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June 14, 2012

Reinvention Through Storytelling

I read this story on the home page of a Chicago law firm and thought it was a great introduction to the culture of the organization:

In 1944, during World War II, Chicagoan Arthur Goldberg was deployed on a mission to North Africa for the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. He knew that his old friend, Carl Devoe, was stationed in Cairo also doing intelligence work. Goldberg contacted Devoe, and the two men agreed to meet in Casablanca during Goldberg’s layover there. Soon after they met, there was a blackout in the city. Undeterred, Devoe and Goldberg went to the roof of a nearby building, sat down near the edge of a parapet and stared out into the darkness. They began to talk about their future-if they managed to live through the war. Before the night was over, the two men had agreed to start a law firm.

Storytelling really engages the reader and encourages you to learn more.  I had the honor of interviewing famed author, Seth Godin, a few years ago for an article on this topic.  Among other points of great advice, he noted:

The best way to be remarkable is to do something worth talking about, not to do something because you are panicked or to show off, but do something unique, insightful, helpful and over-the-top brave.  The beauty of the legal profession is everyone is an entrepreneur …  All of the successful ones didn’t get there by following instructions.  They got there by doing stuff they believed in and doing it in a way that people talked about.

Listen to our 4-minute interview below:

 

May 16, 2012

Reinventing Digital Marketing in Australia

I had the chance to participate in the Law Firm Marketing Masters series and on a recent visit to New York City, I met with its creator, Dan Toombs, the founder of Grow Your Firm, an Australian web marketing company that assists professional services firms with enhancing their digital presence.  We discussed the state of the Australian market and the benefits of leveraging Vizibility, among other topics.  Watch our interview below:

May 2, 2012

3-D Printers and Reinventing the Production Cycle

I read this article in Fast Company about Brooklyn-based MakerBot Industries with great interest (not just because I am from Sheepshead Bay), as the idea of publicly available 3-D printers (albeit at a price of $1,749 each) captures the very essence of reinvention.  The ability to create prototypes and small-scale models has the potential to launch an entire generation of visionaries.  The article by Rob Walker details the company’s rise, profiles its founder, Bre Pettis, and offers this glimpse into how the printers work.

April 17, 2012

Reinventing the Job Interview

I had a chance to interview Todd Moster, the director of recruitment & placement for Moster Legal Placement in Beverly Hills, about his new book, The Underground Guide to Job Interviewing (CreateSpace, 2011), which he describes as “entertaining and funny as a teaching device to keep the reader’s attention.”  He notes that “there is no silver bullet; the main rule is preparation in job interviews.”  His tips include:

  • Think about whether you want to make a job move and if it is appropriate.
  • Find out as much information as possible about the position, e.g., day-to-day responsibilities, what happened to the last person in the role, and the reporting structure, among other elements.
  • Practice articulating highlights of your experience in a way that should be clear to the interviewer.
  • Think about questions to ask; not having questions could be fatal.  That is a one-way ticket down the elevator shaft without an elevator.
  • Know the questions you should not ask, including what the position pays or the amount of training involved.

Listen to our interview below:

 

April 4, 2012

Lessons From Three Decades in One Profession

I recently read “10 Lessons From 30 Years in the Law” by Mike Maslanka, the managing partner for the Dallas office of Constangy, Brooks & Smith and the author of Work Matters, a popular blog focused on labor and employment issues.  Mike happens to be a lawyer, but his advice is just as relevant for accountants, architects, financial planners, and any other individuals who provide professional services.  His ten lessons include:

  • Get the Facts
  • Stay in the Moment
  • Show, Don’t Tell
  • The Law is a Grind
  • Express Gratitude
  • Trust Actions
  • Hierarchy Kills
  • Do Not Fight the Frame
  • Be Gracious
  • Recognize the Limits of Control

You can read his full discussion in the Texas Lawyer here.

April 2, 2012

Reinventing Litigation

I spoke with Charlie Gollow, an investment manager with IMF Australia, a publicly traded Australian company that finances legal claims in excess of AUD $5 million, which recently launched a wholly-owned subsidiary, Bentham Capital, in New York City to fund large-scale cases in the U.S.  We discussed IMF, its goals for 2012, the state of the litigation funding market, and the advantages/disadvantages of enlisting a financial partner of this type.  Listen to our interview below:

 

March 30, 2012

Certified E-Discovery Specialists and the 2012 ACEDS Conference

I spoke today with Robert Hilson, the editorial director for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists, which is hosting its 2012 Annual Conference next week (April 2-4) at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida.  We discussed the organization’s growth, its impact on the legal community, and his expectations for the upcoming event.  Listen to our interview below:

 

March 23, 2012

Great Infographic – The Real Cost Of Patent Reform

The February issue of Fast Company features this interesting infographic about The Real Cost of Patent Reform (click on the link for the image) showing, among other things, that the average patent wait time of 34 months is likely to drop, along with false-marking lawsuits and VC funding (because “in a first-to-file system, inventors have to be more careful about sharing ideas with anyone-including potential investors.”)

March 2, 2012

Building A Unified Company Following Multiple Acquisitions

At Legal Tech NY 2012, I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Hammond, the Vice President for Global Marketing at Aderant about the company’s recent acquisitions and the cohesion of its various brands. He noted that the new company has a wider footprint in legal, financial, and practice management systems with Client Profiles; is fully integrating Compulaw for a seamless integration; and has a larger market share with CRM for business development used by firms all around the world.  He described it as “one company with multiple products” that is focusing on providing high value to its clients.  Watch our interview below:

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