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The Changing Profile of Unmarried Parents
July 1, 2018
From Pew Research Center: One-in-four parents living with a child in the United States today are unmarried. Driven by declines...
July 1, 2018
From Pew Research Center: One-in-four parents living with a child in the United States today are unmarried. Driven by declines...
Short of Workers, Fast-Food Restaurants Turn to Robots
June 30, 2018
Experts have warned for years that robots will replace humans in restaurants. Instead, a twist on that prediction is unfolding. Amid the lowest unemployment in years, fast-food restaurants are turning to machines—not to get rid of workers, but because they can’t find enough. If businesses were just using machines to replace workers, you would see high unemployment in the industry, said Donald Grimes, a labor economist at the University of Michigan. “But you’re not seeing that...
June 30, 2018
Experts have warned for years that robots will replace humans in restaurants. Instead, a twist on that prediction is unfolding. Amid the lowest unemployment in years, fast-food restaurants are turning to machines—not to get rid of workers, but because they can’t find enough. If businesses were just using machines to replace workers, you would see high unemployment in the industry, said Donald Grimes, a labor economist at the University of Michigan. “But you’re not seeing that...
How Robots Are Making Better Drugs, Faster
June 30, 2018
The scientist hunched over beakers, conducting drug research by hand, may soon be a memory. Companies like Eli Lilly & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC are investing in automation with the hope of transforming drug discovery from an enterprise where humans do manual experiments to one where robots handle thousands of samples around the clock. This automation will be key to developing better therapies more efficiently, drug companies say, as research and development becomes more labor intensive...
June 30, 2018
The scientist hunched over beakers, conducting drug research by hand, may soon be a memory. Companies like Eli Lilly & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC are investing in automation with the hope of transforming drug discovery from an enterprise where humans do manual experiments to one where robots handle thousands of samples around the clock. This automation will be key to developing better therapies more efficiently, drug companies say, as research and development becomes more labor intensive...
Transparency, Legitimacy, and Investor-State Dispute Settlement: What Can We Learn from the Streaming of Hearings?
June 29, 2018
Scholars, NGOs, and practitioners have been discussing the legitimacy of investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS”) for years. Much of this debate has focused on the critique that ISDS, usually taking the form of confidential and binding arbitral proceedings, sees private and unelected tribunals determining matters thought to be of public importance. Some activist and media publications (such as in this local newspaper or in this news website) also allege a host of profound ills arising from...
June 29, 2018
Scholars, NGOs, and practitioners have been discussing the legitimacy of investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS”) for years. Much of this debate has focused on the critique that ISDS, usually taking the form of confidential and binding arbitral proceedings, sees private and unelected tribunals determining matters thought to be of public importance. Some activist and media publications (such as in this local newspaper or in this news website) also allege a host of profound ills arising from...
SCOTUS Takes Third Arbitration Case For Next Term
June 29, 2018
I am a true arbitration nerd. But, when SCOTUS takes a THIRD arbitration case for its upcoming term, I wonder if the Justices are more obsessed with arbitration than I am. (Reminder of the other two here.) If they hear about the same total number of cases as this year (69), arbitration will make up more than 4% of their docket. Now, 4% isn’t huge. For reference, intellectual property cases made up less than 4% of cases filed in federal district courts last year, and there were three...
June 29, 2018
I am a true arbitration nerd. But, when SCOTUS takes a THIRD arbitration case for its upcoming term, I wonder if the Justices are more obsessed with arbitration than I am. (Reminder of the other two here.) If they hear about the same total number of cases as this year (69), arbitration will make up more than 4% of their docket. Now, 4% isn’t huge. For reference, intellectual property cases made up less than 4% of cases filed in federal district courts last year, and there were three...
Patent Litigation Shows Shift Towards Delaware, Decrease in High-Volume Plaintiff Filings
June 28, 2018
Legal data analytics provider Lex Machina recently published a post featuring data points regarding the filing of patent...
June 28, 2018
Legal data analytics provider Lex Machina recently published a post featuring data points regarding the filing of patent...
The Seat of Arbitration is Important. It’s That Simple.
June 28, 2018
The seat of arbitration is a vital aspect of any arbitration proceeding. The situs is not just about where an institution is based, where hearings will be held or where there may be a good pool of arbitrators. It is also about which courts have supervisory power over your arbitration and the scope of those powers. A recent decision of the Commercial Court reminds us that although the governing law of an agreement may provide for one national law, which may follow the nationality of one or both parties,...
June 28, 2018
The seat of arbitration is a vital aspect of any arbitration proceeding. The situs is not just about where an institution is based, where hearings will be held or where there may be a good pool of arbitrators. It is also about which courts have supervisory power over your arbitration and the scope of those powers. A recent decision of the Commercial Court reminds us that although the governing law of an agreement may provide for one national law, which may follow the nationality of one or both parties,...
How to Get Really Rich Off Litigation Financing: Viewpoint
June 27, 2018
But finance didn’t grow to become such a big slice of the economy by letting big pots of money escape its tentacles. The top 200 U.S. law firms generated about $110 billion in revenue last year, according to ALM Intelligence. Globally, a multiple of that figure is likely to have been paid out in damages. A tempting target. Enter, litigation finance, companies like Burford Capital Ltd., IMF Bentham Ltd. or Vannin Capital that provide capital to a company or law firm to finance lawsuits in return...
June 27, 2018
But finance didn’t grow to become such a big slice of the economy by letting big pots of money escape its tentacles. The top 200 U.S. law firms generated about $110 billion in revenue last year, according to ALM Intelligence. Globally, a multiple of that figure is likely to have been paid out in damages. A tempting target. Enter, litigation finance, companies like Burford Capital Ltd., IMF Bentham Ltd. or Vannin Capital that provide capital to a company or law firm to finance lawsuits in return...
A Data-Driven Exploration of Arbitration as a Settlement Tool: Does Reality Match Perception?
June 27, 2018
When Did Settlement Occur? For those arbitrations that ended in settlement or withdrawal, the point in the arbitration at which this outcome occurred provides a benchmark duration for parties that are actively involved in or otherwise contemplating arbitration (actually or academically) and its potential costs. For each of the arbitrations that settled or were withdrawn, the DRD dataset includes dates of key points in the arbitration, including the date on which the claim was filed (the “claim...
June 27, 2018
When Did Settlement Occur? For those arbitrations that ended in settlement or withdrawal, the point in the arbitration at which this outcome occurred provides a benchmark duration for parties that are actively involved in or otherwise contemplating arbitration (actually or academically) and its potential costs. For each of the arbitrations that settled or were withdrawn, the DRD dataset includes dates of key points in the arbitration, including the date on which the claim was filed (the “claim...
Moneyball for Lawyers: Interview with Lex Machina CEO Josh Becker
June 26, 2018
In the book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Michael Lewis documented how the Oakland Athletics used analytics to build a competitive baseball team. In much the same way, lawyers are increasingly using analytics to get the upper hand in litigation and business development. One of the companies that pioneered the use of analytics in law is Lex Machina. In this edition of the podcast Law Technology Now, I speak with the company’s CEO Josh Becker. We discuss the company’s beginnings...
June 26, 2018
In the book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Michael Lewis documented how the Oakland Athletics used analytics to build a competitive baseball team. In much the same way, lawyers are increasingly using analytics to get the upper hand in litigation and business development. One of the companies that pioneered the use of analytics in law is Lex Machina. In this edition of the podcast Law Technology Now, I speak with the company’s CEO Josh Becker. We discuss the company’s beginnings...
