Practice Technology

The future of e-learning is here

Ari Kaplan spoke with Steve Gluckman, founder and CEO of LawFirmElearning, a provider of customized, on-demand learning for the legal industry. He is the author of E-learning for Law Firms, published by the American Bar Association in 2006, and a former senior fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Business and Government.

Nov 30, 2018 7:00 AM CST

O’Melveny will use online games to evaluate potential summer associates

O’Melveny & Myers will be evaluating potential summer associates through online games that measure traits such as effort, attention, planning, memory and flexibility. O’Melveny is using the games developed by neuroscientists at a company called Pymetrics, according to a press release and an American Lawyer article. O’Melveny is building its…

Nov 21, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Hate missing deadlines? Here’s what you ought to know about court-rules-based calendaring software

For lawyers—and especially litigators—deadlines are the bane of their existence. Whether it’s statutes of limitations, filing or discovery deadlines, the ebb and flow of lawyers’ days is controlled by upcoming due dates, both near and far removed in time.

Nov 20, 2018 7:00 AM CST

The confessions of a legal technophobe

I wish to share my thoughts about a significant problem stressing many of our more senior colleagues in practice these days. Though there are several, I am talking about what I found to be a high stressor, namely the demon of rapidly changing technology. In 1974, I was called to…

Nov 20, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Computer science programs need to teach the law

During the last few years, the pendulum has swung against internet-enabled technology companies. Once heralded as great equalizers and modernizers, the consequences—intended or otherwise—of these companies are under full review. In response to criticism, academic, corporate and non-profit ethics projects and programs have cropped up in an attempt to give computer science some humanity.

Nov 19, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Legal tech company Elevate Services acquires data analysis company LexPredict

Legal consulting and technology company Elevate Services has bought data analysis and consulting company LexPredict. The companies announced the acquisition in a joint statement on Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed. According to Pratik Patel, vice president of innovation at Elevate, the two companies had been working together for over a…

Nov 16, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Make room for chatbots at your firm, LawDroid founder says

Chatbots have a place in a law office, says legal chatbot creator Tom Martin, because they can handle busy work that eats up precious time in a lawyer’s day.

Nov 14, 2018 6:00 AM CST

How can we reform legal education? Try spotlighting the outcomes

I am happy to be back after an unexpected hiatus because of a summer car accident. The silver lining is that with more time came additional research and conversations about the topic of reshaping our legal profession. Below are some of the responses to my July article, which led me…

Nov 9, 2018 8:15 AM CST

Any piece of technology that stores information could be compromised—even obsolete devices that get thrown out with the garbage

Affinity Health Plan failed to consider copy machines as a potential security risk, costing the company over $1.2 million in a civil penalty. The settlement also required the company to expend resources to retrieve the machines, conduct a risk assessment and implement a new security plan.

Nov 1, 2018 1:10 AM CDT

With the rise of cryptocurrency, estate lawyers caution that it shouldn’t be treated like any other asset

A full immersion into cryptocurrency is a good first step for other estate-planning lawyers wishing to break into the space.

Nov 1, 2018 1:05 AM CDT

With new rules, legally fixing consumer electronics just got easier

Late last week, the Librarian of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office filed new rules that would give consumers unprecedented legal authority to fix their own consumer electronics. “We’re very happy, ecstatic actually,” Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of the Repair Association, told the ABA Journal. “It’s an expanded opportunity to…

Oct 30, 2018 11:40 AM CDT

Caselaw Access Project gives free access to 360 years of American court cases

A major project digitizing court cases launched Monday, making available 6.4 million American cases dating back to 1658. The Caselaw Access Project—a partnership between Harvard Law School’s Library Innovation Lab and the legal research company Ravel Law—spent the last three years digitizing 627 reporters for a total of 40 million…

Oct 30, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Rethink your law firm’s IT disaster recovery strategy

Information technology-related disasters are among the biggest contributors to long-term business disruption for law firms. Major data breaches that shut down entire systems, natural disasters that physically destroy data centers and purposeful cyberattacks threaten a law firm’s business continuity.

Oct 30, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Check out some secure communication and collaboration tools for lawyers

Regular communication with clients is one key to effective legal representation. Clients have to be regularly apprised of the status of their cases, and lawyers have an ethical obligation to do so.

Oct 26, 2018 6:30 AM CDT

Fastcase acquires legal news company Law Street Media

Legal research company Fastcase has purchased Law Street Media, a legal news site, marking an entrance into the media market.

Oct 25, 2018 9:06 AM CDT