Practice Technology

The judgment machine: How algorithmic software won me over

You’d think that lawyers would be attracted to written rules. Last post, I drew the link between our mental shortcuts and the operation of computer algorithms. In many instances, algorithms are simply the formalization, codification, and accumulation of rules that human beings have derived through experience and our natural facility…

Jul 28, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Judge rules bitcoin isn’t money, tosses money laundering charges

A Miami judge has found that bitcoin isn’t the same as money and tossed criminal charges against a man accused of selling $1,500 worth of the virtual currency to undercover agents. Judge Teresa Mary Pooler ruled (PDF) on Monday that bitcoin isn’t money, the Miami Herald reports. As a result,…

Jul 26, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Can a 3D fingerprint unlock a smartphone? Computer science professor gives it a try

A computer science and engineering professor at Michigan State University is trying to help police unlock the cellphone of a murdered man in hopes it can provide clues about the perpetrator. Police in Michigan are asking the professor, Anil Jain, to unlock the iPhone with a 3D replica of the…

Jul 25, 2016 9:30 AM CDT

Lawyers, the algorithms are better than you (at some things)

One of the joys of watching amazing lawyers at work is how quickly they get to the heart of the matter. Five minutes with an experienced partner can be worth 500 hours of associate time not only because of the accumulated knowledge but because of the attendant know-how. They are…

Jul 21, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Microsoft doesn’t have to give prosecutors emails stored on servers in Ireland, 2nd Circuit says

Emails of a Microsoft customer that are stored exclusively on a server in Ireland are beyond the reach of domestic search warrants issued under a 1986 federal law, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Microsoft on Thursday in a…

Jul 14, 2016 2:06 PM CDT

‘Analytics for Dumm ...’ eh, lawyers

Just because we do something all the time does not mean we are good at it. The internet, for example, has recently informed me that I don’t know the right way to tie my shoes, use a kitchen knife, or eat Chinese takeout. I’ve been doing these things most of…

Jul 14, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Artificial intelligence in the legal profession should be regulated, op-ed argues

Lawyers using artificial intelligence technology have an ethical obligation to spot mistakes and recognize anomalies. But how can the public be protected when using the technology for legal services? The answer is regulation of artificial intelligence in legal services, according to an op-ed by Hinshaw Culbertson partner Wendy Wen Yun…

Jul 14, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

FBI didn’t need warrant to use malware to find visitors to child-porn website, judge rules

Hacking is so prevalent that a man charged with child pornography had no expectation of privacy for his home computer’s identifying information, a federal judge in Virginia ruled late last month. The June 23 decision (PDF) by U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan Jr. of Norfolk held that the FBI…

Jul 8, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Using worker’s password to access info at former workplace is illegal hacking, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled that using a former assistant’s password to access information from a previous employer is hacking that is banned by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Tuesday that former Korn/Ferry employee David Nosal violated…

Jul 6, 2016 2:54 PM CDT

Legal aid agencies are using webchat to answer queries

South Australia is big—and empty. With almost 1.7 million residents (the vast majority in its capital city of Adelaide) spread over 379,725 square miles, the state's size makes it hard for the 40 attorneys at the Legal Services Commission of South Australia to be everywhere. Some residents are 800 miles from one of the public legal aid organization's seven brick-and-mortar offices.

Jul 1, 2016 1:50 AM CDT

Document-scanning firms can save lawyers money and space

Coleman Watson has an almost paperless law office. He achieved the near-zero-paper state when starting a solo (now two-lawyer) practice in Orlando, Florida, by digitizing all practice-related documents he had from his previous work with a bigger firm.

Jul 1, 2016 1:30 AM CDT

Celebrity divorce lawyer says hacking fears are partly why her law firm joined Blank Rome

Divorce lawyer Stacy Phillips says she wanted to concentrate on law practice rather than worry about hacking that could compromise the information of her celebrity clients. That concern is partly why Phillips’ four-lawyer boutique law firm, Phillips Lerner, decided to be acquired by Blank Rome, report Law.com, Bloomberg Big Law…

Jun 29, 2016 9:37 AM CDT

10 Questions Live: Keith Porcaro talks about how tech can make it easier to deliver legal services

Keith Porcaro is a web developer-turned-lawyer devising innovative, technology-driven processes to streamline the delivery of government and social services. On Thursday, he talked to the ABA about how his work as head of technology and development and general counsel of SIMLab in Washington, D.C., has helped social service providers with…

Jun 24, 2016 12:03 PM CDT

Tech companies hire law students for internships

Technology companies such as Facebook and Microsoft are hiring law students as summer interns in their legal departments, though the positions aren’t a path to jobs straight out of law school. Pay for the internships ranges from nothing to $7,500 a month, Law.com (sub. req.) reports. Most students in the…

Jun 22, 2016 4:49 PM CDT

Online interactive legal documents would be legal in North Carolina under bill passed by legislature

North Carolina lawmakers have passed a bill that amends the state’s definition of law practice to permit websites that offer interactive legal documents. House Bill 436 (PDF) won unanimous approval last week, ending a long-running dispute with LegalZoom, WRAL reports. The bill was forwarded to Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday,…

Jun 22, 2016 10:38 AM CDT