Thomson Reuters Rolls Out New Legal Document Drafting Tools
February 15, 2014

The new tools are part of its cloud based Concourse platform launched last year for corporate and government legal departments. ...

Bitcoin Values in Wolfram|Alpha
February 15, 2014

Over the last several months, one of the most-requested features for Wolfram|Alpha has been to add information about the cryptocurrency...

Spring 2014 Law Review Article Submission Guide
February 14, 2014

Nancy Levit (UMKC) & Allen Rostron (UMKC) have updated their incredibly useful document, which contains two charts...

Arbitration Round-Up
February 14, 2014

Scope of Arbitration Citigroup, Inc. v. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Case No. 1:13-cv-06073 (USDC S.D.N.Y. Nov. 25, 2013)...

Texas’ 4th COA Compels Arbitration After Two Years of Discovery Where Party Fails to Offer Evidence of Prejudice
February 14, 2014

Texas’ Fourth Court of Appeals has ordered two companies to arbitrate a contract dispute related to the construction of airplane hangars in Mexico.  In IBS Asset Liquidations LLC v. Servicios Multiples Del NorteSA de CV, No. 04-13-00273-CV (Tex. App. – San Antonio 2013), IBS Asset Liquidations LLC, formerly known as Icon Building Systems, LLC, (“Icon”) agreed to design and build an airplane hangar for Servicios Multiples Del Norte SA de CV (“Servicios”).  As part of the agreement,...

California Study Examines Litigant Preferences for Resolving Civil Lawsuits: Mediation
February 14, 2014

University of California, Davis Professor Donna Shestowsky has authored a new study, “The Psychology of Procedural Preference: How Litigants Evaluate Legal Procedures Ex Ante,” on the legal procedures preferred by people involved in civil lawsuits at the start of their cases. The study, recently published in Iowa Law Review, finds that people involved in civil lawsuits prefer mediation to nonbinding arbitration and like judge trials more than jury trials. “The clear overall preference...

Employment Agency Is Not Employer
February 13, 2014

Matter of John Lack Associates (Commissioner of Labor), ___A.D. 3d___ (3rd Dep't. Dec. 5, 2013), is an interesting decision. In applying the Right to Control test, the court concludes that an agency that hired waitresses is not their employer, reasoning: John Lack provides its clients with individuals fitting the client's requirements for each particular event. The agency neither interviews nor screens the workers, other than to ensure that they have the necessary uniform and equipment. However,...

Expect Jurors to Apply Their Own Standard of Proof
February 13, 2014

The Study: Do Jurors Rule Based on Standard of Proof? No, they don't. Not really, or at least not when it matters most. That is the conclusion of Florida State University behavioral economist Brent Davis in this recent study. The results do conflict with some research showing very small differences in the right directions (for example Glöckner & Engel, 2013). But Davis' method was unique in several respects. Most importantly, his study represents the first true incentivized simulation...

Can an Arbitrator Be Sued for Failing to Disclose Gifts From a Lawyer?
February 13, 2014

"If lawyers are allowed to wine and dine arbitrators [and not disclose that information], some pressure comes to bear," Susan Hays, an Austin solo who represents the plaintiffs in Patten, told the court.

ABA Lit GC Conf Tomorrow: Leveraging Tech in Mediation
February 13, 2014

Learn how "big data" and other technologies can be used to predict mediation outcomes and leave, or put, more money in your...