Category: Technology

Categories : Technology

Artificial Intelligence & Legal Services for the Public Good

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By Mirona Constantinescu

Artificial intelligence (AI) disruption of the legal industry is imminent. Recent advances in natural language processing and machine learning algorithms now allow software to review documents — more quickly and accurately than lawyers. AI has the potential to save costs on routine legal services — document review, regulatory checks, trial research. Yet, as much as AI may benefit firms, it has the potential to displace them. Read More

Categories : Technology

Outlook Hat Trick (PC & Mac)

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By Adriana Linares

We recently held the first of our Microsoft Office Summer School sessions; the topic was Outlook (for PC) tips and tricks. I was glad to hear that so many attendees picked up some new and useful tips that were “life-changing.” Funny, how true that can be with technology! Read More

Categories : Legal Ethics Technology

AI and Real World Ethics

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Ethics and Technology on the Cutting Edge

By Edward McIntyre

Slowly — as though pushing through a parting cloud — some of us only now are beginning to realize that AI (artificial intelligence) is shaping, and likely will dominate, our lives and futures. Well beyond our expectations. Beyond our imaginations, even. Yet this is the precise environment that California Western School of Law’s Second Annual Legal Ethics Symposium sought to tackle — with the added dimension of its ethical implications. Read More

Categories : Technology

4 Tips for Securing Mobile Devices

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By Adriana Linares

In today’s world, it’s common, if not downright expected that you and your support staff use mobile devices to timely communicate with clients and access firm documents and resources. While this may be great for productivity and reacting to client needs while away from the office, the influx of laptops, tablets and mobile phones in the workplace can pose a significant risk to a firm’s data if they are lost or stolen. On top of that, California, like most other states, has breach notification laws that require all business entities (yes, law firms included) to report breaches that may have lead to the unauthorized access of “personally identifiable information” of 500+ California residents (if your practice is multi-jurisdictional you’ll have to comply with those state laws too). Read More

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The General Data Protection Regulation

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By William Marshall

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union’s new data protection law. It was passed in the spring of 2016 and following a two year grace period, and enforced on May 25, 2018, replacing the current Data Protection Directive in effect since 1995. The purpose of the GDPR is to provide a single uniform law governing the protection of personal data across the European Economic Area (the EU plus three other European countries) replacing the individual national laws passed under the 1995 Directive.  The GDPR was also intended to clarify, strengthen, and modernize data protection, particularly given the profound changes since 1995 in how personal information is collected and processed on the Internet and otherwise. Read More

Categories : Legal Ethics Technology

Legal Ethics and Portable Electronic Devices: Some Basic Considerations

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By Eric Deitz

The utility, portability and convenience of laptops, tablets and smartphones make them an integral part of our daily practice lives, but our reliance upon and the ubiquity of these devices requires us to be mindful of the ethical considerations affecting their use. This is particularly true when an electronic storage device contains privileged or confidential client information and is lost or stolen. Read More

Categories : Technology

Cryptocurrency in the Law & Tax Considerations

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By Julie Houth

Cryptocurrency has recently caught the attention of the public and government regulators. Since then, most people have heard the term cryptocurrency and more specifically, Bitcoin. There are some people who believe it is a form of currency. Other people don’t know enough about it to have an opinion. Attorneys as legal advocates and advisers are confronted with the fact that some of their clients may own or would like to invest in cryptocurrency. This article is intended to provide a brief summary about cryptocurrency and the tax consequences that should be considered.

What Are Cryptocurrencies and Where Do They Come From? Read More