Data is available everywhere in today’s business world, but understanding and using that data to your advantage has proven to be difficult. In-house legal departments and law firms should be able to evaluate and use their own data, which can be obtained from various items such as invoices, budgets and matter profiles, to help manage legal spend, as well as improve efficiency and performance.
Greg Shriber, director of Product & Community Strategy at Thomson Reuters, took some time during the Serengeti Summit to share how Serengeti Tracker offers customers the ability to compare their information and analyze trends over time within their organization. He also discussed how users of Serengeti Tracker now have the opportunity to compare themselves with peer groups in the marketplace.
For additional information on Serengeti Tracker, Serengeti Intelligence or to see the products at work, visit serengetilaw.com.
Posted by Jeff McCoy in:
In Practice |
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The buzzword in a lot of firms these days is “efficiency”. Firms are under pressures from client to demonstrate greater value in the services they provide. That often means achieving greater efficiency in how the firm manages cases.
The result is often higher productivity for the firm, and lower costs for the client, creating a win-win situation that strengthens the firm-client relationship and can result in more business for the firm.
In a recent post on the ABA’s Legal Rebels blog, Allison Guidette, senior vp and general manager, Large Law Firm Segment, discusses how technology can help firms achieve greater efficiency.
Posted by Jessica Leibrock in:
Industry trends | Law firm business | Technology and innovation |
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Emerging trends, such as mobile computing, are enabling attorneys to improve time management and deliver better service to their clients, ultimately making them more competitive in today’s economy.
Houston-based attorney Tim Johnson, a technology enthusiast, uses mobile solutions to improve his work efficiency while on the go and, his clients are seeing the results. Johnson, among other legal professionals, believes that mobile technology offers efficiencies that benefit both the client and the firm.
Read how Johnson employs technology here.
How do you use mobile technology to improve efficiencies in your practice?
Posted by Jeff McCoy in:
In Business | In Practice |
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The U.S. Constitution is one of the most powerful and impactful documents in existence. It literally touches every American’s life, and has since its creation in 1787. Recently, I had the opportunity to view the document first-hand as part of a new exhibit, “We the People: The First Official Printing of the U.S. Constitution,” sponsored by Thomson Reuters in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society. The exhibit includes one of only eight existing original printed copies of the U.S. Constitution that were sent to the states to be ratified.
Thomson Reuters sponsorship is fitting because the rule of law, articulated so effectively in the U.S. Constitution, is at the heart of the work we do here every day.
“As part of our daily work, we get to see that these documents – the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights – are not only historically important, but as alive today as they were at the time of these early printings,” said Mike Suchsland, president of the Legal business of Thomson Reuters at the unveiling reception for the exhibit. “According to Westlaw, in the first three months of this year, there were more than 600 decisions issued in federal courts involving the First Amendment alone,” said Suchsland.
To learn more about this exhibit, visit “We the People: The First Official Printing of the U.S. Constitution.” Or better yet, if you’re in the neighborhood you can stop by the Minnesota History Center and see it in person.
Posted by Laura Folland in:
Community | Company Current | Events | In Practice | In the News | Rule of law |
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Some of the more prominent coverage includes articles by MSN, San Francisco Chronicle, Buffalo Business First, KPLU and The Austin Lafferty Blog.
January has long been perceived as “Divorce Month.” However, Findlaw.com recently released study results that showed searches for “divorce” and related phrases such as “family law” and “child custody” jumped 50 percent – from December 2010 to January 2011, and continued to surge through March 2011. An analysis of divorce filings using Westlaw revealed that filings in the U.S. consistently spike in January each year, but continue to rise in February and peak in March.
“While people may have been thinking about divorce for some time, and taking steps such as obtaining marital counseling, many men and women may put off the decision to file for divorce to avoid additional holiday season stress,” says Mark Ohnstad, a family law attorney with Minneapolis firm Thomson Nybeck. “And, couples with children may want to have one last holiday season together as a family.”
Posted by admin in:
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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 |
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Ari Kaplan of Ari Kaplan Advisors surveyed corporate counsel of Fortune 1000 companies on their strategies for creating effective eDiscovery programs: whether to use the program in-house or use an outside vendor, advice on creating eDiscovery programs, and best practices and trends.
Legal Current caught up with Ari for a chat about his LegalTech NY panel discussion “Advice from Counsel: Top Legal Minds in the Country Share their eDiscovery Tips.”
Posted by Jessica Leibrock in:
Practice tips | Video |
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Thomson Reuters recently hosted two technology conferences designed to showcase the latest trends and technology buzz impacting the market, as well as highlighting Thomson Reuters innovative technology, ranging from mobile to artificial intelligence, search and machine learning.
Attendees of the Thomson Reuters Technology Conference 2012 enjoyed one of many sessions.
In early January, the company hosted an internal technology conference drawing nearly 1,000 employees. The external technology conference was hosted about a week later and around 300 technologists spent the day on the Eagan campus.
Attendees were offered numerous sessions that included such topics as mobile web versus mobile apps, the cloud, collaboration, Android versus iOS development, and more. During the internal conference, James Powell, chief technology officer for Thomson Reuters, gave the keynote address about the central role of technology at Thomson Reuters.
At the external conference, attendees received a keynote address from Carolyn Parnell, chief information officer for the State of Minnesota. She discussed the issues facing the state surrounding consolidation and virtualization of the IT function, as well as how innovation is needed to succeed.
The panels featured leading technologists from Thomson Reuters, including Bob Schukai, Dan Bennett, Brian Quinn and Dr. Khalid Al-Kofahi. Other notable presenters included: Dr. Abhishek Chandra, University of Minnesota; Chris Derner, Informatica; John R. Fox, SWAT Solutions; and Dr. Jamshid Vayghan, IBM.
During each conference, Thomson Reuters hosted a coding competition where attendees could test their skills against their peers and win some great prizes.
Posted by Jeff McCoy in:
Company Current | Events | Technology and innovation |
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CLE content from NACDL (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) is now on West LegalEdCenter. NACDL’s CLE offerings, which feature nationally-recognized speakers addressing the most current and relative issues in the criminal defense community, is available to NACDL members and other attorneys.
Posted by Jessica Leibrock in:
Education |
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By tracking published patent applications, examining real-world trademark and copyright infringement issues and comparing the government policies and long-term innovation strategies of China to other world leaders, new reports from Thomson Reuters suggest that although China leads the world in patent and trademark filings, its status as a global player still faces challenges.
“Intellectual property is the bridge that connects innovation with economic growth,” said David Brown, president of the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters. “We’ve taken on this research as a means of identifying the point where innovation and creativity meet marketability, thus setting the stage for sustained economic development. By closely examining a wide variety of metrics, we can see China is clearly on that path, but there are significant milestones yet to be attained.”
Among the key findings detailed in the free Thomson Reuters China reports on patent and trademark trends:
The research findings are available in two new reports from the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters. Invented in China assesses total patent volumes and highlights growing areas of innovation activity in China. Special Report: Trademarks in China tracks trends in trademark activity in China over the last 20 years and analyzes trademark activities of the world’s leading brands.
Posted by Gretchen DeSutter in:
In Practice | Intellectual Property |
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The U.S. Constitution is one of the most powerful and impactful documents in existence. It literally touches every American’s life, and has since its creation in 1787. Recently, I had the opportunity to view the document first-hand as part of a new exhibit, “We the People: The First Official Printing of the U.S. Constitution,” sponsored [...]
Earlier this week, we released our 2011 Annual Report in an interactive format available online at thomsonreuters.com. Along with information on the company’s financial performance as well as business unit overviews, this year’s annual report contains a variety of dynamic content including interviews with our new business leaders as well as stories of how we [...]
We’ve got a great episode for you this month, kicking off with our “Chaos in the Courts” segment that, believe it or not, is yet another story about the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. Since our March podcast, another person has fallen victim to the establishment’s trademark bypass burger.
Then in our “On the Blawgs” [...]
