Someone asked me recently why I think more and more law firms are creating CI roles or increasing their CI capacity, encouraging their BD and Library staff to work more closely so forth. I didn’t really have a good answer on the spot, “cause it makes good business sense, or because market competition and consolidation
The CIO Brain And Music… Not As Strange As It Sounds
For those of you that attend the ILTA conferences, you may be aware of the (in)famous band called Legal Bytes. Legal Bytes is the world’s only band made up entirely of current and former Chief Information Officers from law firms. At this year’s ILTA conference, Legal Bytes will actually be releasing a 12-song CD of
Whither Change?
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| Image [cc] Moyan Brenn |
Three posts recently caught my eye. One was on the imminent demise of BigLaw. The other was on how small firms are about to have their day. In the third one Thomas Sager, the GC for Dupont takes GCs to task for not pushing hard for change from outside counsel.
Texas Scold 'Em
They say that everything is bigger in Texas. Apparently that even includes self-deluding opinions. Yesterday, a friend pointed me toward an article in Texas Law Book entitled Get Wall Street Out of the Practice of Law. (Subscription Required) In this opinion piece, the author, a former Big Law partner and current Legal Communications Advisor,
Jeff Carr, Project Management and Procurement
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| Jeff Carr in his Race Car |
Jeff Carr announced his retirement from his GC role at FMC Technologies recently. For those who follow the legal change landscape, Jeff has been a consistent beacon, advocating for change for quite some time. His model at FMC is one of (if not THE) most successful client implementations
Innovation Tournaments: A New Incubator for Law Firm Creativity?
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| Image [cc] Vyperx1 |
We very often hear from bloggers on this site regarding the struggles associated with change and innovation. Fear of failure, lack of inertia, protecting territories—all seem to be stumbling blocks that many firms face when initiating change. It seems, however, some organizations have found a way to successfully encourage and nurture new ideas
An Open Letter to Sales People
In the last several weeks, I have been called, emailed or otherwise pitched to by a variety of solutions providers. I have to tell you despite having a great memory, I can’t remember a single company name nor what any of the companies who wanted my firm’s money do. The reason I can’t recall any
The Value of Task Codes?
Previously I have ranted about how billing task codes are not magic pixie dust. There seems to be a broad perception that task codes will solve pricing and legal project management problems for all practices. “If we only had task codes for [insert type of work], we would know how to price this.”
My general
Texas State Bar Adds Fastcase Alongside Casemaker
As the saying goes, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” That phrase also applies to the State Bar membership benefits. The State Bar of Texas has agreed to add Fastcase as a member benefit on top of its already existing Casemaker access. This makes it the first Bar in the country to offer both services. In addition
Emotional Intelligence for Law Firms
This morning, I had the honour of spending half a day with the famed Daniel Goleman exploring emotional intelligence, focus and leadership as a part of the CEO Global Network – Great CEO Speaker Series. The room was filled with C-Suite executives from a broad range of backgrounds and professions. Of course, all I could