Practice
Repeat Players, the Settlements They Design, GM, and VW
March 7, 2016
There's obviously been a lot in the news about multidistrict litigation--from Lance Cooper's allegations in GM to the recent selection of the plaintiffs' leadership slate in VW. But what do we really know about the settlements that come out of those large MDLs? On one hand, the answer is not much. Many of the deals are secret because they are private. But sometimes those private deals are nevertheless publicly available. And when they are, we read them. And analyze them. The results can be a little...
March 7, 2016
There's obviously been a lot in the news about multidistrict litigation--from Lance Cooper's allegations in GM to the recent selection of the plaintiffs' leadership slate in VW. But what do we really know about the settlements that come out of those large MDLs? On one hand, the answer is not much. Many of the deals are secret because they are private. But sometimes those private deals are nevertheless publicly available. And when they are, we read them. And analyze them. The results can be a little...
19-Year-Old Made Free Robot That Appealed $3 Million In Parking Tickets
March 5, 2016
Hiring a lawyer for a parking-ticket appeal is not only a headache, but it can also cost more than the ticket itself. Depending on the case and the lawyer, an appeal — a legal process where you argue out of paying the fine — can cost between $400 to $900. But with the help of a robot made by British programmer Joshua Browder, 19, it costs nothing. Browder's bot handles questions about parking-ticket appeals in the UK. Since launching in late 2015, it has successfully appealed $3 million worth...
March 5, 2016
Hiring a lawyer for a parking-ticket appeal is not only a headache, but it can also cost more than the ticket itself. Depending on the case and the lawyer, an appeal — a legal process where you argue out of paying the fine — can cost between $400 to $900. But with the help of a robot made by British programmer Joshua Browder, 19, it costs nothing. Browder's bot handles questions about parking-ticket appeals in the UK. Since launching in late 2015, it has successfully appealed $3 million worth...
Advice on Contract Drafting
March 4, 2016
At the New York Bar Association Journal, Judge Gerald Lebovits provides a short, practical guide to contract drafting (here). He covers the planning stage, negotiations, and writing to your audience. He promises a future article on the parts of the contract.
March 4, 2016
At the New York Bar Association Journal, Judge Gerald Lebovits provides a short, practical guide to contract drafting (here). He covers the planning stage, negotiations, and writing to your audience. He promises a future article on the parts of the contract.
Using a Bot to Fight a Parking Ticket?
March 1, 2016
An enterprising Stanford student thinks he can get you out of a parking ticket without the cost of a lawyer. So how does it work? Users engage with chat screen where the “robot lawyer” asks questions such as, "Were you the one driving?" and, "Was it hard to understand the parking signs?" After the Q&A, the bot generates an appeal letter which the user sends to the court. The service comes at no cost. * * * Browder’s bot and Fixed are among several legal bots popping up in the market...
March 1, 2016
An enterprising Stanford student thinks he can get you out of a parking ticket without the cost of a lawyer. So how does it work? Users engage with chat screen where the “robot lawyer” asks questions such as, "Were you the one driving?" and, "Was it hard to understand the parking signs?" After the Q&A, the bot generates an appeal letter which the user sends to the court. The service comes at no cost. * * * Browder’s bot and Fixed are among several legal bots popping up in the market...
Artificial Intelligence and Law Practice Conference at Vanderbilt
March 1, 2016
The conference, called Watson, Esq. Will Your Next Lawyer Be a Machine will be held at Vanderbilt Law School on April 13 and 14, 2016 and features several notable speakers on legal practice futurism and technology including Richard Susskind, author of The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, and Andrew Arruda, whose firm ROSS Intelligence helped build ROSS, the world’s first artificially intelligent attorney, on top of IBM's Watson. Go here to see the full list of speakers...
March 1, 2016
The conference, called Watson, Esq. Will Your Next Lawyer Be a Machine will be held at Vanderbilt Law School on April 13 and 14, 2016 and features several notable speakers on legal practice futurism and technology including Richard Susskind, author of The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, and Andrew Arruda, whose firm ROSS Intelligence helped build ROSS, the world’s first artificially intelligent attorney, on top of IBM's Watson. Go here to see the full list of speakers...
Legal Technology Spend at $3bn and Growing
February 29, 2016
The five key findings or market trends are: increasing number of attorneys; increasing matter volumes (more work); margin compression (for law firms); and the move from outside counsel to in-house counsel for corporations. Unless I missed something, which is always possible, that’s only four. I would add one more myself, which is the growth among alternative legal providers, especially legal process outsourcers, which according to a report and graphic in January by Thomson Reuters’ Legal Executive...
February 29, 2016
The five key findings or market trends are: increasing number of attorneys; increasing matter volumes (more work); margin compression (for law firms); and the move from outside counsel to in-house counsel for corporations. Unless I missed something, which is always possible, that’s only four. I would add one more myself, which is the growth among alternative legal providers, especially legal process outsourcers, which according to a report and graphic in January by Thomson Reuters’ Legal Executive...
Scaling Trust: Marketing in a New Key
February 28, 2016
The very wealthy have had trusted advisors for ages, in the form of wealth managers, concierge doctors or personal shoppers. This business model worked for them because the very wealthy could spend enough to justify the significant time and effort it required to get to know those people deeply enough to become trusted advisors. The rest of us simply could not access this kind of expertise and advice. But that’s all changing now. With the advent of Big Data, sophisticated analytics, social...
February 28, 2016
The very wealthy have had trusted advisors for ages, in the form of wealth managers, concierge doctors or personal shoppers. This business model worked for them because the very wealthy could spend enough to justify the significant time and effort it required to get to know those people deeply enough to become trusted advisors. The rest of us simply could not access this kind of expertise and advice. But that’s all changing now. With the advent of Big Data, sophisticated analytics, social...
Tech Will Force Lawyers to Do More for Those Billable Hours
February 27, 2016
SILICON VALLEY ENTREPRENEURS and venture capitalists have deployed digital tech to change the ways we live, eat, and shop. They’ve aggressively moved into crucial industries like healthcare and finance. But the practice of law is one area of expertise that has remained stubbornly resistant to disruption. “We’re really at the beginning of a phase where technology is going to begin coming, where’s it’s really having a significant impact,” says Justin Hectus, the director of information...
February 27, 2016
SILICON VALLEY ENTREPRENEURS and venture capitalists have deployed digital tech to change the ways we live, eat, and shop. They’ve aggressively moved into crucial industries like healthcare and finance. But the practice of law is one area of expertise that has remained stubbornly resistant to disruption. “We’re really at the beginning of a phase where technology is going to begin coming, where’s it’s really having a significant impact,” says Justin Hectus, the director of information...
Technology Has Created More Jobs Than it Has Destroyed
February 27, 2016
In the 1800s it was the Luddites smashing weaving machines. These days retail staff worry about automatic checkouts. Sooner or later taxi drivers will be fretting over self-driving cars. The battle between man and machines goes back centuries. Are they taking our jobs? Or are they merely easing our workload? A study by economists at the consultancy Deloitte seeks to shed new light on the relationship between jobs and the rise of technology by trawling through census data for England and Wales...
February 27, 2016
In the 1800s it was the Luddites smashing weaving machines. These days retail staff worry about automatic checkouts. Sooner or later taxi drivers will be fretting over self-driving cars. The battle between man and machines goes back centuries. Are they taking our jobs? Or are they merely easing our workload? A study by economists at the consultancy Deloitte seeks to shed new light on the relationship between jobs and the rise of technology by trawling through census data for England and Wales...
Rod Phelan: A Lawyer for Lawyers
February 25, 2016
In the twilight of his career, Phelan says the practice of law has changed dramatically in recent years. “Fees, profits and income are up. Trials are down. Competition for business is up,” he says. “Electronic data is a burden in multiple ways; it may be the single biggest reason trials are down. ‘Work hard and do good work’ is no longer enough. ‘Good work comes to good lawyers’ is no longer the mantra. “Our profession is now a business,” he says. “We are managed, tracked...
February 25, 2016
In the twilight of his career, Phelan says the practice of law has changed dramatically in recent years. “Fees, profits and income are up. Trials are down. Competition for business is up,” he says. “Electronic data is a burden in multiple ways; it may be the single biggest reason trials are down. ‘Work hard and do good work’ is no longer enough. ‘Good work comes to good lawyers’ is no longer the mantra. “Our profession is now a business,” he says. “We are managed, tracked...
