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Maximizing Value in a Software Driven World
Over the last decade, technology has at least conceptually moved from a supporting role to a central role in the legal industry. Law firms market their technology prowess and clients demand investments in systems and expertise to leverage technology on their behalf. It won't surprise any trainers out there, however, to read that law firms continue to face difficulty maximizing effective user behavior, mandating adherence to policies, and even encouraging attendance at training. That difficulty seems to be particularly apparent among attorney users. Client pressures on rates, proliferation of alternative fee arrangements, commoditization of legal services by alternative service providers, mandates by the Bar, and the fear of being called out by a client or a judge for a lack of competence in this area all encourage acceptance of the need for change, but making that happen in a profound way at an institutional level is a challenge.
The 2011 New York State Bar Association Report on the Task Force on the Future of the Legal Profession framed that challenge nicely, saying that we need to “redesign the way that we work so that technology is fully integrated into our workflow in an efficient and effective manner.”'Law firm management has been catching the drift, and 81% of the respondents in a 2013 PwC Law Firm Survey said their top business and support priority for 2014 and beyond was to improve the use of technology. With 80% of respondents in the same survey identifying their top priority in the current year as the need to implement or upgrade IT systems, you can extract some sense of the shift happening here.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
How AI Has Affected PR
When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.
The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs
The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.