One of the trends that Adam Schlagman, editor of LJN’s Legal Tech Newsletter, will be paying attention to this year concerns e-discovery.
We caught up with Schlagman at LegalTech New York 2009, and he told us what the e-discovery decision comes down to, for the average firm:
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
We’ve partnered with Intel for some time to help provide strategy and support for our Eagan, Minn.-based data centers. These data centers support Westlaw and many of the online services from across Thomson Reuters. Through this partnership, we were able to expand our technology infrastructure to support further business growth. Since our customer usage is growing rapidly, it’s imperative that we expand our technology capabilities to support increased demand. We also have to control cost to ensure we remain profitable.
We recently participated in a case study with Intel, in which our own Christopher Crowhurst explores the value that Intel has provided to our business. Server virtualization, increased density in processing and memory – none of it is a trivial matter. It’s our responsibility to create valuable products and services and to keep the infrastructure solid, so Intel’s assistance as a vendor is very beneficial to us.
It reminds me of the relationship we have with our customers. We build, maintain and enhance products like Westlaw and its content with the main goal of delivering value to our customers so they can do their job well. It’s the combination of people and technology that makes our information “intelligent,” and this helps our customers succeed.
Thomson Reuters, like Intel, is more than a vendor to customers. We help customers get their jobs done.
Rick King
Global Head of Technology & Operations
Thomson Reuters Legal
Most litigators find the written word just isn’t enough when it comes to really understanding what transpires in the courtroom.
How the expert witness physically responds to a question – do they look anxious, upset, or uncomfortable while providing their testimony – is the difference between an honest expert and someone who is being paid to support the case to the watchful eyes of a jury.
In an interview with Tim Nixon, director of Litigation Content Operations at West, part of Thomson Reuters, we discussed how the new capability of viewing court transcripts – via the on-demand streaming video through Westlaw Court Transcripts – is a critical step in preparing for court.
Watch a portion of our interview with Nixon to better understand how Westlaw Court Transcripts works:
“The words can all be spot on, but if a witness’s body says I’m really uncomfortable with my position, the expert can immediately undermine a case,” says Nixon.
The video features on Westlaw Court Transcripts can be the difference between success and failure when used as a vetting tool for selecting witnesses, and it can also serve as a critical learning tool for new litigators.
It is also important to see how the courtroom is handled – how the judge enables the litigators to present their case, or if he or she possibly impedes the normal flow of the courtroom, Nixon says.
Is the judge one who is sitting forward and truly engaged or sitting back and viewing the case? Does the tone of their voice or facial expression lend you to believe they are upset with an approach or comfortable with the way the case is presented?
These are key to understanding the courtroom dynamic and determining a best approach for a specific judge.
“Seeing the court transcript fully synched and side-by-side with video, where you can click on the court transcript and immediately see what is transcribed, is really critical from both a vetting and a time-and-billing perspective,” says Nixon.
Westlaw subscribers can see the latest courtroom video additions, here.
Posted by Gretchen DeSutter, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Times are challenging for law firms, no doubt, but the 2009 Law Firm Client Advisory from Hildebrandt, part of Thomson Reuters Consulting Services, can provide some context.
You can find the report on the Hildebrandt Web site.
In partnership with Citi Private Bank, Hildebrandt outlines in great detail the major problems large law firms in the United States faced in 2008 and the impact these issues may have on their economic outlook.
The advisory also covers expectations and trends for the U.S. legal market in 2009.
“2009 will be challenging for most firms,” the advisory states. “At the same time, we also think that the current downturn offers an opportunity to
rethink some of the basic assumptions about how law firms should be
structured and how they should deliver their services.”
The report concludes, “In our view, firms that remain strategically focused and that are not afraid to “think outside the box” in terms of how they do their business may well emerge from the current crisis stronger and better positioned to compete in the future than before this crisis began.”
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
The host of LegalTech, Incisive Media, compiled video interviews from the show. They are interesting conversations with a variety of people about technology and the practice and business of law.
Two of the interviews feature connections to the legal businesses of Thomson Reuters:
Mark Medice, Peer Monitor
(Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4)
Kurt Engelmeier, director, West
You can see all of Incisive Media’s video interviews on their YouTube channel.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Monica Bay, editor-in-chief of Law Technology News and the authority on all things LegalTech, spent some time with us catching up after her Tuesday panel, “What I Hate About Technology.”
Here are three things the panel hates (and loves) about technology:
Hates
Loves
We’ve learned that technology is important, indeed. But in the context of the current economic state, Monica stresses the importance of a law firm’s adaptability. The latest issue of Law Technology News features several stories that offer advice to legal professionals on how to stay strong and adaptable in these tough times, including “Can Technology Thrive in a Bad Economy?” by Michelle Mahoney and George Rudoy; and “Five Tips for IT to Survive the Plunge” by Ross Kodner.
Monica outlines her compelling case for how law firms can and should ride out the storm in this video interview for WestBlog:
Posted by Angelique Schaffer, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
We talked with Neil Squillante, the publisher of TechnoLawyer, Tuesday night at about the items crossing his desk this year. And, in addition to his Five 2009 Legal Industry Predictions recently published on TechnoLawyer’s blog, he tells us what he thinks will be particularly useful to lawyers this year, mobile technology:
Posted by Angelique Schaffer, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
The people who come to LegalTech New York come for many reasons. For Matt DeVoll, vice president of ProLaw, part of Thomson Reuters, LegalTech is a place to connect with customers.
We talked with DeVoll about that, how he uses LegalTech and what he hears from customers, in this video interview:
DeVoll says LegalTech is a great conference for ProLaw because it tends to attract small and medium-sized law firms looking for what ProLaw offers for their practice.
ProLaw recently unveiled a new version, with a profiling feature which allows lawyers to establish a matter number to emails, attachments and documents in Word and Excel, among other things; it also offers outside counsel invoice tracking for corporate legal customers.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
From marketing to managing and more, CIOs in law firms need all the advice they can get right now. Though it was separate from the LegalTech curriculum, a CIO Forum also held at the New York Hilton drew key leaders from law firms anxious to learn practical information they could take back to their colleagues and firms.
Thomson Reuters sponsored a lunch session at the forum that provided useful information to the attendees regarding the current economic situation for law firms and advice for how to succeed.
Todd Hauschildt, vice president, Thomson Reuters, explained for us in this interview what he felt was accomplished in the luncheon:
As Todd said, Preston McKenzie, vice president, Client Development, Thomson Reuters, also participated in the CIO Forum. During his presentation, McKenzie told the session’s attendees that technology must remain a priority when business is challenging:
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Attorney Nicole Black has a lot on her plate these days.
A lot. On the Web, and off.
For starters, she’s a practicing attorney for Fiandach & Fiandach in Rochester, New York. But, add to that her work on the book, Criminal Law in New York, published by West, a regular legal newspaper writing assignment called The Daily Record in Rochester and a side business that she’s just getting started to help teach lawyers about legal technology and how to use it in their practices.
Then, there’s her extremely active presence on Twitter (as @nikiblack).
And, oh yeah, she writes four blogs: Sui Generis, Practicing Law in the 21st Century, Legal Antics and Legal Tweets, which of course plays off her interest in Twitter.
So at LegalTech New York, we asked her about Twitter. Black admits it’s not for every law firm. But it can serve a purpose:
Black also told us her high-profile in legal circles on Twitter and the Web has led to people finding her when looking for legal help online.
As for blogging, Black says she initially started blogging to build up a body of writing work after taking a couple of years off from practicing law. That led to her involvement in the book she co-authors for West and her writing in The Daily Record.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
There are many people who follow the comings and goings of the companies competing for attention from LegalTech attendees.
But industry analyst Charles Christian is doing it for his readers and subscribers across the globe.
Christian, who blogs at The Orange Rag and publishes the Legal Technology Insider and American Legal Technology Insider newsletters, met up with us at LegalTech on Tuesday and told us in this interview that the global nature of the practice of law requires his global focus:
Christian, who is based in the United Kingdom, also told us that LegalTech allows him to meet with dozens of vendors in a short amount of time and learn about their latest innovations. This year, given the effects of the economy, he says he’s also interested in what customers are telling vendors in terms of their buying patterns and how some customers may be focusing on getting more out of their existing systems rather than upgrading to new technolgies.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Ask attorney Garth Gartrell what keeps him up at night – when it comes to thinking about executive compensation, that is – and you’re likely to hear about Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
Created by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the wake of the Enron scandal, 409A regulates the tax treatment of nonqualified deferred compensation, which includes supplemental executive retirement plans and supplemental defined contribution plans (such as those that wrap-around and supplement qualified 401(k) plans), whether paid to executives or any other employees.
“409A dominates the field of executive compensation right now, particularly in severance agreements but also in many aspects of compensation in a merger,” says Gartrell, shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Gartrell says Enron changed everything for executive compensation.
“Enron drove these fundamental changes that we’re going to have to be dealing with that are going to be changing the landscape of executive compensation for years to come,” Gartrell says. Hear more from Gartrell about Enron’s impact on executive compensation (1:54).
In addition to 409A, Gartrell monitors the IRS for other developments in executive compensation.
“I’m paying attention to anything that the IRS might have to say especially with the executive compensation wrinkles that have arisen out of the banking rescue plans,” Gartrell says.
Gartrell says executive compensation remains a varied and challenging area of the law. “The field touches so many complex areas, like securities, corporate law, tax, and accounting rules,” says Gartrell.
Gartrell is the co-author of Executive Compensation for Emerging Growth Companies, 3d, with Steven Lapidus, the founder and co-chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Benefits and Compensation group.
Their book, published by West, has a special emphasis on annotated forms that Gartrell and Lapidus have developed over many years of practicing in the field, including many ideas and forms since the first edition was published.
Executive Compensation for Emerging Growth Companies, 3d is available on the West Web site.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Law firms continue to struggle with weak demand and productivity as a result of the economic slowdown.
The Peer Monitor Economic Index (PMI) from West fell two points in the third quarter of 2008 despite a rebound in demand late in the quarter. PMI is a composite index of law firm market performance using real-time data drawn from major law firms in the U.S. and key international markets.
As the economy slows, PMI has been trending lower, dropping in five of the last seven quarters.
The complete PMI analysis for the third quarter can be downloaded here.
You also can listen to a Westcast podcast discussing the Q3 PMI results.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
We recently highlighted the top 10 legal issues for consumers in 2008.
Now FindLaw.com has 10 predictions for what consumers will be searching for information about in 2009.
The predictions were compiled by FindLaw in-house legal experts based on historical and 2008 top search terms entered on FindLaw.com.
Here’s the list:
• Urban Living
• Employment & Employee Rights
• Debt & Collection
• Green Law
• The Internet, Social Media and Personal Identity
• Military Rights
• Driving and Gadgets
• Child Custody, Support and Alimony
• Marriage and Domestic Partnership
• Small Business
Click here for more information about FindLaw’s predictions for the top legal issues for consumers in 2009. To address these predictions, FindLaw.com plans to provide specialized audiences resources on the site.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
As the year comes to a close, FindLaw has revealed its list of the top legal issues on the minds of consumers in 2008.
The list was compiled from FindLaw.com’s most visited legal topics, the top consumer legal questions on FindLaw Answers and the most searched lawyers on FindLaw.com.
Here’s the list:
• Home Foreclosure & Renter’s Rights
• Politics & Obama
• Voters Rights
• Digital Distractions
• Dog Laws
• Highly Regulated Products
• Grandparents’ Rights
• Creating a Will
• Who keeps the Ring?
• Teen Rights
Click here for more information about FindLaw’s top 10 list, including consumer and legal commentary.
Posted by Kevin Hunt, senior communications specialist, Thomson Reuters
Westcast podcast
