I know I write my fair share of crap that is of minimal value to anyone, but that’s why we invite Casey Flaherty to post his epic legal tone poems on 3 Geeks. His insight and valuable contributions balance my own questionable efforts. After today, the ABAs Law Technology Today is in desperate need of a Casey Flaherty-type ringer.
As much as I hate to call anyone out for writing nonsense – pot/kettle – this turd of a puff piece got my hackles way up.
Four Ways Law Firms Are Using Technology For Exposure and Efficiency
Helpfully subtitled: A shortlist of ways to leverage technology in your favor.
I know, I know. You’re saying, “Ryan, why would you bother to click on that link? We know that you know all about click bait titles. What pearls of wisdom were you expecting on the other side?”
I don’t know! Call it a moment of weakness at the end of a long day. For the second and a half it took the page to load, I thought maybe one of the ‘four ways’ would be novel or new. Something thrilling that I had never imagined. Something to spark my imagination and lead to my next great legal technology insight.
I’ll save you the brain cells. The ‘four ways’ that law firms are using tech for exposure and efficiency, are:
- Becoming a Resource on Social Networks
- Blogging About Important Topics
- Launching Law Firm Apps
- Digitizing Documents and Using Online Libraries
When I finished reading, I was sad. 5 minutes later, I was angry. As any blogger can tell you, the stage that comes after anger is Blog Post.
This rant is not about the author, his credentials, his ideas, or his writing. Mad props and hats off to anyone who can make a living writing anything at all. And I know this was a paid post because I dropped the text into word and confirmed that if you include the title, the post comes to exactly 750 words. That’s not coincidental. No, the author is a new hero of mine. My scorn is reserved for the ABA and the editors of Law Technology Today.
If this is what the ABA thinks constitutes a modern use of tech for ‘exposure and efficiency’, they should probably rename the site Law Technology 2003.
Here’s my Four REAL Ways firms are using tech for exposure and efficiency:
- They are no longer spamming their clients on social networks and instead are building useful and useable tools that clients actually want/need and will pay for
- They automate absolutely everything they can so that some of their lawyers can focus on the cool stuff they imagined they’d be doing when they graduated from law school, and others can build the cool stuff that automates the boring stuff.
- They stop being so damn proprietary about every little tech idea they have. They’re proud and loud and shout their genius from the rooftops.
- They digitize their documents and use online libraries