Legal Current

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.

Mr. Stallworth recently gave a Town Hall talk at Thomson Reuters and we were privileged to speak with Mr. Stallworth during his visit.

Law firms are under pressure from many quarters these days – from clients to demonstrate greater value and cost efficiency, from competitors such as legal process outsourcing, as well as from other law firms.

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.

Faure will be speaking on a global Smarter Law tour of New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, London, Paris & Singapore during April-June 2019. Events include dedicated workshops and annual events of ACC and National Bar Association. Full details at smarterlawsolutions.com/news

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.

Linda Netsch, general manager of FLEX, why the firm made the decision to start an "on-demand in-house legal counsel" offering, and how it has been working out for the firm and its clients.

Lawyers Without Borders is a not-for-profit whose mission is to promote rule of law around the world by leveraging and promoting pro bono service to meet the needs of the underserved, build capacity in justice sectors and support transitions and development aimed at protecting human rights, all with a neutral orientation.

Christina Storm, founder and executive director, spoke recently with Sharon Sayles-Belton, vice president of government affairs at Thomson Reuters.

Insights from the Edge

This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay informed.

Episode 6: 5 Ways to Identify the Best AI for Legal Research

As we continue to hear about artificial intelligence in our daily lives and in legal technology, it's important to understand and evaluate what makes good AI. As legal professionals evaluate AI solutions for legal research, there are five critical questions they should be asking.

In this episode, 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.

Autonomous ride hailing services are here – sort of. Waymo this year launched a pilot ride hailing service using autonomous driving vehicles, and General Motors plans to test a similar service next year. But with the launch of services has emerged a new set of legal issues, intensified by the death of a pedestrian in Arizona after being struck by an Uber test vehicle.

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.

Insights from the Edge

This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay informed.

Episode 5: Early Adoption

It is easy to talk about adopting technology early, but it can be very difficult to take the steps that lead to it. For lawyers and legal teams, taking those steps are crucial and can lead to major competitive advantages.

In this episode, 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.

Insights Attorneys – a new era in legal research support

Our tradition of excellence set by our Reference Attorneys has evolved to the next level of support. To ensure that Westlaw Edge customers get the most out of your subscription, we have a team of Insight Attorneys that are uniquely trained on analytics, artificial intelligence, and big data to assist you with your research needs. Learn more.

In an era of low growth, the law firm market is increasingly close to a zero-sum game where one firm's gain is at the expense of the market share of another firm.

The Legal Executive Institute's Dynamic-Static Law Firm Report analyzes the difference between dynamic growing firms and firms that are more static and flat.

Bill Josten, the author of the report, discusses the findings.