ILTA Voices
Episodes
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 Mar 15, 2023
How Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Are Changing the Face of Search
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Enterprise search, targeted search, predictive search, conceptual search...so many options, but which is the right one for your organization? Will advances in AI change how we search going forward? Will we see Alexa or Siri for legal?Questions Jennifer used to guide the conversation:
We often hear about various search options in legaltech - enterprise search, predictive search, conceptual search, just to name a few. How has search evolved in the legal industry over the last decade?
How will advances in artificial intelligence change the way we search in law firms and legal departments?
Will we see voice search, similar to Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, in legal? If so, what are the ethical implications of relying on voice-enabled technologies?
What does the future of search look like?
The legal industry is notorious for its unhurried approach to change. How do you see the change management and adoption process of these technologies playing out in legal? What outside factors do you think will drive law firm adoption?
Moderator:@Jennifer Mendez - Sr. Director of Knowledge Management Innovation, Fisher Phillips
Speaker:@Pablo Arredondo - Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Casetext
Recorded on 03-15-2023
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
This podcast consists of an interview with Melissa Prince on how Ballard created and implemented a staffing (“workforce allocation” or “availability projection”) tool. We also discussed the impetus for the creation of the platform, the obstacles Melissa faced, and how she has driven engagement with associates and partners.Questions Kristin asked Melissa:1. Can you provide a little background about your role at the firm and your practice management department? Who handles staffing?2. First, what did you identify as gaps in the staffing process that led to the development of your tool?3. At the outset, who were your champions and where were your obstacles?4. How did you decide to build something in-house as opposed to going to a third party vendor?5. What are the primary features of your tool and what aspects are you still looking to build out?6. Who references and utilizes the reports?7. How are you continuing to drive engagement with the tool? Any ongoing challenges?Moderator:@Kristin Rhodes - Senior Practice Manager, Paul Hastings LLP
Speaker:@Melissa Prince - Chief Client Value and Innovation Officer, Ballard SpahrRecorded on 10-07-2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Attorney Task Management: Beyond LPM
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
We've seen an increasing number of requests for help around task management that go beyond traditional legal project management tools. Associates wants to see everything assigned to them, and be able to manage it without partners seeing how they're doing so. Partners want to see tasks they’ve assigned across clients and matters. The problem seems like one that should be easily solved with technology, but when you dig into the issues, you realize that no one has a good solution. What is getting in the way of delivering a task management solution that works for attorneys?Questions Holly will be asking Floor:1. Firms have tried using a lot of different technologies to help associates manage their tasks and give partners insight into status, but most of these efforts haven’t been successful. Why is this so difficult to solve?2. Oftentimes, when we hear from attorneys on this topic, the conversation starts with them saying “I want this technology”, but we know that if a technology could solve the issue we wouldn’t be having this conversation. How can we have a more productive conversation with our attorneys, not just on this topic, but generally?3. The term ‘innovation’ gets used a lot, but again, it often seems to be used when discussing technological solutions. What would be a better way of having a conversation about innovation?
Moderator: @Holly Hanna - KM Firm Solutions Manager, Perkins CoieSpeaker:@Floor Blindenbach -Founder & CEO, Organizing4Innovation
Recorded on 09-23-2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Connecting the Dots - People, Process, Tech
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
In today’s world, purchasing technology is no longer a sure fire way to solve a business problem. In addition to the right technology you need to have the right people, following the right process and leveraging the right technology to solve the complex business problems law firms are facing. But how do you connect these three concepts within your organizations? Listen to this discussion with Rachel Shields Williams from Sidley Austin and Debbie Foster from Affinity Consulting Group.
Questions Rachel will ask Debbie:· What is the secret to connecting people, process and technology in today’s modern law firm.· Is there one part of the “People, Process, and Technology” that leaders should focus on more? Or do you see people focus one more than the other?· Common pit falls when trying to connect the dots?· What is one piece of advice that you would give to anyone trying to connect the dots?
Moderator:@Rachel Shields Williams - Director, Knowledge Management, Sidley Austin LLPSpeaker:@Debbie Foster - Partner, Affinity Consulting Group
Recorded on 09-19-2022
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
Tuesday Sep 13, 2022
In this podcast, the speakers discuss using data appropriately in the legal sphere, and thinking creatively about what various data sources within your firm or organization can tell you.Questions Harriet will ask the speakers:· Big picture: How do we make sure data is useable, accessible/findable, and consistent across departments?· On the topic of so-called “dark” data: what are some uses cases from other industries that we should think about applying to the legal industry? In other words, how can we mine data that’s already being collected and make better/new use of it?· What are some ways in which we can convince groups to share their data for the greater good? How can we get buy-in from the average partner/shareholder to share their data across the firm, to ultimately enable trend-spotting and proactive action, rather than simply using data to tell retrospective stories?Moderator:@Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes - Process Innovation Senior Specialist, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Speakers:@Lisa Gardner - Director of Data Analytics, Shearman & Sterling@Paul Giedraitis - Principal, Axiom Consulting Partners/Orgaimi
Recorded on 09-13-2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Marketing and IT: How a Communicative Relationship can Yield Valuable Results
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Technology is changing how firms operate and there is a need for more collaboration between the marketing and technology teams to achieve shared goals.
In this collaborative podcast between the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) and the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), four seasoned marketing and technology experts discuss their organizational structures, the importance of establishing effective and open communication processes between departments, and share stories in which these efforts resulted in successful projects.
After listening to this 30-minute podcast, you will learn practical tips on how to work together effectively and take away examples that can be implemented for your own success.
Both ILTA and LMA recognize that collaboration can only add value and aim to continue this discussion with additional content through the rest of 2022. Keep an eye out, share this podcast with a colleague and let us know what think!Recorded July 2022Speakers: @Ali Shahidi@Britton Choi@Erin Meszaros@Michelle Woodyear
Moderated By:@Tara Patterson
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Outside counsel guidelines (OCG) are becoming more sophisticated and, at times, cumbersome. What are the provision pitfalls to avoid? What tools are available to manage the volume of OCGs across the firm and to help ensure compliance? Is there room for negotiation with clients? Join us for an open discussion with the GC community regarding the risks associated with not properly vetting and monitoring OCGs.Questions Daniel will ask speaker:· What difficulties are you seeing firms have in dealing with Outside Counsel Guidelines?· What tools are available to assist with management of the guidelines?· Do you see the need for changes in workflows related to the guidelines?Moderator:@Daniel Wood - Director of Counsel Assistance, Womble Bond DickinsonSpeaker:@Brynmor Bowen - Practice Group Leader, Legal Risk, IntApp
Recorded on 07-25-2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Case Study: Making a Practicing Attorney Drive an Innovation Project
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Most lawyers are enthusiastic about innovation projects, until they are put in charge. The toll it could take on their billable hours, the risk of attaching their reputation to an innovation project, and simply the work itself can all be overwhelming. For that reason, they usually prefer to let someone else to innovate for them.In this interview session, we will highlight how a practicing attorney was convinced to get involved in an innovation project, what support was provided to help her succeed, and what she did to solve her own problem – to the benefit of the entire firm – within the time span of 4 months.Questions Barbara will ask speakers:1) Tell us in short about your project and how was it different from the others that you did in the past.2) What made you say yes to this program?3) What were the biggest challenges and takeaways from going through this process?4) What do you think law firms can do to encourage more practicing attorneys to get involved in projects like this?5) What are the benefits of having practicing attorneys involved in innovation projects and why doesn’t it happen very often?
Moderator:@Barbara Gondim Da Rocha - Head of Knowledge Management and Innovation, RMS Advogados
Speakers:@Floor Blindenbach - Founder & CEO, Organizing4InnovationMayna Felix - Lawyer, RMS Advogados
Recorded on 06-28-2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Data and the Strategic Business Decision
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
More and more law firms are turning to analyzing their data to drive business decisions. What is the main driver behind this and what do firm leaders see data providing today that would help make decisions? In addition, we will discuss in this interview what types of data should they be looking at and what tools are or should they be using?Questions that Tracey will ask speakers:-What is the main driver behind more and more law firms turning to analyzing their data to drive business decisions?-What do firm leaders see data providing today that would help make decisions?-What types of data should they be looking at?-What tools are or should they be using?
Moderator:@Tracey Pardo - IS Improvement and Reporting Analyst, Cooley LLP
Speakers:@Royale Price - Director of Pricing and Matter Management, Greenberg TraurigKatie Styler - Principal, Axiom Consulting Partners
Recorded on 06-24-2022