Litigation is traumatic, chaotic and confusing for most clients, even for clients who are no strangers to litigation. One of the primary reasons clients react to litigation in this way is the failure of attorneys to properly manage the case and involve the client in the litigation process. Another reason is the high cost of litigation.
Filing paper documents at courthouses and administrative agencies is the law practice equivalent of an endangered species, giving way to a new breed of activity - electronic filing. Efiling is the uploading to a website of information in electronic form. The efiling process has begun to have a more pervasive effect on the legal system than did the adoption of codes of civil procedure or administrative procedure acts.
Here we go again, another election cycle brings the political rock stars to the fore. Will Arnold, the Governator, be reelected in California? Obama has come out swinging, and may steal the start of Hillary's Presidential campaign thunder. But such political-celebrity hype begs the real question - do we have the mechanisms in place to ensure accurate election results?
Today, the greatest risk to law firms, and, by extension, their insurance companies, are malpractice claims that arise due to a calendaring error.
Technology has been both a boon and bane for law firm attorneys and staff. Increasingly sophisticated software systems have made many law firm functions more efficient and effective, from managing court calendars to billing clients to improving case management: That's the good news. Yet that same technology also places new demands on lawyers and staff, requiring them to be skilled in knowledge management, systems integration and instant accessibility to information.
Read on to learn more about case management system features and synchronization with mobile devices.
As a legal professional, you're expected to live by the letter of the law. It's easy to do when you understand the rules inside and out. It gets more complicated when it involves issues that may not be top-of-mind -- such as software licensing.
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to the different activities in a project to achieve the project's objectives. By using project management principles, law firms can better manage their discovery obligations, adhere to budgets, and meet deadlines.
Adobe has made a point of reaching out to legal professionals and other knowledge workers with its recent release of Acrobat 8. Now the company is offering a new, hosted document service that also aims to provide useful features for professionals who need to control access to important electronic documents.
Legal software vendors beware! The Ninth Circuit recently held that a seller of web-based bankruptcy software qualified as a bankruptcy petition preparer and, as such, engaged in fraud and the unauthorized practice of the law. Any provider of software that claims to "know the law" and offers automated form selection should examine this decision closely to make sure their activities are within legal boundaries.