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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 — 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.

 

Is Artificial Intelligence Undermining The Legal System? — from lawyer-monthly.com
Globally recognised artificial intelligence expert Dr Lance Eliot explains how AI is undermining the legal system.

Excerpt:

Well, imagine if I told you that the text messages, the emails, and the video clips were all crafted via the use of AI-based deepfake technologies. None of that seeming “evidence” of wrongdoing or at least inappropriate actions of the prosecutor are real. They certainly look to be real. The texts use the same style of text messaging that the prosecutor normally uses. The emails have the same written style as other emails by the prosecutor.

And, the most damning of the materials, those video clips of the prosecutor, are clearly the face of the prosecutor, and the words spoken are of the same voice as the prosecutor. You might have been willing to assume that the texts and the emails could be faked, but the video seems to be the last straw on the camel’s back. This is the prosecutor caught on video saying things that are utterly untoward in this context. All of that could readily be prepared via the use of today’s AI-based deepfake high-tech.

So, be on the watch for getting AI-based deepfake materials produced about you.

 

US Department of Labor announces availability of $55M in grants to provide pre-release training, employment services to incarcerated people
Funding aims to improve employment opportunities, meet needs of local labor market

WASHINGTON – Each year, state prisons release approximately 573,000 people who need the resources and support to re-enter and find stable employment in their communities successfully.

Pre-release services have proven to help reduce the likelihood that formerly incarcerated people will return to prison and help these individuals fully reintegrate into their communities. To support this effort, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $55 million in Pathway Home 3 Grants that seek to reduce barriers to employment by providing training and employment services to incarcerated individuals before their release from state correctional facilities, or county or local jails. Funds will also support continued comprehensive services post-release.

Authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Pathway Home 3 Grants will fund projects to serve adults convicted under federal, state or local law and who are scheduled for release within 20 to 270 days from the time they enroll in the project.

The department’s Employment and Training Administration will award up to 15 grant projects – ranging from $1 million to $4 million each – to teach returning citizens foundational skills such as job readiness and job search strategies, and to provide apprenticeships and occupational training leading to industry-recognized credentials.

Organizations seeking grants must partner with a state correctional facility or a local or county jail. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with employers, industry organizations or union partners to commit to providing work experience, onsite job-related mentoring and post-release employment opportunities for participants. Successful applicants will provide training that leads to in-demand skills to meet the needs of local employers.

Building on the findings from the Linking Employment Activities Pre-Release implementation study, the grants are designed to help eliminate the time gap between release from prison and enrollment into a workforce development reentry program leading to skills-based employment.

Learn more about the Department of Labor’s Reentry Employment Opportunities program.

 

CT kids have opportunity to learn about state’s legal system in virtual program — from wfsb.com by Ayah Galal

Excerpt:

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Kids in Connecticut have a unique opportunity to learn about the state’s legal system and various social justice issues.

It’s being done in an interactive way by the Kids Court Academy Program.

The hope is to elevate children’s voices and empower them to envision themselves in fields like civil and human rights law.

“If you know how politics works and you know how government works then you can have a voice. You can be a part of the process,” said Cheryl Sharp, Deputy Director at the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

 

The Hidden Role of Facial Recognition Tech in Many Arrests — from wired.com by Khari Johnson
The technology is spreading fast among police, and often wrong. But people charged with crimes are rarely told an algorithm came into play.

Excerpt:

Across most of the US, neither police nor prosecutors are required to disclose when facial recognition is used to identify a criminal suspect. Defense attorneys say that puts them at a disadvantage: They can’t challenge potential problems with facial recognition technology if they don’t know it was used. It also raises questions of equity, since studies have shown that facial recognition systems are more likely to misidentify people who are not white men, including people with dark skin, women, and young people.

 

TurnSignl wins ABA Techshow 2022’s Startup Alley competition — from abajournal.com

Excerpt:

TurnSignl, an app that helps drivers record roadside interactions with law enforcement and immediately access lawyers via videoconferencing, won the Startup Alley pitch competition at the ABA Techshow 2022 on Wednesday evening.

“Our mission is simple and three pronged: It’s to protect drivers’ civil rights, to de-escalate roadside interactions and third, and most importantly, ensure every driver and law enforcement officer returns home safe at the end of the day,” said Jazz Hampton, the CEO and general counsel at TurnSignl.

 

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.

 

The best lighting for video conferencing, according to experts— from blog.webex.com

A home office lighting setup for video conferencing.

Contents:

  • What is the best lighting for video conferencing?
  • Where should the light be for a video call?
  • What kind of lighting is best for video meetings?
  • What are the best lighting products for a video conference?
  • What is the best lighting for video conferencing on-the-go?
  • Good lighting means good communication:
 

Want to leave law? Here are some alternative careers to consider — from abovethelaw.com by Wendi Weiner
Your law degree does not limit you but rather expands career and business opportunities for you.

Excerpt:

Nearly six years ago, I wrote an article in the Huffington Post about how I used my law degree to get out of law. It became one of my most-read articles to date, as I transparently discussed my feelings about practicing law (the things I resented versus the things that I loved about it), the emotions I felt about staying versus leaving, and how I made a successful exit.

One thing I emphasized in the article was the notion that your law degree is invaluable to the business world and there is life after law. Each week, I receive multiple emails from readers of my column about how they can make the leap while leveraging the power of their law degree.

 

Metaverse and the practice of law (Part II) — from abovethelaw.com by Ken Crutchfield
In the Metaverse, many rules that will govern interaction will be defined by terms and conditions in the contract signed to participate on a Metaverse platform.

Excerpt:

We could see more business applications emerge as well. Telemedicine might be an example. Could an MRI be analyzed in real time by a doctor in another state? Would someone trust a specialist in a particular type of cancer to perform laser surgery from thousands of miles away? There is already precedence for remote surgery, so the possibilities may not be that far off.

Overall, what we can expect to see is the Metaverse’s increasing ability to enable virtual transactions and experiences that we had not previously thought possible — and the world of legal technology may be no exception.

 

Accelerated Digital Skills and the ‘Bootcamp Boom’. — from holoniq.com
The market for accelerated digital skills is stepping up to a whole new level. Bootcamps, among others, are evolving rapidly to meet the opportunity.

Excerpt:

Tech Bootcamps re-skilled and up-skilled over 100,000 professionals globally in 2021, up from less than 20,000 in 2015. We expect this number to reach over 380,000 by 2025 representing over $3B of expenditure with significant upside as tech up-skilling models and modes overlap and converge. Governments, employers, universities and colleges everywhere are embracing rapid, high ROI training to build capacity in software, marketing, cyber and tech sales to drive their economies and growth.

Also from holoniq.com, see:

Also relevant/see:

 

The US Copyright Office says an AI can’t copyright its art — from theverge.com by Adi Robertson; resource via Sam DeBrule’s Machine Learnings newsletter

Excerpt:

The US Copyright Office has rejected a request to let an AI copyright a work of art. Last week, a three-person board reviewed a 2019 ruling against Steven Thaler, who tried to copyright a picture on behalf of an algorithm he dubbed Creativity Machine. The board found that Thaler’s AI-created image didn’t include an element of “human authorship” — a necessary standard, it said, for protection.

Also, along the lines of emerging technologies and the legal realm, see:

Law Firms Turn to AI to Vet Recruits, Despite Bias Concerns — from news.bloomberglaw.com by Erin Mulvaney and Chris Opfer; resource also via Sam DeBrule

Excerpt:

Law firms struggling to expand candidate pools and diversify workforces are turning to AI for help, even as regulators scrutinize the technology to ensure it doesn’t exacerbate biases rather than lessen them. A law set to take effect in New York City next year will limit the use of the technology in hiring and require that employers test recruiting algorithms for bias, while the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is taking a closer look at the tools.

 

 
 

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.

 
© 2024 | Daniel Christian