Columns

Meet Lawsuit Barbie: She’s been busy at Barbie’s courthouse

Barbie has been living in the real world for a long time. Because of the doll’s colossal success since its introduction in 1959, countless lawsuits have gone through the courts as the doll’s maker has sought to enforce its rights and protect her image.

Jul 25, 2023 9:36 AM CDT

The Future Is Now: The rise of AI-powered legal assistants

Unless you’re hiding under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about generative AI tools like ChatGPT. The potential efficiency gains these tools offer legal professionals are mind-boggling—and possibly career-changing. If predictions are correct, many aspects of legal work will be impacted by generative AI, and some functions may even be replaced in the years to come.

Jul 24, 2023 11:21 AM CDT

Legal ops co-founders discuss ‘the value of running legal like a business’

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Connie Brenton and Jeff Franke, the founders of LegalOps.com, a membership community providing legal operations and other professionals with resources and events, including an inaugural conference in October.

Jul 24, 2023 8:33 AM CDT

Is ignorance bliss for laypeople in the legal system?

Is ignorance often bliss for laypeople having contact with the legal system? I have noticed that nonlawyers enjoy a much more relaxed attitude with the judicial environment than we lawyers do. We get uptight, bending over to display reverence while the laypeople have no such qualms, doing what comes naturally, expressing themselves with complete candor.

Jul 20, 2023 3:09 PM CDT

Beyond the Hype: Lessons on auditing AI systems from the front lines

“Generative AI systems are made up of billions or even trillions of parameters trained on vast amounts of data, and their complexity makes their outputs notoriously difficult to explain. But can complex generative systems undergo meaningful audits?”

Jul 17, 2023 8:12 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Supreme Court once again moves the law significantly to the right

In the last days of the October Term 2022, the court, in a series of 6-3 decisions, moved the law significantly to the right. But unlike the prior term, there also were some significant surprises from the conservative court.

Jul 13, 2023 1:45 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS ruling on Indian Child Welfare Act is win for Native Americans, but key issues remain unresolved

The United States has a long and despicable history of removing Native American children from their families. As Justice Neil Gorsuch observed, “there was mass removal of Indian children from their families during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s by state officials and private parties.” This horrific practice actually began almost 150 years ago.

Jul 5, 2023 11:08 AM CDT

Creating Space at the Table: Succeeding as a female in the still-male-dominated field of law

Growing up far from the big city in Delmar, New York, I did not know many lawyers, and I certainly knew of no lawyers to emulate. Back then I would have never dreamt of becoming a managing partner in a successful law firm. But here I am, thanks to the sound advice from mentors who saw my potential and helped me forge my way.

Jun 29, 2023 8:56 AM CDT

Leadership, growth and profitability in a post-pandemic era explored in new report

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Lydia Flocchini, the chief marketing officer at SurePoint Technologies, Debbie Foster, the CEO at Affinity Consulting, and Laura Wenzel, the global director of product marketing at iManage.

Jun 26, 2023 8:47 AM CDT

Maximize Billable Hours: An overview of law firm time-tracking software

As lawyers in 2023 navigate the business challenges of running a profitable law firm, the value of time-tracking technology is clear: The more time captured and invoiced, the more revenue is generated.

Jun 26, 2023 8:45 AM CDT

Alternative Dispute Resolution: Is it all it’s cracked up to be?

En garde! Shall we mediate? For the past few years, a common buzzword has been alternative dispute resolution—and specifically, mediation. What is that really all about?

Jun 22, 2023 8:51 AM CDT

The trials of ‘Jury Duty’ in life and in art

My last entry focused on a new streaming series titled Jury Duty. If you haven’t given it a read, it’s worth a few minutes of your time. Obviously, I’m biased. Nevertheless, that installment discusses a show that has grown a bit of a cult following, and the premise is interesting if nothing else.

Jun 14, 2023 11:36 AM CDT

Identifying and eliminating implicit bias toward psychiatric disabilities in the legal profession

“Don’t let it happen again.” When I heard the statement, my body melted into my chair as I sat staring toward the screen in our Zoom meeting. Shock spread through my body for several moments—no words came. I was petrified and let waves of shame and disbelief flow through my body.

Jun 12, 2023 11:30 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Social media and internet companies likely face more free speech challenges at the Supreme Court

Sometimes there is great significance in what the U.S Supreme Court doesn’t do, and that was definitely so for two cases it handed down May 18 about the internet and social media.

Jun 6, 2023 8:57 AM CDT

Fill the ‘Justice Gap’: Victims of domestic violence need your pro bono legal help

I’ll never forget sitting in professor Sarah Buel’s Domestic Violence and the Law class at the University of Texas School of Law, as she shared her iconic article: Fifty Obstacles to Leaving, a.k.a., Why Abuse Victims Stay.

Jun 1, 2023 11:52 AM CDT