Cloud Computing for Lawyers: An Introduction

Feb 2, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Over the last year I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about “cloud computing” and by now you’re probably wondering: what exactly is it?

At Webopedia.com, “Cloud Computing” is defined as a “type of computing that is comparable to grid computing, relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. The goal of cloud computing is to apply traditional supercomputing power (normally used by military and research facilities) to perform tens of trillions of computations per second.”

In other words, cloud computing makes it possible for  your data and software platforms and services to be stored offsite, in the “cloud".

Online services of this type, which include software as a system (SaaS) and platforms as a system (PaaS), are becoming increasingly common and, for many lawyers, are an attractive alternative to the traditional law practice management software installed and maintained on a local server within a law office.

What is SaaS?: Understanding the Concepts of Cloud Computing

Feb 9, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Last week we discussed the basic concept of “legal cloud computing”. Now, let’s try to gain a better understanding of the concept by addressing the basic components of “cloud computing.”

The concept of cloud computing arises from the interplay of three concepts: IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service).

IaaS can be defined as: “a model in which an organization outsources the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers and networking components. The service provider owns the equipment and is responsible for housing, running and maintaining it.”  Amazon EC2 and Rackspace are examples of this type of service.

SaaS can be defined as a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a network, typically the Internet.” The vendor provides daily technical operation, maintenance, and support for the software provided to their client. Examples include the email service Gmail and the virtual data room service offered by Firmex.

The Information Overload Dilemma

Feb 16, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Two weeks ago, thousands of attorneys and other legal professionals descended upon Manhattan to attend LegalTech New York, hoping to catch up on the latest legal technologies and innovations.

The annual LegalTech conference is sponsored by ALM with the goal of helping lawyers and law firms learn about the latest advances in legal-related technology. It features multiple educational tracks focused on a variety of legal technology issues, from ediscovery to knowledge management, cloud computing and social media.

One particularly interesting part of the conference was one the keynote presentations — “I3: The New Convergence of Intelligence, Intuition and Information” which featured a panel including Malcolm Gladwell (link to:http://www.gladwell.com/), the New York Times bestselling author of “Blink” and “Outliers”; Thomson Reuters Chief Strategy Officer David Craig and Dr. Lisa Sanders, New York Times Magazine Diagnosis Columnist and technical advisor to the television program “House, M.D.”

Alternatives to Expensive and Time-Consuming Air Travel

Feb 23, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Let’s face it, these days, business air travel is a costly proposition—it’s expensive and takes up valuable time.

And, travel time is only increasing due to the recent attempted terror attack, as widely reported in the press.  For example, as explained in a recent Montreal Gazette article:

Massive lines, flight delays and cancellations greeted Canadian passengers traveling to the United States on Sunday as new security measures moved into a second day and another suspicious incident was reported on board a U.S. flight, increasing tensions.

Weather delays aren’t helping matters either, now that we’re in the midst of a long, cold winter, as detailed in this Chicago Sun Times article:

A messy winter storm — which could bring up to a foot of snow…— caused major headaches for travelers…prompting more than 500 flight cancellations at  both city airports.

One way businesses can avoid the time suck of costly air travel is to utilize innovative alternatives to face-to-face business meetings, such as video conferencing, screen sharing and online document sharing.

Encrypted Client Communications—the Wave of the Future

Mar 2, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Email security in its current form is inherently flawed and many lawyers are unaware of this disconcerting fact. Most emails are no more than mere postcards, the contents readily viewable by anyone who cares to look.

As each email travels from its starting point to its end destination, it traverses an untold number of servers and can be intercepted and viewed by virtually anyone with the proper technological know-how and desire.  A number of states, including Massachusetts and Nevada, already have passed laws or regulations requiring certain types of confidential data to be sent electronically only via encrypted communications. More laws of that nature most certainly will follow, both at the state and federal level.

In my opinion, encryption laws — most of which currently apply primarily to financial institutions — ultimately will incorporate some of the types of client information contained in attorney-client communications, in large part because of rising concerns due to recent large-scale data disclosures.

Virtual Data Rooms Offer a Secure Alternative to Email

Mar 9, 2010 - by Nicole Black

As discussed last week, the unencrypted email systems used by most law firms are inherently insecure and place confidential client data at risk.

However, there are secure alternatives to email, using cloud computing products, like Firmex online document workspace, that incorporate some form of encrypted client communication into their platforms. These cloud computing platforms provide lawyers with a ready-made solution to the problem of unencrypted, insecure email.

There are a number of products available that allow attorneys to securely exchange large volumes of confidential documents and information with opposing counsel, clients and others. For example, law firms can use secure virtual data rooms such as those provided by Firmex,  to collaborate and communicate with other users, manage online due diligence, exchange closing drafts, create digital record books, share litigation documents, and secure client access to important files.

Cloud Computing Industry Reaches New Heights in Design

Mar 11, 2010 - by Robert Wilder

Ad agencies and design firms, as creative shops, have always used the design of their spaces to inspire their employees to creative heights. But, really, it’s in every business owner’s interest, no matter what industry, to build an employee environment that invites creativity and productivity.

Firmex’s software engineers, busily developing hyper-secure code that drives millions of mission-critical documents that are accessed by 10,000s of users every month, should be treated to a space that is as dynamic as their work in the SaaS industry. Also, a large portion of our business as a data room provider is devoted to making our clients happy, with an in-house client services staff working 24/7 to help people with transactions valued in the billions of dollars every month. Happy employees mean happy customers, and a happy employee begins with a great work environment - that’s why I decided to design a new office that was both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

Although I had a brief two months to complete the project with my designer, I knew what I wanted: a simple space, full of natural light, that wouldn’t be overdesigned to the point of distraction.  I wanted the new space to act as a simple canvas for expression. The space itself was inspiring – great views, high ceilings and columns that reminded me of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed SC Johnson building.

Law Practice Management Software: An Overview

Mar 17, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Legal practice management software is a must-have for most law offices. It streamlines the process of handling and managing a case from start to finish. Law case management systems allow busy attorneys to keep track of contacts, documents, and calendaring, among other things, for each case that is added to the system; many offer time tracking and billing features as well.

For most law practices, purchasing practice management software that is well-suited for the size and specific practice areas of the firm is a good investment that saves time and money in the long run.

One decision lawyers must make when choosing legal practice management software is whether to purchase a web-based law practice management system or a traditional desktop system that is installed and housed on the law firm’s server. Once you’ve decided which type of platform you intend to use, you can then narrow down your choices based on the specific features offered by a particular system.

Web-based Law Practice Management Systems

Mar 23, 2010 - by Nicole Black

Law practice management software is crucial to managing the complexities of any modern law practice. However, traditional law office management software can be expensive, cumbersome to navigate and prone to such frequent  glitches that your IT consultant becomes a permanent fixture in your law office.

The good news is that there are other alternatives available, including web-based law practice management systems, a relatively new breed of  practice management software.

Advantages include lower costs due to reduced overhead, less hassle related to maintaining and upgrading the case management system and greater flexibility, since the Web-based system can be accessed anywhere, at anytime.

If you decide that a web-based system may be a good fit for your law office, there are a number of good alternatives from which to choose. Each of these systems offers variations of calendar and task management, time tracking and billing and document management.

ABA TechShow: A Convergence of Great Legal Tech Thinkers

Mar 30, 2010 - by Nicole Black

ABA TechShow took place in Chicago from March 25-27th.  The convention opened with a “bang,” featuring a conglomerate of “rapid-fire presentations” from IgniteLaw.

Ignite Law was organized by the inimitable Matt Homann (@matthomann), founder of LexThink, and sponsored by ABA TechShow.  At IgniteLaw, 16 speakers (myself included) were selected by the votes of their colleagues to discuss their perspectives on the future of the law industry.

The speeches were fast paced, with each speaker allotted only 6 minutes and 20 slides. Some of the session titles included: “The Biglaw-Solo Partnership: Outsourcing Innovation and The Lessons of Tommy Supreme” (Carolyn Elefant), “What I Learned About the Future of Legal Marketing From Playing Wii Bowling With a 4 1/2-year old” (Ari Kaplan), “What a Law Firm Can Learn From Zappos. Hint: It isn’t about selling shoes” (Jack Newton, founder of Clio), and “Slaying the Beast: Using Small Firm Thinking to Beat Big Firms Every Time” (Doug Sorocco - @douglassorocco).