Category «Legal Profession»

Artificial Intelligence, ABA Formal Opinion 512 And Access To Justice

Jerry Lawson evaluates the American Bar Association’s Formal Opinion 512, “Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools” as a mixed bag. Lawson states that the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility took a significant step in the right direction by legitimizing the idea that it is appropriate for lawyers to use AI. Equally important, it suggests guardrails necessary for the safe use of artificial intelligence. It also provides valuable guidance on other related topics, with client confidentiality significant. It should not be surprising that the ABA would face challenges regulating a complex new technology.

Subjects: AI, Ethics, Legal Education, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Privacy

Consider The Turkey: philosopher’s new book might put you off your festive bird – and that’s exactly what he would want

This article by Benjamin Curtis is an overview of Australian philosopher Peter Singer who has been a champion of animal rights for more than 50 years. His basic philosophical position has remained the same: the suffering of animals is just as important as the suffering of human beings. Pain is pain, whether it is in animals or humans. So, just as we think it is wrong to cause unnecessary pain and suffering in humans, it is wrong to cause the same in animals. To think otherwise is “speciesist”.

Subjects: Ethics, Food & Drug Law, Legal Ethics, Legal Research

2024 Link Guide to Employment Resources

This employment resources guide by Marcus P. Zillman spans multiple sectors, sources in the private and public sectors, on-site and remote work, job search engines, resume building resources, identifying job titles and respective skill requirements, and is inclusive of a focus on new job seekers and those with years of experience. Some of the sources such as LinkedIn will be familiar, but many will be new to you and will add capabilities to your efforts to develop and execute a successful job search process.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Economy, Education, Job Hunting

How Can Law Professors Effectively Teach AI Literacy to Law Students? Legal AI Studio

This spring the Michigan State University College of Law and the MSU Center for Law, Technology & Innovation introduced the “LegalRnD AI Studio,” a groundbreaking mini-course series designed to elevate law students’ AI literacy, focusing on practical skills in generative AI. Dennis Kennedy shares how you can replicate this successful model and provide your students with the essential AI literacy they need at your school.

Subjects: AI, Education, Law Librarians, Legal Education, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Research Training

Is Your Firm Disclosing the Risks Associated to Using AI?

Patrick Mckenna calls out the importance to the legal community of a new public database, the AI Risk Repository, that lists ALL the ways AI could go wrong. Its creators hope their work could lead to further research to determine which risks to take more seriously.Its creators hope their work could lead to further research to determine which risks to take more seriously.

Subjects: AI, Cybersecurity, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Technology

Slide Show Formatting Basics

Legal tech expert and frequent speaker Jerry Lawson affirms that the best substantive presentation material looks even better if packaged well. Formatting slide shows is an art. Compliance with some basic slide show formatting principles won’t make you Monet, but will put you on the road to being a passable PowerPoint artist. Lawson shares his presentation tips and techniques.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession, Presentation Skills

Donald Trump wants to reinstate a spoils system in federal government by hiring political loyalists regardless of competence

If elected to serve a second term, Donald Trump says he supports a spoils system, a plan that would give him the authority to fire as many as 50,000 civil servants and replace them with members of his political party loyal to him. Under this plan, if he eventually deemed those new employees disloyal, he claims he could fire them too. Law professors Sidney Shapiro and Joseph P. Tomain write in their new book How Government Built America about how newly elected President Andrew Jackson, after he took office in 1828, fired about half the country’s civil servants and replaced them with loyal members of his political party. The result was not only an utterly incompetent administration, but widespread corruption.

Subjects: Congress, Ethics, Legal Research, United States Law

Are You a Renaissance Leader?

Kevin Novak continues his discussion on critical strategies and managing people in workplaces which have increasingly shifted to indirect, digitized operations and communications. The basic toolkit for successful leaders has changed and will continue to evolve as the work environment shifts. Leaders still need the basics to run the business, but the role has changed from a top-down decision-maker to an empathetic and facilitative colleague. We know it’s a lot to ask leaders to be group dynamics pros, but person-to-person skills as a wise mentor is invaluable with younger workers. It is and always will be important to “read the room” or in today’s terms “read the screen.”

Subjects: KM, Leadership, Legal Profession, Management