Technology

Search engines not liable for translating sham addresses into map pinpoints, opinion says

A federal appeals court has ruled that federal law protects online search engines from liability when they translate information from sham websites into pinpoints on a map. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo were protected by Section 230 of…

Jun 12, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Avvo founder unwinds as he thinks about the next step

Mark Britton, the former CEO and founder of the attorney ratings site Avvo, is taking a break. But he has some business development advice for the profession, he tells the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward.

Jun 12, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

France bans publishing of judicial analytics and prompts criminal penalty

France has banned the publication of judge analytics, and breaking this law carries up to five years in prison. The new Article 33 of the Justice Reform Act reads: “No personally identifiable data concerning judges or court clerks may be subject to any reuse with the purpose or result of…

Jun 7, 2019 12:51 PM CDT

Military prosecutor accused of tracking defense lawyers’ emails is tossed from case

A military prosecutor accused of attaching tracking software to emails sent to 13 defense lawyers and paralegals is no longer prosecuting the case of a Navy SEAL. A military judge in San Diego, Capt. Aaron Rugh, removed Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak from the case Monday, report the New York Times, the…

Jun 4, 2019 11:00 AM CDT

Virus leads to takedown of city’s court system website and e-filing

Philadelphia’s court system website and e-filing have been shut down since May 21 to safeguard against a virus found on a limited number of computers. Law firms are going old-school, using couriers and paper to file lawsuits and other court documents, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The website takedown has made…

Jun 3, 2019 2:49 PM CDT

Vermont’s new consumer protection law could be a harbinger for tech industry

In Vermont, prioritizing online consumer protection means shining a light on the shadowy world of third-party data brokers. A new state law requires increased standards and transparency of these companies that collect, buy or resell consumer data without having a direct relationship with the consumer.

Jun 1, 2019 12:50 AM CDT

Kirkland & Ellis hires director of well-being and plans apps to help increase resilience

A lawyer who is also a licensed clinical professional counselor is the new firmwide director of well-being at Kirkland & Ellis. The new hire is Robin Belleau, the former executive director of the Lawyers’ Assistance Program in Illinois, according to a press release and stories by the American Lawyer and…

May 31, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

The benefits of 21st-century word processing tools for lawyers

It’s safe to say that the creation of documents is an inescapable part of practicing law. That’s why the invention of word processing software had such a tremendous impact on law firms in terms of both internal processes and cost.

May 23, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Judge says parents may use frozen sperm of deceased cadet son to produce child

The parents of a West Point, New York, cadet who died in a skiing incident can use his preserved sperm as they see fit, including for “procreative purposes,” a New York judge has ruled. Judge John Colangelo of Westchester County ruled last week that he would place no restrictions on…

May 21, 2019 12:56 PM CDT

For law firms on the web, online accessibility for the disabled is good business

As legal services providers update their technology and grow their online footprints, they should build and use technology that is accessible to the broadest number of people, and that also includes people with disabilities.

May 21, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Integration of the legal profession and voice assistants is just a matter of time

Ari Kaplan spoke with Matthew Volm, the co-founder and CEO of Tali, a voice-enabled time capture software tool.

May 17, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

With significant changes, Thomson Reuters wants to be closer to its customers

Thomson Reuters has been through a lot over the past year. After releasing a new AI-enabled research product in July, the company announced it would lay off 3,200 people by 2020, simplified its internal structure, pulled out of major trade shows and sold a majority stake in its Financial &…

May 15, 2019 11:20 AM CDT

San Francisco supervisors vote to ban facial recognition technology by city agencies

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 on Tuesday to ban the use of facial recognition software by police and city agencies. One more vote, considered a formality, will be taken before the ordinance moves to the mayor for a signature. The San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times and…

May 15, 2019 9:20 AM CDT

Kavanaugh joins with liberals in letting iPhone users sue Apple for alleged monopolistic app prices

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday that iPhone users may sue Apple Inc. for allegedly monopolizing the app market to charge higher-than-competitive prices to consumers.

May 13, 2019 12:11 PM CDT

Should there be a duty of tech competence for judges? Survey raises questions

The ABA added a duty of technology competence to the model ethics rules for lawyers in August 2012, but no such duty has been added to the model rules for judges. So far, 36 states have adopted the technology competence rule, embodied in Comment 8 to Model Rule 1.1 of…

May 10, 2019 4:13 PM CDT