Blog Archives
Arizona Is First State To Eliminate Ban On Nonlawyer Ownership Of Law Firms
September 13, 2020
The two-page order last week from the Arizona Supreme Court reads as pedestrian as any routine court order, but its impact is sure to be game changing for the practice of law and access to justice. The court’s order, issued Aug. 27, eliminates the ban on nonlawyers having economic interests in law firms and the prohibition on sharing legal fees among nonlawyers and lawyers. The move makes Arizona the first state to completely eliminate Rule 5.4 of the Rules of Professional...
September 13, 2020
The two-page order last week from the Arizona Supreme Court reads as pedestrian as any routine court order, but its impact is sure to be game changing for the practice of law and access to justice. The court’s order, issued Aug. 27, eliminates the ban on nonlawyers having economic interests in law firms and the prohibition on sharing legal fees among nonlawyers and lawyers. The move makes Arizona the first state to completely eliminate Rule 5.4 of the Rules of Professional...
Google’s Career Certificates Aim To Replace College Degrees
September 12, 2020
Google recently made a huge announcement that could change the future of work and higher education: It's launching a selection of professional courses that teach candidates how to perform in-demand jobs. These courses, which the company is calling Google Career Certificates, teach foundational skills that can help job-seekers immediately find employment. However, instead of taking years to finish like a traditional university. "College degrees are out of reach for many Americans,...
September 12, 2020
Google recently made a huge announcement that could change the future of work and higher education: It's launching a selection of professional courses that teach candidates how to perform in-demand jobs. These courses, which the company is calling Google Career Certificates, teach foundational skills that can help job-seekers immediately find employment. However, instead of taking years to finish like a traditional university. "College degrees are out of reach for many Americans,...
Bexar County Plans for Compulsory Civil Virtual Jury Trials in October; In Person in January
September 11, 2020
So far, no Bexar County attorneys have agreed to try their civil cases before a virtual jury despite willing jurors and judges, but come mid-October they won’t have a choice if a plan pending before the Texas Supreme Court is approved. “This means they can say ‘I don’t want one,’ but the judge can force it,” said Administrative Judge Ron Rangel. The compulsory online jury trials, which would be conducted from mid-October through the end of the year, are part of a three-stage plan...
September 11, 2020
So far, no Bexar County attorneys have agreed to try their civil cases before a virtual jury despite willing jurors and judges, but come mid-October they won’t have a choice if a plan pending before the Texas Supreme Court is approved. “This means they can say ‘I don’t want one,’ but the judge can force it,” said Administrative Judge Ron Rangel. The compulsory online jury trials, which would be conducted from mid-October through the end of the year, are part of a three-stage plan...
Article on Waking the Dead: An Empirical Analysis of Revival of Wills
September 10, 2020
Adam J. Hirsch recently published an article entitled, Waking the Dead: An Empirical Analysis of Revival of Wills, Wills, Trusts, & Estates Law ejournal (2020). Provided below is the abstract to the Article. The problem of revival arises when a testator executes a first will, subsequently executes a second will that functions to revoke the first one by subsequent executed writing, and then later revokes the second will by act. Does this sequence of events reinstate the first will (“revival”)...
September 10, 2020
Adam J. Hirsch recently published an article entitled, Waking the Dead: An Empirical Analysis of Revival of Wills, Wills, Trusts, & Estates Law ejournal (2020). Provided below is the abstract to the Article. The problem of revival arises when a testator executes a first will, subsequently executes a second will that functions to revoke the first one by subsequent executed writing, and then later revokes the second will by act. Does this sequence of events reinstate the first will (“revival”)...
“Will Robot Judges Change Litigation and Settlement Outcomes? A First Look at the Algorithmic Replication of Prior Cases” by Casey and Niblett
September 9, 2020
Anthony J. Casey (University of Chicago Law School) and Anthony Niblett (University of Toronto - Faculty of Law) have published "Will Robot Judges Change Litigation and Settlement Outcomes? A First Look at the Algorithmic Replication of Prior Cases" on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The promise (or threat) of so-called Robot Judges has captured the attention of popular media and legal scholarship. But little has been said about the details. How would automated judging actually work? Specifically,...
September 9, 2020
Anthony J. Casey (University of Chicago Law School) and Anthony Niblett (University of Toronto - Faculty of Law) have published "Will Robot Judges Change Litigation and Settlement Outcomes? A First Look at the Algorithmic Replication of Prior Cases" on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The promise (or threat) of so-called Robot Judges has captured the attention of popular media and legal scholarship. But little has been said about the details. How would automated judging actually work? Specifically,...
How Litigation Funders Have Improved the Quality of Settlements in America
September 8, 2020
Litigation finance is a form of specialty funding used by litigants and law firms to pay the high costs associated with maintaining a legal claim. In a typical agreement, a litigation funder pays a portion of a client’s litigation expenses in exchange for a share of the lawsuit’s recovery. The loan is non-recourse, so if the client loses the case, the funder will lose the investment. This form of legal financing has rapidly grown throughout the United States. The practice is popular among...
September 8, 2020
Litigation finance is a form of specialty funding used by litigants and law firms to pay the high costs associated with maintaining a legal claim. In a typical agreement, a litigation funder pays a portion of a client’s litigation expenses in exchange for a share of the lawsuit’s recovery. The loan is non-recourse, so if the client loses the case, the funder will lose the investment. This form of legal financing has rapidly grown throughout the United States. The practice is popular among...
Report details Texas jury trials during COVID-19 pandemic
September 7, 2020
The Office of Court Administration (OCA) released its report on Jury Trials During the COVID-19 Pandemic today as required by the Supreme Court of Texas’ Twenty-Second Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster. The report contains observations from the 20 jury trials held in the state since March 2020, including details from the nation’s first virtual criminal jury trial. “A hallmark of our justice system is the right to a jury trial,” said Nathan L. Hecht, Chief...
September 7, 2020
The Office of Court Administration (OCA) released its report on Jury Trials During the COVID-19 Pandemic today as required by the Supreme Court of Texas’ Twenty-Second Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster. The report contains observations from the 20 jury trials held in the state since March 2020, including details from the nation’s first virtual criminal jury trial. “A hallmark of our justice system is the right to a jury trial,” said Nathan L. Hecht, Chief...
Finally, One Area Where We Don’t Think We’re Better Than Others: Remembering Names
September 6, 2020
We tend to see ourselves as better than our peers across a whole range of traits and skills. We think we’re more environmentally friendly, morally superior, and more observant than those around us. The bias can even spill over to our perceptions of our loved ones: we overestimate the intelligence of our romantic partners, for instance. But according to a new study in Psychology and Aging there’s one domain where we don’t see ourselves as “better...
September 6, 2020
We tend to see ourselves as better than our peers across a whole range of traits and skills. We think we’re more environmentally friendly, morally superior, and more observant than those around us. The bias can even spill over to our perceptions of our loved ones: we overestimate the intelligence of our romantic partners, for instance. But according to a new study in Psychology and Aging there’s one domain where we don’t see ourselves as “better...
The Pandemic is Changing Our Brains – Here’s How to Reverse the Effects
September 5, 2020
Whether you have contracted Covid-19 or not, your brain is likely to have changed over the past few months. The virus itself can cause a number of neurological problems, along with anxiety and depression. The isolation and worry caused by the pandemic can similarly alter our brain chemistry and cause mood disorders. In our new paper, published in Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, we have investigated how to best overcome the brain changes linked to the pandemic. These techniques...
September 5, 2020
Whether you have contracted Covid-19 or not, your brain is likely to have changed over the past few months. The virus itself can cause a number of neurological problems, along with anxiety and depression. The isolation and worry caused by the pandemic can similarly alter our brain chemistry and cause mood disorders. In our new paper, published in Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, we have investigated how to best overcome the brain changes linked to the pandemic. These techniques...
Litigation Finance Has Surpassed $1 Billion Raised in Busy 2020
September 4, 2020
The launch of a new $200 million fund by Pravati Capital on Tuesday brings litigation finance firms over the $1 billion mark for funds raised in 2020, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. The inflow of capital comes as litigation funders, which invest in lawsuits and are paid out only if cases earn a return, say they have seen a surge in demand related to the coronavirus. Parties in ongoing cases are seeking to monetize their claims rather than continue to pay to litigate, and new lawsuits...
September 4, 2020
The launch of a new $200 million fund by Pravati Capital on Tuesday brings litigation finance firms over the $1 billion mark for funds raised in 2020, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. The inflow of capital comes as litigation funders, which invest in lawsuits and are paid out only if cases earn a return, say they have seen a surge in demand related to the coronavirus. Parties in ongoing cases are seeking to monetize their claims rather than continue to pay to litigate, and new lawsuits...
