On The Road With Legal Talk Network

Blockchain technology may have originated in the US, but firms all over the world are currently researching its implications. In this report from On The Road, host David Fisher talks to Rebecca Ryan and Barry O’Connor from Matheson Dublin about how Ireland views blockchain and how their firm encourages collaboration and innovation. They also discuss what is going to be the first hackathon in Ireland and what it means for their legal industry. Rebecca Ryan is a partner in the Healthcare Group in the Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department at Matheson. Barry O’Connor is a partner in the Asset Management and Investment Funds Group at Matheson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re a legal professional who wants to learn how to deliver legal services better, faster, and cheaper, Suffolk University School of Law has rolled out a program that might interest you. In this report from On The Road, host Laurence Colletti talks to Andrew Perlman and David Colarusso about the new certification program at Suffolk which looks at innovation, technology, and new ways to provide legal services. They discuss who the courses were made for, the industry experts teaching them, and how the online aspect allows students to complete the courses without sacrificing other commitments. Dean Andrew Perlman is a nationally recognized voice on the future of legal education and law practice. David Colarusso is an attorney, software engineer, and former high school physics teacher living in the greater Boston area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For most of us, we have an obscene amount of usernames and passwords that we use to access social media, bank accounts, and pretty much everything else on the internet. But what if we had one key or identity to unlock all our accounts? In this report from On The Road, host Amy ter Haar talks to Drummond Reed about self-sovereign identity, how it works, and what it could mean for the future of law. He clarifies what problems a decentralized identifier solves and how this emerging technology has been standardized. Drummond Reed has spent over two decades working on internet identity, security, privacy, and trust frameworks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal Hackers may sound deviant, but in reality they are a group of lawyers, academics, and tech nerds that are exploring technology solutions to the most relevant legal issues. In this report from On The Road, host Jonathan Askin talks to Tony Lai and Mark Potkewitz about the legal hackers movement including how it helps with access to justice and the potential of open data. They also discuss the unexpected allies they’ve found outside of the hacker community that have helped with collaboration and sponsorship, one of these allies being the government itself. Tony Lai is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and evangelist for processes and systems that support openness and innovation, engagement, and sharing. Mark Potkewitz is a legal technology fellow at Brooklyn Law School and the communications director at the Foundation for Fund Governance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a question that has increasingly haunted lawyers: will artificial intelligence take legal jobs away from human lawyers? In this report from On The Road, host Jonathan Askin talks to IBM Watson Legal's Shawnna Hoffman and Brian Kuhn about the potential and future of AI in the legal industry. They explore whether AI will replace human lawyers and provide an answer for access to justice. They also discuss the role of law students as thought leaders, project managers, and solution architects. Shawnna Hoffman and Brian Kuhn serve as global co-leaders for the IBM Cognitive Legal Practice driving global strategy and execution across clients, legal markets, and internal groups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A smart contract is an automatically executing document that allows the exchange of goods, services, or currency without the use of a middleman. Many lawyers are concerned that this is one of the technologies that will take the job of lawyers. In this report from On The Road, host Jonathan Askin talks to Casey Kuhlman about what smart contracts really are, how they work, and how dual integration can maintain the role of lawyers within the process. They also discuss the greatest opportunities for both seasoned and young lawyers in a tech-enabled legal industry and share tools for those who consider themselves “tech-weary.” Casey Kuhlman is the CEO of Monax which is building a platform for smart contracts and legal applications of blockchain technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this report from On The Road, host Daniel Linna talks to Bob Craig about how the application of new technologies, like blockchain and smart contracts, could affect the way law firms function, improving problem solving and technical understanding. While lawyers don’t need to become coders, by expanding their knowledge of new tech, they can save time and energy, improve the quality of their work, and anticipate client needs. Daniel and Bob also discuss the role of law school in preparing students to enter an industry enabled by technology. Bob Craig is the chief information officer at BakerHostetler where he oversees all aspects of the firms technology investments and information services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This October, MIT celebrated the inaugural MIT Legal Forum on AI & Blockchain which aimed to provide a space in which legal professionals could discuss the future of AI and blockchain in the legal industry. In this report from On The Road, host Jonathan Askin talks to Professor Alex Pentland about several of the hot topics at the conference including the role of a lawyer in a tech-enabled legal industry, smart contracts, and how technology has both emerged from and provided opportunities for the next generation of lawyers. Professor Alex "Sandy" Pentland directs the MIT Connection Science and Human Dynamics labs and previously helped create and direct the MIT Media Lab and the Media Lab Asia in India. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, Evolve Law held its Access to Justice Through Technology event in our Denver offices which focused on potential technological solutions to the access to justice gap. In this report from On The Road, host Mary Juetten talks to Keri Norris, Dona Playton, Sarah Kieny, and Pat Monks about access to justice and how technology can help lawyers bridge the gap. They also discuss the importance of maintaining a relationship with clients so attorneys can figure out which services will best help their specific needs. Dona Playton is the Director of the Honoring Families Initiative at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS). Pat Monks is an attorney at Monks Law Firm and the founder member of the Municipal Justice Bar of Texas founded in 1992. Keri Norris is the Senior Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and the Chief Legal Officer at Legal Shield.   Sarah Kieny is an attorney at Riggs Abney Neal Turpen Orbison and Lewis where she has worked for 15 years. Learn more about yo

In October 2017, Evolve Law hosted an event in Lawgical’s Denver office in which a panel discussed potential technological solutions to the access to justice gap. In this report from On The Road, Mary Juetten moderates the panel which includes Richard Granat, Dona Playton, Pat Monks, and Keri Norris. They discuss topics like merging technology with legal services, adjusting services to meet consumer needs, and whether basic legal services can be offered by non-lawyers. The live recording also includes short, “Darwin” talks from Adam Camras and Sarah Kieny. Richard Granat created one of the first virtual law firms in the United States and also was the Founder of DirectLaw, Inc., a virtual law firm platform provider. Dona Playton is the Director of the Honoring Families Initiative at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS). Pat Monks is an attorney at Monks Law Firm and the founder member of the Municipal Justice Bar of Texas founded in 1992. Keri Norris is the Senior Vice Pre

If you have a question about your legal business, who can give you a better answer than fellow lawyers? That’s the idea behind LawyerSlack, an online community where lawyers can network, get advice, or even just hang out in the presence of other lawyers. In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, host Jason Tashea discusses LawyerSlack, what it is and how it works, with Keith Lee and Brian Lynch. They discuss the benefits and pitfalls of this community including getting quick, helpful answers directly from another lawyer and building human connections. Keith Lee writes for Above The Law while he practices law at Hamer Law Group, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. Brian Lynch started Lynch Legal Consulting where he helps small businesses launch, develop a web presence, and comply with State and Federal laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the first deafblind person to graduate Harvard, Haben Girma understands limitations for people with disabilities in the legal profession. In her TEDx talk in Baltimore, Haben Girma asked a question that a lot of people with disabilities ask themselves: do I accept the limitations and challenges set before me or do I do something about it? As well as being the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard, Haben actively works to increase accessibility for disabled people in the legal profession. In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, host Rian Gauvreau talks to Haben Girma about how to increase accessibility in websites, applications, education, and law firms. She discusses how technology innovations are helping those with disabilities and her most frustrating and rewarding experiences as an advocate and lawyer. The first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Learn more about your ad choi

It’s sometimes hard to see your law firm as a business, especially one driven by the customer, but the success of companies like Avvo has shown that using demand-driven tactics can sometimes be what allows a business to thrive. In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, host Chris Anderson talks to Mark Britton, founder of Avvo, about what it means to be a demand-driven organization and why more lawyers should invest in client feedback. Mark gives his tips on the best way to communicate with clients and questions you can ask them to get truly honest, valuable information. Mark Britton is the founder, CEO, and President of Avvo, an online legal forum and directory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Counter Tax Lawyers is a law firm that’s driven to succeed and is doing so in a way that differs from a lot of other firms. They are future-oriented and have even created their own software in order to improve the quality of their services. Peter Aprile and Natalie Worsfold, both leaders at the company, gave their presentation at the 2017 Clio Cloud conference about their unique work processes and what makes them efficient. In this On the Road report, host Sam Glover talks to them about their presentation and the three things lawyers should be doing or thinking about along with tech adoption. These three things include having goals, mapping out processes, and thinking deeply about these processes and how they will impact the future of your company. Peter Aprile is a senior lawyer specializing in tax dispute resolution and litigation and founder of Counter Tax Lawyers. Natalie Worsfold is a tax lawyer at Counter Tax Lawyers. He represents individual taxpayers and owner-managed businesses in disputes with the

Clio fans rejoice! The company has spent over 600 hours interviewing customers in order to implement around 220 feature improvements, dubbing this epic redesign New Clio or project Apollo. In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, host Joshua Lenon discusses New Clio with Eric and Ernie Bin. They talk about the steps they have taken to ensure changes customers want to see are implemented and what has driven them to make certain design decisions. Eric Bin is the director of product management at Clio. He and his team are responsible for setting the product strategy and building the roadmap that keeps a 60+ person engineering organization humming and a 230+ person company growing. Ernie Bin is the director of product design at Clio. He has spent over 15 years working with leading companies like Nike, Starbucks, EA, Microsoft, Lululemon, The North Face, along with provincial governments and crown corporations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Leadership is the art of influencing human behavior to accomplish a mission in the manner desired by the leader.” - Canadian Forces definition of leadership So it's too late to be the first Canadian to walk around in space, but as lawyers we should take a leaf out of his book; excelling as leaders and adapting to unforeseen challenges benefits astronauts and lawyers alike. In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, Jack Newton, Phil Brown, and Rian Gauvreau talk to retired Canadian astronaut and International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield about what molds a true leader and how to anticipate failure without letting it overwhelm you. He also discusses his experiences in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and how they shaped his ideas of leadership and self discipline. Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut who was the first Canadian to walk in space. An engineer and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, Hadfield has flown two space shuttle missions and served as comm

In 2016, Mary Juetten published a book about the data lawyers need to look at to improve their processes. “Small Law Firm KPIs: How to Measure Your Way to Greater Profits,” edited by Sam Glover, leaves out unnecessary spreadsheets, pretentious acronyms, and business jargon, while focusing on using the right data to be more efficient and profitable so you can enjoy practicing law. In this report from On the Road, the ABA Journal’s Jason Tashea interviews Mary and Sam about their presentation at the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, how to use data for law firm management and marketing, and the limitations on data as a source of information. Mary Juetten is a recovering accountant with a JD. She has been writing and speaking about key performance indicators and data for a few years. Sam Glover is the editor and chief of Lawyerist.com, a blog that helps innovative and entrepreneurial solo and small firm lawyers start, manage, and grow their firms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A number of big-name companies, like Microsoft and Starbucks, are now accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. In Russia, you can even buy a burger at Burger King using Whopper Tokens, but is this a technology lawyers should implement? In this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference, hosts Christine Bilbrey and Jonathon Israel talk to Joshua Lenon about cryptocurrencies including what it is and how to implement them into your own law practice. They also discuss other advantages to using blockchain technology, like creating an unalterable record and authenticating documents. Joshua Lenon is an attorney who currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the cloud-based practice management platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Clio’s 2016 Legal Trends Report, “the average lawyer only bills 28% of an eight-hour workday.” So, what has changed since last year and what do lawyers still need to work on? George Psiharis, VP of business operations, and Steven Silberbach, senior vice president of global sales at Clio, get together with Kimberly Sanchez and Patrick Palace in this On the Road report from the 2017 Clio Cloud conference. Together, they go over this year’s Legal Trends Report, how the data is collected, it’s benefit to Clio clients and law firms of all sizes, and actionable data from the report that can improve a lawyer’s practice. They also discuss the future trends of law in the areas of low bono services and access to justice. George Psiharis is the vice president of business development at Clio. His business operations team created Clio’s Legal Trends Report. Steven Silberbach is the senior vice president of global sales at Clio. He works closely with George Psiharis and his team to find ways to provide more

When hiring millennial lawyers and working with millennial clients, law firm owners often struggle to understand the motivation and values of this younger generation. Although flexibility, feedback, and growth/development aren’t new or surprising terms to older generations, their meaning can get lost in translation. In this report from On the Road, Lawyerist Podcast host Sam Glover interviews Nicole Abboud, host of “The Gen Why Lawyer,” about her panel at the 2017 Clio Cloud conference. In this panel titled “Millennials: Understanding Your New Clients and Colleagues for Law Firm Growth,” Nicole touches on the changing culture of business in general, why a genuine online presence is important for lawyers, what millennial employees are looking for in employment and management, and how to offer them flexibility. Nicole Abboud is the founder of Abboud Media, a company that creates videos and podcasts for lawyers and law firms. Also a host of “The Gen Why Lawyer,” a podcast about millennial lawyers. Learn more ab