Legal Technology

Netting the prize

By Mark Goddard | May 27, 2009

A recurring point of discussion and major concern from the past 12 months or so has been the issue of slashed marketing budgets and how deeply this might impact website operations. While fee earners are being made redundant at all levels and across most practice areas, it seems slightly trivial to talk about the erosion of marketing budgets, yet there are serious consequences to this action.

1 minute read

Boost your cable power

By Mark Goddard | May 20, 2009

The current recession has become infamous for its speed and bruising impact and the legal sector is feeling the pain. Even major City law firms, renowned for stability, are reporting significant loss of business and many have already made cuts or begun redundancy consultations.This follows a period of real change in the sector in the past decade with the rise of more regional and global firms. As they go international, law firms need to change the way they operate, moving from individual outfits to cohesive international brands.

1 minute read

Litigation support and e-discovery

By Mark Goddard | May 7, 2009

KPMG Forensic, Kroll Ontrack and Ernst & Young on the key issues in litigation support.

1 minute read

Litigation support and e-discovery: Where lawyers fear to tread

By Mark Goddard | May 6, 2009

Getting to grips with the disclosure of electronic documents is crucially important for every litigator. E-discovery is more than just a buzz phrase; it plays a key role in many cases. When done properly it can be the key that unlocks a case, and can save significant time and costs for your client. When done badly it can have disastrous consequences. Recent case law provides lawyers with a simple message: every party must give proper consideration to e-discovery or face adverse consequences if they do not. In this article we look at the basic rules, the new case law and provide some practical tips. We also ask the following difficult question: what do you need to know about IT to be a good litigator?

1 minute read

Employment: Background information

By Mark Goddard | April 22, 2009

Recruitment decisions are difficult. They are often taken under acute pressure of time. There are a number of legal risks, including the possibility of a discrimination claim from an unsuccessful candidate. If an unsuitable appointment is made, then the consequences can be very expensive, and on occasion disastrous.

1 minute read

The domain game

By Mark Goddard | April 8, 2009

In June 2008 the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a process for applying for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). A TLD is the last part of an internet domain name; that is, the letters that follow the final dot of any domain name, including .uk, .com, .net and .org.Alongside the TLDs we have all grown familiar with, consumers and businesses will need to be aware of potentially hundreds of new suffixes. Law firms will need to be up to speed with the applications process for and the implications of the new gTLDs before this raft of new domains is introduced. Companies may well need to adapt their clients' domain name strategies in order to protect their online brands from being compromised or diluted by opportunists wishing to profit from making speculative registrations

1 minute read

It's automatic, baby

By Mark Goddard | March 11, 2009

As 2009 ushers in new regulations as part of the Legal Services Act (LSA) 2007 to support multidisciplinary partnerships and firm-based regulations, understandably there is apprehension among some segments of the industry in terms of its implications for law firms. However, regulation is the catalyst for change, which, if dealt with in the right spirit, is usually for the better. In the current economic climate, the LSA is a positive development for the UK's legal sector. For instance, it will allow law firms to receive inward investment from other sources including national and international businesses.

1 minute read

Filing error

By Mark Goddard | February 11, 2009

The practise of law around the world is at a tipping point, driven by the technology revolution. While US legal teams appear to be more concerned about the reality of growing volumes of electronically stored information (ESI), the UK's primary concern appears to be the lack of training in legal trends.

1 minute read

Gauging the net worth

By Mark Goddard | January 21, 2009

There is a tendency to talk up the career benefits of online social networking. In this parallel universe, anyone serious about getting on in life has hundreds of career-enhancing Facebook contacts who they regale daily with tales from their carefully-tended blogs. This, supposedly, generates waves of business opportunities, coupled with many wonderful nights out, as boundaries between business and pleasure blur. The tech-savvy associate then completes their triumphant march to partnership with an ease unimaginable in the pre-internet age.This doesn't actually happen, right? While lawyers have been among the most enthusiastic social users of online networking - as illustrated by Allen & Overy's much-mocked ban in 2007 on staff using Facebook - it remains a rarity for the profession to use such tools to further their career.

1 minute read

Confidence in IT teams takes a hit

By Mark Goddard | January 21, 2009

As belt-tightening across the legal profession notches up another level it is not surprising that IT departments have joined the list of casualties as a result of cutbacks.Legal Week Intelligence's fourth annual Information Technology Survey shows lawyers' confidence in their IT departments dipping for the third successive year, with just 11 of the 42 different categories seeing improved grades this year. At the report's launch earlier this month, delegates lucky enough to have signed off systems upgrades in last year's budgets breathed a sigh of relief as they listened to their counterparts' problems after orders to reign in costs for the foreseeable future. While the general sentiment was that projects that would lead to rapid, demonstrable cost savings would still get signed off, the majority of equipment and software upgrades were likely to be put on hold.

1 minute read

Legaltech News

Learning from the Past: Why Dismissing Generative AI Is a Risky Proposition for the Legal Industry

By Brandi Pack, UpLevel Ops | May 9, 2023

While reflecting before moving forward with transformative technology is prudent, we should not allow resistance to change to exert undue influence on the decision to explore the benefits generative AI brings to the legal field.

7 minute read

Legaltech News

Generative AI is Trained on Online E-discovery Resources. Here's What That Means for E-discovery

By Isha Marathe | May 9, 2023

The e-discovery resources included in Google's C4 database may be best confined to content generation purposes, as opposed to being research tools.

5 minute read

Legaltech News

Poll: Should AI Companies Pause the Training of Advanced AI Systems? We Want Legal's Thoughts

By Stephanie Wilkins | May 9, 2023

Since the launch of ChatGPT, generative AI has taken the legal world by storm, with new AI-powered tools continuing to enter the market. However, one organization has called for a six-month pause on the training of all AI models more powerful than GPT-4. LTN wants to know what the legal industry thinks.

3 minute read

Legaltech News

Tech-Enabled Hybrid Work Environment, Vendor: Blue J Legal

By Stephanie Wilkins | May 9, 2023

"Legal innovation, in our view, involves marrying a deep understanding of the work that lawyers do, with an equally deep understanding of the power and capabilities that technology can provide—and applying that knowledge to solve real customer challenges," says Pete van Hezewyk, Vice President of Marketing at Blue J Legal.

3 minute read

Legaltech News

Generative AI on Your Data: Amplify Your Legal Knowledge

By Jorn Vanysacker, Henchman | May 8, 2023

Legal professionals are increasingly aware that we need a new way to make knowledge more accessible. A way that is effortless to create, maintain, and distribute. Something we like to call Dynamic Knowledge Management.

10 minute read

Legaltech News

Emerging Technology, Law Firm: DLA Piper

By Stephanie Wilkins | May 8, 2023

"Legal innovation should be no different from innovation," says Andy Gastwirth, Chief Innovation Officer at DLA Piper. "All innovation at DLA Piper uses technology to enhance our subject matter expertise, and thereby better meet the legal needs of our clients."

4 minute read

Law.com

Navigating the Risks and Opportunities of ChatGPT

By Greg Hatcher | May 8, 2023

The Implications of Data Breaches and Generative AI Platforms for the Legal Industry The pros and cons that law firms should consider before incorporating generative AI.

7 minute read

Legaltech News

Diverging 'Possession, Custody or Control' Tests Impact E-Discovery Outcomes. But Is a Uniform Standard Feasible?

By Rhys Dipshan | May 5, 2023

As the Sedona Conference considers revisiting its guidance on FRCP's definition of "possession, custody, or control," some, like U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the Western District of Texas are proposing their own "outside the box" solutions.

7 minute read

Legaltech News

Access to International Legal Tech a Key Factor in Liberalization of India's Legal Market

By Isha Marathe | May 5, 2023

Indian attorneys are eying e-billing, practice management and matter management solutions from international vendors as they cope with the demands of the country's population, and a newly opened legal market.

4 minute read

Legaltech News

Regulatory Technology, Vendor: Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C.

By Stephanie Wilkins | May 5, 2023

Legal innovation "means changing the way the profession has traditionally done business. As we progress through the 21st century, the profession must continue to modernize with the times," says Vito A. Gagliardi, Jr., Managing Principal, at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman.

4 minute read