Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Andy Wishart, the Chief Product Officer at Agiloft, a provider of software for contract and commerce lifecycle management. We discussed his new role at the company, how remote working and the pandemic have impacted CLM solutions, and where the sector is headed.

I spoke with Justin Hectus, the chief information officer of Keesal Young & Logan and of the firm’s technology spin-off, KP Labs. We discussed the 2020 BTI Client Services All-Stars 2020 list, to which he was named and the only allied professional among the 475 winners to receive that acknowledgment, what distinguishes his approach to client service, what makes a law firm CIO indispensable, and how law firms are approaching new technology in 2021.

I spoke with Tracy LaLonde, the founder of the professional development consultancy Xaphes and the author of The Joychiever Journey: Evade Burnout, Surpass Your Goals and Out-Happy Everyone (James House Media, November 30, 2020). We discussed her inspiration for writing The Joychiever Journey, whether legal professionals are happy, best practices for finding joy in your work, and the link between joy and innovation.

I spoke with Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide. We discussed how the increased adoption of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics is changing the work of legal professionals, the best practices that law firms should implement before they incorporate A.I. processes into their workflows, and whether the billable hour inhibits a firm’s ability to fully deploy technology.

I spoke with Eimear McCann, a former practicing lawyer and the head of strategy at Summize, a contract automation platform. We discussed her move from practice to legal tech, how Summize supplements the technology that legal teams already use, how professionals can ensure that legal tech solutions solve practical problems, the trajectory of the contract automation sector.

I spoke with Nick Whitehouse, the general manager of the Onit AI Center of Excellence, which is Onit‘s centralized initiative to incorporate AI into its suite of software tools. We discussed the recent acquisition of his company, McCarthyFinch, artificial intelligence trends of which in-house lawyers should be aware, how can AI enhance customer support in legal departments, and ways that the pandemic has affected the impression of AI.

I spoke with Darrell Mervau, the president of FileTrail, and David Worth, the chief information officer at Nelson Mullins. We discussed how the role of the CIO and most technology leaders has evolved in law firms, the increased interest in information governance, what to expect from an IG solution, and where the sector is headed.

I spoke with Rakesh Madhava, the founder and CEO of Nextpoint, a company that develops e-discovery and trial prep software. We discussed the genesis of Nextpoint, how the pandemic has changed e-discovery, and where e-discovery is headed.

One of the initiatives that Ari Kaplan Advisors launched in 2020 was a periodic CEO Roundtable to address trends, challenges, and objectives with market leaders. During the fifth and final conversation of the year, I discussed lessons learned, silver linings, and the road ahead with: Haresh Bhungalia, CEO, Casepoint; Kiwi Camara, CEO, DISCO; Ian Campbell, CEO, iCONECT; Craig Carpenter, CEO, X1; Dana Denis-Smith, CEO, Obelisk Support; Steve Fredette, CEO, The BARBRI Group; Keith Laska, CEO, Hanzo; Kim Massana, CEO, Neota Logic; Soumya Nettimi, CEO, ASG Legal Tech; Tim Pullan, CEO, ThoughtRiver; and, Chris Stock, CEO, PCLaw | Time Matters.

I spoke with George Socha, the Senior Vice President of Brand Awareness for Reveal, an e-discovery software company, and a member of the advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. He is also the co-founder of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model. We discussed his new role, the role of AI in e-discovery, the eDiscovery Leaders weekly video program on the ACEDS network, the value of a CEDS certification, and how the pandemic is changing e-discovery.