Afternoon Briefs: Judge and civil rights lawyer dies at 93; lawyer reminds court of Super Bowl continuance promise

Nathaniel Jones, civil rights lawyer and appeals judge, dies at 93 Former civil rights lawyer and federal appeals judge Nathaniel Jones died Sunday at age 93. Jones was on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati and was former general counsel for the NAACP. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, Blank…

Jan 27, 2020 4:20 PM CST

DC Bar considers relaxing its already-lenient rules to allow nonlawyer ownership of law firms

The District of Columbia Bar is considering changes to its ethics rules that could allow external ownership of law firms, as well as businesses in which lawyers and nonlawyers provide both legal and nonlegal services.

Jan 27, 2020 10:40 AM CST

CEO discusses the disrupting, displacing and deconstructing of legal services

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Varun Mehta, the new CEO of Factor, formerly Axiom Managed Solutions, an organization focused on performing complex legal work at scale.

Jan 24, 2020 8:30 AM CST

Company that promised to revolutionize legal services confirms layoffs of most of its legal staff

Atrium, a company that launched in 2017 with the promise of transforming the delivery of legal services, has laid off most of its legal staff in a restructuring.

Jan 14, 2020 10:24 AM CST

‘Fundamental shift’ is transforming the delivery of legal services, new report concludes

“Revolutionary changes are afoot” in the market for legal services, according to a new report. Clients are actively managing their relationships with outside counsel, nonlaw competitors are gaining ground, and law firms are responding to market changes in innovative ways, the report says. The 2020 Report on the State of…

Jan 6, 2020 2:10 PM CST

Pro bono inspired a survivor of domestic violence to go to law school

As a 3L, Alyssa Leader says she runs a constant mental countdown of weeks to finals, weeks to graduation, weeks to the bar exam, weeks to test results, weeks until she can say she is someone she never would have been if not for David, a lawyer.

Oct 24, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Nonlawyers could invest in law firms and own legal businesses under Utah work group’s proposal

A Utah task force is proposing a “regulatory sandbox” to allow experimentation with nonlawyer ownership of legal businesses and nonlawyer investment in law firms. New legal services providers would test their services in the regulatory sandbox, overseen by a new regulatory body that gathers data and tests revisions before granting…

Aug 28, 2019 11:13 AM CDT

Story with racial justice theme wins ABA Journal’s 2019 Ross essay contest for legal fiction

A lawyer who promotes economic security for survivors of domestic violence has won the 2019 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction. Yvette Butler won the prize for a fictional story with a theme of racial justice. Writing the story was “an outlet to process what’s going on” regarding the “everlasting, amorphous war on terror” as well as issues surrounding police treatment of black people, she says.

Aug 5, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Nonlawyers could offer legal advice and partly own law firms under these California proposals

The State Bar of California is asking for public comment on proposals that would allow legal technicians to offer legal advice and nonlawyers to hold a financial interest in law firms.

Jul 15, 2019 11:05 AM CDT

ABE grant helps Iowa open legal clinics in VA medical centers

Jul 3, 2019 10:36 AM CDT

Do DIY divorce apps deliver? Services promise an easier process

Companies including Divorceify, Hello Divorce and Wevorce purport to simplify the divorce process by using tech to automate document production; providing resources for custodial issues, financial planning and housing; and offering counseling and hand-holding.

Jul 1, 2019 1:40 AM CDT

Few people seek legal solutions to their justice problems, worldwide survey finds

About half of people surveyed from around the world said they experienced a recent civil legal problem, but most did not turn to lawyers and courts. The study by the World Justice Project found that 49% of people experienced at least one legal problem in the past two years. Among…

Jun 27, 2019 12:01 PM CDT

This state is expected to become the first to collect prosecutor data, with breakdowns by race

Connecticut is expected to become the first state to collect statewide criminal case data from prosecutors broken down by the defendants’ race, sex, ethnicity, age and ZIP code. In votes in late May and early June, Connecticut legislators unanimously approved the transparency bill known as SB 880, report the Associated…

Jun 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Facing shortage of lawyers in some areas, this state is considering licensing legal technicians

The New Mexico Supreme Court has appointed a work group to consider whether the state should allow licensed legal technicians to provide civil legal services. The court has asked the group to submit a report by January 2020, according to a May 21 press release. Courthouse News Service and the…

May 28, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Homeless veterans bill would ensure legal services are available ‘when they are needed most,’ ABA says

ABA President Bob Carlson urged the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Tuesday to support bipartisan legislation that would implement new strategies for removing barriers that prevent homeless veterans from receiving vital benefits, services and treatment. In a letter sent to committee Chair Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Ranking Member Jon…

May 23, 2019 11:50 AM CDT