Media
The evolutionary long game
Lexpert Magazine, June 24, 2016Print
The blurring of lines between Big Law and New Law is getting blurrier, and it’s about time — even though the blur is still years away from being a blend. Lately, there has been a flurry of hookups between traditional Big Law firms and the innovative entities of New Law. This may look good, but some questions remain. Is all this teaming up a true desire for change? A long-awaited accelerant? A desire to be seen as progressive with clients? Or, red herring marketing schemes?
So long, Big Law / Hello, New Law
Globe Advisor, March 28, 2014Online
URL: https://secure.globeadvisor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/gam/20140328/LAWFIRM36_37_38_39_40_41
Big Law - the law firms with hundreds of partners that service corporate Canada - is not feeling so big at the moment.
Osler partners with Ryerson’s Legal Innovation Zone
Canadian Lawyer Magazine, January 26, 2016Online
Osler’s Chief Knowledge Officer, Mara Nickerson, told Canadian Lawyer the partnership began when she met with Chris Bentley, the executive director of the LIZ, and Hersh Perlis, director: “We’re trying lots of different technologies and different things these days and you never know where things are going to come from. I thought it all fit with what we were trying to do in terms of encouraging innovation internally, so we decided it was a good fit and we would sponsor them.”
Contract automation poised to change legal practice
Lexpert Magazine, March 28, 2016Online
URL: http://www.lexpert.ca/article/contract-automation-poised-to-change-legal-practice/
Document automation is nothing new. However, as Sandra Rubin of Lexpert Magazine writes, contract automation is on the rise in legal practices and may change the game for many corporate lawyers. Osler Chief Knowledge Officer, Mara Nickerson, was quoted as saying, “This is going to change how we practise, who does the work, and where the work is done.”
Hacking Big Law – Putting a legal hackathon to the test
Published by Osler White Paper
July 11, 2016
Big Law is facing big changes. Just as with other professional services businesses, the connection between those who provide a service and those who purchase it has transformed, creating demand for a more collaborative and open relationship. This evolution has spawned new law firms, new solution providers and innovative new ways to market and deliver legal services. It has also pushed firms of all sizes to realize that to stay competitive, they must change too.
URL: https://www.osler.com/en/resources/transactions/2016/white-paper-hacking-big-law-putting-a-legal-hac
Even If They Don’t Ask – It’s Time to Do Some Soul Searching
Published by International Legal Technology Association Blog
October 19, 2016
Casey Flaherty and the ACC recently published Unless You Ask: A guide for Law Departments to Get More from External Relationships. The basic premise of the Guide is that if clients want their external lawyers to change the way they work and ensure they focus on delivering efficient client service, they need to ask. And, the Guide is full of all of the questions in-house lawyers can ask on a broad range of topics, including knowledge management, process and project management and expert systems – all topics near and dear to my heart (and job). The Guide specifically warns clients not to accept puffery from their law firms, but instead ask for concrete and measurable evidence.
11 Ways PD and KM Can Join Forces to Enhance Lawyer Performance
Published by National Association for Law Placement
November 1, 2015
Whether your firm is just launching formal KM or PD programs or already has extensive offerings, adopting one or more of these suggestions can help your lawyers deliver more value to clients.
Biography
Mara Nickerson is a former practising lawyer who understands the legal industry challenges and opportunities of innovation services delivery in a highly competitive environment. She can speak knowledgeably about building teams to support clients and new business opportunities through harnessing technology, adopting new working processes, and implementing change management throughout a major, modern law firm.
Recognition/Reconnaissance
Frequent panellist at numerous Canadian and US conferences and special events | Professional
Regular contributor to media stories in legal and business platforms
Finalist for International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Award
Finalist for ILTA Knowledge Management Peer Group Award (August 2015)
Additional Titles and Affiliations
Professional Development Consortium, Member (and past Board Member)
Knowledge Management Group of the International Legal Technology Association (and past KM Steering Group member)
Canadian Bar Association
Ballet Jorgen Canada, Chair
Past Talks
Supporting Lateral Attorney Integration through Knowledge Management
ILTA Conference
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Information Governance: Concepts and Strategies
Legaltech
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How Contract Automation is Changing the Transactional Practice
Emerging Legal Technology Forum (Panel member)
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