Law21 Twitter Updates- Lawyers don't want to hear about future of law involving automation: http://t.co/Hnj5K41e (kind words, smart observations by @ernieattorney)
Category Archives: Clients
The hyperlocal lawyer
You’ve seen plenty of references to the decline of traditional news media here, usually in the context of similar struggles in the legal marketplace. Instead of dwelling on that industry’s problems, however, here’s what looks like one of its future successes, and how it might have potentially profound applications to the law. It’s the rise [...]
Also posted in Solo & Small Firm 3 Comments
Law firms on demand
What if you could take a law firm, carve away all the parts of it you don’t like, and keep all the parts you did? What if, from the client perspective, you could get rid of high and rising prices, time-based bills, gratuitous overhead costs and unfamiliarity with your business? What if, from the lawyer [...]
Also posted in Big Firms, Talent 8 Comments
The rise of the responsible client
At its recent annual meeting in Boston, the Association of Corporate Counsel dropped a minor bombshell by announcing it had created a law firm rating system. In-house lawyers can now rate their outside law firms on six criteria: understanding of objectives/expectations, legal expertise, efficiency/process management, responsiveness/communication, predictable cost/budgeting skills, and results delivered/execution. Even if these [...]
Posted in Clients 9 Comments
The solution or the problem?
Last week brought news of three innovations that, each in their own way, aim to increase access to justice. It’s noteworthy that none of them came from lawyers. First is a report that for the first time in Canada, a third-party litigation funding company, BridgePoint Financial Services Inc., persuaded an Alberta trial judge to allow [...]
Also posted in Innovation 2 Comments
All good things…
My newest column is up and running at Slaw, where I’m always honoured it has a place. You can also find it directly below: ============================================ “Eighty percent of the poor in the United States are unable to afford a lawyer or find pro bono help for their civil legal problems, according to the American Bar [...]
Also posted in Purpose 2 Comments
Spend wisely
One of the reasons — maybe the main reason — why lawyers are so risk-averse is that averting risk is kind of the whole point of having lawyers. People hire us for two reasons: (a) to fix a problem that’s already occurred, or (b) to arrange things so as to minimize or eliminate the risk [...]
The three types of collaboration
There was a lot to take away from yet another excellent ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago last week. One thing I didn’t take away, though, was my laptop. I managed to lose it the night before leaving and spent a fruitless morning searching all over the Hilton Chicago hoping to find it. Happily for me (and [...]
Also posted in Collaboration 7 Comments
The corporate client disconnect
I’m coming to think that many corporate clients get the outside counsel fees and service they deserve. After reading this LegalWeek article about in-house lawyers’ predictions for 2009, I had to note the ongoing disconnect between what corporate law departments say is important to them and what they actually do. The article speaks with some [...]
Also posted in Innovation 4 Comments
What the recession will bring
My newest Law21 column is up at Slaw. Click the link to go read it, and then take some time to peruse all of Slaw’s other great posts and conversations at what Dennis Kennedy calls the best law blog in the business. As always, I’ll also post the article here. “Are we looking at a [...]
Also posted in Big Firms, Recession 2 Comments
Ready or not, here come the clients