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The Great Resignation: The toll taken on the legal field and what comes next [MacDonald]

On 05/18/2022, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), career development, change, changing business models, generational differences, health, Legal operations, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, tools, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The Great Resignation: The toll taken on the legal field and what comes next — from abajournal.com by Thomas MacDonald

Excerpt:

The pandemic has reshaped thinking around the value of work. The Thomson Reuters Stellar Performance: Skills and Progression Mid-Year Survey uncovered three specific priorities legal professionals are factoring into their career decisions.

  • Balance: Young professionals are more in tune with work-life balance and place a higher value on mental well-being, leisure and other activities outside of work than previous generations.
  • Family: A higher percentage of the professional workforce are mothers. Likewise, men are taking a more active role in child-rearing than previous generations, as younger professionals juggle more domestic responsibilities across the board.
  • The Long Game: Many Generation X and millennial employees have long since conceded that their retirement will likely come much later in life than their elder counterparts. The prospect of working for an extra decade—or more—has tempered the enthusiasm for grinding away during their formative years.

Also relevant/see the following articles:

8 Legal Experts on the Future of the Billable Hour — from artificiallawyer.com

Excerpt:

Are you still billing by the hour? The reality is that most lawyers are and plenty will still be using it in the year 2032. However, many legal experts agree: the billable hour is under pressure, forcing lawyers to investigate other billing methods as well.

Laura Rosseel, Senior Associate at Cambrian, explains clearly why the billable hour is a topic for discussion: ‘There are countless arguments against working with billable hours. Invoicing based on billable hours puts the risk of both unpredictability in the scope of work as well as potential inefficiency on the client, instead of the law firm that is providing the service.

‘It does not differentiate based on the value of the task at hand, the urgency, or the time of day (or night), with which the task is carried out. Additionally, it is a performance metric for lawyers that favours working more over working better, and the relentless pressure is causing junior and mid-level lawyers to leave their firms.’

Digital exhaustion: Redefining work-life balance — from enterprisersproject.com by Irvin Bishop Jr.
Is your team suffering from the digital exhaustion that so often comes with remote and hybrid work? Consider these strategies to ease the stress

As workers continue to create and collaborate in digital spaces, one of the best things we can do as leaders is to let go. Let go of preconceived schedules, of always knowing what someone is working on, of dictating when and how a project should be accomplished – in effect, let go of micromanagement. Instead, focus on hiring productive, competent workers and trust them to do their jobs. Don’t manage tasks – gauge results. Use benchmarks and deadlines to assess effectiveness and success.

What did we learn at the CLOC Conference? — from zachabramowitz.substack.com by Zach Abramowitz
QR Codes, Outside Counsel Startups Make Great Shirts and Standing Out in a Sea of CLM

Some of the tools/products/vendors Zach mentioned were:

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“Is the virtual courtroom the future of the justice system?” [Sonntag]+ seven other legal related items

On 05/11/2022, in 21st century, Canada, change, changing business models, India, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, policy, society, United States, Virtual courts and law firms, by Daniel Christian

Is the virtual courtroom the future of the justice system? — from deseret.com by Zakary Sonntag
Video proceedings have increased court access but raised questions of rights amid case backlog

Excerpt:

The justice system in Utah is straining under the weight of an immense backlog of criminal cases, especially serious felony cases, leaving many defendants to languish in custody as additional filings continue to accumulate.

The buildup began in 2020 after the Utah Supreme Court ordered the shutdown of in-person proceedings in response to the coronavirus, which left attorneys and judges to hash out settlements through a remote, Webex court process.

The pandemic’s impact on the legal sector and what emerging lawyers need to know — from timesofindia.indiatimes.com by Roma Priya

Excerpt:

For aspiring lawyers and law school graduates who have commenced practice recently, one of the best ways to stay relevant is to upskill yourself. Apart from the legal industry-related skills as a lawyer, such as in-depth knowledge about clients, the law, and other subjects, communication skills, problem solving and analytical skills, and tech skills are crucial. 

Today, digitally-savvy lawyers are in high demand as technology continues to evolve and progress. And as the Indian Judiciary System gradually acquaints itself with cutting-edge technologies, emerging lawyers must do the same.

About one-fifth of lawyers and staffers considered suicide at some point in their careers, new survey says — from abajournal.com by Debra Cassens Weiss

A new survey of lawyers and staff members hailing mostly from BigLaw has found that anxiety, depression and isolation remain at concerning levels, despite a slight decrease in the percentages since the survey last year.

When is a legal department ready to transform? — from advisory.kpmg.us by Eric Gorman, Kimberly Majure, and Jeff Ikejiri
Explore the catalysts for change

…legal departments that identify and agree on a motive to change, and then are alert for opportunities to act, are legal departments that are ready to transform.

From DSC:
I saw the link to LitSoftware at the posting entitled, Three Lessons In Persuasive Trial Technology (from legaltechmonitor.com by Stephen Embry)..  I thought it offered some interesting software:

 

The Top 3 Legal Technology Trends of 2022 — from lexology.com by Sean Heck

Excerpts:

  1. Web-Based Contract Management Tools for Remote Legal Operations
  2. Online, Web-Based Document Editing
  3. Contract AI With Machine Learning for Intelligent CLM

Litera legal survey shows that technology is driving change in all aspects of M&A practice — from canadianlawyermag.com by Annabel Oromoni

Excerpt:

The global pandemic and the increasing reliance on technology to facilitate remote legal work and collaboration have accelerated the legal profession’s interest in technology-based solutions. A recent survey by Litera, a legal tech company, revealed that technology significantly impacts M&A practices in law firms.

Litera’s survey included insights from over 200 lawyers whose practices focus on M&A in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

David Curle, legal content and research lead at Litera, says the legal profession is fragmented, and Litera sought to receive responses about technology use, adoption, and spending from M&A lawyers specifically.

6 Types of Software for Your In-House Legal Team Needs — from jdsupra.com

Excerpt:

Most legal teams rely heavily on documents and communication for their work, and handling all the related operations may not be as simple as you would like it to be. Unless you change your approach to document management and start exploring tech solutions that improve team efficiency.

Automation software has helped many businesses and departments streamline all or most of their operations and improve their efficiency. The same can be done for a legal team.

In this article, let’s focus on the types of automation software for in-house counsel along with some of the top examples.

Addendum later on 5/11/22:

ANALYSIS: Lawyers’ Top Legal Tech Tools—And Biggest Blind Spots — from news.bloomberglaw.com by Racheal Pikulski, Princess Onyiri, and Lida Ouyang

Addendum later on 5/11/22:

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Remote court transcription technology enables virtual court appearances [Black]

On 05/01/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Natural Language Processing (NLP), platforms, society, technology (general), tools, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual courts and law firms, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Remote court transcription technology enables virtual court appearances — from abajournal.com by Nicole Black

Excerpts:

That’s why it’s imperative to make certain remote options are available for all aspects of legal work since doing so is the only way to guarantee the justice system doesn’t come to a grinding halt. One way to prevent that is to take advantage of the virtual deposition transcription tools I discussed in last month’s column. In that article, I provided an overview of virtual deposition transcription products and services that rely on videoconferencing tools and software platforms to facilitate remote depositions.

Another way business continuity has been maintained since March 2020 is via virtual court proceedings. Remote court appearances are now more common since courts periodically shifted to partial or fully remote operations throughout the pandemic. Many judges have become accustomed to and appreciate the convenience of virtual court proceedings, and many expect them to continue even after the pandemic ends.

Because all signs point to the continuation of virtual court proceedings, I promised in last month’s article that I would focus on remote court proceeding options in this column. These include software platforms and artificial intelligence language-processing tools that facilitate remote court proceedings.

Nicole’s article mentioned the following vendor/product:

Live Litigation -- Remote Solutions for Attending and Participating in Depositions, Trials, Hearings, Arbitrations, Mediations, Witness Prep, and more.

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One-time jailhouse lawyer creates legal jobs program for the formerly incarcerated [Reynolds]

On 04/29/2022, in active learning, adult learning, career development, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, real-world assignments, reinvent, society, staying relevant, surviving, United States, by Daniel Christian

One-time jailhouse lawyer creates legal jobs program for the formerly incarcerated — from abajournal.com by Matt Reynolds

Excerpts:

Devon Simmons, co-founder and project director of a new program helping those with past convictions find work as paralegals and other jobs in the legal profession, says there’s a wealth of untapped legal talent among formerly incarcerated people.
…
Simmons emerged from prison 15 years later. By that time, he was a product of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Prison-to-College Pipeline program and later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

“Once I came home, I would constantly see people unemployed who I had sat in the law library with,” Simmons says. “These individuals have legal expertise, but they’re not given the opportunity to utilize it. What if I could create a platform in which I could make that happen?”

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2022 Outlook: 6 Legal Trends and Predictions to Have on Your Radar [Susko]

On 04/27/2022, in analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, collaboration, data related items, future, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, trends, United States, by Daniel Christian

2022 Outlook: 6 Legal Trends and Predictions to Have on Your Radar — from jdsupra.com by Vivian Susko

Excerpt:

In January, 2020, we made some bold predictions about what would lie ahead for legal operations in the new decade. Let’s dive back into some of our top forecasts, survey our new landscape, and see which legal trends are currently impacting the industry in 2022. Mitratech expert, Justin Silverman, weighs in on what you can expect to see on the horizon for legal ops.

Points on a radar screen

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I Grew Up Believing I Was Dumb. A College Education Behind Bars Healed That Wound [Blackwell]

On 04/21/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), adult learning, change, collaboration, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, education, education reform, Emotion, hearts -- matters of the heart, higher education, law schools, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, motivation, participation, reinvent, skills, society, sociology, by Daniel Christian

Seeing the possibilities, I finally took a chance. I studied English, political science and finite math, and each class I passed deepened my confidence and self-love.

This growing self-love was key to my academic development. Growing up, I didn’t experience much real love, outside of my mother and a few family members. I most often encountered the kind of false love expressed through violence and monetary possessions. College changed the way I thought about myself and others. I worked hand-in-hand with men from all backgrounds to complete assignments, and even taught other students. Before I knew it, I was getting A’s on my essays and solving quadratic equations in math class.
…
When people question why it’s important to educate prisoners, I remind them that to see change, we must support change. We must give individuals the opportunity to see themselves as more than the harm they’ve caused, more than what was once broken within them.

Christopher Blackwell

Also relevant/see:

Calvin University's Prison Initiative

 

University Behind Bars

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The Skills Needed to Practice “New Law” [Vasudevan]

On 04/19/2022, in analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, changing business models, data related items, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, mathematics, new business models, skills, UK, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

The Skills Needed to Practice “New Law” — from abaforlawstudents.com by Ram Vasudevan

Excerpt:

…but proficiencies in technology, data and analytics, math and statistics, finance and budgeting, and large-scale project management are among the most valuable. Each of these skill sets now comes into play in the practice of law on a near-daily basis.

All these new legal competencies have in common the recognition that legal projects involve far more than legal skills. Too many lawyers, however, are still narrowly focused on the legal aspect of their work and are therefore missing out on a whole host of opportunities. Rising lawyers and law firm graduates who might have previously struggled to be part of the hiring conversation can now make themselves highly marketable by becoming experts in one or more of these areas and filling a pressing need in today’s legal organizations.

Also relevant/see:

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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:

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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

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

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.

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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.

 

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!

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON TO SERVE ON THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

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

This Week’s Latest Additions to the LawNext Legal Technology Directory -- 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:

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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?”

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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.

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Five items re: the legal realm and legal tech

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.

Depositions. Virtually. Anywhere. Keep your discovery schedule on track with our secure video conference solution for remote depositions, arbitrations, hearings and other proceedings – RemoteDepo™.

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’.

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“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.

 

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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.

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