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When No One Is Just a Face in the Crowd
March 1, 2014
Hey, big spenders. Facial recognition technology, already employed by some retail stores to spot and thwart shoplifters, may soon be used to identify and track the freest spenders in the aisles. The NEC Corporation, for instance, is working on “V.I.P. identification” software, based on face recognition, for hotels and other businesses “where there is a need to identify the presence of important visitors.” And companies like FaceFirst, in Camarillo, Calif., hope to soon complement their...
March 1, 2014
Hey, big spenders. Facial recognition technology, already employed by some retail stores to spot and thwart shoplifters, may soon be used to identify and track the freest spenders in the aisles. The NEC Corporation, for instance, is working on “V.I.P. identification” software, based on face recognition, for hotels and other businesses “where there is a need to identify the presence of important visitors.” And companies like FaceFirst, in Camarillo, Calif., hope to soon complement their...
Reasons to Not Be Ugly: A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast
February 28, 2014
Our latest podcast is called “Reasons to Not Be Ugly.” (You can subscribe to the podcast atiTunes, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. You can also read the transcript, which includes credits for the music you’ll hear in the episode.) This episode takes a look at the “beauty premium” and, conversely, the downside of ugly. Do cuter babies get more attention? Are good-looking students graded more charitably? How do ugly people fare in the marriage and labor markets? Our...
February 28, 2014
Our latest podcast is called “Reasons to Not Be Ugly.” (You can subscribe to the podcast atiTunes, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. You can also read the transcript, which includes credits for the music you’ll hear in the episode.) This episode takes a look at the “beauty premium” and, conversely, the downside of ugly. Do cuter babies get more attention? Are good-looking students graded more charitably? How do ugly people fare in the marriage and labor markets? Our...
CLO Pay Down, Challenges Mounting in ACC Survey
February 28, 2014
Despite a dip in average base pay, some 85 percent of chief legal officers responding to a survey said they are satisfied with their current roles and responsibilities within their companies, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel. * * * ACC said three-quarters of respondents used some type of alternative fee arrangement over the past year. According to the survey, 54 percent of Canadian CLOs dedicated a portion of their outside legal spend to value-based fee arrangements, compared...
February 28, 2014
Despite a dip in average base pay, some 85 percent of chief legal officers responding to a survey said they are satisfied with their current roles and responsibilities within their companies, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel. * * * ACC said three-quarters of respondents used some type of alternative fee arrangement over the past year. According to the survey, 54 percent of Canadian CLOs dedicated a portion of their outside legal spend to value-based fee arrangements, compared...
Class Action Litigation: A Look at What is Ahead in 2014
February 28, 2014
Supreme Court to Weigh in on Removability of Parens Patriae Actions The Supreme Court agreed to resolve a circuit split arising over whether parens patriae actions - brought by a state on behalf of its citizens - are removable as "mass actions" under the CAFA. Whether the suit qualifies as a "mass action" depends on whether the state - or the citizens on whose behalf the state acts - is the real party in interest. An opinion will further clarify the reach of CAFA's jurisdiction. Liability-Only...
February 28, 2014
Supreme Court to Weigh in on Removability of Parens Patriae Actions The Supreme Court agreed to resolve a circuit split arising over whether parens patriae actions - brought by a state on behalf of its citizens - are removable as "mass actions" under the CAFA. Whether the suit qualifies as a "mass action" depends on whether the state - or the citizens on whose behalf the state acts - is the real party in interest. An opinion will further clarify the reach of CAFA's jurisdiction. Liability-Only...
Study: People Prefer Mediation in Civil Cases
February 28, 2014
From the article with the above title (Sacramento Business Journal): People involved in civil lawsuits prefer mediation to nonbinding arbitration and like judge trials better than jury trials, a new study by a University of California Davis law professor concludes. Overall, litigants like mediation, trials before judges and negotiations that include participants along with their attorneys more than all other forms of alternative dispute resolution, the study by Donna Shestowsky shows.
February 28, 2014
From the article with the above title (Sacramento Business Journal): People involved in civil lawsuits prefer mediation to nonbinding arbitration and like judge trials better than jury trials, a new study by a University of California Davis law professor concludes. Overall, litigants like mediation, trials before judges and negotiations that include participants along with their attorneys more than all other forms of alternative dispute resolution, the study by Donna Shestowsky shows.
Ninth Circuit Cool to Privacy Claims Against Facebook, Zynga
February 28, 2014
Two privacy class actions with the potential for millions in statutory damages against Facebook and Zynga sounded destined to fail Friday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. But Facebook may not be completely off the hook, because a three-judge panel sounded willing to entertain breach-of-contract and other state law claims against the social network for revealing user IDs to third parties. Facebook attorney Aaron Panner of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel argued...
February 28, 2014
Two privacy class actions with the potential for millions in statutory damages against Facebook and Zynga sounded destined to fail Friday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. But Facebook may not be completely off the hook, because a three-judge panel sounded willing to entertain breach-of-contract and other state law claims against the social network for revealing user IDs to third parties. Facebook attorney Aaron Panner of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel argued...
Big Data and Analytics: Opportunities and Challenges
February 27, 2014
Big Data and Big Analytics can be used for a wide array of purposes, including increasing sales, improving competitive intelligence and managing workforces, by all sorts of entities. McKinsey reports that retailers adopting Big Data can increase operating margins by more than 60 percent. During the past holiday season, for example, Macy’s and J.C. Penney partnered with a shopping app provider to reward customers with discounts, or song downloads, for trying on clothes and making purchases. Best...
February 27, 2014
Big Data and Big Analytics can be used for a wide array of purposes, including increasing sales, improving competitive intelligence and managing workforces, by all sorts of entities. McKinsey reports that retailers adopting Big Data can increase operating margins by more than 60 percent. During the past holiday season, for example, Macy’s and J.C. Penney partnered with a shopping app provider to reward customers with discounts, or song downloads, for trying on clothes and making purchases. Best...
Towards the Development of Generic Computer Assisted Dispute Resolution, Based on Conflict Theory
February 27, 2014
Online dispute resolution (ODR) may be described as an attempt to use the internet to mainstream alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The question how conflict resolution and information technology interact at a fundamental level has received little attention. Improving information exchange about the substantive issues in a conflict prevents escalation of conflict and assists in resolution. Dispute resolution always involves separation of substantive and emotional issues. This is achieved by means...
February 27, 2014
Online dispute resolution (ODR) may be described as an attempt to use the internet to mainstream alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The question how conflict resolution and information technology interact at a fundamental level has received little attention. Improving information exchange about the substantive issues in a conflict prevents escalation of conflict and assists in resolution. Dispute resolution always involves separation of substantive and emotional issues. This is achieved by means...
New Book: A Short & Happy Guide to Mediation
February 27, 2014
I am pleased and proud to have authored a book unlike any other in the mediation field. I hope you will buy it and read it. And then...
February 27, 2014
I am pleased and proud to have authored a book unlike any other in the mediation field. I hope you will buy it and read it. And then...
“Rebooting” the Mediation Directive in the EU
February 27, 2014
Five and a half years since its adoption, the Mediation Directive (2008/52/EC) has not yet solved the ‘EU Mediation Paradox’....
February 27, 2014
Five and a half years since its adoption, the Mediation Directive (2008/52/EC) has not yet solved the ‘EU Mediation Paradox’....
