Abstract This Article is a companion article to Laurel S. Terry, Global Networks and the Legal Profession, 53 Akron L. Rev. 137 (2019). That article explained why global networks are useful for lawyers and the clients they represent, introduced some of the scientific literature about networks, cited prior literature about (mostly domestic) legal profession networks,…
‘Smart’ Lawyering: Integrating Technology Competence into the Legal Practice Curriculum
Abstract Technology has changed modern law practice. Ethics rules obligate lawyers to understand whether, when, and how to use it to deliver services. But most law schools do not incorporate the so-called “Duty of Technology Competence” into the required curriculum. Despite broad calls for legal education to make students more practice-ready, there is no clear…
Legal Technology: The Great Disruption?
Abstract This paper considers how legal technology, defined here as the use of digital information and communication technologies to automate or part automate legal work process, to provide decision support to legal service providers, and to provide legal information and advice directly to clients/end users, is re-shaping both legal work processes, and the organisation and…
Victorian Legal Service Board research into vulnerability to miscounduct
In February 2016 the Victorian Legal Service Board and Commissioner entered into a research partnership with the University of Melbourne. The project was designed to help identify risk patterns and predict areas of concern within the Victorian profession. The study focused on 10 years of regulatory data on complaints (2005 to 2015) and looked at…
Institute for the Advancement of the Americal Legal System releases report on public confidence in the courts
The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) has released the findings of its new report into public confidence in the courts. The report comes as the culmination of an ongoing project which has had the following objectives: Conduct exploratory research to facilitate a deeper understanding of how the public views the…
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking About Law, Law Practice, and Legal Education
Abstract On April 26-27, 2019, the Duquesne University School of Law hosted a conference titled “Artificial Intelligence: Thinking About Law, Law Practice, and Legal Education.” Over those two days, more than 100 attendees were able to listen to nineteen presentations offered by thirty-one professors, educators, technology experts, and lawyers. The four articles in this symposium issue of…
Regulatory Suspensions in Times of Crisis: The Challenges of Covid-19 and Thoughts for the Future
Abstract The Covid-19 crisis in 2020 severely impacted the corporate and in turn, the financial sectors of the UK, entailing responses from financial regulators to implement unprecedented regulatory suspensions that affect both the financial sector and the real economy. We argue that regulatory suspensions are a unique crisis management tool and give rise to certain…
The Challenge of Regulatory Excellence
Abstract Regulation is a high-stakes enterprise marked by tremendous challenges and relentless public pressure. Regulators are expected to protect the public from harms associated with economic activity and technological change without unduly impeding economic growth or efficiency. Regulators today also face new demands, such as adapting to rapidly changing and complex financial instruments, the emergence…
Thoughts on Optimizing Time & Attention in Virtual Trials
Abstract I’ve previously examined the logistical difficulties affecting virtual trials and hearings. Two as-yet unexamined aspects involve technology’s impact on: (1) judicial time management and, (2) juror and attorney attention. These questions, however, could not be more important, especially in the case of crucial monologues like a judge’s reading of jury instructions (the focus of…
Mayson Report: Final report published
The highly anticipated denouement of the Independent Review of Legal Services, which was first launched in October 2018, was published on the 11th June. The 340-page report which has been informed by a number of working papers, as well as an interim report, which has been fed into by a variety of actors in the…