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International Academy of Mediators (IAM) / Straus Institute Survey on Mediator Practices and Perceptions
August 18, 2014
The IAM-Straus Institute Survey on Mediator Practices and Perceptions, was conducted in the spring of 2014 and is one of the three...
August 18, 2014
The IAM-Straus Institute Survey on Mediator Practices and Perceptions, was conducted in the spring of 2014 and is one of the three...
A Psychological Account of Consent to Fine Print
August 18, 2014
The moral and social norms that bear on contracts of adhesion suggest a deep ambivalence. Contracts are perceived as serious moral obligations, and yet they must be taken lightly or everyday commerce would be impossible. Most people see consent to boilerplate as less meaningful than consent to negotiated terms, but they nonetheless would hold consumers strictly liable for both. This Essay aims to unpack the beliefs, preferences, assumptions, and biases that constitute our assessments of assent to boilerplate....
August 18, 2014
The moral and social norms that bear on contracts of adhesion suggest a deep ambivalence. Contracts are perceived as serious moral obligations, and yet they must be taken lightly or everyday commerce would be impossible. Most people see consent to boilerplate as less meaningful than consent to negotiated terms, but they nonetheless would hold consumers strictly liable for both. This Essay aims to unpack the beliefs, preferences, assumptions, and biases that constitute our assessments of assent to boilerplate....
National Law Firm Invasion into Texas Changes Legal Marketplace
August 17, 2014
More than 600 Texas lawyers during the past five years have left local based firms to start or grow the Texas practices of national law firms. About 30 out-of-state law firms have opened in Dallas, Houston and Austin since Feb. 2010. Virginia-based LeClairRyan and California-based Quinn Emanuel opened Houston offices in July. The national law firms have offered multimillion-dollar guaranteed contracts to senior partners with large books of business. Even mid-level associates with no portable...
August 17, 2014
More than 600 Texas lawyers during the past five years have left local based firms to start or grow the Texas practices of national law firms. About 30 out-of-state law firms have opened in Dallas, Houston and Austin since Feb. 2010. Virginia-based LeClairRyan and California-based Quinn Emanuel opened Houston offices in July. The national law firms have offered multimillion-dollar guaranteed contracts to senior partners with large books of business. Even mid-level associates with no portable...
In Dispute Resolution, A Tale of Two Arthurs
August 17, 2014
In the business world, long-term loyalty to a CEO is supposed to be a good thing. For New England supermarket chain Market Basket, however, employees’ reverent appreciation for their former chief and co-owner, Arthur T. Demoulas, has proved to be destructive to the business in the short term, causing employee and customer protests as well as a state of decision paralysis among Market Basket’s board of directors. In June, Demoulas was ousted in the culmination of a decades-long feud with his cousin,...
August 17, 2014
In the business world, long-term loyalty to a CEO is supposed to be a good thing. For New England supermarket chain Market Basket, however, employees’ reverent appreciation for their former chief and co-owner, Arthur T. Demoulas, has proved to be destructive to the business in the short term, causing employee and customer protests as well as a state of decision paralysis among Market Basket’s board of directors. In June, Demoulas was ousted in the culmination of a decades-long feud with his cousin,...
Rocket Matter Adds Outlook Integration
August 17, 2014
The cloud-based practice management platform Rocket Matter has announced that it now allows integration with Outlook email. By installing a plugin in Outlook, users can associate a Rocket Matter case and billable time or costs with an email directly within Outlook. If an email has an attachment, the attachment will automatically be uploaded to Rocket Matter and be accessible through its web interface.
August 17, 2014
The cloud-based practice management platform Rocket Matter has announced that it now allows integration with Outlook email. By installing a plugin in Outlook, users can associate a Rocket Matter case and billable time or costs with an email directly within Outlook. If an email has an attachment, the attachment will automatically be uploaded to Rocket Matter and be accessible through its web interface.
ABA, Rocket Lawyer Now Frenemies?
August 17, 2014
Most lawyers probably thought we would never see the day that the American Bar Association would do anything but resist organizations...
August 17, 2014
Most lawyers probably thought we would never see the day that the American Bar Association would do anything but resist organizations...
The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs
August 16, 2014
Just because there aren’t as many people applying to law school, doesn’t mean you should apply to law school. Even if there are fewer people to compete with, what can your feeble skills do against the machines? From the annals my large “I told you so” files, a few years ago I predicted that the “Watson” technology — computers that can answer complex and subtle questions like Watson on Jeopardy — could be a threat to associate jobs. Now, that technology appears closer than ever...
August 16, 2014
Just because there aren’t as many people applying to law school, doesn’t mean you should apply to law school. Even if there are fewer people to compete with, what can your feeble skills do against the machines? From the annals my large “I told you so” files, a few years ago I predicted that the “Watson” technology — computers that can answer complex and subtle questions like Watson on Jeopardy — could be a threat to associate jobs. Now, that technology appears closer than ever...
Legal Startup Investment Is Down
August 16, 2014
Investment in legal startups is down this year after peaking at $150 million last year, according to Christine Magee, an analyst for CrunchBase, in a recent post on the TechCrunch blog. "Aside from large rounds for Clio practice management software, manufactured by Themis Solutions, and legal marketplace Avvo, investors appear to be losing interest in legal tech," she said. She credits the downturn to investors wanting to see better results, faster. "The sales cycle for the legal industry is so long—12...
August 16, 2014
Investment in legal startups is down this year after peaking at $150 million last year, according to Christine Magee, an analyst for CrunchBase, in a recent post on the TechCrunch blog. "Aside from large rounds for Clio practice management software, manufactured by Themis Solutions, and legal marketplace Avvo, investors appear to be losing interest in legal tech," she said. She credits the downturn to investors wanting to see better results, faster. "The sales cycle for the legal industry is so long—12...
Ride-Sharing Companies Given OK to Operate in Virginia
August 16, 2014
Virginia is allowing ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate under a temporary agreement between the companies and the state, officials said Wednesday. The move follows letters from state officials in June telling the companies to cease its operations in Virginia because they didn’t have the proper licenses. Ride-sharing companies use smartphone apps to dispatch drivers who use their personal vehicles to give people rides. The drivers then share the fares they collect with the companies. Gov....
August 16, 2014
Virginia is allowing ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate under a temporary agreement between the companies and the state, officials said Wednesday. The move follows letters from state officials in June telling the companies to cease its operations in Virginia because they didn’t have the proper licenses. Ride-sharing companies use smartphone apps to dispatch drivers who use their personal vehicles to give people rides. The drivers then share the fares they collect with the companies. Gov....
GMail Killer Feature Added – Unsubscribe Button
August 16, 2014
Best Gmail features: Unsubscribe button added at last | BGR. Gmail At long last, you don't have to worry about finding the unsubscribe button on a mail service you can't even remember subscribing to. Every email from a list will now have a button at the top, which, when clicked, will unsubscribe you from the list. Use carefully, however, as you might want a particular service. Go GMail. Go Google.
August 16, 2014
Best Gmail features: Unsubscribe button added at last | BGR. Gmail At long last, you don't have to worry about finding the unsubscribe button on a mail service you can't even remember subscribing to. Every email from a list will now have a button at the top, which, when clicked, will unsubscribe you from the list. Use carefully, however, as you might want a particular service. Go GMail. Go Google.
