Menu
News
Your Law Firm has a 12% Chance of Winning an RFP
November 17, 2013
A law firm’s chances of winning an RFP drop to less than 12% if it hasn't helped their client prepare the RFP, according to The BTI Consulting Group’s research. I've long been skeptical that competing in RFPs is a realistic way for law firms to get new business. Most of them are "wired," with the winner predetermined in advance, others are fishing expeditions to find out fees, and some are bullying tactics to force a company's law firms to lower their rates. Even if a law firm wins an RFP,...
November 17, 2013
A law firm’s chances of winning an RFP drop to less than 12% if it hasn't helped their client prepare the RFP, according to The BTI Consulting Group’s research. I've long been skeptical that competing in RFPs is a realistic way for law firms to get new business. Most of them are "wired," with the winner predetermined in advance, others are fishing expeditions to find out fees, and some are bullying tactics to force a company's law firms to lower their rates. Even if a law firm wins an RFP,...
Handwriting Input Comes to Gmail and Google Docs
November 17, 2013
Gmail and Docs offer wide language support, however in some cases using the keyboard is less than ideal. Whether you’re a student trying to include a foreign phrase in your paper or an international consultant hoping to begin your message with a friendly local greeting, now you’ll be able to use your own handwriting to input words directly into Gmail and Google Docs with your mouse or trackpad. To try it out, enable input tools in Gmail or Docs and select the handwriting input (represented...
November 17, 2013
Gmail and Docs offer wide language support, however in some cases using the keyboard is less than ideal. Whether you’re a student trying to include a foreign phrase in your paper or an international consultant hoping to begin your message with a friendly local greeting, now you’ll be able to use your own handwriting to input words directly into Gmail and Google Docs with your mouse or trackpad. To try it out, enable input tools in Gmail or Docs and select the handwriting input (represented...
New Article on Legal Education
November 16, 2013
In This, the Winter of Our Discontent: Legal Practice, Legal Education, and the Culture of Distrust by Alfred S. Konefsky and Barry Sullivan. Abstract: "This essay seeks to situate the challenges facing legal education within the broader context of professional culture — a context that seems to us to have been neglected in the present debates. In a sense, the “market reformers” have been swept up, consciously or not, in a wider movement that elevates markets over other forms of social analysis...
November 16, 2013
In This, the Winter of Our Discontent: Legal Practice, Legal Education, and the Culture of Distrust by Alfred S. Konefsky and Barry Sullivan. Abstract: "This essay seeks to situate the challenges facing legal education within the broader context of professional culture — a context that seems to us to have been neglected in the present debates. In a sense, the “market reformers” have been swept up, consciously or not, in a wider movement that elevates markets over other forms of social analysis...
Half of All Law Firm Mergers Fail
November 16, 2013
In the third quarter alone, there were 19 law firm mergers and acquisitions announced in the United States, according to Altman Weil MergerLine. There have been a total of 58 law firm combinations announced this year – up 41% compared to the first three quarters of 2012, and the total may top out at 70. According to Altman Weil: Stinson Morrison Hecker, a Midwestern law firm headquartered in Kansas City, announced it would merge with Minneapolis-based Leonard Street and Deinard. Lewis and Roca,...
November 16, 2013
In the third quarter alone, there were 19 law firm mergers and acquisitions announced in the United States, according to Altman Weil MergerLine. There have been a total of 58 law firm combinations announced this year – up 41% compared to the first three quarters of 2012, and the total may top out at 70. According to Altman Weil: Stinson Morrison Hecker, a Midwestern law firm headquartered in Kansas City, announced it would merge with Minneapolis-based Leonard Street and Deinard. Lewis and Roca,...
First iPad Air Reviews are Posted
November 16, 2013
The new iPad Air goes on sale this Friday. Last week, Apple loaned iPad Airs to a few journalists who were allowed to post their reviews starting last night. The reviews are universally positive. Everyone seems to agree that iPad Air is not just lighter than previous models, it is light enough to make a real difference in every-day usage. It is also the fastest iOS device to date (just a sliver faster than the iPhone 5s), and has incredible all-day long battery life. Here are all of the reviews...
November 16, 2013
The new iPad Air goes on sale this Friday. Last week, Apple loaned iPad Airs to a few journalists who were allowed to post their reviews starting last night. The reviews are universally positive. Everyone seems to agree that iPad Air is not just lighter than previous models, it is light enough to make a real difference in every-day usage. It is also the fastest iOS device to date (just a sliver faster than the iPhone 5s), and has incredible all-day long battery life. Here are all of the reviews...
iPhone Users Get Some Google Now Love
November 16, 2013
Google Now updated for iOS, brings notifications, reminders, new cards and hands-free voice controls. Relax, iPhone users. I know you have been drooling over the Google Now features and improvements that I have been writing about for Android. Well, even though you are working with the "other" OS, Google wants you to join in the fun. So, tell Siri to take a nap, and download Google Now for iOS. You, too, can say: "OK Google", and ask any question. You can keep your iPhone, and still join us in the future.
November 16, 2013
Google Now updated for iOS, brings notifications, reminders, new cards and hands-free voice controls. Relax, iPhone users. I know you have been drooling over the Google Now features and improvements that I have been writing about for Android. Well, even though you are working with the "other" OS, Google wants you to join in the fun. So, tell Siri to take a nap, and download Google Now for iOS. You, too, can say: "OK Google", and ask any question. You can keep your iPhone, and still join us in the future.
Small Firm Lawyers and Innovation
November 16, 2013
We have certainly seen many changes in the way business is done over the last few decades. Many of these have to do with...
November 16, 2013
We have certainly seen many changes in the way business is done over the last few decades. Many of these have to do with...
My First Portable Computer In Law School
November 15, 2013
This is a 25 pound portable computer from the Eighties. It had dual floppies (5 1/4 inches), and one of them contained the entire OS. (DOS) It had a green screen, and was completely text driven. NO mouse. It had a hundred times less computing power than today's average smartphone. It had no Internet connection, because there really wasn't a workable, usable Internet. Do you still long for the Eighties?
November 15, 2013
This is a 25 pound portable computer from the Eighties. It had dual floppies (5 1/4 inches), and one of them contained the entire OS. (DOS) It had a green screen, and was completely text driven. NO mouse. It had a hundred times less computing power than today's average smartphone. It had no Internet connection, because there really wasn't a workable, usable Internet. Do you still long for the Eighties?
Mozart: a Good Patent Litigator; Beethoven: a Mean One
November 15, 2013
Many highly successful trial attorneys have taken on patent cases only to later find themselves in difficult conversations with disappointed clients. Similarly, many skilled patent attorneys have litigated cases only to find their seemingly ironclad scientific arguments fail. Frequently, this has more to do with the nature of patent litigation than with the merits of a particular case. In our view, the key to a successful patent litigation is an appreciation for the balance that must exist among...
November 15, 2013
Many highly successful trial attorneys have taken on patent cases only to later find themselves in difficult conversations with disappointed clients. Similarly, many skilled patent attorneys have litigated cases only to find their seemingly ironclad scientific arguments fail. Frequently, this has more to do with the nature of patent litigation than with the merits of a particular case. In our view, the key to a successful patent litigation is an appreciation for the balance that must exist among...
Employer Violates Labor Laws by Failing to Pay Interns
November 15, 2013
Employers with unpaid internship programs may need to reevaluate their policies after an unprecedented ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc., the court held that unpaid interns who worked on the production of the movie Black Swan were employees subject to the protections of the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) [PDF] and entitled to back pay. The court also certified a class action on the interns’ claims for violation...
November 15, 2013
Employers with unpaid internship programs may need to reevaluate their policies after an unprecedented ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc., the court held that unpaid interns who worked on the production of the movie Black Swan were employees subject to the protections of the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) [PDF] and entitled to back pay. The court also certified a class action on the interns’ claims for violation...
