Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Mary DeSpain, the founder of Destination CLEs, a company that combines vacation with continuing legal education. We discussed the genesis of Destination CLEs, the advantage of associating leisure activities with professional education, and how this model of educating legal professionals reflects the changing nature of the practice.

I spoke with Richard Susskind, the author of the newly released book, Online Courts and the Future of Justice, among many others, including The End of Lawyers? and The Future of the Professions. We discussed his inspiration for writing Online Courts, how it aligns with his prior work, the key messages that he hopes readers will take from the book, which courts will change first, and how listeners can be bold in transforming their careers and practices to prepare for a different future in the law.

I spoke with Elena Borisova, the deputy general manager and director of sales and marketing for the Crowne Plaza – World Trade Center Hotel in Moscow, Russia. We discussed how hotels can gain distinction, ways that they tailor the experience for business travelers and tourists, and the impact of technology on travel.

I spoke with Igor Mass, the co-founder and managing director of MyFlyRight, a Hamburg-based flight irregularity platform in Europe. We discussed the genesis of MyFlyRight, how it balances the legal and technical aspects of its operations, ways that its customers benefit from automation, the challenges of operating a European legal technology company, and where the legal tech sector is headed in Europe.

I spoke with Olga Mack, the CEO of Parley Pro, a contract management platform for online negotiation. We discussed why the contract management field is developing so rapidly, the characteristics of a modern contract management platform, when organizations should consider implementing a contract management solution, and where this sector is headed.

I spoke with Scott Wallingford and Scott Winter, the VP and GM of LexisNexis’ Law Firm Software Solutions and the Director of Product Management for InterAction, respectively. We discussed how law firms are leveraging CRM technology and the cloud, best practices for managing cloud-based data, and how compliance with the CCPA and GDPR are impacting ways law firms are leveraging technology.

I spoke with Mike Bryant and Ashish Prasad, the executive chairman and general counsel, respectively, for Haystack ID, a specialized e-discovery services company. We discussed how consulting aligns with eDiscovery, what is driving investment in this sector, how HaystackID is investing in innovation, and how e-discovery is evolving.

I spoke with Chris Pogue, the head of partner connect at Nuix, a leading provider of e-discovery software. We discussed the value of establishing global partner networks, changes to the Nuix Partner Program, his vision for Nuix Connect, and the trajectory of this sector.

I spoke with Erick Gunawan, the head of forensics for Law In Order, a provider of e-discovery services in Australia. We discussed how law firms, consulting firms, and service providers leverage technology differently, the challenges of recruiting and retaining legal technology professionals in Australia, how Royal Commissions are impacting the legal technology community, and where the legal market in Australia is headed.

I spoke with Paul Fontanot, the national practice group leader for forensic and technology services at Clayton Utz in Sydney, who is an equity partner in the firm, though he is not a lawyer. We discussed the services that the forensic and technology group provides, the impact on law firms of sharing equity with professionals who are not lawyers, and the future composition of professional services firms, including legal practices.