as creative a way as you can imagine, short of crossing the bright line rules and ethical considerations (the latter is simply bad business and the former will get you disbarred). The problem lies in the fact that most attorneys stay to far away from the bright lines that they leave huge opportunities for those that are willing to dance with the dragons!

KM is for the "Grinders"

Link: Strategic Legal Technology :: Why KM May be Widely Adopted but Under-Appreciated. Of course KM is for the "grinders!" These are the folks that do the work. If your job is to make it rain (i.e. a "finder") then KM may have some value to you but not as much.

The problem for law firms is that those that are making decisions are not grinders. They therefore either don't see the need, and KM is not adopted, or they buy into it, but not in a way that makes it fully actionable.

Many of these issues are discussed here Search, KM & the Practice of Law. This is one of the reasons that "Big Law" will find it more difficulty to make the transition to the enabling technologies that, IMHO, are transforming the practice of law.

The "young turks" forming the boutique firms are more apt to "get it" but the downside for those selling into this space is that they often don't have $$$ to spend, at least not during the early years. Still there are real market opportunities because it is becoming so much easier to start a new firm (not easy but "easier").

The Legal Mind at Work

Link: Chuck Newton: Herein Lies The Problem -- I Think!. Wow, Chuck has a great post about the inner workings of the legal mind. How to package it and how to sell it. And how to keep it from driving you crazy. Good stuff. With respect to the latter, it reminds me of Carlos Castaneda's character "Don Juan" and his admonition to his young apprentice regarding "turning off the internal dialog."

Intense exercise often works for me. I agree with Chuck, sometimes all we want is for the "thought machine" to stop. We want to shut off the "mind gorilla" and rest. We want to "take it easy" so that the sound of our own wheels do not drive us crazy. Any knowledge worker (i.e. most of us in the U.S. now) needs to do this so that when we crank the machine back up, it is firing in all cylinders.

These Internet(s) are full of quality mentors. Chuck is one of the best.

The Twice Shy Entrepreneur

Link: The Twice Shy Entrepreneur. Mike has hit it "spot on" (as the Brits like to say). Definitely harder to be an optimist the second or third time around when you have gotten the living crap kicked out of you on previous occasions. That is why "Big Law" is far less likely to innovate using "cutting edge" technology than, say, the "young turks." Why? Because the partners (and other naysayers) remember the bad technology investments of the past. They remember "drinking the cool aid" and becoming quite ill from the experience.

The young turks, more or less born wired, don't know any better. The technology has matured and become less expensive. They are still believers in the "promised productivity" improvements--and because of all the above some of them will actually "crack the code" and redefine the practice of law.

Cyberlaw Issues Everywhere

Link: House vote on illegal images sweeps in Wi-Fi, Web sites | The Iconoclast - politics, law, and technology - CNET News.com. This bill is indicative of just how pervasive cyberlaw issues are becoming for businesses both large and small. It is not clear how a small coffee shop (i.e. offering free WiFi to compete with the "big boys") is suppose to track illegal activities over its connection, but there you go, one more thing for the aspiring entrepreneur to worry about. Clearly this bill is not directed at the "little guys" but it nonetheless reaches them in its broad sweep.

Given the amount of commerce done over the Internet, I have argued that we should simply drop the "e" from e-commerce. This is simply the way business is done and where business has led that law has followed.

The Wiz Kids Are Coming (again)

Paul Graham writes about how easy it is to start a web business here. But this phenomenon applies to all sorts of businesses. The "wired generation" is not likely to buy the "climb the corporate ladder BS" when they can better secure their futures by "taking it to the street."

Large law firms are already feeling the "brain drain" crunch and are starting to get concerned that they are losing their best talent. Really? You mean that the "kids" are not excited about working 2000 to 2500 hours a year so that maybe they can make partner?

OK, not all of them are going to make it on their own, but the "best and brightest" among them certainly are. And there is no shortage of organizations that are poised to help them "cross the chasm." Suffice it to say that the long tail  works in their favor.

The Billable Hour Under Pressure

One of the "dirty little secrets" of the legal industry (and the consulting industry) is that the way lawyers get paid does not always align with client objectives (understatement). In this month's ABA Journal Scott Turow has an interesting piece entitled "Why the Billable Hour Must Die". While that may not happen any time soon, it is fair to say that the billable hour is coming under intense pressure in certain circles. The general counsel of Cisco fired the shot heard round the legal world in this speech (also featured in this month's ABA journal, see "New Routes to the Corporate Door) and the ideas articulated there are starting to gather momentum.

The bottom line is that inefficiency in the delivery of legal services will no longer be rewarded, at least not vis-a-vis sophisticated clients. You can be sure that most clients worth having will become more and more sophisticated over time and that the legal industry cannot escape the economic realities that are driving the global economy. The "change or die" mantra will leave no industry unscathed, and particularly pure knowledge-based industries such as the law.

It's All Beta, All the Time!

By now it is more than just cliche to talk about "competing in Internet time." But just because this meme is prevalent doesn't mean that people actual grok the implications.

Let's analyze this concept by way of the following mathematical expression:

S = k log W;

“S” stands for entropy; “k” is a universal constant known as Boltzmann’s constant;   
“W” has to do with the number of ways in which parts of a system can be arranged.

When starting development of any complex system, the number of possible ways that the system could be arranged probably approaches infinity (i.e. it is a really big number). The “W” is quite large; therefore, the system is in a state of maximum entropy. Order is imposed, and entropy is reduced, by reducing the number of decisions in progress (DIP). By making intelligent, methodical and relentless decisions, constraints are imposed. As constraints are imposed, the number of possible arrangements are reduced, order increases, and entropy decreases.

BUT, the above makes it seem as if the DIP is managed in some sort of linear manner, but the opposite is actually true. By making "methodical and relentless" decisions fast, the "rabbit holes" and other "dead ends" are found that much sooner, allowing the organization to backup and quickly take another path. This is really nothing more than what Tom Peters refers to as "failing fast" but it is a process that big firms are extremely uncomfortable with, and therefore they delay making strategic decisions at all.

Such is likely to be the case vis-a-vis law firm KM initiatives and the reason why (similar to the tech space) real innovation is likely to come from unexpected challengers.

Big Law Failing to Jump the Curve

Link: Strategic Legal Technology :: Alternatives to Law Firms for EDD Document Review. Here we have an example of where law firms' business models, and lagging technology strategic thinking, prevent them from taking advantage of a market opportunity. Presumably a growing number of non-law firm players see this as a profitable line of business and the big firms appear willing to give up a potentially interesting revenue stream.

YouTube Nation

Link: Chuck Newton: YouTube Nation. As is often the case, Chuck is "dead on" with respect to this post and I do believe that I will see Chuck on the tube real soon now. Why? Because Chuck is Chuck, a "third wave" kind of guy, and he WILL leverage the medium. But most attorneys won't, and for those that do, that is a reason for celebration (to the victors go the spoils--or some such similar nonsense)!

Video is not text, the medium is now within the reach of the masses but not without climbing the curve and "facing the camera." In other words, video (even good quality amateur video) requires a lot more work than blogging, and therein lies the rub and the opportunity. Early adopters are likely to enjoy a competitive advantage for the foreseeable future (i.e. next 3 to 5 years).

Search, KM and the Practice of Law

This paper contains my latest thinking regarding KM and the practice of law. A subsequent series of videos will cover topics treated at length in the paper. Other topics on Law Tech TV will follow a similar format--a paper with corresponding videos.

Enjoy!

All Wikis, all the time!

This has been, for me, the summer of the Wiki! Why is that? Well, as it turns out, on two different gigs I have been challenged to articulate the Wiki value proposition. That is not an easy task unless you want to sound like another technology "snake oil" vendor. Collaborative platforms have been around at least as long as Lotus Notes firmly established the category. So the question is, what is different this go round?

Aside from the fact that most small businesses and even a large percentage of mid-size firms probably could not afford the Lotus Notes ante, the biggest difference is the platform. The "always on 24/7 anywhere/anytime platform" is a huge differentiator from the collaborative apps of the past. The fact that most of the innovation (and investment) is in the "web as platform" space is also important. There is significantly less vendor lock in then there was in the past. Sure, committing to an Enterprise Wiki vendor is no trivial commitment, but NOT exactly the equivalent of committing to Notes or Sharepoint.

I am far more willing to ride on the open platform train then to hitch my wagon to another proprietary platform. The fact that customers, partners and employees require no special training to use a Wiki is also important. The platform simply works and delivers on the promise. We have collectively just started to scratch the surface of potential WIki applications. Those that believe Wik's are nothing more than geeks singing another verse of "Kum Ba Yah" are going to miss this train. This is not unlike those in corporate America who, early on, thought that the PC was a novelty.

Wikis & Law Firms

The "Wiki for law firms train" has already left the station. We are way beyond just the chatter of legal tech consultants hyping Web 2.0! Cisco's General Counsel discusses why outside counsel that wants to work for the Fortune 500 may be toast unless they get on board here. One of the UK's dominant "magic circle" law firms discusses its Wiki rollout strategy here.

However, if you believe that the value proposition has to do with internal operations (especially vis-a-vis marketing to the Fortune 500), you have completely missed the point. Sure, Mark Chandler at Cisco wants a "collaborative space" where he and his staff can work more effectively with outside counsel, but he is MORE interested in how your knowledge management strategy is increasing the value that your firm delivers (i.e. how it helps deliver higher quality work at competitive rates).

In other words, there is far more to the strategy than mere platform advantages. The platform advantages are easily copied, the real question is "how are you leveraging the platform to create value for the client?"

Hey where are the videos?

Glad you asked that question!

The videos are all still in my vivid imagination. Pretty cool, eh? Law Tech TV sans the TV, what a concept. Well to be honest, I knew that law school would consume ALL bandwidth and it has not disappointed. However, one more semester is nearly over and one more in the fall to go. Yeah there is a 2 credit directed research project in the summer, but for all intents and purposes this ride is just about over. It has been a fun ride, but alas all good things must end. I  will be working in VA this summer and hopefully cranking out some videos as well. While I am looking forward to experimenting,I am quite certain that Spielberg (sp?) and others have nothing to worry about.

The first substantive video will be based on a paper I wrote entitled: "Search, Knowledge Management and the Practice of Law." It will be a challenge to condense a 30 page paper into a 10 minute "chalk talk."

Hopefully, once I grok the process and the technology I can "direct" some cameos from the "gang."

Mac v. PC for the Solo Practitioner

Link: Home Office Lawyer: 10 Must-Have Apps for the Mac Using Solo Practitioner. Some tech savvy solos have been sparring lately (friendly match) in the "10 must have apps" dual. The Mac Guy (link above) and the FutureLawyer (here) are running their own version of Mac v. PC commercials and it amounts to entertaining reading. The Mac is definitely making inroads, and as I have mentioned before one of these "bad boys" is in my future, there will not be any mass exodus to Mac either in the legal industry or any other. The reason is obvious, the "switching costs" are prohibitive--the is something that Microsoft (MS) understands quite well. They are no longer (if they ever were) "the fastest cheetah in the jungle" but they just need to be "fast enough" to prevent any kind of exodus that would seriously hurt their business.

The rule of thumb is that a new/different technology must be 10X better than the old/existing in order to "compel" a move. Mac arguably delivers an enhanced computing experience (reason that they are drawing converts) BUT it is NOT an order of magnitude better (reason the exodus will never happen). That said, solos are just starting out should give the Mac a serious look because the reasons for choosing MS for a new solo practice are quickly disappearing (although in some cases the apps selection is still better on the PC).

Corporate Blogging

Link: Corporate blogging [dive into mark]. Now here is a man after my own heart. Former IBM'er now going to work at Google, interesting. I might even want to "dive into Python"-- well, maybe not. My days of writing code are over. Hey, if I was any good at it what on earth would I be doing in law School? But if you are curious about my escapades in "hackerville" you can peruse some of the selected essays from "Silicon Stories" or the whole damn thing for that matter (see right hand column of web-tones).

OK, back to corporate blogging, while Mark's post is quite humorous, I would NOT try this trick at one of the "mega law firms" unless you're a partner and don't much care. Now, if you are flying solo and have balls, then I'd say go for it (dive right in), the rest of us will see if your practice survives before jumping into the water. :)

Mac Lawyers

Link: Home Office Lawyer: Home Office Lawyer in Las Vegas. You gotta love these Mac lawyers, just because they have a better computing experience than the rest of us on a daily basis they feel compelled to rub it in! Must be that left over aggressiveness from law school and what the adversarial system does to you<g>

That notwithstanding, there is definitely one of these "bad boys" in my future. Just have to get through a couple of semesters of law school first, otherwise "the one that must be obeyed" (shamelessly stealing from RIck "Saint" Georges-aka the FutureLawyer) will kill me; and to borrow from Mellencamp "dying to me don't sound like all that much fun."
 

Sololawyer

Link: Sololawyer. Rick "Saint" Georges the renown "future lawyer" and all around new media innovator is at it again with the introduction of the "Solo Lawyer Blog." Expect lots of great technology and practice advice from a law tech geek (before it was cool to geek) and a long time solo practitioner. He has recruited several partners: Chuck Newton & the "Mac guy" Grant Griffiths and I am quite certain others solos are soon to follow. Should be informative, this crew is at the top of their game!

Citing Wikipedia

Link: Wikipedia Enters Top Ten Most Visited Sites. Wikipedia enters the list of the "Top 10 Most Visited Sites" as the wiki train just keeps on rolling. Despite admonitions , from law school profs, against citing Wikipedia for any type of scholarly writing (formal or otherwise) it seems that for some "fact based, non-controversial 'stuff'", Wikipedia is as good or better than citing other general purpose references. The marketplace will get the last vote here, and as so many other things in the law, the "cite police" will eventually learn to relax the rules...or will simply adopt the de facto rules of the new cyber reality.

Big Law in Trouble?

Link: Cisco General Counsel on State of Technology in the Law - News@Cisco Notes. I am not sure that Big Law's demise is that imminent, but anytime the general counsel of a major corporation starts mandating "flat fee billing" for patent prosecutions and other value based billing practices, you know that something is up. If this trend catches fire among elite customers you can rest assured that big changes are on the way. So far, Big Law has been fighting the force, but it looks like the force is pushing back! The trends identified here certainly could open the door for the "super boutiques." Perhaps signaling "the beginning of the end" of Big Law consolidation, especially if quality talent starts realizing the degree to which enabling technologies can level the playing field.

Alvin Toffler & the Law

Link: Home Office Lawyer: Good Stewardship And Finding Nirvana In The Practice Of Law. Some awesome and inspiring commentary from Chuck Newton for those lawyers thinking about making the move home. As John Lennon once said "life happens while we are planning for the future." If you are feeling some of the burnout that Chuck describes, and far too many of us do from time to time in our professional lives, then this might be the right move for you. Still connected. Still plugged in. Your commute just got better and you just may be adding years to your life. Re-introduce yourself to your wife, your kids, your dog or whatever other sentient being your are most connected to.

Search, KM and the Practice of Law

I am writing a paper with the same title and have had a chance to review some of the older literature and some literature that is (finally) law firm specific.

There are exciting things happening in this space and the completed paper will be posted here in a few months, but for now I just wanted to highlight a product that has continued to intrigue me. The name of the product is Confluence from Atlassian Software (www.atlassian.com/confluence). Confluence is a knowledge management "platform" that integrates wikis, blogs, email archives, discussion forums and more.  The entry level price for 25 users is $1,200.00 USD, a phenomenal value.

Now at this price point you might think that their target market is small to medium size enterprises and I am quite certain that a fair number of small businesses use it. BUT, take a look at their customer list and you will find some of the largest names in Tech (e.g. Adobe, EMC, Cisco and surprisingly Microsoft), some of the fortune 500 (e.g. Shell, KFC, BMW and Sony) and two of the large consultancies (Accenture & PricewaterhouseCoopers). Yeah their enterprise licenses are a bit more expensive but not much more ($4,000 USD for 500 users and $8,000 USD for unlimited users).

BTW, if you are a solo practitioner, you can get a two person "personal" license FREE (as in nada). These "boys" are doing something right! More to come...

CyberLaw: Does RSS Encourage Copyright Infringement?

The current debate about whether RSS encourages copyright infringement highlights the potential tension between what we want the law to be and what the law is. John Palfrey (from the Berkman center Harvard Law School) argues here that RSS (as used by aggregators such as Bloglines & others) does not violate current copyright law, however he also discloses that he is an investor in Top10Sources a company which is itself an aggregator of sorts (and it appears to be a particularly useful one at that). His pro-aggregator argument is interesting and plausible, but not argued in as forceful a manner as on might have expected.

Here's the point, while I, and many others like Bloglines because it is useful to us-that is obviously not an argument relevant to whether it is or is not infringing someone's copyright. The debate rages on, and sooner or later the Courts or the Legislature will get into the act, as the law struggles to keep up with the velocity of the digital universe.

Law Tech, BS Free Zone

The Future Lawyer, Rick "Saint" Georges and the law tech policy wonk (yours truly) will be hosting another Law Tech BS free SkypeCast on Friday 12:00 EST. You can download the Skype client here. It is a free one time painless install. Be sure to check out all the other "cool" things you can do with Skype once you have the client installed.

To participate in the conference go here. You will need to login to your Skype account before you can join the SkypeCast. Your account is setup when you install the client (userid & password is required for login). In the top right hand column you will see a heading "Find a SkypeCast". Click on "Starting soon" or type in FutureLawyer (all one word) in the search box. You will will see a link that says "Conversation with the FutureLawyer" click "Join this SkypeCast" and you're in.

You can also go to Rick's Blog scroll down the right hand column and look for the SkypeCast "box" and click on "Conversations with the FutureLawyer." However, I had trouble getting in this way. I get a browser window that "hangs" and that is the reason for the alternate instructions above.

Trust, Seth Says That is All You Need

Seth Godin says that Trust is the Only Piece of Advice You Need to Sell. This might be a bit of an oversimplification but not far from the mark. Just like the parables of a certain Jewish carpenter, the most relevant "memes" are simple to understand and difficult to execute!

Follow the link above to a free eBook and quality insights from some of the best in the business of marketing professional services. The reading is easy and there are some powerful ideas. Besides you can't beat the price!

Honesty: The Next Killer App

Stand for something and communicate it effectively. These are the cornerstones of the Internet's next killer app as succinctly and brilliantly (I think) articulated by JP Rangaswami in his piece Building Society for the 21 Century (via the good doctor Searls). Enabling Web 2.0 technologies can help with the second part but you are on your own for part one.

Honesty, integrity and collaborative value creation (with partners & clients) are so refreshingly & uniquely novel (brand you as Tom Peters would say) as to be a compelling market differentiator. Authenticity is the key because there is just know way to fake the real deal.

SkypeCasts-VoIP Rocks!

The future lawyer Rick Georges hosted his first SkypeCast yesterday & while there were a few glitches the technology worked pretty much as advertised. I am quite certain that future casts will get better & better as all the particpants learn more about the features & functionality. The amazing part is that participants simply downloaded the Skype client & "plugged in" without much more instruction than that. Here's the kicker, these were attorneys (not exactly known as techno geeks) of various ages, including a boomer from CA who is > 60 years young & still going strong--enough said.

Related Tags: Law 2.0, Web 2.0, Skype, SkypeCasts

There is something interesting happening on these internets...

Get A Clue

For many of us the cluetrain was the seminal work that drove us to blogging. The idea of markets as conversations became the "aha moment" regarding the power of what was happening on the net. Never mind that as economics (or marketing) it may have missed the mark here & there. Its central thesis remains as relevant today as it was in the early days (circa 2000). Just look at all the signatories (names both big & small) that paid tribute back then & continue doing so now I suspect.

My favorite Cluetrain quote is from Chris Locke "We are not seats or eyeballs or end users or consumers. We are human beings - and our reach exceeds your grasp. Deal with it." If I had one book to recommend to an attorney (or anybody else) this would be it. Grok it and you might just get a clue.

Rainmakers, Raincollectors & KM

When it comes to knowledge management business organizations are highly interested in capturing the tacit knowledge of their rainmakers. Why? Well because these are the folks that have the know how to drive revenue--they are are the hunters that keep the organization fed. If the organization could figure out (and capture) how they do what they do then institutional memory would improve and the knowledge doesn't walk out the door each time a rainmaker decides to make rain somewhere else.

The problem is that most rainmakers are too busy making rain and have no bandwidth (we'll save the incentive question for another post) to collect it. If you want revenue (who doesn't) then you need to keep rainmakers happy, if you want knowledge management then you need to inspire, educate, reward and otherwise enable the raincollectors (associates, secretaries, paralegals, IT staff) that can get close enough (through relationship building) to collect a little rain. Have them master the technologies and processes first on their own "stuff" and organically grow the knowledge base toward the edges of the organization where the rainmakers roam.

Related Tags: Law 2.0, Law2.0, KM, Knowledge Management

Snake Oil, KM & the Practice of Law

Tim Berners-Lee has the following to say about the parallels between how our brains work & the Web:

A piece of information is really defined only by what it's related to and how it's related. There is really little else to meaning. The structure is everything. There are billions of neurons in our brains, but what are neurons? Just cells. The brain has no knowledge until connections are made between neurons. All that we know, all that we are come from the way our neurons are connected.

Knowledge management is all the rage again in law practice management circles, and rightfully so because it is an important topic. But we are all babes in the woods in this space and I can assure you that KM is more about connections (most importantly of the people-to-people kind), context, and story telling than about any technology de jour: document management, wiki's, Web 2.0, Intranets, etc. While all of these technologies are important enablers, they are no substitute in and of themselves for a culture of sharing and contribution. Vendors that are peddling technology centric solutions are selling pure snake oil & throwing in the snake for free. The heavy lifting requires changing the culture, so ignore cultural issues at your own risk, otherwise this snake bite is likely to be both painful & expensive!

Related Tags: KM, Wiki, Web 2.0, Web2.0, Law 2.0

eDiscovery

Lots of talk related to the impact that eDiscovery is having on the legal industry. The idea of having to produce and/or search millions of documents to find the proverbial "needle in the haystack" is a scary proposition. Who pays and how the information is "best" leveraged is often in doubt. It is the wild, wild west as these new frontiers are explored in dangerous unknown territories. Collaboration with strategic partners is likely to be key, but be careful because there will be lots of people selling snake oil, and lots of pioneers coming home full of arrows.

Tags: Law 2.0, eDiscovery

Future Lawyer, The Gadget King

My friend Rick Georges is the attorney gadget king. He has a fascination for gadgets and a passion for the law, and has combined both to dramatically improve the productivity of his law practice! Got a demo today at lunch where Rick logged on to his server via his Treo and had instant access to his case management system (via remote control ala Citrix). Needless to say that I was impressed,  not only was connectivity seamless, but the Windows desktop and apps were actually usable!

Rick also displayed a pdf file the was readable despite the small type and access to email that was quite functional. While the phone will not displace his laptop anytime soon, it does make computing accessible and convenient in nearly all environments, clearly the ability to tap into his business computing platform from anywhere is a boost to his productivity, and points to the possibilities that are evolving in Law 2.0

Tags: Law 2.0, Web 2.0, Web2.0