The Kennedy-Mighell Report

In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell consider the increased popularity of artificial intelligence, the usefulness of chatbots, and how both innovations can impact the practice of law. Tom speculates that the current data age and the large volumes of information available for analysis have helped to enable the advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Dennis explores exactly what machine learning means and explains the three current learning types: unsupervised, supervised, and reinforced. Tom finds the technology perplexing and uses the definition of Tenser Flow to illustrate how grasping these advanced concepts requires more education and technology knowledge than the average lawyer possesses. They both discuss the AI lawyer Ross and if legal professionals should gain technical knowledge in order to influence future ethical regulations with emergent technology. They end the first segment with a list of possible ways that these advancements in tech can aid lawyers in their everyday lives. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom talk about chatbots and how they can help lawyers with their daily tasks. Dennis proposes that they get a chatbot for the show and Tom strongly disagrees. Tom emphasizes that there are two ways to create a chatbot: programming one manually or allowing one to learn via data analysis and that he is fine observing what innovations programmers create. They both discuss how chatbots can help lawyers automate their scheduling needs and how utilizing this technology can save law practitioners valuable time. 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

Mobile applications are varied and cover a wide range of functions and services. What recent developments have been made with mobile apps and what are the current download trends within the industry? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell talk about recent developments within the mobile applications industry. Dennis begins with a discussion of the mobile app economy and Apple’s move towards allowing all apps sold through their store the ability to offer auto-renewable subscriptions. Tom expresses his concern with this change in model and states that for this to be successful the app experience must provide ongoing value worth the recurring payment. He pivots the conversation to an analysis of the application boom and statements that this period has ended, and shares that 65% of smartphone users download exactly 0 applications per month. They both end the first segment with an evaluation of The ABA Legal Technology Research Center data, which found that a small percentage of lawyers have even downloaded a legal app to their phone or tablet. In the second segment of the podcast, Dennis and Tom talk about Microsoft’s recent acquisition of LinkedIn and what this might mean for lawyers who are heavy LinkedIn users. Tom was not initially impressed by the acquisition but eventually realized that Microsoft is transitioning into a company that is selling online services to business customers. They both speculate the many ways LinkedIn and its subsidiary Lynda.com can be integrated into Microsoft’s existing product ecosystem. 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

Attorneys handle and process huge quantities of data each year. As data becomes more digital it will become even more important for legal professionals to have good, regimented email tidiness, or what we're calling "email hygiene." What are some data management best practices and how can lawyers maintain good inbox cleanliness? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell provide guidance principles to help lawyers improve their email hygiene. Tom challenges lawyers to identify how they perceive their emails, either as simple communications or possible business records, and encourages them to adopt an email retention policy. He emphasizes that keeping emails forever can be a liability, specifically if you are sued, and talks about the risks, costs, and productivity problems that can develop as a result of excess clutter. Tom and Dennis also analyze two types of email management styles; filing and piling, and explore practical ways to more efficiently search and manage their data for each style. They both end the first segment with application suggestions to help attorneys manage the clutter and helpful habits to keep the disorder at bay. In the second half of the podcast, Dennis and Tom talk about what you can do to get rid of your old cords, adapters, and other miscellaneous computer parts. Tom admits that he has major cord clutter in his garage and that he replaces these types of items immediately if he can’t find them. Dennis shares his system of storage and identification for assorted computer parts and encourages others to donate old tech gear to charity. 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

More than 50 percent of internet searches today is not done by humans but rather by bots. What exactly are bots and how can industry professionals use them to improve the practice of law? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss bots and how attorneys can utilize them to improve their everyday lives. Tom explains that bots, short for web or internet robots, are applications that run automated software or scripts over the internet. This software can do relatively simple things but much faster than any human can. Dennis talks about search engines employing specific bots, known as spiders or crawlers, that read website pages and other information to create entries for their indexes. Both hosts then discuss cutting edge uses for bots like Microsoft’s Tay, an artificial intelligence chatterbot created for Twitter, and how attorneys can use simple bots for everyday tasks like creating stand-up meetings, checking deposition schedules, or aggregating case information. They then close the first half of the show by analyzing the use of customer service bots by lawyers and Tom provides some of his concerns that clients may be misled by not understanding when the bot interaction stops and the human interaction begins. In the second half of the podcast, Dennis and Tom reflect on their time at ABA TECHSHOW 2016. Dennis shares that he thinks the most interesting things that happen at conferences occur at dinners, in the halls, and at events like LexBlog and The ABA Journal’s Beer for Bloggers event. Tom views TECHSHOW as a great educational service to lawyers, providing them with resources that matter, and reveals that he would like to attend more panels than he was able to attend at this year’s conference. 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

Virtual reality is one of the most intriguing and highly anticipated technological advancements on the horizon. With companies like Facebook spending billions of dollars to invest in such tech, could there be applications for VR within the legal profession? How could immersion in virtual worlds improve the practice of law? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss virtual reality, the current tech on the market, and how this tech could be used in the courtroom. Tom and Dennis first provide a definition of what virtual reality is (mainly using technology to create a simulated three dimensional world that you can interact with) and explain how this technology differs from augmented reality. They both then take a look at early forms of the technology, such as Epcot Theme Park’s centrifugal motion simulator Mission: Space, and compare those experiences with current tech options like The Oculis Rift and the HTC Vive. Tom and Dennis end the first half of the show with an analysis of the best use of virtual reality for lawyers, courtroom applications, and common concerns about this technology. In the second half of the podcast, Dennis and Tom talk about their tips to follow when using public wifi. Dennis reveals his dislike for airplane wifi and gives his suggestions, such as tethering your phone to create a wifi hotspot and using a virtual private network, to make using these services more enjoyable. Tom also gives his advice on things you should never do, like personal banking, when using public wifi. As always, stay tuned for Parting Shots, that one tip, website, or observation you can use the second the podcast ends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more lawyers and business owners are noticing and implementing the new collaboration tool Slack, described by its founder as “a messaging and search platform that creates a single unified archive accessible through powerful search.” But why is this particular application gaining traction among all other options including Facebook, LinkedIn groups, or even email? Furthermore, why should lawyers pay attention? Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell noticed Slack gaining momentum in startups, nonprofit organizations, and even small and medium sized law firms, so they tried it. In their 2016 technology resolutions, Dennis and Tom both decided to learn to use Slack, and implement it in their management of this very podcast. So, after a couple of months, what was the result? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis and Tom discuss the rise of Slack, its advantages and disadvantages, and what lawyers need to know about this collaboration tool. Dennis talks about Slack’s different communication mediums including channels, direct messaging, and starring or pinning conversations and whether these mediums can actually replace email. Tom explains that Slack shines by integrating with other applications like your calendar, to-do lists, and Dropbox. But he finds issue with the pricing models and limited control over user restriction. The hosts end the segment by emphasizing that  litigators and those in records management can’t ignore Slack in discovery. In the second section of this podcast, Dennis and Tom lightly touch on the recent subject of back doors in Apple products, the FBI, and private encryption. How will Apple vs. the FBI affect data security and confidentiality? And why aren’t more lawyers using encryption today? 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

The technology lawyers use at home can differ greatly from that at work, especially in medium or large law firms. This can result in two separate technology worlds that are at best difficult to manage. Many lawyers have multiple smart phones, calendars, computer operating systems, or even versions of Microsoft Office. For some, commingling systems can be the answer, but this can cause security and organization issues. So how can we effectively bridge the gap between our dichotomous technology lives? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss managing multiple tech personalities, how to bridge the gap (or not), and ways lawyers can organize their technology. Tom mentions how iPads and other popular home devices mean people have better personal hardware. Because of this, we might need more workarounds including bring your own device (BYOD) policies at law firms, but we need to be aware of the risks and benefits. Dennis talks about the three tech crossover scenarios: totally synced, partially synced, and independent systems. Dennis and Tom then discuss how partially synced lawyers can effectively organize their tech to reduce chaos in areas like passwords, contacts, calendars, and website bookmarks. In the second half of the podcast, Dennis and Tom talk about Twitter’s move away from reverse-chronological order. They talk about feed relevance, events playing out in real time, and whether they’re happy with Facebook and Amazon’s algorithm. 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

Notifications and reminders are useful when they remind you about your daughter’s soccer game, an upcoming meeting, or a software update. But are lawyers (and everyone else) being bombarded with too many notifications all day long? There is a difference between a calendar alert and having Omnifocus remind you what you haven’t accomplished today. Furthermore, with the development of smartwatches, notifications can constantly distract you all day long. Are we as lawyers using reminders and notifications on our programs and devices as effectively as we can? Where do we draw the line? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the life-encompassing emergence of reminders and notifications, how to control them effectively, and their benefits to lawyers’ personal and professional lives. Dennis discusses personalizing notification settings and mentions that the default settings on most apps are overkill, yet many people never modify them. Tom talks about the changing mobile platform, how email notifications can distract and drain lawyers at work, and the difference between necessary reminders and optional notifications. They finish the section with recommendations for trimming down and properly filtering your notifications so that they work for you rather than distract you unnecessarily. In the second half of this podcast, Dennis and Tom go over the subject of application updates; should we install them the day they come out? They discuss the benefits (security) and downfalls (bugs) of automatically updating your apps and other software. Stay tuned for a Parting Shots segment with several useful podcast recommendations. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even lawyers start the new year with at least a few resolutions. Some are predictable, falling into the usual categories like exercise or diet. However, creating legal technology based resolutions can really help your practice and overall happiness. Have you been thinking about trying a new app or learning to use one you’ve already downloaded? Does the idea of starting a blog or finding a new podcast interest you? Do you need some ideas? To help listeners with some ideas, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss their 2016 technology resolutions in this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report. They contemplate the usefulness of resolutions in general, examine their 2015 goals and whether they were completed, and make a new set of legal tech resolutions for the upcoming year. Using a system of threes, Dennis and Tom set up general and specific resolutions including online content and engagement, learning to use new tools, digital organization and pruning, and collaboration with other lawyers. Tune in and compare your goals with theirs; maybe you’ll decide to add one more! In the second half of this podcast, Dennis and Tom recommend previous Kennedy-Mighell Report episodes that new listeners might want to try. Sometimes legal technology discussions don’t stand the test of time, but many of their previous podcasts are still applicable today. 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 2015, we were introduced to a plethora of tools designed to make lawyers’ lives easier. However, not every legal professional has the same technological needs, and not every lawyer knows how to find the most useful tools for him or herself. In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell ring in the new year by sharing their favorite apps, websites, gadgets, and technology advice of 2015. They cover their favorite task management tools, cloud and Dropbox service options, search tools, news sources, VPNs, password managers, polling software, and much more. Tune in for a debate on whether the Microsoft Surface Pen is better than Apple’s Pencil and website suggestions for any lawyer who wants to use technology better. In the second half of this podcast, Tom and Dennis discuss where they discover their best legal tech tips. Their sources include Twitter, panels they’ve attended like ‘30 Legal Tech Tips in 30 Seconds,’ and RSS feeds where they can get links from colleagues and friends in the legal tech world. The hosts wrap up their inaugural 2016 podcast with Parting Shots, the section that always includes tips that you’ll be able to start using as soon as you’re finished listening to the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices