February 2013

Discovery on the Go

As lawyers embrace smartphones and tablets, e-discovery vendors race to complete mobile options to manage and perform e-discovery tasks.

December 2012

Forecast: Cloudy

It's inevitable that risk-averse Big Law ultimately will fully embrace the cloud. But for now, first adopters are jumping in for e-discovery and back-office tasks, while avoiding web services designed to process client work product.

October 2012

Defending Big Data

Corporations eager to exploit their massive customer data risk alienating consumers and regulators if they stumble on privacy and security.

December 2012

The Eureka Moment

How six Big Law firms stopped dithering and learned to love legal project management.

June 2012

Unleashed

The legal industry redefines workspace with the explosion of secure mobile devices and safe cloud computing.

April 2012

Act Two

Graham Smith and William Bice return to the legal technology community after selling LiveNote and ProLaw to Thomson Reuters. Can they triumph twice?

January 2012

True Grit

Scrapping for e-discovery clients, firms seek the right mix of people, processes, and technology.

December 2011

What Lurks Within

Destroy legacy data or it can come back to haunt your company

• Auld Lange Syne, by John Chapas II

• Legacy Data Cleanup, by Anne Kershaw

• Collision Course, by Anne Kershaw

• Cleaning Closed Case Files, by Anne Kershaw

October 2011

Wrong Way

Fredric Lederer, chancellor professor of law at William & Mary Law School, says there are three types of trial technology snafus: 1) real or perceived hardware failure, 2) real or perceived software failure, and 3) attorney ineptitude. Freelance reporter Robyn Weisman looks into how to recover from, and prevent, technology disasters at trial.

August 2011

Sham Exam?

The report includes:

• Hard Sell?: Albert Barsocchini reviews ACEDS' certification program and examination.

• Ralph Losey & the E-Discovery Team Training, by Monica Bay

• Chere Estrin & the Organization of Legal Professionals, by Monica Bay

• E-Discovery Certification: Reader Response

June 2011

Catch Me If You Can

BigLaw's dilemma: How do we keep our own lawyers from sabotaging security systems?

April 2011

In the Cloud

Cloud computing's silver lining is that it helps law firms cut IT costs while requiring minimal in-house technology expertise. Now, thanks to web-based applications, even small firm practitioners can have the equivalent of BigLaw IT services -- but will want practice management tools that are tailored solely for the legal profession.

January 2011

Resistance Is Futile: Law Firms Adapt to Lawyer Demands for Consumer Technology

Lawyers want the cool gear for their work, too. Now firms must make sure those slick tablets and fab phones have state of the art security and solid tech support.

December 2010

Align Your Allies

When stakeholders feel they are heard, resistance lowers.

November 2010

Keep Pushing

Richard Susskind has been predicting the generations-old model for delivering legal services would fail. Clients will increasingly demand transparency and better, faster, and much cheaper legal services. Reviewing current legal trends, Monica Bay asks, "Is the future on our doorstep?

October 2010

Crash or Soar?

Will the legal community accept "predictive coding?"

September 2010

Safe Sky

The surge of cloud computing is not risk free.

August 2010

Climbing Back

In the world of electronic data discovery, 2009 was a year to refocus, with providers and consumers shifting away from review and moving toward information management and analysis. And while revenue wasn't pouring in like the apex years, it was climbing back, with a steady if modest growth.

July 2010

Vendor Satisfaction Survey: Help, Please!

ALM's new Vendor Satisfaction Survey confirms that we're all fed up with lousy customer service.

June 2010

In the Cloud

Judith Flournoy provides a candid report about Loeb & Loeb's experience migrating applications to Thomson Reuter's Minnesota data center.

May 2010

Risks & Rewards

As social media-savvy young adults ascend to leadership roles in law firms and companies, effective policies protect and promote organizations.

April 2010

The Reign of SOX

A carefully crafted document management system can help your firm meet its business goals, as well as the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and other compliance mandates.

March 2010

Taming Chaos

Small firms still resist case management systems.

February 2010

Conquer Records

Implementing a records management program is challenging, but even more so when dealing with autonomous, decentralized business units.

January 2010

Swim or Sink

Flat is the new "up," as law firms cope with the seismic upheavals of 2009. George Rudoy and Michelle Mahoney say that across the globe, firms must "reset" their priorities to survive.

December 2009

Creating the Path

The days of "doing more with less" are history.

November 2009

Raise Your Voice

For some time I had been looking for a way to improve how our attorneys and management team use their BlackBerry devices, beyond e-mail and typical cell phone use.

October 2009

Call to Disarm

Early case assessment makes a lot of sense in any dispute situation. Do you have a winner? Will the costs outweigh the benefits? It's time we leverage the fruits of early case assessment -- an internal exercise geared toward strategy and risk -- toward early case resolution.

September 2009

Anticipating Death

Script your plans before the Grim Reaper knocks.

August 2009

Strange Times

These are strange times indeed for the world of electronic data discovery.

July 2009

Juggling Act

Stay calm in the hot seat with strong planning.

June 2009

The Jobs Project

EDRM hopes to address three key problems.

May 2009

Keep It Private

Lawyers, whether in-house or outside counsel, are critical partners to organizations that are coming under increasing scrutiny from government regulation of information technology.

April 2009

Watch the Door

Exiting personnel can compromise legal holds.

March 2009

No Excuses

Lawyers can no longer plead tech incompetence.

February 2009

Voilà VoIP

Vendors always love good buzzwords — they can generate interest in even the most unglamorous product.

January 2009

Rough Waters

Optimism, a sense of urgency and a good sense of humor are essential attributes for legal technology professionals. Like never before, these traits are being tested by the current global economy crisis.

December 2008

Leading the Business of Law

To be an effective IT leader, think beyond your department borders.

November 2008

Road Crazed

Washington state just banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving.

October 2008

Hard Choices

Without a doubt, cost containment is the top concern of general counsel and law firms alike when dealing with electronic data discovery.

September 2008

Power Up

Small firms: Don't be afraid of servers.

August 2008

Mining for Gold

Ultimately, electronic data discovery is all about finding the golden documents that expose the truths of the dispute.

July 2008

Aligning Visions

When sailing ships ruled the seas, sailors were very familiar with the act of kedging. If a ship was trapped on a becalmed sea, the captain would order the crew to kedge the ship — move it in the desired direction by dropping a small anchor ahead, and pulling the ship forward. This act was repeated until the wind again filled its sails.

June 2008

EDD Brings Opportunities: Can You Adapt?

Electronic data discovery raises havoc with trial strategies, risk management, litigation budgets, document retention and traditional support staff jobs. But EDD also brings opportunities. Monica Bay, editor-in-chief of Law Technology News, shows how the legal world is adapting.

May 2008

Defining Documents

One of the most challenging problems facing litigation attorneys is how to work with the massive volume of digital documents produced during the discovery phase of a case.

April 2008

Crowded But Silent

What if you gave a party, hundreds of people showed up, but almost nobody talked to each other?

March 2008

Pipe Dream No More

By all accounts, software-as-a-service (SaaS) is taking the legal world by storm — and other recent developments, such as virtualization and open source software, are knocking at the door.

February 2008

Beyond Natural Disasters

In the post-Katrina/9-11 world, planning for business continuity has risen to the top of most firms' priorities. Expecting and planning for the unexpected is no longer just an "IT thing." All facets of your firm must work hand-inglove to prepare for a coordinated response to any disruption to business operation.

January 2008

e-Speak

Remember the book, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray? Its subtitle was "A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships."