Author archives

Jerry Lawson. President, Chief Consultant, New Strategies In Legal Technology LLC. Jerry Lawson brings fresh approaches to the legal technology space. He is currently emphasizing his work in knowledge management for Lawyers. He is completing the manuscript for his next book, Knowledge Management for Law Firms: Building A Culture of Success.

Research Guide: Law of International Armed Conflict

High emotions generated by the Israel-Hamas conflict make this a time of wild claims and counterclaims. Few subjects are timelier and more critical than the Law of Armed Conflict, (LOAC), frequently referred to as the Law of War, (LOW). The concept is sometimes referred to by a better name, International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Researching LOAC/LOW/IHL can challenge U.S. researchers and lawyers. There are no codified statutes or well-organized case law of the types familiar to most U.S. researchers. This guide to the ongoing war, by Jerry Lason and Sabrina I. Pacifici, identifies significant applicable documents and relevant resources and will be updated moving forward.

Subjects: Legal Research

Israel-Hamas War Project

With our new Israel-Hamas War Project – read the first article here – we are doing what we can to help Truth catch up with Falsehood. Our goal is to document accurate, timely and actionable resources for researchers. We hope that providing this guide will assist policymakers, diplomats, analysts, journalists, scholars, and the public. Improved understanding of the law of war should raise the level of public discussion and facilitate better decision-making at this critical time.

Subjects: Criminal Law, Government Resources, International Legal Research, KM, Legal Research, Military, Refugees, Terrorism

Design Your Law Practice

Jerry Lawson recommends the new book, Design Your Law Practice: Using Design Thinking To Get Next Level Results, to any law firm or lawyer interested in innovation that will make their practice more profitable and attract more clients.

Subjects: Communications, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession

Is A Crypto Collapse Inevitable?

Jerry Lawson and Elizabeth Southerland identify technical reasons why the crypto bubble is bursting, including the fact that theoretically unbreakable encryption schemes like those underpinning blockchain have proven to be less than impermeable in practice, as users of Coinbase discovered upon losing fortunes. Attackers go after the weakest link in the chain, usually the way in which the algorithm is implemented. Perhaps more ominous, the emergence of a new class of devices called quantum computers threatens to eat the algorithms that underlie crypto for lunch.

Subjects: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

Presenter’s Guide Series Part IV: The Power of Asking Questions

In the fourth article in his series on presentations, Jerry Lawson advises us on creating compelling presentations. He advises that if the audience is not understood, not engaged, not brought into the conversation, the session usually dies on the vine. Asking the audience questions is one way to improve your training sessions.

Subjects: Communication Skills, KM, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Profession

Plain English for Lawyers: The Way to a C-Level Executive’s Heart

Why is poor legal writing so prevalent? Jerry Lawson identifies three key reasons: fear, time, and lack of skills, and addresses directly a course to solve the lack of skills issue.

Subjects: Communications, KM, Legal Profession

Book Review: Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools

Attorney and legal tech expert Jerry Lawson’s positive review of this new book states: “It’s the best way to spend $100 I can imagine for any lawyer looking to improve their bottom line. Any lawyer who wants to lead the way (or at least avoid being crushed by inevitable changes) needs this book.”

Subjects: Information Management, KM, Law Firm Marketing

Presenter’s Guide Series Part III: The Many Benefits of Question Forms

In the third in his series on presentations, Jerry Lawson recommends a simple yet powerful tool that presenters can use to improve presentation quality, especially in some special situations: Requiring audience members to submit all questions in writing.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Communications, Continuing Legal Education, Education, Presentation Skills, Training

Pitching the Difficult Case: Working With Prosecutors

Jerry Lawson provides ideas and examples showing how investigators can successfully pitch difficult cases—ones that look unattractive on the surface. Lawson approaches the topic from his perspective as a former federal prosecutor and counsel to federal criminal investigators, but most of the ideas apply just as well to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Subjects: Criminal Law, Legal Profession, Legal Research