ILTA Voices

Welcome to ILTA’s Risk Management: Data Analytics & Intelligence series. Over the course of this program, we will provide access to experts in the legal industry to discuss challenges of adoption and the benefits of using cloud technologies and Data Analytics to enhance processes, leading to efficiency, cost-savings and secured compliance.   We will review the obstacles, challenges and successes of adoption focusing on matter intelligence. How are organizations leveraging data related to client/matter lifecycle to enhance processes, compliance, and security, build relationships (Business Development), and streamline cost saving efforts. Specific topics will include, Artificial Intelligence opportunities, adoption practices, security concerns and compliance.   Questions Elizabeth asked the speakers: 1)        What is the biggest challenge your organization faces today as you begin adopting Cloud Technologies and ensuring security compliance across the board? 2)        As new Cloud-Based technology is adopted by your organization, describe the security concerns your organization faced, how the organization was able to move forward given the concerns and the impact on people, processes and policy once adopted. 3)        What are the specific steps an organization can take to ensure a successful adoption, both from a people and system perspective? 4)        Data captured at client/matter inception is used throughout an organization. What were the key factors in joining differing areas | departments (Risk, Business Development, Finance, etc.) to develop a consistent “Master Data” foundation to leverage for reporting and intelligence organization wide?  Moderator: @Elizabeth Suehr - Director of Legal Risk Systems and Strategy, Jenner & Block Speakers: @Damien Riehl - VP, Litigation Workflow and Analytics Content, FastCase @James Hannigan - Director of Legal Project Management, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass, LLP Recorded on 04-25-2023

On Monday, April 17, 2023, ILTA sat down with iManage and Bain Capital to discuss their new partnership and #legaltech

This podcast session highlights some creative ways AI has been used inside corporations and law firms.   Questions Ryan asked the speaker: Are there any specific examples of you using AI outside of the box that you would use as an example for people who are not sure if AI is useful for their project? What are the differences between AI and Machine Learning? Large language models: what do they actually do, how can we use them, and are there compliance risks? How do we evaluate LLM output and make sure we're getting something useful back? Specific versus general: what are the ways we can think about point (specific, non-generalized) AI solutions versus generalized (e.g., GPT-4) solutions? What are the trade-offs between these approaches? Do you need fancy data scientists and software? (Spoiler, no, you don't) How do you evaluate an AI services provider/partner? Moderator: @Ryan Gerlach - Legal Analyst, State of California Office of the Attorney General - DOJ   Speaker: Andy Ward, - Vice President, Machine Learning, Laurel Inc.   Recorded on 04-18-2023

AI has become an integral piece of responsive/non-responsive coding for reviewing eDiscovery data, and in our last podcast in the series, we discussed how it is increasingly being applied to Privilege reviews. In this session, we focused on how AI is being used for Personal Information Identification.   Questions Andrea asked Dan:  -What do you see as the status quo for how teams identify and redact personal information, and what are some of the pitfalls? -What specific advantages does AI offer when compared with that status quo? -As new privacy regulations continue to expand, how are you seeing AI being applied to Personal Information identification beyond traditional legal use cases like litigation or an investigation? -What are the risks associated with using AI for Personal Information identification, and what hurdles have teams faced in adopting it? -What practical advice can you offer to the listeners who’ve been hesitant to leverage AI within their organization? Moderator: @Andrea Shirey -  IT Consultant, Bayer Corporation Legal  Speaker: Dan Donegan - New Business Director, Text IQ Recorded on 04-17-2023

Traditional approaches to software development can be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and complex, requiring specialized skills and expertise. However, the emergence of no-code/low-code platforms promises that law firms can streamline practice management workflows with minimal coding knowledge or experience. This session was designed for practice management and technology professionals at law firms interested in exploring the benefits and challenges of no code/low code platforms by learning from their peers’ experience. Questions Bill asked the speakers: -What does the landscape of no/low code tools look like, and who is best suited to use them?- What’s the learning curve like?  -What are the use cases where you see the best ROI?  -How does this solution fit into the rest of a firm’s technology landscape? Moderator: @Bill Bice - CEO, nQ Zebraworks Speakers: @Andrew Terrett  - National Director of Legal Technology and Service Delivery, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP @Al Hounsell - Director - Strategic Innovation and Legal Design, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada #PracticeManagementandPracticeSupport #Firm #Podcast #ProfessionalDevelopment

Overwhelmingly, law firms operate as though attorneys are the ""important"" parts of their business, and that business staff is... well, chopped liver. How can firms adjust/improve their language to change this attitude/perception? Questions Harriet asked the speakers: • The landscape for hiring and recruiting within law firms has changed a lot since January 2020 (and again since the end of 2022). What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry/in convos with peers? What surprised everyone the most about how recruiting/hiring has changed in the legal field? (I’m thinking first year associate pay has got to be a big one!) • What are your predictions for how things will stay the same/change in law firm operations over the next 5-10 years? Do you think attorneys will fundamentally change their expectations around work-life balance? And how are firm resources being marketed to attorneys during their recruiting process (as part of the support package)? (i.e. research departments, LPM, etc) • Let’s talk a bit about the split in law firms between attorneys and “everyone else”… what have you seen across the industry, and do you think those divisions are breaking down, becoming more defined, or something else? I’m also interested in how you think this will play out as the market retracts again: it’s been popular to cut back on administrative staffing in times of financial concern, but that loads more work back onto attorneys—do you see anything differently happening this time around? Moderator: @Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes -  Senior Project Manager - Legal Operations, CBRE Group    Speakers: @Jennifer Bluestein - Chief Talent and HR Officer, Perkins Coie @Chris Boyd - Chief Operating Officer, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati     Recorded on 04-07-2023

As more players enter the legal technology market, what trends and advances should we be keeping an eye on? What trends or tools have the potential to radically disrupt the profession? In this podcast interview, the speakers will discuss this and much more!   Questions Jennifer asked the speakers:  1.        What will be the most important legal technology trend for lawyers and legal professionals to follow in 2023? 2.        What trends or tools have the potential to radically disrupt the profession? 3.        Where should law firms and law departments focus their legal tech budgets in the next year? Three years? 4.        How will legal technology impact client engagement? Moderator: @Jennifer Mendez - Sr. Director  of Knowledge Management Innovation, Fisher Phillips Speakers: Joe Borstein - Chief Executive Officer, LexFusion Casey Flaherty - Chief Strategy Officer, LexFusion  Recorded on 04-05-2023

Law firms are increasingly expanding their scope and advertising "add-on" services. How can attorneys make use of these to make themselves "stickier" to clients, and how can law firms promote these services in a way that conveys their increased importance to the overall client experience? In this podcast interview, the speakers discussed this and more.    Questions Harriet will asked the speakers: • Tell us a bit about the evolution of NRF’s Legal Operations department: what was the intended purpose, and how does it interact with the larger business? • How can attorneys make use of this group (or others within the firm) to make themselves "stickier" to clients?  • How is (or can) the firm promote these services in a way that conveys their increased importance to the overall client experience? Moderator: @Harriet Joubert-Vaklyes - Senior Project Manager - Legal Operations, CBRE Group    Speakers: @Al Hounsell - Director - Strategic Innovation and Legal Design, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada  Kathy Goodman - Practice Innovation & Knowledge Counsel, Paul Hastings (London)   Recorded on 04-05-2023

In this session, the speaker provides an in-depth discussion on the creation and implementation of standardized methodologies for managing each stage of discovery as it pertains to the preservation, collection, and production of ESI.   Moderator: @Carolyn Robinson - eDiscovery Coordinator for the Americas - Office of the Regional General Counsel for Robert Bosch, LLC Speaker: Gabe Egli - Partner, Shook Hardy & Bacon  Recorded on 03-31-2023

Enterprise search, targeted search, predictive search, conceptual search...so many options, but which is the right one for your organization? Will advances in AI change how we search going forward? Will we see Alexa or Siri for legal? Questions Jennifer used to guide the conversation: We often hear about various search options in legaltech - enterprise search, predictive search, conceptual search, just to name a few. How has search evolved in the legal industry over the last decade?  How will advances in artificial intelligence change the way we search in law firms and legal departments? Will we see voice search, similar to Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, in legal? If so, what are the ethical implications of relying on voice-enabled technologies?  What does the future of search look like? The legal industry is notorious for its unhurried approach to change. How do you see the change management and adoption process of these technologies playing out in legal? What outside factors do you think will drive law firm adoption? Moderator: @Jennifer Mendez - Sr. Director of Knowledge Management Innovation, Fisher Phillips Speaker: @Pablo Arredondo - Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Casetext   Recorded on 03-15-2023