The Future of Law: Dark Clouds or Silver Linings?

The proliferation of automated document review startups, client demands for more convenient and cost-sensitive service and the saturation of lawyers competing in the same marketplace are some of the well-publicized challenges and threats to the legal profession. However, lawyer adaptability to changes in information technology is one key to profitable…

Mar 31, 2012 6:03 PM CDT

ABA Techshow Speakers Share Top Must-Have Gadgets for Every Lawyer

One of the most popular ABA Techshow programs Friday offered a wide array of technology devices and software sure to please the inner tech geek in every lawyer. Speakers Lincoln Mead, IT director at the Utah State Bar, and Nerino Petro, a practice management advisor with the State Bar of…

Mar 31, 2012 11:20 AM CDT

Greater Access to Justice, Not Wall Street, Will Solve US Problems, Ben Stein Says in Keynote

ABA Techshow keynote speaker Ben Stein applauded technological advances that enable U.S. (and Canadian) lawyers to increase access to justice for their fellow citizens in a Friday session titled “The Life of Law is Not Logic But Experience.” Referring to the Constitution and the legal system it fosters as “the…

Mar 30, 2012 8:20 PM CDT

Panelists: Web Branding Should Assure Potential Clients You Can Meet Their Legal and Nonlegal Needs

Want to expand your Web presence beyond your basic website? Here are a few tried-and-true techniques, courtesy of Jeff Lantz, an Oro Valley, Ariz.-based lawyer and website developer, and Robert Ambrogi, a lawyer, journalist and legal technology expert from Rockport, Mass. Lantz and Ambrogi offered several practical and ethical tips…

Mar 30, 2012 6:48 PM CDT

Law Firms Must Get to the Rootkit of Security Breaches

Does your firm’s IT department know what a rootkit is? And, more importantly, are they prepared to defend sensitive client data from a host of extremely sophisticated and stealthy rootkit attacks launched by hackers, cybercriminals, rogue hacktivists and even foreign governments? The importance of boosting law firm defenses against these…

Mar 30, 2012 5:26 PM CDT

Don’t Let Fear Block Your Mobile Versatility

While synchronicity, security and data breach concerns are justified in these days of working on desktop, laptop, mobile phone and tablet, lawyers can reasonably protect sensitive data by taking a few fairly simple precautions, according to presenters at an ABA Techshow session Thursday titled, “Who’s on First: Keeping Workflow (and…

Mar 30, 2012 11:58 AM CDT

Hot Topic: Keeping Data Secure at the Coffee Shop

In an increasingly connected world, lawyers at a coffee shop, a hotel or the airport may jump online to check email, get some work done or send a tweet. But that freedom to access the Internet practically whenever and wherever we want carries risks from thieves, hackers and nosy neighbors—a…

Mar 30, 2012 11:41 AM CDT

Alt Fees Won’t Work Without Trust, Talk and Changes in Partner Comp

Whether fixed, value-based, discounted, phased or blended, successful alternative fee arrangements require greater trust and communication with clients and a closer look at revenue tracking and partner compensation systems. Identifying the most important values of each client when it comes to legal matters–whether it’s winning a case or monthly cash-flow…

Mar 29, 2012 8:55 PM CDT

A Sampling of Smart Litigation Management Tools

In today’s world, lawyers who don’t embrace the latest technology are not only shortchanging their clients and themselves. They may soon run afoul of their ethical obligations as well. That was the central premise behind an ABA Techshow presentation Thursday on new technologies that can enhance a lawyer’s practice without…

Mar 29, 2012 4:45 PM CDT

The Future of Law: Old-Fashioned Client Relationships and Warnings for Solos

New technology will drive the future of law back to the customer service era of your grandfather. However, clients are being aided by Facebook, Twitter, weblogs and reviews posted on Yelp and other social media communities as they seek to establish more personal relationships with their attorneys and increase communication—and…

Mar 29, 2012 3:00 PM CDT

5th Annual Beer for Blawggers at ABA Techshow

Join the ABA Journal and LexBlog for the fifth year of celebrating law blogging and law bloggers at our 5th Annual Beer for Blawggers meet up Friday evening at ABA Techshow. Techshow attendees and local law bloggers not registered for the show are welcome to raise a toast to the…

Mar 28, 2012 8:33 PM CDT

Setting Standards: Group Aims for Goals for Technology Use by Attorneys

Sep 1, 2011 7:08 AM CDT

Moving in the Cloud: ABA Conference Displays How Technology Changes Practice

Jun 1, 2011 6:30 AM CDT

Law of Code: Regulation Needs New Direction, Lessig Says

Jun 1, 2011 6:20 AM CDT

ABA Techshow Presentations with Tips, Sites for Lawyers Are Online

Last month, we reported some of the digital tricks and interesting websites that lawyers should know, ones shared by panelists at the popular ABA Techshow sessions titled 60 Tips in 60 Minutes (PDF) and 60 Sites in 60 minutes (PDF). Now the presentation slides for the full lists of tips…

May 23, 2011 9:34 PM CDT