gdp's Comments

Law Practice Strategy : Meet the startups that are giving everyone affordable access to justice

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:29:29 +0000

Tom: Thanks for your comment. I mostly agree with you. The article focused only on what's happening in the Silicon Valley, and neglected to discuss what's coming out of Chicago-Kent Law School, funded by the Legal Services Corp., such as the A2J authoring tool, LawHelpInteractive and other tech being developed for use by Legal Aid, and extend its use to people who don't qualify. I also think, though, that any automation used by lawyers that reduces costs and thus pricing supports access to justice for many who cannot afford traditional legal costs, but don't think to go to Legal Aid.

Law Practice Strategy : VLO May Be the Solution to Reduced USPS Mail Services, Says Attorney Web Design Firm

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:05:33 +0000

Hi, Richard: I appreciate your comments, and don't altogether disagree with you. I wanted to respond to a few points, which might explain why I included this piece in my blog. First, it IS a press release. But it makes a good point. Second, there are certainly geographic areas as well as groups of clients who are not well-served by technology, and where the use of VLO technology is not appropriate. However, if mail service is going to be reduced (I'm not advocating this, just recognizing the reality), more lawyers will be prone to interacting with their clients via email. This raises significant security issues which are specifically addressed by the communication platforms (usually client portals) included in VLO and other collaborative technology. So posting this is an attempt to encourage lawyers to use proper technology if they use, or will use, the internet to communicate with clients. However, it is not a solution for those who rely solely on traditional communication methods, such as mail.

Law Practice Strategy : 21st Century Legal Writing – Kiss the IRAC Method Good-bye!

Sun, 3 Apr 2011 22:23:39 +0000

Hi: It\\\'s use is very widespread, and more importantly, much more preferred by judges (anything that makes their lives easier!).

RealPractice - Realize The Potential Of Your Practice™ : 3 Ways to Get Re-Tweeted

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 04:12:50 +0000

Commentary does give it more weight, but my feeling is that you endorse it just by the RT. My 2 cents among friends, of course!

Law Practice Strategy : TrialPad: Your Path to Streamline Litigation

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:57:45 +0000

I\\\'m not advocating increasing or decreasing fees. What I do advocate is using pricing strategies other than billing by the hour. Often that involves using fixed pricing, which requires an analysis of many factors, on a case-by-case basis. There is no set fee for a particular kind of matter (unless you decide to adopt that model either by itself or in conjunction with a fact-based pricing process). Cost containment allows lawyers more freedom in pricing their work, and alleviates fears about the risks they take in agreeing to a fixed price. Clients are seeking certainty in their legal fees, and the attorney/client relationship is enhanced by an up-front agreement on the cost of a legal matter. Whether or not that agreement includes a price that could be greater or less than what the attorney would earn by an hourly billing arrangement really should not be a consideration. An agreed-upon price should be something both the attorney & client believes is fair. That process can be easier when the attorney has control of his/her costs.

RealPractice - Realize The Potential Of Your Practice™ : Legal Services Still a Local People Business

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:11:12 +0000

Hi, Carey: Thanks for the mention! I think a significant point that wasn't addressed in the survey is: does that 84% or 61% still expect to be able to transact business virtually? I would expect that it would be a very high number. And that's why it's important for lawyers to add a virtual component to their services. Using virtual legal platforms does not need to mean you do so exclusively. If you want to go brick & mortar, you need to add a virtual communicate & document delivery system to meet your client's expectations.

Law Practice Strategy : ABA's Ethics 2020 Committee and the "Red Alert" Phenomenon

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:25:55 +0000

Brian: My post was not really about whether there should or should not be regulations. It was about 2 things: first, to encourage lawyers to participate in this dialogue with the Ethics Committee and second, to make sure everyone understands this is not just about marketing. It's also about using technology to practice law. There are two separate issue papers that people can comment on, and they shouldn't be confused.

Law Practice Strategy : Mixing it Up with Legal IT: New Uses & Applications, Part 1

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:02:17 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up on this - I\\\'m sure they\\\'ll take note, if they haven\\\'t already!

Law Practice Strategy : The Proactive Lawyer

Fri, 3 Sep 2010 18:16:02 +0000

Peter: Thanks so much for the Georgetown article link. I feel for the law students/recent grads who are not prepared to deal with the hand that has now been dealt them. But the truth is, they are not the only ones who are suffering. How about mid-level associates who were laid off, and already bought that house, got married, had kids. . .talk about responsibilities! What I hope to bring to the table for all of them, through my services which will begin very soon, is a viable system to start a solo or 1-5 lawyer practice that is sustainable throughout what seems to be a protracted recession. In the meantime, there are many lawyers devoting volunteer time to creating support systems for the unemployed. The ABA in particular is now on the bandwagon with their new Smart Soloing effort, and they've reduced membership dues significantly. But success in today's profession means you must stop licking your wounds and start looking for ways to make your profession work for you.

Law Practice Strategy : Google Apps Security For Lawyers: Premier Edition Only

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:26:36 +0000

Hi, Jason: Thanks for your comment. I agree that the premier edition does offer substantial security. There are still, however, the multi-tenancy and jurisdictional issues to consider. While lawyers will most likely need to learn to live with multi-tenancy, it is problematic that Google will not tell you where your data resides, since it actually resides in pieces worldwide, and can get moved around without you knowing. This presents issues related to the security regulations and national security legislation that exists in any particular jurisdiction. Choosing a law-specific vendor is better because you will know where your data resides, and how many other users are sharing your server. That information allows you to make in informed choice about which vendor you want to choose.

Law Practice Strategy : Google Apps Security For Lawyers: Premier Edition Only

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:43:31 +0000

Greg: Let us know what your security policies are - inquiring minds want to know!

Law Practice Strategy : Google Apps Security For Lawyers: Premier Edition Only

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:48:22 +0000

From Daniel Sullivan: Nice article Donna, I have to say I don’t agree completely with all your points and there is one point in particular that I think is worth addressing/debating. At this point I confess an interest as an employee of a Google Enterprise Partner in the U.K but Google has approached security in what I believe is a unique and innovative way. The view is, it is less important where data is stored but how. In most cases that makes complete sense. My thoughts below: You say: “Google operates on a multi-tenant cloud platform, which means that your data resides on shared server space with any other Google cloud users. While this is a fairly common practice among cloud vendors, it is not the configuration of choice for lawyers trying to control their data, even if off-premises. It is better to choose a vendor who stores each customer’s data on a single server.” My twp pence worth: Google breaks all of your data into fragments which are stored over multiple servers in multiple data centre. They refer to this as shards or sharding. My understanding of this means that only a fragment of any document or email can ever be found on any single server. This means that if any one ever breaks into a Google data centre and steals a server or hacks a server they will never be able to gain access to anything that makes sense. Just a fragment or shard. This has massive advantages over a vendor that stores all your data on a single server. What I mean is, if all my data is on a single server and that server is hacked or removed I have just handed over the keys to the kingdom.

Law Practice Strategy : Axiom Law: Prototype for Innovation

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 03:40:02 +0000

Hi, Simon: No, I think that traditional big law will always exist, especially those that are adopting elements of non-traditional systems into their practice. But I think what Axiom shows is that there is a market for non-traditional law firm structure, and I think that's true not just in big law but at every level of law practice. At the time Axiom was founded, there was no pressure from the marketplace to change traditional law firm structure, yet it has become an enormously viable and successful firm. Think about the possibilities of a creative practice in the present marketplace, where consumers are begging for ways to access cost-effecitve legal representation. So no, you don't have to think out of the box, but if you're trying to find a way to serve clients and create a reliable source of income, the box is not necessarily your best choice!

Freelance Law Firm : Preparing to Meet the General: What Do You Think About the (Legal) Revolution?

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:03:49 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts, Joe. I will keep them in mind when I attend the conference.

Freelance Law Firm : Why I Write about "The Law Practice Revolution"

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 19:24:48 +0000

Thanks for your comments, which are always insightful & thought-provoking. I totally agree that technology and alternative pricing go hand-in-hand as a practice strategy. Also, there have been very few in the US who have taken it to the next level of the virtual enterprise firms. Interestingly, I found out in researching virtual practices, that the idea of an online practice originated from a group of lawyers in the UK who wanted to work together on a particular case. Since then, it has evolved to many different forms, and I'm sure will continue to do so!

Freelance Law Firm : How to Find Time for Social Media Engagement and Be a Lawyer, Too (Pt. 2)

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 19:22:44 +0000

Well said. But look how much you've accomplished. Has it only been 3 weeks? You've already established a presence online, which has to be good for business and for expanding your business future (although I think blogging every day is not a good commitment to try to keep!). Carry on!

Freelance Law Firm : How to Find Time for Social Media Engagement and Be a Lawyer, Too (Pt. 2)

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:59:06 +0000

Hey,, Brad, thanks for your comments. I couldn't agree with you more, especially about living in a rural community. I live in a small beach town,, after having spent many years living in big cities. Glad you're enjoying the debate!

Freelance Law Firm : How to Find Time for Social Media Engagement and Be a Lawyer, Too (Pt. 2)

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:44:28 +0000

Thanks for your comments and insights, Lisa. I absolutely agree with your first point. I use Hootsuite (a twitter app) to send selected tweets to both facebook & LinkedIn. However, I also spend some time separately on both of those sights to see what's going on, since I also allow my friends to post on my FB wall (via the news feed) and, if you become a fan, I favorite your website, and then you can post on that page as well. On LinkedIn, I find the only way to get a discussion going is to post on the groups you join, & even there, there is less response. However, I have connected with some interesting people via LinkedIn, so yes, I agree people use that sight very differently. While I'm here, I wanted to quickly recommend a great book called "The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web" by Tamar Weinberg. Great analysis of social media evolution & use.

Freelance Law Firm : Why Outsource Legal Research and Writing Projects to Freelance Lawyers?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:07:32 +0000

Those are 3 of the most positive results of outsourcing legal research & writing projects. Thanks for pointing them out!

Freelance Law Firm : Why Outsource Legal Research and Writing Projects to Freelance Lawyers?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:04:44 +0000

It is so fun f0r me to hear that! If you're just getting going, be sure to sign up with www.FreelanceLaw.com. It's an organization that brings freelancers & outsourcing attorneys together.