Mecha Justice: When Machines Think Like Lawyers

Most workplaces, whether public, private, academic – within the government, legal, education, news, or advocacy sectors – are increasingly focused on how to define, implement and position the use of ‘Big Data,’ data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and even robotics, into respective organizational missions that are under increasing pressure to innovate faster. Ken Strutin’s comprehensive, insightful and expertly documented article is a critical read to assist all of us in the legal environment, regardless of our role, in understanding key cases, issues, science, technology and applications, and potential as well as actual outcomes. As Strutin writes, the term “Mecha” envisions a futuristic artificial intelligence wrapped in human likeness and seamlessly woven into the activities of society. It represents a time when the aggrandizement of our species will depend on technology that looks and thinks like us. Today, the prototype of attorney mechas are emerging from advances in computer reasoning and big data. The demands of increasingly complex legal transactions, sophisticated consumers, and the momentum of technology are putting pressures on the practice of law that only computer assistance can relieve. This compilation of notable news articles, scientific studies and legal scholarship highlights the progress of rights, responsibilities and roles of legal professionals and thinking machines.

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Subjects: Legal Research

Peter Drucker and the Forward Focused Mindset

Author, professor, editor Bruce Rosenstein highlights his 10 Elements of the Future based on his many years of study of Peter Drucker’s work. These elements are an actionable resource for proactively and positively engaging with the multifaceted challenges and opportunities we are encountering in our work places and personal lives.

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Subjects: KM, Management

Visiting Thailand

Research Assistant and world traveler Ryan Davis shares his travelogue from a recent trip to Thailand, including how to find great affordable places to stay, where to visit, suggestions on food and meals, and cost effective transportation tips for land, sea and air. Ryan’s terrific journey includes photos. As the dogs days of summer wane, Ryan offers us an engaging detour via an armchair escape.

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Subjects: Travel

Deans of Virginia University Libraries to Chairman Goodlatte: First Do No Harm in Copyright Revision

UVA Director of Information Policy Brandon Butler explains the implications of the Copyright Office plan to to issue a total rewrite of Section 108 of the Copyright Act and provides context on such a decision, which protects library and archives’ copying for preservation and research. Libraries and archives have said they do not want this, but the Office seems to be determined to do it. So, a group of Deans and Directors of Virginia university libraries has sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to ensure he realizes the controversy and context that surrounds the Office’s proposed changes. If you are a concerned library or librarian, consider writing your representative, especially if they sit on the Judiciary Committee.

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Subjects: Congress, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Law Librarians, Legislative

Locating Foreign Civil Codes

Lyonette Louis-Jacques expertly guides us with this pathfinder on the research required to comprehensively address the frequently asked foreign and comparative law research question – how do I to find a country’s civil code?. A researcher might not know they need a civil code, but they often do. A civil code is the key to accessing all types of private law for many civil law jurisdictions. Modeled after the Code Napoléon or Code civil des Français (1804), a civil code usually contains laws relating to personal status, contracts, torts, “delict”, “obligations”, real and personal property, inheritance and succession, marriage, divorce, family, parent and child, private international law (conflict of laws/choice of law).

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Subjects: American Association of Law Libraries, Comparative/Foreign Law, Government Resources, Legal Research, Online Legal Research Services

Green Files 2016

Marcus Zillman’s guide is a comprehensive listing of green resources and sites on the Internet. These focused actionable resources will assist researchers to discover many subject and topic specific sources published and maintained by sectors and groups including: private, public, NGO, and advocacy communities.

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Subjects: Energy, Environmental Law, Legal Research

Pain Science and the Administration of Justice

Ken Strutin’s article is a survey of legal scholarship and medical research concerning the study of pain and its significance for the administration of civil and criminal justice. The complexity of pain’s impact on each individual’s life is increasingly relevant in the context of the administration of civil and criminal justice. Strutin’s subject matter expertise in issues of law and justice is further articulated in this this article as he undertakes a timely review of an increasingly relevant issue that impacts the lives of defendants and complainants alike.

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Subjects: Criminal Law, Human Rights, Legal Ethics, Medical Research, Publishing & Publishers (Legal)

Text to speech in new $80 Kindle demolishes lobbyists’ case against legally required TTS

David Rothman argues forcefully for uniform, immediate government and industry support for and implementation of text-to-speech technology. Rothman highlights Amazon’s use of Bluetooth-based TTS in the new $80 Kindle. The reader permits blind individuals as well as those with reading challenges to use Bluetooth headphones to hear the TTS via a wireless connection without the requirement for any special adapter.

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Subjects: E-Books
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