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23 PLL Persp. 1 (2011-2012)

handle is hein.lbr/aaplper0023 and id is 1 raw text is: PLL PERSPECTIVES THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PRIVATE LAW LIBRARIES SIS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES Volume 23 Issue 1 PLL CHANGE AS ACTION SUMMIT reviewed by Elaine M. Knecht, Hiscock & Barclay, LLP, Buffalo, NY In Philadelphia on Saturday July 23, 2011, I was joined by 249 of my closest law librarian friends for the second annual Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section Summit. There would have been even more librarians in attendance but for the cap on registration dictated by the size of the room in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Before we talk about the presentations, breakout sessions, lunch, and sponsors, let's drop back to Friday evening. The Union League was founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the policies of President Abraham Lincoln. More than a century later, it continues to give support to the American military, driven by its founding motto Love of country leads. Construction of the League's French Renaissance-style house - no ordinary club house, this - was completed in 1865. The building houses a significant art collection and comprises several banquet and private meeting rooms, one of which played host to the BNA-sponsored Change as Action Summit opening reception. As is always the case with meetings of this type, here was the opportunity to renew old friendships and meet new acquaintances before the serious business of learning and sharing began the following morning. Kate Martin was the chair of this year's Summit. She brought together the impressive array of speakers, moderators, and sponsors that made for an enjoyable and important day for all attendees. Priory Solutions kindly provided the breakfast, and the great double-insulated drink glass with screw-on lid and loss-resistant straw that was described by Greg at 3 Geeks and a Law Blog. Kate opened by reminding us of the importance of our roles - how the skills that we bring to the management of information in our firms make both us and it (the info) more valuable to our patrons. Hildebrandt Baker Robbins is the world's largest provider of management consulting services to law firms and corporate law departments. Jim Jones is HBR's senior vice- president and chairman of the Hildebrandt Institute, the HBR division for executive education and training programs. He was introduced by Jean O'Grady and dove right into his presentation on The State of the Legal Market in 2011: Redesigning Law Firm Strategy in a Post-Crisis World. (We thought we were in a post-crisis world back at the end of July. Did any of us suspect that the Dow would be off another 6%, or maybe more, by the time the next issue of PLL Perspectives was released?) I would be remiss if I did not point out that at the beginning of his talk, Jones referenced Richard Susskind's The End of Lawyers: Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, and recommended it to us all. Everything has changed, and even if you were not at the Summit, I believe you will be able, in your mind's ear, to hear what Jones had to say about those changes. They are driven by the dramatic increase in the availability of information; by the drive to commoditization of legal services; the growth of enabling technologies; the emergence of new service and content providers; and a lopsided economic model. By the last, he refers to the legal industry's long history of regularly raising rates without regard to the surrounding situation. This came to a crashing, well ... crash, in 2009. And now firms are running as fast as they can merely to maintain acceptable levels of profitability. Inasmuch as Jones believes that information is the key driver for law firm success, and that the free flow of information is driving the competitive market, it behooves all of us to make sure we are an integral part of the gathering, interpreting, and disseminating of that information. Do this, he states, by adding value through creating efficiency and implementing cost effective practices. He wrapped up his presentation with a quote from New Zealand physicist Sir Ernest Rutherford, We haven't got the money, so we've got to think. Wolters Kluwer sponsored the next speaker, Esther Dyson. This is not the place for a rundown of Ms. Dyson's accomplishments. If you are not familiar with her interesting activities (i.e. Russian cosmonaut training) or her business involvement (i.e. EDventure - a catalyst for technology start-ups in the US and abroad) or her philanthropic undertakings (i.e. board member of the Continued on page 4 .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... I Fall 2011 ITI, PF.RSITC HVFS I FALL 2011

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