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The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts
January 16, 2016
The Future of the Professions explains how 'increasingly capable systems' - from telepresence to artificial intelligence - will bring fundamental change in the way that the 'practical expertise' of specialists is made available in society. The authors challenge the 'grand bargain' - the arrangement that grants various monopolies to today's professionals. They argue that our current professions are antiquated, opaque and no longer affordable, and that the expertise of the best is enjoyed only...
January 16, 2016
The Future of the Professions explains how 'increasingly capable systems' - from telepresence to artificial intelligence - will bring fundamental change in the way that the 'practical expertise' of specialists is made available in society. The authors challenge the 'grand bargain' - the arrangement that grants various monopolies to today's professionals. They argue that our current professions are antiquated, opaque and no longer affordable, and that the expertise of the best is enjoyed only...
FINRA Dispute Resolution Task Force Issues its Final Report and Recommendations
January 15, 2016
Key recommendations include: Increase compensation to FINRA arbitrators, which is well-known to be far below market rates for arbitrators’ time and expertise, because of the Task Force’s “strongly held opinion… that the most important investment in the future of the FINRA forum is in the arbitrators”; Increase the depth and diversity of the arbitrator and mediator pool through additional recruitment efforts; Increase arbitrator training; Adopt measures to encourage the writing...
January 15, 2016
Key recommendations include: Increase compensation to FINRA arbitrators, which is well-known to be far below market rates for arbitrators’ time and expertise, because of the Task Force’s “strongly held opinion… that the most important investment in the future of the FINRA forum is in the arbitrators”; Increase the depth and diversity of the arbitrator and mediator pool through additional recruitment efforts; Increase arbitrator training; Adopt measures to encourage the writing...
Oregon Supreme Court on Mediation Confidentiality
January 15, 2016
On December 10, 2015, the Oregon Supreme Court released an opinion in a case that required it, for the first time, to consider...
January 15, 2016
On December 10, 2015, the Oregon Supreme Court released an opinion in a case that required it, for the first time, to consider...
SCOTUS Finds California’s Contract Interpretation Skills Lacking In New Arbitration Decision
January 15, 2016
Just under the wire, SCOTUS released an arbitration opinion today, ensuring that 2015 would continue the string of years with cases interpreting the Federal Arbitration Act. In DIRECTV v. Imburgia, the Supreme Court found that California’s interpretation of an arbitration clause was preempted by the FAA. DIRECTV is a 6-3 decision, with Justice Kagan (who vociferously dissented in Italian Colors) joining the majority, and it appears to make it even harder for courts to apply state contract doctrines...
January 15, 2016
Just under the wire, SCOTUS released an arbitration opinion today, ensuring that 2015 would continue the string of years with cases interpreting the Federal Arbitration Act. In DIRECTV v. Imburgia, the Supreme Court found that California’s interpretation of an arbitration clause was preempted by the FAA. DIRECTV is a 6-3 decision, with Justice Kagan (who vociferously dissented in Italian Colors) joining the majority, and it appears to make it even harder for courts to apply state contract doctrines...
Obama Administration Expected to Announce Plan to Boost Self-Driving Car Development
January 14, 2016
The Obama administration wants to get autonomous cars out on the road. Top administration officials will reveal a plan Thursday to accelerate development of self-driving cars, according to Reuters. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will discuss details at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Foxx aims to set policies for self-driving cars before President Obama leaves office at the end of this year. Many experts believe that the U.S. will see a surge in autonomous vehicles...
January 14, 2016
The Obama administration wants to get autonomous cars out on the road. Top administration officials will reveal a plan Thursday to accelerate development of self-driving cars, according to Reuters. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will discuss details at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Foxx aims to set policies for self-driving cars before President Obama leaves office at the end of this year. Many experts believe that the U.S. will see a surge in autonomous vehicles...
Class Action Challenges Fitbit’s Arbitration Policy
January 14, 2016
A lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco this week claims that the fitness-tracking pioneer is trying to insulate itself from class actions with sweeping and unenforceable arbitration clauses in its terms of service. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that the company is lying to customers about the accuracy of its heart-rate monitoring wristbands. The lawsuit doesn’t just target the company’s products. It also focuses on provisions in Fitbit’s consumer agreement...
January 14, 2016
A lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco this week claims that the fitness-tracking pioneer is trying to insulate itself from class actions with sweeping and unenforceable arbitration clauses in its terms of service. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that the company is lying to customers about the accuracy of its heart-rate monitoring wristbands. The lawsuit doesn’t just target the company’s products. It also focuses on provisions in Fitbit’s consumer agreement...
What Happens When A Person Refuses To Serve As An Executor?
January 14, 2016
There are many instances when people will want to name a loved one or close family member as an executor in their will. What...
January 14, 2016
There are many instances when people will want to name a loved one or close family member as an executor in their will. What...
What To Do After Winning The Lottery
January 13, 2016
The Powerball lottery is dominating the news over the last week as the jackpot has steadily grown to the point that one lucky winner could possibly walk away with nearly a billion dollars after taxes. But what should one do if such unimaginable wealth is suddenly dropped on the doorstep? The first thing is to sign the ticket and make copies to make sure that no one can steal the ticket and claim the prize. Second, remain anonymous if at all possible although this depends on the state. The bigger...
January 13, 2016
The Powerball lottery is dominating the news over the last week as the jackpot has steadily grown to the point that one lucky winner could possibly walk away with nearly a billion dollars after taxes. But what should one do if such unimaginable wealth is suddenly dropped on the doorstep? The first thing is to sign the ticket and make copies to make sure that no one can steal the ticket and claim the prize. Second, remain anonymous if at all possible although this depends on the state. The bigger...
SCOTUS Declines to Review Texas Supreme Court’s Order in Nursing Home Arbitration Dispute
January 13, 2016
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a challenge to a 2015 Texas Supreme Court ruling which held that Section 74.451 of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code was preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). In the case, the relatives of a woman who died in a Texas nursing home after signing an arbitration agreement that failed to comply with the requirements of the Texas Medical Liability Act asked the nation’s high court to examine whether the State’s...
January 13, 2016
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a challenge to a 2015 Texas Supreme Court ruling which held that Section 74.451 of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code was preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). In the case, the relatives of a woman who died in a Texas nursing home after signing an arbitration agreement that failed to comply with the requirements of the Texas Medical Liability Act asked the nation’s high court to examine whether the State’s...
Artificial Intelligence is Here
January 13, 2016
As IBM’s Rob High discussed in a recent ABJ article, leadership in artificial intelligence has been a reality for years. Most people are familiar with IBM’s focus on cognitive computing through Watson, the “Jeopardy” winning natural language processor that has a major presence in Austin. In addition to my company, SparkCognition, organizations such as Umbel, Lucid, WayBlazer, and CognitiveScale are advancing machine learning in their respective verticals. Whether it is energy, security, health...
January 13, 2016
As IBM’s Rob High discussed in a recent ABJ article, leadership in artificial intelligence has been a reality for years. Most people are familiar with IBM’s focus on cognitive computing through Watson, the “Jeopardy” winning natural language processor that has a major presence in Austin. In addition to my company, SparkCognition, organizations such as Umbel, Lucid, WayBlazer, and CognitiveScale are advancing machine learning in their respective verticals. Whether it is energy, security, health...
