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Sunstein on Algorithms & Biases
December 19, 2018
Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)) has posted Algorithms, Correcting Biases (Forthcoming, Social Research) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: A great deal of theoretical work explores the possibility that algorithms may be biased in one or another respect. But for purposes of law and policy, some of the most important empirical research finds exactly the opposite. In the context of bail decisions, an algorithm designed to predict...
December 19, 2018
Cass R. Sunstein (Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)) has posted Algorithms, Correcting Biases (Forthcoming, Social Research) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: A great deal of theoretical work explores the possibility that algorithms may be biased in one or another respect. But for purposes of law and policy, some of the most important empirical research finds exactly the opposite. In the context of bail decisions, an algorithm designed to predict...
Dallas COA Rules No Right to Interlocutory Judicial Review of Arbitration Panel’s Order
December 19, 2018
Texas’s Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas has issued an opinion stating neither the Texas Arbitration Act(“TAA”) nor Section 150.002 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code provides a party to an arbitration proceeding with the right to file an interlocutory appeal. In SM Architects, PLLC v. AMX Veteran Specialty Services, LLC, No. 05-17-01064-CV (Tex. App. – Dallas, November 8, 2018), a company, AMX Veteran Specialty Services (“AMX”),...
December 19, 2018
Texas’s Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas has issued an opinion stating neither the Texas Arbitration Act(“TAA”) nor Section 150.002 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code provides a party to an arbitration proceeding with the right to file an interlocutory appeal. In SM Architects, PLLC v. AMX Veteran Specialty Services, LLC, No. 05-17-01064-CV (Tex. App. – Dallas, November 8, 2018), a company, AMX Veteran Specialty Services (“AMX”),...
2018 Is Best Year For Law Firms In A Decade
December 18, 2018
ABA Journal, Law Firms Are Having the Best Financial-Growth Year in About a Decade, Two Reports Conclude: Law firms increased revenues this year, posting gains during the first three quarters that are the best in about a decade, according to two new reports. The numbers differed slightly, but the conclusion was the same: 2018 is shaping up to be a good year, thanks to higher billing rates and higher demand for legal services. Wells Fargo Private Bank’s Legal Specialty Group found revenue...
December 18, 2018
ABA Journal, Law Firms Are Having the Best Financial-Growth Year in About a Decade, Two Reports Conclude: Law firms increased revenues this year, posting gains during the first three quarters that are the best in about a decade, according to two new reports. The numbers differed slightly, but the conclusion was the same: 2018 is shaping up to be a good year, thanks to higher billing rates and higher demand for legal services. Wells Fargo Private Bank’s Legal Specialty Group found revenue...
Inside the Black Box: The Preferences, Practices, and Rule Interpretations of Construction
December 18, 2018
An interesting article focused on the arbitration of construction disputes was recently published by Dean B. Thomson and Jesse R. Orman, shareholders in the Construction Law Department of Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson, P.A., in Minneapolis. The article, titled “Inside the Black Box: The Preferences, Practices, and Rule Interpretations of Construction,” (Journal of the ACCL, Vol. 12, No. 2, Summer 2018 Edition), is based on a survey that included...
December 18, 2018
An interesting article focused on the arbitration of construction disputes was recently published by Dean B. Thomson and Jesse R. Orman, shareholders in the Construction Law Department of Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson, P.A., in Minneapolis. The article, titled “Inside the Black Box: The Preferences, Practices, and Rule Interpretations of Construction,” (Journal of the ACCL, Vol. 12, No. 2, Summer 2018 Edition), is based on a survey that included...
Five Predictions for Litigation Finance in 2019
December 17, 2018
As litigation funding takes on a bigger role in the legal industry, the next year could bring with it a series of important changes. The past year in litigation finance has been riveting, at least for those of us in the thick of the industry. Next year promises to be just as eventful—perhaps even more so as the sector matures and faces new legal and competitive challenges. In 2018 it seemed that every other week brought news of another funding company being hatched (including the one I lead,...
December 17, 2018
As litigation funding takes on a bigger role in the legal industry, the next year could bring with it a series of important changes. The past year in litigation finance has been riveting, at least for those of us in the thick of the industry. Next year promises to be just as eventful—perhaps even more so as the sector matures and faces new legal and competitive challenges. In 2018 it seemed that every other week brought news of another funding company being hatched (including the one I lead,...
Companies Fold As Employees Push Back On Forced Arbitration
December 17, 2018
First Google had a bunch of employees walk out to protest sexual harassment arbitration, and it rescinded its arbitration policy. Now other companies are following as employees push back. Facebook, Microsoft, Uber, Square, Airbnb and eBay have all rescinded or said they will rescind their forced arbitration agreements for sexual harassment claims. It isn't just tech firms that are getting pressure from employees. When Harvard law students threatened to boycott law firm Kirkland...
December 17, 2018
First Google had a bunch of employees walk out to protest sexual harassment arbitration, and it rescinded its arbitration policy. Now other companies are following as employees push back. Facebook, Microsoft, Uber, Square, Airbnb and eBay have all rescinded or said they will rescind their forced arbitration agreements for sexual harassment claims. It isn't just tech firms that are getting pressure from employees. When Harvard law students threatened to boycott law firm Kirkland...
Tech investment gives KPMG the edge over traditional UK law firms
December 16, 2018
KPMG’s UK head of legal services Nick Roome tells Legal IT Insider how the application of technology in all its guises...
December 16, 2018
KPMG’s UK head of legal services Nick Roome tells Legal IT Insider how the application of technology in all its guises...
Americans Waiting Longer to Marry
December 16, 2018
From the U.S. Census Bureau: Adults in the United States are increasingly delaying saying “I Do” as the median age at first marriage continues to climb, according to new data released today by the Census Bureau. The median age at first marriage in the United States has continued to rise in recent years from 27.1 and 25.3 years in 2003 for males and females, respectively, to 29.8 and 27.8 years in 2018. This upward trend is consistent with other changes to U.S. households and family structure...
December 16, 2018
From the U.S. Census Bureau: Adults in the United States are increasingly delaying saying “I Do” as the median age at first marriage continues to climb, according to new data released today by the Census Bureau. The median age at first marriage in the United States has continued to rise in recent years from 27.1 and 25.3 years in 2003 for males and females, respectively, to 29.8 and 27.8 years in 2018. This upward trend is consistent with other changes to U.S. households and family structure...
Monster Energy Drink Wins Jury Verdict in Texas
December 15, 2018
Monster Beverage Corp., makers of Monster Energy drinks, has been hit with numerous products liability suits alleging its drinks cause heart attacks. Some of those cases have been settled, but many have been dismissed. In the first case to reach a verdict, a Texas jury deliberated for just 15 minutes before deciding that a Monster Energy drink did not lead to a heart attack for the then-18-year-old plaintiff. The company argues its product is safe and that a 16-ounce drink...
December 15, 2018
Monster Beverage Corp., makers of Monster Energy drinks, has been hit with numerous products liability suits alleging its drinks cause heart attacks. Some of those cases have been settled, but many have been dismissed. In the first case to reach a verdict, a Texas jury deliberated for just 15 minutes before deciding that a Monster Energy drink did not lead to a heart attack for the then-18-year-old plaintiff. The company argues its product is safe and that a 16-ounce drink...
2018 ABA Tech Survey shows over two-thirds of attorneys use iPhone, over one-quarter use Android
December 15, 2018
The iPhone remains, by far, the most popular smartphone for attorneys. Nevertheless, in 2018 an all-time high of one-quarter of all attorneys reported using an Android phone, and that increase is mostly attributable to sole practitioners, where iPhone-to-Android use is a 2-to-1 ratio. Every year, the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center conducts a survey to gauge the use of legal technology by attorneys in private practice in the United States. The 2018 report (edited...
December 15, 2018
The iPhone remains, by far, the most popular smartphone for attorneys. Nevertheless, in 2018 an all-time high of one-quarter of all attorneys reported using an Android phone, and that increase is mostly attributable to sole practitioners, where iPhone-to-Android use is a 2-to-1 ratio. Every year, the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center conducts a survey to gauge the use of legal technology by attorneys in private practice in the United States. The 2018 report (edited...
