Legal operations (legal ops) is a hot topic these days. The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) recently held its annual jamboree in Las Vegas, drawing approximately two thousand acolytes from around the world. That was twice the prior year’s turnout and indicative of the buzz that the organization–and legal operations... read more →
May
17
Apr
30
The past decade has produced dizzying change. The confluence of the global financial crisis, technological advances, and globalization has changed how people live and work. Disruption has replaced stasis as the ‘new normal.’ Tech-enabled companies have unseated entrenched market leaders and supplanted long-standing business models across multiple industries-- retail, entertainment,... read more →
Apr
18
Procurement is changing the legal industry. It is driving another nail into the legal guild’s coffin by altering the long-standing practice of lawyers selling corporate legal services to lawyers. This is not simply a change in the corporate legal buy/sell dynamic; it is compelling evidence that law is not solely... read more →
Apr
09
The reports of the old boy network’s death are greatly exaggerated. Women have been fighting for equal rights since the early days of the Republic. In 1776, Abigail Adams petitioned her husband John, admonishing him not to put unlimited power into the hands of men. John Adams replied, “I cannot but... read more →
Apr
02
Law is a profession and an industry. Lawyers in the U.S., the world’s largest legal market, regulate both. Regulation of the practice of law and the business of law should be bifurcated. Let lawyers regulate practice and independent business professionals oversee the industry. Conflation of the two is detrimental to... read more →
Mar
22
Legal tech is attracting plenty of interest, money, press, and hype. It is law’s shiny new object that has transfixed the industry. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, and a daily rollout of new tech solutions are touted as game changers. The proliferation of tech incubators, record crowds at tech conferences, the recent Global Legal... read more →
Mar
14
Law is no longer exclusively about lawyers. Technology, the global financial crisis, and globalization have created a new buy/sell dynamic that has disrupted industries from ride-hailing to hospitality –even getting a date. These powerful forces are having an impact on law, too. Consumers have a new set of expectations for... read more →
Mar
13
It’s budget season for General Counsel, and that means expanded portfolios, stagnant or shrinking budgets, managing new risks, and heightened C-Suite expectation to defend the enterprise and advance business initiatives. Corporate counsel must “do more with less,” and that means they must find faster, better, more cost-effective, and smarter ways... read more →
Mar
01
Technology dominates the legal tabloids. Investment in legal tech, blockchain and AI’s emergence as potential game changers, technology’s impact on legal jobs, the rise of law companies and legal operations, and technology’s role in legal education and training are common topics. With all the legal tech frenzy, there is rarely... read more →
Feb
15
Legal tech incubators are becoming the Starbucks of the legal industry–there’s one popping up on almost every corner. Law firms, law schools, corporates, and State Bars are launching them. The ABA maintains a directory of legal incubators. The incubator craze is global--from Singapore to Spain. Many proclaim they will spawn ‘innovation,’ create ‘cutting-edge technology,’... read more →