Legal Commentary

Checkin' the inbox after my Twin Cities trip:
 
* Peter Buck, the ever-hip San Francisco-based "chief technical architect" at Baker Robbins & Co., wants to give you a heads up if you are planning to attend Interwoven's upcoming Gear UP 2008 conference later this month. He's inviting you to participate in a one hour Interwoven/BRCO "Mini Bar Camp" Thursday April 24, from 9:30-10:30 am PST. (It's limited to folks planning to attend Gear Up 2008.)

I'm new to this whole BarCamp concept but here's wikipedia's explanation.

Buck and Neil Araujo will serve as session leaders and they'll screen the topics and choose five attendee leaders to lead discussions. Confused? E-mail Buck, who, btw, is the author of a terrific article in the next issue of LTN, about wikis. (I'll add a  link when the issues goes live.)

* Bruce Marcus is upset about an add that appeared in The Wall Street Journal.

* Bruce MacEwen  reviews Altman Weil's Legal Transformation Study, released late last month. Four possible scenarios for delivery of legal services between now and 2020 are outlined, including:

Blue-Chip Mega-Mania: A model that emphasizes the global consolidation of legal service providers and the dominance of giant law firms with vast global presence and offerings spanning all legal areas.

-Expertopia: A scenario that envisions the increasing complexity of the law and challenges of corporations operating in multiple environments worldwide, thereby placing a premium on specialization and expert-driven cultures at legal services organizations.

E-Marketplace: A model built on the premise that technology will be a catalyst, but not the core, for an industry transformation in which an array of Web-based technologies will make information more available and expert judgment more valuable.

Techno-Law: A scenario that contemplates rising corporate investment in automation capabilities throughout the legal services industry, leaving only the high-end services to be delivered by legal professionals and potentially requiring a complete reconstruction of the traditional business models in the legal services industry.

Disclosure: ALM has just bought Altman Weil Publications.

* Stuart Brodsky checks in to let us know he's left his spot as National Program Manager, Commercial Properties, for the EPA's Energy Star program:

Anna Stark at the EPA will be continuing to coordinate outreach to you and your peers. To smooth her transition, we are requesting that any questions you would have for me be forwarded to Sandra Khananusit (khananusit@icfi.com) at ICFI International. ICF will review your inquiry and identify if it should be immediately addressed by EPA, or managed by one of the many consulting support team members who have gotten to know many of you so well over the years.

I'll update you when Stuart lets us know his next gig.

* "Ed Post" of BlawgReview, with a hat tip to Kevin O'Keefe, spotted this breaking news about the Yankees and NY's Belluck & Fox law firm. :) Check out the firm's URL: www.homerunlegal.com. (They do mesothelioma and other PI cases).