Almost a year ago, I wrote here about the major upgrade in the works for the Casemaker legal research service. At the time, I was given a demonstration that previewed the new interface but I was not then able to…
SJC Issues New Rule on Electronic Access to Courts
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today announced approval of a new SJC Rule 1:19 governing Electronic Access to the Courts. The new rule replaces the former rule, which governed cameras in the courts, and extends it to recognize changes in technology and journalism since the original rule was promulgated. Notably, the rule is designed to…
For Legal Professionals, the Internet Has Come a Long Way, But Still Has a Long Way to Go
[Note: Since March 1995, I have written a syndicated column, legal.online, that has run in various legal and bar periodicals. After 17 years, I’m calling it quits. Below is my final column, which I sent to editors last month. Many of the columns are archived here. I will continue to write my bimonthly…
Exclusive: America’s Most Productive Federal Courts
Judge William G. Young
At the recent annual meeting of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, U.S. District Judge William G. Young, in accepting the Great Friend of Justice Award, delivered a thoughtful and impassioned speech decrying the decrease in jury trials in the federal courts. Trial by…
No Joke: Law Firm Hires Comedian to Teach Speaking Skills
International law firm Duane Morris had a problem. Some of its key staff were not very good at presenting, either internally or to clients. One was told that her speaking “needed to be more fluid and less analytical.” Another experienced “extreme anxiety at the thought of presenting her ideas to the…
Join Me for a ‘Taste of Techshow’ Dinner
If you are attending ABA Techshow this year, I invite you to join Jeff Lantz of Esquire Interactive and me for a Taste of Techshow dinner Friday evening, March 30. Our venue will be Rhapsody, where the menu is “inspired by fresh Italian flavors and local, seasonal ingredients,”…
Fastcase Mobile App Now Syncs with Desktop
I’ve written several times about the Fastcase app for the iPhone and iPad, both of which let you research cases and statutes for free directly from your mobile device. This week, Fastcase rolled out Mobile Sync,…
Friday is Last Day for Techshow Early-Bird Discount
With just a month to go before ABA Techshow — which takes place in Chicago March 29-31 — the deadline for early-bird registration has been extended to this Friday, Feb. 24. After Friday, all registration fees will increase by $200. A full list of fees is available…
Another Practice Management Platform with Document Assembly
Recently, I wrote about announcements (here and here) from two cloud-based practice management applications, Rocket Matter and Clio, that they had added document assembly…
Onit App-ifies Legal Process Management
Onit just may be onto something. At LegalTech last week, the company revealed that it is moving in a new direction, away from a single, soup-to-nuts process-management platform in favor of a new line of task-specific apps, each designed to address a specific business process. It rolled out a series of apps that address legal,…
Clio Announces Financing, Document Assembly
I am here at LegalTech in New York where I had an opportunity to meet yesterday with Jack Newton and Rian Gauvreau, founders of Clio, the cloud-based practice management application. They had big news to share: Clio has raised $6 million in financing. This is the first major capital investment in any…
Free Online Course: Topics in Digital Law Practice
Starting Feb. 10, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction is offering a free, nine-week online course, Topics in Digital Law Practice, taught by a stellar faculty of well-known speakers:
…This course is designed to provide an overview of the changes that are occurring in the practice of law today, especially with respect