legal reform

The Pandemic Transitioned the Legal Industry Into the Digital Age [Vanetik]

On 04/11/2022, in A/V -- audio/visual, Access to Justice (A2J), game-changing environment, law schools, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

The Pandemic Transitioned the Legal Industry Into the Digital Age — from by Yuri Vanetik
Covid-19 forced businesses and social interactions to rely on technology because of social distancing rules exacerbated by fear. The legal industry, being no exception, was forced to embrace technology, shedding unnecessary ritual and processes. The result became a more efficient industry, where client interests trump anachronistic conventions.

Excerpt:

Much has changed in the world of commerce since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The legal industry, a notorious stalwart, made a substantial leap, foregoing antiquated ritual-driven practices for technology-driven efficiency.

Technology and focus on the client, rather than wasteful processes, has become the new benchmark for lawyers who understand their business clients’ result-oriented expectations. The vast implementation of technology is the driving force in this pandemic paradigm. This modernization isn’t a mere facelift, but a restructuring of legal practice, including a major shift from a lawyer-centric to client-centric business dynamic.

Also relevant/see:

University of Missouri School of Law to offer free virtual legal consultation for veterans — from kttn.com
Senior judge urges Md. courts to keep virtual access beyond pandemic — from washingtonpost.comby Katie Mettler

Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court

On 04/11/2022, in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, society, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I realize I’m late with this, but I did insert it in my 4-7-22 posting and wanted to report it here as well. This is great news for the United States. I hope it is a major shot in the arm for diversifying the legal field.

Law firms are entering the metaverse, here’s why [Cline]+ several other law-related items

On 04/07/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), emerging technologies, future, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Metaverse, Microsoft, podcasting, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Law firms are entering the metaverse, here’s why — from web3law.center by Meagan Cline

Excerpt:

Lawyers and law firms are increasingly exploring web3 and the metaverse. The technology is here and likely will only become a greater part of our society. Therefore, lawyers must at least consider how their operations may need to evolve to meet the growing demand for web3 literate legal services.

Podcasting! Started with @lawyer_stories and just launched a 2nd show with @CTS_Cloud_IT called Shaped for Law. Check out both to get some great legal insight!

— Jared Russell (@notjaredrussell) March 31, 2022

The first episode of the #ShapedforLaw podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, and more.

To learn more and see show notes, follow this link: https://t.co/6RrdSduWOI #LegalIT #podcast #legaltech pic.twitter.com/uqXHpB0ZMJ

— CTS (@CTS_Cloud_IT) March 31, 2022

In this episode, David Aird talks;

Diversity and Inclusion
Social Mobility in Legal IT
Security Matters and Cyber-threats
Technology as the Answer
Artificial Intelligence and the Future

HUGE NEWS!

This Week’s Latest Additions to the LawNext Legal Technology Directory — from legaltechmonitor.com by Bob Ambrogi

Photo Geotagging for Lawyers — from legaltechmonitor.com by Jim Calloway

How to automate your law office — from lawtechnologytoday.org

New Microsoft Study Reveals Work Changes: We Aren’t Going Back — from legaltechmonitor.com by Stephen Embry

https://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2022/03/top-5-benefits-of-a-virtual-law-practice/

Reimagining Law: Embracing the Power of ‘No’ (Part 1) — from legaltechmonitor.com by 2civility

Reimagining Law: Embracing the Power of ‘No’ (Part 2) — from legaltechmonitor.com by 2civility

JUSTICE IN A CHANGING WORLD 2021 | ANNUAL REPORT — from iaals.du.edu

Another State Adopts Duty of Technology Competence for Lawyers, Bringing Total to 40 — from legaltechmonitor.com by Bob Ambrogi

IAALS Launches Allied Legal Professionals in an Effort to Increase Access to Quality Legal Services and Help Reduce Barriers to Representation — from iaals.du.edu by Kelsey Montague

Excerpt:

IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced today that it is launching Allied Legal Professionals. With generous support from the Sturm Family Foundation, this project seeks to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals nationally—to increase the options for accessible and affordable legal help for the public.

Up and down the income scale, the legal needs of people in this country are going unmet. The inability to afford a lawyer, among other factors, has led to ballooning rates of self-representation in our justice system, with over 70 percent of civil and family cases including a party without a lawyer. People in these situations are not only facing life-altering challenges such as child custody hearings or landlord/tenant issues alone—they also face disproportionately bad outcomes in their cases.

Addendums on 4/8/22:

Gary Sangha L’03 on Opportunities for Legal Tech Entrepreneurs in a Changing Legal Landscape — from law.upenn.edu
Be It Resolved: Make the Most of the Tools We Have — from law.upenn.edu by Glenn Rawdon

Ontario Bar Association backs proposed guidelines for remote court hearings [Eñano]

On 04/06/2022, in Canada, game-changing environment, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

Ontario Bar Association backs proposed guidelines for remote court hearings — from lawtimesnews.com by Katrina Eñano

Excerpt:

According to the OBA, resorting to remote hearings can promote efficiency and cost-effectiveness and ensure the appropriate allocation of judicial resources.
…

In addition, the OBA provided a list of matters that should presumptively proceed remotely. These matters include:

- Procedural matters, chambers appointments, and scheduling appearances;
- Pre-trials;
- Short motions or applications;
- Motions that do not require witness attendance and are comprised of argument by counsel only;
- Summary trials.

Also relevant/see:

Lawyers increasingly concerned about interplay between virtual and in-person court operations — from lawtimesnews.com by Annabel Oromoni

Excerpt:

As civil proceedings prepare to return to in-person hearings for discoveries, mandatory mediations, and trials, litigation lawyer Eric Sherkin says lawyers are wondering about the interplay of online and in-person arguments.

Certain hearings like pre-trials and case conferences will remain remote but how it works in practice beyond that is still unknown, Sherkin says.

All parties can agree to a virtual hearing, but “how often will all counsel say, ‘let’s agree to do this on Zoom,’ or will there be fights where five lawyers want to proceed on Zoom, and one insists on doing it in person?”

The Wild World of NFTs [Kennedy & Mighell]

On 03/30/2022, in 21st century, copyright/ownership/NFTs, emerging technologies, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

The Wild World of NFTs — from legaltalknetwork.com by Dennis Kennedy & Tom Mighell

Description of podcast:

What are non-fungible tokens, and why should you care? Dennis & Tom break down the definition of these unique digital objects (art, video, and much more) and outline the issues surrounding their current hype and value in the real world. NFTs have the potential to engage a surprising variety of legal angles, so lawyers in any area of the law need an understanding of this new trend in virtual property.

Later on, the guys chat about the established tradition of tech announcements and whether they are still necessary or useful for consumers.

What is Legal Tech, and How Is It Changing the Legal Industry? — from startup.info

Excerpt:

Legal technology is a branch of technological innovation that targets and affects the legal sector specifically. The considerable pace of new invention in tech sectors – bolstered by government investment in UK-based innovation and growth – has highlighted some avenues of innovation that could change the face of the legal profession, streamlining judicial processes and helping firms during discovery.

However, in concert with the rapid pace of new technology that benefits legal practise, the technology’s legal implications are also being raised. With a technological landscape that has far outstripped the remit of conventional law, demand for technology lawyers has increased to enable businesses and lawmakers to navigate new tech possibilities.

Four Important Technology Trends for Law Firms in 2022 — from jdsupra.com

Excerpt:

It is easy to say (two years now into the pandemic) that COVID-19 changed the legal profession forever. After a massive shift in 2020 and 2021 to working and conducting court proceedings remotely, with the help of many remote technologies, many legal professionals may wonder what lies ahead from a technology standpoint. After such a dramatic shift, are there even more disruptions to embrace?

The answer is yes! The world turns, technology keeps evolving, and so too will the legal services industry. Below are predictions of technology trends that will continue to be important in 2022 and help shape the industry in the years ahead.

With RemoteDepo™ by U.S. Legal Support, everyone can participate in a remote deposition and interact as if they were in the same conference room. With an internet connection and webcam-equipped device, you can communicate in realtime, observe witness body language and seamlessly facilitate questioning.

How Legal AI Technology Adoption Leads to Real-World Results — from jdsupra.com

Excerpt:

Contracting is just one area where in-house lawyers and legal ops professionals are seeing real-world results by implementing AI. As innovation continues to disrupt the legal tech world, AI is being introduced into nearly every aspect of practice and business. But now, AI has evolved beyond a buzzword to provide meaningful – and impactful – results.

Ironclad’s New Connect Tool ‘Cuts Contracting Time By 40% — from artificiallawyer.com

Excerpt:

CLM Ironclad has launched a new tool called Connect, which creates a centralised view of the contracting process for all parties and, they claim, can reduce contract completion times by over 40% – which is a lot whether you are a busy inhouser, or a law firmer on the billable hour.

The new capability allows you to store all communications about a deal in one place, ‘even attachments and months-long email threads’ and allows you to keep everyone involved in negotiating a contract ‘in the loop’.

“The Moment to Lead is Now” + “Mike Avery on the Power of Human-Centered Design” [Penn Law’s Future of the Profession Initiative]

On 03/11/2022, in design, future, future of higher education, law schools, leadership, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

Penn Law -- Law 2030 graphic

The Moment to Lead is Now — from law.upenn.edu

Excerpts:

Why Now?
If lawyers are leading every day, why am I making a call to action that the time to lead is now? Because the demands of legal work have changed and the attitude towards the workplace have shifted.

The demands of the profession have changed and increased
The shift in attitudes towards work has opened an opportunity to upgrade how we lead in the law

From these conversations, I took away some fundamentals of how lawyers can step up and lead more effectively from wherever they are.

Mike Avery on the Power of Human-Centered Design

Excerpt:

On this episode, Mike explains the concept of human-centered design, compares healthcare redesign with legal services redesign, and shares why he’s optimistic about the future of higher education.

ABA TECHSHOW 2022: Modernizing Court Technology with Judge Scott Schlegel [legaltalknetwork.com]

On 03/09/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, podcasting, society, telelegal, United States, user experience (UX), Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

ABA TECHSHOW 2022: Modernizing Court Technology with Judge Scott Schlegel — from legaltalknetwork.com
Judge Scott Schlegel shares essential technology tips for facilitating virtual court.

Description of podcast:

As the pandemic necessitated major tech innovations in the legal system, courts had to work hard to facilitate the continuance of justice. Host Joe Patrice chats with Judge Scott Schlegel about the process of moving to virtual proceedings, how they’re doing now, and what tech was most helpful along the way.

HERE ARE THE 15 LEGAL TECH WINNERS OF THE 2022 ABA TECHSHOW STARTUP ALLEY COMPETITION

On 03/02/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, data related items, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, experimentation, game-changing environment, ideas, innovation, law schools, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

RESULTS ARE IN: HERE ARE THE 15 LEGAL TECH WINNERS OF THE 2022 ABA TECHSHOW STARTUP ALLEY COMPETITION — from techshow.com

Excerpts:

After nearly 32,000 votes, the results are in. Readers have been voting to select the 15 legal technology startups that will get to participate in the sixth-annual Startup Alley at ABA TECHSHOW 2022, taking place March 2-5, 2022.

These 15 will face off in an opening night pitch competition that will be the opening event of this year’s TECHSHOW, with the conference’s attendees voting to pick the top winner. The first-place winner gets a package of marketing and advertising prizes.
…
Here are the winners in order of their vote tallies. The descriptions were provided by each company.

Meet The Secretive Surveillance Wizards Helping The FBI And ICE Wiretap Facebook And Google Users [Brewster]

On 02/27/2022, in Apple, Facebook / Meta Platforms, Google, law schools, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, platforms, privacy, society, the downsides of how people use tech, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Meet The Secretive Surveillance Wizards Helping The FBI And ICE Wiretap Facebook And Google Users — from forbes.com by Thomas Brewster
A small Nebraska company is helping law enforcement around the world spy on users of Google, Facebook and other tech giants. A secretly recorded presentation to police reveals how deeply embedded in the U.S. surveillance machine PenLink has become.

Excerpts:

PenLink might be the most pervasive wiretapper you’ve never heard of.
…
With $20 million revenue every year from U.S. government customers such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and almost every other law enforcement agency in the federal directory, PenLink enjoys a steady stream of income. That doesn’t include its sales to local and state police, where it also does significant business but for which there are no available revenue figures. Forbes viewed contracts across the U.S., including towns and cities in California, Florida, Illinois, Hawaii, North Carolina and Nevada.

Telehealth…then telelegal.

On 02/26/2022, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Access to Justice (A2J), accessibility / UDL, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), colleges, communications, community colleges, experimentation, future, health, higher education, ideas, IT in HE, K-12 related, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, new business models, participation, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, society, student-related, surviving, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, trends, United States, universities, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

The doctor is in—the video call — from mckinsey.com

Excerpt:

More patients than ever were willing to try virtual health services after COVID-19 emerged. Last year, the use of telehealth care was 38 times higher than prepandemic levels, as appointments such as follow-ups could easily be delivered remotely. A recent McKinsey survey shows that up to $265 billion in Medicare spending could shift to patients’ homes by 2025, with greater physician participation in the transition from telehealth to at-home care.

From facility to home: How healthcare could shift by 2025 — from mckinsey.com by Oleg Bestsennyy, Michelle Chmielewski, Anne Koffel, and Amit Shah

Also see the other charts via their daily chart feature:

Using Telehealth to Expand Student Access to Care — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Renee Kotsopoulo, director of health services for the Garland ISD in Texas, helped bring telehealth to her students and believes technology can help keep kids healthy and in school.

Can Teletherapy Companies Ease the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? — from chronicle.com by Kate Hidalgo Bellows

From DSC:
Telehealth has been booming during the pandemic. I think telelegal will ride on the coattails of telehealth.

‘Human-in-the-loop’ solutions will comprise 30% of new legal tech automation by 2025: Gartner [Saddleton]

On 02/19/2022, in 21st century, Asia, Australia, innovation, law schools, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

‘Human-in-the-loop’ solutions will comprise 30% of new legal tech automation by 2025: Gartner — from thelawyermag.com/au/ by Lucy Saddleton

Excerpt:

“There’s little question that growth in legal work is outstripping growth in legal headcount, and on the surface, this can make advanced automation solutions appear very attractive to legal leaders,” said Zack Hutto, director, advisory in the Gartner Legal & Compliance practice. “The question is whether the legal department has the capabilities required to customize and configure advanced machine learning systems, which will be needed to enable them to handle the unique scenarios and frequent exceptions that come about in this type of work.”

Legal work is outstripping growth in legal headcount

Six law-related items

On 02/17/2022, in change, changing business models, communications, communities of practice, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, United States, by Daniel Christian

After years of writing about the launches of other companies’ #legaltech products, I am proud to announce one of my own: the LawNext Legal Technology Directory, which we hope will become the market’s most trusted source for finding and evaluating products. https://t.co/ABavTdolQ1 pic.twitter.com/Yd7d3V5v7i

— Bob Ambrogi (@bobambrogi) February 15, 2022

Utah’s Certified Advocates Partners Program Made Possible by Regulatory Sandbox — from iaals.du.edu by Maddie Hosack

Excerpt:

In Utah, victims of domestic violence and stalking no longer have to navigate the process of obtaining a protective order alone.

For individuals who cannot afford or otherwise don’t want to hire a lawyer, victim advocates are able to tell victims which protective order to apply for, how to correctly fill out forms, and what they should expect in court. This legal advice was solely the purview of lawyers before Utah’s regulatory sandbox opened, and fortunately, victim advocates are now permitted to provide this critical help.

Text-Message Reminders from Courts Could Become the Norm in Colorado — from legaltechmonitor.com by Maddie Hosack

Remote Work Helps Law Firms Recruit And Retain Talent — from abovethelaw.com by Jordan Rothman
Even attorneys who have worked in the legal profession for years or decades may not wish to apply for a job with strict in-person work expectations.

Why Practice Management Software Is Now Table Stakes For Law Firms — from abovethelaw.com
You, too, can be working less and making more. Here’s how. In this episode, Jared Correia welcomes five guests to discuss case management software in the legal space: Joshua Lenon from Clio, Dr. Cain Elliott from FileVine, Matt Spiegel from Lawmatics, Tomas Suros from AbacusNext, and Karrtik Rao from Moxtra.

Excerpt:

The group discusses the most compelling feature-based arguments for adopting case management software (8:09). Then, they talk about how law practice management better connects lawyers and staff (19:38). They also cover how law practice management software can implement lead management features (27:31), before finishing up by reviewing how case management software can be used to leverage workflows (30:46).

The DOJ’s new crypto enforcement team has a boss — from protocol.com by Benjamin Pimentel
Veteran prosecutor Eun Young Choi will lead the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team

A Legal Minority Report [Mack]

On 02/07/2022, in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), career development, design, law schools, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, by Daniel Christian

A Legal Minority Report — from abovethelaw.com by Olga V. Mack
Each of the following is a viable and exciting career path for anyone passionate about the law.

Excerpt:

This means it takes a firm stance against legalese, trying to make contracts engaging and readable — something that they rarely are. The creativity of legal design allows for infographics and “cheat sheets” of terms and terminology, using language with which the “audience” is familiar. It is a revolutionary approach to the law.

Learning Ecosystems

The Pandemic Transitioned the Legal Industry Into the Digital Age [Vanetik]

Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court

Ontario Bar Association backs proposed guidelines for remote court hearings [Eñano]

The Wild World of NFTs [Kennedy & Mighell]

“The Moment to Lead is Now” + “Mike Avery on the Power of Human-Centered Design” [Penn Law’s Future of the Profession Initiative]

ABA TECHSHOW 2022: Modernizing Court Technology with Judge Scott Schlegel [legaltalknetwork.com]

Meet The Secretive Surveillance Wizards Helping The FBI And ICE Wiretap Facebook And Google Users [Brewster]

‘Human-in-the-loop’ solutions will comprise 30% of new legal tech automation by 2025: Gartner [Saddleton]

Six law-related items

A Legal Minority Report [Mack]

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