Q&A with Lieb, managing attorney at Lieb at Law

How will technology impact your firm’s ability to provide services and added value to clients in 2016? Like an army with better weapons, a litigator with better technological tools often wins the day. Year-over-year technological advancements continuously change how representation is performed throughout the real estate litigation field. Today, attorneys with the right technology can spend their time on strategic decision making rather than worrying about locating missing evidence and legal precedents. In 2016, legal teams must collaborate in order to succeed. Lieb at Law will continue to expand its attorneys’ use of technological weapons. For years, we have offered multiple monitor terminals for each of our team members coupled with high-speed scanners, cloud-based file management, document production, and quality control systems. In 2016, we will continue to utilize legal research platforms and enhance our task / calendar organization through products like Box, Bill4Time, Smartsheet, Westlaw, Google’s Business Products, Accurint and much more. As a firm committed to technology, our business director’s key job function is to search out and implement best-in-class products to offer our clients the optimal possibilities for success. Part of choosing the right litigation law firm requires a full understanding of the tools that are accessible at an attorney’s fingertips. In the end, both billing efficiency and effective case results are driven, to a large part, but technology. Lieb at Law is technology done right. What legislative trends will-impact commercial real estate in 2016? Preetinder Singh “Preet” Bharara is the one man legislative trend for 2016. In 2015, Mr. Bharara let it be known that the good old boys club is closing in New York politics. Now, substance rather than favoritism is how to get things done in Albany and throughout the local towns, cities and villages of New York State. This trend will resonate keenly within the field of commercial land use where variances and upzoning will no longer be doled out as political favors by elected officials for fear of corruption charges. Instead, expert supported decision making will be the only means of protecting politicians. Applications will require thorough environmental, traffic, and noise studies to support claims that the sought result will truly benefit the community. Additionally, in 2016, attorneys will be far more concerned with understanding the precedent for their application, which is afforded by past like decisions, rather than buttering up the right politicians to obtain approvals. 2016 will bring in the era of substance; factually based land use. Andrew Lieb, Esq., is a managing attorney at Lieb at Law, P.C., Center Moriches, N.Y.