It's Here!

My first article for Above The Law is up! Plus, some commentary on the latest news from the legal innovation ecosystem

Happy Saturday!

It’s been kind of a busy week for me, so unfortunately my article about my transition from e-discovery to contracts still isn’t complete yet. In addition to my Ironclad work, I’ve been focused on this new Above The Law column. The first one went up on Monday and the LinkedIn crowd showed a lot of support which was really nice. I’m writing on a trial basis, for four weeks, so hopefully the editors are impressed by how many people read my column. Show your support by checking it out!

A Funny Thing Happened On My Way To A Law Career

My friend Jason asked me if writing that column means that I’d write less for this newsletter. This was my response, which I thought I’d share with you all:

I enjoy writing on Substack because it’s so unfiltered. That freedom lets me say what I want without worrying too much about how it’s received. And is so necessary to me as a writer. So for those of you following along my journey here on Off The Record, expect to continue to see my articles in your inbox!

News Roundup

Here are two headlines that caught my attention this week, and some commentary. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Flexible legal talent platform approved to operate its own law firm - Looks like a subsidiary of Axiom, the legal staffing giant, has been approved to operate as a law firm in Arizona. To me it’s just another step towards the deregulation of law practice in the U.S. One of the themes I constantly talk about in this newsletter and on social media, is the idea that you want to ride underlying macro forces in your career to grow fast, as opposed to staying in a stagnant industry. When entities owned by non-lawyers are allowed to engage in the practice of law, I believe we’ll see a few startups experience explosive growth and become giant companies overnight.

Norton Rose Fulbright joins large law firms with new tech units - Another Biglaw firm has created a subsidiary to “compete with a growing number of alternative legal services providers.” It’s exciting, partly because the subsidiary—called LX Studio—will be headed up by my Twitter friend Daniel Farris. I’ve long been impressed by Biglaw firms who have created these subsidiaries because it reflects their interest in serving clients better and adapting to market forces. To me, that’s market leadership. So kudos to Daniel, Norton Rose, and all of the other firms making similar efforts.

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That’s all I’ve got for this week friends. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!