Law Scribbler

Software helps assemble social media posts from a specific event or point in time

Before he became a trial lawyer (and an advocate on behalf of the wrongfully convicted), Sean MacDonald in Toronto worked as a private investigator. His experiences on both sides of the coin taught him all too well how time-consuming and expensive it could be to locate eyewitnesses months or years after the fact.

Feb 1, 2017 1:40 AM CST

Transparency has become part of the NSA mission, its GC says

The old joke about the National Security Agency was that it was so secretive and mysterious that it really stood for “No Such Agency.” So it might be a bit of a shock to the system to see the NSA spearheading a public relations campaign to promote greater transparency—or at…

Dec 21, 2016 7:30 AM CST

Technology is making it easier for lawyers to do pro bono work

The legal industry already has been heavily affected by technology and the “Uber-ization” of the marketplace. It follows that pro bono work also would be affected.

Dec 1, 2016 1:35 AM CST

At TBD Law conference, lawyers share practice innovations

At a small table in a very large room, two lawyers discuss fixed client fees. They are from neighboring states, of similar experience and both in estate and trust practices, but facing the differences that come with jurisdictional regulations.

Nov 1, 2016 2:00 AM CDT

Law Scribbler: Acclaimed same-sex marriage advocate Evan Wolfson joins Dentons

When the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same-sex couples had a fundamental right to marry, it marked the culmination of famed civil rights attorney Evan Wolfson’s three decade-plus struggle to bring about marriage equality, and an end to Freedom to Marry, the organization he had founded in 2003. But…

Jun 27, 2016 1:45 PM CDT

The ‘magnet’ of expertise draws clients, generates fees

“We’re all here today because we’ve been lied to,” said Richard James, an entrepreneur and law firm consultant. “It wasn’t malicious. People we trusted told us things we thought to be true. We were told to get a good education, get a job at a good firm and get good…

Apr 11, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Once someone needs a lawyer, negative views of the profession fall

“I’m happy to be here and talk to you about how you all suck,” said Nika Kabiri, Avvo’s director of strategic insights. No, Kabiri hadn’t been hypnotized by some Las Vegas magician into thinking she was a waitress who hurls abuse at the customers. Instead, Kabiri’s Saturday morning speech during…

Apr 11, 2016 12:15 PM CDT

In spite of regulations, lawyers should be bold with their advertising efforts

It was gloomy and gray for most of the day as the seventh annual Avvo Lawyernomics conference kicked off Friday from the Wynn Las Vegas. But it certainly felt like the record crowd of more than 600 attendees Avvo touted, as the conference rooms were filled to capacity. Maybe the…

Apr 11, 2016 10:54 AM CDT

Survey: Law firms plan more blog posting for more business

It already seems as if everyone and their dog has a blog. There's even a show on Disney about a dog with a blog—it's called, surprisingly, Dog with a Blog.

Well, get ready for lots of law firms with blogs. In an October LexisNexis survey concerning law firms and marketing, a majority of firms said they are planning to increase their investment in blogging and content marketing this year. According to LexisNexis, of the roughly 400 law firms that responded to the survey, 57 percent said they anticipated doing more blogging as a means of generating business.

Apr 1, 2016 2:10 AM CDT

Hackathon winners’ app helps migrant workers locate aid

Asked to name some of her biggest challenges as a legal aid attorney in Raleigh, North Carolina, representing migrant farmworkers, Caroline DiMaio emphasized the migrant nature of her clientele. “Our clients are constantly on the move, depending on where the harvest is,” DiMaio says. “A lot of times they are…

Jan 1, 2016 1:50 AM CST

Dentons to continue its megafirm rise by merging with firms in Australia and Singapore

Another day, another multi-firm combination for Dentons. On Monday, Dentons and Dacheng announced it has taken the first step towards combining with Australian firm Gadens and Singaporean firm Rodyk & Davidson. According to Elliott Portnoy, global chief executive officer of Dentons, leaders at each of the four firms have approved…

Nov 3, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Mayer Brown associate prepares to make SCOTUS debut in politically charged redistricting case

Mayer Brown associate Michael Kimberly says he isn’t that nervous about making his debut oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court next week. After all, he’s been preparing for the moment ever since law school. “I was a student in the very first class of the Yale Law School Supreme…

Nov 2, 2015 1:35 PM CST

Some big firms are finding profit in commoditized work

When I was in Las Vegas a few months ago, Avvo CEO Mark Britton talked about legal services and how many large law firms are leaving business on the table by ignoring cheaper, more commoditized legal work. You wouldn’t think that law firms would be so discriminating when it comes…

Nov 1, 2015 1:40 AM CDT

Evolve Law hopes to foster a collaborative community for legal tech

Evolution of a concept into a reality can take some time. Legal tech entrepreneurs Mary Juetten and Jules Miller were both in the audience at the 2014 ReInvent Law event in New York City. They remember feeling inspired by the many legal entrepreneurs and industry thought leaders that got on…

Oct 5, 2015 8:30 AM CDT

Jeff Carr ends his retirement to join Valorem Law Group

In the end, Jeffrey Carr’s retirement from the legal industry lasted a shade under one year—or as Cher calls it, “an eternity.” When we last checked in with Carr, he had just wrapped up his 21-year career at FMC Technologies, which included the last 13 years as general counsel. Carr…

Sep 8, 2015 11:29 AM CDT