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

Daily Archives: May 17, 2021

How to Assess Different Contract Management Solutions

Artificial Lawyer – “In all matters of law, every single detail of every legal document counts. But the sheer volume, velocity and complexity of information make it challenging to keep track of — let alone manage — the details that matter most. Legal technology is here to help lawyers manage those contract details in an automated and robust way — and with the legal and compliance rigor that legal teams require. This leaves lawyers more time to focus on their more strategic work. Over the next few years, legal technology budgets will grow three times as digital transformation and technology adoption increase at an accelerating pace, according to Gartner. In fact, more than 50 percent of all legal work today will be supported by one form of automation or another. Contract lifecycle management (CLM), in particular, is a growing pillar of the legal tech market. CLM systems let in-house corporate legal departments streamline the contracting process. They help alleviate manual workloads and improve turnaround times, in addition to reducing overall business risk via higher compliance and automated risk review. At its outset, a CLM search can feel overwhelming for corporate counsel. After all, legal tech is a relatively nascent industry, with a flurry of new vendors. And most legal teams have yet to take the lead on the evaluation of software for their organizations. So, when it is time to assess the different solutions in the market, it is useful to have a framework to review CLM vendors holistically. The framework below uses five distinct dimensions to support a complete review. Product functionality, of course, should be top of mind. But perhaps just as important is the implementation support vendors provide — not only regarding their software deployment, but also their legacy contract migration, legal AI engineering, and enterprise software integration. Given the nascency of the CLM space, other dimensions should include vendors’ value delivery and customer retention, as well as funding level and business history…”

Alexa, what other devices are listening to me?

CNN Business: “More and more, the devices in your home are listening to you, your friends and family. It sounds Orwellian. It’s billed as convenient. As the Internet of Things proliferates, it creates a world in which everyday devices are interconnected via a web of sensors, apps, software and Wi-Fi. That means you can lower… Continue Reading

JD-Next: A Valid and Reliable Tool to Predict Diverse Students’ Success in Law School

Findley, Jessica and Cimetta, Adriana and Burross, Heidi and Cheng, Katherine and Charles, Matt and Balser, Cayley and Li, Ran and Robertson, Christopher T., JD-Next: A Valid and Reliable Tool to Predict Diverse Students’ Success in Law School (May 12, 2021). Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper No. 21-10, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3845533 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3845533 “As… Continue Reading

Americans See Broad Responsibilities for Government; Little Change Since 2019

Pew – Share of adults ‘basically content’ with federal government rises to highest point since 2004, driven by Democrats: “As public trust in the federal government remains low, Americans continue to say the federal government has a responsibility to provide support and services for all Americans in a number of forms. U.S. adults broadly agree… Continue Reading

Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say social media platforms are tearing us apart

NBC News: “Most Americans admit they use social media at least once a day, but they also believe platforms like Facebook and Twitter are doing more to divide the nation than to bring it together, according to brand-new results from the latest national NBC News poll. Overall, 66 percent of adults say they use social… Continue Reading

Gender Stereotypes Creep into Performance Reviews

Government Executive: “Negative stereotypes about men and women creep into performance reviews, research finds. A take-charge attitude at work typically earns men positive performance reviews, but for women, assertiveness only gets them so far. Although workplace evaluations are supposed to be merit-based, the study finds that gender bias too often influences how supervisors rate employees,… Continue Reading

Survey: 92% Of Firms Say They Were Prepared For Full-Scale Remote Work

LawSites – Bob Ambrogi – “Ninety-two percent of law firms worldwide say they were completely or somewhat prepared for full-scale remote work at the pandemic’s onset, a survey released this morning finds. Even so, most firms plan to increase their budgets for technology and process software and adopt more cloud-based technologies, the survey reports. Published… Continue Reading

Legal Technology Trends to Watch in 2021

Clio: “What will it take to be a successful lawyer in 2021? With the world becoming increasingly digital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—and with that change expected to continue even after a vaccine is distributed—it’s now more crucial than ever to stay up to date with legal technology trends. To find the most useful… Continue Reading

Censorship, Surveillance and Profits: A Hard Bargain for Apple in China

The New York Times – “Apple built the world’s most valuable business on top of China. Now it has to answer to the Chinese government…Internal Apple documents reviewed by The New York Times, interviews with 17 current and former Apple employees and four security experts, and new filings made in a court case in the… Continue Reading