We know you’ve been anxiously awaiting this episode, and it’s Sharon and Jim’s favorite podcast of the year — Tech Toys for the Holidays! Tune in for their specially crafted wishlist for all the technology enthusiasts in your life. This edition of The Digital Edge will be Sharon and Jim’s final podcast. We are so thankful for their many years of camaraderie, great conversations, and help in keeping us up with the latest in legal tech. Goodbye and happy trails to our dear friends. We wish you...

TECHSHOW will be here before we know it, and there’s no time like the present to get your tickets! To get an idea of what attendees can expect, Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson talk with co-chairs Cynthia Thomas and Sofia Lingos about the 2024 conference theme and special events. TECHSHOW is for anyone and everyone in the world of legal—lawyers, students, judges, paralegals, tech innovators, and more! To learn more and reserve your spot, go to: https://www.techshow.com.  Cynthia Thomas is the...

Is AI finally going to be the undeniable and absolute conqueror of the billable hour? Though many have called for its demise for years, the billable hour still has a substantial foothold in much of the industry, but AI might just change all that. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Jordan Furlong about how AI promises to change not just billing, but law firm business practices across the board. Jordan explains AI’s potential to spur a variety of new innovations in legal practice and what...

Lawyers are often confused about the best and safest ways to share files with clients. Are standalone file sharing tools best? Should every lawyer have a client portal? Is email okay? Sharon Nelson and John Simek have an in-depth conversation with Roberta Tepper about everything you need to know about ethical, secure file sharing solutions.  Roberta Tepper is the Chief Member Services Officer at the State Bar of Arizona.

Copilot is your upcoming digital assistant in pretty much all the Microsoft applications you use day-to-day. So, what do you need to know about utilizing this technology in your legal practice? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome Ben Schorr to discuss the many lawyer-specific Copilot possibilities, from meeting notes, to case summaries, email drafts, and more. They also discuss its current reliability, a privacy overview, and Ben’s top tips for getting the most out of Copilot in your...

Copyright law is buzzing with the rising possibilities of AI-related legal matters. Is this a major concern in our current era of blossoming AI technologies? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome Vedia Jones-Richardson to get her expert opinion on a variety of legal questions arising from the “creative expressions” of generative AI. They review the current landscape of AI’s copyright connections, get explanations on what is and isn’t protected, and discuss notable cases that have explored...

Lately, AI developments have been top of mind for just about everybody—lawyers included. And with AI’s potential to solve all kinds of workflow problems and majorly improve access to justice, the excitement around it does have real merit. However, concerns about accuracy, security, and the current lack of regulation are just as pressing as the excitement surrounding the AI bandwagon. To address all these issues and more, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome John Simek to unpack the latest...

Pain points in your legal practice might just be easily solved with a little automation. Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson chat with Greg Siskind about his firm’s leading-edge relationship with AI and automation technologies. Greg’s simple, straightforward insights help listeners understand the ethics of AI use in law and how to leverage it to improve your firm’s workflows and client experiences. Greg Siskind is a founder of Siskind Susser, a national immigration firm based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Turning a legal service into a product has already been proven to be both profitable for lawyers and a huge help in increasing access to justice. So, how do you join this new wave and productize your services? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Dorna Moini about strategies for creating a legal product for your target market, pricing recommendations for today’s clients, and future outlooks as legal products change the way we deliver services in the profession. Dorna Moini is the CEO and...

Is ChatGPT ready to pass the bar? Maybe not quite, but it’s learning rapidly and might just become a tool lawyers use on a daily basis in the future. Sharon and Jim are joined by Julie Bays to find out ChatGPT’s current capabilities in answering questions about legal practice and the law. Listen in to find out what ChatGPT has to say about access to justice, legal ethics, growing your law firm, and more. Julie A. Bays is the practice management advisor of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

Office 365 is so very helpful in so many ways, but most of us are really underutilizing its capabilities. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway chat with Danielle DavisRoe about ten simple tips for getting more out of your Office 365 experience. Check out Danielle’s LinkedIn post, The Ten Most Popular Office 365 Tips For Lawyers, for insights that will save you time and boost your productivity. Danielle DavisRoe is a senior consultant at Affinity Consulting Group.

TECHSHOW 2023 is right around the corner! Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway chat with co-chairs Jeannine Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis about the offerings at the upcoming conference. This year, the conference will be an entirely in-person event, so don’t miss the return of Taste of TECHSHOW, crowd favorite Start-Up Alley, the new Visionaries of Legal Tech panel discussion, and much more. Find out more and register (and snag the early bird discount before January 18th!) at: techshow.com. Jeannine...

Your favorite nerdy-lawyer wishlist is back yet again! Tune in for Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson’s top picks for the gift-giving season. Happy Holidays! Tech Toys 2022: FlexiSpot EN1 Standing Desk Pixel, World’s First Lego-compatible Mechanical Keyboard Apple AirTag Raptic Link + Lock for AirTag Slide | Portabl Technics EAH-A800 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones  SanDisk 64GB iXpand Flash Drive Luxe Anker PowerConf S330 USB Speakerphone Conference Speaker Microphone LED...

Shawn Holahan knows how disasters can affect your practice first hand. Experiencing the effects of Hurricane Katrina, she learned that when a disaster happens, confusion reigns, but having a disaster plan in place can help your law firm survive. Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson get Shawn Holahan’s top tips for disaster planning in legal practice. Shawn emphasizes the importance of keeping your plan simple and explains “No Tech” Binders and the pre-disaster steps all lawyers should take.

In August, Lloyds of London announced that beginning in 2023 all of its insurer groups will exclude “catastrophic” state-backed attacks from their cyber insurance policies. And, unfortunately, this is just one of many on a growing list of potential exclusions for insurers worldwide, even though premium prices have continued to climb. So, is cybersecurity still worth it? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with John Simek about the elements driving these shifts and what you need to know to...

Why does your law firm need documented standard operating procedures? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway find out with guest Catherine Sanders Reach. Catherine outlines the common problems that arise when operating procedures are lacking and explains how to create a ‘law firm cookbook’—plus, which tools will help—to cultivate dynamic efficiency in your firm. Learn more from Catherine’s recommended articles: Your Firm Cookbook: Why and How - North Carolina Bar Association (ncbar.org) Unseen Risks...

Many law practice management software vendors have been working to provide one-stop shop platforms that meet all the basic needs of a law firm, thereby streamlining processes formerly served by multiple vendors. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway discuss all the latest trends and happenings (including the Affinipay’s MyCase acquisition) with industry expert Niki Black. She talks through processes for choosing software for your law firm and explains how to find the functionality that will best...

Today’s law students grew up side by side with technology and typically view it as an integral part of their lives and futures as lawyers. As such, today’s law schools are working to support students through more robust legal technology training and development. Digital Edge hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Kenton Brice about his involvement with the Digital Initiative at the University of Oklahoma College of Law to get a sense of how technology is being leveraged in a...

If you’ve struggled to afford cyber insurance, you’re not alone. In the past year, prices rose by 30 to 40 percent, and some law firms, especially solos and smalls, were forced to cancel or downgrade coverage in the wake of sudden price hikes. Additionally, inadequate cybersecurity in a firm may lead to a denial of coverage altogether. So, what’s going on? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway talk with Judy Selby to get a handle on the rapid changes in the cyber insurance industry and what firms...

When starting your own law firm, you don’t know what you don’t know! Thankfully, those who have gone before have plenty of tips for avoiding common mistakes. One such lawyer, Mark Bassingthwaighte, joins Sharon and Jim to share insights from The ALPS Guide to Getting Started Solo. Drawing from his own experience, Mark lays out the key steps new solos should follow to establish a successful practice.  Mark Bassingthwaighte, Esq. has been a Risk Manager with ALPS, the nation’s largest direct...

Is there potential for a mass exodus of women from the legal profession? Multiple studies have shown that the pandemic was harder on women, with increased home responsibilities falling disproportionately upon them and often leading to a continued need to work remotely, even after their law firms reopened. These shifts have had major impacts on gender parity in workplaces. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome Roberta Tepper to discuss these issues of inequality and what law firms should do...

TECHSHOW is coming up March 2-5 in Chicago! Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome this year’s co-chairs Brooke Moore and Ivan Hemmans to learn more about the in-person and virtual offerings for conference-goers. Visit techshow.com to register!  Brooke Moore is the legal editor for Legal Templates LLC and founding attorney of MyVirtual.Lawyer, an online, limited scope representation law firm model. Ivan Hemmans is a senior manager of technical development at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and has...

The pandemic forced the use of virtual technology into the courts, but there is still plenty of room for growth. Though there has certainly been some struggle throughout the transition, the profession as a whole is already seeing many benefits from new remote-based procedures. Judge John Tran joins Jim and Sharon to talk about the advancement of courtroom tech and his top tips for lawyers involved in virtual proceedings.  Judge John Tran is a circuit court judge in Fairfax County,...

Digital court reporting has been invaluable throughout the pandemic, and new tech in this area continues to help court proceedings run more smoothly. Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway chat with Tony Sirna about how AI can work hand-in-hand with digital reporters, how these tech and human elements aid in both in-person and virtual proceedings, and what has changed as a result of pandemic-era changes in the courts. Tony Sirna is the legal strategist and customer success manager at...