The Digital Edge

Sharon turns the tables on Jim and makes him her guest to talk about the future of law practice. Jim discusses current trends, technology implications, alternative fees arrangements and gives advice about what lawyers can do to prepare for the future of law practice.

Jim and Sharon talk to Dan Pinnington, the Vice President of Claims Prevention and Stakeholder Relations for the Laywers Professional Indemnity Company in Ontario about how lawyers can avoid bad check frauds. Dan explains exactly how these frauds work, notes some red flags to alert lawyers that something is wrong and gives a number of helpful resources for further information.

Jim and Sharon interview Arthur Greene about "the new normal" in the economy and how it impacts law firms.

Jim and Sharon welcome guest Andy Perlman, a noted professor, author and lecturer, who serves as the Chief Reporter for the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20. The House of Delegates adopted a number of the Commission's recommendations in August of 2012 and Andy provides a great overview of what lawyers need to know about the changes in what it means to be competent, the protection of client data and ethical marketing.

Sharon and Jim welcome Tom Mighell, the author of the second edition of The iPad for Lawyers. Everything moves fast in the iPad world so Tom brings us up to date on the latest apps, accessories and tips!

Sharon and Jim present their annual Holiday Tech Toys podcast including some heavy duty technology and some light-hearted technology to entertain you over the holiday season

Sharon and Jim talk to Toby Brown, the Director or Strategic Pricing and Analytics for Akin Gump, about technology trends in large firms - it's a very different IT world from that of solos and small firms!

In this very timely podcast, Jim and Sharon talk to legal technologist Ben Schorr about the pros and cons of Windows 8, what it costs, how easy it is to install and its best and worst features.

Jim and Sharon talk to Ernie Svenson and Jared Correia about how lawyers can effectively and ethically use Twitter and blogs.

In Part 2 of Lawyers and Social Media, Jim and Sharon are joined by Allison Shields and Dennis Kennedy who talk about their favorite tips for ethically using Facebook and LinkedIn.

Sharon and Jim interview Jobst Elster, the Head of Content for InsideLegal.com, about the implications of big data for all lawyers in firms small and large. Big data provides both opportunities and challenges for lawyers! Show Notes Software TyMetrix RateDriver app (free download) Big Data Articles and Blog Posts Legal IT Insider

This year's ABA Legal Technology Survey Report found a slight (from seven to five percent) decline in virtual lawyering. This spurred the discussion of: What, exactly, is virtual lawyering? What is the growth potential in this type of practice? and, Is it a viable business model for lawyers? On this episode of The Digital Edge, co-hosts Sharon D. Nelson, Esq. and Jim Calloway chat with Bob Ambrogi about the survey results, virtual and online lawyering, and how although clients may be ready for these e-services, lawyers may not be. Bob Ambrogi is the co-host of Legal Talk Network's legal-affairs podcast Lawyer2Lawyer. He authors the blog LawSites, where he posts new and intriguing websites and e-tools for the legal profession, and the blog Media Law, covering freedom of the press. He is a Massachusetts lawyer, writer, and media consultant.

The days of just having a website are over. With the increase in social media profiles and supplementary links lawyers need to rank well in search engines, it's no surprise they are farming out their blogging, and whatever else they can, to keep up. There are many services out there which will provide blog posts, but does this fit within the Model Rules of Professional Conduct? According to lawyer and blogger Kevin O'Keefe, ghost blogging defeats the purpose of blogging and, with no disclosure, is unethical. Kevin O'Keefe is the founder and CEO of Lexblog, a leading provider of social media and blogging to law firms. After working as an attorney for 17 years, successfully marketing his firm online, he redirected his energies to educating lawyers about the use of social media and blogging. He also writes Real Lawyers Have Blogs. On this edition of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon D. Nelson, Esq. and Jim Calloway are joined by O'Keefe to discuss the purpose of blogging and the ethical dilemmas of ghost blogging.

On this edition of The Digital Edge, co-hosts Sharon D. Nelson, Esq. and Jim Calloway chat with Stephanie Kimbro about her new book, The Consumer Law Revolution: The Lawyer's Guide to the Online Legal Marketplace. The book focuses on how to join a branded-legal network to acquire leads and create an online marketing strategy. She stresses the importance of small and solo firms benefiting from having a large-branded network behind them to market their presence. Kimbro is a practicing attorney at Burton LLC and a member of the North Carolina State Bar. Burton LLC is a virtual law firm that delivers legal services in North Carolina, D.C., and Ohio. In addition to her practice, she writes a blog, www.virtuallawfirm.com, covering the ethics and technology issues of delivering legal services online. Tune in to learn more about branded networks for lawyers, why you want to join one, how to choose the right one for your practice, and more.