Practice Technology

Trump immigration policies draw rapid legal-tech response

In December, as Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration approached, a friend and former boss gave New York resident Leslie Martinez an intriguing offer.

Feb 17, 2017 11:00 AM CST

Reinventing Professionals: There are jobs in the emerging legal gig economy

Ari Kaplan speaks with Jared Coseglia, the founder and CEO of TRU Staffing Partners, an e-discovery and cybersecurity staffing agency. This Q&A has been condensed. Ari Kaplan: Tell us about the genesis of TRU Staffing Partners. Jared Coseglia: TRU Staffing Partners was born in 2010, and we started [the company]…

Feb 17, 2017 8:30 AM CST

Some in-house legal departments use encrypted emails to communicate with their law firms

Reports of law firm data breaches have led some in-house lawyers to use encrypted emails to communicate with their law firms on matters such as mergers and high-stakes litigation. Eleanor Lacey, general counsel for network security company Sophos, is among those using encryption, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports.…

Feb 16, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Will Trump make legal infrastructure ‘great again’?

President Donald Trump says he wants to ‘make America great again,” in part by investing in upgrading our “obsolete” infrastructure. University of Southern California law professor Gillian Hadfield has a proposal that may not be on the top of the president’s list. That headline may have been a bit of…

Feb 16, 2017 7:30 AM CST

Federal prison likely recorded hundreds of lawyer-client meetings; class action is filed

More than 700 attorney-client visits at a federal prison in Kansas were likely recorded on video, according to a court-appointed special master who was asked to investigate. Special master David Cohen drew that conclusion after reviewing recordings made during 30 attorney visits at the prison in Leavenworth and finding that…

Feb 16, 2017 7:00 AM CST

DC court enjoins Public.Resource.org from printing public safety regulations online

A federal judge in Washington D.C. has sided with three major standards-development organizations seeking to prevent Public.Resource.org from printing their technical and scientific guidelines online. Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites reported that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a permanent injunction earlier this month, against Public.Resource.org in favor…

Feb 14, 2017 5:52 PM CST

Vital mission: Hackathon for military veterans seeks volunteers

Do you have computer coding skills, knowledge of veterans’ legal issues—or maybe just the desire to help America’s vets (and maybe win a cash prize)? Tech for Justice and the ABA Techshow are putting out a call for your support.

Feb 14, 2017 10:40 AM CST

Startup helps consumers evaluate lawyers by compiling win records

A startup company formed by a former Covington & Burling lawyer aims to help consumers choose lawyers through a free website that compiles the lawyers’ approximate win rates in state courts. The startup, Justice Toolbox, currently offers data only for Washington, D.C., and Maryland, according to LawSites by Robert Ambrogi.…

Feb 10, 2017 12:59 PM CST

Airport Lawyer website connects volunteer lawyers with travelers affected by immigration ban

A website created over the weekend by volunteer lawyers and software developers can connect travelers affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban with free lawyers who can help them. Airport Lawyer allows users to input information about people targeted by the ban who are traveling to the United States—whether it’s…

Feb 9, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Seyfarth signs licensing deal with ‘software robots’ company to automate mundane tasks

Seyfarth Shaw says it will be the first major law firm to use “software robots” that use human training to move information between computer programs or apps. Seyfarth is licensing the technology for so-called robotic process information from Blue Prism, the American Lawyer (sub. req.) reports. A press release announcing…

Feb 8, 2017 9:40 AM CST

Fastcase refiles suit against Casemaker over right to publish Georgia regulations

Fastcase has filed a revised federal lawsuit against its competitor Casemaker over the right to publish Georgia’s administrative rules and regulations after a federal court tossed the earlier suit on jurisdictional grounds. The new suit (PDF) adds details on why the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, part of Fastcase’s bid…

Feb 7, 2017 9:42 AM CST

Embracing Innovation: Adapting to change is essential for law practitioners

The legal profession is at a critical juncture. As the world’s pre-eminent association focused on the rule of law, the American Bar Association has a vital role to lead responses to the challenges facing today’s attorneys, including such issues as legal education, increased competition, and underemployed and unemployed lawyers. In the future, people will look to the actions we take—and fail to take—as a profound moment of opportunities embraced or opportunities missed.

Feb 1, 2017 3:50 AM CST

Florida requires lawyers to include tech in CLE courses

One of the most enduring legacies of the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 boils down to a nine-word phrase that was added to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Feb 1, 2017 2:10 AM CST

Law firms of the future will give clients an effortless experience

The highest-performing law firms of the 21st century will distinguish themselves along two dimensions. The first is the client-facing dimension: Leading law firms will focus on delivering effortless experiences that reduce the amount of friction involved in accessing legal services.

Feb 1, 2017 1:50 AM CST

Software helps assemble social media posts from a specific event or point in time

Before he became a trial lawyer (and an advocate on behalf of the wrongfully convicted), Sean MacDonald in Toronto worked as a private investigator. His experiences on both sides of the coin taught him all too well how time-consuming and expensive it could be to locate eyewitnesses months or years after the fact.

Feb 1, 2017 1:40 AM CST