Themes of Legal Tech

Recurring themes of Legal Tech West, held last week in Los Angeles, were privacy, risk management and demands for cost efficiency. Sound familiar? It turns out that online marketing trends are mirroring the needs of the legal sector, perhaps more than initially thought.

Privacy, Security Breaches and Accountability was the title of the Opening Day Keynote Address delivered by David Lazarus, Business Columnist with the Los Angeles Times. I was not in attendance to hear the speech though I can surmise it at least touched on the rise of social media and its impact on promoting and protecting the reputations of law firms both domestically and abroad. The speech preview posted on the Legal Tech website stated his intention to discuss whether or not traditional business best practices are enough in dealing with these issues.  I’m sure Mr. Lazarus gave an informative, thought-provoking speech. However, I believe the message might have resonated even more had it been delivered by an expert in Online Reputation Management (ORM).

Legal Tech New York will not commence until late January 2011. It is widely and rightfully regarded as the most important law-based technology event of the year. As the digital landscape continually changes and improves across all genres, Legal Tech should leverage the knowledge and experience of ORM marketers for its East Coast Convention. Obviously, the overriding focus of Legal Tech should remain law-specific but increasing the number of panel discussions centering on social media, search and ORM would stress to law firms the importance of implementing digital strategies into their marketing plan.