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Fastcase and the 2019 AALL Annual Meeting & Conference

Fastcase AALLLegal Talk Network partnered with Fastcase to cover the 2019 American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting & Conference. This unique opportunity marked a special occasion for both organizations. For us, it was our first visit to the AALL Annual Meeting. But for Fastcase, it was something more.

This year is their 20th anniversary as a company. Since their beginning, they have grown from two founders (Phil Rosenthal and Ed Walters) to today’s 120 employees worldwide. Perhaps even more impressive, Fastcase is now available to more than 900,000 attorneys in the United States as part of their bar membership benefits. In addition to their anniversary, Fastcase unveiled their very first new treatise called ‘On Legal AI’ by Joshua Walker which was published by their publishing division called Full Court Press. 

To have two events like this take place during the AALL Annual was fitting. As the Fastcase founders are quick to attribute, they owe much of their start and early success to the help and advice of law librarians.

All in all, we recorded eight podcast interviews from the expo hall floor at the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting & Conference. Since our friends at Fastcase seemed to know everyone at the conference, we asked them if they’d like to host the episodes. Luckily, they said yes. Not only did they do a terrific job (hat tip: Ed, Phil, Nina, and Chuck), but we had a lot of fun recording from their booth. During our production time together, we discussed many topics like:

  • Adventures in entrepreneurship
  • AALL’s State of the Profession Report 2019 
  • Being a champion for innovation at your firm
  • AILA’s work and increasing their impact through technology
  • The future of law libraries
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Legal Analytics

Below is our complete collection of podcast interviews recorded from the 2019 AALL Annual Meeting as well as a list of the 25 participants who contributed. We hope you enjoy!

AALL 2019: Fastcase 20th Anniversary

Award winning journalist and LawNext podcast host Bob Ambrogi returns to the microphone to interview Fastcase founders Phil Rosenthal and Ed Walters about their 20 years in business together. This light-hearted conversation highlights the adventure of entrepreneurship, overcoming disagreements, and how Fastcase has gone from two founders to employing 120 people. Stay tuned to hear their secrets for success and how democratizing the law got them involved in a SCOTUS scuffle. 

AALL 2019: State of the Profession Report

Hosts Phil Rosenthal and Chuck Lowry are joined by the current and former presidents of the American Association of Law Libraries (Femi Cadmus and Greg Lambert respectively). Together, they discuss AALL’s first State of the Legal Profession Report and what information is available to academic law libraries, private firms, corporate libraries, and the government. In addition, they talk about the future prospects for law librarians and how they can continue to bring value to their institutions. 

AALL 2019: How to Build the Case for Legal Innovation

Are you trying to get your firm to buy new technologies or innovate? If you feel you’re fighting an uphill battle, fear not. Wolters Kluwer’s Dean Sonderegger, Debevoise & Plimpton’s Steve Lastres, Suffolk University’s Gabe Teninbaum, and Fox Rothschild’s Catherine Monte sit down with host Phil Rosenthal to give advice on how to make that happen. Hint: It’s not always just about the latest and greatest tech tools.

AALL 2019: “On Legal AI” Book Launch with Author Joshua Walker

Hosted by Ed Walters, this pragmatic and thoughtful episode about artificial intelligence features ‘On Legal AI’ author Joshua Walker and Fastcase’s Damien Riehl discussing the ins-and-outs of AI including what it is, what it isn’t, and how the legal profession as an industry is much bigger than most people think. Stay tuned for Cyborgs, Centaurs, and more.

AALL 2019: Makers in Law Libraries

Phil Rosenthal is joined by Fastcase’s Nina Jack and law librarians Cynthia Brown and Laura Chance from Littler Mendelson and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius respectively. Together they discuss what it’s like to build a law library, be a keeper of knowledge, and why law librarians will remain very valuable to their firms in the future. 

AALL 2019: Legal Analytics—Products & Best Practices

Knowing what you don’t know is half the battle, especially in the practice of law. Host, Ed Walters sits down with legal analytics experts Josh Becker (Lex Machina), Michael Sanders (Docket Alarm), Jean O’Grady (DLA Piper), and Diana Koppang (Neal, Gerber, & Eisenberg) to discuss new ways lawyers should be using data, the ROI associated with its analysis, and how law librarians are key contributors to this space.

AALL 2019: Does Georgia Hold a Copyright To Its Annotated Code?

Who owns the law? At first blush, this might seem like a simple question to answer but it gets really complicated. Host Ed Walters walks us through this tricky analysis with Harvard University’s Kyle K. Courtney, Cornell Law School’s Kim Nayyer, and Fordham University School of Law’s Todd Melnick. Stay tuned to hear about the pending SCOTUS case, Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, and its potential impact on our ability to access the law. 

AALL 2019: How AILA Integrates Tech into the Practice of Immigration Law

American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Torey Carter-Conneen, Reid Trautz, and Danielle Polen sit down with host Nina Jack to discuss how AILA is utilizing technology to keep its members up to speed in a rapidly changing legal environment. Tune in to hear about the value of strategic partnerships as well as AILA’s first Immigration Technologies Summit. If you’re interested in practicing immigration law, this episode is for you. 

 

List of Participants (in alphabetical order):

  1. Bob Ambrogi: Author of LawSites Blog and Host of Law Next Podcast
  2. Josh Becker: CEO of Lex Machina
  3. Cynthia Brown: Director of Research Services for Littler Mendelson
  4. Femi Cadmus: President of the American Association of Law Libraries
  5. Laura Chance: Project Manager for Research & Library Technology at Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius
  6. Torey Carter-Conneen: Chief Operating Officer at the American Immigration Lawyers Association
  7. Kyle K. Courtney: Copyright Advisor for Harvard University
  8. Nina Jack: Director of Product at Fastcase
  9. Diana Koppang: Director of Research and Competitive Intelligence at Neal, Gerber, & Eisenberg
  10. Greg Lambert: Chief Knowledge Services Officer at Jackson Walker
  11. Chuck Lowry: Emeritus Account Executive at Fastcase
  12. Steven Lastres: Director of Knowledge Management Services for Debevoise & Plimpton
  13. Jean O’Grady: Senior Director of Information, Research & Knowledge at DLA Piper
  14. Todd Melnick: Clinical Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Law Library at Fordham University School of Law
  15. Catherine Monte: Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer for Fox Rothschild
  16. Kim Nayyer: Associate Dean at Cornell Law School
  17. Danielle Polen: Director of Publications and Online Resources at the American Immigration Lawyers Association
  18. Damien Riehl: Managing Director the Fastcase Legal Research Platform
  19. Phil Rosenthal: President, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Fastcase
  20. Michael Sander: Director of Fastcase Analytics & Docket Alarm
  21. Dean Sonderegger: SVP and General Manager of Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. at Wolters Kluwer
  22. Gabriel Teninbaum: Professor of Legal Writing at Suffolk University Law School
  23. Reid Trautz: Director of the Practice & Professionalism Center of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers
  24. Joshua Walker: Author of ‘On Legal AI’
  25. Ed Walters: CEO & Co-Founder of Fastcase
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Laurence Colletti
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After receiving his J.D. and MBA, Laurence Colletti went into solo practice with emphasis in general business and commercial real estate. He has always carried a strong passion for web-based media with a particular interest in podcasting and video. Laurence leverages his legal background against that passion to help bring sophisticated, relevant content to Legal Talk Network podcasts. You can follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceEsq.