The Greatest American Lawyer

Twittering the Blow by Blow of Courtroom Action Is the Latest Onslaught by Technology on the Court System

A hardy thank you to Robert J. Ambrogi over at Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites for posting the following article on Facebook titled “Judge Shuts Down NewWest.Net Twitter Feed from Yellowstone Club Trial” by Courtney Lowery.  Federal Bankruptcy Judge Ralph B. Kircher shut down the use of Twitter in his courtroom.

Legal Technology Trends: 2009 Predictions

Dennis over at the Dennis Kennedy blog has published an article called “Nine Legal Technology Trends for 2009: The Year of Hunkering Down”.  In his article, Dennis observes the legal technology market and makes his predictions for legal technology trends in the coming year.  Here are his nine predictions:

Law Firm With $2 Billion in Annual Revenue Takes Unprecedented Step To Cap Associate Pay

And yet another sure sign that the rules of the game have changed for the big law firms that have dominated the legal landscape over the past decades, Latham & Watkins has now capped associate salaries in 2009.  That means that associates will get the same pay next year as they received last year.  One legal recruiter notes that the move is unprecedented and that we should expect other large firms to now follow suit.

If Your Bonus Is Cut In Half This Year, What Will Happen When the Economy Really Takes a Hit Next Year?

Here is a recent article by Julie Triedman of The Am Law Daily blog titled "Following Pack, Davis Polk To Halve Bonuses".  Julie reports that more and more  Am Law 100 firms are reducing yearly bonuses in order to cut expenses during these difficult economic times.

Technology is Great but the Phone is Better

There is no question that technology makes communication easy and convenient.  We use email, extranets, text messaging and voicemail to communicate by and between ourselves and our clients.

But when it comes to relationships, there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings.  A close second would be a phone call.

I think we sometimes get so enamored with technology that we forget to reach out and “touch someone.”  We have to remind ourselves to bring clients in for face-to-face meetings and call them on the phone as an alternative to email on certain issues.

Anyone who is involved with billing knows that a phone call is far more likely to secure payment than a series of emails.  And when you’re looking for new work, scheduling a client meeting (at no cost to them of course) is the best way to explore new projects with clients. 

Yes, technology rocks.  But the personal touch is still a mandatory part of any successful business plan.