ABA Journal

The top legal technology trends of 2023

The past year has been one defined by unpredictability and economic uncertainty as well as the lasting impact of the pandemic on technology adoption and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. In the wake of these developments, lawyers, traditionally tech-resistant, began to embrace advanced tools even as there was a sudden and marked downshift in legal technology investments and mergers.

Dec 21, 2023 10:53 AM CST

Our top LinkedIn posts of 2023

Social media is an ever-shifting landscape, but one trend that we've seen at the ABA Journal over the past few years is the uptick in the use of LinkedIn among lawyers. It may have once been a static place to dump resumé details or humblebrag, but LinkedIn is now hosting in-depth discussions and thriving communities of legal professionals.

Dec 21, 2023 9:47 AM CST

Bryan Garner’s 2023 legal writing tips

This year, Bryan Garner gave us a legal interpretation quiz, advice for bringing brio to your written words, and musings on the blissful ignorance of bad legal writers. Here's the full wrap-up of 2023 columns by the Black's Law Dictionary's editor-in-chief.

Dec 21, 2023 8:57 AM CST

4 ways law schools can support students, uphold First Amendment during times of conflict

“Is it possible to both hold a peaceful protest and allow a controversial speaker to speak?” Cassandra Hill, the dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law, posed this question to me last month, as she moderated a LexCon '23 panel, which explored how schools can support students and protect First Amendment rights during times of conflict.

Dec 20, 2023 10:02 AM CST

How to plan your post-law life

There are lawyers who love the practice of law so much that they'll only leave it feet first—and in a box. But for those who'd prefer to exit the bar before closing time, Kevin McGoff has advice on planning that next chapter.

Dec 20, 2023 8:15 AM CST

Chemerinsky: A year of significant developments at the Supreme Court

“Sometimes in the past, a blockbuster term—like the one a year ago—is followed by a quieter one. But that was not true this year. It was another amazing year in the Supreme Court,” writes Erwin Chemerinsky, University of California at Berkeley law dean.

Dec 19, 2023 11:08 AM CST

These 3 organizations are using innovative methods to help older youths in foster care

In our final story of the year for our Children & the Law series, we are focusing on the needs of older foster youths about to transition out of care and what supports and services make a difference in their lives. Here are three ways that organizations around the country are helping with this essential work.

Dec 18, 2023 8:22 AM CST

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2023

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 exceptional ABA members who impressed and invigorated us through their good works.

Dec 18, 2023 8:15 AM CST

What were the top legal tech stories of 2023?

As 2023 draws to a close, the Legal Rebels Podcast looks at the top stories in legal technology for the year.

Dec 13, 2023 8:15 AM CST

Now is the time to consider a lawyer exchange

As lawyers, whether we practice in a corporate legal office, a global law firm or an independent firm, we are all trying to position ourselves for success in a changing and more globalized legal landscape. We are also all facing challenges in recruiting and retaining the young lawyers who will help us get there. Lawyer exchanges are one tool that can be effective on both fronts.

Dec 12, 2023 12:22 PM CST

7 ways that lawyering is ‘ethics in action’

Winding down my Polish airport real estate development projects, I sold my Polish car parking company in 2011 to a Belgian company, closing the deal in a Warsaw conference room packed with 11 lawyers and towers of documents in Polish and English, even though the buyers primarily spoke French.

Dec 11, 2023 12:19 PM CST

True-crime stories, like heavy metal, don’t create criminals

Documentaries about murder should be an educational resource, to one extent or another, but sometimes become nothing more than a vehicle to glorify a criminal at the expense at the expense of the victims and their families.

Dec 7, 2023 2:56 PM CST

Armin Salek builds new pathway to profession for aspiring first-generation lawyers

At age 33, Armin Salek has his dream job. He is the founder and the executive director of the Youth Justice Alliance, a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas, that provides aspiring first-generation lawyers with financial and institutional support starting in high school.

Dec 6, 2023 10:01 AM CST

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2023

It's the time of year when The Modern Law Library hosts like to look back on the media that we've enjoyed: our annual pop culture picks episode. This year, host Lee Rawles is joined by three ABA Journal reporters: Julianne Hill, Amanda Robert and the Journal's newest employee, Anna Stolley Persky.

Dec 6, 2023 8:30 AM CST

The top legal technology trends of 2023

Top 10 news stories of 2023