I have a bias (heck, i have many biases, but when it comes to LegalTech I have a specific bias). My bias: the world falls into one of two categories: data or process. For example, professional services = process; enterprise search = data. Oversimplified, of course. But sensible in a slightly maniacal way.
On Day Three of LegalTech, I discussed the show’s themes with a long-standing client. She mentioned some of the latest tools, but came back to the basics of project management. I said, aha! The process side is winning out. Nope, the client said, that’s too easy. And she was right. The tools, even the latest triangle graphs, attempt to present themselves as a tool to facilitate process. I need to chew on this one a bit further, but here’s my initial take on this epiphany.
So what are the “right” types of tools that appeared to resonate this year? Maybe we’re talking about the ones that most efficiently bridge the data/process gap. A discovery platform that provides as much value with small data sets as large. Research tools that more accurately find the most relevant cases. Ecosystems of tools that individually solve specific problems and together track data/documents through a process. The ability to eliminate rummaging through piles of books, contracts and/or transcripts to insert the right quote with accurate citations. Each solves a practical process problem, but has better reach into the data.
It’s like the old adage: if your tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Don’t get me wrong. I still carry my bias, but maybe I’ll put down the hammer and pick up a wrench every now and again.
Posted by Jeff Friedman in:
Technology and innovation |
No Comments |
Consumers always look for value. Quality at a price-point that reflects the appropriate amount of benefit. The word “sale” in the window is only slightly less effective than preceding it with the words “going out of business.”
The more I listened to LegalTech attendees and fellow vendors, the more I heard them talk about tools that would complement current processes, provide measurable results, and continually improve their ability to deliver to their clients… All hallmarks of project management.
Demonstrations across the exhibit hall met with a common refrain: tell me, no, convince me why this makes sense for me. Don’t talk about the tool, talk to me about what the tools will do for me. Again, the emphasis is less on the tool as a technology, and more on the use of tool. Often this meant less time showing product and more time discussing the nature of the problem(s.) More than once a client would ask about a specific product, but we ended up in a conversation about a different process or tool than expected. More than once we found clients coming to us as referrals from others and we made similar references to others. I’m not saying there was a hand holding moment of solidarity between vendors… Maybe more like a practical recognition of economic benefits from delighted clients.
Having deeper discussions about problems and process resonated. Having an ecosystem of tools that prove value both independently and together resonated. Removing the “sale” sign from the window and inviting clients in for a practical discussion about their processes and thinking about the right tools for the right job… Those are the values that resonated.
Next up… Some of the “right” types of tools for clients looking for a better, continually improving process.
Jeff Friedman is director of marketing, Westlaw CaseLogistix
Posted by Jeff Friedman in:
Law firm business |
No Comments |
LegalTech New York rarely surprises. It’s always at the Hilton. It’s always at the end of January / beginning of February. It’s always cold. It always features new technology.
After all the show is called LegalTech – as much emphasis on the ‘tech’ as the ‘legal.’ Most of the usual players did not disappoint: a new black box here, a triangle graph there. But a growing cadre of booths, vendors and speakers have seemingly taken a step backward. Project management? Wait, that’s not exclusively legal. And it certainly doesn’t center on technology. Has the certainty of LegalTech been replaced by chaos?
Over the last 18 months, a growing emphasis on project management has emerged from the shadows. The post-financial crisis era has brought new waves of discovery challenges. Exploding volumes of data. Proliferation of social media and cloud storage. The biggest challenge, however, is less about getting the latest tool or a “Simple” button, and more about properly utilizing the right tool(s.) A friend of mine once said that the best search engine for a box sitting in a basement is a flashlight. The push for project management may stem from greater corporate client influences or a need to protect margins or maybe the realization that Six Sigma is more than voodoo. Regardless, project management methodology appears to be this year’s common thread.
Buyers and tools/services across the show are taking note… And as I get more time to observe I’ll talk about each over the next couple days.
Temps in New York City this week are expected in the mid to high 50’s and LegalTech has a project management theme. Chaos? Not so much. But maybe a bit of surprise.
Jeff Friedman is director of marketing, Westlaw CaseLogistix
Posted by Jeff Friedman in:
Law firm business |
No Comments |
LegalTech is typically about the quick demo. You have five minutes to razzle, and maybe another minute to dazzle. Back in the suite you might add 30 percent to these times, but the concept is the same: limited time for maximum impact to a broad audience. To some degree, this held true this year as well, but Day 3 was different.
I was wrong yesterday when I hypothesized a larger-than-usual attendance for the final day. The weather seemed to drive people out earlier than expected instead of stranding the crowd at the show. As a result, the brave souls who remained took their time through the booths of the exhibit hall. Current and former clients wanted to go in-depth as to what’s new. They wanted to hear the vision story and not just the vision pitch. New prospects wanted a more complete discussion of value propositions and comparisons to other products and services in the hall. There was even collaboration between vendors and service providers to properly answer questions and present solutions (almost unheard of in most years).
This was the stuff of ILTA more than LegalTech. The longer format played beautifully with our holistic vision. We had a bit more time to put any single solution into a broader context, explaining a single tool in the context of the toolkit.
Lest we think LegalTech was entirely “wonderland” (upside-down)… the last 45 minutes brought the typical swag-scavengers. At least there’s comfort in some consistency.
Another great show.
Day 3 down. A little more time will be necessary to de-compress and evaluate LegalTech 2011, but higher attendance numbers with motivated/knowledgeable intent appear to bode well for the coming year.
Guest post by Jeff Friedman, director, Marketing – Westlaw CaseLogistix
Posted by Jeff Friedman in:
Company Current | Products |
No Comments |
Every year at LegalTech there seems to be something that’s the “buzz” of the show. Generally this is a new product, or new product release, or it’s a new generation of technology that has the promise of ‘revolutionizing’ some element of discovery. This year, while there are several new product releases and technological advancements, the “buzz” at this conference seems to be a little bit different.
So what’s the buzz of LegalTech 2011?
Two current and two former colleagues that I spoke with today summed it up in one word: efficiency. The problem, in its simplest form, is: what can a law firm do to reduce costs and increase revenue to grow margins? How can firms work a little more efficiently across the board? With better project management? By leveraging new technology to organize internal content? Or with integration used to connect the dots between seemingly disparate elements of litigation? Most likely it’s all of the above.
Whether through changes in technology, process or a combination of both, most panel discussions have centered on efficiency. And frankly, our Westlaw Litigator products hit the nail on the head when it comes to helping make law firms more efficient.
For us it’s not about a single technology, but the confluence of several tools connecting many different processes. For example, tools to help streamline the legal research and drafting processes or solutions to improve discovery review and discovery analytics.
From what I can tell, the “buzz” at LegalTech is definitely around efficiency…and when it comes to making law firms more efficient, no one does it quite like Westlaw Litigator.
Day 1 of LegalTech down. Day 2 on deck.
Guest post by Jeff Friedman, director, Marketing- Westlaw CaseLogistix
Posted by Jeff Friedman in:
Company Current | Products |
Comments (1) |
What’s in a word? The Black’s Law Dictionary, 9th edition from Thomson Reuters can provide both definition and pronunciation through a new Android App. When the word of the day isn’t a word you know, Black’s mobile applications is ready to find that content on your Android.
Black’s is available as an Android App and also [...]
Law Technology News Editor-in-Chief Monica Bay recaps Day 2 of the 2012 Legal Tech New York Conference.
We’ve got a very dynamic episode for you this month, one of the highlights being an interview with Tim Gorry, a partner at Eisner Kahan & Gorry, about entertainment litigation in 2011 and what’s coming in 2012.
Our “In the News” segment features a story from Thomson Reuters News & Insight about the recent Italian cruise [...]
