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Cert Analytics
February 5, 2017
The results from this analysis show that the likelihood of cert grants may be at least somewhat affected by when petitions are filed. There are periods of time both according to the calendar and according to the number of petitions filed that may play a role in the likelihood of a cert grant. The length of time that the Court sits on cert petitions may also indicate a decreasing likelihood of a cert grant, at least according to data from the 2015 and 2016 Supreme Court Terms. While Supreme...
February 5, 2017
The results from this analysis show that the likelihood of cert grants may be at least somewhat affected by when petitions are filed. There are periods of time both according to the calendar and according to the number of petitions filed that may play a role in the likelihood of a cert grant. The length of time that the Court sits on cert petitions may also indicate a decreasing likelihood of a cert grant, at least according to data from the 2015 and 2016 Supreme Court Terms. While Supreme...
Why Lawyers Are Bad At Relationships
February 5, 2017
I don’t know about you, but recently I have increasingly realized that the philosophy of conflict resolution that I practice daily as a litigator is an awful template for resolution of conflict with loved ones.[1] While the divorce rate in the United States generally is quite high, it runs higher amongst attorneys. Certainly we must be responsible for not imputing a highly imperfect system of conflict resolution at home, but we are imperfect beings and it takes focus and attention to not impute...
February 5, 2017
I don’t know about you, but recently I have increasingly realized that the philosophy of conflict resolution that I practice daily as a litigator is an awful template for resolution of conflict with loved ones.[1] While the divorce rate in the United States generally is quite high, it runs higher amongst attorneys. Certainly we must be responsible for not imputing a highly imperfect system of conflict resolution at home, but we are imperfect beings and it takes focus and attention to not impute...
Teenagers’ Brains Process Risk Differently When Mum is Around
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
February 4, 2017
The traffic lights turn amber: should you brake or accelerate on through? If there’s a teenager at the wheel, the chances are he or she will put their foot down and keep going. Teenagers love taking risks, more so than any other age group. This is partly down to the immaturity of the teen brain: they do not yet show the same connectivity between frontal decision making areas and deeper reward-related brain areas, as compared with adults. But there’s also a social element. When an adult is around,...
Why Smart People Don’t Multitask
February 4, 2017
I have often doubted those who say they mulitask well. This is because working memory has only a limited number of slots,...
February 4, 2017
I have often doubted those who say they mulitask well. This is because working memory has only a limited number of slots,...
10 Years Out, Report Says Recession’s Impact on Firms is Clear
February 4, 2017
In 2017, it’s a buyer’s market when it comes to legal services, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters’ Peer Monitor. The report examines the challenges the legal industry has faced in the 10 years since the start of the Great Recession, and how law firms have had to change the way they operate to accommodate their clients’ budgetary needs. Perhaps the most significant challenge...
February 4, 2017
In 2017, it’s a buyer’s market when it comes to legal services, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters’ Peer Monitor. The report examines the challenges the legal industry has faced in the 10 years since the start of the Great Recession, and how law firms have had to change the way they operate to accommodate their clients’ budgetary needs. Perhaps the most significant challenge...
Is ODR ADR? Reflections of an ADR Founder from 15th ODR Conference
February 3, 2017
This essay presents the observations of a founder of the dispute resolution field to new developments in online dispute resolution, expressing both concerns and hopes for greater access to justice.
February 3, 2017
This essay presents the observations of a founder of the dispute resolution field to new developments in online dispute resolution, expressing both concerns and hopes for greater access to justice.
Sport Mediation: Mediating High-Performance Sports Disputes
February 3, 2017
Conflicts in high-performance sports (HPS) are typically tense and emotionally charged experiences for the athletes, coaches, and sports organizations involved. Such disputes raise intriguing challenges for the mediators handling them. These disputes typically involve multiple parties who often have intensely competitive personalities negotiating a volatile mix of high-stakes win/lose issues. Mediators typically confront numerous process challenges and must operate within the rigid policy parameters...
February 3, 2017
Conflicts in high-performance sports (HPS) are typically tense and emotionally charged experiences for the athletes, coaches, and sports organizations involved. Such disputes raise intriguing challenges for the mediators handling them. These disputes typically involve multiple parties who often have intensely competitive personalities negotiating a volatile mix of high-stakes win/lose issues. Mediators typically confront numerous process challenges and must operate within the rigid policy parameters...
A General Approach for Predicting the Behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States
February 3, 2017
Building on developments in machine learning and prior work in the science of judicial prediction, we construct a model designed to predict the behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in a generalized, out-of-sample context. Our model leverages the random forest method together with unique feature engineering to predict nearly two centuries of historical decisions (1816-2015). Using only data available prior to decision, our model outperforms null (baseline) models at both the justice...
February 3, 2017
Building on developments in machine learning and prior work in the science of judicial prediction, we construct a model designed to predict the behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in a generalized, out-of-sample context. Our model leverages the random forest method together with unique feature engineering to predict nearly two centuries of historical decisions (1816-2015). Using only data available prior to decision, our model outperforms null (baseline) models at both the justice...
Lemonade Boasts Claims Settlement Speed Record, AI Jim Answers Questions
February 2, 2017
Recently, Lemonade reported a claim handling world record. The insurer reported a claim settlement speed record – 3 seconds and no paperwork. According to the insurer, a policyholder submitted a theft claim for a $979 Canada Goose Langford Parka on Dec 23, 2016. Within seconds, AI Jim, Lemonade’s artificial intelligence claims bot, reviewed the claim, cross referenced it with the policy, ran 18 anti-fraud algorithms on it, approved it and sent wiring instructions to the bank, informing the policyholder...
February 2, 2017
Recently, Lemonade reported a claim handling world record. The insurer reported a claim settlement speed record – 3 seconds and no paperwork. According to the insurer, a policyholder submitted a theft claim for a $979 Canada Goose Langford Parka on Dec 23, 2016. Within seconds, AI Jim, Lemonade’s artificial intelligence claims bot, reviewed the claim, cross referenced it with the policy, ran 18 anti-fraud algorithms on it, approved it and sent wiring instructions to the bank, informing the policyholder...
Article on Estate Tax Treatment of Life Insurance at Divorce
February 2, 2017
Danielle E. Miller recently published an Article entitled, Estate Tax Impact of Life Insurance Required by Divorce, Estate Planning (Dec. 2016). Provided below is an abstract of the Article: Life insurance often assumes an important role in a marital settlement agreement or divorce decree. One party may be required to maintain for life a policy insuring himself or herself that names the former spouse as beneficiary. Alternatively, the party may be required to keep life insurance in force as security...
February 2, 2017
Danielle E. Miller recently published an Article entitled, Estate Tax Impact of Life Insurance Required by Divorce, Estate Planning (Dec. 2016). Provided below is an abstract of the Article: Life insurance often assumes an important role in a marital settlement agreement or divorce decree. One party may be required to maintain for life a policy insuring himself or herself that names the former spouse as beneficiary. Alternatively, the party may be required to keep life insurance in force as security...
