Fringe Legal #17: validating market data / leveraging robots for content / managing timezones

Autumn is in full swing. As we enter the last three months of the year, I'm energized by the many things to accomplish by the years' end. I hope to share more about season four of the podcast in the coming weeks - it's our most ambitious season yet.

In the meantime, please let me know what kind of content you'd like to see more in this newsletter.

Here are 4 things that were worth sharing.

READ

Last year, I wrote a piece exploring the last mile problem to utilize legal technology.

"Almost half of firms are working with over 10 legal technology suppliers, and 68 per cent of firms say that their tech tools overlap in functionality.

The problem with this approach is that the users are perpetually confused by which technology to use, and there is a dizzying array of training that must be attended and remembered each time a simple task needs to be accomplished. In solving these issues, we must work towards a simplified system which encompasses a large workflow that is frequently followed by lawyers."

I was reminded of this piece when I started writing something and had a déjà vu moment that I had written the exact thing before! I believe that there have been some improvements to simplify the legal technology ecosystem for the users. The focus on workflow and workspaces has primarily driven this.

Second, I wanted to see if I could use AI to "read" this article for the podcast. So you'll find an audio version of this article entirely read by a machine learning (ML) trained AI. It's not perfect, but the results are better than expected.

Read/listen to the article here

WATCH

This week on Fringe Legal Edge, I spoke with Deb Feder. Deb is a business development coach, and consultant focused on helping lawyers generate consistent clients through curious, confident conversations.

We discuss the importance of listening and how to practice it, business development, and validating market data during our conversation.

You can watch the full episode here (28 minutes)

LISTEN

Over on the Fringe Legal podcast, I spoke with Eric Laughlin - the CEO of Agiloft, a no-code contract, and commerce lifecycle management software company.

Agiloft has been in the news recently, as they recently raised a whopping $45M round. However, as with previous discussions, this one goes 'beyond the press release.'

We chat about the benefits of no-code technology, what they plan to do with $45M, how one should evaluate technology, and leadership.

Listen to the full episode (32 mins)

TOOL

As a result of what I do, I frequently need to schedule calls across multiple time zones. As many of you may also have this challenge, I thought it might be helpful to share two of my favorite tools to manage this feat. (Especially as the clocks start to change worldwide).

World time buddy: crucial tool if you're looking to schedule meetings across time zones. The free version allows you to add up to 4 locations (I've not yet needed more!). My two favorite things are how simple it is and that it tells you if the clock will be changing soon e.g., in the screenshot, I selected 24th October, and it lets me know that the UK will be changing the next day.

Loclock: this shows you the time in various locations on one clock. Most useful for distributed teams/families/friends so you can see what time is it for everyone right now.

Bonus tip: if you use Outlook, you can add multiple timezones to your calendar view (up to 3), which foregoes the need for most of these tools when scheduling calendar appointments to frequent timezones. Microsoft instructions here if you're interested.

Until next time. Stay well.

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