The Kennedy-Mighell Report

Inspired by accusations of over-agreement, Dennis and Tom decide to shake things up with this annual recap of 2016. In true “Pardon the Interruption” style, this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report queues up three segments designed to put hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell at odds with each other. Listeners are in for a real treat as Tom declares a winner for each stage... but is he right? Was there actual “smack talk” during the episode? Will Dennis and Tom ever agree again? You decide! Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most internet savvy attorneys use search engines to supplement their law practice resources. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss how search engines have changed over time, semantic and voice search, and the impact mobile search has had on search engines in general. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss their favorite gadgets to give as gifts this holiday season in their 2016 tech toy list. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Identifying the necessary changes to improve your law firm can be difficult. It can be even more challenging implementing those improvements and transitioning your company's culture toward a new direction. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the importance of change management and how these techniques can help attorneys improve their law practice. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss the rise of contract automation and whether or not a contract system can be fully automated. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When discussing legal technology many attorneys perceive their cyber security risk as low and easily manageable. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the recently distributed denial of services attacks that disrupted hundreds of websites, what makes you vulnerable to these attacks, and how lawyers can better defend themselves. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss an artificial intelligence concept known as “human in the middle” and how AI will augment the future practice of law. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many attorneys and law firms are turning toward digital content creation to better market their companies and connect with potential clients. One type of content that is increasing in popularity among legal practitioners is podcasting. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss their nine years together creating podcasts, the benefits podcasting can provide to your legal career, and a few tips for attorneys interested in creating their own podcasts. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss drones and how this technology might affect the practice of law. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ensuring that your law firm’s technology is functional, secure, and up to date requires tech savvy and constant vigilance. One of the toughest decisions, and a fairly common one, is whether you should upgrade your firm’s existing operating system to a newer one. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss popular operating systems and the risks and benefits of upgrading your software. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss how Twitter has evolved over time and the recent rumors that Twitter will be acquired. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is well known that there is a tech proficiency skills gap within the legal industry and that  lawyers tend to be resistant to new technologies. However, is the solution to this problem simply encouraging attorneys to utilize current and new tech or should lawyers actually know how these technologies work? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the cloud, how it has changed, and whether it is more important for lawyers to implement or learn about new tech. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss apps, their popularity, and if they are still actively sought after and downloaded. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As firms build and grow it can be hard to accurately gauge how your business stacks up against similarly sized competitors. Furthermore, with the rapid pace of technological advancements it can be challenging to stay on top of current marketplace trends for even the largest firms. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the ILTA/InsideLegal Technology Purchasing and ABA LTRC Tech surveys, what they say about current tech trends, and how law firms can use this information to gain an advantage in the marketplace. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom discuss Blockchain technology, smart contracting, and how this technology can help law firms build trust and increase security. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.  Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss their dreams for future tech innovations, the ways technology is currently failing us, and the strong reactions consumers are having to the rumors that the new iPhone 7 will not have a traditional headphone jack. Dennis shares that the catalyst for this show topic was a recent experience with aggressive drivers that made him recall a traffic accident he was in. The recklessness of the drivers and the distraction that resulted in his crash made him think that perhaps the world needs driverless vehicle technology more than ever before. Tom further emphasizes this sentiment by referencing several recent stories of individuals who, while driving, experienced heart attacks or other medical emergencies and utilized driverless car technology to safely and expediently reach the hospital. He states that humanity has to get use to the idea that computers can do things as well as, if not better than we can, and driving might be one of the last places that this occurs. Both hosts provide their wish lists of tech innovations that could improve their everyday lives, including intelligent voice recognition software that understands the context of spoken requests and a dashboard that provides sophisticated multi-platform social media management. They end the first segment with their thoughts on how these advancements could greatly benefit lawyers. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom explore why consumers are having such a negative reaction to the rumors that Apple’s iPhone 7 will not come with a headphone jack. Dennis remarks that traditional tech is disappearing faster than ever before and wonders if this is another sign of our technological future that society will have to get use to. Tom thinks that consumers are concerned about their previous tech investments, like top quality headphones, becoming obsolete and reminds us all that technology always changes and that you can either accept that evolution or give up the technology altogether. They both speculate how removing the headphone jack and utilizing the lightning port could potentially innovate the headphone as a platform. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss whether it is beneficial to take a break from technology and if increased tracking of consumers through their technology is inevitable. Dennis and Tom were both recently on vacation and during this time of seclusion Dennis started to rethink his relationship with technology. His decreased use of email and sporadic access to social media led him to question if a controlled break from technology was beneficial in simplifying one's approach to tech use. Tom stayed much more connected during his vacation and came to the conclusion that he doesn’t want to take a break from technology. Leveraging the maps, apps, and entertaining content tech provides, in his opinion, helps him to supplement the activities that he likes to do. They both encourage anyone feeling overwhelmed by tech to take an audit of their use and find ways to be more efficient and remove unsustainable habits. They end the segment with an analysis of how a complete break from technology can affect a lawyer’s practice and their relationship with their clients. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom take a look at the concept of tracking consumers through their technology and whether or not the growth of this trend is inevitable. Dennis admits that he is wary to enable tracking on his devices and that this caution is also why he doesn’t use social media often when he travels. However, he also recognizes that the services he relies upon like browser searches and mobile applications would be greatly improved if he enabled more tracking. Tom does feel that tracking is inevitable but also emphasizes that transparency over what is collected and control over how much you share is incredibly important to him. They both analyze what this complex social contract might look like as tracking capabilities and the categories that are tracked continue to increase. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation you can use the second the podcast ends. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices