TechnoLawyer: Law Office Management

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 42 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Dennis Kennedy Reflects on His Tenth TechShow

Sex With Clients Not Unethical — Just Don't Bill for It

Rainmaking Not Possible When You Go it Alone

This issue also contains links to every article in the April 2009 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

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Originally published on April 13, 2009 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Picture it: New York, summer 2008. Summer associate programs remained orgies of expensive lunches, Broadway shows, and casino nights, but the economic tide had begun to turn. Unbeknownst to a group of summer associates at a certain large firm, the sword of Damocles was about to fall.

Queen Bees of the Summer Associate Program

By all accounts, there was a group of about ten partiers in the summer class. They showed up to the office on time, stayed late, and then went out late to bars after work. They were smart and they turned in solid work, but they were intent on having a hedonistic summer program like the ones they had heard so much about from their predecessors. You only "summer" once after all.

This roving pack of summers had struck up friendships with several male junior partners at the firm. These partners were self-professed "work hard, play hard" types, whose offices had Yankees Jerseys pinned to the wall or framed pictures from Vegas outings displayed on the desks. They, too, came in on time, stayed late, and went to bars after hours.

Since they were involved in the firm's summer associate committee, these junior partners selflessly took it upon themselves to initiate the bar expeditions with the summer associates. Typically, they would swing by summers' offices in the late afternoon and ask them if they wanted to hit up a midtown lounge that night — all on the corporate card, of course. Whether it was because free drinks were involved or because saying no to a partner was out of the question, the partier summers usually accepted the invitations. The partners jokingly harassed those other summers who hesitated or claimed that they couldn't go because of work. You'll have the rest of your career to work, they said, one night out won't hurt you.

Or could it?

What Happens Outside Work Does Not Stay Outside Work

The debauchery at these bar nights was fairly tame. Nobody stripped naked and jumped into the Hudson, nobody vomited in public. A typical evening included dancing, flirting and partners ordering shots and taking them alongside the summers. The group would sometimes stay out till 4 a.m. and then the following day at work its members would commiserate about hangovers. To the summers, these partners seemed more like friends than bosses.

At the end of the program, the summers were called in one by one to a senior partner's office to receive their final review and, hopefully, their permanent offer to join the firm after law school.

Since the firm had always given 100% offers, "Henry" one of the partier summers, sat down at his review fairly confident that he would receive an offer. The senior partner first read him two positive reviews of his work, and then read the review of a junior partner with whom Henry had been out at night a number of times.

"Bob's review said how he thought my memo was good," Henry says, "but he also thought I didn't seem to take my job seriously enough and wondered if I displayed good judgment. Pretty hypocritical because every time I went, Bob was there too. I did not see this coming."

Due in part to the negative review, Henry did not receive an offer to join the firm. He was not alone; in total eight people out of a class of 50-something did not receive offers. Five of the no-offered were the partier summers, who, like Henry, received positive reviews of their work, but negative reviews of their social calendar from junior partners who partied right alongside them.

Partners Are Not Your Friends

Henry and his fellow summers found out the hard way that partners, however "cool" they might seem, are still the bosses. No matter how many how many shots they order on a summer's behalf, they're still watching, scrutinizing and reporting back. Their allegiance is to the firm and the firm's bottom line, not to any friendships forged with summer associates.

In this climate of firm layoffs in which summers and associates alike must prove their worthiness of continued employment, it is especially critical that they not taint their candidacy or give partners any opportunity to doubt their commitment to the firm. Had Henry summered in 2007 or earlier, he may have received an offer, but a 2008 summer piddling away firm funds at bars was a cost just waiting to be cut.

Hopefully the 2009 summer class will learn from the 2008 class' follies — we're not in Oz anymore.

Assuming that Henry is not leaving out damning details about the late night bar runs, his story begs the question of why partners would condemn summer associates for the very festivities in which they themselves partake. Maybe it was convenient to blame it on the partying rather than admit the firm could not make universal offers because of the economy. Maybe these partners were just regular old snakes in the grass. We will never know the answer, but the takeaway is the same:

Just because a partner behaves a certain way does not mean you can. Partners have a modicum of job security; everyone else in BigLaw does not.

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Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw goes deep undercover inside some of the country's biggest law firms. But we don't just dish up the dirt. We also mine it for best and worst practices and other nuggets of knowledge. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on April 6, 2009 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Law students who have done the reading understand the principle that acts of omission can be just as grievous as acts of commission, especially when the law imposes a duty or an expectation of reliance exists. Whether these future attorneys apply this principle when operating their own practices is an entirely different story.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other …

"Kelly," a fifth year BigLaw corporate associate, was in the offices of target company's outside counsel with her supervising partner, "Todd."

Seated across from her in the conference room was target company's outside counsel: "Brian," a former sixth year associate who had recently left BigLaw to start his own practice. Also in attendance were target company's head of HR and several partners representing co-purchasers. Besides Kelly, it was an all-male cast.

Todd took the lead in purchase agreement negotiations, while Kelly took notes. About 15 minutes into the haggling, Brian interrupted Todd and requested a sidebar among the lawyers to resolve some drafting issues without the client present. Brian, Todd, and the co-purchaser partners stood up to leave the room. Kelly stood up as well.

"Um, actually, I would be more comfortable if you didn't come along," Brian said, leveling his gaze at her.

"What?" asked Kelly. "I'm working on this case, too."

"Sorry," Brian said, clicking a pen and grabbing a notepad. "It would just be better if you stayed here."

The head of HR looked at Kelly, befuddled. Kelly looked at Todd. Todd shrugged. And with that, Todd, Brian and the two partners left the room.

"Weird," the client mouthed.

Bungled Damage Control …

On the way back to the office from the meeting, Kelly told Todd that she was upset that opposing counsel excluded her from the private meeting for no ostensible reason.

Kelly told Todd, "Maybe it's not because I am a woman, but Brian would have not done that if I was a guy.'"

Todd agreed there was sexism at play in Brian's request. That evening he sent Brian an email, BCC'ing Kelly, fuming that excluding Kelly from the sidebar was "totally unacceptable."

The next day, Todd rolled his eyes as he told Kelly of Brian's you-didn't-try-to-stop-it counterargument. "Touche," Todd chuckled.

Dumb and Dumber …

Our analysis of this comedy of errors begins with Brian, who, of course, should not have requested Kelly's exclusion. At worst, his comment was sexist and inappropriate; at best, it was a product of a newly-minted partner's inflated ego. Regardless, Brian's nonsensical request was embarrassing to himself and ultimately to his client. Brian may have later found himself in the awkward position of having his comment reported back by the head of HR to other members of the company's executive team. That can't be good for business.

But once the improper request was out there, it was Todd's responsibility as the partner in charge to defend his colleague. Partners need to advocate for associates because it's the honorable thing to do, and because the best representation of clients by large firms depends on successful and supportive teamwork among the lawyers. Eye rolls and shoulder shrugs may be sufficient for some, but Kelly was enraged with the way her partner handled the situation.

"He should have stood up for me at the negotiations. He should have apologized to me after for failing to do. But no, instead, I had to tell him that I was upset, and only then did he send an email. For Todd to shrug and not make a stink about this jerk excluding me made me feel like I was not important."

But the email was too little too late. Todd's acquiescence to Kelly's exclusion made him look like a pushover in front of opposing counsel and co-purchaser attorneys, and a sexist by transitive property.

Even worse, Todd's inaction undermined morale in the firm's small corporate group, where the story made rounds among associates. When morale is low and associates feel unappreciated, the quality of work declines and productivity decreases. That can't be good for business, either.

Fair and Balanced Coverage

So, of the two professional sins, which one is worse: failing to check one's ego in front of opposing counsel and one's own client or allowing such unprofessional behavior to go unchecked? As they say on Fox News: you decide.

How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw goes deep undercover inside some of the country's biggest law firms. But we don't just dish up the dirt. We also mine it for best and worst practices and other nuggets of knowledge. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on March 30, 2009 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Previously in BigLaw, we talked about the madness that can result when communication breaks down between warring factions within the ranks of a firm's partnership. Epic battles between firm fiefdoms can undermine efficiency, turn associates into human shields, and, ultimately, leave the client wondering why his attorneys are too busy throwing mashed potatoes at one another to focus on the task at hand.

If the difficulty of intra-partner communication is enough to conjure such famous couplings as the Hatfields and McCoys, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, and Itchy and Scratchy, can a lowly associate ever hope to bridge the Great [Communication] Divide?

Find The Case …

We've all been on the wrong side of the aforementioned divide. It starts out innocently enough: a partner calls you into her office, describes the matter you will be working on (or, more likely, some fragment of the matter, removed from its context and thus stripped of helpful details, like facts), and tasks you with finding The Case. Yes, you realize with an involuntary chill: she wants you to find The Case.

Ah … The Case.

We've all heard of it, but it has earned the mythical status of a unicorn for good reason: few have seen it, and fewer still have actually harnessed its magical abilities.

The Case is a case that stands for a premise so unique, so completely counterfactual, and so arcane, that you doubt a court of law could have arrived at such a decision. The partner, however, is absolutely certain: it's out there, and it's your job to find it.

The Shapeshifting Assignment …

An even more common scenario involves another mythical creature: the Shapeshifting Assignment (and its corollary, the morphing memo).

Again, you know the setup: you arrive in the partner's office, prepared to receive your research task. He describes it in great detail, and gives you precise instructions for the memo he wants you to churn out. Eager to please, you ensconce yourself in the library and give it your all. Several days later, you hand the partner the product of your sweat, tears, and lost weekend. He takes one look at it, and, with steam shooting from his ears, announces that it's all wrong.

Clarify Your Assignment in Writing …

The scenarios described above are classic examples of how poor communication can lead to wasted time and effort, frustration on the part of all involved, and (depending upon the personalities involved), humiliation for the well-intentioned, but hapless, associate. Is there any way to avoid these all-too-common pitfalls?

Your best hope, explains one tipster, is to keep in mind that an ounce — or, in lawyer parlance, a few six-minute increments — of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Bill," now an experienced practitioner, was barely out of law school when he experienced the Shapeshifting Assignment for the first time. Since then, he has had strong feelings about it, and, more importantly, has devised a system for avoiding it.

"As an associate, you really need to know where you stand at all times," he says. The best way to protect yourself, he advises, is to devote special attention to what he refers to as "front end communications," or the give-and-take of instructions that occur before you actually roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Bill found, as a young associate, that a short "assignment memo" was often the best insurance policy. After receiving his marching orders, he says, "I would go back to my office, take a moment to gather my thoughts, and write a brief memo summarizing the assignment and identifying the issues, as I understood them." He explains that, by giving the partner a chance to see your understanding of the assignment before you begin, you accomplish two things: (1) you provide an opportunity to clarify and iron out details before you get started, and, in doing so doing (2) create the proverbial butt-cover that you may need later.

Having been on both sides of the desk, Bill understands that miscommunications about the precise contours of an assignment often occur "in the total absence of malice." Rather, he says, "people are busy; expectations aren't always well-stated, and memories are short. People forget what was said or not said, or they change their minds about what it was they wanted to focus on."

As an associate, Bill found that many partners were grateful for the chance to review instructions before hours were wasted on tangential research or off-point memos. Nonetheless, he advises, it's important to "be diplomatic about it. There are ways to make it seem like you're doing [the assigning partner] a favor, and not just creating a cold, hard record." For example, he says, it may help to emphasize that you, the associate, are making sure that you understand the assignment, rather than suggesting that the partner's instructions were unclear.

Bill returns repeatedly to two magic words: contemporaneous notes. Of course, he says, you'll need to take them to prepare your assignment memo, but, in addition, he points out, "taking contemporaneous notes during a meeting makes it clear that you're paying attention to what is being said, and lets them know that you're on top of things."

Lawyers and big egos, he observes diplomatically, are a pairing on the level of peanut butter and jelly. Contemporaneous notes represent an associate's way of "leveling the playing field." Moreover (speaking of diplomacy), if there is a dispute about who said what, Bill says, you'll be grateful for your contemporaneous notes. You'll also be grateful for your email correspondence, he reminds us, which practically does the work of creating a paper trail for you. In short, he advises, keeping your own mini-file of the cases you're working on will help you (the associate) stay on top of the assignments, and provide you with back-up should you ever need it.

The Buck Really Stops at the Partner's Desk …

Now that he is on the other side of the desk, Bill also has a few helpful suggestions for those on the giving end of assignments. "I prepare a short memo outlining the assignment, and have it ready when I meet with an associate," he says. In it, he is "explicit about time parameters and important issues." For example, he explains, he will often tell an associate to come back to him after three hours of research and discuss his or her progress.

Here, he stresses, good, old-fashioned talk works best. "I don't want them to waste time writing anything up," he continues. "I just want to head off research tangents before they start, and figure out whether we're going in the right direction." He finds that the minimal time and effort involved in outlining the assignment, and then meeting with the associate for a status check early on, yield tremendous benefits.

An Ounce of Prevention …

Basically, Bill concludes, a little bit of preparation up front can prevent all manner of heartache (and wasted billable time) later. And, he emphasizes, it's particularly important for associates to invest the time in figuring out what is expected of them, in relation to both assignments and working relationships.

"Trust me," he says, with the authority of one who has learned his lessons the hard way. "You can easily find yourself, as an associate, on the receiving end of an undiplomatic situation without the power to do anything about it. Knowing the rules up front and clarifying your assignments will make your work better and more precise … but, in a pinch, there's also nothing like being able to go back to the record."

How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw goes deep undercover inside some of the country's biggest law firms. But we don't just dish up the dirt. We also mine it for best and worst practices and other nuggets of knowledge. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on April 13, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

The 2009 ABA Technology Show is over. As usual, it started Thursday and wound up Saturday with the celebrated 60 Sites in 60 Minutes. Predictably, the atmosphere was part lecture-hall, part trade-show, mostly meet-and-greet.

This was my tenth year attending and in that time I've enjoyed the show as a spectator, an exhibitor, a blogger, and, most recently, a columnist.

I've seen trends take shape and fade, witnessed "revolutionary" changes (that weren't), and took careful note of which vendors stuck and which ones were one-hit wonders. Below you'll find my observations on this year's show.

Still Crazy After All These Years …

TechShow is still:

• Produced by a volunteer board of lawyers, consultants, and ABA staff under the umbrella of the Law Practice Management section.


• An opportunity for attendees to network face to face rather than just via email or telephone.


• The premier national venue for startups to debut and established vendors to introduce products.


• A forum about technology concerns of the day — PC versus Mac, email security, Twitter, eDiscovery (the 800 pound gorilla).


• The best opportunity that attendees will have all year to preview technology that will shape the profession; and


• Dependent on perennial sponsors like LexisNexis and Westlaw.

Given the diverse forces that bring the show to life every year, it's impressive that the whole production comes to us without major snafus. This year was no exception, and saw the return of the concierge desk manned by members of the Blawgerati, including Adriana Linares, Kevin O'Keefe, Dennis Kennedy, and Tom Mighell (last year's chair of the planning committee). It's good to know there are some things you can count on. Then again ...

Shrinkage …

The standard elements of a successful show existed this year, including:

• Star bloggers (everyone was taking video).
• Celebrity authors flogging their latest books.
• Vendors connecting with big money accounts.
• Startups vying for attention and coverage.
• Educational sessions with national experts.
• Chotchkies-a-plenty (my personal favorite).

But there was a distinct difference as well — let's call it shrinkage. And no element was spared. Consider that:

• Even deep-pocketed vendors like Wolters Kluwer and Kroll Ontrack were absent.


• Many regulars simply did not make an appearance at all or kept a very low profile.


• Vendor participation appeared to be around 50% lower than last year.

The upshot is that although the show floor at the Hilton is smaller than the spread at the Sheraton where the show took place for years, there still weren't enough vendors to fill the space. Why not? The implosion of high-profile law firms? Pervasiveness of attorney joblessness? Ripple-effect of recent events on Wall Street? Maybe — but then again, why would that stop a vendor if the need for their products existed? That's the real question.

My Second Annual Best of Show Picks …

Sure the current economic trough affected TechShow. But why stop there? The collapse of the housing and financial services markets has also left lawyers with fewer opportunities than they've had in years and forced them to meet unprecedented demands. In short, it has created an opportunity for lawyers to break with past practices, leverage their knowledge, collaborate, and streamline the way they work.

You could even say that the current recession has created the perfect opportunity for lawyers to use technology to solve their problems. Or at least we could say that if the vendors at the show delivered innovation instead of overpriced me-too products.

Don't get me wrong. It wasn't all bad. But honestly, how many eDiscovery ads do you see per week and how many vendors can the market handle? The overabundance of eDiscovery companies can be extended to nearly every category of exhibitors at the show. So it's no surprise that my picks for "Best of Show" were companies that brought real value to the table in four emerging fields.

1. Web-Based Practice Management: Clio

Both of the primary contenders in this space were at the show — Themis Solutions' Clio and Rocket Matter — and both get the job done. But in the end Clio brings more polish to its product in my opinion.

Built in Ruby on Rails (geeky but important), Clio looks familiar, is easy to master, and is effective even for a sole practitioner — yet it can handle hundreds of users without sacrificing security or functionality. Clio introduced offline functionality at TechShow as well, so that even when the Internet is down the application can keep time then re-synchronize itself as soon as you're online. The Clio practice management suite also allows users to collaborate securely with clients.

Clio's pricing makes it an ideal entry-level solution for displaced biglaw associates now starting their own solo careers (BigSolos as my fellow SmallLaw columnist Ross Kodner refers to them).

For more on Clio, please watch my video interview of Themis Solutions' co-founder Jack Newton.

2. Automated Backup and Storage: Mozy

I couldn't blame you for skipping this section. How boring is storage, right? Everyone knows you can buy enough storage to hold every fact ever known for practically nothing. So why even discuss storage? Because reliability and access remain the twin holy grails of this field — and you can't expect either from small companies no matter how innovative.

Let's face it: size matters. So it's no wonder that my Best of Show pick in this category is Mozy. This company with the catchy name is really the cuddly face of EMC Documentum, a company that knows security and storage better than practically anyone. Because of EMC's size and deep pockets, Mozy can give away gigabytes of storage for free even before it begins charging. Even then its plans are accessible to pretty much anyone — users pay a small price per computer per month, plus 50 cents/gigabit/month thereafter. Yeah, I'll take that deal.

3. Managed Law Office Services: Total Attorneys

There was only one managed services vendor at TechShow — luckily it would be a good choice even among competitors. Total Attorneys represents an idea whose time has come.

Like Mozy, it sells just enough at a price that is just right. Services include a full complement of administrative tasks that lawyers traditionally suck at: business development, call centers, back-office work, follow up, etc.

There is a catch however — buying managed services means paying retail. And the retail price of these services includes labor, materials, profit, overhead, shipping, taxes, lunch for the crew ... you get the idea. At the end of the day, lawyers often live on a thin slice of profit. Giving that away may not represent a viable long-term strategy. Still, outsourcing may be the only strategy that works for many sole practitioners.

4. Automated Activity Tracking: WorkTRAKR

I really believe that WorkTRAKR, the automated time-keeping application from VoIP provider Proximiti, has potential. The application is a winner even with its built-in limitations. For instance, it works primarily on telephones and email, entirely missing faxes, computer applications, and a number of other billing sweet-spots. But the company is moving in the right direction and the product shows promise. It is Web-based now and works via plug-ins with such standards as Outlook. With some tweaking, WorkTRAKR might actually take some of the drudgery out of billing. We can only hope.

Wrapping It Up …

In the last ten years, TechShow has showcased a number of prodigious advancements in technology. Chief among these has been the transformation of the Internet from a world-wide billboard to a research pipeline and, more recently, to a comprehensive practice solution.

TechShow 2009 gave us still more evidence that anywhere, anytime law practice has arrived. Chances are that next year's show will bring a spate of me-too Web-based practice management vendors, followed by the inevitable shakeout and acquisitions by larger players. I only hope that the best companies make the cut — and the entrepreneurs who founded them don't cut and run after cashing out. Here's hoping that the next ten years are as groundbreaking as the last ten were.

Photo by Adriana Linares, LawTech Partners

Written by Mazyar M. Hedayat of M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 55 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Reid Trautz's Favorite Tips from ABA TechShow

General Counsel Pressure Firms Amid Recession

The True Measure of Email Success

How to Receive BlawgWorld
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Coming today to Fat Friday: We review the ruckus over BigSolo, the word recently coined by Ross Kodner, Merwyn J. Miller discusses the keys to successfully hiring staff for a law practice, law professor and solo Edward Kionka explains why a Mac makes sense for his work, Stan Winikoff reviews the macro feature of Dragon NaturallySpeaking plus the add-on KnowBrainer, Steven Hardy discloses his laptop backup solution and reviews BeInSync, and Ashe Lockhart reviews the Balans and Herman Miller Aeron desk chairs. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 60 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Review: Redacting with Redact-It Desktop

Time to Reboot the Legal Profession?

Law Firm Web Sites That Work

This issue also contains links to every article in the April 2009 issue of Law Technology News. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to Fat Friday: Eddie Davidson shares his experience using a MacBook Pro in his personal injury practice (and provides a real case example), Mary Hallman discusses the principles behind to an effective backup strategy, Conrad Leikauf explains why he often has to take matters into his own hands when it comes to hardware/software troubleshooting, Andrew DeMaio shares a helpful tip regarding multiple monitors and LogMeIn, and Roy Greenberg provides a great online resource for Dragon NaturallySpeaking tips. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to Fat Friday: Ross Kodner responds to some criticism stemming from his SmallLaw column, The Rise of BigSolo, Ashe Lockhart reviews SherWeb and AppRiver for hosted Exchange and BlackBerry Server; he also discusses the future of Software as a Service (SaaS), William Tait tells us how he really feels about challenge response software, Steven Schwaber explores the ethical problems with social networking for lawyers, and Stephen Silverberg shares some wise words for backups. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.