Legal Tweets

Tidbits from the Law Firm Leadership Conference #lflc

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: As lawyers we tend to romanticize our profession--idealize it. We can continue to uphold dignity of it, but accept reality

Rotenberg: #LFLC Susskind: traditional lawyers will always be needed for deep expertise and complex communication

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: If you an see ways you can work differently, you should do it bec if you don't, your competitors will

jordan_law21: Susskind: Five-stage progression of legal work: bespoke (customized), standardized, systematized, packaged, and commoditized (free): #lflc

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: The drive towards commoditization pre-dates the economic downturn

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: If non-lawyers controlled the delivery of legal services, things would (will) look much different

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Disruptive technology--new technologies may not help us as lawyers-they disrupt the way we work-but can't ignore them

ARotenberg: #LFLC: Susskind: need to look at multi sourcing, client facing technology, collaboration, and e-learning

jordan_law21: Susskind: Decomposing legal tasks into divisible blocks, ask: what's best way to execute each block? #lflc

jordan_law21: Susskind: Litigation is: doc review, research, project mgmt, lit. support, e-discovery, strategy, tactics, negotiation, advocacy... #lflc

ARotenberg: #LFLC: Susskind: project management lies at the heart of the legal industry of the future

ARotenberg: #LFLC: Susskind: Axion providing 'lease a lawyer' system. Experienced, cheaper lawyers providing expertise on a contract basis for less cost

ARotenberg: #LFLC Susskind: future of legal services lies in giving access to the firm's internal knowledge systems

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Most important business impact 4 lawyers-new ways of delivering legal services-virtual law office, turn knowledge into value

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Knowledge management used to be internal issue--now external--sharing knowledge with clients

ARotenberg: #LFLC: Susskind: Firms should take a cue from British Airways- investment in technology is on the client side, not internally

jordan_law21: Lamb: "This will be too hard" is lawyerly response. Ask instead: "How can I be 1st to change and profit therefrom?" #lflc

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: It's not about pricing differently--it's about working differently. (!!!)

ARotenberg: #LFLC Maclean: innovative law firm fee calculator: http://bit.ly/2h3RJ9

nikiblack: #lflc MacLean: Clients don't care about ur profit, cost--they only care about the cost/value to them

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Any lawyer who takes time to research tech agrees that it changes legal practice-those who disagree are reacting emotionally

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Lawyers should be responding to new challenges by embracing emerging technologies, not ignoring them

ARotenberg: #LFLC Susskind: new jobs for lawyers will emerge- eg. legal risk managers, legal process analysts, legal knowledge engineers

ARotenberg: #LFLC Susskind: Newbies don't need to do routine tasks hundreds of times in the name of education. Don't confuse exploitation with training

ARotenberg: #LFLC Lamb: Younger third of the firm is less attached to status quo. Give them the opportunity to lead the charge to change

nikiblack #lflc Susskind: e-learning. ... Why don't we use online learning as we should (I say--#SPU anyone?)

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: Talking about Twitter and its value to lawyers because their clients are on it, if for no other reason.

nikiblack: #lflc Susskind: The enemy who kills you doesn't look like you.

David Boies Keynote Speech at Inside Counsel's SuperConference

adriandayton: How do we adapt our legal practices to hard times? Keynote by David Boies #superconference

• adriandayton: Price leadership and practice leadership is historically defined by just a few firms. This is starting to change #superconference

• adriandayton: Law is a profession where innovation is not prized. #superconference

• karencariello: David Bowes @ #superconference One hinderance of legal profession is that it moves on precedent not innovation

• adriandayton: Lawyers don't ask "Whats the best way?" they instead ask "What has been done in the past" #superconference

• adriandayton: It is becoming unacceptable for attorneys to say "I don't know how much this is going to cost you" #superconference

• karencariello: Alt fees encourage efficiency and effectiveness and align law firm interests w/client #superconference

• adriandayton: Alts to the billable hour? Contingency fees are being used for huge clients like American Express. #superconference

• adriandayton: Even better- success fees, bonus for summary judgment or other dismissal. This is great incentive for attorneys. #superconference

• adriandayton: Our happiest clients (multi million $) have some variation of a contingency arrangement. #superconference

• karencariello: Boies: "Hourly rate exists because lawyers and clients are lazy" #superconference

• adriandayton: question: how about an hourly billable rate the decreases the longer litigation drags on? #superconference

Virtual law offices, the economic downturn & the do-it-yourself mentaility.

@StephKimbro: RT @mhtweets: In downturn, more people acting as own lawyers: http://is.gd/rLTe so what can legal profession do to help? Me: VLO option.

• GrantGriffiths: My prediction - in “this economy” virtual offices/home offices and VA’s are going to become a key factor

• ageorgialawyer: @GrantGriffiths @StephKimbro: Legal Prof can help: Making web sites current, having site in plain english/giving folks a reason 2 call

• stephkimbro: @ageorgialawyer I agree. Using simplified language would be great start. It shouldn't be so hard for general public to help themselves.

• TMarieHilton: RT @GrantGriffiths: My prediction - in “this economy” virtual offices/home offices and VA’s are going to become a key factor. - I agree !

• JimmyVerner: @GrantGriffiths Unless cases are really simple, most people who do own divorces screw them up, so lawyers have to clean up mess afterward.

• SandraSingerEsq: @GrantGriffiths People act as own lawyer because they cant afford a lawyer. If legal prof wants to help they have to provide more pro bono

• GrantGriffiths: @SandraSingerEsq and @JimmyVerner - I agree with you both. And that is exactly where a VLO can come into help.@StephKimbro has great program

Richard Susskind's Keynote Speech at ABA #Techshow

ltrc: Waiting for Susskind keynote to start - big crowd. #techshow

• elizabeth627: Legal terrain will be radically different post current economic legal meltdown. Susskind #techshow

• stevematthews: #techshow Susskind: "Firms need to pay attention to KM. And not just pay lip service to the concept"

• jordan_law21: #techshow Susskind: clients want fence at top of cliff, not ambulance at bottom. Yup: preventive legal services is the future of lawyering.

• allisonshields: Susskind: What's exciting about tech is not automating what you were doing b4, but allowing you to do things you couldn't do b4 #techshow

• nikiblack: Keynote--Susskind: Be proactive-invent the future-make it happen. Very @garyvee-esque;) -#techshow

• edscanlan: "Innovation is when you use technology to do things that were previously not possible" Richard Susskind @totalattorneys agrees! #techshow

• nikiblack: Susskind--clients want more for less--challenge in next 10 yrs for lawyers--so true. IMO--tech. helps you provide that. #techshow

• @LexConf: Richard Susskind on technology: best when used to innovate, not automate. #techshow

• nikiblack: Susskind: SOme version of social networking will come to dominate the way prof. services are delivered. ABSOLUTELY.

• jordan_law21: #techshow Susskind branded heretic in '96 for saying lawyers would someday always use email (ironically,lawyers may end up last to use it)

• MarkRosch: Susskind sez "the lawyer's 1st port of call for information" is the Internet #techshow

• stevematthews: #techshow Susskind: "two competing online services, even between large firms, create a commodity - race to zero $$" Great stuff!

• @david_bilinsky: #TECHSHOW Susskind: Online legal services is the future.

• allisonshields: Susskind: "Bespoke" [customized] legal work dominates 'romantically' in minds of lawyers, but doesn't align with reality #techshow

• DavidWms: Not @ #techshow, but for Susskind, isn't virtually all litigation either "bespoke" services or, if not, likely malpractice?

• GabeAcevedo: Susskind: As we move from customization to commoditizationn quality goes up #techshow

• MarkRosch: Susskind: clients want more predictable costs for legal services #techshow

• goclio: Susskind's talk has been fantastic for sub-140 character sound bites. How long b4 this is done deliberately? #TECHSHOW

• debbiefoster: #techshow - susskind predicts...small firms be ready...lots of work now going to big firms coming your way!

• GabeAcevedo: Susskind: Project Management central to legal services #techshow.

• nikiblack: Susskind Basically just said lawyers are full of themselves--they're too "important" to use tech. So true! #techshow

• gregorybell: When 1desktop machine soon has proc. power of the brains of all humanity it MAY be time 4 lawyers 2 rethink approach. Susskind at #techshow

• edscanlan: Overheard "Susskind is the British Yoda of law" :) #techshow

• @nikiblack: Susskind: Tech is enjoying exponential growth. About to experience unimaginable growth and devlopment. #techshow

• allisonshields: Susskind: no reason to think legal world will be unaffected by changes, esp. accelerated technology changes #techshow

• awfirmblogger: Susskind: Social networking is the next generation of email. If you're not connected, your competition will be. #techshow

• stevematthews: #techshow Susskind: "Twitter is not a passing fad" -- Ok he is crazy. ;)

• nikiblack: Susskind: Suggests social network of solos could innovate and take over many areas law firms now handle #techshow

• stephkimbro: Thinking that the attorneys that really need to hear the ideas in Susskind's speech are not the ones attending #techshow.

• conradsaam: "Its the end of many or most lawyers as we know them" - Susskind #techshow

• stevematthews: #techshow Susskind: "online bidding tools for the sale of legal services will happen". Can see this, but not necessarily a good thing, IMO.

• nikiblack: Susskind: Over next decade--fundamental change in market. Legal services as we know them will be unrecognizable. #techshow

• denniskennedy: Hey, I actually liveblogged the Susskind keynote session. See what you think at http://bit.ly/jd6wN (expand) #techshow

• nerinopetro: Susskind sees an incremental revolution in the legal industry. He's wrapping things up - great session! #TECHSHOW

Is the legal profession changing or are we fooling ourselves?

nikiblack: Q: Is the legal profession in the midst of change or are those of us active online seeking to change it because we don't like it as is?

• nikiblack: In other words-are all of us online legal tech "evangelists" really just square pegs tired of trying to conform our squareness to roundness?

• LegalAdmin: @nikiblack I think the legal profession is just hitched to "precedent" and thus has always stuggled with advancing new ideas.

• SmartWoman: @nikiblack You & your leading edge legal cohorts are blazing a trail long needed. Square peg to square slots, round pegs for round holes!

• DebraSnider: @nikiblack The latter for sure, but the former I doubt. Incredible how incremental legal profession changes have been over last 15 years.

• adesalvo: @nikiblack "evangelists" are those who's expectations have been exceeded within a product or service.

• sheehank: @nikiblack even if we are, couldn't the legal profession use a little change and diversity? I would say too: old way = square, new = round

• Rickon: @nikiblack: Change because we don't like it. Case in point, alternatives to billables more present online than in real life.

Legal Recession's Effect on Law Professors

walterolson: Conflicting data on prevailing salaries for senior lawprofs, but all seem to agree it's more than for federal judges http://is.gd/ewUG

• carolynelefant: @walterolson As biglaw becomes less stable & salaries decline, law profs will also take a hit. At least, that's my view.

• nikiblack: @carolynelefant @walterolson Re: law prof salaries-I think they'll stay stable-people go to grad school when economy declines so more demand

• walterolson: @nikiblack @carolynelefant Higher ed a bit like health care without the efforts at cost containment -- wonder if law schools will differ

• jmilles: @nikiblack Also, look at the market: law schools get hundreds of apps for every fac job, and we're still able to hire Yale JDs with PhDs.