Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Tjeerd Van Ginkel, the founder of Innovatie Meester and an Amsterdam-based freelance innovation manager, who helps law firms and legal departments innovate. He is the former head of innovation at De Brauw, one of the largest law firms in the Netherlands. We discussed how law firms and legal departments should approach innovation, mistakes some are making, and client-facing innovation that makes a difference.

I spoke with Bonnie Beuth, the Information Systems Trainer for Ford Harrison, and Rachel Baiden, the Global Technology Training Manager at Squire Patton Boggs, who are two of the founding members of the Legal Technology Core Competency Certification Coalition – LTC4, which is a non-profit consortium of law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and attorneys from around the world that have established industry-standard core competencies for legal technology. We discussed how the LTC4 has evolved over the past decade, what distinguishes its learning plan format, lawyer technological competency requirements, and how the LTC4 distinguishes its certification.

I spoke with Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide. We discussed how SurePoint has evolved under his leadership, the company’s investment from Aquiline Capital Partners, negotiating the transaction virtually, ways that sophisticated investors support the management of legal technology companies, rebranding, and where legal tech is headed.

I spoke with Susan Duncan, a law firm management consultant, who helps firms and lawyers develop more business through client service and loyalty programs, She is also the author of Building Enduring Client Loyalty: A Guide for Lawyers and Their Firms. We discussed how she defines client loyalty, the challenges to earning it, and strategies for solidifying stronger relationships with clients in a post-pandemic environment.

I spoke with Niko Jakobsson, the Secretary General of the Finnish Bar Association in Helsinki, Finland. We discussed how the Finnish Bar Association empowers its members through technology, ways that lawyers in Finland are using technology, the pandemic’s impact on the work of the Finnish Bar Association, and the different skills required to lead a bar association.

I spoke with Chris Vorderer, Managing Director of Firm Intelligence at Litera, a software company that provides meaningful intelligence to the legal profession, and Pieter van der Hoeven, the co-founder and CEO at Clocktimizer, a business intelligence platform designed to help law firms make data-driven decisions related to matter management, budgeting, and pricing, which Litera recently acquired. We discussed the acquisition, why business intelligence has become so important in the legal sector, and the enhanced opportunities for legal tech companies in a remote environment.

I spoke with Ian Nolan, the co-founder and CEO of Brightflag, a legal spend and matter management software platform for corporate legal departments. We discussed the value of legal spend management for in-house teams, how law departments can apply artificial intelligence to optimize their operations, and how legal departments are transforming their operations as they return to a central office.

I spoke with Dan Binstock, a legal recruiter and co-owner of Garrison & Sisson, a leading attorney search firm. He is also the creator of the Virtual Piano Party. We discussed the state of the legal job market, the genesis of the Virtual Piano Party, and the secret to engaging attendees on Zoom events.

I spoke with Grover Cleveland, the author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer, who provides practical skills webinars for associates and summer associates. We discussed how firms navigated summer associate programming in 2020 and how they will do so in 2021, his playbook for virtual summer programs, and how legal professionals can develop better habits in showcasing their talent and ability.

I spoke with Jason Boehmig, the co-founder and CEO of Ironclad, a digital contracting platform used by companies around the world. We discussed the genesis of Ironclad, the transition from large firm lawyer to legal tech entrepreneur, the popularity of the CLM sector, the emergence of digital contracting, and the alignment between CLM and the growth of legal operations.