[blindlaw] Asked to demonstrate computer skills, 0 of 9 law firms passed in-house hiring test, ABA Journal, May 23 2013

[Rod Alcidonis, Esq.]

These same folks would not want to hire a blind atty when one like myself 
can program their practice management software to reduce on consultant fees, 
and possibly teach them Microsoft office, and win cases on top of that. I 
think most on this listserv would actually pass that test.

Rod Alcidonis, Esq.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Nightingale, Noel
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 12:52 PM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindlaw] Asked to demonstrate computer skills, 0 of 9 law firms 
passed in-house hiring test, ABA Journal, May 23 2013

Blind Law listers:

I thought this brief article was interesting and a lesson for me to keep up 
my computer skills, which we often discuss on this list.

Noel

Link:
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/in-house_lawyer_tests_biglaw_firms_for_computer_skills_before_hiring_them/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email

Text:
Asked to demonstrate computer skills, 0 of 9 law firms passed in-house 
hiring test
Posted May 23, 2013
By Martha Neil

Frustrated by big bills for routine matters, D. Casey Flaherty, who serves 
corporate counsel at Kia Motors America, struck back with a computer skills 
test for potential law firm hires.

Invited to submit an associate of their choice for testing, the first nine 
firms flunked, Flaherty, a keynote speaker, told a large group attending the 
LegalTech West Coast conference in Los Angeles this week. One firm, he said, 
flunked twice, Law Technology News reports.

Not all of those first nine firms were BigLaw firms, Flaherty told the ABA 
Journal. "Most were. But not all. And, indeed, the smallest of the firms 
also was, by far, the best."

The issue is time, Flaherty explained in his talk on "Raising the Bar on 
Technological Competence-the Outside Counsel Tech Audit." Multiply a 
Microsoft Word or Excel task that should take seconds by minutes, especially 
if it is performed again and again, and it can add up to a significant 
amount of money at law firms' billable rates.

"The audit should take one hour," he said, "but the average pace is five 
hours."

Examples of tasks associates had trouble completing swiftly, because they 
obviously aren't being trained on such skills, included providing PDF 
documents for court submissions and getting documents Bates-numbered.

Although Flaherty conducted the skills audit for the nine law firms himself, 
he is working with an outside training firm to automate the skills audit. He 
then plans to provide it at no cost to general counsel at other companies.

An earlier Law Technology News video and two articles (Law Technology News, 
Jan. 24, 2013. and Law Technology News, Jan. 25, 2013) provide further 
details.

Updated May 24 to include clarifications from Flaherty.
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