Practice Technology

Want to unsend that email? Two Harvard law students offer a way to do it

Ever wished you could unsend an email? It’s now possible, and text of an email that’s already been sent can even be edited under some circumstances. Two Harvard Law School students have launched a free Pluto Mail service, presently in a beta stage, that allows users to unsend email. The…

Apr 24, 2014 3:25 PM CDT

People looking for a lawyer are turning to the Internet first, survey finds

Once upon a time, the first thing that an overwhelming majority of people in need of legal representation would do is turn to relatives or friends for personal referrals. Some would consult the Yellow Pages or the local bar association, while only a small handful would use the Internet before…

Apr 21, 2014 8:17 PM CDT

Smartphone makers to offer ‘kill switch’ next year; some lawmakers say that isn’t enough

Amidst efforts by lawmaker to require a “kill switch” allowing owners to remotely delete data and deactivate smartphones after a theft, major makers are providing an voluntary alternative. All smartphones they manufacture after July 2015 will offer consumers the option of turning on a kill switch, reports the San Francisco…

Apr 16, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

These legal websites had the Heartbleed security flaw

The Heartbleed security flaw has affected several websites popular with lawyers. Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites identifies several afflicted websites. They include Box and Dropbox, two document-sharing sites popular with lawyers. The legal websites that were affected include Mootus, Estate Map, MyCase and CLIO, all of which say they have patched the…

Apr 14, 2014 3:51 PM CDT

Botched e-discovery can be an ethics violation, proposed opinion says

A proposed ethics opinion says California’s duty of competence requires lawyers to have a basic understanding of e-discovery issues and could require greater technical knowledge in certain cases. The proposed opinion (PDF) by the California State Bar’s Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct says lawyers without the necessary competence…

Apr 14, 2014 10:50 AM CDT

How this personal injury firm is using Google Glass to get a leg up

Two personal injury lawyers at the Phoenix office of Fennemore Craig are sharing Google Glass with their clients because they believe it can help them win cases by offering a different view of the evidence. Lawyers James Goodnow and Marc Lamber have equipped several business and personal-injury clients with Google…

Apr 7, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Lawyers choose their favorites for ‘60 Sites in 60 Minutes’

One of the most popular ABA Techshow sessions is the traditional conference closer: “60 Sites in 60 Minutes.” And as a near-capacity crowd inside the Continental Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton marked the end of Techshow on Saturday, in rapid succession, a four-person panel consisting of outgoing Techshow chairwoman Natalie…

Apr 1, 2014 3:22 PM CDT

Women are squarely in the picture where law and technology combine

When Alison Monahan, founder of the Girl's Guide to Law School website, went to a high-profile legal technology conference last year in Silicon Valley, she noticed something missing on the roster of speakers: women.

"There was really only one woman speaking the entire day," she says. "I thought, 'Really? That's the best you can do?' "

That day she and some other female audience members decided to form an online group called Law Tech Ladies to cater to the small-but-growing number of women in the blossoming field where law and technology intersect.

Apr 1, 2014 10:40 AM CDT

Lawyers’ definitions of virtual practice vary, but not when it comes to finding success

Talk about a classic dinghy-among-the-battleships dilemma: Large law firms are lurching toward even greater mass every year. In 2013, and for the first time, the National Law Journal 250 list of the nation’s largest firms included two breaking the 4,000-lawyer barrier. Three more had more than 2,000 lawyers, and an…

Apr 1, 2014 10:30 AM CDT

ReInvent Law’s message is change for the client’s benefit

Lawyers need to embrace technology, can’t be afraid to try new things, and must focus primarily on improving their clients’ experience. Those were the main takeaways from the ReInvent Law conference held in New York City in February. More than 800 lawyers, academics, business owners, students and others in the…

Apr 1, 2014 8:20 AM CDT

The venerable Martindale-Hubbell says it’s still viable, vital

We’re far from dead. That’s the shorthand response from the president of Martindale.com, Rod Stoddard, to questions about how much life remains in the legal stalwart Martindale-Hubbell after it became the subject of a joint venture between LexisNexis and Internet Brands in August 2013. The “Is it breathing?” chatter began…

Apr 1, 2014 8:10 AM CDT

Catch up with tech or lose your career, judges warn lawyers

Federal judges are becoming much more sophisticated about technology—and they’re growing increasingly impatient with attorneys who are failing to keep up. Indeed, U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis of New York’s Southern District—one of a panel of four “cyberstar” federal judges who spoke on the future of law and technology…

Apr 1, 2014 8:00 AM CDT

Cloud-based e-discovery can mean big savings for smaller firms

Smaller law firms may be able to save a significant amount of money by ‘renting’ e-discovery applications in the cloud rather than bringing a full-fledged hardware and software solution in-house. “Only a few years ago, e-discovery in the cloud wasn’t even available,” said Gareth Evans, an Irvine, Calif.-based partner at…

Apr 1, 2014 7:40 AM CDT

Law bloggers sum up their time spent offline and face-to-face at Techshow

As usual, legal bloggers attended and presented at ABA Techshow in force—and often, they shared key information and their own thoughts online after all was said and done. For the fifth year, LexThink.1—which gathers speakers for six-minute presentations around a central law practice theme—took place on the eve of Techshow.…

Mar 31, 2014 6:15 PM CDT

What were the most important product announcements at Techshow?

ABA Techshow is a great place to reconnect with old friends, make new business contacts and stay on top of cutting edge trends in the legal technology realm. It’s also a great place to unveil or make announcements about products (and you don’t even have to be at Techshow to…

Mar 31, 2014 5:40 PM CDT