Category: Legal News

The New Competition – Emerging Legal Technologies Out of Silicon Valley

The National Law Review - Legal Analysis Expertly Written Quickly Found

In January, the National Law Review had pleasure of attending theAnnual Marketing Partner Forum in beautiful Rancho Palos Altos, California. Programing was provided by the Legal Executives Institute at Thomson Reuters and featured over 15 hours of dynamic workshops. Hundreds of  marketing partners, managing partners, in-house counsel and senior-level marketing and business development professionals were in attendance.

The “New Competition” program featured emerging legal technologies within Silicon Valley. Catherine Hammack of Jurispect, Monica Zent of Foxwordy, and Daniel Lewis of Ravel Law each showcased their innovative technologies and shared their thoughts as to where innovation is taking the legal industry in 2015.

“Jurispect will help fundamentally transform how companies operate by providing organizations with a real-time analytical view of both exposure and opportunities to take proactive steps to manage legal and regulatory risk.” – Catherine Hammack

Catherine was present on two momentous occasions in U.S. financial history: as an intern at Arthur Anderson when Enron was indicted, and as a first-day associate at Bingham McCutchen the day Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, and the start of the financial crisis in 2008.  Following her time at Bingham as a financial litigator, she transitioned to join Google’s Policy team, where her perspective on legal services dramatically changed.

Catherine Hammack of Jurispect - Real-time regulatory analytics for better business decisions

As Catherine elaborated in a post-conference interview: “There was a huge gap between the way law firms traditionally provide counsel and the way companies need information to make business decisions.” She was surrounded by engineers and data scientists who were analyzing vasts amounts of data with cutting edge technology.  Catherine became interested in adapting these technologies for managing risk in the legal and regulatory industries.  Inspired by Google’s data-driven decision making policies, she founded Jurispect.

Jurispect is a tool that companies can use to track legal and regulatory changes relevant to their industry, and possibly to identify risks earlier on to help avoid future Enrons and Lehman Brothers. Currently, Jurispect is geared toward companies in the financial services and technology space, and will be expanding into other regulated industries in the very near future.  Key decision makers in the corporate legal, compliance and risk departments of companies are benefitting from Jurispect’s actionable intelligence. The user’s experience is customized: Jurispect’s technology adjusts based on user profile settings and company attributes. As the user continues to utilize Jurispect, its algorithms continuously calibrate to improve the relevancy of information presented to each user.

Jurispect - New Legal technology emerging out of silicon valley

Jurispect’s team of seasoned experts in engineering, data science, product management, marketing, legal and compliance collaborated to develop the latest machine learning and semantic analysis technologies. These technologies are used to aggregate information across regulatory agencies, including sources such as policy statements and enforcement actions.  Jurispect also analyzes information in relevant press releases, and coverage by both industry bodies and mainstream news.  The most time-saving aspect of Jurispect are the results that coalesce into user-friendly reports to highlight the importance and relevance of the regulatory information to their company.  Users can view this intelligence in the form of notifications, trends, and predictive analytics reports.  Jurispect makes data analytics work for legal professionals so they spend less time searching, and more time on higher level competencies.  As Catherine elaborated, “We believe that analytics are quickly becoming central to any technology solution, and the regulatory space is no exception.”

“Foxwordy is ushering in the era of the social age for lawyers and for the legal industry.” – Monica Zent

Monica is an experienced entrepreneur and had already been running a successful alternative law firm practice when she founded Foxwordy. Foxwordy is a private social network that is exclusively for lawyers.  Monica reminded the audience that we are, remarkably, ten years into the social media experience and all attorneys should consider a well rounded social media toolkit that includes Foxwordy, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Monica Zent of Foxwordy - the first private social network for lawyers

However, as Monica elaborated in a post-conference interview, LinkedIn, for example, “falls short of the needs of professionals like lawyers who are in a space that is regulated; where there’s privacy, [and] professional ethics standards.” As an experienced attorney and social seller, Monica understands that lawyers’ needs are different from other professionals that use the more mainstream and very public social networks, which is why she set out to create Foxwordy.

Foxwordy is currently available to licensed attorneys, those who are licensed but not currently practicing but regularly involved in the business of law, certified paralegals, and will eventually open up to law students. Anyone who fits the above criteria can request membership by going to the homepage, and all potential members go through a vetting process to ensure that they are a member of the legal community.  At its inception, the Foxwordy team expected to see more millennials and solo practitioners taking advantage of the opportunity to network on Foxwordy. Those populations have joined as expected, but what was surprising is how the product resonated across all demographics, positions and segments of the legal industry. Foxwordy has seen general counsels, in-house counsels, solo practitioners, major law firm partners, law school deans, judges, politicians and more become members.

Foxwordy logo -socal media network for lawyers

Foxwordy is currently available to join and will be emerging out of public beta around summertime this year.  As Monica said during her presentation “Time is the new currency”, and what the Foxwordy team has found via two clinical trials is that engaging Foxwordy saves lawyers an average of two hours per day. Membership includes all the core social features such as a profile page, connecting with others, the ability to ask questions and engage anonymously, exchange referrals, and exchange other information and resources. Free members experience all the core functions fully and there is a premium membership that is available with enhanced features and unlimited use of Foxwordy. In the closing thoughts of her post-conference interview, Monica shared that “the ability to engage anonymously and discreetly, yet at the same time collaborate with our legal colleagues and engage with them on a social level has been very powerful.”

“There is an amazing opportunity to use data analytics and technology to create a competitive edge for lawyers amidst all of this information…” – Daniel Lewis

Data analytics and technology has been used in many different fields to predict successful results. In his presentation, Daniel pointed out that fields traditionally considered more art than science have benefitted from the use of data analytics to predict accurate results.

Daniel Lewis of Ravel Law - use data analytics and technology to create a competitive edge for lawyers

Having conducted metrics-based research and advocacy while at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and observing how data-driven decision making was being used in areas like baseball and politics, Daniel was curious why the legal industry had fallen so far behind. Even though the legal field is often considered to be slow moving, there are currently over 11 million opinions in the U.S. judicial system with more than 350,000 new opinions issued per year. There is also a glut of secondary material that has appeared on the scene in the form of legal news sources, white papers, law blogs and more. Inspired by technology’s ability to harness and utilize vast amounts of information, Daniel founded Ravel Law to accommodate the dramatically growing world of legal information.

Ravel Law is optimized for all lawyers across the country. Currently, thousands of associates, partners, and in-house counsel are using Ravel.  Ravel has as also begun working with 30 of the top law schools around the country, with thousands of law students learning how to use it right alongside legal research staples such as Westlaw and LexisNexis.  Professors and students around the country have also independently discovered Ravel and are using and teaching it.  When asked why he works with law schools, Daniel said “We work with schools because students are always the latest generation and have the highest expectations about how technology should work for them.”  Students have given the Ravel team excellent feedback and have grown into a loyal user base over the past few years. Once these students graduate, they introduce Ravel to their firms. Ravel’s user base has been growing very quickly and they have only released a small portion of what their technology is ultimately capable of.

Ravel Law Logo - A New View on Legal Research

Ravel’s team of PhDs and technical advisors from Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook, has coded advanced search algorithms to determine what is relevant, thereby enhancing legal research’s effectiveness and efficiency. Ravel provides insights, rather than simply lists of related materials, by using big data technologies such as machine learning, data visualization, advanced statistics and natural language processing.  In a post-conference follow up Daniel elaborates: “Our visualizations then show how the results connect in context, helping people understand the legal landscape very rapidly as well as find needles in the haystack.” Ravel guides users toward analysis of relevant passages in a particular case, without navigating away from the original case or conducting a new search. Daniel and his colleagues will be launching more new features this year and are looking forward to continuing to “transform how attorneys search and understand all legal information.”

From Federal Prosecutor to Law Firm Life: A Conversation with Grant Fondo on Business Development Strategies when transitioning from Public Service to Private Practice

The National Law Review - Legal Analysis Expertly Written Quickly Found

The National Law Review recently had to the opportunity to attend Thomson Reuter’s Legal Executive Institute’s 22nd Annual Marketing Partner Forum in Rancho Palos Verdes, California where Grant Fondo, Partner at Goodwin Procter, LLP participated on the panel event: Coaching for Success: Collaboration between Marketing & Professional Development to Deliver Training that Drives Revenue. This Panel focused on the intersection between business and professional development, exploring the potential impact partnership efforts can have on business growth.

On this panel, Grant spoke from his experience concerning his transition from Federal Prosecutor and former Assistant US Attorney of the Northern District of California to his work at Goodwin Procter.

Post-conference, Grant was kind enough to answer our questions concerning his career trajectory and gave us some insight from his unique experiences in the legal world.  Below are his answers to the questions posed by NLR.

1.  What were the considerations you took into account when choosing a law firm to join?

I was looking for a firm that was a market leader in the technology and white collar practice areas, a firm that I thought was on an upward trajectory, a firm that understood Silicon Valley, and that was collegial and believed in a collaborative work place.  I have been fortunate to work in collaborative places before, and that type of environment is the best fit for me.

2.  What role, if any, has your firm’s business development and marketing staff had in helping you grow a book of business?

I started from ground zero, so I needed help. I still need help, as this is a long-term process and I am still working toward my goals.  The staff has had an important role from day one, both in the context of internal and external marketing.  They helped me quickly integrate with many of my partners nationwide in my practice group, as well as outside of it, and helped me feel like part of the firm.  Externally, they worked with me to train me to be better at marketing, focus on the marketing efforts I enjoyed, and presented me with opportunities.  They also acted as a sounding board for different marketing events, provided guidance to improve my ideas, and helped me execute on those ideas.

3. What role, if any, has speaking engagements and / or thought leadership, played in helping you stay front of mind with existing or potential clients?

It has helped, but it is time consuming.  You have to be thoughtful about what events you speak at, in that not all speaking opportunities and topics are created equal.  When I returned to private practice, I wanted to focus on marketing I enjoyed, and pass on areas I disliked and was not good at.  Thought leadership is an area that lends itself to that type of philosophy.  My experience as a former federal prosecutor helps in certain areas of the law that intersect well with Silicon Valley clients. For example, there is a lot of concern here with privacy and government intrusion into and demands for company and customer data. This past year we teamed up with clients to file an amicus brief in the landmark smart-phone privacy and 4th Amendment case of Riley v. California.   I enjoy spending time on areas that also hit home for clients.  It also permits you to reach out to a client to let them know about the latest development, or after a meeting is over discuss a topic that is important to them but not necessarily the focus of today’s meeting.  Sometimes they call back a few days later with something new or interesting.

4. How did you form and maintain relationships with potential and current clients?

My partners have been good about introducing me to clients that need my expertise, and letting me further develop those relationships.  When you connect with a client, you want to foster that relationship in a way that is not intrusive or pandering.  I am fortunate in that Goodwin has a really interesting client base doing pretty amazing things, so there is always something to talk about or learn from your client.  Building relationships is also about focusing on what your client wants and trying to understand their perspective–if they want three quick bullet points on a topic so they are armed for their meeting with the CEO, you don’t give them a three page memo five minutes before that meeting.  I also like to develop the relationship on a more personal level.  I love to go fly fishing, and I have a client or two that share that passion.  Simply swapping photos and stories once in a while is a lot of fun, and hopefully has the added benefit of keeping me top of mind.

5. Did you take any affirmative action to meet attorneys from other practice groups within the firm?  Has this been an effective in generating referrals or helping you transition to private law practice?

I believe this is probably the most important thing a new partner can do.  During my first year I took advantage of every opportunity to fly back to Goodwin’s East Coast offices to meet my partners from all practice groups, and I still try to do it.  I also made similar efforts in California.  Getting to know my partners and associates has helped me in a number of contexts.  First, it made me feel more a part of the firm on a professional and social level.  I want to enjoy going to work — I certainly spend a lot of time there, and this helps.  Second, as my partners got to know me, it made me more top of mind if an issue came up. Goodwin genuinely strives to be collaborative, so by making the effort to get to know my other partners, it has paid dividends in getting phone calls about new matters or interesting cases.  Third, it allowed me to respond to client inquiries when I was not the right person.  Recently a client called me, and I was able to immediately direct him to my partner in another office with the needed expertise, because I had had gotten to know him during one of my trips back East.

6. Is there anything different you wish you had done earlier in your legal career to help you with practice today?

I wish I had become a federal prosecutor earlier.  It was an honor doing public service; I learned so much about being a lawyer, particularly a trial lawyer, and working as a team for a common goal.  I was fortunate in that I worked with a lot of really good prosecutors that were willing to share their time and knowledge.  I also wished I had focused my marketing efforts, rather than haphazardly engaged in marketing activities. I look back and realize I wasted a lot of time doing things that I did not enjoy and were ineffective.  I also wish I had made a better effort to keep in touch with people whom I genuinely enjoyed working with over the years.

7.  What are the advantages / disadvantages of working in a prosecutor role vs. in a private practice defense attorney role?

When I was a federal prosecutor, people immediately returned my calls.  There is no shortage of criminals, so I always knew I would have a new case next month.  Another benefit is you have the luxury of spending as much time as you want on a case, without worrying about bills.  In private practice, you are always thinking about your next case, and constantly balancing quality legal work with efficiency.  Also, when you represent a company or individual, government inquiries and prosecutions are immensely personal and unsettling, so there is more of a human element that factors into your representation.  I do think it helps to have been a prosecutor, because you can provide your client insight into how the process works, and the likely viewpoint of the prosecutor or regulator.  One disadvantage is the level of interest in what I do.  When I was a prosecutor, my friends and colleagues always asked what type of case I was working on, and what the criminals were up to—Ponzi schemes and drug cases are inherently interesting to most people.  Similarly, my kids thought I was pretty cool because I worked with federal agents with guns, met the President, and put bad guys away.  Now, my friends and kids rarely ask me what type of case I am working on.

ARTICLE BY

Eilene Spear
OF
The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

Positive Media Exposure: Elevate Your Practice and Your Firm

Legal Marketing Association Southeastern Chapter

Your business is on the rise yet every time you scroll through your news feeds, read the newspaper, or watch a news show, you find your competitors highlighted everywhere instead of you and your business. You want this kind of coverage, but you are short on time due to your demanding work schedule, board activities, community involvement and family engagements. Dealing with the media also feels uncomfortable and you fear that reporters will not tell the story correctly. Sound familiar? This is what we discovered when we asked our clients (i.e. very smart lawyers we love to work with!)

To be fair, media interviews can be a daunting experience for almost anyone. These feelings are compounded by the notion that subject matter experts may believe that reporters and interviewers are out to get them. The truth is, the media should be treated just like a client. A great majority of reporters are cordial people who are assigned to cover a story on a topic. It is their job to talk with various sources, research the topic, and educate the public. Yet, almost always, reporters are on deadline while juggling other priorities assigned to them on any given day. Their challenge is to collect a depth of accurate information in order to inform the public and meet a tight deadline. Does that sound like a client? Have you ever received a call or an email from a client who needs to know the latest on a particular issue and has questions they need answered right away? It’s not that either is out to get you, rather each need to be educated so that they can succinctly and accurately inform their audience, be that a reader or a senior executive.

What you must realize is that the interviewee is often more knowledgeable on a subject than the interviewer, therefore you should approach the interview with full confidence and take advantage of the opportunity to provide useful and practical information. After all, this is your opportunity to shine and help educate the public. Here are some tips to ensure a successful media interview:

  • Similar to preparing for a case, successful media messages depend on preparation. Pick a story angle ahead of time and stick to it thought the interview. This bolsters your ability to serve as a subject matter expert.

  • Consider all of the difficult questions that may be asked and prepare answers. This critical step will help you from being caught off guard.

  • If you are asked a challenging question that you did not consider or are asked to talk about something that you simply can’t discuss, you can maintain control of the interview by using bridging techniques with phrases like: “before we leave the subject, let me add that …” “And the one thing that is important to remember is …” “While this is important, it is also important to remember that…”

  • Reporters love to use research and statistics in their stories as much as lawyers do. Feel free to prepare some stats and takeaways for reporters to help emphasize the story angle you are trying to promote.

  • Reporters are trained to listen. Just because a reporter puts away a notebook, a microphone or turns off a tape recorder doesn’t mean the interview is over and you can say anything without it being used.

  • Reporters hate when someone misleads or lies to them. They don’t like it when their stories have to be corrected through no fault of their own and because of inaccurate information provided to them. Accuracy is a gold standard for reporters. Help them achieve it and you can bet they will come back to you with another interview opportunity.

  • Instead of using industry jargon, speak in simple terms to appeal to the general public and potential clients. The reporter will most likely use those comments word-for-word which earns more thought leadership clout.

  • Body language can be just as important as words. Keep your arms loose and gesture naturally. This will help you appear calm and confident. Don’t cross your arms, your legs or put your hands in your pockets. Strive for a relaxed and happy face. Again, you are the expert who has the opportunity to share your knowledge.

  • Some reporters will ask you to spell your name on camera or tape so the editors can include it in the caption. If they don’t, be sure to spell your name and your firm’s name so they can include it in their story correctly.

  • Whether your story appears online, in print, radio or on television, don’t forget to engage in the digital space. Update your social media channels, website and blogs before and after the interview to continue the growth and expansion of your online brand.

Representing your business and knowledge base to the public is extremely important for you and your practice. Keeping these general media tips in mind puts you at a greater advantage to deliver a successful message and stay in front of your clients. With this said, remember to stay positive and have fun! And of course, call the Marketing Department or your public relations representative to work on a customized approach for each story.

ARTICLE BY

Ioana Good
Ryan King
OF
Legal Marketing Association Southeastern Chapter

Join LMA New England in ONE week for their Regional Conference! Nov 13-14 in Boston

Register today for the LMANE 2014 Regional Conference:
LMA-NE-2014-3

 

When

NOVEMBER 13 & 14

Where

Revere Hotel, Boston, MA

REGISTER NOW!

There are many benefits to attending the LMANE Regional Conference, below are just a few:

LMANE Legal Marketing Association New England Boston Regional Conference

You will walk away feeling energized and full of new ideas to bring back to your firm!

GCI 10 Inspiring Women Lawyers to Lead – General Counsel Institute

NAWL_logo-logotype_CMYK

Lawyers are trained for many things, to represent clients in court, provide advice on legal matters and work hard to protect their clients’ interests.  Most law schools, however, do not prepare lawyers to lead.  Yet to succeed as in-house counsel, lawyers must be able to lead diverse teams and handle a variety of subject matters.  At the National Association of Women Lawyers® (“NAWL”) Tenth Annual General Counsel Institute® (“GCI 10”) Strategic Leadership: Developing Legal Expertise and Skills to Enable and Empower Yourself and Others in the 21st Century on November 6th and 7th, 2014, eleven leaders will share inspiring stories of how they lead through change, adapt to the ever evolving regulatory, cyber, global and other matters that are challenging their corporations today.  Additionally, they will share how they tailor their approaches to successfully tackle the tasks at hand.

In honor of the tenth anniversary of the General Counsel Institute®, ten of these eleven inspiring leaders are General Counsels.  Brad Smith, General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Corporation, will discuss Top Leadership Traits Critical to Leading, Engaging and Motivating a Global Corporation as the lunch keynote speaker on Thursday, November 6th.  Smith believes that a commitment to continual learning and to diversity and inclusion are two traits critical to successful leadership.  He is committed to diversifying the legal profession to reflect the diversity of the United States as a whole.  To that end, Smith serves as the Chair of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization of more than 200 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who share that vision. When asked about learning, developing and growing as a leader, Smith said that he makes it a priority to stretch himself in new ways every year. “I think it’s imperative that one keep growing to adapt to a changing world . . . the three best ways to learn are through reading, listening, and doing.”   He added that . . . “the single best thing one can do is surround oneself at work with people who bring diverse experiences, backgrounds, and points of view to a topic.”

Sandra Leung, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, will be the keynote speaker at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, November 7th.  She joined the company after leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office where she was part of the original Special Victims Bureau.  Leung rose through the ranks at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, taking the helm during a crisis, and is now also responsible for Environment, Health & Safety, Corporate Security and Philanthropy.  In her role, Leung has restructured the legal department to meet business objectives and reduced costs, which helped the company thrive in a challenging business and regulatory environment.  She advises leaders to “. . . have great personal integrity and be someone people can trust” as well as “. . . be respectful of people, not just your superiors but everyone.”  At GCI 10, Leung will be discussing what it takes to thrive in today’s regulatory environment.

Rebecca S. Halstead, CEO and Founder of STEADFAST Leadership, is Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Retired, and she will be inspiring GCI 10 attendees as the keynote speaker at lunch on November 7th.  She served as a Commissioner on the President’s Military Leadership Diversity Commission 2009 – 2010 and is the first female graduate of West Point to be promoted to General Officer.  Halstead is also the author of the book 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is YOU in which she outlines five fundamental truths to support her definition of leadership.  She founded STEADFAST Leadership to extend the lessons she learned throughout her life, including in the military, to future leaders.  Halstead advises that “leadership is about the led . . . therefore one must understand who the people are, what the organization is about, what are the current challenges facing them, and how are they organized.”

In addition to the keynote speakers, eight General Counsels will conduct interactive workshops at GCI 10 where attendees will have the opportunity to earn CLE credit.  These workshops include leading edge topics such as anti-bribery compliance and conducting global business in the cloud, as well as skills such as gaining executive presence to command attention and influence change.  The General Counsels leading these workshops offer the following advice to emerging leaders as a prelude to the conference:

  • Donna Costa, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings America, Inc., advises new leaders to have “. . . vision and aspiration, . . . to continually re-evaluate what they are doing. Getting input widely and often from those around you.”
  • Beth DeSimone, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, CommunityOne Bancorp, says “The worst that anyone can say if you ask for something is ‘no’ so you might as well ask – they might say ‘yes’!”  She also advises that you should always make time for family, continue your education, and follow your dreams.
  • Vicki Donati, General Counsel, Crate & Barrel Holdings, Inc., advises that one should “. . . speak up when you know something is amiss or when your gut tells you there are considerations not coming to the fore.”  She also shares that leadership is a constant honing process and that by observing people in power you can pick and choose the aspects that fit you to develop your own personal leadership style.
  • Cynthia Gibson, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc., encourages being true to yourself, including admitting that you don’t know everything and that seeking input from others is key to success as a leader.
  • Leigh M. Harlan, Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Tiffany & Co., when asked about evaluating two equally qualified candidates for a leadership position, she states that her selection would be “. . . the individual whose skills, demeanor and values align in such a way that he or she is likely to inspire others to perform at their highest capacity and to promote a fair, respectful and collaborative work environment.
  • Jennifer Rochon, General Counsel for Girl Scouts of the United States of America, has the distinction of serving as the first General Counsel of the Girl Scouts.  She believes that it is critical for leaders to have confidence in themselves, to stretch outside their comfort zones, and to bring those they lead along with them.
  • Monica Weed, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Navigant Consulting, Inc., points out that assuming a leadership position”. . . requires you to move away from the very things that recommended you for leadership to begin with into areas in which you are unproven.”  The ability to learn from others and to be flexible as circumstances change are characteristics that every leader should possess.
  • Linda Willett, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, advises new leaders to “identify role models, observe their leadership behaviors, and adopt those that work for you.”  Willett also shares that the art of tailoring a message to the intended audience is an important skill for leaders to develop and encourages emerging leaders to join not-for-profit boards to experience “sitting on the other side of the table.”

There’s still time to register for GCI 10, so come be inspired by these 11 leaders by going to Programs & Events at www.nawl.org!

About GCI 10:  The General Counsel Institute is designed to increase the effectiveness of in-house women lawyers at the top tiers of their corporate law departments. This annual program targets in-house counsel who want to build professional and management skills to improve the functioning of their practice groups or legal departments and their interaction with C-suite executives with focus on pressure points, strategic decision-making, measurements of success for in-house counsel and what it takes to improve such skills. The General Counsel Institute is collegial and interactive and a terrific opportunity to talk and network with the presenters and professionals from Fortune 500 companies.

About NAWL:  The National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”) is a national voluntary legal professional organization devoted to the interests of women lawyers and women’s rights. Founded in 1899, long before most local and national bar associations admitted women, the Association is an educational forum and has an active voice for the concerns of women in the legal profession.

NAWL continues to support and advance the interests of women in and under the law and the social, political, and professional empowerment of women. Today, members of the Association represent all areas of legal expertise: public and private sectors; for-profit and not-for-profit; and large and small organizations. Through its programs and network, NAWL provides the tools for women in the profession to advance, prosper, and enrich the profession.

ARTICLE BY

Stacey Werner Shapiro
OF
National Association of Women Lawyers

President Obama’s Response to the Ebola Crisis

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, December 30, 2013 was epidemiological week 1 for the current Ebola crisis in West Africa.  Since that date, more than 4,985 cases — 2,461 of which have resulted in death — have been confirmed or suspected.

Today, nine months after the epidemic’s outbreak, President Obama has made an overdue announcement that the U.S. will deploy an estimated 3,000 troops in an effort to stem the crisis.  The response is certainly welcome but it remains far from certain that an intervention by the U.S. military will be sufficient to defeat this deadly epidemic.

President Obama is right to characterize the Ebola outbreak as a top national security priority for the U.S., and the past is instructive for what we might be dealing with in this situation.

The last time that the U.S. declared a health emergency to be a threat to U.S. national security was in 2000, when the Clinton administration designated HIV/AIDS as a threat that could undermine governments, lead to conflict and weaken progress on democracy and economic growth.  At that time, the Clinton Administration doubled its budget request to combat HIV/AIDS internationally to $254 million.  However, it was not until 2003 when President George W. Bush requested from Congress $15 billion over five years that the U.S. began to turn the tide of that deadly pandemic.  It was still another two years before medicines became widely available to those infected with HIV and, in 2008, PEPFAR was reauthorized for $48 billion for another five years.

To date, the Obama administration has spent $175 million to address the rapidly spreading Ebola crisis in West Africa.  This is likely to be a fraction of the ultimate cost required to defeat this disease.  Recent estimates from the United Nations place the costs around $1 billion.

In addition to involving the U.S. military, President Obama has committed the U.S. to the construction of 17 treatment centers (each of which will have 100  beds) in Liberia and the establishment of a site to train up to 500 local health care providers per week.  In terms of containing this deadly disease, this “whole of government” response from the Obama Administration is a good, if belated, start.  However, key questions remain.

It is not clear how long the strategy will take to implement and, according to international health officials who spoke with The New York Times, 1,000 beds are needed in the next week alone to contain the spread of the disease.  It also is not clear how the U.S. will work with the governments of Sierra Leone and Guinea, as nearly half the cases reported come from those two countries, nor Nigeria and Senegal who also have reported cases.

Over the weekend, chief executives from 11 companies operating in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea made an urgent appeal to the international community to pool its resources to fight Ebola.  It is an important development that the U.S. is moving forward with a more aggressive response to this plea.  Yet victory will likely require a “whole of community” response from all stakeholders, including governments, businesses, NGOs and others, who want to see the governments of West Africa defeat this deadly scourge.

ARTICLE BY

Witney Schneidman
OF
Covington & Burling LLP

Tips on Creating Press Releases Reporters Will Use

The Rainmaker Institute

Business communications firm Greentarget has just released the results of interviews with 100 news reporters and editors in their 2014 Disrupting the Press Release report, and it’s clear what journalists want from firms seeking the news spotlight:  just the facts.

The core findings from this report underscore the need for communicators to understand that journalists want only the vital information, and they want it immediately apparent.  Don’t make them wade through a bunch of legal jargon, boilerplate text or self-serving quotes that sound like no human would ever speak those words.

BIG NEWS. Press Releases

In fact, Greentarget points to a perfect example of the kind of press releases journalists favor:  the ones that come from police departments, who tend to follow TV detective Joe Friday’s maxim of “Just the facts, ma’am.”

And here’s why:  journalists spend less than 60 seconds scanning a press release.  If the value is not immediately apparent, they are on to the next one.  Half the reporters and editors surveyed said that they receive, on average, 50 press releases a week.  The other half said they receive more — up to 100 or more a week.

Beyond writing concise, fact-driven releases, here are some tips on how to grab a reporter’s attention:

  • Email your press releases.  80% said they prefer email.  Not one said they prefer a phone call.
  • Craft a compelling subject line.  79% said a good subject line gets your release opened.
  • Send your release early.  44% said they prefer to get press releases in the morning.
  • Leave out the least important information: boilerplate language, stilted quotations, fluff.
  • Be sure the journalists you are sending your press release to cover that beat and are relevant to their audiences.

The good news is that 88% of journalists said they still find value in press releases, especially those that contain thought leadership (research, surveys, etc.).  Least valuable?  Personnel announcements.

My experience has shown me that many attorneys are notoriously poor press release writers, both in terms of obtuse language and too much filler.  When it comes to press releases journalists will pay attention to, always remember that less is more.  Better yet, have a professional who knows what they are doing write your press releases.

Article By:

Stephen Fairley
Of:
The Rainmaker Institute

The National Law Review is Going Back to the Future. New website coming up soon!

The National Law Review is honoring its roots as one of the country’s first nation-wide legal journals by returning to a more journalistic style.   At the same time, we’re adding enhanced features to help our readers more quickly find the nation’s breaking legal news and analysis.

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Look for changes over the next few weeks.

Launch date soon!

May 28th – NAWL Pipeline to Equity Partnership Program, Chicago

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The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and Chicago’s Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law are joining forces to help usher the next generation of women law firm leaders into place with a program entitled Pipeline to Equity Partnership (P2P).  The program will be held at Loyola University Law School from 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM, followed by a networking reception.   P2P is aimed at women on the brink of equity partnership, in either a one-tier or two-tier law firm system.  This is the third presentation of NAWL’s P2P program nationwide, and its first time in Chicago.

The P2P program is an attempt to move the dial on the numbers of women in law firm leadership by offering a forum to identify and discuss challenges women face as they reach for the top.

The P2P program will begin with a luncheon presentation from Andrea (“Andie”) Kramer, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery.  Andie Kramer is well known as a longtime motivating force in the effort to both advance more women to leadership roles and equity partnership in law firms and to ensure that women are fairly compensated along the way.  She is a founding member of McDermott’s Diversity Committee, and chair of the Gender Diversity Sub-committee.   Andie previously served on both the Firm’s Management and Compensation Committees.

The P2P program will continue with facilitated roundtable group discussion of multiple issue-based scenarios that women face in their journey towards equity partnership.  Discussion will focus on real world experiences such as the departure of a young partner’s sponsor, the loss of previous opportunities for business pitches, handling ethical issues that used to be handled by superiors, the reluctance of a new partner’s colleague to address a client conflict, flexibility and perception of work ethic, or perhaps the overloading of a new partner with uncredited firm administration.

The scenarios will be familiar to attendees and presenters, and will offer an opportunity for both a unique, peer-to-peer discussion and the counsel and perspective of a resource panel of distinguished women law firm leaders, who will offer their counsel and advice.  The panel consisting of law firm leaders, managing partners, and general counsel includes Susie L. Lees, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Allstate Insurance Company, Jennifer A. Kennedy, Managing Partner of Chicago office, Locke Lord LLP, Amy B. Manning, Managing Partner of Chicago office, McGuireWoods LLP, and Angelea Ulum, Co-Chair, Partnership Promotion Committee, Mayer Brown LLP.  The panel will be moderated by Margo O’Donnell, President of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law and Shareholder at Vedder Price, and Maureen M. Reid, President of Maureen M. Reid, LLC and a co-founder of the P2P program.The resource panel will offer advice for handling the scenarios discussed in the roundtables and will answer attendees’ questions about navigating the way to equity partnership.

Program participants will leave the program with a much better sense of what roadblocks may exist on the path to equity partnership and how to overcome them.  Those interested in registering for the P2P Program can get all of the information and register at http://www.nawl.org/p/cm/ld/&fid=168.

May 28, 2014 – Pipeline to Equity Partnership – National Association of Women Lawyers

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On May 28th, 2014 the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) andChicago’s Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law are joining forces to help usher the next generation of women law firm leaders into place with a program entitled Pipeline to Equity Partnership (P2P).  The program will be held at Loyola University Law School from 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM, followed by a networking reception.   P2P is aimed at women on the brink of equity partnership, in either a one-tier or two-tier law firm system.  This is the third presentation of NAWL’s P2P program nationwide, and its first time in Chicago.

NAWL has conducted an annual survey of Am Law 200 law firms since 2005 in an effort to measure the progress in the percentage of women equity partners in law firms.  NAWL’S annual Report on the Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms has established the fact that those numbers have stagnated for years between 15% and 17% despite women graduating from law school at equal rates for decades.  The P2P program is an attempt to move the dial on the numbers of women in law firm leadership by offering a forum to identify and discuss challenges women face as they reach for the top.

The P2P program will begin with a luncheon presentation from Andrea (“Andie”) Kramer, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery.  Andie Kramer is well known as a longtime motivating force in the effort to both advance more women to leadership roles and equity partnership in law firms and to ensure that women are fairly compensated along the way.  She is a founding member of McDermott’s Diversity Committee, and chair of the Gender Diversity Sub-committee.   Andie previously served on both the Firm’s Management and Compensation Committees.

The P2P program will continue with facilitated roundtable group discussion of multiple issue-based scenarios that women face in their journey towards equity partnership.  Discussion will focus on real world experiences such as the departure of a young partner’s sponsor, the loss of previous opportunities for business pitches, handling ethical issues that used to be handled by superiors, the reluctance of a new partner’s colleague to address a client conflict, flexibility and perception of work ethic, or perhaps the overloading of a new partner with uncredited firm administration.

The scenarios will be familiar to attendees and presenters, and will offer an opportunity for both a unique, peer-to-peer discussion and the counsel and perspective of a resource panel of distinguished women law firm leaders, who will offer their counsel and advice.  The panel consisting of law firm leaders, managing partners, and general counsel includes Susie L. Lees, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Allstate Insurance Company, Jennifer A. Kennedy, Managing Partner of Chicago office, Locke Lord LLP, Amy B. Manning, Managing Partner of Chicago office, McGuireWoods LLP, and Angelea Ulum, Co-Chair, Partnership Promotion Committee, Mayer Brown LLP.  The panel will be moderated by Margo O’Donnell, President of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law and Shareholder at Vedder Price, and Maureen M. Reid, President of Maureen M. Reid, LLC and a co-founder of the P2P program.The resource panel will offer advice for handling the scenarios discussed in the roundtables and will answer attendees’ questions about navigating the way to equity partnership.

Program participants will leave the program with a much better sense of what roadblocks may exist on the path to equity partnership and how to overcome them.  Those interested in registering for the P2P Program can get all of the information and register athttp://www.nawl.org/p/cm/ld/&fid=168.