Legal Current

Episode 3 of our special podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure discusses the current state of pleadings and personal jurisdiction as they apply to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as well as what potentially lies ahead. Prof. Arthur Miller talks with Prof. Ben Spencer of the Univ. of Virginia Law School and Prof. Adam Steinman of the Univ. of Alabama Law School.

The Next Gen Leadership: Advancing Lawyers of Color white paper provides insights from attorneys on how legal employers can help create opportunities for lawyers of color across the industry. Gary Zhao is a partner in SmithAmundsen LLC’s commercial litigation group and was previously a co-chair of SmithAmundsen’s diversity committee.

Two legal software conferences were recently held on opposite coasts – in San Diego the 25th edition of the Elite VANTAGE Worldwide User Conference highlighted new software integrations, and in New York the Legal Geek conference showcased new applications of technology. At both conferences, Thomson Reuters shared their latest innovations and also enjoyed listening to customers describe what is needed from software in order to reach the next level of efficiency and productivity.

Class action lawsuits have undergone many changes in recent years as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions. . Professor Arthur Miller talks with Professor Mary Kay Kane, Emerita Dean and Chancellor and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California-Hastings.

The Elite VANTAGE 2019 Worldwide User Conference is underway in San Diego. Thousands of elite cusomters are there to network, share learnings and hear about the latest developments at Elite Eric Sugden, Elite chief technology officer, and Elizabet Hardy, Elite vice president, product management, talk about some of the exciting developments in Elite 3E and other products that will be discussed at the conference.

Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure is one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises. In this special podcast series. Professor Arthur Miller, founding author, explores issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary. In Episode 1, Prof. Miller & Jean Maess, VP of editorial operations at Thomson Reuters, discuss how Professors Wright & Miller developed Federal Practice & Procedure.

Know how to bust some sweet dance moves? You might want to find a good attorney. Epic Games, maker of Fortnite and NBA 2K has put the Carlton Dance into some of its video games, and the actor who portrayed Carlton on The Fresh Prince, Alfonso Ribeiro, is suing, saying Epic Games is unfairly profiting off of his signature move. Who’s going to win this dance off between Carlton and Epic Games? Fabio Marino is vice chair of the IP department at Polsinelli and joins us today.

It’s a story almost too incredible to believe. Ron Stallworth was the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 1978, he answered a classified ad and infiltrated the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. His book, Black Klansman, race, hate and the undercover investigation of a lifetime is an incredible read, and was recently made into a movie directed by Spike Lee that recently won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

Trevor Faure, head of Smarter Law Solutions and former head of global legal services at EY, says lawyers need to take into consideration everything from emotional intelligence to artificial intelligence as they transform their firms as both legal practices and business entities. Faure’s new book, Smarter Law: transforming busy lawyers into business leaders, can drive greater law firm performance.

Technology is often touted as a game changer, a field-leveler, a way for firms to gain a competitive edge over other firms. Marketing hype aside, is that really the case? The Legal Executive Institute’s Dynamic-Static Law Firm Report looked at Peer Monitor law firm data to see if use of technology helped firms perform better. Bill Josten, the author of the report, discusses the findings.

Competition for legal services is increasing as law firms compete with legal process outsourcing (LPO), the Big Four, increased use of inside counsel, and others. In response, some firms are developing new approaches to meet client needs. A few years ago, Fenwick & West rolled out FLEX by Fenwick to provide flexible solutions for interim in-house legal needs.

Lawyers Without Borders

Amy Pearson, Insight Attorney and Erik Lindberg, Senior Director of Westlaw Product Management dive into these five questions and explain how understanding these factors will help you confidently evaluate AI solutions for your legal research.

Is the law ready for autonomous ride hailing services? Cynthia Cole and Travis Thomas of Baker Botts some of the gaps and unanswered questions in existing laws.

Adam Riley, Insight Attorney and David Curle, Director of Technology and Innovation Platform at the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute discuss the importance of adopting technology early on. Hear about some of the biggest technology milestones that have changed the way legal researchers work. Plus, learn how adopting Westlaw Edge early on has helped firms gain a competitive advantage, grow their practice, save money, and manage clients.