UND SCHOOL OF LAW
Introducing Professor Blake Klinkner
Interviewed by Julia Ernst
How did you develop your interest in law and technology ?
Early in my career , I was elected to serve as the president of the Young Lawyers Section ( YLS ) of the Wyoming Bar . I was sworn in at the state bar ’ s annual meeting , where I met the executive director . She asked if I would be interested in giving CLEs on law and technology , noting , “ You ’ re young – you must know about technology !” I initially thought she was joking , but she expressed there was a need for older attorneys to learn about technology , so I gave several CLEs on law and technology and enjoyed it . I soon received more requests , gave more CLEs , and it snowballed – I presented 15 CLEs on law and technology in a couple years .
The state bar asked the YLS to sponsor an edition of the bar journal , the “ Wyoming Lawyer .” I wrote an article on metadata : what is it ; how could it get lawyers in trouble ; how not to give data to opposing counsel . This article was well received and generated a lot of questions and concerns from attorneys who were completely unaware of metadata and were worried they were unknowingly revealing sensitive information in their communications . I subsequently wrote another article highlighting certain obligations to disclose metadata to the other side ( a confounded attorneys noted , “ Now you ’ re telling me I need to provide it ?!”), which was also well received . In light of the demand for more information about law and technology , the state bar executive director gave me my own column in the “ Wyoming Lawyer ” called Tech Tips – which I am still writing .
Due to my expertise in law and technology , my work with Crowley
Klinkner presenting at the Central States Law Schools Association ' s Scholarship Conference in Kansas .
20 THE GAVEL
Professor Blake Klinkner
Fleck in Wyoming also involved law and technology , such as e-discovery management . I was delighted the University of North Dakota ( UND ) School of Law asked me to teach Law and Technology .
Please tell us about your interest in teaching Law Practice Management and Civil Procedure .
After practicing law with Crowley Fleck , I opened a solo practice in Cheyenne , Wyo . I always had an interest in entering academia , and I decided that hanging my own shingle would provide me with more time to focus on transitioning into academia – conducting research and writing , presenting at conferences and CLEs , serving in bar organizations and in the law school community , and ultimately applying for academic positions . In my visiting position at Washburn University School of Law , I taught bar prep and academic support and after the first semester , the assistant dean asked if I would teach Law Practice Management , as I was the only faculty who had their own law practice . I created a new Law Practice Management class and enjoyed it .
Offering Law Practice Management at UND is important for our students who want to go solo or practice in small firm settings . In this course , I teach students the business of the practice of law . We discuss networking , professionalism , strategic planning , start-up costs , offices ( set-up , location , sharing , virtual offices ), ergonomics , office staff ( legal assistants , paralegals , contract attorneys ), liability insurance , IOLTA , technology ( cybersecurity , cellphone scanning systems – you can scan documents at the courthouse and send them to yourself and clients ), marketing ( marketing directors , outsourcing marketing services – e . g ., I will draft your will if you create my website ), accounting , budgeting , finance , customer service , ethical concerns , mental health and wellbeing , attorney life coaches , how to be a happy and successful attorney , creative ways of exchanging legal services for other necessities such as office space , and so on . I frequently invite guest speakers , such as North Dakota bar counsel , Kara Erickson , who discussed common ethical pitfalls of new attorneys and solo practitioners . The students ’ final project is a comprehensive business plan for their law practice .