Category: Law Firm Operations

  • Law Firm Technology Directors? Yes.

    Law Firm Technology Directors? Yes.

    The Value of Law Firm Technology Directors with Sam McAllister

    In this episode we talk about the advantages of having technology and software development capabilities inside your law firm. Can you imagine? And we’re not just talking about someone who is adept at unjamming the printer.  

    While the legal tech industry offers myriad high-quality solutions (some of my best friends are technology solutions), there are times when a litigator just wants that one thing that the tech doesn’t do. Or, working with the tech has such a long learning curve that the attorney won’t embrace it, that is, if he or she even tries it.

    There are also service enhancements attorneys would like to offer clients – capabilities that set the firm apart, that demonstrate the firm has the client’s best interests at heart and that the firm is even (gasp!) innovative.

    Litigators want to get an edge at trial. They want to be able to collaborate smoothly with clients. They want clients to get answers to important questions quickly. Focusing on customer experience is not just for retailers anymore.

    Joining me to talk about how one law firm benefits from having its own in-house technology developer is Sam McAllister, Director of Litigation Technology at Lightfoot Franklin & White in Birmingham, Alabama.

    Sam works on creative solutions for the firm’s litigation defense teams in the categories of communications, workflows, automation, multimedia, task efficiency, jury selection, information organization, and courtroom visualization, and more. The results come in the form of proprietary software, custom platforms, and apps. Many make the firm more efficient, cost-effective, and better equipped to collaborate with clients. Some have the effect of wowing clients, too.

    It’s no wonder Sam found himself on the Fastcase 50, a unique award that celebrates innovative professionals in the legal field. Sam, they said, exemplifies the “build-your-own spirit” of the award.

    He is the leader of the firm’s Case Clarity Group, which provides “highly-developed technology to clients throughout the duration of a case, e-discovery collaboration with Lightfoot lawyers, and adaptive evidence models to make complex ideas simple.” And – I like this part – “ask any lawyer who knows him – Sam does what it takes to help you win a case and is known for bringing calm to the most intense of trials.” (I can think of some work groups that would benefit from a position I just made up – Director of Calm. I mean, a cat can only do so much.) Sam received his B.S. in computer science from Auburn University. Speaking of cats – Go Tigers!

    I hope you enjoy the episode. If so, give us a rating!

    *******

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and our friends at Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

    Tom Hagy

    (actual size)

    Tom Hagy
    Litigation Enthusiast and
    Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
    Home Page
    LinkedIn

    Sam McAllister

    Sam McAllisterLightfoot Franklin & White

    Sam works on creative solutions for the firm’s litigation defense teams in the categories of communications, workflows, automation, multimedia, task efficiency, jury selection, information organization, and courtroom visualization, and more.

    The results come in the form of proprietary software, custom platforms, and apps. Many make the firm more efficient, cost-effective, and better equipped to collaborate with clients. Some have the effect of wowing clients, too.

  • Intellectual Property Trial Team Diversity with Tara Trask

    Intellectual Property Trial Team Diversity with Tara Trask

    Intellectual Property Trial Team Diversity with Tara Trask

    Diversity and inclusion initiatives aren’t just valuable for checking off compliance boxes and writing marketing copy. Those benefits are a distant second and third to the genuine value team diversity has on the success of a company or a project. That also means law firms and trials.

    A recent article published by the American Bar Association Tort and Insurance Practice Section hailed diversity of perspectives for how they improve a team’s ability to resolve legal issues, innovate solutions, and introduce  factors homogeneous teams may miss.

    The National Association for Law Placement reported that women and people of color are making great progress at major law firms. Nearly half of associates are women and, based on summer associate statistics, women are expected to break the 50% as early as this year or next. Black associates made impressive gains, but there remains room for improvement. At the partner level, however, Black and Latinx women and men remain stuck in the low single digits.

    In this episode we drill down even further to examine trial teams in the intellectual property arena. I was thrilled to speak with Tara Trask, one of the nation’s leading experts on IP trials and juries, having directly worked on or observed more of these proceedings than just about anyone. Tara has championed research on this topic as part of her work and presentations for the American Intellectual Property Law Association. The diversity spark lit up for Tara when she and her panelists enjoyed an enthusiastic reaction to an AIPLA conference session she moderated titled, “Perspectives on Diversity: Views on Trial Teams From the Bench, The Boardroom, and the Jury Box.”

    Listen to Tara’s insights based on analysis of her own cases, analysis of related studies, and expanded fact-gathering she is leading in collaboration with the association.

    BREAKING NEWS! This episode kicks off a series of guest-hosted sessions for which Tara will take the mic to interview professionals from her impressive network on legal team diversity.

    Now You Can Watch the Podcast

    WATCH IT NOW

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and our friends at Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

    Tom Hagy
    Litigation Enthusiast and
    Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
    Home Page
    LinkedIn

    Loved hearing what Tara said about this subject matter?

    Explore more content from Tara!

    Podcast: Jury Selection in the Age of Conspiracy Theories and Distrust with Tara Trask 

    Podcast: Lawyers for Good with Tara Trask and Jason Flom

    Tara Trask

    Tara TraskTrask Consulting

    Tara Trask is the President of Trask Consulting, a boutique litigation strategy, jury research, and trial consulting firm with offices in San Francisco, Houston, and New York. She focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on complex commercial litigation, including intellectual property, antitrust, securities, breach of contract, and fraud.

    She has assisted both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving products liability, insurance, and oil and gas. Tara has extensive experience in assisting institutions and individuals in matters involving regulatory enforcement and white-collar defense, as well. She has been involved in more than 500 jury trials.

    Tara Trask Consulting

    Tags

    Emerging Litigation & Risk Compliance Litigation & appeals Cybersecurity Data Privacy Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insurance Companies Risk Management Corporate & Securities Insurance Claims Recovery Regulations Data Breach Toxic Torts Antitrust Legal Tech Product Liability Settlements Trial Personal Injury Privacy Healthcare Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Data Analytics Arbitration Constitutional Law Climate Change Cannabis Labor Law Insurance Fraud Liability Claims COVID Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mediation Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Claims management Professional Liability Legal Research & Writing Business Interruption Law Practice Management Trial Skills Property and Casualty Drug Laws Copyright Law Catastrophic Loss

  • Persuasion as Direct and Honest Trial Advocacy with Jack Siegal

    Persuasion as Direct and Honest Trial Advocacy with Jack Siegal

    Persuasion as Direct and Honest Advocacy with Jack Siegal

    The relevance to jury trials and jury persuasion is obvious. According to studies cited in a 2019 article in Business Insider, people develop first impressions of you “even before you open your mouth.” That means your mere appearance “affects how trustworthy, promiscuous, and powerful people think you are.”

    It’s the trustworthy part that attorneys need to pay attention to. Regardless of the strength of their case or whether the law is on their side, an attorney still must be persuasive. And, unless the audience – whether it is a judge, a panel of judges, a regulatory body, or a jury – sees you as credible, the rest will likely not matter. But what makes an attorney, or anyone for that matter, credible? Is this something you’re born with or is it something you can develop over time? Is it true, as some studies suggest, that you can change some first impressions by making some changes in how you present yourself, or are you just stuck with a less than trustworthy vibe? Interested in upping your jury persuasion game?

    A Good Place to Start

    Listen to my interview with attorney Jack I. Siegal, a partner with Fox Rothschild LLP in Boston. Jack believes we can all make positive adjustments in the nuanced practice of achieving credibility.

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and our friends at Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

    P.S. Toward the end I could barely manager my ADHD and took the conversation into a chat that ranged from TikTok clips of the attorneys in the Amber Heard/ Johnny Depp trial, somewhat on point, to discussion of great drumming, which would take some crafty knots to tie that in. Jack, being good natured and a good sport, went right along with me. Also, that’s me on the bongos.

    Tom Hagy

    (actual size)

    Tom Hagy
    Litigation Enthusiast and
    Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
    Home Page
    LinkedIn

    Jack Siegal

    Jack SiegalFox Rothschild LLP

    Jack is a seasoned trial lawyer with experience spanning 20 years experience, during which he has tried cases in several jurisdictions. He also provides transactional counseling for executive compensation agreements, mergers, and other matters. Jack focuses on complex commercial disputes, government investigations and white-collar defense, regulatory proceedings, and compliance across a wide range of industries, including financial, healthcare, high-technology, and government contracting.  Education: Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude; Santa Clara University, B.A., Greek and Latin, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa; University of Virginia, Graduate Study, Classics and Classical Languages, Literature, and Linguistics.

  • Reimagining the Administration of Justice with Qudsiya Naqui of Pew Charitable Trust

    Reimagining the Administration of Justice with Qudsiya Naqui of Pew Charitable Trust

    Before COVID-19 came to America in early 2020, “going to court” literally meant putting on your shoes and walking into a courthouse, typically a large building with courtrooms inside, and people in robes and business suits and, in some cases, more restrictive attire. 

    Stoked by necessity, courts sprinted toward solutions for keeping the wheels of justice spinning while also keeping everyone away from each other. Until then it didn’t seem possible that attorneys could or would appear before judges via digital screens, like George Jetson getting yelled at by Mr. Spacely over some hilarious mishap at the sprocket factory.

    Pew Charitable Trust concluded an in-depth study of the courts with the 2021 release of a report,  “How Courts Embraced Technology, Met the Pandemic Challenge, and Revolutionized Their Operations.” After examining emergency orders from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and court approaches to virtual hearings, e-filing, and digital notarization, the researchers wrote that it was a time for “reimagining how to administer justice.”

    Was the adoption of technology effective? Were there any hiccups? Was technology widely embraced? Were the effects of new efficiencies enjoyed evenly across the socio-economic spectrum? Do we think courts will continue to reimagine how they administer justice without the crushing pressure of widespread disease?

    Listen to my interview with Qudsiya Naqui who leads Pew’s research at the intersection of technology and civil legal system reform. In this role, she evaluates and tests new technologies to ensure that they further efficiency, equity, and transparency in the legal process. This work is part of Pew’s Civil Justice Modernization Project.

    Before joining Pew, Qudsiya designed and implemented immigration, housing, and disaster recovery legal services programs at Equal Justice Works and the Vera Institute of Justice. She began her legal career representing immigrant women and girls seeking relief from deportation.

    Qudsiya holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and human rights from Barnard College and a Juris Doctor from Temple University.

    For more information about their work and the research, contact them at media@pewtrusts.org.

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and our friends at Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

    Tom Hagy

    (actual size)

    Tom Hagy
    Litigation Enthusiast and
    Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
    Home Page
    LinkedIn

    Qudsiya Naqui

    Qudsiya NaquiPew Charitable Trust

    Qudsiya Naqui leads Pew’s research at the intersection of technology and civil legal system reform. In this role, she evaluates and tests new technologies to ensure that they further efficiency, equity, and transparency in the legal process. This work is part of Pew’s Civil Justice Modernization Project.

    Before joining Pew, Qudsiya designed and implemented immigration, housing, and disaster recovery legal services programs at Equal Justice Works and the Vera Institute of Justice. She began her legal career representing immigrant women and girls seeking relief from deportation.

    Qudsiya holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and human rights from Barnard College and a Juris Doctor from Temple University.

  • Telepsychiatry: Mitigating the Risks

    Telepsychiatry: Mitigating the Risks

    REGISTER

    Registration Includes

    • Nearly 90 minutes of insights from experienced professionals.
    • CLE credit: 1+ (subject to bar rules).
    • For CLE questions: CLE@LitigationConference.com
    • The complete Power Point presentation.
    • Continued access to the complete recording for later use.
    • Answers to your questions via email to the presenters or write to HB and we will be sure to contact the speakers.

    Understand the risks associated with telepsychiatry and how to manage them. 

    Telemedicine has emerged as an important solution for healthcare in general and psychiatric medicine specifically during the current global pandemic. Remote access for sub-practices including addiction counseling have been commonly used. Our panel of psychiatric professionals who have served as expert witnesses and attorneys who counsel and represent physicians have prepared a 90-minute session to share insights with attorneys, physicians, healthcare providers, risk professionals, and more.

    Agenda

    • Examining procedures and best practices that exist for ensuring confidentiality in a telemedicine practice
    • How do you draft a telepsychiatric consent form?
    • What is the emerging standard of care for telemedicine?
    • Will the standard of care for telemedicine become a national standard? (Should it?)
    • Review the case law addressing telemedicine or telepsychiatry
    • How do the HIPAA regulations and HITECH privacy laws impact telemedicine?
    • How have the HIPAA regulations and HITECH privacy laws been relaxed during the pandemic?
    • Will the relaxed HIPAA and HITECH regulations impacting telemedicine continue past the pandemic?
    • Which technical platforms are preferred? Which ones to avoid?

    Panelists

    • Mark Levy, M.D., Medical Director at fpamed
    • David Kan, M.D., UCSF Psychiatry Department and the California Society for Substance Abuse Medicine
    • Ayesha Ashai, M.D., associated with fpamed
    • Stephen M. Fatum, J.D., Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
    • Angela W. Russell, J.D., Partner, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP

    Meet our physician and attorney panelists.

    Mark Levy MD
    Medical Director
    fpamed

    Dr. Levy is a graduate of Columbia College (A.B. 1967) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (M.D. 1971) in New York. He is a Physician and Surgeon licensed since 1972 by the State of California and the State of Hawaii since 2004.

    He is certified in Adult Psychiatry (1981) and Forensic Psychiatry (1999, 2009) by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. In the past he has served as a Qualified Medical Examiner (“QME”) for the State of California (active status 1993-96, currently “inactive”). He is also a Psychoanalyst and a graduate of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute.

    He is Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco where has been on the faculty since 1977 and , among other teaching activities, he lectures in the Law and Psychiatry Fellowship. He is also on the Faculty of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and is the Founder and former Chairman and President of the San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis, a community service outreach organization.

    In January 2006 Dr. Levy established Forensic Psychiatric Associates Medical Corporation (fpamed.com) of which he is the medical director. In addition to consulting on a broad range of civil (and criminal) matters in which there are behavioral questions to be addressed by a forensic psychiatric expert, fpamed as a group specializes in assessing psychological injury claims of populations of litigants in mass tort or multi-plaintiff litigation.

    Mark Levy founded fpamed in 2006.

    More about Dr. Levy here …

    David Kan MD
    UCSF Psychiatry Dept. &
    Calif. Society for Substance Abuse Medicine

    Dr. Kan graduated from Northwestern University Medical School. He finished his General Psychiatry Residency and Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is Board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General and Forensic Psychiatry and he is Board-Certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine in Addiction Medicine. He is a member of the faculty at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry.

    Dr. Kan enjoys teaching, in addition to his direct work with patients. He has won multiple awards for teaching and clinical care delivery. Dr. Kan teaches and supervises psychiatrists-in-training in his role as faculty member at UCSF. Throughout the year, he speaks at professional conferences on topics including treatment of addictive disorder.

    Dr. Kan offers forensic consulting services to courts and attorneys in civil, criminal, and administrative matters. He has testified in multiple states, counties and federal court as an expert witness. He is a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

    Dr. Kan is an active member of the California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM). CSAM is a physician organization dedicated to improving the treatment of substance use disorders. Dr. Kan has planned conferences and spoken to many physician and non-physician groups. Dr. Kan is the current President of CSAM. Dr. Kan is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (D.F.A.S.A.M.).  Dr. Kan has testified numerous times before the California Assembly and Senate on addiction treatment. Dr. Kan has testified before Congress advocating for expanding access to addiction treatment.

    More about Dr. Kan here …

    Ayesha Ashai MD
    Associated with
    fpamed

    Dr. Ayesha Ashai received her BA in Psychology and Spanish from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She went on to attend medical school at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at University of Maryland and Sheppard Enoch Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where she later served as the executive chief resident. After, she completed her forensic psychiatry fellowship under the leadership of Dr. Charles Scott at University of California, Davis in Sacramento, California.

    She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry with added qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry. She has years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of psychiatric disorders in various settings including civil and forensic hospitals, emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, and jails.  She has specialized experience in working with patients who are Muslim, those with an Indian or Pakistani background, as well as Hispanic patients. She is licensed to practice medicine in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Texas.

    Currently, Dr. Ashai works as a telepsychiatrist in two outpatient mental health clinics in Ohio and Illinois. She also provides treatment for offenders incarcerated at the Winnebago County Jail and offenders with a serious mental illness that are released from incarceration as part of a therapeutic intervention program. In 2013, she was awarded the Dr. George U. Balis Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education for her work with medical students. She will soon be joining University of Illinois- Chicago as a volunteer clinical faculty member.

    Dr. Ashai has been an independent contractor with fpamed since 2020.

    More about Ayesha Ashai M.D. here …

    Stephen M. Fatum
    Partner
    Barnes & Thornburg LLP

    Stephen Fatum advises on healthcare industry-related matters for physicians, physician organizations and nonprofit entities. Stephen’s decade of in-house experience for large organizations helps him counsel clients about practical strategies to achieve their goals. His style of negotiation relies upon listening, understanding, respect, identifying common ground, appealing to collective self-interests, collaboration and creativity.

    Stephen has counseled senior management and members of the boards of directors of medical groups, associations, hospitals, and health systems regarding governance structures, bylaws, operating agreements, mergers and acquisitions, reimbursement, compensation plans, joint ventures and federal and state regulatory compliance. Notably, Stephen is the former general counsel of Advocate Medical Group, S.C., which at the time was a multispecialty medical group of 270 physicians practicing in the suburbs of Chicago. Before holding this position, he served as general counsel of the Lutheran General Medical Group, S.C. He also acted as assistant general counsel of Lutheran General HealthSystem when it combined with another health system to form Advocate Health Care.

    Having worked in-house as general counsel for healthcare organizations and volunteered for five years as the board chair of a large mental health agency, Stephen has worked closely with board chairs, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CSOs, CMOs, and numerous other chief executives. He understands the business perspective and multidimensional challenges and financial pressures facing physicians and executives who lead health systems, medical groups, not for profit organizations and physician organizations.

    Read more about Stephen Fatum here …

    On Demand Registration

    Angela Russell Telepsychiatry Standards & Practices COVID 19

    Angela W. Russell
    Partner
    Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP

    Angela Russell is the regional managing partner of the Baltimore office and chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. She has significant trial experience and has tried cases in the District of Columbia and across the state of Maryland. Her practice encompasses the defense of professional liability matters, including medical malpractice and legal malpractice actions in addition to claims against agents, brokers and other professionals. Angela regularly handles and supervises general casualty matters for insurers and self-insured entities on premises liability claims, security matters, hospitality cases and recreational defense claims. Angela is also frequently called on to handle toxic tort matters.

    Angela possesses an innate ability to connect with her clients, identify their needs and communicate effectively throughout the litigation cycle. Her rapport in the courtroom is equally impressive. An aggressive litigator, Angela is adept at tapping the persistence, preparation and training she gained early on in a variety of public speaking engagements and tackling two marathons. Angela worked at prominent defense firms in Minnesota and Washington, DC, prior to joining Wilson Elser.

    Professional Distinctions
    Angela is the former co-chairperson of the Civil Jury Instructions Committee for the Bar Association for the District of Columbia as well as a former adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN.

    Read more about Angela Russell here …

  • Persuasion Science for Trial Lawyers with John Blumberg

    Persuasion Science for Trial Lawyers with John Blumberg

    Persuasion Science for Trial Lawyers with John Blumberg

    John joins me to discuss his study of the science behind persuasion. He examines a number of important concepts for trial attorneys, such as how emotions overcome rational thought, and how mental fatigue interferes with how we receive information, leading us to take mental shortcuts rather than doing the hard work of critical thinking. He also writes about understanding the differences between liberal and conservative brains.

    In addition to being an author, John is a board-certified trial attorney based in Long Beach, California. He handles both legal and medical malpractice litigation and is on American Board of Trial Advocates.

    You will especially want to hear my contributions, such as what I know about the rule of threes. For example, a joke about a doctor, a lawyer, and a duck is much funnier than one about just a doctor and a lawyer. Unless, of course, at least one of them is a duck.

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how much  you learned from John,  please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

    Tom Hagy
    Litigation Enthusiast and Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast

    “Your proposition may be good, but let’s have one thing understood: Whatever it is, I’m against it. And even when you’ve changed it or condensed it—I’m against it!”

    —Professor Wagstaff (Groucho Marx) in the 1932 movie Horse Feathers


    Attorney John P. Blumberg’s new book, Persuasion Science for Trial Lawyers, published by Fastcase Full Court Press, “takes a fascinating new approach to examining why certain advocacy techniques do and don’t work to persuade trial juries,” writes Susan G. Poehls. Director of Trial Advocacy Programs and William C. Hobbs Professor of Trial Advocacy at Loyola Law School, Poehls calls it an eye-opening read, one that will run “counter to what many of us have been taught for decades.”

  • A Special Episode: A lovable litigator with Danny Karon

    A Special Episode: A lovable litigator with Danny Karon

    A Special Episode: A lovable litigator with Danny Karon

    For  30 years attorney Daniel R. Karon has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in class-action and individual lawsuits. He’s also chair of one of the leading class action conferences for lawyers, judges and law professors: the American Bar Association National Institute on Class Actions. He’s passionate about educating up-and-coming lawyers. He teaches and writes extensively, and has been featured on podcasts and television news shows.  

    While practicing law (handling some intensely serious matters), Danny became acutely aware of “a societal bias against access to justice where people who need justice the most often get it the least.” One response to that was to launch Your Lovable Lawyer, a multi-media website whose goal is to “make  justice more accessible to people who don’t know, can’t find, or can’t pay for lawyers.” He endeavors to provide actionable insights regarding common legal problems. He refers to his “lovable” concept as “legal wellness,” and encourages regular folks to take a proactive approach to legal matters and potential conflicts. 

    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how lovable Danny is, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. 

    via GIPHY

  • Data Security for Small Law Firms with Ondrej Krehel and Gaspare Marturano

    Data Security for Small Law Firms with Ondrej Krehel and Gaspare Marturano

    Data Security for Small Law Firms with Ondrej Krehel and Gaspare Marturano

    Joining me to discuss this important issue is Ondrej Krehel, CEO & Founder of LIFARS, a New York-based incident response and digital forensics firm specializing in cybersecurity protection.
    Ondrej is recognized for his digital forensic expertise and ethical hacking skills. He participates in high-profile engagements around the world using his proprietary methodology to achieve the most rapid root-cause analysis and remediation. He is a former lecturer at FBI Training Academy who has led forensic investigations and cybersecurity involving the U.S. government, including military cyber special operations. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Forensics from Police Academy in Bratislava, Slovakia, an M.S. degree in Mathematical Physics from Comenius University in Bratislava, and an Engineering Diploma from Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia.
    Joining Ondrej and me is Gaspare J. Marturano, Chief Marketing Officer at LIFARS. Gaspare is a former Director of Information Systems for a large Connecticut law firm and has consulted on these issues with a number of other law firms.
    This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how insightful and informative Ondrej and Gaspare are, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.
    I particularly enjoyed hearing about what one kid was doing at 17, an age when I was certain I would be sought out for my rock drumming artistry. Of course, that kid was operating a criminal enterprise. I was just trying to impress girls.
    Tom Hagy

    Law firms are sweet targets for hackers given the rich data they store, from intellectual property to confidential merger details to personal and health information.

    The last decade is rife with headlines about data hacks and ransomware attacks at even the most sophisticated global law firms.

    Yet, according to the 2020 Legal Technology Survey Report conducted by the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center fewer than half of the firms polled employ some of the most basic security measures, such as email and file encryption.

    What can smaller firms do to protect their data and that of their clients?

  • Women in Law

    Western Alliance Bank presents a CLE-eligible webinar
    Women in Law
    Becoming the Master of Your Career

    According to the National Association of Women Lawyers, there has been a “sustained (albeit small) improvement for women amongst equity partners since the survey’s inception in 2006 (15% compared to 19% – 21% in recent years).”
    “This is a positive trend toward a more representative legal profession, but change at this glacial pace will continue to result in future generations of lawyers entering a profession where women and diverse attorneys are underrepresented in positions of power and influence. A continued, rigorous examination of and changes to existing practices – a movement from talk to action – is needed to speed progress in a meaningful way for women and other underrepresented groups.”
    As women work to advance their careers amid these market and social realities, there is much they can do on their own initiative to navigate their career in a manner that — over time — will meet or exceed their professional and personal objectives.
    We are fortunate two extraordinary women professionals have agreed to share a wealth of insights, tactics and strategies they employed to steadily rise through the ranks of their respective professions.
    Mary Beth Foley is General Counsel of Ohio Police and Fire Fund, and President of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys. Joining her is Barbara Hart, Director and Executive Committee Member at the law firm Grant & Eisenhofer. Barbara is also a member of the Thirty Percent Coalition which advocates for diversity on Fortune 500 boards.
    Join us for an engaging format in which Mary Beth and Barbara take turns interviewing one another about proven strategies they recommend other women in the profession consider as they chart their careers. Review the topics they will cover, their brief biographies, and register for this complimentary program, underwritten by Western Alliance Bank Settlement Services.

    NOW ON DEMAND!

    take it now!

    What you get:

    • 1+ CLE credits (subject to bar rules).
    • 75 minutes of insights from experienced professionals.
    • The complete PowerPoint presentation.
    • Additional reading materials.
    • Ability to watch multiple times.
    • Answers to your questions by writing to the speakers.

    What they cover:

    • Setting career goals and objectives
    • Understanding the phases of your career
    • Knowing when to acquire new skills
    • Building, nurturing, and leveraging your network
    • Developing and executing your own business and strategic plan
    • Understanding the importance of risk
    • Exercising caution effectively
    • Building and maintaining resilience
    • Recognizing allies to your long-term success
    • Becoming “the master of your career” — a personal and professional growth imperative
    • Getting in the room and securing your seat at the table

    CLE Assistance

    Meet the Speakers

    Barbara Hart
    Director
    Grant & 
    Eisenhofer

    Barbara Hart is a director at Grant & Eisenhofer and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. She has nearly three decades of experience as a leader in plaintiffs’ litigation. She has represented institutional investors, including many public pension funds, in securities and antitrust litigation and served as lead counsel in 4 of the top 100 securities class action settlements. Barbara has also achieved substantive antitrust and False Claims Act/Qui Tam settlements on behalf of her clients. In addition, she represents approximately 45 adult survivors of sexual abuse who are bringing claims against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Rockefeller University and the Boy Scouts of America. Barbara is pioneering these claims in light of a change in New York law known as The Child Victim Act. Prior to joining G&E, she was President and CEO of a firm focusing on securities and antitrust litigation, and before that, she spent 17 years representing plaintiffs at the New York office of a complex financial litigation firm.

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    Mary Beth Foley
    Interim Executive Director & General Counsel
    Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund

    Mary Beth was appointed General Counsel to OP&F in 2008 and recently was named Interim Executive Director. She began her career with the Ohio Attorney General and spent eleven years as a trial attorney defending federal litigation brought against the State of Ohio. During that time she became a managing attorney in litigation and Assistant Chief of the Employment law division. Mary Beth later served as Fiduciary and Labor Counsel to the Attorney General and Auditor of State of Ohio. She was the Auditor’s advisor on the five Ohio Pension Systems as well as the Auditor’s board designee on the State Teachers Retirement System, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Retirement System and the School Employees Retirement System. Mary Beth is currently the President of the National Association of Pubic Pension Attorneys and Board liaison for the Public Safety Affinity Group. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus Bar Association and a Mediator for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

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  • COVID-19 and the Courtroom with Alison Besunder

    COVID-19 and the Courtroom with Alison Besunder

    COVID-19 and the Courtroom with Alison Besunder

    Joining me is Alison Besunder on this timely and evolving subject.  It’s based on her article — Crisis is the Mother of Change: How a Pandemic Sparked Progress in Courtroom Efficiency — which will be featured in the January 2021 issue of the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation.
    Alison brings extensive experience counseling clients on matters ranging from the simple to complex, helping them prevent future disputes through proactive planning and to resolve disputes that proceed to litigation. She is a frequent speaker on topics such as Estate Planning During Divorce, End of Life Decision Making, Cyber-Security for Lawyers, and Social Media and Ethics.  She operated her own firm for several years and in 2019 joined Goetz Fitzpatrick LLP.
    The Journal is a collaborative project between HB and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how awesome Alison is, drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.
    We hope you enjoy the interview.

    What efficiencies have been foisted upon our nation’s courts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? 

    What has worked and what has not?

    Are we going to see permanent implementation of things like webcam hearings and virtual trials?