When Clio announced that it had acquired global legal research platform vLex for $1 billion in June, it was the latest in a series of big moves from the cloud-based practice management software company.
Surely, lawyers have been in this situation before. Imagine being in a room with a client or a prospective client you really want to land for your law firm. They ask you a question about something that you’re just not ready for, and you start stumbling around or filibustering, hoping to sound like you know what you’re talking about. Or you admit you that don’t know and will get back to them, striking fear into your heart that they might decide they’re going to find a different lawyer—one who will know the answer immediately and not have to go look it up.
For decades, the Uniform Bar Examination has been old school, with bar candidates using paper-and-pencil exam books. But starting with the first administration of the NextGen UBE next year, the test will be entirely conducted on the examinees’ personal computers.
What is agentic artificial intelligence? According to IBM, it refers to “AI systems that are designed to autonomously make decisions and act, with the ability to pursue complex goals with limited supervision.” That definitely sounds like it could be really exciting. Or really scary. Or maybe both.
Laura Cowan started her career in finance, earning a certified public accountant license and working at Ernst & Young and Goldman Sachs. When she decided to go to law school at age 35, she knew that she wanted to launch a boutique law firm with a practice area that complemented that financial background. Estate law seemed a good fit—but fate threw her a curve ball just as she launched her firm.
Since it was seized from the Knights Templar in the 14th century, the Inner Temple in London has housed acolytes of a different sort: men (and eventually women) who serve as advocates of the law. Sally Smith spent her legal career—and now is spending her retirement—inside the 15 acres that comprise the Inner Temple, now one of the four Inns of Court.
When Arizona changed its ethics rules in 2020 opening the door for alternative business structures and nonlawyer ownership for law firms, it sent shock waves throughout the legal industry.
In Chambers v. Florida and the Criminal Justice Revolution, historian and former ABA Journal editor Richard Brust lifts the veil on a case that laid the groundwork for some much more famous civil rights victories.
Matthew Dixon, co-founder of DCM Insights, is a researcher who's spent the bulk of his career looking into the shared characteristics and behaviors of successful B2B salespeople. In 2011, he released a study called "The Challenger Sale." When giving a keynote on his findings at an annual partner retreat, an audience member stood up and challenged him.
Law firms acquire or merge with one another all the time. But when it comes to technology companies, firms usually keep it in-house or enter into a partnership with an outside vendor. They rarely go ahead and just buy a tech company.
For nearly 30 years, Richard Susskind has written books asking lawyers to envision the future of the law and the legal profession in ways that stretch the imagination. Susskind has been one of the foremost proponents of the transformative potential of technology in legal services. Now, he's asking us to imagine larger transformation still: a world in which artificial intelligence reigns and humanity faces being sidelined.
Execution by lethal injection is seen by many Americans as a less barbaric alternative than older methods, such as hanging, firing squads and electrocution. It is easy to assume that the process must resemble euthanasia procedures for terminally ill people or pets. The reality is very different, says Corinna Barrett Lain, a law professor and a death-penalty expert.
"May you live in interesting times." For immigration lawyers, that old proverb is now a reality. Ever since the start of the second Trump administration, immigration lawyers have been busier than ever.
Jorge Goldstein entered the fields of science and law at a time of immense change for them both.
Peak performance in high-stress environments. It's the goal for the basketball players taking the court during March Madness but just as much for players on a different kind of court. Lawyers can and should learn a lot from elite athletes, says Amy Wood.
It’s that time of year again. This year’s ABA Techshow 2025 will be a historic one for a couple of reasons.
What if we are asking the wrong questions when selecting American judges? Mark Tushnet thinks our current criteria might be off.
Should you need a license for that? For law professor and antitrust expert Rebecca Haw Allensworth, there are huge problems with professional licensing in America—and her solutions might not make anyone completely happy.
It’s a well-worn saying that the law always lags behind technology. It makes sense. We all remember the old song about how a bill becomes a law and how long the whole process can take. By the time you get to the verse about a president signing something into law, technology has either evolved into something even more cutting edge or become obsolete—replaced by a newer, shinier toy.
For some people, retirement is an opportunity to kick back and finally relax. But for Roger M. Witten, it was a chance to finally tackle that book that he'd been thinking about writing. With a little help from longtime friends and colleagues, Legal Briefs: The Ups and Downs of Life in the Law was born.
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