Bloomberg Law’s Twitter Takeover Redux — Vegas Style

Editor’s note: The author of this post is a fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics and is a member of the California bar.

By Monica Bay, Fellow, CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics

WhenDavid Perla ,the president of Bloomberg Law, invited me to be the first guest host of the Bloomberg Law Twitter Takeover (#BLAWTakeover) I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. I loved the idea and was delighted to be invited. Of course, I always worry about logistics and potential technology glitches, but I was up for the challenge!

Then the stakes got more interesting. We decided to do the Takeover on Sept. 2 at #ITLACon — The International Legal Technology Association’s annual conference, which drew more than 3,000 legal professionals, consultants, vendors and journalists to Caesar’s Palace. Now I wasjusta little terrified, because of the ILTA connectivity curse: with so many tech-heavy attendees, Wi-Fi at ILTA’s yearly event is always challenging.

Perla’s team assured me that there would be plenty of safety nets and that Michael Langman , Bloomberg Law’s social media analyst, would be at my cyber side. He and I decided a test drive would be a good idea. Good move: It was no go from my hotel room. But Perla offered the Bloomberg Suite, creativity saved the day and we went live right on time at 3 p.m. Pacific.

The next hour flew by like it was five minutes. Tweets poured in and our audience asked questions that were smart, savvy and reflected a huge range of issues — from the nuances of e-discovery, cybersecurity, legal technology, Big Law renovations to baseball. Huge thanks to the Bloomberg team, which also included Kevin Colangelo @Conlangelolaw, Casey Sullivan @Casey_BigLaw, David Peikin @DavidPeikin and Gabe Friedman @gabethefriedman.

Below are a few of my favorite Q&As that resulted from the Takover, with some additional afterthoughts.

Alex Ponce de Leon : What are people most concerned with? Mine: Will law firms finally improve security?

A: Cybersecurity is getting the headlines but inside employees present bigger risks. P.S. Get cybercrime insurance.

Afterthought: Law firms are very vulnerable to cyber crimes because they handle sensitive documents. Be sure your security programs and technologies are mirrored by your clients. Make sure new tech goes through security audits.

Joseph Bartolo : What is your greatest concern for the immediate future of legal technology?

A: The technology is strong. But there are too many point (simple problem) providers and products.

Afterthought: A chronic problem is that many vendors are clueless re: marketing products. Their press releases, advertising and websites are full of jargon, making it impossible for readers to differentiate their offerings from competitors. When I was the editor of Law Technology News, I banned the word “solution” because vendors labeledeverythingas a “solution” (especially in e-discovery). Right now, the most over-used buzzword is “revolutionary.” Unless Steve Jobs is in the same sentence, do not use it.

Hsiaolei Miller : What’s the most impressive b-2-c legal tech app? Shake , UpCounsel , Wevorce , etc.

A: @Avvo @Modria

Afterthoughts: Also LexMachina , RocketLawyer , LegalZoom and SupportPay , are also offering services for the general public. As James Sandman , president of the Legal Services Corp., evangelizes, 80 percent of Americans can’t find or afford lawyers for civil matters and are going to court alone when facing everything from foreclosures to domestic abuse. Says Sandman: “The do-it-yourself movement is pervasive. ...It’s not going away, and anyone who thinks law is immune to it is delusional.”

Casey Sullivan : What’s the most over-hyped legal tech “trend” and what do you see actually affecting lawyers in practice?

A: Any reference to the uberization of any legal thing. Also, it’s legalspendingnot legalspend!

Afterthought: As for the issues affecting lawyers in practice, it’s time to finally get rid of the billable hour, which alienates clients and builds-in incentives to drag matters. For 17 years, I’ve been saying the billable hour will be dead in 5 years — but I see change on the near horizon, because the rise of legal technology is accelerating.

kCura : What can Big Law do about the Big Law gender gap?

A: Increase awareness, provide meaningful financial incentives and cease stereotyping. Invest in women during childbearing years and it will pay dividends when the children are older.

Afterthought:As I’ve said for years: Just fix it! Do the math, write the checks. Don’t quibble over pennies or nuances. Get it done. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Albert Chen : What are the top 2 or 3 books that you’ve ever read.

A: Charles Duhigg’s“The Power of Habit,” and Sheryl Sandburg’s “Lean In.”

Afterthoughts: I’d also add Only the Paranoid Survive, byAndrew Grove . Check out the new CodeX Book Club and Jerry Kaplan’s new book,“Humans Need Not Apply.”

Dan Lear: Thoughts on the unauthorized practice rules?

A: It’s absolutely absurd that the country of Texas thinks that is is okay to ban C-Suite titles for legal professionals.

Afterthoughts:The Texas Bar’s ethics committee forbids non-lawyers from having titles that include “officer” or “principal.” It’s nothing short of ridiculous. And this isn’t a small matter. Big Law leaders need to go to more MLB baseball games to learn that if you don’t recognize and respect everyone on your team, you will fail. It’s not just the equity partners who generate success. In the 2014 National League Division Series, bench player Travis Ishikawa hit the 3-run walk-off home run that sent the San Francisco Giants to the World Series. His current deal is one year, $1.1M. Without Ishikawa, pitcher Madison Bumgarner (who makes a lot more $) would not be the 2014 World Series’ Most Valuable Player.