Blog Archives
Law Firm Mergers Continue at Record Pace
October 19, 2015
Sixty-eight law firm mergers have been announced in the first nine months of 2015, the highest number since legal consulting firm Altman Weil began keeping track of the numbers in 2007. There were 20 law firm mergers announced in the most recent quarter, and all were acquisitions of law firms with 35 or fewer lawyers, according to an Altman Weil press release. Altman Weil principal Eric Seeger said in the press release that large and midsize firms are cherry-picking small firms based on practice...
October 19, 2015
Sixty-eight law firm mergers have been announced in the first nine months of 2015, the highest number since legal consulting firm Altman Weil began keeping track of the numbers in 2007. There were 20 law firm mergers announced in the most recent quarter, and all were acquisitions of law firms with 35 or fewer lawyers, according to an Altman Weil press release. Altman Weil principal Eric Seeger said in the press release that large and midsize firms are cherry-picking small firms based on practice...
Sandrine Thuret: You Can Grow New Brain Cells. Here’s How
October 18, 2015
Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
October 18, 2015
Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
Carter To Mediate Dispute Between MLK’s Children
October 18, 2015
Former President Jimmy Carter is not letting brain cancer stand in his way as he is now set to mediate the ongoing dispute between the surviving children of Martin Luther King Jr. The dispute arose from the proposed sale of their father's Bible and Nobel Peace Prize to a private buyer which is opposed by Bernice King and supported by her two brothers. The items originally belonged to the children but ownership was transferred to the estate as part of an agreement signed in the 90's. Carter expressed...
October 18, 2015
Former President Jimmy Carter is not letting brain cancer stand in his way as he is now set to mediate the ongoing dispute between the surviving children of Martin Luther King Jr. The dispute arose from the proposed sale of their father's Bible and Nobel Peace Prize to a private buyer which is opposed by Bernice King and supported by her two brothers. The items originally belonged to the children but ownership was transferred to the estate as part of an agreement signed in the 90's. Carter expressed...
Facebook Profile is Fair Game in Custody Battles
October 18, 2015
From New York Post: A Westchester judge has allowed a dad to use his wife’s Facebook profile as a weapon in their custody battle, a groundbreaking ruling that could alter the way New York couples fight it out in court. Anthony DiMartino, 54, claims a review of his estranged wife’s Facebook page will prove she was frequently out of state while he was raising their now-4-year-old son. “The data will show that it is he, and not she, who has spent the majority of time with the child during the past...
October 18, 2015
From New York Post: A Westchester judge has allowed a dad to use his wife’s Facebook profile as a weapon in their custody battle, a groundbreaking ruling that could alter the way New York couples fight it out in court. Anthony DiMartino, 54, claims a review of his estranged wife’s Facebook page will prove she was frequently out of state while he was raising their now-4-year-old son. “The data will show that it is he, and not she, who has spent the majority of time with the child during the past...
Study Finds Taking Notes By Hand “Significantly Improves” Word Recall
October 17, 2015
The study was conducted by a team that includes Professor Anne Mangen (U. Stavanger, Norway) who is one of the foremost researchers studying the effect of hardcopy versus screens on comprehension and retention of information. This new study is called Handwriting versus Keyboard Writing: Effect on Word Recall and is available at 7(2) Journal of Writing Research 227 (2015) and can also be accessed online here. It has obvious implications with respect to whether teachers should encourage students to take...
October 17, 2015
The study was conducted by a team that includes Professor Anne Mangen (U. Stavanger, Norway) who is one of the foremost researchers studying the effect of hardcopy versus screens on comprehension and retention of information. This new study is called Handwriting versus Keyboard Writing: Effect on Word Recall and is available at 7(2) Journal of Writing Research 227 (2015) and can also be accessed online here. It has obvious implications with respect to whether teachers should encourage students to take...
Study says Baby Before Marriage Doesn’t Increase Divorce Risk
October 17, 2015
From USA Today: In the past, having a baby before marriage may have spelled divorce if the couple later chose to get married, but times have changed, according to a new report. Couples who tie the knot after their first baby, now stay together at the same rate as those who were married before their first child, according to research released today by the non-profit group, Council on Contemporary Families. Researchers analyzed data on women who had their first child between 1985 and 1995 and compared...
October 17, 2015
From USA Today: In the past, having a baby before marriage may have spelled divorce if the couple later chose to get married, but times have changed, according to a new report. Couples who tie the knot after their first baby, now stay together at the same rate as those who were married before their first child, according to research released today by the non-profit group, Council on Contemporary Families. Researchers analyzed data on women who had their first child between 1985 and 1995 and compared...
It’s Time for Microsoft to Reboot Office
October 17, 2015
I’ve purchased the latest Microsoft Office for every computer I’ve owned. It was a foregone conclusion. Dating back to when Word was white type on a blue screen, I used it so often I could recite the shortcuts. (Thesaurus? Shift-F7.) But Microsoft has run out of reasons to keep me paying. How we get work done on computers has fundamentally changed. For the new Office 2016, Microsoft wants you to pay $150 for collaborative capabilities that others already do better, free. It brings little...
October 17, 2015
I’ve purchased the latest Microsoft Office for every computer I’ve owned. It was a foregone conclusion. Dating back to when Word was white type on a blue screen, I used it so often I could recite the shortcuts. (Thesaurus? Shift-F7.) But Microsoft has run out of reasons to keep me paying. How we get work done on computers has fundamentally changed. For the new Office 2016, Microsoft wants you to pay $150 for collaborative capabilities that others already do better, free. It brings little...
Empirical Law Deans
October 16, 2015
One of the academy's leading empirical legal scholars, Tom Miles, was just named the University of Chicago Law School's 15th Dean. A prolific scholar (and award-winning classroom teacher), Tom's primary research focus is in the areas of criminal justice and judicial behavior, and he has looked extensively at issues of race through a variety of legal perspectives. His scholarship makes creative use of the tools of law and economics as well as empirical methods. Not surprisingly, Tom is a Fellow in the Society...
October 16, 2015
One of the academy's leading empirical legal scholars, Tom Miles, was just named the University of Chicago Law School's 15th Dean. A prolific scholar (and award-winning classroom teacher), Tom's primary research focus is in the areas of criminal justice and judicial behavior, and he has looked extensively at issues of race through a variety of legal perspectives. His scholarship makes creative use of the tools of law and economics as well as empirical methods. Not surprisingly, Tom is a Fellow in the Society...
Negotiating Employment Cases With Impatient Parties and Winner Take All Stakes
October 16, 2015
In an employment case one party may be in a much better negotiating position than the other. The weaker party may face a good possibility of failure if a case goes to trial, but often decides to fight on despite long odds. How can such a situation be resolved? The authors of the study “The Slippery Slope of Concession” conclude the weaker party can use small concessions to appease the other side if there is a combination of common knowledge and a common preference for the amount of time to give...
October 16, 2015
In an employment case one party may be in a much better negotiating position than the other. The weaker party may face a good possibility of failure if a case goes to trial, but often decides to fight on despite long odds. How can such a situation be resolved? The authors of the study “The Slippery Slope of Concession” conclude the weaker party can use small concessions to appease the other side if there is a combination of common knowledge and a common preference for the amount of time to give...
Don’t Allow Yourself to Become a Puppet When Your Emotional Strings are Being Pulled
October 16, 2015
People often try to manipulate others into doing what they want by making an appeal to their emotions. It’s a common negotiation tactic that you and your client should be wary of. Parties in negotiations often become unnecessarily carried away emotionally in the negotiation or arrive at an impasse due to their emotional connection to the underlying negotiation or the lawsuit which is the basis of the negotiation. What Are Your Emotional Triggers? Each party has a different emotional trigger....
October 16, 2015
People often try to manipulate others into doing what they want by making an appeal to their emotions. It’s a common negotiation tactic that you and your client should be wary of. Parties in negotiations often become unnecessarily carried away emotionally in the negotiation or arrive at an impasse due to their emotional connection to the underlying negotiation or the lawsuit which is the basis of the negotiation. What Are Your Emotional Triggers? Each party has a different emotional trigger....
