A class action lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in Washington, D.C., challenges the fees charged by PACER, the federal courts’ online court records system, as excessive. The lawsuit seeks to obtain relief on behalf of “all individuals and entities who have paid fees for the use of PACER within the past…
Seven Recent Legal Tech Articles Worth Reading
Here are seven articles I’ve read recently that I recommend as worth a look:
Luddite Lawyer’s Guide to Computer Backup Systems. Lawyer Craig Ball, a leading expert in e-discovery and computer forensics, offers this newly updated primer on backup techniques and media. Although written with an eye to discovery, it should…
Legal Services Corp., Microsoft and Pro Bono Net Team Up to Create Legal-Aid Portals
In a move aimed at enhancing access to justice, the Legal Services Corporation announced today that it is partnering with Microsoft Corporation and Pro Bono Net to develop state legal portals to direct individuals with civil legal needs to the most appropriate forms of assistance.
Initially, they will develop…
For Real Estate Lawyers, A Hidden Research Gem Gets New Polish
One of the little-known gems of web research for real estate lawyers is the Underwriting Library of First American Title. The site used to describe itself as “the largest compilation of title material available on this planet.” I no longer see that description anywhere on the site, but I wouldn’t…
Citrix Will Soon Launch Its Own Law Practice Management Platform
[Editor’s note: Subsequent to this post, Citrix abandoned its plan to launch a legal practice management platform. General information on ShareFile for legal can be found here.]
In case you think the market for practice management software isn’t already crowded enough, you will soon have another choice. Sometime this spring, Citrix will launch…
Thomson Reuters Says Glitch Left Out Text from 600 Cases Since 2014
An example of where text was missing.
What it should have said.
Subscribers to Thomson Reuters Westlaw and hard-copy reporter volumes got a surprise last night: An email informing them that TR had erroneously omitted small portions of text from some 600 cases published since November 2014.
“As part of our…
Casetext's New Features Help You More Easily Get to the Essence of A Case
Casetext is on a journey. And it just took another big step along the path.
The journey is to develop a free legal research platform that is as robust and useful as a paid site. The big step is a new case-reading page that adds features that make it easier…
News from the IP Tech Front: Anaqua Acquires AcclaimIP and Free Patents Online
The Boston-based company Anaqua, which provides a cloud-based IP management and workflow platform, today announced its acquisition of two sibling IP technology products, AcclaimIP, a patent analytics application, and Free Patents Online, a free patent search tool, both of which were previously owned by partners James Ryley, Erik Reeves and Matt…
Number of Legal Startups Nearly Triples in Two Years
Two years ago, in a post here titled, A Time of Unprecedented Innovation in Legal Technology, I noted that Angel List, a site that lists startups of all kinds, included 412 companies identified as legal startups. Today, the number of legal startups included at Angel List is…
Is There a Future for Online Dispute Resolution for Lawyers?
The Dutch ODR platform Rechtwijzer has garnered broad acclaim.
Twenty years ago, I published an article, Cyberspace Becomes Forum for Resolving Disputes, about the promise and potential of online dispute resolution (ODR). Someone active in the field recently told me that mine was the first published article about ODR. I don’t…
Avvo CEO Says New Legal Forms Offering Will Help Steer Self-Help Consumers to Lawyers
After reporting yesterday on Avvo’s launch of Avvo Legal Forms, I had an opportunity to speak today with the company’s CEO, Mark Britton, who is in Las Vegas, where he is attending Avvo’s annual Lawyernomics conference.
After my post yesterday, Ken Adams of the blog Adams…
LawToolBox Readies Launch of Office 365 Add-in for Outlook
LawToolBox is an online, rule-based deadline calculator that I reviewed in some depth in 2013. Ever since 2013, it has integrated with Microsoft Outlook through an Office 365 app. But the integration was one way, meaning that all calculations and changes had to be made…