ILTA Voices
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
The Rise of the ”Non-Lawyer” – Threat or Opportunity
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Some people predict that by 2025 half of legal teams will be staffed by non-lawyers. Will that be perceived as a threat or an opportunity? Do lawyers need to learn legal tech, or can they just hire people who specialize in it but are not lawyers? Do you need to be a lawyer to effectively use legal tech?Questions moderator will ask speakers: - The term “non lawyer” is sometimes perceived as quite controversial. Many people who support the business of law feel it is used to marginalize expertise. With the development of legal technologies being a lawyer is not always a needed qualification to plan, implement and use the tools. In your experience how does it help to be a lawyer or not, when using legal technologies?- Where do you see non lawyers working cases, supporting transactions, being part of case teams, etc. today?- With more and more demand on expertise to “drive” legal technologies, or perform data analysis, do you think layers need to learn these skills? Or can they just hire non-lawyers to work side by side with lawyers? Or both?- Do you think the balance could even tip that within law firms more non-lawyers are leveraged to work and manage cases and lawyers solely focus on the parts that require analysis and practice of the law?- What does all this mean for the legal profession, will the job description of lawyers change over time? Why or why not?
Moderator:@Christiane Matuch - Legal Innovation Manager, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Speakers:@Alyssa Cowley - Associate Director, Knowledge Management, Shearman & Sterling LLP@Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes - Senior Project Manager, Legal Operations, CBRE @Josh Lazar - Founder and Chief Everything Officer, TechThinkTank
Recorded on 07-18-2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Applying Design Thinking to Lit Support
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Innovation in the legal industry is big news, but its often hard to know where to start. Changing the way we think about our work can help find new ways to approach challenges, and the framework of design thinking has proven success in the legal industry for finding innovative solutions to problems. But what is design thinking, and how can we use its principles and ideas to transform our work in litigation support?
Questions the moderator will ask the speaker:
What is Design Thinking? Where are we seeing its application the most?
How can we apply design thinking to legal and how can it help us practice law more effectively?
Can you give an example of where design thinking has helped solve a legal workflow problem?
How can we identify areas in our litigation support work where design thinking might be helpful?
Moderator:@Rachel McAdams - Senior Consultant, Sky Discovery
Speaker:@Ginevra Saylor - Director, Innovation and Knowledge Programs, Gowling WLG
Recorded on 06-30-2023
Wednesday Jun 28, 2023
Wednesday Jun 28, 2023
Just because you’re not a large law firm doesn’t mean you don’t do e-discovery! You have litigation matters that are just as important, and that means you need to know the proper tools to use for collecting, reviewing, and producing relevant data. In this session, we’ll have a attorney and paralegal from not-so-huge law firms discussing the tools and workflows they use to successfully navigate the e-discovery world in which they practice.Questions the moderator will ask the speaker: · First let's define small firm. Why do small/mid-size firms need to be smart about eDiscovery? What challenges do they face which big firms may not?· How should a small/mid-size firm address eDiscovery technology – should they invest and manage their own, or look for external partners?· What are some good tools for eDiscovery for these firms?· How can a small/mid-size firm upskill in eDiscovery?What’s your one action point/next step for small/mid-size firms listening to this podcast?Moderator:@Rachel McAdams, Senior Consultant, Sky DiscoverySpeaker:@Tom O’Connor, Director, Gulf Coast Legal Technology CenterRecorded on 06-28-2023
Friday May 12, 2023
Friday May 12, 2023
How can we articulate the value of technology in helping meeting client expectations and improving the bottom line? In this session, the speakers discussed this and more.Questions Glenn will ask the speakers:
-There is a perception by some attorneys that technology is a cost of business and, specifically, only a support function. Where do you think this stems from?
-Based on this perception, each of you have likely identified strategies to convince attorney and leaders that technology is more than simply a cost of doing business. What strategies have you employed or seen others employed to convince attorneys of the benefit of technology?
-The best made plans, particularly for a junior leader, may look great on paper but suddenly become challenging when put to practice. Throughout your career, what obstacles have you faced when employing these strategies? Are there any risks? Have any backfired?
-For new C-suite or director level leaders, what would you encourage them to do to advocate for technology projects particular in light of the current economy? How do you recommend they approach business value/ROI when proposing technology?
-To help with your persuasion, do you engage with client teams such as their legal department) to better understand their business needs?
- We’ve touched on a few of the key stakeholders but there are certainly more. Do you find that you need to approach stakeholders in different ways when convincing them of a technology’s value?
- Can you share any examples of where technology clearly helped the bottom line?
-Any final thoughts?
Moderator:@Glenn Hoxie -Senior Project Manager, Practice Innovation, Paul Hastings LLP
Speakers:@Leslie Brown - Director of Client Value, Blank Rome LLP@Paul Unger - Partner, Affinity Consulting@Jacqueline Schafer - CEO, Clearbrief@Brendan Miller - Legal Innovation Professional and Attorney” (previously Director of Practice Systems & Innovation for AmLaw 100 firmRecorded on 05-11-2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Breaking the Code – Effortless Efficiency with No Code/Low Code?
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Friday Apr 14, 2023
Traditional approaches to software development can be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and complex, requiring specialized skills and expertise. However, the emergence of no-code/low-code platforms promises that law firms can streamline practice management workflows with minimal coding knowledge or experience.
This session was designed for practice management and technology professionals at law firms interested in exploring the benefits and challenges of no code/low code platforms by learning from their peers’ experience.
Questions Bill asked the speakers:
-What does the landscape of no/low code tools look like, and who is best suited to use them?-What’s the learning curve like? -What are the use cases where you see the best ROI? -How does this solution fit into the rest of a firm’s technology landscape?
Moderator:@Bill Bice - CEO, nQ ZebraworksSpeakers:
@Andrew Terrett - National Director of Legal Technology and Service Delivery, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
@Al Hounsell - Director - Strategic Innovation and Legal Design, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
#PracticeManagementandPracticeSupport
#Firm#Podcast#ProfessionalDevelopment
Friday Apr 07, 2023
The Scourge of the ”Non-Attorney” Heading
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Overwhelmingly, law firms operate as though attorneys are the ""important"" parts of their business, and that business staff is... well, chopped liver. How can firms adjust/improve their language to change this attitude/perception?
Questions Harriet asked the speakers:• The landscape for hiring and recruiting within law firms has changed a lot since January 2020 (and again since the end of 2022). What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry/in convos with peers? What surprised everyone the most about how recruiting/hiring has changed in the legal field? (I’m thinking first year associate pay has got to be a big one!)• What are your predictions for how things will stay the same/change in law firm operations over the next 5-10 years? Do you think attorneys will fundamentally change their expectations around work-life balance? And how are firm resources being marketed to attorneys during their recruiting process (as part of the support package)? (i.e. research departments, LPM, etc)• Let’s talk a bit about the split in law firms between attorneys and “everyone else”… what have you seen across the industry, and do you think those divisions are breaking down, becoming more defined, or something else? I’m also interested in how you think this will play out as the market retracts again: it’s been popular to cut back on administrative staffing in times of financial concern, but that loads more work back onto attorneys—do you see anything differently happening this time around?
Moderator:
@Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes - Senior Project Manager - Legal Operations, CBRE Group
Speakers:
@Jennifer Bluestein - Chief Talent and HR Officer, Perkins Coie@Chris Boyd - Chief Operating Officer, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Recorded on 04-07-2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Legal Tech: What’s Next?
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
As more players enter the legal technology market, what trends and advances should we be keeping an eye on? What trends or tools have the potential to radically disrupt the profession? In this podcast interview, the speakers will discuss this and much more!
Questions Jennifer asked the speakers:
1. What will be the most important legal technology trend for lawyers and legal professionals to follow in 2023?2. What trends or tools have the potential to radically disrupt the profession?3. Where should law firms and law departments focus their legal tech budgets in the next year? Three years?4. How will legal technology impact client engagement?
Moderator:@Jennifer Mendez - Sr. Director of Knowledge Management Innovation, Fisher Phillips
Speakers:Joe Borstein - Chief Executive Officer, LexFusionCasey Flaherty - Chief Strategy Officer, LexFusion Recorded on 04-05-2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
How Add-On Services Are Changing the Legal Landscape
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Law firms are increasingly expanding their scope and advertising "add-on" services. How can attorneys make use of these to make themselves "stickier" to clients, and how can law firms promote these services in a way that conveys their increased importance to the overall client experience? In this podcast interview, the speakers discussed this and more.
Questions Harriet will asked the speakers:
• Tell us a bit about the evolution of NRF’s Legal Operations department: what was the intended purpose, and how does it interact with the larger business?
• How can attorneys make use of this group (or others within the firm) to make themselves "stickier" to clients?
• How is (or can) the firm promote these services in a way that conveys their increased importance to the overall client experience?Moderator:
@Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes - Senior Project Manager - Legal Operations, CBRE Group
Speakers:
@Al Hounsell - Director - Strategic Innovation and Legal Design, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada
Kathy Goodman - Practice Innovation & Knowledge Counsel, Paul Hastings (London)
Recorded on 04-05-2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Becoming a Testifying Expert
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Learn about what it takes to become a testifying eDiscovery expert in your field of expertise from these testifying witnesses. The panel covers their own backgrounds, what certifications they have obtained, what education they acquired, and the steps that they took in order to become a testifying expert.
Moderator:@Lauren Doucette - Senior Practice Technology & eDiscovery Project Manager, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Panelists: @Chris Haley - Director of Legal Technology, Troutman Pepper/eMerge@Kevin Cohen - Principal, Data Triage @Kelly Twigger - Principal, ESI Attorneys LLC
Recorded on 01-26-2023
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Data: The Next Great Lake
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Every firm wants to leverage data for insights. But to accomplish this, there needs to be a true source of all data. The creation of data lakes have started. These are massive databases combing different firm data sources. This leads to the importance of data governance and master data management. What does it take to create and curate the data? How can such data be of use to firms?
Questions Tracey will ask Steven:1. What is a data lake?2. What are the advantages of using a data lake?3. How do data lakes differ from the tradition data warehouse?4. Why could a firm invest in a data lake?5. What would it take to build a data lake?6. What tools would need? Any best practices?Moderator:@Tracey Pardo - IS Improvement and Reporting Analyst, Cooley LLPSpeaker:@Steven Heathcock - Data Strategy Manager, Cooley LLP
Recorded on 01-06-2023
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Avoiding Burnout for Lit Support Professionals
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
In this podcast, we will address which practices and boundaries you should enforce and know how to manage pressured environments.
Questions to Tanya will ask Martin:· Is burnout a problem for litigation support professionals, and does it affect us disproportionately?· Can litigation support professionals effectively manage their workload to avoid burnout?· What are tips for working in high pressure environments?· How can we support ourselves and our colleagues?· What kind of support is out there for people who need it?
Moderator:@Tanya Pereira - Business Transformation Specialist, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Speaker:@Martin Nikel - Associate Managing Director, Cyber Risk, Kroll
Recorded on 01-05-2023