Facebook for Work

Are we about to see a tidal wave of people start using Workplace, the new "Facebook" for work? That seems to be the question as Facebook releases its new product Workplace today. Previously Workplace has been in beta, but even in this mode it's had over 1,000 businesses and organizations sign up. As of today though, anyone can begin using it. While Workplace will face competitors already out there, it's association with the ever popular social media network Facebook seems like it will provide a clear competitive edge to signing up users.

Workplace, unlike Facebook, will also have a cost associated with it. Using analytics, Workplace will be charged based upon the number of active users on a monthly basis. 

So the question is -- who will be the early adopters in law firms? Will Workplace be able to get around Facebook's association with distractions and lower productivity in the work place? 

Here are some additional places to read about Workplace: 

• http://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/2016/10/10/facebook-rolls-workplace-competitor-slack-office
• http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/719665/facebook-workplace-new-social-network-office

Renaming PLL

Interesting discussion posted at the "On Firmer Ground" blog.

Renaming the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section.

I've always wondered why we had "libraries" instead of "librarians" in our association names. I believe that our own association (Dallas Association of Law Librarians) is one of the few that does not have library in the title.

"PLL" What's in a Name? 'Librarian,' that's what!

On October 23rd at Noon (CST), the PLL Board will discuss the challenges facing today's firm librarians. Among those challenges, we'll discuss whether the term "librarian" is still a good label for what information professionals do in their firms.  Here's the link to the broadcast to save in your calendar:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lawlibcon/2013/10/23/pll-whats-in-a-name-librarian-thats-what

DALL Spring Institute

On Friday, April 12, 2013 DALL is having our annual Spring Institute at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (Dallas Public Library) in Downtown Dallas from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Lunch will be served.

Cost for attendance: $25.00

Please mail your payment to:

Dallas Association of Law Librarians
Attn: Treasurer
P.O. Box 130875
Dallas, TX 75313

Speakers are:

    Denise Chochrek, Senior Research Analyst for Frito Lay/Pepsico
    Katie Hut, Manager of Library Relations,  Practising Law Institute
    Emily Rushing, Competitive Intelligence Manager and Firiel Hubbell, CI Specialist, Haynes and Boone
    Keynote Speaker: Philip Rosenthal, Co-Founder and President of Fastcase

Topics include:
 

• Knowledge Management in a Legal Setting
• Libraries Transitioning to Ebooks and a demonstration of DiscoverPLUS
• CI on a Budget: Starting and Sustaining a CI Program with Free/Low-Cost Tools
• Reinventing Law from Inside the Law Library: How Librarians Can Promote Competition and Innovation in Legal Publishing

Location:

Dallas Public Library
Harmon Room
5th Floor
1515 Young Street
Dallas, TX 75201

Parking is $1.50 in the Library garage and please bring your ticket to the event to have it Validated.

Get driving directions via Google Maps.

Please register through the DALL Survey Monkey.

For additional information, please contact Candace Cathey at cmcathey1@sbcglobal.net.

See you April 12th!

Law Firms Eating More Costs by Bloomberg Law

Kia and outside counsel decisions

Very interesting post about Kia and a recent presentation they did at the second annual E-Discovery Institute's 2012 Leadership Summit, held at the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The gist of the presentation? New thought behind the "beauty contests" for outside counsel. Some of the tests could include:

• Prepare exhibit binders for arbitration.
• Draft and finalize opposition to a motion for summary judgement.
• The use of staff/division of labor.
• Proficiency with Office, including sorting, filtering, cleanup, and other functions.

Growth is Dead series

You may have seen references to this series on the Adam Smith, Esq. blog. The series is about the business of BigLaw, and the way the business of law has changed since 2008. This is recommended reading.

Adam Smith, Esq. Blog
"Growth is Dead" series

• Growth is Dead: Part 1
• 9-9-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-i/
• Growth is Dead: Part 2
• 9-10-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-2/
• Growth is Dead: Part 3
• 9-16-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-3/
• Growth is Dead: Part 4
• 9-20-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-4/
• Growth is Dead: Part 5
• 10-2-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-5/
• Growth is Dead: Part 6
• 10-14-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-6/
• Growth is Dead: Part 7
• 10-21-2012
• http://www.adamsmithesq.com/2012/09/growth-is-dead-part-7/

The Bluebook App

The Bluebook, a Uniform System of Citation rulebook, is available as an app on iPhone and iPad. Users can conduct searches by keywords or phrases, able to jump directly to cited sources through hyperlinks, touch any word to highlight, annotate and/or bookmark any amount of text and much more.

NOTE: There are custom versions of the app are available on an enterprise basis for law firms and other organizations.

Starting a Knowledge Management Program at Your Firm

There will be free KM webinar on starting a KM Program in a law firm today at 11 AM (CST). 3 experienced knowledge management leaders will discuss how to start or revitalize a program. Also, they will explain reasons to begin a KM program and what are the first steps to begin the process. The guest speakers are:

John Gillies is the Director of Practice Support at Cassels Brock & Blackwell in Toronto. He collaborates with all firm members to enhance the culture of knowledge-sharing through building appropriate organizational and technical structures

Rachelle Rennagel is the Director of Legal Services at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. She oversees the firm’s practice support, paralegal, library and managing clerk’s offices, and is responsible for the firm’s knowledge management initiatives.

Jeff Rovner is the Managing Director for Information at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he directs all of the firm’s technology, information and knowledge management functions.

Patrick DiDomenico is the Director of Knowledge Management at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in New York. He leads the firm’s efforts to help lawyers work more efficiently and effectively to create value for its clients.

Register online here.

NOTE:  There will also be a question and answer period. You can ask questions or make comments before and during the webinar using Twitter — just use the #StartingKM and/or #ILTAKM hashtag. Feel free to tweet our panelists directly: John Gillies (@JohnGillies), Jeffrey Rovner (@JeffRovner), Rachelle Rennagel (@Irshal). You may also tweet our moderator, Patrick DiDomenico (@LawyerKM).

An Introduction to KM for Law firms

Here is a presentation by Connie Crosby of Crosby Group Consulting and Stephanie Barnes of Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting about law firm knowledge management from LawTech Camp 2012.

Jones Day Selects Bloomberg Law for Legal Research

Bloomber Law announced a firm-wide agreement with global law firm Jones Day. For more details, read here.

What is CI? Part 2

Here is Part 2 of the presentation by Jennifer Alexander & Margaret Hennessy. It's titled, Compiling A Company Profile.

What is CI? Part 1

Here's a presentation by Jennifer Alexander & Margaret Hennessy at the PLI-LLAGNY Research Briefing. It's called An Introduction to Competitive Intelligence in the Law Firm Environment.

The Rise (and Fall?) of Big Law Firms

Barrister App: Build Your Law Firm App

Barrister App is an app created specifically for the legal profession. The app comes with a CMS (content management system) and allows users to customize the display of the app, manage information, and send notifications to clients. Available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Here's how it works:

When you purchase the Barrister App for your firm, you get access to a back-end CMS that walks you through the set up. Set up is easy and straightforward.
Your app will include these components:

• Who We Are. This is where the app lists your attorneys, their contact information and their practice areas.
• Where We Are. This shows your office or offices on Google Maps.
• What We Do. The list of your practice areas.
• Notifications. As noted above, you can sent notifications to clients — anything from appointment reminders to firm news.
• My Notes. Users can make and store notes here.
• My Profile. The client inputs information here.

 Costs?
The cost of this is based on the size of your firm:

• 1-9 lawyers: $395.
• 10-25 lawyers: $995.
• 26-99 lawyers: $1,995.
• 100+ lawyers: $2,995.

It’s Magic Button Time (Again)

It’s Magic Button Time (Again) Toby Brown (3 Geeks and a Law Blog) writes about the wish for a "magic button" to pull together reports on who is charging what in the legal market, and decides it just doesn't exist at this time.

Is "Self-Help" a Good Thing Or a Bad Thing?

Is "Self-Help" a Good Thing Or a Bad Thing? Greg Lambert posts on 3 Geeks and a Law blog about the trend for lawyers to handle tasks that they previously delegated to staff. Is this a good trend, bad trend, or neutral trend?

Managing the Law Firm Risk Role in Outsourcing

Managing the Law Firm Risk Role in Outsourcing Toby Brown at 3 Geeks and a Law Blog discusses risk and ethics for legal outsourcing

LexisNexis Rolls out Newly Re-designed Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Index App for iPhone

Lawyers are becoming more and more mobile – working remotely, traveling to meetings, back and forth to court and speaking at conferences – so it is no wonder that applications which aid in productivity have gained enormous significance. For lawyers who are always on the go, LexisNexis recently released a completely redesigned Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Index app for iPhone to help them connect with other lawyers or referral sources.

The app provides direct access to the renowned Martindale-Hubbell database of more than 1 million lawyers and law firms so that legal professionals can quickly refer cases to an attorney in another jurisdiction, check out an opposing lawyer’s credentials or search for outside counsel then quickly connect with the most appropriate person or firm. Its features include:

• Options to search for lawyers and law firms according to Martindale-Hubbell Ratings, law school, name, area of practice and location
• Ability to call a firm or lawyer directly from the search results page
• Access to comprehensive profile listings with contact information, Martindale-Hubbell Peer and Client Review ratings, bar admission details, website link, and more
• Maps and driving directions to a lawyer’s office
• Ability to create and store notes on lawyers and law firms for future reference

“We developed this iPhone app with lawyers in mind and rolled it out quietly last year, so we were amazed when there were nearly 1,000 downloads of the app within weeks,” said Len Gilbert, vice president, Customer Experience. “Since the initial soft launch, we redesigned the app to bring the user experience to the next level, including all-new screen images for easier viewing, location detection functionality and additional search fields for finding the right attorney or law firm. This app is a great mobile tool that allows legal professionals to find, evaluate and connect with the right lawyer while they’re on the go.”

To download the Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Index app for the iPhone, click here.

BLOOMBERG LAW ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH DLA PIPER FOR LEGAL RESEARCH

Bloomberg Law to Provide DLA Piper’s US Lawyers with Legal Research and Business Information Platform. Read the article here