ILTA Voices

#0004: (CCT) Mastering Legal Ops: How to Get It Right and What Happens if You Don’t?

In this podcast the speakers will discuss how can legal operations teams work with each other on both sides of the client/law firm equation. What are best practices? How can a firm improve the client's experience? Moderator:@Damian Priamurskiy - Project Management & Delivery Specialist, Lowenstein Sandler LLP 
Speakers:@Julianne Kasprzyk - Paralegal Manager, Investment Management, Lowenstein Sandler LLP @Donald Knight - Director of Legal and Tax Operations, Crown Castle 
Recorded on 02-23-2024.

#0003: (CCT) Incorporating Large Language Models (LLMs) in the Legal Arena

In this podcast interview, the speaker will share experiences and challenges in utilizing Large Language Models in the legal arena. 
 
Questions the moderator asked the speaker:General -What are some of the key challenges that legal departments face in adopting and integrating LLMs into their workflows?  -How can legal departments overcome the initial resistance or skepticism that may exist towards using LLMs? -How can legal departments ensure that LLMs are being used responsibly and ethically, without perpetuating biases or producing inaccurate or misleading results?  People -How can legal departments train and empower their lawyers to use LLMs effectively? -How can LLMs be used to augment and complement the skills and expertise of lawyers, rather than replace them? -What are the potential long-term benefits of using LLMs in legal departments? Technology -What are the challenges of integrating LLMs with existing legal software and systems? -Provide examples of specific use cases (e.g., information governance, contract management review and drafting, eDiscovery, and/or R&C) -How can legal departments ensure that LLMs are aligned with security and privacy and regulatory compliance? Process What are the challenges of evaluating and selecting the right LLM for a specific legal task? How can legal departments ensure that LLMs are being used in a way that is aligned with their overall legal strategy? 
 
Moderator:
@Carolyn Robinson - Senior eDiscovery Paralegal, Bosch  
 
Speaker:
@Chistine Livingston - Managing Director of AI and IOT, Protiviti

#0002: (CCT) The Role of AI Powered Chatbots as Digital Research Assistants

Every firm currently struggles with making sure all of the knowledge in their organization is written down, up to date, and searchable.
In the future, chatbots could serve as a kind of automated research assistants for firm knowledge. They’d be responsible for answering questions by sourcing information from the right person, document and they could also be used to proactively record tacit knowledge into living documents by periodically interviewing key people about their progress on company initiatives.
 
In this podcast interview, we discussed the role of AI powered chatbots as digital research assistants and more.Moderator:@Alejandro Vallellanes - Former Senior Manager, Research and Information Alerts, Baker McKenzieSpeakers:@Stephanie Goutos - Practice Innovation Attorney, Gunderson Dettmer, L.L.P.@Avi Saiger - Practice Innovation Attorney, Gunderson Dettmer, L.L.P.@John Scrudato - Legal Engineering and Data Strategy Manager, Gunderson Dettmer, L.L.P.Recorded on 02-05-2024.

#0001: Joyous Leadership Series: Leadership Advice from Joy Heath Rush

Join ILTA CEO, Joy Heath Rush, and Sr. VP of Service Delivery, Dawn Hudgins, for the first episode in our new series: Joyous Leadership.

Legal Career Labyrinth: Navigating Your Unique Path in Law

In legal operations and other knowledge or practice management roles, there's often a lot less structure and clarity on the types of roles and career progression available in the industry. 
 
In this podcast session, we'll talk through some ways to first figure out what your options are, then how to get started down the path you want to be on, and where to turn for help when it's not available within your org. 
 
Questions the moderator asked the panelists  - Tell us a bit about your professional journey and when you were able to steer your own ship with regards to your roles within a law firm.  - What steps did you take and research did you have to do to clarify your vision for your next role?  - What were some ways that you were able to communicate with management/leaders to get them aligned with your goals and vision for your next career moves? - Did you run into any unexpected obstacles and how did you overcome them? Do you have any advice for others that may be seeking a change in their current role?
 
Moderator:Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes- Senior Project Manager, Legal Operations, CBRE
Panelists:  Danette Shaifer - Facilitator, Relationship Intelligence Coach, Learning Strategist, Florishion ConsultingAmy Wegener- Executive Coach and Consultant, AB Wegener LLC Esther Bowers - Chief Practice Innovation Officer, Honigman LLP
 
Recorded on 1-25-2024

”Shields Up” Developing Your Defenses Against Cyber Attacks!

In this podcast interview, the speaker will provide best cybersecurity practices for law firms. 
Questions the moderator will ask the speaker:
-Law firms deal with a treasure trove of sensitive client information. What are the top cybersecurity threats they face, and how can they effectively guard against them in today's ever-evolving threat landscape?-Considering the interconnected nature of legal systems and the vast amount of data transmission, how can law firms ensure the security of client data, both in transit and at rest? Are there specific encryption methods or best practices they should be implementing?-Phishing attacks and social engineering are persistent threats, especially with employees as potential entry points. What strategies or training programs do you recommend for law firms to protect their staff from falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated attacks?-In the unfortunate event of a cybersecurity incident, what steps should a law firm take in terms of incident response and recovery? How can they minimize the impact and get back on their feet as quickly as possible?-Employee training and awareness play a crucial role in any organization's cybersecurity strategy. How can law firms foster a security-conscious culture among their staff, and what ongoing training initiatives would you recommend?
Moderator: Kevin J. Foster, Sr., - Cybersecurity Operations Coordinator, White and Williams LLP 
Speaker: Dr. Eric Cole, Ph.D. - CEO & Founder of Secure Anchor
Recorded on 01-05-2024.

Women Who Lead: Nicki Kastellorizios-Lee and Marion Miller

In this session, Nicki C. Kastellorizios-Lee (IT Communication Manager at Perkins Coie) and Marion Miller (Senior Practice Knowledge & Innovation Manager at Fenwick) sat down with Catherine Monte and Jima Kato from our Women Who Lead (WWL) group to discuss their career journeys in the legal IT field.Co-Moderators:Catherine Monte - Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer, Fox Rothschild LLPJima Kato - Director, Knowledge Management & Innovation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPPanelists:Marion Miller - Senior Practice Knowledge & Innovation Manager, Fenwick Nicki C. Kastellorizios-Lee - IT Communications Manager, Perkins Coie LLP 
 

Legal Technology Trends in Corporate Legal Operations

In this podcast interview, we will feature the perspectives of thought leaders in legal operations and legal tech on how trends in technology are shaping the future of corporate legal operations. Questions the moderator will ask the speakers:
 
-What are the legal technology trends impacting corporate legal departments that you are seeing from your perspective?
-What are some of the practical ways in which legal operations teams can use generative AI? With more and more technology providers adding generative AI components into their solutions offerings and more law firms seeking to incorporate gen AI into their service models, what's the comfort level of corporate legal departments in terms of using AI and seeing it embedded in tools and legal services?
-How should the use of generative AI be governed by Outside Counsel Guidelines and vendor agreements? What are some core items legal departments should consider including in their guidelines and vendor agreements?
-The tagline about doing "more with less" is a constant refrain legal ops teams hear from leadership within their respective companies. What are some of the ways legal ops can better use the tech tools they already have, such as tools within the Microsoft 365 suite?
-What are some of the core trends you are seeing in terms of how corporate legal departments can use data more effectively? And what are some practical instances where data is being underutilized in legal departments?

Sitting in the Hot Seat: Extreme Ligitation Support

Trial Support is often not just for trials. It comprises of arbitrations, mediations, business development proposals, hearings on dispositive motions and/or an in-depth presentation to name a few.In this podcast panel interview, the panelists discussed the various types of presentations, tools, considerations, setup and tips and trick they use when sitting on the "hot seat." 
 
Questions that Jill asked the panelists:
1.         How did you get here (brief background of lit experience that led to wanting to be ‘in the hot seat’)? 
2.         How do you ‘market’ your skillset within the firm?   
3.         What are the presentation types/tools most used by you/your firm? 
4.         What are the most important considerations when determining which presentation type will be the best choice for the             forum? 
5.         What to do when technology fails? 
6.         What are some tips and tricks you’ve learned through your years sitting in the hot seat?Moderator:
@Jill Okerlund Pigeon- Legal Process Coordinator,  Robinson BradshawPanelists:
@Timothy Piganelli - CEO, The Piganelli Consulting Group, Inc.@Stephanie Mills - Manager, Discovery Services, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
@David Gomez - Practice Support Project Manager, Robinson BradshawRecorded 12-18-2023

No-One Talks About the F Word – Failing

Whether it is a technical implementation, a change management process or simply and idea that didn't work, we all have times when we fail but it is how we deal with it and what we learn from it that matters. In this podcast interview panel session, hear from two panelists on their worst respective experiences and how they overcame the adversity, setbacks and more.  
 
Questions the moderator will ask the speakers: 
-Tell me about your experience with the first project or process that you implemented  
-What challenges did you face? 
-What did you learn from it?
-Do you have some best practices or key takeaways that you can share?Moderator:
@Natasha Tucker - Director, Business Development Operations, Bennett Jones LLP
Speakers:
@Eric Feldman - Wiggin and Dana, Director of Innovation and Knowledge Management
@Rachel Shields Williams - Knowledge Management Enablement & Insights, Sidley Austin LLP

The Metaverse—A Conversation with a Law Firm with a Digital Asset Practice

Interested in learning more about the Metaverse and Digital Asset Practices and how they can affect your legal practice, stay tuned for an in-depth conversation with Nikki Shaver and partners from Falcon, Rappaport & Berkman LLP
Questions the moderator will ask the speakers:
-Falcon Rappaport opened an "office" in the metaverse. Can you explain to listeners what the metaverse is and why the firm decided to engage with it in this way?-Did you find it beneficial? Is it something you'd do again?-What is the crypto-economy and why would firms want to engage with it?
-Your firm accepts cryptocurrency. Can you discuss the benefit of doing so?
-There has been a misperception around crypto, for example that it's used for illegitimate transactions. Can you explain to listeners why legitimate law firm clients want to use it to pay their legal fees?-How do they even do that? (PayPal, Venmo, ATMs etc.)-Do you think it's short-sighted of firms NOT to offer cryptocurrency as a payment option (some firms still can't even offer credit card payments!)?
-Why did the firm decide to create this practice and what were the benefits of doing so?-Overall, do you two think the fact that your firm is open to doing things in new ways has opened new pathways for you and brought in clients you might not otherwise have had?-Is your firm also already exploring generative AI?
Moderator:Nikki Shaver, CEO and Co-Founder, LegalTech HUBSpeakers:Ken Falcon, Managing Partner, Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLPMoish Peltz, Partner, Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP
Recorded on 12-1-2023.