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As one of my clients used to say when we discussed strategy for a case, “let’s be careful lest we find ourselves in a closet talking to ourselves too much”. Meaning, of course, you need to have divergent voices in the room from time to time to ensure the best outcomes.

Back To Basics

I thought about this when attending a recent national conference of litigation lawyers. Many of us who cover legal tech attend all sorts of tech conferences where, of late, the discussion have dominated by AI and its impact. That subject was certainly discussed at my lawyer conference. But lots of other topics were discussed as well. The presenters discussed and offered insights into what litigators do every day. Here’s a sample of what was talked about:Continue Reading We All Need to Get Out of the Closet from Time to Time

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said something that should grab ry lawyer’s attention. Appearing on the Theo Von podcast, Altman said,” “So if you go talk to ChatGPT about your most sensitive stuff, and then there’s … a lawsuit or whatever, … we could be required to produce that.

The Risk

Wait. What? That could mean anything and everything someone puts on ChatGPT (or any other publicly facing LLMs) could be discoverable. If you’re not a litigator, that might not mean much but for those of us who are, it’s a chilling danger for both our clients and even ourselves.Continue Reading Sam Altman’s Warning: Everything You Tell ChatGPT Could End Up Being Used Against You

This week I’m at one of my favorite conferences. It’s put on by the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL). The theme for 2025 is “Be Bold” and that sometimes means making better use of data to make good decisions. This year the conference is in Portland, Oregon and yes, I’ve already hit the Stumphouse, Powells and Deschutes. (Pics posted on Facebook).

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Last night the Conference kicked off with the typical first night exhibit hall reception. As is my custom, I wandered the hall to see what looked new or different than what I have seen before. I visited with several vendors but had an interesting chat with Phil Flora, VP of Sales at Surepoint which owns a legal tech vendor called Leopard Solutions. Flora is a jovial, but earnest sales rep that genuinely makes you immediately like him. Leopard maintains a data base of legally related information including such things as market trends, market research, legal job data, and attorney employment information. Continue Reading The Selection and Evaluation of Outside Counsel: Perish for Lack of Knowledge?

This past weekend, the ninth annual community sponsored MacStock Conference was held in a Chicago suburb. MacStock is a grassroots gathering for Apple enthusiasts, from casual users to developers, educators, and productivity professionals. It’s designed to share knowledge, connections, and tools through presentations, workshops, and social events. This year’s conference drew some 100 attendees.

Its founder and main organizer is Mike Potter, an Apple enthusiast who has worked tirelessly to keep the conference going through a pandemic and an increasingly crowded field of tech conferences. While MacStock wasn’t formally created to replace the MacWorld Expo, it’s often regarded as the modern heir to MacWorld.Continue Reading MacStock Conference: Learning Outside the Legal Bubble

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (Act 1, Scene 2)

There’s plenty of consternation and hand-wringing among legal pundits about the access to justice gap in our country. We’ve got panels, task forces, and enough white papers to wallpaper every courthouse in Texas.

The conversation usually centers on those who can’t afford quality lawyering (or any lawyering, for that matter), and the bloated cost of even basic legal services.Continue Reading We Talk About Access to Justice. But Here’s What Everyone Else Says About Us

Those of you who know me know I dote over my grandsons. It’s over the top I admit but, hey, I’m entitled. 

The other day the oldest one said something that resonated with me so completely I’m not going to forget it. He said, “I coexist with having fun.” 

I’m not sure he realized the depth of his words. All too often we miss the fun in our lives because we don’t let ourselves have fun. We worry incessantly about what others think about us, and the impact of the words we use or our actions. Something good happens or someone gives us a compliment (or in my case I win an award) and we immediately question it. They didn’t really mean it. I wasn’t entitled. I don’t deserve it.Continue Reading Coexisting with Fun: A Lesson in Life from My Six Year Old Grandson 

As a former mass tort defense lawyer, I read with some interest a recent article by Jon Campisi and Alleeza Furman entitled The World’s Highest-Grossing Law Firm Is Investing in Mass Torts Defense. It’s Not Alone.

The gist of the article is that large law firms (think AMLaw 100) are becoming more interested in mass tort defense as evidenced by Kirkland and Ellis bringing in some 100 litigators. The authors suggest this expansion reflects a growing demand particularly in the areas of mass torts and product litigation.Continue Reading Full Circle: BigLaw’s Mass Tort Revival Through the Eyes of a Former Defense Lawyer

75% of the legal professionals surveyed expect to change their talent strategies within two years

Continue Reading The NetDocuments 2025 Legal Trends Report: Rethinking Legal Talent

NetDocuments recently came out with its 2025 Trends Report. This Report, based on a survey of legal professionals and related research, attempts to spotlight the trends law firms, in-house counsel, and legal professionals are facing.

This year’s Report contained lots of information about the use of Gen AI and its impact. But one finding caught my attention since it something about which I have previously written.   It’s a finding that touches on the future of work processes, what the concept of a good lawyer will mean, and what skills lawyers and legal organizations will need.

75% of the legal professionals surveyed expect to change their talent strategies within two years

Continue Reading The NetDocuments 2025 Legal Trends Report: Rethinking Legal Talent