DoLessLaw 2014 Recap: Value via Prevention and Doing Less
Since 2012, I have written and spoken about the theme of Do Less Law. See my Do Less Law blog posts and #DoLessLaw Tweets. Corporate law departments that want to reduce cost and improve outcomes cannot simply settle for bringing work in-house and lower legal fees....
Large Law Firm Trends in 2020 – Part 2 (Efficiency + Value)
Large law firms have faced growing pressure since 2010 to deliver more value to clients, creating pressure for efficiency and lower rates. The 2020 Law Firms in Transition Survey (June 2020) reports on large law firm trends. In my Part 1 post, I covered survey...
Lawyers Fill Practice Gaps with Software and the State of Legal Tech
I recently spoke to two lawyers turned legal tech entrepreneurs about their early stage software companies. I start with a discussion of the problem each sets out to solve, then turn to observations of and implications for the legal tech market more broadly. Solving a...
Large Law Firm Trends in 2020 – Part 1
Last week Altman Weil released its 2020 Law Firms in Transition Survey, which reports on large law firm trends as of 2020. I provide comment here on several, including long term changes, innovation, and how many firms have senior strategic professionals. Part 2 of this...
Will COVID Change Lawyer Collaboration?
Collaboration improves problem-solving, productivity, and innovation. In normal times, lawyers and legal professionals collaborate in-person. With work from home (WFH) during the COVID epidemic, video conferences have replaced in-person meetings. The WFH video experience prompts a collaboration question. Beyond in-person or video meetings, how effectively...
Doing Deals Better with Diagrams
Lawyers may be the only professionals who routinely rely on dense text to understand complicated ideas. And that could change for transaction lawyers with the release of StructureFlow to diagram and track complex deals. Before I report on this product, based on a conversation with...
Law Firms Going Virtual
Foreward I’ve long believed that lawyers and law firms could work on a more virtual basis, or what we now call work from home (WFH). The COVID-19 crisis and lockdown is an awful way to learn that is true. As law firm management – and...
Fastcase Gains Share in Big Law
COVID-19 Prelude I started interviewing Ed Walters, Fastcase co-founder and CEO, well before the COVID crisis started. This crisis will last a while and what happens after it remains uncertain. Early signs, however, point to large law firms cutting costs or taking other steps to...