Articles and Columns for November 2021

• Listening to the Client – In over 30 years of working with law firms on improving productivity and profitability Heather Gray-Grant has seen countless marketplace surveys on the incredible value of client feedback mechanisms. In many instances it’s been labelled as one of the fastest and most effective ways to boost firm revenue. So, you’d think that law firms would be all over this business practice as a standard operating procedure. But…not so much. Gray-Grant discusses how to effectively execute client surveys and audits that will benefit firms as well as customers.
• Finding People Resources and Sites 2022 – This guide by Marcus Zillman identifies a wide range of free and fee based resources from which to choose to conduct people searches as well as brand and company reputation research, for business or personal reasons. It is important to note that the largest and most prominent data aggregators resell their content to other sites. In addition, data on free and some fee based sites may not be cleansed and can include inaccuracies that range from minor to critical. Also, many sites offer free search but charge a fee to view the results. It is therefore advisable to use multiple sources in your research and compare and contrast results before pursuing the use of these data.
• Investigating Charities – Tracy Z. Maleeff, an Information Security Professional with a Master of Library and Information Science degree, shares recommendations on how to be a charitable person while also safe and smart about where you give your hard-earned money.
• Justia Portal by the Numbers: Resources for Aspiring Lawyers (And Practicing Lawyers Too!) – Justia’s mission is to make the law and legal resources free for all. In keeping with this mission, the Justia Portal offers free access to statutes from all 50 states, cases from federal courts and the highest state courts, legal guides, and more! While these resources make the law more accessible to the general public, they also help aspiring lawyers just beginning their journeys into the profession and ease the early stages of legal research for practicing attorneys looking for quick access to relevant laws. Additionally, Justia Law Schools helps prospective law students (and those already studying to become lawyers) gather information on U.S. law schools and the law school admissions process. In this post, Justia’s team shares some data about some of the most frequently viewed law schools nationwide, as well as some information about the most viewed provisions of the law and cases on their site.
• A new ratings industry is emerging to help homebuyers assess climate risks – Matthew E. Kahn studies environmental economics, and in his recent book, “Adapting to Climate Change: Markets and the Management of an Uncertain Future”, he explores how the rise of Big Data will help people, firms and local governments make better decisions in the face of climate risks. He sees the emergence of a climate risk analysis industry for real estate as a promising development, but believe the federal government should set standards to ensure that it provides reliable, accurate information.
• How Data Analytics Can Change the Way Law Firms Do Business – Lisa M. (Bradford) Mayo, Director of Data and Analytics at Ballard Spahr LLP identifies how and why data and analytics are on the forefront of much of the firm’s modern technology offerings. Unlike many firms, Ballard’s data and analytics function sits inside their Client Value and Innovation department, where they have some latitude with a research and development budget and the directive to “fail fast” if they determine a proof-of-concept did not meet our needs. The firm’s data management mission statement says in part that we “contribute to the firm’s strategic goals by using innovative technologies, a variety of flexible and adaptive data sources, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and ongoing data literacy education to help redefine the Firm’s internal performance objectives and accountability drivers and transform how the Firm delivers legal services to its clients.” Just 48 words but loaded with meaning and purpose, both for now and in the foreseeable future.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 28, 2021 – Five highlights from this week: An introduction to U.S. data compliance laws; Companies ditching VPNs for zero trust architectures to secure hybrid workplaces; Research finds US adults have context-specific views on biometric technology use; Apple iOS privacy settings to change now; and Mozilla has released a new platform for privacy-focused email communications.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 22, 2021 – Four highlights from this week: You Are the Object of a Secret Extraction Operation; Privacy experts say to choose vaccination apps wisely; Analyzing News Manipulation by State Actors; and New Federal Government Cybersecurity Incident and Vulnerability Response Playbooks.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 14, 2021 – Four highlights from this week: Report: 51% of IT leaders don’t think they could mitigate a data breach; US Education Dept urged to boost K-12 schools’ ransomware defenses; Digital driver’s licenses: Are they secure enough for us to trust?; and Allow App To Track On Your iPhone—Here’s What It Means.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 7, 2021 – Four highlights from this week: The U.S. Blacklists Makers of Cops’ Favorite iPhone Hacking Tool; 10 Privacy Settings Every Amazon User Should Enable Right Now; Experts Sound Alarm On ‘Stalkerware,’ Which Can Easily Be Downloaded On Your Phone Without You Knowing; and A Drone Tried to Disrupt the Power Grid. It Won’t Be the Last.