From DSC:
Seeing the functionality in Freehand — it makes me once again think that we need to use more tools where faculty/staff/students can collaborate with each other REGARDLESS of where they’re coming in to partake in a learning experience (i.e., remotely or physically/locally). This is also true for trainers and employees, teachers and students, as well as in virtual tutoring types of situations. We need tools that offer functionalities that go beyond screen sharing in order to collaborate, design, present, discuss, and create things. (more…)
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
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?”
On 03/17/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, disruption, entrepreneurship, experimentation, game-changing environment, ideas, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Natural Language Processing (NLP), tools, trends, UK, United States, vendors, Virtual courts and law firms, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces,
by Daniel Christian
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’.
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.
On 03/02/2022,
in A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, business, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital video, distance education, education technology, higher education, ideas, instructional design, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, legislatures / government / legal, library / librarians, multimedia, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, tools, United States, universities, using teams, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual K-12 schools, virtual tutoring, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
The best lighting for video conferencing, according to experts— from blog.webex.com
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:
On 02/12/2022,
in 21st century, change, ideas, law schools, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, telelegal, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
RTO [Return To Office] – Will That Drive Partners (yes, partners) to Parachute Into Virtual Firms? — from lawandmore.typepad.com
There are options. One is joining a virtual firm. Another is launching one. To that startup, they can take both fellow partners as well as associates.
From DSC:
Along the lines of change within the legal realm, also see:
- Goodbye Big Law, Hello Fixed Fees + Legal Tech — from artificiallawyer.com
Those differences can be broadly grouped into three main areas: dumping the billable hour; more use and better use of technology when possible; and operating with far lower overheads.
- Reuters Legal News – No Paywall! No Onepass! Customizable Legal News — from legaltechmonitor.com by Jean O’Grady
- What Does The Metaverse Look Like For Law Firms? — from abovethelaw.com by Jared Correia
On 01/28/2022,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, 5G, A/V -- audio/visual, Asia, Augmented Reality (AR), business, change, changing business models, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate / business world, cryptocurrencies, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, innovation, Microsoft, platforms, society, streams of content, technologies for your home, telecommunications, United States, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, wearables, web-based collaboration, workplace, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
Why Wall Street thinks the metaverse will be worth trillions — from fortune.com by Bernhard Warner; resource from Ori Inbar on Twitter
Also from Ori Inbar:
- China’s Big Tech leads in VR and AR patent applications. But China’s metaverse may look different from everyone else’s — from fortune.com by Yvonne Lau
On 12/29/2021,
in 21st century, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, society, telelegal, trends, Virtual courts and law firms,
by Daniel Christian
The Future of Digital Court Reporting — from legaltalknetwork.com by Tony Sirna, Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson
Tony Sirna gives an overview of the evolution of digital court reporting and the improvement it has brought about in court proceedings.
Also see:
Webinar: What NOT to do in 2022. Legal Tech trends to ignore! — from onit.com
Excerpt:
How can you sort the helpful trends from the hype?
Three experts from Buying Legal, Consilio and Onit recently gathered to discuss just that. Together, they explored the current state of legal tech and AI, how corporate legal departments should function as we enter the new year and which current legal trends are better to avoid.
Read on to learn which legal tech trends you might want to pass on as we enter 2022.
On 12/15/2021,
in game-changing environment, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, telelegal, UK, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms,
by Daniel Christian
Virtual law firms see 38% jump in recruitment — from personneltoday.com by Adam McCulloch
Excerpt:
In late 2020, 1,355 lawyers worked for such virtual firms, a number that has risen to 1,875 by autumn of 2021. In 2019, 1,272 worked for such firms.
Also see:
- 8 Ways Lawyers Are Getting Together Online This Year — from jdsupra.com
On 12/09/2021,
in Access to Justice (A2J), Canada, game-changing environment, ideas, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Michigan, podcasting, society, strategy, technology (general), United States, Virtual courts and law firms, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Michigan Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack on the Transformative Possibilities of this Moment — from law.upenn.edu with Michigan Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack
Excerpt:
Bridget Mary McCormack is Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and is a leading voice on modernizing court systems to expand access to justice and deepen public confidence in legal systems.
On this episode, she joins us to share her thoughts on how courts can learn from the experiences COVID-19 has created to better serve the public in a post-pandemic world. She also shares her views on how regulatory reform can transform legal services and why improving legal systems matters for the entire American experiment.
Addendum on 12/13/21:
Ontario Court Lays Down the Law on Technology Competence and Video Proceedings — from legaltechmonitor.com by Bob Ambrogi
An Ontario judge has laid down the law on technology competence, ruling in no uncertain terms that every lawyer has a duty to keep pace with changing technology, and that a lawyer’s discomfort with new technologies — in this case, video depositions — is no excuse for reverting to pre-pandemic methods.
On 12/09/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, assistive technologies, Augmented Reality (AR), corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, digital audio, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, engineering, experimentation, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, interface design, telelegal, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, telepresence, ubiquitous learning, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, vocational / trades, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, wearables, web-based collaboration, XR - extended reality,
by Daniel Christian
Cisco and Google join forces to transform the future of hybrid work — from blog.webex.com by Kedar Ganta
Excerpts:
Webex [on 12/7/21] announced the public preview of its native meeting experience for Glass Enterprise Edition 2 (Glass), a lightweight eye wearable device with a transparent display developed by Google. Webex Expert on Demand on Glass provides an immersive collaboration experience that supports natural voice commands, gestures on touchpad, and head movements to accomplish routine tasks.
On 11/18/2021,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Microsoft, pace of change, trends, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms,
by Daniel Christian
TechReport 2021: Cloud Computing — from lawtechnologytoday.org by Dennis Kennedy; with thanks to Cat Moon for this resource
Excerpt:
The 2021 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report will be important historically because it gives us the first look at how lawyers responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spoiler alert: we did not see anything like the movement to the cloud we expected in 2020. In fact, the 2021 results might be interpreted as another example of lawyers being late arrivals to technologies widely in use in other professions and businesses.
Nonetheless, we still expect the practice of law to be much more cloud-intensive in the near future than it is now, with courts and clients driving many of the changes. Do you think Zoom meetings, online court hearings, and other forms of online collaboration tools will really go away after what we’ve seen in the pandemic?
In the legal profession, it’s still a much different story. Legal is a lagging industry in cloud use. That said, it is still surprising that even in 2021 the reported use of cloud computing in law practice stayed flat or even declined—despite the pandemic and all the news coverage about Zoom meetings and working from home. This result is difficult to comprehend, let alone explain.