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ERM: Firms Leverage Innovative Technology
Pre-existing relationships ' whether with clients, former colleagues, or law school classmates ' are every law firm's number-one source for new client development. As large firms know firsthand, the strength of having a vast network is offset by the struggle to effectively search and access those relationships. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton is a full-service AmLaw 100 firm with 1000 employees in nine nationwide offices. To support our business development and marketing efforts, we must be able to leverage our strong network of contacts and immediately identify everyone within our firm who has a valuable pre-existing relationship and can make an introduction.
In the past, to prepare for a prospect meeting, attorneys sent out an all-lawyer e-mail blast or walked the halls asking if anyone knew the company in question. We knew this approach did not fully leverage our firm's relationship capital. Another common step was checking the CRM system. We have a very successful CRM implementation and one of the highest attorney-adoption rates, but a few lawyers choose not to participate, and others fall behind entering their contacts ' even if their assistants are doing much of the work.
So if e-mail blasts are not the solution, and CRM systems will never have all relationships, what alternatives are available? After a broad market review, we concluded that an Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM) solution would provide our firm with an automated and efficient way to access and leverage all of our relationships, without requiring our attorneys to spend time manually entering and updating data. We evaluated each ERM solution on the market, and we share our review of the solution we have implemented: Con-tactNet from Contact Networks.
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York
In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?
The Benefits of Blockchain for e-Discovery and Data Preservation
As businesses across various industries increasingly adopt blockchain, it will become a critical source of discoverable electronically stored information. The potential benefits of blockchain for e-discovery and data preservation are substantial, making it an area of growing interest and importance.