The atmosphere was close to normal yet somewhat more subdued it seemed. Having a keynote by Malcolm Gladwell of Blink and Tipping Point was a coo for NYLT.  To me, it showed that they’re looking outside the box and looking ahead. This years speech was received well, yet ended early. Very interesting guy, interesting speech.

It’s strange, we come year after year. We see the same faces. We walk the same halls and grab the same (or slightly different) swag.  I saw more faces and hands holding more smart-phones. I’ve said it before, what the Paris Air Show is to the Spy community, NYLT is to the Lit Support community. Even in a down economy, many people came great distances.

I was talking to the nice folks who have the coffee spot, just as you go into the main exhibition hall. I asked a couple of folks how it was going, how they were doing and one finally said, “I’m serving coffee to folks who will never buy my service” – I commented “it’s not easy having to caffeinate an entire convention, year after year. “ 

They had the third floor closed this year. This is the first time I recall it being closed in the lord-knows-how-many-years-I’ve-been-coming equation.

LegalTech has been doing a great job. The tracks were pretty well thought out and attended on the first day. New this year was the “On Demand” capabilities ALM served up. Very slick indeed and made it possible for those unable to attend…well, to attend.

The talk in our society is on the economy, on jobs and from what I was able to ascertain, there were more folks looking for job or looking for a better job at NYLT this year than last.  Where 2009 was bad to yours truly, it was worse on many many others.  For all the talk about things getting better, I’m not seeing it. I think the state of this industry may be getting worse. 

I’ll give you an update on Day two later this evening.

Judge Rakoff, talking about Bank of America / Merrill Lynch/ SEC settlement and he starts quoting Oscar Wilde of those “who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

In his opinion, he continues  that it “suggests a rather cynical relationship between the parties: the S.E.C. gets to claim that it is exposing wrongdoing on the part of the Bank of America in a high-profile merger; the bank’s management gets to claim that they have been coerced into an onerous settlement by overzealous regulators. And all this is done at the expense, not only of the shareholders, but also of the truth.”

Yeah – what he said.

Excellent story.

As Marked

Yet it’s not all that hard to imagine something actionable being said on Twitter. “Nice Tweets” I digress.

People loose all sense (common and legal) in the cyberworld and they do it all the time. 

Imagine using some-one’s tweets as a potential ESI target. Imagine getting served with a Summons/Complaint or Subpoena on this or other type of social networking site.

I have noticed for some time now how occasionally when something big happens in the news that involves an individual, quotes or photos from their FaceBook or MySpace pages hits the news, too.  For better or worse, this is the digital age and I guess it’s all fair game.  The story today over at Law.com is called The Smoking Gun in an Adversary’s Network and it’s a goodie.  Daniel L. Brown and Aimee R. Kahn have gotten my attention this morning. A well thought out piece, I’d suggest you take a few minutes to read it and get away from the 9/11 memories for a few.

Have a nice weekend.

As Marked

Whaaa!

….nothing yet. Maybe never.

In another inciteful, i mean insightful blog post, Mr. Hilaly outlines the deal, shares his thoughts on why it makes sense and has a pretty accurate recap of the financial aspects of this deal. I just had to chuckle at a couple of things.

First is that for all the acquisitions that he has opined on, (Stratify, MetaLINCS, Attenex, Kazeon) the one most glaring in its absence, is the Clearwell Acquisition. You know, the one he’s been hoping for all these years.

Second is that he actually mentions Metalincs three (3) times and adds both them and Seagate as tags for the search engine optimizers to pick up. Man, I was unaware that Seagate had hired UBS to shop what’s left of my old outfit but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Hilaly is well informed and I’m sure he’s accurate. Please know I wish all my old friends still there the best of luck. And for all the E-Vaulters that thought the MetaLINCS acquisition was a bad deal, I say you should have done your homework and listened to the people who actually knew what they were talking about. Due Diligence. Would have been good. Once you bought MetaLINCS, it was YOUR baby and what happened to the asset after that was on YOUR watch. Sounds like whining “big-time” as Dick Cheney would say.

Now before anyone starts to get the wrong impression based on my post and selected artwork, I’m not suggesting ANYONE at Clearwell is whining. I’m so not. They’re doing quite well thank you. I actually met Mr. Hilaly at LegalTech NY when I was just recently laid off and he was a polite and friendly guy to me. He immediately wanted me to speak with someone in his organization about the possibility of coming on-board. Wow! Could I have had them pegged wrong all this time? maybe, I thought to myself. To an unemployed guy with two kids, two houses and life in the burbs, I was heartened by the possibility of coming off the unemployment line quickly. So a few days later, the interviewer says (I’ll paraphrase) “Well, I thought we’d start by you taking some time and give me some detail with respect to your time at MetaLINCS” – I answered that “I would be happy to” however I was bound by a non-disclosure agreement and what I could say would be rather limited. It was then the tone of the conversation immediately changed and within 5 minutes the interview was over. Not a fit, no further discussion warranted. Very weird.

Hey, maybe I’m the one who’s whining now…

As Marked

Washington DC, August 26, 2009.

Capital Legal Solutions, a leader in the E-discovery service provider market today announced the appointment of Tom Brock to their management team. A former KPMG and LDSI executive, Tom Brock joins as a Senior E-Discovery Consultant and will be based in Brussels, Belgium where he will assist in the launch of Capital Legal Solution’s two newest offices (Paris and Brussels) slated for opening this fall. “We have been encouraged by the steady growth and enthusiastic acceptance of our offering in the EU” said Dharmesh Shingala, President of Capital Legal Solutions. “We’re fortunate to have Tom come aboard and to have the benefit of his vast experience”.
Prior to joining CLS, Tom was the European Technology Director for LDSI in Brussels. There he played several significant roles identifying key opportunities, client execution, consulting services and high-level project management for corporate clients in Europe. Before joining LDSI, Tom worked for KPMG London as a Manager in their Forensic Technology Group. There he managed forensic collection projects and a large number of E-Discovery engagements for the group.

Tom is one of several CLS staffers attending this week’s annual ILTA Conference being held in Washington D.C, August 24-27

Booth set-up, the lights are working and our bingo stamper is at the ready.

Walking around the exhibit hall floor tonight, I received some hugs and warm thoughts regarding my last blog post.

So many friends and colleagues, many of us unemployed back at LegalTech, it is nice to see our new jobs are fitting our career “frames” quite nicely. Best hug I got was from Jacquie Tannenbaum. Best reconnects of the night were Boyd Carrington and Mary Pat Poteet.

Now the absolute BEST piece of news I received was the announcement of Capital Legal Solutions appointment of William (Bill) Brown as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. I’ve had the pleasure of working with  Bill before and he’s a real pro. A great guy, a good friend.  I can’t say how pleased I am to have him come aboard. He’s a great addition to an already strong team. Here’s the press release. Hello my friend!

Mark R.

Capital Legal Solutions Appoints William Brown as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Enhancing the Organization’s Leadership Position

Washington, DC – August 25, 2009 – Capital Legal Solutions, a leader in the E-Discovery service provider space today announced the appointment of William Brown to the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  In this role, Brown will be responsible for managing and building the worldwide sales team with an emphasis on new client acquisition, expansion of offerings and increased customer satisfaction.

Bill Brown - CLS' VP of Sales and Marketing

With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience with a focus on strategic solutions, Brown’s appointment strengthens the executive management team and will enable the firm to pursue new market opportunities in the changing landscape of E-Discovery offerings.

“Bill will be an extraordinary addition to our management team as Capital Legal continues its tremendous growth, both domestically in the U.S. and internationally,” said Dharmesh Shingala, President of Capital Legal Solutions. “The expertise and talent that Bill brings in both technology and consulting services to this critical position will enable us to be more effective in our approach to sales and the delivery of our world-class E-Discovery and litigation support offerings.”

Prior to joining Capital Legal, Brown held senior sales positions at IBM, Oracle, Cognet and Facetime. Most recently in his position as WW Director of E-Discovery Sales at i365, a Seagate Company, Brown’s leadership was instrumental in creating strategic wins that doubled revenue and resulted in the $80M acquisition of MetaLINCS by Seagate Technology in December 2007.

About Capital Legal Solutions

Capital Legal Solutions is a privately held technology firm headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. Founded in 2002 by President and CTO Dharmesh Shingala, Capital Legal has grown from a vision to equip the legal community with cost effective, technology driven litigation support to an industry leading international electronic discovery provider.

For more information about the company, visit http://www.capitallegals.com

Joanne Portrait

Words don’t seem to do much good today. 

It seems that over the years we keep seeing the old guard go quietly while we remain here to soldier on, one step after another. Breathing. Ourselves now becoming the “new” old guard.  So it’s with sadness I write that one more of the old guard has gone.  

Joanne passed Tuesday morning. She went quietly, my sister Laura holding her hand, talking to her of wonderful days spent in Mexico. Drinks on a sunny patio. Beautiful guests, cherished times past and of all the loved ones she had. She was from a more glamorous time. A former model, an Air Force Officer’s wife, she had an over abundance of class and grace. A Redhead to the end, I wish you could have had a chance to meet her and know her for her warmth and humor. She was a beauty, inside and out. She was our mom.

Here’s the obituary written by my sister Laura Hill.

Joanne Shannon Tefft, 83, died June 30 after a brief illness.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Marguerite Rochelle Shannon and Joseph Campbell Shannon, husbands Joseph V. Reichenbach and Edward Creel Tefft, brother Samuel Shannon. She is survived by her children, Laura Hill (George Yanok) of Franklin, Tenn; Michael (Ann Marie) Reichenbach, New Hamburg, N.Y.; Mary (Ben) Ribble, LaGrange, N.Y. and Mark (Lisa) Reichenbach, Staten Island, N.Y. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jill Reichenbach (Steven) Secka, Astoria, N.Y.; Katherine and John Hill, Franklin, Tenn; Stephen and Michael Reichenbach, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Jessica (Jed) Kehrl, Amber and Julie Skaretka, Hudson Valley, N.Y.; Elizabeth and Emily Reichenbach, Staten Island, N.Y.; great-grandchildren Joseph Jacobs and Julian Secka; sister in law Alice Shannon and nephew Jeff Shannon, Nashville, Tenn; aunt, Roberta Torrence, Nashville, Tenn; step-children Chip (Christie) Tefft, Aiken, S.C., and their children Edward, Emily and Warren Tefft; Clark (Tracy) Tefft, Atlanta, Ga.; many loving nieces, nephews and cousins.

Up on the Roof

She returned to Nashville in 1976, following his death, and was one of the first representatives of then-new cable TV company, Viacom. In 1987 she married Ed Tefft. The couple lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, from 1986 to 2003. Mr. Tefft passed away in 2004. Known for her winning smile, vibrant sense of humor and gorgeous red hair, she was a devoted member of Christ Church Cathedral, the Democratic Party and the San Miguel Garden Club.

Joanne’s family thanks the loving caregivers who helped her in her journey, especially the amazing staff at Morningside at Belmont. They were a true gift. Visitation at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, at Christ Church Cathedral, 900 Broadway, Nashville, with services to follow at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the scholarship fund of Harpeth Hall School, 3801 Hobbs Rd., Nashville, TN 37215, or Christ Church Cathedral, 900 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203. Please sign the guest book for the family. CRAWFORD MORTUARY & CREMATORY, 2714 Grandview Avenue, Nashville, TN. 37211 (615) 254-8200

Nobody is crying for this guy. Let’s wait for his wife’s promised press statement now that Bernie has been sentenced.

Here’s the NY Times front page story

Above The Law is where I picked up the story and I’ve got my TV on now to get the CNN Jeffrey Toobin slant on this.

Chris Wycliff

Washington, D.C. - May 18, 2009

Capital Legal Solutions (CLS), a leader in the E-discovery Service Provider market today announced the hiring of Christopher Wycliff as Senior Manager to their Project Management and Consulting Services infrastructure.

 Christopher’s career spans the birth of E-Discovery out of the Automated Litigation Support Industry with valuable years serving as an independent consultant on high-profile matters or with top-tier companies such as SPi Litigation Direct, where he served as Director of Project Management. Chris also worked at Kiersted Systems and Baker Robbins where he was Manager of Consulting Services, providing subject matter expertise to top-tier organizations. 

“The addition of Chris Wycliff to Capital Legal Solutions will greatly bolster an already talented group” says Thomas Skelley, Capital Legal Solutions’ Executive Vice President. “I envision him playing a significant role in the European & Asian markets as we continue to build our presence in these areas.”

Chris’ communication skills, knowledge of the litigation process, and hands-on technical capabilities enable him to identify and implement technology solutions appropriate to the goals of the client. He is committed to providing the highest level of customer service in the most cost-effective manner. 

About Capital Legal Solutions

Capital Legal Solutions, an E-Discovery Innovator is a privately held technology firm headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. Founded in 2002 by President and CTO Dharmesh Shingala, Capital Legal Solutions has grown from a vision of equipping the legal community with cost effective, technology driven litigation support to becoming an industry leading international electronic discovery provider with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Tokyo, India, along with hosting facilities in Brussels, the UK, Japan and the EU.