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Texas PACER-like System Launching This Year
April 10, 2016
It's really happening: Texas is going to get its own version of PACER, destined to debut for judges June 1 and for lawyers in December. The federal courts' beloved Public Access to Court Electronic Records system allows lawyers, judges and the public to go online to access court cases nationwide. Ever since the Texas Supreme Court began pondering statewide electronic filing in Texas, it envisioned something like PACER for the state. Enter the Registered Access to Court Electronic Records (RACER)...
April 10, 2016
It's really happening: Texas is going to get its own version of PACER, destined to debut for judges June 1 and for lawyers in December. The federal courts' beloved Public Access to Court Electronic Records system allows lawyers, judges and the public to go online to access court cases nationwide. Ever since the Texas Supreme Court began pondering statewide electronic filing in Texas, it envisioned something like PACER for the state. Enter the Registered Access to Court Electronic Records (RACER)...
AI & The Future of Civilization
April 9, 2016
Some tough questions. One of them is about the future of the human condition. That's a big question. I've spent some part of my life figuring out how to make machines automate stuff. It's pretty obvious that we can automate many of the things that we humans have been proud of for a long time. What's the future of the human condition in that situation? More particularly, I see technology as taking human goals and making them able to be automatically executed by machines. The human goals that we've...
April 9, 2016
Some tough questions. One of them is about the future of the human condition. That's a big question. I've spent some part of my life figuring out how to make machines automate stuff. It's pretty obvious that we can automate many of the things that we humans have been proud of for a long time. What's the future of the human condition in that situation? More particularly, I see technology as taking human goals and making them able to be automatically executed by machines. The human goals that we've...
Rocket Lawyer CEO On the Quick Demise of ABA Pilot Program
April 9, 2016
In October 2015, the American Bar Association and San Francisco-based online legal services provider Rocket Lawyer Inc. teamed...
April 9, 2016
In October 2015, the American Bar Association and San Francisco-based online legal services provider Rocket Lawyer Inc. teamed...
Is This the Proof of Concept for Artificial Intelligence in Law?
April 8, 2016
The jury is still out on the role to be played by artificial intelligence in law. As a recent New York Times article observed about IBM’s attempts to commercialize its Watson AI computer, “[C]ommercializing new technology, however promising, typically comes in short steps rather than giant leaps.” That said, there was a notable leap this week when Deloitte and Kira Systems announced an alliance “to bring the power of machine learning to the workplace, an innovation that could help free...
April 8, 2016
The jury is still out on the role to be played by artificial intelligence in law. As a recent New York Times article observed about IBM’s attempts to commercialize its Watson AI computer, “[C]ommercializing new technology, however promising, typically comes in short steps rather than giant leaps.” That said, there was a notable leap this week when Deloitte and Kira Systems announced an alliance “to bring the power of machine learning to the workplace, an innovation that could help free...
World’s First Publicly-Listed Law Firm to Restructure After Mammoth Loss
April 3, 2016
Australia’s Slater & Gordon has grown accustomed to life in the spotlight. Ever since becoming the world’s first publicly-listed law firm in 2007, the personal injury and employment claims specialist has had to regularly provide statements informing investors of its financial performance and strategic developments, while its every move has been closely scrutinized by rivals and industry observers. At first, the firm thrived, expanding rapidly through a glut of acquisitions, including a transformative...
April 3, 2016
Australia’s Slater & Gordon has grown accustomed to life in the spotlight. Ever since becoming the world’s first publicly-listed law firm in 2007, the personal injury and employment claims specialist has had to regularly provide statements informing investors of its financial performance and strategic developments, while its every move has been closely scrutinized by rivals and industry observers. At first, the firm thrived, expanding rapidly through a glut of acquisitions, including a transformative...
Susskind: As Legal Work Decomposes Will Law Firms ‘Break Rank?’
March 31, 2016
In this video op-ed Richard Susskind, co-author of “The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts,” lays out the challenges facing law firms today, and what he believes will be the difference between success and struggle. In the upcoming second part of our video series, Susskind will respond to questions about the ideas he presents in his book, which was co-written with his son, Daniel Susskind, a lecturer in economics at Balliol College, Oxford. Hat...
March 31, 2016
In this video op-ed Richard Susskind, co-author of “The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts,” lays out the challenges facing law firms today, and what he believes will be the difference between success and struggle. In the upcoming second part of our video series, Susskind will respond to questions about the ideas he presents in his book, which was co-written with his son, Daniel Susskind, a lecturer in economics at Balliol College, Oxford. Hat...
UT Student’s YouRefund Finalist in Student Startup Competition
March 24, 2016
YouRefund, a tax fraud prevention app developed by a University of Texas student, is among the 42 companies competing in the 2016 Rice University Business Plan Competition against 41 other businesses in the health care, energy software and robotics industries. More than $1 million in prizes are on the line. Since the competition's inception, more than 161 former competitors have gone on to launch their own companies and are still in business. In addition, 15 companies have sold and past competitors...
March 24, 2016
YouRefund, a tax fraud prevention app developed by a University of Texas student, is among the 42 companies competing in the 2016 Rice University Business Plan Competition against 41 other businesses in the health care, energy software and robotics industries. More than $1 million in prizes are on the line. Since the competition's inception, more than 161 former competitors have gone on to launch their own companies and are still in business. In addition, 15 companies have sold and past competitors...
Jenner & Block $3M Fee Award Appeal Could Change Arbitration Law
March 23, 2016
A former patent client is taking its $3 million attorney fee fight against Jenner & Block to the Texas Supreme Court by arguing it's against public policy for the Chicago-based firm to collect after it allegedly walked away from the contingent fee case without just cause. "We believe that it's against public policy for lawyers to collect a contingency fee after they've walked away without just cause based on results that other lawyers achieved. Certainly that is the crux of the case,'' said...
March 23, 2016
A former patent client is taking its $3 million attorney fee fight against Jenner & Block to the Texas Supreme Court by arguing it's against public policy for the Chicago-based firm to collect after it allegedly walked away from the contingent fee case without just cause. "We believe that it's against public policy for lawyers to collect a contingency fee after they've walked away without just cause based on results that other lawyers achieved. Certainly that is the crux of the case,'' said...
ABA House Approves Model Regulatory Objectives for Nontraditional Legal Services
March 13, 2016
After extended and heated debate Monday, the ABA adopted a resolution that would guide states in their regulation of nontraditional legal services. Resolution 105 provides model regulatory objectives for state regulators considering how to regulate nontraditional legal service providers. These providers include online startup businesses and corporations, but also practitioners like the limited license legal technicians recently authorized in the state of Washington. The heart of the debate was over...
March 13, 2016
After extended and heated debate Monday, the ABA adopted a resolution that would guide states in their regulation of nontraditional legal services. Resolution 105 provides model regulatory objectives for state regulators considering how to regulate nontraditional legal service providers. These providers include online startup businesses and corporations, but also practitioners like the limited license legal technicians recently authorized in the state of Washington. The heart of the debate was over...
Harvard Law Prof Says Technology Will Replace Some Lawyers – How Many
March 12, 2016
HLS Professor David Wilkins, Director of Harvard's Center for the Legal Profession, which studies the impact of globalization on the delivery of legal services, says that technology will "of course" replace the need to hire some lawyers. The only question is how large the impact will be. His remarks are included in an article entitled The Laws of Adaptation published in the fall edition of the Harvard Law Bulletin. Here's an excerpt: The warning bells have been ringing for at least two decades:...
March 12, 2016
HLS Professor David Wilkins, Director of Harvard's Center for the Legal Profession, which studies the impact of globalization on the delivery of legal services, says that technology will "of course" replace the need to hire some lawyers. The only question is how large the impact will be. His remarks are included in an article entitled The Laws of Adaptation published in the fall edition of the Harvard Law Bulletin. Here's an excerpt: The warning bells have been ringing for at least two decades:...
