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The Predictive Power of Big Data
January 4, 2014
The following is an excerpt from Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture, by Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel. In computer science, the unit used to measure information is the bit, short for “binary digit.” You can think about a single bit as the answer to a yes-or-no question, where 1 is yes and 0 is no. Eight bits is called a byte. Right now, the average person’s data footprint—the annual amount of data produced worldwide, per capita—is just a little short of one terabyte....
January 4, 2014
The following is an excerpt from Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture, by Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel. In computer science, the unit used to measure information is the bit, short for “binary digit.” You can think about a single bit as the answer to a yes-or-no question, where 1 is yes and 0 is no. Eight bits is called a byte. Right now, the average person’s data footprint—the annual amount of data produced worldwide, per capita—is just a little short of one terabyte....
Lawyers, Don’t be an April Fool for Windows XP
January 4, 2014
Here's an item for your 2014 calendar. April 1 - Confirm we have no computers using Windows XP in operation at home or work. Now April Fool's Day may seem like a long time off as you read this, but running Windows XP after Microsoft ceases Windows XP support means that you are behaving like a fool. Be aware that Windows XP's "end of life" is coming in April. (OK, it is really April 8, but you might have trouble getting any IT help that week and isn't April 1 really easier to remember? Besides...
January 4, 2014
Here's an item for your 2014 calendar. April 1 - Confirm we have no computers using Windows XP in operation at home or work. Now April Fool's Day may seem like a long time off as you read this, but running Windows XP after Microsoft ceases Windows XP support means that you are behaving like a fool. Be aware that Windows XP's "end of life" is coming in April. (OK, it is really April 8, but you might have trouble getting any IT help that week and isn't April 1 really easier to remember? Besides...
Voxgov Aggregates and Analyzes Government News and Media
January 3, 2014
Keeping track of an issue within the U.S. government can be daunting. The government is gargantuan, with thousands of entities...
January 3, 2014
Keeping track of an issue within the U.S. government can be daunting. The government is gargantuan, with thousands of entities...
The IP Long Tail of the Google Books Decision
January 3, 2014
A ruling in a long-running copyright lawsuit that says Google Inc.'s book-scanning project is legal not only gives Google...
January 3, 2014
A ruling in a long-running copyright lawsuit that says Google Inc.'s book-scanning project is legal not only gives Google...
Recession Rebound: Managing Partner Survey Shows Positive Growth Trend
January 3, 2014
Five years ago, rather than traveling to El Paso, many lawyers would refer litigation work to local counsel in El Paso. But since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting recession, more and more lawyers are taking the time and trouble to follow the money to far west Texas. "We see more out-of-town firms coming in to do litigation, they will follow the litigation here," said Mike McQueen, managing partner of Kemp Smith, the largest firm in El Paso. "For a long time we were in kind...
January 3, 2014
Five years ago, rather than traveling to El Paso, many lawyers would refer litigation work to local counsel in El Paso. But since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting recession, more and more lawyers are taking the time and trouble to follow the money to far west Texas. "We see more out-of-town firms coming in to do litigation, they will follow the litigation here," said Mike McQueen, managing partner of Kemp Smith, the largest firm in El Paso. "For a long time we were in kind...
Largest E-Filing State Mandate Begins in Texas
January 3, 2014
On Thursday Texas became the nation’s largest state to implement a mandatory electronic court filing system aimed at digitizing...
January 3, 2014
On Thursday Texas became the nation’s largest state to implement a mandatory electronic court filing system aimed at digitizing...
Posner Frowns on Sealed Settlement Agreements
January 3, 2014
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has refused to allow the sealing of settlement agreements in two civil actions, citing the “presumption of public access to judicial records.” Regarding one of the cases, Judge Richard Posner wrote, the information is important to future negotiations over attorneys’ fees in cases in which the plaintiff is a minor. “[N]o good reason—in fact no reason at all—has been given for thinking that concealment of the information would serve some...
January 3, 2014
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has refused to allow the sealing of settlement agreements in two civil actions, citing the “presumption of public access to judicial records.” Regarding one of the cases, Judge Richard Posner wrote, the information is important to future negotiations over attorneys’ fees in cases in which the plaintiff is a minor. “[N]o good reason—in fact no reason at all—has been given for thinking that concealment of the information would serve some...
The 10 Most Important Legal Technology Developments of 2013
January 2, 2014
Here are my picks for the 10 most important legal technology developments of 2013. What am I missing? What would be on your list? The numbers are not meant to indicate priority. They are all important, in my mind. 5. Lawyers realized that computer analytics are allies, not enemies. The warning bell came with the 2011 New York Timesarticle, Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software. Some lawyers started to believe that advances in artificial intelligence and computer analytics...
January 2, 2014
Here are my picks for the 10 most important legal technology developments of 2013. What am I missing? What would be on your list? The numbers are not meant to indicate priority. They are all important, in my mind. 5. Lawyers realized that computer analytics are allies, not enemies. The warning bell came with the 2011 New York Timesarticle, Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software. Some lawyers started to believe that advances in artificial intelligence and computer analytics...
Law 2014: Within Employment Discrimination, It’s a Wage-and-Hour World
January 2, 2014
The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court case known as Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes has in many ways made it harder for plaintiffs to bring successful workplace-discrimination class-action suits. But that hasn’t meant that the plaintiffs’ bar has stopped filing employment-related suits altogether. To the contrary — plaintiffs have merely switched tactics, according to employment lawyers. For starters, they’re filing more wage-and-hour litigation, accusing employers of shortchanging employees by misclassifying...
January 2, 2014
The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court case known as Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes has in many ways made it harder for plaintiffs to bring successful workplace-discrimination class-action suits. But that hasn’t meant that the plaintiffs’ bar has stopped filing employment-related suits altogether. To the contrary — plaintiffs have merely switched tactics, according to employment lawyers. For starters, they’re filing more wage-and-hour litigation, accusing employers of shortchanging employees by misclassifying...
2013: A Bellwether Year in Litigation
January 2, 2014
Test cases allow the parties to see which way the wind blows with juries and, perhaps, settle their disputes. DEPUY The first bellwether trials over defects in hip implants made by Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopaedics resulted in a $2.5 billion settlement on Nov. 19. On March 8, a Los Angeles jury awarded $8.3 million to a man who suffered injuries due to an implant. A second trial in Chicago ended on April 16 with a defense win. The settlement resolves cases in federal court in Cleveland...
January 2, 2014
Test cases allow the parties to see which way the wind blows with juries and, perhaps, settle their disputes. DEPUY The first bellwether trials over defects in hip implants made by Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopaedics resulted in a $2.5 billion settlement on Nov. 19. On March 8, a Los Angeles jury awarded $8.3 million to a man who suffered injuries due to an implant. A second trial in Chicago ended on April 16 with a defense win. The settlement resolves cases in federal court in Cleveland...
