Digital Reef is hosting a webinar later today exploring best practices for managing new social media information sources in preparation for mandated ediscovery requests. The webinar is the first installment of the company’s series of discussions on ediscovery preparation and compliance, and will focus on this issue from the perspective of general counsel.
Digital Reef Webinar: Tuesday, August 31, 1:00pm EDT/6:00pm UK time
Social media within the corporate network: Discussion & best practices with legal counsel in the Fortune 500
Legal counsel from CISCO Systems, and Mayer Brown, will be joined by Landmark Ventures’ chief information security officer to have an interactive discussion on the growing risks enterprises face as they increasingly integrate social media into their communications pipeline. Panelists will share their insights on how organizations can best protect themselves within the unfamiliar area of new information streams infiltrating the corporate network, and how to navigate and manage these streams for purposes of ediscovery.
The one hour webinar will provide participants with ways to better manage related content on Social Media and Social Networking sites, along with Personal Messaging Repositories, in anticipation of discovery requests. Panelists will offer their advice on preventative measures organizations can implement to avoid being liable for unapproved content existing in an information stream that may be undiscovered.
Panelists include:
· Michael Lackey (Partner, Mayer Brown)
· Van Dang (Vice President, Law & Deputy General Counsel, CISCO Systems)
· Robert Gallucci (CISO, Landmark Ventures)
To register for the webinar go to www.digitalreefinc.com/resources/webinars/social-media/
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Tuesday, August 31
Webinar today on social media & ediscovey
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 31 Aug 2010 11:00 BST
High levels of litigation risk reported
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 31 Aug 2010 09:06 BST
According to the results of research released by ZyLAB (www.zylab.co.uk) today, 88% of FTSE 100 companies are at risk of litigation due to their susceptibility to a number of risk factors, including a history of litigation, operating in litigation-heavy areas, and being directly consumer-facing, with almost a quarter (24%) found to be ‘high risk’ across industries including energy, travel and pharmaceutical.
The research assessed each FTSE 100 company’s vulnerability to ten key risk factors, a mix of industry and company-specific considerations previously known to heighten the chance of litigation, and then each company was given a score out of ten. (Companies that scored 1-3 were identified as ‘low risk’, 4-6 as ‘medium risk’ and 7-10 as ‘high risk’.) Key drivers for assessing this risk and preparing effectively include the ability to prevent legal and accounting fees which have cost companies like Siemens £850m (see report http://www.forbes.com/global/2010/0607/companies-payoffs-washington-extortion-mendelsohn-bribery-racket_2.html) in a bid to determine whether it had violated anti-corruption regulations. Other key findings from the research include: • Energy companies in the FTSE 100 scored the highest risk rating, averaging 7.75 out of 10, closely followed by travel (7.5) and pharmaceutical companies (7.5), partly driven by the heightened risk of providing consumer services and products and operating in an environmentally sensitive area, which was only recently demonstrated by BP being sued £3bn for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Finance companies also scored highly (7), which could be down to increased market volatility and heavy regulation, following the recent banking crisis. • Almost two thirds (62%) of the FTSE 100 have previously been sued or initiated legal action, highlighting the increasingly litigious environment, and with 65% of the FTSE 100 having US offices and 88% global operations, this inclination to sue could get worse in line with the highly litigious nature of the US and complexities of international legal requirements. • 92% of the FTSE 100 were found to have disparate information channels across the business eg twitter, email and paper, and with the growing use of non-searchable multimedia platforms like YouTube and technologies which move data outside the organisation, such as cloud computing, organisations could be storing up a huge problem if requested to provide information to meet legal requirements. • Almost a quarter (21%) of FTSE 100 companies have a lower share price today than they did a year ago, indicating increased pressure from shareholders to improve the financial position of the company. In line with Fulbright’s 2009 Litigation Trends Report which revealed that “repercussions from the economic downturn are chief among the reasons for expecting more litigation”, increased financial pressure could imply these FTSE 100 companies are more inclined to take out legal action for cases that otherwise might be more easily resolved. • Only 12% of FTSE 100 companies were judged to be ‘low risk’, with real estate and retail companies amongst the lucky few. With international budget cuts affecting revenue opportunities and diminishing consumer spending power, these organisations could however find themselves rapidly moving into higher risk categories. Monday, August 30
Westlaw Next - now on the iPad
by
Charles Christian
on Mon 30 Aug 2010 10:51 BST
Thomson Reuters has optimized its new legal research system WestlawNext, specifically for iPad users. The new iPad app is available at the App Store free of charge to all current subscribers of WestlawNext. Westlaw say iPad users will experience all the power, performance and ease of use of WestlawNext, just as if they were at their desktops or laptops, and the app has been designed to take advantage of the iPad’s large display and Multi-Touch screen.
The Westlaw say the app transforms the iPad into a powerful tool for the legal profession. Offering comprehensive features and legal content, the WestlawNext iPad app always reflects the current status of the law and is the only app for legal research that synchronizes with a customer’s desktop and any smartphone. “With the WestlawNext iPad app, attorneys can tap into their research from anywhere and all of their research is synchronized across Web-enabled devices,” said James Jarvis, senior director of Westlaw Product Design. “Whether an attorney is now working on a BlackBerry, an iPhone, a laptop or an iPad, they can continue to build on the research they’ve already started.” The functionality and increased screen size of the iPad allows users to perform a range of easier tasks such as finding, viewing and sending documents, which many mobile users can perform with smartphones, as well as more complex tasks that have been built into WestlawNext, such as organizing research into folders and conducting advanced searches. Researchers also can use the touch screen to scroll through search results, reorganize their folders and highlight text in documents relevant to their research. “When we talk with lawyers, most say they wouldn’t do more than five minutes of research on their smartphone,” said Andy Martens, senior vice president of New Product Development for Thomson Reuters, Legal. “The iPad is a device where we can see attorneys comfortably doing an hour or more of comprehensive research.” The introduction of WestlawNext for iPad is another addition to an entire mobile ecosystem that Thomson Reuters Legal is creating for WestlawNext subscribers. “The WestlawNext iPad app is the latest example of an ongoing commitment to enhance the capabilities of WestlawNext and fundamentally improve the research experience for legal professionals,” Martens adds. “Today, we are providing our customers the research tools they need to create a more desirable research experience, increase their productivity and provide the confidence that their research is as complete and thorough as it can possibly be.” http://west.thomson.com/westlawnext/useit/mobile/ipad.aspx Friday, August 27
Something for the weekend - technology is the pits
by
Charles Christian
on Fri 27 Aug 2010 13:40 BST
In the words of the Bjork song "It's so quiet" with the long weekend approaching. In fact the only sounds to be heard are the groans and whimpers of jet-lagged and hungover visitors to ILTA returning home after a hard week's partying in Las Vegas. Sorry, that should read 'a hard week's working and networking in Las Vegas'.
However we do have news of one stunning piece of technology innovation to report from Odegon (see what they have done there - odour gone - get it?) namely iron-on patches that will help fight under-arm body odour – which we guess is probably more convenient than hanging an air-wick there. Actually we think Odegon are missing a trick here and should sell self-adhesive patches so you can slap them onto someone else whose BO is wifting unchecked. Would be ideal when attending crowded conferences, stuck on long-haul flights or in a crowded awards ceremony, where you also have to contend with the mothball smell of hired dinner jackets. www.odegon.com Anyway, here is an animated GIF of penguin bashing – makes us laugh (tho that's not surprising as we've just been described as a malicious red-top – red? orange surely – by a subsidiary of a recruitment consultancy).  And CaseCentral has sent us another cartoon revealing the questions worrying litigation lawyers in the coming weeks.  Have a good weekend. Thursday, August 26
Harper Macleod report success with Pilgrim auto-billing
by
Charles Christian
on Thu 26 Aug 2010 12:42 BST
Scottish commercial law firm Harper Macleod has recently overhauled its billing system by significantly increasing the use of Pilgrim LawSoft Auto Billing. Bills are now generated automatically by LawSoft, which provides a seamless, consistent and transparent process that allows clients to receive their documentation faster. By removing the manual steps in the billing process, the margin for human error is also removed, meaning communications with clients are always accurate.
Gary Sorley, Information Systems Director, comments “Harper Macleod has always been known as a law firm with a business mind and that’s why we’re continually investing in our technology and systems. LawSoft is another integral part of our vision to better serve our clients and improve efficiencies.” Nicola White, Harper Macleod’s Operations Director, adds “By introducing LawSoft Auto Billing, we’ve made substantial time savings. Less time spent on billing administration is more time spent serving our clients – which is the most important goal for us. It is suitably flexible to be applied to a range of different clients and different departments with confidence. We aim to achieve near 100% auto billing in the coming year.”
Farrer & Co reports on its Streamline implementation
by
Charles Christian
on Thu 26 Aug 2010 09:00 BST
LexisNexis today announced that London-based Farrer & Co LLP, has implemented its first bespoke international networking solution using the LexisNexis Streamline best-of-breed rapid application development platform. This new solution, developed to support the ‘Farrer International Lawyer Network’ programme, is improving Farrer & Co’s international networking ability by allowing the firm to actively develop relationships with lawyers across the globe for potential collaboration opportunities.
Farrer & Co has used the rapid developmental capabilities offered by the LexisNexis Streamline platform to customise its LexisNexis InterAction CRM, within which all the international lawyer network contacts reside. An early adopter of LexisNexis Streamline, Farrer & Co chose the solution for its unrestricted developmental capabilities, flexible workflow, document assembly and powerful systems integration ability. “LexisNexis Streamline is a good complement to our existing technology systems,” Neil Davison, Head of Information Technology, Farrer & Co LLP, commented. “It offers us the ability to easily enhance and extend the functionality of our existing applications. This platform also provides us with the capability to quickly and cost effectively develop new solutions in response to market demand, which is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving legal business environment. In the long run, we will maximise the return on our technology investments.” Utilising the standard ‘Development Frameworks’ offered by LexisNexis Streamline, which enables firms to extend the functionality of their existing best-of-breed applications, Farrer & Co has leveraged the LexisNexis InterAction Framework to broaden the ‘contact creation’ process of its CRM solution. The firm has redeveloped the LexisNexis InterAction ‘new contact wizard’, adding new information fields for data capture such as area of expertise of lawyers, the countries they reside in the specific legal networking groups they belong to and history of collaborative work undertaken by Farrer & Co’s lawyers with international lawyers and firms. This data, captured via a single web interface, is increasing the accuracy and enhancing the quality of information residing within LexisNexis InterAction. This information is also assisting the firm with new business development activities in other geographies. The wizard can be extended further, capturing more detailed information on expert witnesses and other specialised contacts. LexisNexis Streamline will play a crucial role in the firm’s long term IT strategy to bring together its core legal applications to reduce operational inefficiencies and deliver enhanced client service. The solution will create a seamless, integrated business environment by linking together the firm’s existing best-of-breed applications including Aderant practice management system, OpenText document management system and InterAction CRM system along with its Microsoft SharePoint intranet. “With the Legal Services Act 2007 opening up the UK legal market, firms have the opportunity to expand their businesses across borders. However, the current economic climate coupled with increasing regulation means that firms need to operate in a more competitive, enterprise-like manner. Underpinning business with flexible, future-proof technology can help firms to achieve operational efficiency and devise innovative ways of working to meet growth targets. As an early adopter of technology, Farrer & Co is well ahead of the curve,” Tim Cheadle, General Manager, LexisNexis UK Enterprise Solutions, added. Using the LexisNexis Streamline platform, Farrer & Co has already commenced work to rationalise and automate the firm’s client and matter inception process. This project will be followed by the creation of a fee earner portal for client and matter management, which will give fee earners access to all relevant, contextualised information across the firm’s business systems, from a single user interface. The portal will eliminate the need for fee earners to log into disparate systems, enhancing productivity and ultimately improving client service. Wednesday, August 25
It's an IRIS world...
by
Charles Christian
on Wed 25 Aug 2010 10:50 BST
Here’s the full details & updated details on the ILUA annual conference and the IRIS Legal World events...
The ILUA (IRIS Legal Users Association) Annual conference and IRIS Legal World 2010 will show how practices and chambers can maximise their investment in IT to face the challenges ahead. IRIS Legal World commences with the 2 day ILUA Annual Conference (this event is run by the independent ILUA) before continuing with a one day agenda to Bristol, Manchester and finishing in London. The events have a mix of key note addresses and IRIS product update. More information can be found on www.iris.co.uk/legalworld Dates & Venues: IRIS Legal Users Association Annual Conference 4th and 5th October - Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Island, Leicester Registration 9.30am (for start 10am - 5.40pm) £295 (ILUA members) £395 (non ILUA members) full conference, dinner and accommodation 10 CPD £120 (ILUA members) £175 (non ILUA members), day delegate 6 CPD Further discounts are available for multiple delegates IRIS Legal World Registration 9.30am (for start 10am - 5.40pm) 12th October - Mercure Holland House Hotel, Bristol 13th October - The Palace Hotel, Manchester 19th October - Law Society, London Registration 9.30am (for start 10am - 5pm) £99 6 CPD ILUA Annual conference sessions include, key note addresses from Richard Cohen, Mike Warburton, Jane Jarman and Microsoft followed by in depth sessions on Marketing Law firms and chambers, cloud computing and a case study of IRIS client Banner Jones who have embraced the legal services changes and are benefitting from them already. IRIS and partners will also be giving product updates and demonstrations throughout the 2 days. The ILUA Conference provides an excellent opportunity to meet fellow IRIS users and to share common experiences particularly at the gala dinner on the 4th October. The one day IRIS Legal World sessions are a reduced version of the ILUA conference. They include, key note addresses from Richard Cohen, Neil Kinsella, Mike Warburton and Microsoft followed by in depth sessions on Marketing Law firms and chambers, cloud computing and a case study of IRIS client Banner Jones who have embraced the legal services changes and are benefitting from them already. IRIS and partners will also be giving product updates and demonstrations. Tuesday, August 24
FWBS claims 'designed for iPad' legal functionality first
by
Charles Christian
on Tue 24 Aug 2010 10:41 BST
FWBS claims it has taken a significant step beyond the current crop of legal apps-on-Citrix-on-iPad implementations with the new ‘designed for iPad’ version of the MatterSphere solution it launched earlier this year.
MatterSphere, which extends the FWBS MatterCentre’s focus to the cloud, providing law firms and legal departments with anywhere access to client and matter data, access via a rich graphical interface rather than HTML. The new iPad launch now means legal professionals can be provided with a rich user experience, utilising the latest in advanced touch screen technology to: • manage documents • time recording (both live and batch updating) • and firm wide search capabilities. Mark Craddock, FWBS sales & marketing director said “Utilising MatterCentre and MatterSphere technology through their iPad device will provide our customers with a competitive edge, and greater efficiency. The ability to remotely access firm wide client and matter data, time record, exchange and upload documents from external clients, and speed through their workloads, all through iPad’s innovative touch screen interface is set to provide greater scope for how legal professionals are able to work. “FWBS are delighted to be providing productivity gains to fee earners firm wide, with ease of adoption. The launch of MatterSphere, and its compatibility with the iPad devices, is the next step forward in MatterCentre’s continued development.” Monday, August 23
LexisNexis in document assembly deal with Business Integrity
by
Charles Christian
on Mon 23 Aug 2010 09:26 BST
LexisNexis UK and Business Integrity, a leading provider of document assembly solutions, today announced a strategic partnership to deliver complete document assembly services. Business Integrity’s ContractExpress document automation technology is to be used to power LexisNexis online services. This will allow LexisNexis customers to benefit from increased efficiencies in their document production processes, as well as protecting organisations from the risk of using out-of-date information.
The first product from this partnership will be the addition of the Lexis Smart automated precedents capability to Lexis PSL, the practical guidance solution providing legal intelligence to lawyers across all UK practices. Commenting on the announcement, Josh Bottomley, Managing Director of LexisNexis UK said: “This marks an exciting development for lawyers throughout the UK, and the next step in the delivery of our Legal Intelligence vision. Lexis PSL customers can now access LexisNexis expert content with the ease and simplicity of best-in-class document assembly. This will save them time and effort drafting documents and enable them to cover more issues, in more depth, adding more value to their end clients.” Richard Newton, VP Europe at Business Integrity added, “We are delighted to work with LexisNexis, and share their vision for the future of legal services. The combination of first-rate content and automated document creation offers lawyers a compelling solution to better meet their clients’ needs.” Available from September 2010 onwards, the new Lexis Smart capability will automate over 130 frequently-used precedents across nine practice areas, within the Lexis PSL practical guidance service. Using Q&A-style drafting, context-sensitive guidance and drop-down menus speeds up the process of document creation and also enables junior staff to handle more work, helping firms to increase their efficiency and profitability. Friday, August 20
Something for the weekend - lava lamp websites
by
Charles Christian
on Fri 20 Aug 2010 14:43 BST
Had an interesting exchange with a legal IT vendor about their new website. They asked me for their opinion about it. I told them. Turns out they didn't really want my opinion at all but just some gushing praise about its wonderfullness. It's not. The home page is like something from the bad old days of 1990s website design.
For example, they've got a mission statement on the first page that says customer care is central to everything and that they use the latest technologies and employ experienced developers. Well gosh, who'd have thought that? At the same time this prominent piece of website real estate says nothing to differentiate the vendor from its competition. And it also says nothing to appeal to users and prospects. OK, I don't expect them to say they make kick-ass software that will help law firms make shed-loads of money and still have their clients foaming with pleasure but... Oh yes, and given this is the year 2010, how come the only contact details on the home page are a telephone number? This is the digital age. There's a popular communications medium called email – why not have that up there in lights rather than make prospects have to click on a couple of more links to find it? I was discussing this phenomenon – that the vendors of technology are frequently cobblers children who are very bad at exploiting these same technologies to their own internal benefit – when he jokingly suggested that maybe the vendor had deliberately opted for a retro look? Fair enough – why don't they go one step further and put a lava lamp on the home page to get the full retro, kitsch effect? We're happy to entertain your guesses as to who this vendor is – and we're also happy to receive your nominations for the worst legal IT vendor website. Maybe we'll give the winner a lava lamp. Maybe. Meanwhile, here's a short video clip of a lava lamp... |
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