Page 163 - MASTER COPY LEADERS BOOK 9editedJKK (24)_Neat
P. 163
Leaders in Legal Business
New Law – Alternative Joe Borstein1 Edward Sohn2
Models
Pangea 3 – Pangea 3 –
Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters
GlobalDirector Global Director
Legal Managed Services are Improving the Practice of Law
Biglaw is boring. In mid-2014, we pitched a regular column on legal entrepreneurship and
alternative legal services providers to a leading legal blog, Above the Law (“ATL”). In our pitch, “our holy
purpose” was to prove to the broader community of lawyers that traditional players (Biglaw firms, in-house
departments, government entities) are no longer the only show in the legal-town, and certainly not the
greatest show on earth.3 We wanted to show that there are awesome alternative legal businesses employing
some of the nation’s best legal talent, changing the legal system for the better, and bringing home the
proverbial bacon. ATL agreed that we had unearthed a story that wasn’t being properly covered and
graciously gave us a bi-monthly column, which we dubbed “alt.legal.”
Since the launch of the alt.legal column, we have published a number of stories on legal startups
and entrepreneurs. We have traveled the country interviewing legal innovators, writing about everything
from legal hackers to legal machine-learning to robot law
enforcement to Biglaw refugees reinventing litigation
management. And we didn’t have to search far — our
inboxes have been inundated with new stories of legal
entrepreneurs, alternative legal service providers, and legal
technologists working hard to change the game for the better.
The market has taken notice: measured in investment,
venture capital is flowing into legal startups at an
accelerating pace ($458 million in 2013, up from $66 million
in 2012).4
Bottom line, the “practice of law” is being deconstructed, redefined, and opened to new players.
Specifically, the forces creating this transformation are: (1) market pressure from upstart entrepreneurs and
alternative service providers; (2) value and expertise imported from models of process and business
1 Joseph Borstein is director of Litigation Solutions at Pangea3, part of Thomson Reuters. In this role, Borstein lends his expertise to existing and
prospective clients by providing them with the latest information regarding the law, ethics, and best practices in the rapidly evolving world of
electronic discovery. Clients will likewise benefit from his extensive experience in data collection and preservation.
Prior to joining Pangea3, Borstein practiced law at the New York office of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP, where he litigated
complex civil cases in federal, state, and administrative courts. He has extensive experience in law suits related to securities fraud and market
manipulation; civil racketeering (“RICO”); intra-corporate disputes; contract disputes; disputes from derivatives and other sophisticated financial
products; as well as S.E.C. enforcement actions. He also has personally managed and conducted complex document reviews or productions in
litigations involving regulated financial institutions, insurance companies, real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, private equity consortiums,
and pharmaceutical companies.
Borstein received his B.A. in psychology and his J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He is located in Pangea3’s New York City headquarters.
2 Edward Sohn: Ed contributes his extensive experience in managing all aspects of the eDiscovery process including preservation, collection,
review, production, and fact investigation, ensuring that Pangea3 clients receive superior quality through cost-effective and efficient processes.
His role involves developing the strategy for new client engagements, managing client-dedicated project teams and mentoring project managers.
He joins a team of more than 500 seasoned litigators and document reviewers who manage Pangea3 litigation projects in the U.S. and India.
Prior to joining Pangea3, Ed was a senior attorney in business litigation at King & Spalding, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. At King & Spalding, he
represented financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies in matters related to civil and regulatory financial claims, class action and securities
litigation, government investigations, healthcare litigation, and commercial disputes.
3 Ed Sohn & Joe Borstein, Alt.Legal: Stop What You’re Doing!, ABOVE THE LAW (August 13, 2014, 3:15 PM),
http://www.abovethelaw.com/2014/08/alt-legal-stop-what-youre-doing/.
4 Susanna Ray, These Venture Capitalists Skip Law Firms for Legal Services Startups, ABA JOURNAL (May 1, 2014, 10:30 AM),
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/these_venture_capitalists_skip_law_firms_for_legal_services_startups.
156
New Law – Alternative Joe Borstein1 Edward Sohn2
Models
Pangea 3 – Pangea 3 –
Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters
GlobalDirector Global Director
Legal Managed Services are Improving the Practice of Law
Biglaw is boring. In mid-2014, we pitched a regular column on legal entrepreneurship and
alternative legal services providers to a leading legal blog, Above the Law (“ATL”). In our pitch, “our holy
purpose” was to prove to the broader community of lawyers that traditional players (Biglaw firms, in-house
departments, government entities) are no longer the only show in the legal-town, and certainly not the
greatest show on earth.3 We wanted to show that there are awesome alternative legal businesses employing
some of the nation’s best legal talent, changing the legal system for the better, and bringing home the
proverbial bacon. ATL agreed that we had unearthed a story that wasn’t being properly covered and
graciously gave us a bi-monthly column, which we dubbed “alt.legal.”
Since the launch of the alt.legal column, we have published a number of stories on legal startups
and entrepreneurs. We have traveled the country interviewing legal innovators, writing about everything
from legal hackers to legal machine-learning to robot law
enforcement to Biglaw refugees reinventing litigation
management. And we didn’t have to search far — our
inboxes have been inundated with new stories of legal
entrepreneurs, alternative legal service providers, and legal
technologists working hard to change the game for the better.
The market has taken notice: measured in investment,
venture capital is flowing into legal startups at an
accelerating pace ($458 million in 2013, up from $66 million
in 2012).4
Bottom line, the “practice of law” is being deconstructed, redefined, and opened to new players.
Specifically, the forces creating this transformation are: (1) market pressure from upstart entrepreneurs and
alternative service providers; (2) value and expertise imported from models of process and business
1 Joseph Borstein is director of Litigation Solutions at Pangea3, part of Thomson Reuters. In this role, Borstein lends his expertise to existing and
prospective clients by providing them with the latest information regarding the law, ethics, and best practices in the rapidly evolving world of
electronic discovery. Clients will likewise benefit from his extensive experience in data collection and preservation.
Prior to joining Pangea3, Borstein practiced law at the New York office of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP, where he litigated
complex civil cases in federal, state, and administrative courts. He has extensive experience in law suits related to securities fraud and market
manipulation; civil racketeering (“RICO”); intra-corporate disputes; contract disputes; disputes from derivatives and other sophisticated financial
products; as well as S.E.C. enforcement actions. He also has personally managed and conducted complex document reviews or productions in
litigations involving regulated financial institutions, insurance companies, real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, private equity consortiums,
and pharmaceutical companies.
Borstein received his B.A. in psychology and his J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He is located in Pangea3’s New York City headquarters.
2 Edward Sohn: Ed contributes his extensive experience in managing all aspects of the eDiscovery process including preservation, collection,
review, production, and fact investigation, ensuring that Pangea3 clients receive superior quality through cost-effective and efficient processes.
His role involves developing the strategy for new client engagements, managing client-dedicated project teams and mentoring project managers.
He joins a team of more than 500 seasoned litigators and document reviewers who manage Pangea3 litigation projects in the U.S. and India.
Prior to joining Pangea3, Ed was a senior attorney in business litigation at King & Spalding, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. At King & Spalding, he
represented financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies in matters related to civil and regulatory financial claims, class action and securities
litigation, government investigations, healthcare litigation, and commercial disputes.
3 Ed Sohn & Joe Borstein, Alt.Legal: Stop What You’re Doing!, ABOVE THE LAW (August 13, 2014, 3:15 PM),
http://www.abovethelaw.com/2014/08/alt-legal-stop-what-youre-doing/.
4 Susanna Ray, These Venture Capitalists Skip Law Firms for Legal Services Startups, ABA JOURNAL (May 1, 2014, 10:30 AM),
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/these_venture_capitalists_skip_law_firms_for_legal_services_startups.
156
