The Digital Edge

A number of lawyers are nervous about artificial intelligence (AI) replacing their jobs in the near future, but most don’t understand AI. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk to Mark Tamminga who defines artificial intelligence and what its growing popularity means for lawyers. Their discussion includes the big players in the AI industry, the future of technology, and what Mark would say to lawyers concerned that robots will take their jobs. They also talk about the College of Law Practice Management’s Futures Conference 2017, for which Mark and Sharon are co-chairs. This year’s focus will be artificial intelligence and its role in the legal industry. Mark Tamminga is a senior partner at Gowling WLG, a platform from which to nudge his firm in the direction of rethinking how legal services and products are delivered. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, Scorpion, Answer1, and Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t actually need to worry about a robot taking your job. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson talk to Andrew Arruda, CEO of ROSS Intelligence, about how artificial intelligence assists lawyers, not replaces them. Their conversation includes what ROSS is, the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI, and the biggest challenges facing legal technology adoption in larger firms. Andrew Arruda is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the artificial intelligence company ROSS Intelligence, a leader in the legal technology industry. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, Scorpion, Answer1, and Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does quality writing really make you a better lawyer? On this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway discuss legal writing with Gary Kinder, founder of the editing program WordRake. Together, they explore lawyers’ biggest writing errors, why this is important in the courtroom, and how writing well can help build a positive reputation for a firm. In their conclusion of the episode, they shift the focus to WordRake itself, expanding on what it is, the cost, and why it’s effective. They even include a treat especially for Digital Edge listeners. Gary Kinder founded the software company WordRake in 2012. The company’s eponymous software is an automated editing program that suggests changes to improve brevity and clarity. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, Scorpion, and Answer1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While 600 alternative business structure (ABS) licenses have been granted in the U.K., American law firms hesitate to pick up the strategy. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk to David Beech, CEO of Knights, a professional services firm with a successful ABS. In his discussion he expands on common fears associated with ABS, how community makes ABS thrive, and why ignoring ABS is a mistake. He finishes the interview by touching on his own business, which started out as a law firm, and what makes it a successful ABS. David Beech is the CEO of the professional services firm Knights in the U.K. David has led the business, originally a law firm, since 2011. His vision for Knights is to become the leading regional professional services business in the U.K. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, Scorpion, and Answer1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Struggling to find the perfect gadget for that tech savvy attorney in your life? Perhaps you’re trying to figure out exactly what to get a very special lawyer who seemingly has everything? In this edition of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway share all of their top tech toys and gifting goodies to help you spice up the law firm this holiday season. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, Scorpion, and Answer1. Products Mentioned: Family Hub Refrigerator: A smart refrigerator IBM Model M Keyboard: Mechanical Keyboard Thermo Thermometer: Smart thermometer NES Classic Edition: Nintendo’s mini iconic  console. Self-Installing Car Seat: A car seat that installs itself Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Powerful multi-purpose tablet Nanoleaf Aurora: A modular LED panel lighting system Samsung Galaxy X7 and X7 Edge: Smart phone Petcube Play and Petcube Camera: Pet monitor and pet selfie device Prepara iPrep Foldable/Adjutsable E-reader: E-reader and adjustable stand Amazon Echo Dot: Voice-controlled; cloud based Alexa Voice speaker Sensorwake: Olfactory alarm clock Hudway Glass: Heads up display for any car Wilson X Football and Basketball: Smart football and basketball device Urbanears: Washable headphones Anki’s Cozmo Robot: Robot Smart Remote: Smart remote that instantly connects to house appliances CHiP: Robotic dog pet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting, or running, a law firm requires legal know how and business acumen. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund Practice Management Advisor Sheila Blackford about her advice for attorneys seeking to better manage their client trust accounts. Sheila Blackford is an attorney and practice management advisor for the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund. She helps lawyers learn to set up and manage their client trust accounts and authored “Trust Accounting for Lawyers in One Hour.” Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, and Scorpion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many lawyers are familiar with the varied services and resources that the American Bar Association provides to their members around the country. In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Vandenack Williams LLC. founder Mary Vandenack about the American Bar Association Future of Legal Services commission, the data found in that study, and how those findings can help lawyers improve and prepare for the future of law. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, and Scorpion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the demographics that make up our society continue to shift, the question of diversity in the legal profession continues to grow in prominence. How would an increase in diversity benefit law firms and what can attorneys do to promote that change within the profession? In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with KM Advisors, LLC Managing Director John Mitchell about the difference between diversity and inclusion, diversity fatigue, and factors within the industry that might hinder the advancement of diverse lawyers. John “The Purple Coach” Mitchell is managing director of KM Advisors, LLC in Chicago. He spends his days supporting and advising leaders of law firms and legal departments as they navigate a constantly changing marketplace. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, and Scorpion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with PayneGroup CEO Donna Payne about ways attorneys can better handle their metadata. Donna reminisces about starting her company in 1998, the client experience that inspired the creation of her Metadata Assistant software, and The Wall Street Journal’s front page article mention that resulted in 150,000 downloads. She analyzes how metadata has changed since she started and provides a list of things, such as track changes and hidden text, that lawyers should be on the lookout for. She states that one of the best things you can do if you can’t afford a third party assistant program is to know what is in the document and use any free options available in your preferred office software suite. Donna closes the interview with an explanation of what exchangeable image file format data is, her checklist of the most common metadata mistakes that lawyers make, and some daily best practices that lawyers can implement to help protect their data. Donna Payne is the founder and serves as chief executive officer of PayneGroup, Inc. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Project Management Institute. In addition Donna is an original member of the Microsoft Legal Advisory Council. She is a frequent speaker at legal and technical conferences worldwide and has spoken to Congressional committees, the Senate, and at international judicial conferences on the subject of metadata and preventing accidental disclosure. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, and Scorpion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway speak with Legal Technology Consultant Andrew Adkins about his time as chief information officer for the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. Andy reflects on his 23 years as a technology consultant and gives a brief breakdown of the variables that led to his move to West Virginia and employment with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. The firm was large and successful when he arrived but, as he recalls, the information technology infrastructure was understaffed and mostly focused on day-to-day problem solving. This lack of needed staff was one of his biggest challenges as he began to expand the law firm’s IT capabilities and integrate new software to help the attorneys improve the services they provided. Andy talks about the process of building relationships among his teammates, learning their strengths and weaknesses, and the challenges he had convincing management of the necessity of continued employee training. He warns other CIOs of potential “upgrade fatigue” within their IT departments and shares how traveling to introduce himself to each branch of the company and incorporating a monthly newsletter to inform staff of upcoming tech changes helped to prepare staff for company-wide tech improvements. Andy closes the interview with an analysis of how he addressed the law firm's cyber security needs and his list of his best and worst professional moments during his four year employment there. Andy Adkins has been assisting law firms to improve their services to clients since the late 1980s. His career/journey has continuously led him down various paths, including a four year gig as the Chief Information Officer at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, a large law firm based in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow, CloudMask, and Scorpion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices