We would like to thank the 102 people who braved the snow on February 3, 2009 to attend the TechnoLawyer Party (2009 Edition) in New York City. We'll have photos and a more detailed report on the festivities soon.
In the meantime, I'd like to share with you a short video interview of TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante that was filmed just as our party was getting underway by West's senior communications specialist Angelique Schaffer and posted on West's Westblog. Angie was joined by Scott Augustin, West's director of communications. (You can see Angie, Scott, and Neil from left to right in the above photo.)
In the video below, Neil discusses one of his top five 2009 predictions for the legal profession — robust legal applications for next-generation smartphone platforms like the iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, and Palm Pre. Neil discussed this prediction and others in greater detail in his recent article, TechnoLawyer's 2009 Legal Industry Predictions.
Transcript What's the top legal tech trend for 2009?
Earlier this year I published an article with my top five predictions for 2009. I think one of the biggest is going to be the development, the explosion really, of mobile applications for lawyers. With the advent of the iPhone, the BlackBerry, the next version of Windows Mobile, Google's operating system for telephones, I think that's probably going to be the big story this year, although it may take till the end of the year for us to really start to see it gestate.
Why?
Well lawyers have always been pretty mobile, and while they've always been described as technology laggards, the one thing that lawyers really adapted to very early and quickly were these mobile smartphones like BlackBerrys, Treos, iPhones, etc. The fact that you can now almost do anything that you can do in your office on these phones, particularly with these rich applications that are coming out, will change the way lawyers work and make their lives a lot better actually. They won't have to go back to their office after court, for example, to do something. They can get it done right there and then go home.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to lawyers, law office administrators, and others in the legal profession. We link to each new TechnoEditorial and dozens of other articles on the legal Web each week in our BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
We did so because we don't make off-the-wall predictions designed to generate buzz. But we admit that predictions out of touch with reality are more fun to read because they appeal to our innate sense of wonder. So this year we present to you five realistic predictions and five predictions we would like to see but won't.
Five Realistic Predictions
1. Lots of iPhone Legal Apps
Can anything stop the iPhone? Did anything stop the iPod? No and no. Apple's competitors don't understand interface design, and interface design has become paramount in importance. That's because geeks no longer determine the winners and losers in technology. A larger class of consumers has emerged.
For example, I (a geek) bought the first iPhone. My sister (not a geek) didn't. But she bought the iPhone 3G. Similarly, she ignored iPods until the iPod mini arrived. It's deja vu all over again.
The iPhone has another advantage -- a desktop-class operating system and programming tools. That's why it will emerge as the most important mobile device for legal applications by the end of 2009.
The BlackBerry isn't going anywhere and neither is Windows Mobile. But the iPhone will be the biggest story.
2. Legal Software and Web Applications Both Win
Practically every week in TechnoLawyer you read about case management solutions. And legal accounting solutions too.
But most law firms don't use case management solutions. And many firms use QuickBooks for accounting.
In other words, both legal software and legal Web applications have a lot of room for growth without competing against each other.
Don't expect an all out war between the two camps anytime soon, certainly not in 2009.
3. Electronic Discovery Becomes More Challenging
Sorry about the downer nature of this prediction, but electronic discovery is going to get worse before it gets better.
As more litigators realize they need to deal with electronic evidence, you're going to have to deal with their ignorance. While you may benefit, it will also annoy you to no end.
On the software front, acquisitions and bankruptcies will not reduce the number of eDiscovery products faster than new ones emerge so it'll become even more difficult to figure out which product best suits your needs.
Finally, corporate counsel will continue to handle more and more of the early stage litigation work on their own, depriving law firms of the fees they once enjoyed.
4. Trade Shows Will Feel Pain But Won't Die (Yet)
What's the most expensive form of marketing? Trade shows hands down. They're also expensive to attend.
I suspect LegalTech New York will experience flat or negative attendance growth next month. If that happens, vendors may pull out of some of the lesser trade shows this year. In fact, that may happen no matter what.
But legal technology trade shows won't die in 2009. The legal technology trade show is something of an anomaly.
In the general technology industry, trade shows have pretty much died, the latest being MacWorld Expo thanks to Apple's recent announcement that 2009 would mark its last appearance. Conferences without exhibits that focus more on learning and especially networking have taken their place.
The legal market always lags. Trade shows are no exception. The sooner they die, the better. Then media companies can create cheaper conferences designed for networking.
5. Twitter Will Not Become Mainstream But Blogs Will
Remember a few years ago when the early legal bloggers told you that your firm needed a blog or else?
Many of these early bloggers have stopped blogging. Now they tweet using a service called Twitter.
They blogged and now tweet because they like sharing their thoughts with a small group of like-minded people.
The rest of us blog because Google is king. Publishing on a daily basis increases your search engine ranking and traffic.
In 2009, law firms will realize that they need to become publishers, and that the best way to do so is with a blog. Publishing on a daily basis is difficult so expect some law firms to outsource the content creation.
Five Fantasy Predictions
1. Microsoft Word Becomes a Web App
Technology pundits love to rave about Google Docs, which leads me to wonder if they've ever used it.
We use it to collaborate with freelance writers. I think it stinks.
But I love the concept because a Web-based document eliminates the biggest hassle of traditional documents -- different versions.
Who better to create the ultimate Web-based word processor than Microsoft? But don't hold your breath.
2. Matte LCD Screens Make a Comeback
I'm writing these predictions on a Mac Pro -- not because I need the horsepower, but because I need a matte LCD screen. Apple's iMac and notebooks all feature glossy screens. The same is true of most Windows laptops and all-in-one computers.
The people have spoken and I wish I could collectively slap them across the face. Who cares if the colors pop more if you're essentially staring at a mirror?
Matte screens won't completely disappear, but expect to pay steep prices for them as glossy screens continue their dominance.
3. Businesses Enforce the Use of Email Signatures
I would say that 99% of the email messages I receive don't have an email signature listing the sender's contact information.
Contrast this with our company in which I require everyone to use an approved signature in every message they send from their computer or iPhone.
Have you ever wanted to call someone who emailed you only to find you have to look up their number because they didn't use an email signature?
Try to remember that annoyance the next time you send a message without your signature.
4. Legal Vendors Offer Mac Versions of Their Software
With Mac market share at 9% now in the United States, developers have flocked to the platform.
But don't expect Mac versions of Amicus Attorney, Time Matters, Tabs3, etc.
Why? Because if legal vendors decide to devote resources to platforms other than Windows, they will focus on mobile apps and Web apps, not Mac apps.
Mac users will still benefit, however.
5. LegalTech New York Becomes LegalTech Las Vegas
Yes, I've trotted this one out before but I can't resist. We all get together in February for five days of partying, I mean networking, in a state of the art convention center.
Plus TechnoLawyer throws a blowout party attended by 500 people. And what happens in Vegas is soon seen by all on YouTube.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
We have never won an award. But we have a good explanation.
Most publishing awards from the Pulitzer on down require the payment of an entry fee. We've never bothered to enter any of these competitions.
But after years of apathy, we've decided that we would like to win an award.
The American Bar Association has nominated TechnoLawyer Blog (this site) for the Best Legal Technology Blog. And to its credit, the ABA chose the nominees on merit without requiring an entry fee.
The ABA has made it very easy to vote. No registration is required. Just scroll down the page and check the box next to TechnoLawyer Blog.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
Walk one block west from our office and you'll arrive at Ground Zero. Walk two blocks east and you might see Ben Bernanke entering the Federal Reserve. These two sites remind me every day about the challenges we face.
However, even closer to our office — right in our building in fact — resides Century 21, an outlet department store that remains as mobbed as ever. Notwithstanding the credit crisis and recession, it would seem that the holidays will not be canceled. Therefore, I thought I'd share with you five techno-gift suggestions that I consider a good bargain.
Make Someone's Smartphone Smarter ...
Apple and RIM devote virtually all their engineering resources to their respective smartphones. As a result, the earphones that ship with BlackBerrys and iPhones don't sound good and don't block external noise, encouraging people to crank the volume to dangerous levels.
Show someone you care by giving them quality in-ear earphones that block external noise.
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 vi, which I use with my iPhone. With a list price of $420, I wouldn't dare recommend them this year — not even at the $371 price I paid.
However, Ultimate Ears just shipped a less expensive model with the same feature set — the super.fi 5 vi. These earphones enable you to control music playback and answer and talk on the phone without having to fish your BlackBerry or iPhone out of your pocket. They sell for $190.
Enlighten Someone About Espresso Economics ...
If all espresso drinkers brewed their own coffee and invested the money they would save by doing so, we could eliminate the credit crisis without a bailout.
You think I'm joking?
A single shot of espresso at home using a capsule-based machine costs about 50 cents per cup versus $1.90 at Starbucks and other cafes. That's a $1.40 difference for the most basic espresso drink. Get fancier and the gap widens.
So why don't people make their own espresso?
Some people don't think they can make as good a cup at home when in fact the opposite is true. While a professional barista can certainly best a home machine, how many of these people do you think work at Starbucks? Yet Starbucks still uses machines that require skill. By contrast, capsule-based home machines eliminate all the guesswork.
Others balk at the up front price of buying a machine. Clearly, they have never crunched the numbers. Assuming two espressos per day, even a $1,000 machine would pay for itself in about one year (357 days to be exact).
By purchasing a machine for your favorite espresso lover, you could make these savings immediate. And you need not spend $1,000.
The Nespresso Essenza C100 and D100, which sell for $250, make the exact same cup of espresso as much more expensive Nespresso models, but lack the ability to make milk-based espresso drinks. If the person you have in mind likes cappuccinos or lattes, Nespresso will sell you a milk frother for $50 if you order it with a C100 (the frother sells for $100 if purchased separately).
How good is a Nespresso espresso? Very good. Here in Manhattan we have the only Nespresso cafe in the country. Despite charging $3.50 for a shot of espresso, the place is always packed. And the baristas use the C100.
Encourage Someone to Not Run With the Pack ...
Convergence is good when it solves a problem. Otherwise, not so much.
You may have heard about Nike+iPod, which enables you to capture the distance, pace, calories, and time of your runs and walks. You place a sensor in your Nike+ sneakers (or fasten it to your non-Nike sneakers), and use your iPod nano or iPod touch (2008 model only) to view your progress, pause your workout, etc. You then upload each workout to your Nike+ Web account so that you can view your statistics by day, week, month, etc.
It's all very cool and makes workouts addictive or at least more fun.
However, even if you use one of those armbands to hold your iPod, fiddling with it during your workout will slow you down. Plus, not everyone has an iPod. Some have iPhones and others have iPod alternatives or simply don't play music.
Realizing that Nike+iPod doesn't suit everyone, Nike recently released Nike+SportBand, which offers the same functionality in a wristwatch with just two buttons. Press the large button to check your distance, pace, calories, and elapsed time, and the small button to pause. It sells for $59.
A Good Time to Give Someone a Plasma TV ...
Timing is everything, especially when buying technology. Take TVs for example. Every January at the Consumer Electronics Show, companies unveil their new models for the year. As a result, you'll find discounts galore on this year's models right about now.
No doubt you've heard about the debate between LCD TVs and plasma TVs. Even though LCD TVs outsell plasma TVs, the latter offer a better picture. While I wouldn't place a plasma TV in a kitchen or an office, I prefer them for a typical den or living room except perhaps if the room has skylights.
Those in the know will tell you that Pioneer makes the best plasma TVs — with prices to match.
Panasonic offers a good alternative at recession-friendly prices. For a house, I like the 46 inch TH-46PZ80U, which originally sold for $1,700, but now sells for as little as $1,200. For an apartment, the smaller 42 inch TH-42PZ80U might make more sense. It now sells for about $900, reduced from its original $1,300 price.
Give an Apple to the Apple of Your Eye ...
In the introduction, I mentioned Century 21, an outlet store that sells irregular and overstocked designer clothes.
Outlet stores also exist in the technology world, including one operated by Apple, a company not known for discounting.
Apple offers both clearance items and refurbished products. Many good deals exist, but beware — Apple lists the original price of the product. In some cases, the newer version of a product sells for less than the old version did.
Of the iPod deals, I like two in particular — the 2007 8 GB nano, which sells for $99 and the 2007 160 GB iPod Classic, which sells for $249. The so-called "fat nano" sports the same screen as the new 8 GB 2008 model ($149), but in an orientation that seems more logical to me. Meanwhile, the old iPod Classic provides 33% more storage space than the current iPod Classic for the same price.
I also like two Mac deals — the previous generation 15 inch MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz laptop, which sells for $1,600 (new) or $1,349 (refurbished), and the 1 TB Time Capsule, which sells for $419 (refurbished). If you know someone like me who does not like glossy screens, the previous generation MacBook Pro is the last one with a matte screen.
On Second Thought ...
You know, maybe instead of exchanging gifts this year we should save our money and just enjoy each other's company.... Wait a second. For a moment there, I forgot that we Americans never save money. We would just end up spending more on ourselves. Never mind. Happy shopping!
Photo of Nike+ Sportband by Richard Roberson. All rights reserved.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
When companies like Dell buy hard drives, they buy them by the thousands. The drives don't come individually packaged as they do at your local superstore (just imagine the outcry from environmental activists if they did). Instead, they come in volume packaging.
Nowadays, anyone can buy OEM drives from online retailers. But few of us can buy enough of them to receive the original crate from the factory as Dell does. Instead, retailers uncrate these hard drives and resell them individually using their own packaging. The risk of physical damage significantly increases as a result.
We lucked out earlier this year. All the drives worked so this issue didn't even cross my mind.
When I recently bought a new home computer, I ordered three more of these OEM drives. The price had dropped to just $133 each.
This time I was not so lucky. None of the drives worked. One had obvious physical damage.
Unlike OEM drives, these drives were each boxed in protective retail packaging. At $190 each, they cost considerably more than the OEM version. But I considered the premium for the packaging an insurance policy. Sure enough, all three drives worked well.
If you need an internal hard drive, buy the retail version versus the OEM version unless you have more time than money. Incidentally, you can buy the retail version online — from companies that operate brick and mortar stores — such as Best Buy and J&R Computer World.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
TechnoScore: 4.6
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
Everyone likes extravagances, but not everyone agrees on which ones merit the cost and which ones don't. I consider high-end earphones critical whereas most people do not. You've been warned.
I favor so-called in-ear earphones because they're portable and block external noise (sound isolation), enabling you to protect your hearing by playing your music at low volume. If you don't like earplugs, you won't like in-ear earphones because they operate on the same principle.
(Yes, I know about the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, which many lawyers like, but they are not portable. I define portability as weighing less than 1 ounce and fitting in your pocket.)
Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro: An Overdue Apology
I initially purchased the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro in 2006 and complained about them in a blog post. I regret writing that post because the hum I complained about was caused by my iPod, not by the earphones.
Furthermore, given what lay ahead of me, I didn't realize how good I had it. I now believe Ultimate Ears makes the best in-ear earphones.
A Shure Thing?
The super.fi 5 pro served me well, but when I switched from an iPod to an iPhone in 2007, I began searching for a replacement so that I could take advantage of the iPhone's features — answering calls and changing tracks without having to fish the iPhone out of my pocket. iPhone-compatible earphones have a microphone and clicker in the cord to handle these functions.
My search lasted one year!
During that time, I continued to use the super.fi 5 pro, which proved remarkably durable. I wore them in the rain and snow. I wore them in 95 degree heat and in near-zero wind chills. I never used the protective case, but instead just stuffed them in my jacket or shirt pocket. Nothing fazed them. They are the Energizer Bunny of earphones.
When I purchased my iPhone, I also purchased the Shure SE210 earphones and Music Phone Adapter. I was excited because Shure makes the best foam eartips. They're incredibly comfortable.
But as I quickly learned, Shure also has a manufacturing problem. On two sets of these earphones, the eartips were fused onto the post and would not come off without shredding, leaving half the material on the post. The eartips are supposed to have a plastic sleeve inside that glides off, but these did not.
A Shure executive acknoledged the problem, apologized, and sent me a third pair as well as a pair of higher-end SE420 earphones. I just couldn't stomach the possibility of another return so I sold both pairs on eBay and continued using my trusty super.fi 5 pro.
I let eight months pass, thinking that Shure would iron out its manufacturing problems. This time, I bought the SE530, Shure's top-of-the-line model.
Same defective eartips! I couldn't believe it. You know what they say about being twice burned. I returned them for a refund.
Back to the super.fi 5 pro.
007, Do Be Careful With These q-JAYS
I then delved into some research. Most earphones use only a single armature to produce the sound. Because the super.fi 5 pro uses two armatures, I felt I had to find a model with at least two. That ruled out most earphones, including the stylish Klipsch Image X10 (which I hope to try someday).
After reading countless reviews, I settled on Jays' q-JAYS. Though they didn't have an iPhone-compatible microphone and clicker, they addressed another drawback of the super.fi 5 pro — size. The super.fi 5 pro are among the larger in-ear earphones. They make you look like Frankenstein. The q-JAYS are tiny and virtually disappear into your ears. If it weren't for the cable, they could serve as one of Q's cool gizmos in a James Bond film.
But I quickly discovered that the q-JAYS have a drawback of their own. They use filters — as do a growing number of in-ear earphones. The filters protect the earphone mechanism by blocking earwax. But they also exist to separate you from more of your cash since you have to keep replacing them. I found it more difficult to replace filters than to clean my super.fi 5 pro.
I never really got a chance to audition the q-JAYS because they arrived with a defective left channel. At first it was weak and then it went completely silent.
While I awaited my replacement from Sweden, I returned to the super.fi 5 pro. Again.
Lo and behold — Ultimate Ears had just shipped its high-end triple.fi model in a special iPhone version. I pounced on the special offer and bought them for $371 (they usually sell for $419).
This was no impulse purchase. Remember, I had been searching for a year. The right product finally hit the market and I knew it immediately thanks to my previous experiences.
I finally put my super.fi 5 pro out to pasture.
My Review of the triple.fi 10 vi
The triple.fi 10 vi are even larger than the super.fi 5 pro, but I don't mind for two reasons. First, although they use the same eartips as the super.fi 5 pro, they seem to fit better because the housing is more ergonomic. The sound isolation is very good thanks to the fit. You have a choice of three silicone eartips (small, medium, large) or a foam eartip.
Second, as the name suggests, they have three armatures. I can best describe them with one word — wow! With good recordings, they sound much better than the super.fi 5 pro. They have noticeably better imaging and more punch. One day after listening to some music with the triple.fi 10 vi, I switched to the super.fi 5 pro. I couldn't believe how lifeless they sounded by comparison. Be warned — there's no going back. Do not try them unless you plan to buy them.
Back to the size issue, do I wish Ultimate Ears could package three armatures into a smaller package? Yes. But thanks to engineering hurdles, I don't think that's possible in 2008. Ask me again in 2011.
What else do I like? The cable. The length is perfect for those of us who carry our iPhone in a jacket or pants pocket. At the end of the cable you'll find a straight connector, which I prefer over the super.fi 5 pro's angled connector. And on an odd note, the triple.fi 10 vi cable behaves as you would expect a cable to behave. For example, if you wrap the cable to store the earphones, you don't have to straighten the cable when you use them again. By contrast, the super.fi 5 pro use a strange cable that retains its shape, often requiring re-straightening.
The build quality of the triple.fi 10 vi looks good, but I've had them for just a few weeks. We'll see how they hold up this winter. The clicker works like a charm to skip to the next or previous song or answer a call. Also, no filters!
If you have an iPhone, consider high-end earphones a worthy extravagance, want to take your earphones everywhere you go without weighing you down, and don't mind looking a little dorky, I highly recommend the triple.fi 10 vi.
That said, I'm keeping my super.fi 5 pro earphones as a backup.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
I gave this post a dual title because people seem to either view desktops as good (think Luke Skywalker) or evil (think Darth Vader). I used to vilify them. Now I praise them.
In the 1990s, the desktop reigned supreme. Laptops were underpowered and overpriced. A typical law firm would buy a few laptops for lawyers to use when they traveled. I remember taking one of the firm's laptops with me to a trial in California in 1995, and being appalled at how little it could do.
Around the turn of the century, laptops began making significant gains. I replaced my desktop with a laptop in 1999 and never looked back. According to the Los Angeles Times, laptops will outsell desktops for the first time this year.
But I believe 2008 marks the beginning of the end for laptops because of two developments that go hand in hand — push synchronization and more capable smartphones.
Laptop? What's a Laptop?
The BlackBerry enabled us to stay on top of email without a laptop, but it could not replace laptops for most business trips. The iPhone was the first smartphone that enabled us to leave our laptops at home for some trips because of its Safari Web browser. For some of us, the iPhone has replaced our laptops not to mention newspapers and magazines at home as well. In fact, if you borrow a guy's iPhone to make a call, I suggest using the speakerphone. You know how guys like to read in the bathroom. Enough said.
Other smartphones will eventually have real Web browsers as well. And just as importantly, third party applications will further narrow the gap between smartphones and laptops. For example, Gavel & Gown recently shipped Amicus Mobile for Windows Mobile. It handles just about anything you would need while out of the office. On my iPhone, I've become a heavy user of AOL Radio, which enables me to listen to our local news radio stations. Eventually, I hope to connect my iPhone to a projector for presentations. Then I won't need a laptop for any trip.
As our smartphones increasingly make our laptops unnecessary when we're in a conference room or traveling, why should we continue to pay a premium for them? We shouldn't. And many of us won't.
Today, I officially ended my nine year love affair with laptops. Until now, I had one laptop that I shuttled between home and work every day. Soon, I'll have a desktop at work and an identical desktop at home. I'll store all my documents on a file server, and my contacts, calendars, tasks, bookmarks, and more will instantly synchronize across both computers and my iPhone thanks to MobileMe and BusySync. For the time being, my email will remain plain old IMAP, not real push. If Google doesn't get its act together in this regard, we may eventually exchange BusySync, Google, and MobileMe for hosted Exchange when Microsoft begins offering this service next year.
A law firm could accomplish this with Amicus Mobile, Time Matters (BlackBerry), etc.
Now that the lack of mobility of desktops has become meaningless, we can rediscover their many advantages. For example, just about any desktop can support two monitors (just order it with a dual monitor video card). When you need another hard drive, you can install one inside instead of buying an external hard drive, which could mean another fan and would mean more cables. In fact, you won't have any desktop clutter at all since today's desktops either reside on your floor (towers) or inside your monitor (all-in-ones).
I plan to keep my laptop for presentations, but look forward to not lugging it around much anymore. For me, the laptop era has ended just as sales of laptops have reached new heights. I always tend to be ahead of the curve. The rest of the world will eventually catch up. What's your take on desktops, laptops, and smartphones?
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. Please subscribe now.
In A View from the Gallery, the classic television space opera Babylon 5 took a left turn and shifted the point of view to a couple of maintenance workers. It was a refreshing change of pace.
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton has embraced videos to an extent few others have. For example, the principal partners each have a video bio on the firm's site.
Nonetheless, I found Role of a Paralegal disappointing. The concept is excellent. I think it's helpful for prospective clients to understand how a law firm works and the roles of those who work there.
The problem with this video lies in the script and production. Jackie and Roslyn, the two paralegals featured, provide a lot of helpful details about what they do, but their script meanders. It needs some editing to make it tighter.
The soundtrack needs some cleaning up (or the firm needs better microphones). Also, the b-roll that shows someone (Roslyn?) working in her office while Jackie is speaking practically defines the idiom "too little too late."
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton has an excellent concept here. With a better script and better production values, it will have a first-rate video.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.
In Servers Become Dell's Comeback Weapon, Business Week profiles a resurgent Dell, clawing its way back to the top by focusing on high-margin servers. We bought two Dell servers seven months ago that have performed well so far. What's your take?
With Bill Gates about to step down (though he will remain chairman so I fail to see his "retirement" as a major event), Computerworld has published its take on his five smartest moves and his five dumbest moves. Among the dumbest moves, "bungling the antitrust case." What's your take on Bill Gates' career?
Talk about flying under the radar, while many corporate types have bemoaned the lack of voice dialing on the iPhone, Nuance recently demonstrated a prototype application for the iPhone in which you can search Google by voice. The idea is that someday soon you'll search the Web, write email, place calls, etc. on your smartphone with your voice. Take a look at the demos and then weigh in with your take on voice recognition for mobile devices.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.
Although it could use some polish, this video serves as an excellent example of how law firms can and should use YouTube.
With a running time of 1:22, it's short but luxurious compared to the typical 30 second TV spot. The Krist Law Firm uses the additional length wisely.
The first 45 seconds features client Myra Vasquez discussing the helicopter crash that took her husband's life. In the last 37 seconds, partner Scott Krist describes the outcome of the ensuing wrongful death case, including the nondisclosure of some key evidence by the defendant.
Although filmed in high-definition, the camera work and lighting could stand some improvement, and I would like to see a title at the end with the law firm's name, telephone number, and Web site, but these are small quibbles. No, it's not Michael Clayton, but it's effective marketing.
About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.
