Lots of talk at CES about agentic AI. What is it and what can AI agents do for lawyers and legal professionals? AI agents have the potential to improve efficiency and client satisfaction, but they may also raise some challenges. Here is my post for Above the Law on the issues.
What I Learned At CES Abour Law Practice Management
CES may be a strange place to learn some law practice management lessons but I did. Here’s my post for Above the Law on just this subject.
What Lawyers Can Learn From CES 2025: Trends That Matter
On a Sunday evening January 5, the Consumer Technology Association offered its 2025 Tech Trends presentation at CES as well as its Unveiled event offering media a sneak peak at this year’s exhibitors. Here is my summary of the Trends and how those trends might impact legal. I also talk what I thought was cool
CES 2025: Insights for Legal
Why Lawyers Can’t Let Go: Identity, Privilege and The Impact on Clients
To whom much is given, much is required.
Several years ago, my firm held a departure party for me as I transitioned from the full-time practice of law to full-time blogger and legal tech commenter. One of my peers, who I had practiced with for most of my career, walked up to me and said, “I sure wish I could do what you are doing.” I had known this guy most of my career and knew he had the resources to do something else and had expressed the desire to do so several times. So I said, Dave, there’s nothing stopping you from doing the same thing. He replied, I just can’t. Being a lawyer is not what I do, its who I am.Continue Reading Why Lawyers Can’t Let Go: Identity, Privilege and The Impact on Clients
Privilege In the Age of Gen AI: Lots of Questions
With any new technology, questions of discovery and privilege inevitably arise. As a recent New Mexico case demonstrates, that’s certainly true of Gen AI.
The Tremblay Case
The case, Tremblay v. OpenAI, Inc., is pending in California District Court. The case involves claims that OpenAI was trained by using plaintiffs’ copyright materials. OpenAI sought to compel the plaintiffs to produce and obtain the prompts and responses the OpenAI tool used in pre-suit testing, including those responses the plaintiffs did not use to support their claims. Continue Reading Privilege In the Age of Gen AI: Lots of Questions
Billable Hour Tiers for Associates: Progressive or Lipstick on a Pig?
Bloomberg Law recently reported that the venerable firm Steptoe would allow associates to choose their own billable hour targets. The program will start next year. An associate can choose to bill 2200 hours and receive top pay, or they can opt for 2000 hours and make less, or 1800 hours and make even less. Associates reportedly elect to move to a different tier. Associates are allowed to bill fewer than 1800 hours and have their pay pro-rated accordingly.Continue Reading Billable Hour Tiers for Associates: Progressive or Lipstick on a Pig?
AI Insights for Legal: Ten Key Takeaways from Summit AI New York
As I recently wrote, I attended the Summit AI New York last week (which, as the name suggests, was in New York City). Summit AI is a global conference and exhibition focused on the application of AI in business in general as opposed to legal in specific. The numbers from the 2-day Conference are impressive: more than 4000 attendees, 400 speakers across 11 different areas, and over 100 sponsors and exhibitors.
The Conference has been held for several years. Summit AI is a series of conferences that, in addition to New York, are held in London, Las Vegas, Singapore, and other locations. (There was one law firm with a booth by the way. Foley and Lardner, a full-service lawyer with some 26 offices, had a well-staffed booth and told me they are regular attendees).Continue Reading AI Insights for Legal: Ten Key Takeaways from Summit AI New York
The AI Summit Keynote: Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy: Lessons from NYC’s AI Initiatives
This week, I am attending Summit AI New York. Summit AI is a global conference and exhibition focused on the application of AI in business in general as opposed to legal in specific.
As I have mentioned before, I like attending nonlegal tech conferences because they often yield insights we don’t get in our legal tech cocoon. That was certainly true from the opening Summit AI Keynote this morning.
The Keynote was a fireside chat with Matthew Fraser, the CTO for New York City. I almost didn’t attend the Keynote since I figured it would not yield anything possibly relevant to the law. But I was wrong.Continue Reading The AI Summit Keynote: Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy: Lessons from NYC’s AI Initiatives
Have Big Law Firms Lost Their Cultural Soul?
It’s a common theme among law firm leaders, particularly big law firm leaders, to claim that their firms have some sort of vaunted “culture” that has been painstakingly developed over many years. This incredible culture, the theory goes, imbues the firm with some kind of wonderful familial aura, enabling the firm and its lawyers to respect a time-honored profession.
Based on what I’ve seen lately, I have to largely call bullshit on all that. Continue Reading Have Big Law Firms Lost Their Cultural Soul?