Ethics & Technology: Legal Tech

Interest and investment in blockchain technology, the recordkeeping infrastructure upon which Bitcoin is based, is widespread and growing. While capital clearly seeks a home in the virtual currency space, for the time being legal practitioners will have to interface with multiple regulators, including the SEC, the CFTC, federal banking regulators, as well as state regulators, all of which have asserted authority over virtual currency activities to various degrees. Blockchain, Virtual Currencies and ICOs: Navigating the Legal Landscape is a guidebook that will assist any practitioner that wishes to understand the world of virtual currencies and gain a measure of clarity with respect to the existing frameworks and central issues at play in this dynamic and challenging area.

In The Geopolitics of Cyberspace: A Diplomatic Perspective, Riordan explores the extent to which the key concepts of classical and critical Geopolitics can be applied to cyberspace, and how they might explain the behaviour of key state and non-state actors. Case studies seek to apply both kinds of geopolitical analysis to the US, Russia, China, the EU and internet companies, discussing what it can tell us about their past and future behaviour. Riordan then explores the implications for both the theory and, especially, the practice of diplomacy in relationship to cyberspace. He argues that foreign ministries and diplomatic services need to reform both their culture and structures to engage successfully with the challenges posed by cyberspace. Underlying the article is an attempt to rescue both diplomacy and geopolitics from popular usages that risk emptying both concepts of meaning.

This special report focuses on law firms' gender pay gaps with statistics from the top 50 law firms. This follows the new UK government regulations that came into force in April 2017 which required statutory reporting of the gender pay gap for the first time. The report analyses what individual law firms are doing to fix the gender pay gap, including work allocation, mentoring, maternity support, parental leave, women's lawyers networks with analysis from HR directors and lawyers. The report also analyses the tricky question of whether equity partners' should also reveal their pay gap and the individual choices taken by leading city law firms. It also includes coverage of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee on what action is being taken to address the gender pay gap and comment from the TUC.This cutting edge new report will be essential reading for law firm management and every practitioner interested to understand the gender pay gap in law and how women can be supported in their roles.

Intellectual property (IP) laws were drafted for tangible objects, but 3D printing technology, which digitizes objects and offers manufacturing capacity to anyone, is disrupting these laws and their underlying policies. In this timely work, Lucas S. Osborn focuses on the novel issues raised for IP law by 3D printing for the major IP systems around the world. He specifically addresses how patent and design law must wrestle with protecting digital versions of inventions and policing individualized manufacturing, how trademark law must confront the dissociation of design from manufacturing, and how patent and copyright law must be reconciled when digital versions of primarily utilitarian objects are concerned. With an even hand and keen insight, Osborn offers an innovation-centered analysis of and balanced response to the disruption caused by 3D printing that should be read by nonexperts and experts alike.

The popular annual guide to legal technology is back with its 2019 edition. The Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide is the only book of its kind that helps solo and small firm lawyers find the best value for their dollars in legal tech. In clear, understandable language, that authors give a vendor-neutral overview of and recommendations for computers, servers, networking equipment, legal software, printers, security products, smartphones, tablets, and more.Whether you choose to do it yourself or work with an IT consultant, this book has the information you need to reduce the sea of choices to a manageable set of proven options.New and updated topics for this edition include:* The latest recommendations on hardware and software for PCs, Macs, and tablets* Best products and practices to protect sensitive data from internal and external security threats* Tips for safe and secure remote access to your data, even when traveling abroad* Advice to help you prepare for the worst-case scenarios -- lost smartphone, data breach, natural disaster...* Tomorrow in legal tech, from trends in cyber risks to cloud computing and relevant new ethics opinions

This book explores the transformational impact of new technological developments on legal practice. More specifically, it addresses knowledge management, communication, and e-discovery related technologies, and helps readers develop the project management and data analysis skills needed to effectively navigate the current, and future, landscapes. It studies the impact of current trends on business practices, as well as the ethical, procedural, and evidentiary concerns involved.  Introducing novel interactive technologies as well as traditional content, the book reflects expertise from across the legal industry, including practitioners, the bench, academia, and legal technology consultants. All of the contributing authors currently teach aspiring lawyers and/or paralegals and have identified a gap in the available instructional material. Rapid technology advances have radically changed the way we all live and work, and the legal profession is by no means exempt from the impact of these changes. In order to better assist their clients, and to better compete on the legal market, it is imperative for lawyers to understand the ethical, functional, and business consequences of new technologies on their respective practices. This book provides the necessary content by including legal technology texts, information about novel pedagogical technologies, helpful tools for managing legal technologies and IT staff, statistical methods, tips and checklists.

The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms and Business Professionals, Second Edition is published by the ABA Cybersecurity Legal Task Force which is composed of ABA members with expertise in cybersecurity as well as government, technical and private sector representation. The Second Edition of this top selling cybersecurity book is a must read for anyone working in the field including private practice attorneys and associates, in-house counsel, non-profit and government attorneys and others. Since the release of the first edition published in 2013, cybersecurity breaches in law firms have made news headlines and clients are asking questions about lawyers' and firms' security programs. From the massive Panama Papers breach that led to the dissolution of the Mossack Fonseca Law Firm in April 2016 to the WannaCry and Petya Ransomware attacks, the latter that led to the several day work outage at DLA Piper in June 2017, it is imperative that attorneys understand the potential risk of weak information security practices to their practices and their clients. As hackers increase their capability to conduct cyber attacks, so must law firms step up their risk management game specifically in cybersecurity as a fundamental part of their sustainable business practices.Co-edited by cybersecurity leaders, Jill D. Rhodes and Robert S. Litt, former General Counsel of the Director of National Intelligence, The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms and Business Professionals focuses on many of the issues raised in the first edition, while highlighting the extensive changes in the current cybersecurity environment. Aside from the length of the book (about 30% more extensive than the prior edition), this edition includes a chapter on technology basics for the technologically challenged. This updated edition will enable you to identify potential cybersecurity risks and prepare you to respond in the event of an attack. It addresses the current overarching threat as well as ethical issues and special considerations for law firms of all sizes. The Handbook also includes the most recent ABA Ethics Opinions and illustrates how you should approach the subject of cybersecurity threats and issues with clients as well as when and how to purchase and use cyber insurance.

Law firms can mitigate the risk of a data breach through a variety of means, including: investing in cybersecurity tools, hiring internal and external cyber resources to augment the firm's current information security practices, and arguably most importantly changing the firm's culture to be more security conscious. No one size fits all solution exists for dealing with cyber threats, but with proper focus and resources, a firm can consider its unique factors and develop an information security posture that addresses its most compelling concerns. While preventing a breach should be a paramount concern for any law firm, it is similarly important to prepare for what happens in the event that a breach occurs. Although there are options, such as cyber insurance, to help mitigate the direct costs of a breach, law firms must also look to other options to resolve these issues expeditiously. As the costs associated with litigating data breach claims continues to climb, it will become increasingly apparent that law firms must begin looking towards other dispute resolution mechanisms, such as arbitration, in order to mitigate and control costs. Firms must take steps to create processes to mitigate and control the risk and fallout resulting from a data breach. A strong step in the right direction is Law Firm Cybersecurity, a resource that gives firms the tools they need to defend themselves.

e-Discovery for Everyone is an introduction to e-Discovery that avoids over-technicality, without being substantively superficial, and manages to be interesting and amusing. Ralph has been writing his e-Discovery Team blog since 2006, and e-Discovery for Everyone assembles many of his most helpful and recent blog posts in a collection that will be of value to newcomers to e-Discovery as well as seasoned practitioners. The book is written in a conversational style, and is divided into short chapters easily read in a relatively short sitting.

Florida E-Discovery and Evidence brings clarity to this complex area of law. This comprehensive resource includes:

• In-depth coverage of e-discovery from A-Z: admissibility at trial through records management.
• Highlights of how the Florida rules of civil procedure will apply to e-discovery and a guide to the soon to be in place Florida e-discovery rules.
• Identification of key cost saving "junctions" in e-discovery; helpful guidelines and hot tips for e-discovery cost management.
• Ethical traps and pitfalls; guidance on how to avoid time consuming discovery disputes.
• Checklists and guides for every e-discovery task.
• All Florida case law on e-discovery in both state and Federal courts and key national cases.
• Helpful forms and practice tips.

Over the last decade, law enforcement agencies have engaged in increasingly intrusive surveillance methods, from location tracking on cell phones to reading metadata off of e-mails. As a result, many believe we are heading towards an omniscient surveillance state and irrevocable damage to our privacy rights. In Smart Surveillance, Ric Simmons challenges this conventional wisdom by taking a broader look at the effect of new technologies and privacy, arguing that advances in technology can enhance our privacy and our security at the same time. Rather than focusing exclusively on the rise of invasive surveillance technologies, Simmons proposes a fundamentally new method of evaluating government searches - based on quantification, transparency, and efficiency - resulting in a legal regime that can adapt as technology and society change.

Today's digital economy is uniquely dependent on the Internet, yet few users or decision makers have more than a rudimentary understanding of the myriad of online risks that threaten us. Cyber crime is one of the main threats to the integrity and availability of data and systems. From insiders to complex external attacks and industrial worms, modern business faces unprecedented challenges; and while cyber security and digital intelligence are the necessary responses to this challenge, they are understood by only a tiny minority. In his second book on high-tech risks, Mark Johnson goes far beyond enumerating past cases and summarising legal or regulatory requirements. He describes in plain, non-technical language how cyber crime has evolved and the nature of the very latest threats. He confronts issues that are not addressed by codified rules and practice guidelines, supporting this with over 30 valuable illustrations and tables. Written for the non-technical layman and the high tech risk manager alike, the book also explores countermeasures, penetration testing, best practice principles, cyber conflict and future challenges. A discussion of Web 2.0 risks delves into the very real questions facing policy makers, along with the pros and cons of open source data. In a chapter on Digital Intelligence readers are provided with an exhaustive guide to practical, effective and ethical online investigations. Cyber Crime, Security and Digital Intelligence is an important work of great relevance in today's interconnected world and one that nobody with an interest in either risk or technology should be without.

This text takes an unbiased look at four perennial issues on the Internet: free speech, intellectual property, privacy and security.

Appropriate for students in any Professional Responsibility course, this study aid is structured around concepts, so it doesn't feel like a march through the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Not only does it have the proven pedagogy of the E & E series, it is also comprehensive and well balanced. Comprehensive, covers entire law governing lawyers Thoroughly revised to enhance clarity Revised to take account of changes to the Model Rules made by the ABA's Ethics 20/20 Commission Includes agency, fiduciary duty, tort, contract, constitutional, and corporate and securities PR Up to date and accessible; presents balanced approach to controversial issues

While technology has improved the speed and efficiency for providing legal services, one aspect that may be overlooked is how the rapid growth of social media has affected the landscape of almost everything a lawyer may touch—for better or for worse.
Written to assist lawyers with every level of experience in social media navigate the often slippery slope of digital communication such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and more, this pertinent book offers necessary guidance for one’s ethical responsibilities in social media.
Legal Ethics and Social Media: A Practitoner's Handbook covers all areas of social media from both the attorney’s perspective as well as that of the attorney’s clients. Topics include:
• Being digitally competent
• Representing and advising clients in this digital age
• Judges, courts and legal ethics
• Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
• Attorney advertising and social media
• Preservation and spoliation of digital evidence
• "Facebooking" a jury
• Ethically filtering a response to a negative online comment or review
• Digital assets and much more
In addition, the book includes references to Legal Ethics Advisory Opinions and a Table of Cases. Any lawyer, judge, law student or legal professional who uses social media or has faced obstacles in court with client’s social media activity will find this an invaluable—and essential—tool for their practice or firm.

Futurists predict that in the next ten years the profession of "lawyer" will splinter into job titles like "legal process analyst" or "legal knowledge engineer." And some in the field are already taking a proactive approach ⁠-- in fact, more than two dozen law schools have developed innovation centers to explore artificial intelligence (AI) and the law. In a competitive marketplace, both firms and individuals need to familiarize themselves with the dazzling array of new products and enhanced features capable of improving efficiency. Written by leading practitioners and visionaries like Robert Ambrogi, this groundbreaking survey of current practices and future trends offers an incisive examination of the evolving roles for law librarians. Readers will learn how AI technology is changing law school curricula, lawyer practice, marketing, and other key aspects of the field through coverage of such topics as the benefits of AI to law librarianship, including areas like legal research, contract review, compliance, and administration, and their associated risks; four professional ethics rules that apply to the use or (non-use) of AI; how lawyers and staff work side by side with AI, utilizing intelligence like RAVN ACE or FastCase to attack the drudgery of due diligence and document review; surprising machine-learning insights from tokenizing, stemming, and lemmatizing the text of Shakespeare's plays; the potential for chatbots and new natural language processing products to improve access to justice; and ways to develop sought-after skills through new technology departments, practice management groups, and legal innovation labs. Reading this collection will give you a firm grasp of the innovations, tools, benefits, and risks of AI in law librarianship.