Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: July 26, 2018

Three Technologies Transforming the Legal Field

Law Technology Today: “Is your staff using analytics, blockchain and OCR yet? Corporations are ever-focused on their legal spend and demand more value from their outside counsel. Further disrupting the legal field are alternative legal service providers fueling the competitive landscape to become more crowded and innovative. As a result, Thomson Reuters’ 2018 Report on the State of the Legal Market surmised that declining profit margins, weakening collections, falling productivity, and loss of market share to alternative legal service providers are chipping away at the foundations of firm profitability. To counteract these market pressures and to differentiate themselves from competitors, law firms are embracing technology to improve operational efficiencies and transform the way attorneys and their firms interact with clients, answer their questions, and tackle their legal challenges. The law firms that embrace technology as a means to provide more cost-effective services to their clients will have a competitive advantage. For example, digitization and automation technologies have emerged that streamline internal processes and reduce workloads, so lawyers can spend more time advising clients and less time with administrative work…”

Interconnectedness of companies through shared board members

Data Interview Qs: “Many executives in public companies sit on multiple boards of directors, meaning they have a vested interest in multiple companies. For example, if a board member sits on both Company A and Company B, then it’s in this individual’s best interest to ensure that Company A’s decisions don’t negatively impact Company B,… Continue Reading

RSF publishes report on online harassment of journalists

Reporters Without Borders: “In a report published today, entitled “Online harassment of journalists: the trolls attack”, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) voices concern about the scale of a new threat to press freedom, the mass harassment of journalists online. The perpetrators may be ordinary “haters” (individuals or communities of individuals hiding behind their screens) or “troll… Continue Reading

Special IG reports U.S. wasted more than $15 billion in past 11 years in Afghanistan

NBC News: “The watchdog charged with tracking government spending in Afghanistan has released its first estimate of the total amount of money wasted there — a staggering $15.5 billion over 11 years — but says even that figure is probably “only a portion.” In response to a request from three congressman in 2017, the Special… Continue Reading

Trump Twitter posts are focus of Mueller obstruction investigation

The New York Times: “For years, President Trump has used Twitter as his go-to public relations weapon, mounting a barrage of attacks on celebrities and then political rivals even after advisers warned he could be creating legal problems for himself. Those concerns now turn out to be well founded. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller… Continue Reading

Growing Partisan Differences in Views of the FBI; Stark Divide Over ICE

Pew Research Center – Favorable views of FBI have fallen sharply among Republicans – A new survey of public attitudes toward federal agencies finds that partisan differences in views of the FBI have increased markedly over the past year. And Americans’ opinions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement are deeply polarized: 72% of Republicans view ICE… Continue Reading

States Try to Silence Robocalls, But They’re Worse Than Ever

Pew – “Robocalls — those nettlesome autodial telephone calls from both scammers and legitimate businesses — skyrocketed in the first half of 2018, and have prompted the most complaints to federal and most state enforcement officials of any consumer topic in recent years. But as much as top state law enforcement officers would love to… Continue Reading