Blog Archives
SCOTUS to Hear Oral Argument in Murphy Oil on October 2nd
August 21, 2017
On the first day of its new term, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral argument regarding whether class-action waivers included in an employer’s arbitration agreement are lawful under the National Labor Relations Act. In January, the nation’s highest court granted certiorari in NLRB v. Murphy Oil USA, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, and Ernst & Young, et al. v. Morris and consolidated the three cases in order to resolve a circuit split. Previously, the Seventh and Ninth...
August 21, 2017
On the first day of its new term, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral argument regarding whether class-action waivers included in an employer’s arbitration agreement are lawful under the National Labor Relations Act. In January, the nation’s highest court granted certiorari in NLRB v. Murphy Oil USA, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, and Ernst & Young, et al. v. Morris and consolidated the three cases in order to resolve a circuit split. Previously, the Seventh and Ninth...
Gratitude and Attitude: A Simple Way to Make Yourself Happier
August 20, 2017
Being present in the moment is key to feeling grateful because you take the time to tune into your life and be more aware. If you start embracing gratitude, your relationships can be better, you may feel more in control, and it may help get you through tough times. Gratitude is easy when things are going well, but we may start to feel invulnerable. On the other hand, it’s hard to see the upside when things start going sour, and your world is turning upside down. One way to appreciate where you are is to give...
August 20, 2017
Being present in the moment is key to feeling grateful because you take the time to tune into your life and be more aware. If you start embracing gratitude, your relationships can be better, you may feel more in control, and it may help get you through tough times. Gratitude is easy when things are going well, but we may start to feel invulnerable. On the other hand, it’s hard to see the upside when things start going sour, and your world is turning upside down. One way to appreciate where you are is to give...
Examining the Empirical Case for Discovery Reform in Texas
August 20, 2017
This Article is the first part of a two-part project to examine proposed changes that are being considered by the Texas Supreme Court to the state’s discovery rules. In it, I endeavor to summarize the available empirical evidence about discovery practices. My animating contention is that this evidence must be understood if an informed discussion of rule reform is going to be conducted.
August 20, 2017
This Article is the first part of a two-part project to examine proposed changes that are being considered by the Texas Supreme Court to the state’s discovery rules. In it, I endeavor to summarize the available empirical evidence about discovery practices. My animating contention is that this evidence must be understood if an informed discussion of rule reform is going to be conducted.
Prenups More Likely for Millennials
August 20, 2017
As more millennials put off marriage until later in life than previous generations, they are more likely to have careers, businesses and property. And that, financial advisers say, has made them more protective of what they have built. As a result, the prenuptial agreement is starting to lose its taboo. For generations, the agreements have proven a sticking point for couples who deemed them unromantic. In some relationships, the contracts can signal a lack of trust or suggest that one person is foreseeing...
August 20, 2017
As more millennials put off marriage until later in life than previous generations, they are more likely to have careers, businesses and property. And that, financial advisers say, has made them more protective of what they have built. As a result, the prenuptial agreement is starting to lose its taboo. For generations, the agreements have proven a sticking point for couples who deemed them unromantic. In some relationships, the contracts can signal a lack of trust or suggest that one person is foreseeing...
Applicants Plunged 52%, And Acceptance Rates Increased 20%, At Non-T14 Law Schools From 2008 To 2016
August 19, 2017
U.S. News & World Report, Less Competitive Law School Admissions a Boon for Applicants: U.S. News data reveal that the average number of applicants at the top 14 schools in the Best Law Schools rankings was 20.6 percent lower for the entering class of 2016 than it was for the entering class of 2008. Meanwhile, the average number of applicants at lower-ranked law schools plunged 52.3 percent between 2008 and 2016. U.S. News data shows that acceptance rates at the top 14 law schools...
August 19, 2017
U.S. News & World Report, Less Competitive Law School Admissions a Boon for Applicants: U.S. News data reveal that the average number of applicants at the top 14 schools in the Best Law Schools rankings was 20.6 percent lower for the entering class of 2016 than it was for the entering class of 2008. Meanwhile, the average number of applicants at lower-ranked law schools plunged 52.3 percent between 2008 and 2016. U.S. News data shows that acceptance rates at the top 14 law schools...
Elementary My Dear Watson!
August 19, 2017
In 2011, a computer gained fame as a celebrity. Its name was Watson*, of IBM. This was right after taking part in a very popular Q&A show on American TV (Jeopardy), in which Watson, with its ability to understand our language using only information recorded in its memory, and working offline, managed to successfully overcome two of the best Jeopardy players from past shows. Watson used Artificial Intelligence (AI) for this challenge. From there, AI has been increasingly discussed and applied...
August 19, 2017
In 2011, a computer gained fame as a celebrity. Its name was Watson*, of IBM. This was right after taking part in a very popular Q&A show on American TV (Jeopardy), in which Watson, with its ability to understand our language using only information recorded in its memory, and working offline, managed to successfully overcome two of the best Jeopardy players from past shows. Watson used Artificial Intelligence (AI) for this challenge. From there, AI has been increasingly discussed and applied...
Lipshaw on Lawyering by Artificial Intelligences
August 19, 2017
Jeffrey M. Lipshaw (Suffolk University Law School) has posted Halting, Intuition, Heuristics, and Action: Alan Turing and the Theoretical Constraints on AI-Lawyering (Savannah Law Review, forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This is a reflection on the relationship of lawyering and artificial intelligence. Its goal is a better understanding of the theoretical constraints of the latter. The first part is an assessment of one particular and crucially important aspect in the theory of machine...
August 19, 2017
Jeffrey M. Lipshaw (Suffolk University Law School) has posted Halting, Intuition, Heuristics, and Action: Alan Turing and the Theoretical Constraints on AI-Lawyering (Savannah Law Review, forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This is a reflection on the relationship of lawyering and artificial intelligence. Its goal is a better understanding of the theoretical constraints of the latter. The first part is an assessment of one particular and crucially important aspect in the theory of machine...
Business News: Verisk Analytics, Lemonade, MyKey
August 18, 2017
Verisk Analytics, Inc., a data analytics provider, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wash.-based G2 Web Services, an industry-leading provider of merchant risk intelligence solutions for acquirers, commercial banks, and other payment system providers. G2 Web Services will become part of Argus, a Verisk Analytics business, which will allow Argus to enhance its offerings to clients and partners, providing unprecedented market-leading solutions in merchant and consumer fraud and reputational...
August 18, 2017
Verisk Analytics, Inc., a data analytics provider, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Wash.-based G2 Web Services, an industry-leading provider of merchant risk intelligence solutions for acquirers, commercial banks, and other payment system providers. G2 Web Services will become part of Argus, a Verisk Analytics business, which will allow Argus to enhance its offerings to clients and partners, providing unprecedented market-leading solutions in merchant and consumer fraud and reputational...
Of Perception, Impasse and A**holic Behaviours – Creating Movement in Our Minds
August 18, 2017
The study of bias tells us that we tend to be quick to label others. Therefore, the people who are creating impasse are often seen as “difficult”, “unreasonable, “stubborn” or even an “a**hole”. And this is not just a common response but an understandable one. After all, we are never the unreasonable one, it’s always the other person who is the idiot that refuses to be reasonable. It should not be surprising that the same thoughts are running through the other person’s mind about...
August 18, 2017
The study of bias tells us that we tend to be quick to label others. Therefore, the people who are creating impasse are often seen as “difficult”, “unreasonable, “stubborn” or even an “a**hole”. And this is not just a common response but an understandable one. After all, we are never the unreasonable one, it’s always the other person who is the idiot that refuses to be reasonable. It should not be surprising that the same thoughts are running through the other person’s mind about...
Time, Money and Happiness
August 18, 2017
The BBC News service posted an interesting article (July 25, 2017) entitled “Time, not material goods, ‘raises happiness’” by Helen Briggs. The article discusses a study in which individuals reported greater happiness when they paid others to do their chores. Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada conducted a series of surveys and from them, concluded that “…people who spend money to buy themselves more free time are happier- that is they...
August 18, 2017
The BBC News service posted an interesting article (July 25, 2017) entitled “Time, not material goods, ‘raises happiness’” by Helen Briggs. The article discusses a study in which individuals reported greater happiness when they paid others to do their chores. Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada conducted a series of surveys and from them, concluded that “…people who spend money to buy themselves more free time are happier- that is they...
