Last week, I posted on the issue of whether law schools should be teaching students how to use tools like ChatGPT. After I posted this, James Lau, well known legal tech author, and former Chief Legal Officer, pointed out to me that Open AI, GPT-4 Technical Report, 14 March 2023, states, “In particular, our usage policies prohibit the
Continue Reading ChatGPT 4: Do Lawyers Know Just Enough to Be Dangerous?
Lots of questions and unease surround the use of ChatGPT in the classroom and education. The issue may be particularly acute for law schools and professors. Law schools are charged with teaching core legal concepts that (should) equip students to practice law.
Many law school professors reportedly question how they can do that if students can have the concepts laid out for them
Continue Reading Should ChatGPT Be In Law School?
I recently listened to Stephen Poor‘s podcast entitled Pioneers and Pathfinders. I am a regular listener and find it to be always enlightening. (Poor is Chair Emeritus of the large and innovative law firm, Seyfarth Shaw). This past week, Poor’s guest was John Alber, a former partner at Bryan Cave and its Strategic Innovation Partner for many years.
Continue Reading When It Comes to Tech, Lawyers in Law Firms Are Entrepreneurs
Last week was the ABA TECHSHOW 2023 in Chicago. I am partial to this show–it’s my favorite of the legal technology shows I attend. It’s my favorite not only because it’s put on by the ABA Law Practice Division, of which I am the current Chair (Yes, I know. I can’t be impartial about this). But it was
Continue Reading ABA TECHSHOW 2023: A Joyous Celebration. A Rousing Success
I spent this week at the ABA TechShow, which is put on by the Law Practice Division of which I am current Chair. The Show was a rousing success.
Lots of hoopla about new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, generative AI, neural networks, and large language models. Pablo Arredondo, CEO of Casetext, and I presented on the
Continue Reading AI, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Robot Lawyers: Why Should I Care? Are Robots Going to Replace Us ?
Why are lawyers incompetent when it comes to e-Discovery: Hubris. Time. Perceived easier options.
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Stephanie Wilkins recently wrote an excellent article entitled, “Is Attorney E-Discovery Incompetence the Elephant in the Room?” In it, Wilkins notes a recent Report from eDiscovery Today, a website paper from EDRM, commentary by several exerts, and several recent examples that all evidence the glaring
Continue Reading Why Are Lawyers So Darned Incompetent With E-Discovery? Three Reasons
I recently published a post that discussed client pressures on law firms to take public stands on social issues. These issues are often controversial and can be tricky for law firms.
In the process of conceptualizing the post, ChatGBT hit the news. I decided to use it least to get started. The results were interesting and showed both the power
Continue Reading I Asked ChatGPT to Help Write a Post on Law Firms: Here Is How It Turned Out
I recently came across an article by Tiana Headley of Bloomberg Law that discussed client pressures on law firms to take public stands on social issues. The same issue was front and center in the excellent book by David Enrich Servants of the Damned. These issues are often controversial and divisive and arouse passions among both law firm partners
Continue Reading Clients Demand Public Positions on Contentious Social Issues: What’s a Law Firm to Do?
As the Covid pandemic finally (hopefully) begins to wind down, 2023 may be the year law firms will need to reach more definite decisions about remote work.
Certainly, law firms have been grabbling with this thorny issue for some time. And policies have been in flux as the pandemic ebbed and flowed. Also, the increased legal workload and shortage of
Continue Reading Dealing with the Remote Work Conundrum: Six Best Practices
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been
Wayne Gretzky
Last week, I was back at the sprawling CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. I go every year, although I missed the last two years due to the pandemic.
CES has always been gracious enough to extend a
Continue Reading CES 2023: 10 Tech Trends That Will Impact Legal
My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6.
As we close out 2022, it’s customary to look back and highlight the most noteworthy events or discuss all the things we are thankful for during the year.
While I have a lot of things to be thankful for, I want to focus on what we have
Continue Reading As 2022 Closes, I Am Thankful For…Data
There’s lots of talk about AI and machine learning and how those tools will or will not impact the practice of law.
One school—perhaps buoyed by all the talk and little perceived impact—says it’s all hoopla. That AI won’t affect how lawyers do their job one iota. The other group—the sky is falling group—focuses on the possibility that robots will
Continue Reading Legal AI: A Lawyer’s New Best Friend?
If you want to be a successful lawyer, work hard at identifying and eliminating your clients’ pain points.
This past Sunday, I decided I wanted a small tabletop Christmas tree for my office. After all, ’tis the season. I went online and was immediately faced with a confusing and irritating search (Tabletop Christmas trees not readily indexed on several
Continue Reading Want To Be a Successful Lawyer? Be More Like Amazon. Here’s Ten Ways
While lots of states endlessly debate what to do about A2J and contemplate their navels, Alaska has actually done something that might just move the needle.
On December 1, the Alaska Supreme Court adopted Bar Rule 43.5. This rule sets up a process for those who have not necessarily graduated from law school to provide certain limited legal services
Continue Reading Alaska Offers Practical Approach to A2J Crisis
Several articles and surveys that have come out recently suggest a looming donnybrook in 2023 between law firms and business clients. The law firms want to aggressively raise rates but their business clients claim to be outraged by such efforts. These clients also say they plan to resist such efforts aggressively.
Pardon me, but I have heard this before.
Continue Reading To Raise or Not To Raise Lawyer Rates: That Is The 2023 Question