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Posts Tagged ‘technology’

The Kennedy-Mighell Report: Pardon Our 100th Interruption

Monday, April 29th, 2013

“Pardon Our 100th Interruption” is the title of the 100th episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast for the Legal Talk Network. Listeners who go back to the very beginning will know that there were six earlier episodes we did on our own that we like to refer to as the Lost Episodes since they are no longer available on the Internet or iTunes.

Tom and I decided to adopt the format of one of our favorite podcasts, ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, popularly known as “PTI,” for episode #100. When we launched the podcast in its current form, PTI was one of our models. The other model was the Slate Political Gabfest. If you know Tom and me, it should be no surprise that we took those models and ended up with something completely different.

In Episode #100, we used the PTI format to talk about a lot of legal technology topics in a short time.

The format also gave us a chance to respond to listeners who think that Tom and I should disagree more in the show. In a segment called “Toss-up,” we intentionally take different sides on several topics. It works well, except for Tom believing that he won every argument.

Here’s the show description:

#100 – Pardon Our 100th Interruption [LTN] [LTRC]

The Kennedy-Mighell Report has reached a milestone: Episode 100! As part of the celebration your hosts will bring you today’s legal technology issues in the format of one of their favorite shows: ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption. Hear how technology can make your business more efficient, highlights from the ABA Tech Show, the future of technology for lawyers, and more.

We had good time recording this episode and it was a fun way to celebrate episode #100. We’ve really enjoyed the reception and response our podcast has gotten over the years. Consider this episode our way of saying thanks.

And now we get started on the next 100.

Remember the podcast is now available at two places: the Legal Talk Network and the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center. And it’s available in iTunes, where you can subscribe and have new episodes appear in iTunes automatically when they are released. As always, if you have ideas for topics or questions for us to answer on the podcast, let us know.

- Dennis Kennedy

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Facebook in One Hour for Lawyers, the new book from Allison Shields and me, is now available (iBook version here). Our previous book, LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers is also available and also can be downloaded as an iBook. Also still available, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Tags: 100, 100th, episode, kennedy, legal, mighell, podcast, report, technology
Posted in Legal Technology, Podcasts | Comments Off

Two New Tech Columns: Law Firm Apps and Departure Policies

Monday, April 1st, 2013

My latest two ABA Journal tech columns are called “Apt to make apps? What you need to consider before jumping in” and “5 tech policies law firms should consider to prep for job departures.”

1. Apt to make apps? What you need to consider before jumping in

In this column, I did a little investigation into mobile apps (really, iOS apps) that law firms and lawyers had created so far. My research was not scientific or thorough, but it gave me an indication of what the typical person looking for law firm apps would find. I didn’t find a lot of these apps, but, to generalize, most fell into the megafirm category or the auto accident firm category.

Some of the apps look to be be useful, and some are underwhelming.

The exercise gave me something think about in how lawyers might create mobile apps and I try to draw a few practical conclusions and give some tips about costs and approaches to apps.

The money quote:

In some ways the current app environment is reminiscent of the early days of webpages in 1995 or blogging in 2002 or 2003, when there was a small number of early adopters among the legal profession. For some, moving to the Web or blogging was a rewarding and successful step. For at least as many, it was a move that did not make sense. And for the majority, their efforts did not make much of an impact.

While I don’t expect law firm mobile apps to become as ubiquitous as law firm websites, I’m intrigued by the ways law firms might take advantage of the apps platform.

Read the entire column at “Apt to make apps? What you need to consider before jumping in.”

2. 5 tech policies law firms should consider to prep for job departures

This column was suggested by a lawyer friend of mine in St. Louis when we had breakfast a few months ago. He mentioned that knowing what to do when a lawyer (or any staff member) left a firm was hard enough, but determining what to do about technology when someone left was really difficult. He talked about some of the approaches he had seen and taken and thought that the topic would be good for a column. I agreed.

I focused on five key policies, but want to emphasize how important it is to be flexible and have a good understanding of what is happening at the time and what is at stake.

This area struck me as one where lawyers were likely to be advising clients on appropriate employee manuals and policies, but not bother to implement them for their own firms. It’s also an area where manuals and policies can only take you so far. I vividly remember when the IT director at my then firm left a manila envelope with some notes and a “yesterday was my last day” letter on my chair for me to find when I came in in the morning.

The column focuses on some of the biggest issues (there are more, to be sure) and makes a few practical suggestions for each.

The money quote:

Common responses to the technology issues raised by a departing lawyer or employee can be ad hoc, chaotic and woefully incomplete, raising more problems than the firm solves.

If you haven’t given this subject some attention recently, there is no time the present to revisit it with fresh eyes.

Read the entire column at “5 tech policies law firms should consider to prep for job departures.”

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: aba, apps, column, departures, firm, ios, journal, law, leaving, policies, technology
Posted in Articles, Legal Technology | Comments Off

The Return of Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast – Four New Episodes

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

Tom and I have rebooted our podcast after a brief hiatus with four really good new shows, a second channel and what feels like a bright future for the podcast.

First of all, we’re grateful to Adam, Trent, Keoki and the team at the new Legal Talk Network for keeping LTN going and keeping our podcast in their lineup, with all the archives (and iTunes subscription feed) still available and a lot of fresh new ideas for the podcast. Check out what LTN is doing.

And we are also grateful to Josh Poje at the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center for helping us set up a second channel for the podcast at the LTRC site as part of a new legal technology podcast network.

What does that mean? Existing subscribers (RSS and iTunes) should be receiving the new shows automatically. New listeners will find the past four episodes and future episodes on both the Legal Talk Network and the Legal Technology Resource Center. Think of the new approach as a dual-channeled effort to get the podcast to new audiences. At both places, you’ll get the audio content Tom and I create, but in a slightly different wrapper (sponsorship, identifiers, etc.), depending on how you access the podcast.

We’ll be releasing new episodes every other week.

The new episodes are episodes 94, 95, 96 and 97. Observant readers will note that we are fast approaching episode 100 and plan to do a special episode in honor of that.

The new episodes:

#97 – The Internet of Things and Our Virtual Lives. [LTN] [LTRC]

In this episode, we discuss the idea of “the Internet of Things” and the implication of a world where more machines now connect to the Internet than people. Perhaps we have yet to see how much the Internet can do for us. I also talk a bit about my cool experience with personal genome sequencing with the 23andMe service.

#96 – Taking Control of Your Mobile Apps. [LTN] [LTRC]

In this episode, Tom and I confess to how many apps we have downloaded and installed on our mobile devices. I try to blame Tom’s iPad App in One Hour for Lawyers book for that. We talk about the growing need to organize and manage apps and then explain the basic ways to do that. We also answer a question about whether you should choose and iPad Mini or an iPad.

#95 – Digital Cameras in Law: Are Smartphones Enough? [LTN] [LTRC]

In this episode, we turn my recent failure to get a decent photo of two bears fishing salmon out of a stream near Lake Tahoe into a meditation on the role always-at-hand digital cameras in smartphones and devices can play in today’s practice of law. We have a lot of ideas and practical suggestions. We also answer a question on what are our best new presentation tips for 2013.

#94 – Top Legal Blogs & State of the Blawgosphere in 2013 [LTN] [LTRC]

In this episode, we are happy to be back to the podcast and discuss what seems to be a renewed interest in law-related blogging, my 2012 Blawggie awards, and our favorite law-related blogs. We have many new blogs for you to try if you don’t already read them. We also take the bold step of revealing our own 2013 technology resolutions.

To longtime listeners, we thank you for your patience and hope that you return to regular listening. To new listeners, sample a few episodes and consider subscribing.

We’re happy to be back. As always, if you have ideas for topics or questions for us to answer on the podcast, let us know.

And, if you will be at ABA TECHSHOW, consider joining Tom and me at a Taste of TECHSHOW dinner we will be hosting. Even if you don’t attend the dinner, make sure that you say hello at TECHSHOW and let us know that you listen to the podcast. We really enjoy meeting our audience.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: app, apps, blawg, blog, camera, digital, genome, internet of things, kennedy, legal, management, mighell, podcast, report, technology
Posted in Legal Technology, Podcasts | Comments Off

New Article: Does Your Firm Have a Bring-Your-Own-Device Policy?

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

My latest ABA Journal tech column is called “Does Your Firm Have a Bring-Your-Own-Device Policy?” The column is just a simple introduction to the two main approaches to the increasingly-common desire of employees to use work technology devices for personal purposes and personal devices for personal purposes.

The two approaches, not surprisingly, have their own acronyms – BYOD and COPE. BYOD stands for “bring your own device” and COPE stands for “company-owned, personally enabled.”

As I say in the column:

With BYOD, a separate, secure area for work data and activity is created on an employee’s personal device. In COPE, a separate area for personal data and activity is created on an employee’s otherwise securely protected work device. The concepts are simple, but the devil is in the details.

I go on to discuss the general concepts and some practical issues and questions involved in each approach.

Money quote:

The consumerization of IT is another example of how a standard technology brings up many issues about the culture of a firm, how to treat those who work for it, and the blurry line between work and home. Firms need to understand the main approaches and the vocabulary for the discussion because this trend is likely to keep gathering momentum.

Read the entire column at “Does Your Firm Have a Bring-Your-Own-Device Policy?”.

How is your firm or organization choosing between these two approaches?

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: aba, byod, column, consumerization, cope, IT, journal, legal, technology
Posted in Articles, Legal Technology | Comments Off

What Tech Gifts Do You Recommend for Techie Lawyers (and Others)?

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

[Note: I’m running a Q&A series all the rest of December on DennisKennedy.Blog (details here).]

What Tech Gifts Do You Recommend for Techie Lawyers (and Others)?

The answer is: Normally, I don’t make these kinds of recommendations, leaving that task in the excellent hands of people like Reid Trautz, who has posted the latest edition of his annual gift guide for lawyers.

However, there is one item that I see as the must have for techie lawyers, especially those who travel a lot. It’s perfect for all of my friends who speak regularly on legal tech and have so many gadgets and chargers that their hotel rooms look like they are decorated with Christmas lights.

Here it is.

Ok, admit it, I made you laugh. However, I really do think a sleep mask is great for travel.

Before I give me some of my general thoughts, let me recommend the gift guide that Allison Shields posted, which links to a number of tech gift guides, including the 2012 Holiday Tech Toys podcast from Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway, an annual tradition.

Here are a few of my thoughts.

It’s difficult to give (or receive in some cases) tech gifts, especially as tech has become so much more personal. For example, I’m really liking my iPad Mini and would thoroughly recommend it, if it fits your use case. However, giving it as a gift is tricky because the amount of memory that makes sense will vary from person to person. It’s nice to get an iPod, iPad or other device, but if it doesn’t have enough memory or isn’t in the color you want, it’s not quite as nice as you hope it would be. It’s best to determine what your gift recipient really wants, which takes away the surprise element.

Headphones are another example of a tech gift where people have certain ideas and requirements in mind. I have a collections of headphones and earphones, each of which has a specific use. That said, I’ll put in a good word for the MEElectronics M6-BK-MEE Sport Noise-Isolating In-Ear Headphones with Memory Wire that I use when I work out. Great price, good sound and they stay in my ears well and block out music and other sounds in the fitness center where I work out.

I tend to take a practical approach to tech and I think that approach works really well for tech gifts. For the techies on your list, I’d suggest the practical stuff, things like cables, chargers, connectors and the like. You really can never have enough, especially if you speak and travel. External hard drives and higher capacity USB drives will always be appreciated – you can’t have too many.

For the tech speaker on your list, the hottest thing among speakers is using an Apple TV and Airplay so you can present wirelessly with an iPad. They’ll be happy to see an Apple TV.

A gift card to buy some apps is another good idea.

Not surprisingly, I also recommend one or more of the reasonably-priced “In One Hour” books from the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section. I’ve ready many of them and you can pick topics that interest your gift recipient. I especially like the ones of LinkedIn and Facebook, but I might be a little biased.

If you have a question for me to answer in this series, you may submit it for me through the usual channels – email at denniskennedyblog @ gmail . com, a comment left on the original post about the Q&A series, this post or a subsequent post, or through Twitter (@dkennedyblog), or whatever other way you want to reach me.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: gift, gifts, guide, lawyers, recommendations, tech, technology
Posted in Legal Technology, Questions | Comments Off

Will You Be Writing a 2012 or 2013 Legal Tech Trends Article?

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

[Note: I’m running a Q&A series all the rest of December on DennisKennedy.Blog (details here).]

Will You Be Writing a 2012 or 2013 Legal Tech Trends Article?

The answer is: No. Well, maybe if someone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, I’d think about it, but I still think I’d say no.

I get this question fairly often around the end of the year. It used to be an annual tradition for me to write an article summarizing the most important legal tech trends I found in the preceding year or make predictions about the next year. I’ve drifted away from that practice for a number of reasons:

1. Tom Mighell and I typically cover this topic in an episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast (an example). In fact, we’ve already talked about covering this topic in an upcoming episode.

2. I had gotten into the habit of matching the number of trends to the year (12 Trends for 2012?) and the number of trends simply got to be too large for me to attempt. (See my 2008 article)

3. Too many of the people I respect in legal tech said either that the trends are really the same as the previous year or that there was nothing really eye-openingly new. For example, I’m not sure that saying predictive coding or technology-assisted review in e-discovery is really something that would not have been said for the last several years. It doesn’t really feel new to me. Social media? Cloud? Those topics have been around for quite a while. I’m reluctant to write an article that simply says some things I’ve mentioned before are still around and haven’t made much progress.

4. I don’t really have a regular writing outlet these that makes sense for an article like that, and it would be a very long blog post (even by my standards).

With a couple of possible exceptions, legal tech seems like a sleepy area lately. The agendas for legal tech shows (with the exception of tablets and apps) look a lot like they did a few years back. Those observations, unfortunately, would make for a rather sleepy legal tech trends article. It’s more fun for me, and more interesting for you, that Tom and I cover the topic in the podcast format rather than that I write an article.

I am, however, definitely interested in what others see as the hot, significant trends and whether people disagree with my overall assessment.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

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Tags: 2012, article, legal, technology, trends
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Law Technology Today Post – LinkedIn Endorsements

Friday, November 30th, 2012

The ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center is now part of the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section and I’m on the LTRC board this year. We have some great plans and be sure to keep an eye on LTRC over the next few months as we launch some new initiatives.

One of the things I’ll be doing is contributing at least one guest blog post each month to the Law Technology Today blog, which I recommend subscribing to in Google Reader or your other favorite RSS reader if you have any interest in legal technology at all (which you must, if you are reading this blog).

My first guest post appeared today and it’s called “‘Liking’ Your Connections with the New LinkedIn Endorsements.” Not surprisingly, it’s about the new LinkedIn “Endorsement” feature that makes it it easy to acknowledge the skills of your LinkedIn connections. I like the new feature so far. Check out the post to see why.

There will be a stellar cast of guest bloggers on Law Technology Today, so I definitely recommend it to your attention and to your regular reading list.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: aba, blog, endorsements, law, linkedin, LPM, LTRC, technology, today
Posted in Articles, Legal Technology, LinkedIn, LTRC | Comments Off

Will Lawyers Always Be Late Adopters? – New Podcast

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

I’ve seen and heard a couple of things recently about lawyers using (and not using) technology that left me shaking my head. Tom and I decided that gave us a good reason to talk about whether lawyers are really late adopters of technology in the newest episode of the Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast on the Legal Talk Network. This episode is called “Will Lawyers Always Be Late Adopters?.”

Remember that you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and receive new episodes automatically. The show notes site for the podcast is at TKMReport.com.

Here’s the description for this episode:

EPISODE #93

#93. Will Lawyers Always Be Late Adopters?
Lawyers are known as notorious late adopters of technology. Is that a fair characterization? Of course it is. What makes lawyers so cautious about new technologies? Will lawyers always be late adopters? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss some recent experiences that have reinforced the idea that lawyers are late adopters, the reasons people do and do not adopt new technologies, and practical ways for lawyers to think about moving to new technologies. Podcast here

In large part, this episode was inspired by a picture a friend posted of a computer in a law office running a DOS program. We had also seen two recent blog posts about technology adoption that we thought made some good points about technology adoption: Michael Sampson’s “Why is New Technology Not Adopted?” and Jared Spool’s “Why People Adopt Or Wait For New Technology.” I highly recommend both posts and we discuss them in the podcast and offer a few observations of our own. If you are interested in legal tech, I think you’ll enjoy this episode. We hope it starts a few conversations.

If you haven’t listened to the podcast before or in a while, give this one a listen and then subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

If you have topics you’d like us to cover on the podcast or questions we can answer on the podcast, let us know by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Tags: adopters, kennedy, late, lawyers, legal, mighell, podcast, report, technology
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My ABA Journal Tech Columns

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Someone recently asked me if all of my monthly American Bar Association Journal articles are collected in one place.

They aren’t, but I wanted see if I could create a link to saved search that would, as a practical matter, let people see them all in one place. (Here’s the link.)

When I did that, I noticed that I am fast approaching 5 years of writing the column. It first appeared in November 2007.

I remember how excited I was to get the call from Ed Adams about taking over the tech column. It’s a great list of topics that the columns have covered and my editor, Reg Davis, has been, if I may use the word, awesome to work with over the years.

The idea of the column is to write in a very practical way about a useful technology audience in a way that potentially appeals to all lawyers who read the ABA Journal. That can be a challenge, to put it mildly, but I always have fun writing the column. I’ve also enjoyed the comments most of the columns have generated. Well, except maybe the comments taking me to task for not covering everything about a topic in the 600 words I have to address the topic.

Anyway, here’s a link to a saved search that will take you to all the articles I’ve written for the ABA Journal (link).

I’ve been vowing to update the list of all my articles over the years, but I haven’t made much progress. However, you can go to the “Articles” category archive on this blog to find many of my articles. I’ve also been toying with the idea of putting together a selection of my best articles and blog posts as a low-priced or free ebook. Let me know if you might have any interest in that so I can gauge the potential interest and audience.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

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Tags: aba, column, journal, legal, technology
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Twitter Talk – My Latest ABA Journal Column

Monday, October 8th, 2012

My latest ABA Journal tech column is called “Twitter Talk: Its Search and Trends Can Keep You Up to Speed.” The column provides some practical pointers on ways lawyers can benefit from using Twitter without the need to learn how to “tweet.”

In my experience speaking to lawyers, Twitter is the social media platform lawyers have the most difficulty seeing where the value might be. In this column, I focused on the non-tweeting side of twitter – search and trends.

I cover the basic details and highlight ways lawyers have used and might use Twitter search and trends. I’ve long used these tools and have always found them valuable. I always encourage lawyers to experiment with search and trends before they write off Twitter as something that makes no sense for them. You should do that too – you might be surprised at how much you can learn by using Twitter without actually tweeting.

Money quote:

Even if tweeting does not make sense for you, Twitter Search and trends as monitoring tools might.

Read the entire column at Twitter Talk: Its Search and Trends Can Keep You Up to Speed.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

Follow my microblog on Twitter – @dkennedyblog. Follow me – @denniskennedy

Facebook in One Hour for Lawyers, the new book from Allison Shields and me, is now available. Our previous book, LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers is also available and also can be downloaded as an iBook. Also still available, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.

Tags: aba, column, journal, legal, search, technology, twitter
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Dennis Kennedy

Posts Tagged ‘technology’

The Kennedy-Mighell Report: Pardon Our 100th Interruption

Two New Tech Columns: Law Firm Apps and Departure Policies

The Return of Kennedy-Mighell Report Podcast – Four New Episodes

New Article: Does Your Firm Have a Bring-Your-Own-Device Policy?

What Tech Gifts Do You Recommend for Techie Lawyers (and Others)?

Will You Be Writing a 2012 or 2013 Legal Tech Trends Article?

Law Technology Today Post – LinkedIn Endorsements

Will Lawyers Always Be Late Adopters? – New Podcast

My ABA Journal Tech Columns

Twitter Talk – My Latest ABA Journal Column

Dennis on the Web

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