I hate it when people talk about dysfunctional families. That suggests there are functional ones, but I sure haven’t seen one yet.
Smokeball, a cloud-based legal practice management software provider, today released its 2024 State of the Law Report. It reveals some pretty scary findings about smaller law firms and their lack of knowledge of fundamental business principles. The
Continue Reading Smokeball Report Reveals a Dysfunctional View of Business and Technology by Smaller Law Firms
Every now and then, I publish guest posts. I’m especially thrilled to offer the following posts for a couple of reasons. First, it is written by the esteemed and well-known plaintiffs’ lawyer, Jeffery Kimmel. His bio is at the end of the post but suffice it to say he’s a talented plaintiffs’ lawyer and author who frequently appears as an
Continue Reading Guest Post: Innovative Advancements: How Plaintiff Attorneys Use Technology and Work Processes Differently
Thomson Reuters announced several new generative artificial intelligence tools and platforms earlier this week. I had the privilege of attending a press briefing hosted by Thomson Reuters in advance of the announcement. Thomson Reuters personnel discussed the new products and offerings and allowed several of us to try them out. The presentations and products were impressive.
Several articles review these
Continue Reading Thomson Reuters Unveils Next-Gen AI Tools with a Vision for the Future
A recent Major Lindsay & Africa Survey shows a startling gap between law firm management and law firm associates. Major Lindsay & Africa is a legal search firm that conducted its study at the beginning of 2023.
Here are some results that should cause management to take notice:
Continue Reading Law Firm Associate Expectations: What Law Firms Need to Know. And Do
For years, many of us toiling away in law firms thought that life would be so much better as an in-house counsel. You didn’t have to bill time; you didn’t have billable hour quotas. You didn’t have to hustle business. Life would be so much simpler.
But a couple of recent surveys pretty clearly confirm that the grass is seldom
Continue Reading The Harsh Reality of Being In-House Counsel: An Opportunity for Outside Lawyers?
I was recently a guest on a podcast called Discussions at the Round Table. The podcast is put on by the Round Table Group. The Group is a premier expert referral service. It locates, vetts, and engages expert witnesses in complex litigation matters. I was asked to talk about my work as a practicing lawyer with experts over
Continue Reading Unlocking Success in Complex Litigation: 10 Essential Strategies for Lawyers and Experts
In the ever-evolving legal technology landscape, innovation has become synonymous with progress. Clio, a leading provider of cloud-based legal technology, has taken a significant step forward for one market segment by recognizing the specialized needs of personal injury law firms and lawyers. The product is called Case Management Software for Personal Injury Firms. The product is an add-on
Continue Reading Clio’s Personal Injury Case Management Software: Tailoring Innovation to Meet Legal Needs
Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
With all the hype over GenAI, the metaverse, the digital world where people/avatars can mingle, has been largely forgotten. After all, the notion of working in teams of cartoonish avatars seemed unlikely at best. And silly at worst, particularly for any business purposes. No one seemed interested in dealing face to face with an
Continue Reading The Metaverse and Blockchain for Legal: We’re Back
There’s little doubt that In today’s rapidly evolving legal landscape, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal is poised to change the way lawyers operate. Clio’s unveiling of Clio Duo, a multifaceted AI tool designed to assist legal professionals, raises some interesting questions about the future of the legal profession, what constitutes success and how being a good
Continue Reading Clio’s New AI Tools: Transforming Legal Practice and Redefining Legal Success?
I recently attended RelativityFest put on by the ediscovery software provider, Relativity. Relativity is one of the largest discovery software providers. RelativityFest is its extravagant user conference. This year’s version was in Chicago.
According to Relativity, there were some 1793 attendees at this year’s show, which was the 14th annual one. In the Keynote, Relativity’s new CEO, Phil Saunders
Continue Reading RelativityFest 2023: The Evolution of Ediscovery Technology
They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4
Like so many things, whether you love or hate remote work depends on how you look at it. Do you look at the remote work phenomenon and see multiple problems? Do you
Continue Reading Remote Work and Law Firms: A Glass Half Full
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Want to be a successful lawyer? Think Jimmy Buffett. Wait…what???
Like many of you, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Jimmy Buffett last week. He was a phenomenal artist and a cultural icon. He was a singer, a writer, and an author, among other things. His music, in many ways, was the
Continue Reading Wasted Away In Margaritaville: A Lesson for Lawyer Marketing
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According to various reports, a recent survey from Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group revealed some surprises. It’s been reported for the first six months of 2023, the legal headcount is up 3.9%, but billable hours are down. Significantly down. Wells Fargo surveyed over 130 law firms, including 68 AmLaw 100 firms. The Specialty
Continue Reading The Decline of Billable Hours and the Unproductive Partner Dilemma
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
Every time I turn around, there’s another astounding and confounding assault on our rights. This time, it was the Fifth Circuit stepping in to ensure that our right against unreasonable search and seizure stops cold at the border.
On August 15, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a remarkable and
Continue Reading Your Constitutional Protection Against Unreasonable Search and Seizure? It Ends at the Border
The effect will be to handicap DEI efforts, at the cost of business independence and even if sound business reasons exist for inclusion.
The American Alliance for Equal Rights last week sued two law firms, Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster. Edward Blum heads the Alliance. Blum also headed one of the groups that brought the case against Harvard. That
Continue Reading The Next Salvo in the War Against DEI Has Just Been Fired. And It Focuses on Law Firms