Kindred Spirit

by Rob Fitzgerald

The other day I went to lunch with someone who worked in Litigation Support for McDermott, Will & Emory.  After the initial pleasantries, we started walking down to a restaurant he knew of.  Manny asked me to explain (again) what it is we do and why it’s different than anyone one else.  (Basically, he was telling me that my company was just another commodity – thanks Manny!)  ;-)

Before I jumped into another explanation, I thought about the question.  In that split second, I realized the services my firm offers DO NOT MATTER!  Manny is a smart guy (we will get to this in a minute), so I am sure he knows more than a handful of individuals and companies that can forensically harvest data and analyze it.  What I replied to Manny was this: the Lorenzi Group is a digital forensics consulting company.  But THAT is irrelevant.  What is interesting about us is how we approach the business.  At this point, I asked him a question: Why does everyone make our business so difficult?  He asked me to explain.  I told him I was frustrated with the fact that the Legal Services & Support Industry make things complicated.  In an effort to hide from saying “I don’t know”, we’ve developed inconsistent and vague vocabulary.  I pointed out that pricing models are outdated and not realistic to the needs of today.  I suggested that vendors don’t build compatibility into their solutions… and this one of the reasons eDiscovery has taken so long to get off the ground.  I think I saw him smile.

Manny is an interesting guy.  He came from another area of the country where Litigation Support and eDiscovery were quickly becoming a way of legal life to New England – possibly the last place in America to adopt and consume eDiscovery.  He has seen first-hand, what it takes to build great teams and execute efficiently.  He understands the economics behind Litigation Support as a revenue center… and his firm is reaping those benefits.  One of the great things Manny has done is share some of his frustrations.  Some time back, Manny, being Manny, became frustrated enough to do something about it.  He started using his mad (note: feel free to change to “wicked awesome” or other regional slang) programming skills to develop tools to help him do his job.  Then, out of the goodness of his heart, he posted them on his website: www.ninosystems.com  And THIS is why I wanted to eat lunch with Manny.

As we ate lunch, we discussed many different topics.  However, they all revolved around creating standards and making it easier for Litigation Support, Vendors, Expert Witnesses, and Clients to work together.  One of the big changes I see coming is a shift in how organizations utilize their legal counsel.  With IP increasingly becoming the most valuable asset, especially in the SMB market, relationships between client and counsel must become tighter.  The easiest way for this to occur is to have more frequent 1-on-1 communication between clients and counsel without billing (and therefore COSTING) an arm and a leg.  It is in OUR best interest, as businesses and industry participants, to make sure this happens. 

At lunch, I felt as though I had found a kindred spirit, of sorts.  Although we work on opposite sides of the fence (so to speak), we both believe that the more we can remove the fence and the more we can trust each other, the easier it will be to work in this industry and provide true value to our clients.  The Lorenzi Group is doing this by defining services, creating intelligent pricing models, and educating clients.  Manny and his team are doing this by asking the difficult questions, developing solutions, and asking for feedback.  And, if you haven’t already, check out www.ninosystems.com for some great (free) lit support tools.