Business of Law

Softening Market? Practice-Based Applications Are Taking a Hit

Photo of L. Keith Lipman by Bill Cramer Makers of law firm software are dealing with more than their fair share of negative trends of late, which are painting a less-than-rosy industry prognosis. Makers of knowledge management software, for example, have to be cringing at a torrent of recent security…

Nov 1, 2011 7:19 AM CDT

Let’s Make a Deal: Small Firms Find Big Deals on Office Space

John Pankauski used to pay $1,500 a month to rent a small office with few amenities. Today the Florida estate-planning lawyer owns his own office condo overlooking the scenic Intracoastal Waterway in West Palm Beach. After some $100,000 in renovations, he and his staff now work in a 2,000-square-foot penthouse,…

Nov 1, 2011 7:10 AM CDT

In the Judgment Trade: Law Student’s Website Helps Bring in the Cash

Shawn Porat isn’t your average 23-year-old law student. But then he wasn’t your average 12-year-old when he ran a successful business out of his parents’ home buying and selling items on eBay for friends and neighbors. By 22, Porat had a half-dozen profitable business ventures under his belt, including one…

Nov 1, 2011 7:00 AM CDT

A New View of Review: Predictive Coding Vows to Cut E-Discovery Drudgery

Consider these two words as a new glimmer on the dark horizon of the ever-expanding e-discovery world: predictive coding. The thinking machine’s answer to manually sifting through hundreds of thousands of e-documents for a few shreds of evidence, predictive coding shoulders e-discovery grunt work at speeds that can be blazing—and…

Oct 1, 2011 8:00 AM CDT

A New View, Part 2: E-Discovery Changes Have Some Seeing a Career in Document Review

Photo of Tracy Drynan by David Fonda Tracy Drynan was a prosecutor in Colorado after graduating from the University of Denver College of Law in 2002. In 2004 she moved to the Washington, D.C., area, where she expected to find work with some kind of nongovernment organization. “I came out…

Oct 1, 2011 7:50 AM CDT

Open Secret: Cisco Site Shares Privacy Approach

Safeguarding information from the onslaught of rapidly advancing technologies that track, store and share sensitive data is one of the greatest concerns among businesses and law firms. Internet giant Cisco Systems feels it has found a collaborative approach to privacy, and it’s sharing its story right out there on the…

Oct 1, 2011 7:40 AM CDT

Blended to Perfection: Mixing Legal Skills with a Penchant for Startups

Photo of J. Eric Davis by Wayne Slezak Entrepreneurial expertise and legal skills are a rare mix. They’ve proven to be a successful combination for J. Eric Davis, a corporate lawyer and venture capitalist who has carved a niche helping university technologies morph into commercial ventures. “I’m a hybrid because…

Oct 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

‘Mr. Small Claims’ Makes a Career on Volume

Small claims court cases are like any other legal disputes, but minus a zero, says Jordan Farkas, a Canadian lawyer who’s built a practice advising people who have $25,000 or less at stake. “Most lawyers look down at it,” says Farkas, 31. He started small claims work as a law…

Oct 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Tie Down That Wi-Fi: Security in Public Requires Vigilance

Not much these days beats the appeal of free public Wi-Fi. With our mobile devices, it’s actually disappointing when we can’t jump on the Internet whenever we’d like. But security experts like to re mind us that all is not idyllic in the public Wi-Fi landscape. Security presenters at conferences…

Oct 1, 2011 7:10 AM CDT

Viral Information: Interactive Press Releases Really Spread the Word

Injecting tried-and-true press releases with new web capabilities, some media services and their law firm clients are using interactivity to make their public announcements much more “Web viral-ready.” “With the growth of social media and the emergence of Web 2.0, we are ready with the tools to build further social…

Oct 1, 2011 6:59 AM CDT

Messin’ with Texas: Major Firms Move in on the Ol’ Boy Network

One-hundred-seventy-five years ago, Mexican troops invaded the Alamo. Today, it’s the nation’s largest law firms marching into the Lone Star State. For three decades, national law firms tried to penetrate the energy-rich and economically thriving Texas legal market without much success. But legal industry experts say today’s outcome is likely…

Sep 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Tech in the Courts: Highlights from Legal Technology Survey Report

As legal work goes increasingly mobile, the 2011 Legal Technology Survey Report takes a look at who is using what in courtrooms. The figures below come from the six-volume report, which can be purchased from the ABA Web Store. Photo courtesy of Apple Corp

Sep 1, 2011 7:00 AM CDT

App-solutely Perilous? Security of Mobile Apps Spurs Concern

Acquisitive fingers are wirelessly downloading millions of apps into smartphones and tablet computers, with the promise of new, easy and efficient ways of communicating. But it seems that with every advance comes a problem, and claims are being made that downloaded apps may also be carrying security risks that could…

Sep 1, 2011 6:50 AM CDT

Freelance Law: Lawyers’ Network Helps These Women Keep a Hand in the Workforce

Photo of Laurie Rowen and Erin Giglia by Jonah Light Laurie Rowen and Erin Giglia would like to add a new work status to the law dictionary: freelance. The 2009 founders of the 24-lawyer Montage Legal Group in Irvine, Calif., which bills itself as a network of freelance attorneys, would…

Aug 1, 2011 6:40 AM CDT

Hired Gun: Making Full-Time Work Out of Bits and Pieces

Eve Newman has figured out how to make a lucrative practice out of overflow work from other firms. For more than a decade, the New York City solo has exclusively handled excess work for other lawyers. Focusing on personal injury matters, she has developed a reputation as the go-to source…

Aug 1, 2011 6:30 AM CDT