The 10 Most Important #Legal #Technology Developments of 2014

by Robert Ambrogi

Last year, I posted my picks for the 10 most important legal technology developments of 2013. In many ways, this year’s big legal tech stories were continuations of last year’s. Last year, for example, I wrote about the cloud having come into its own, about competence in legal technology becoming a necessity, about mobile becoming the driving force in tech development, about practice management becoming mainstream, and about technology helping to fill the access-to-justice shortfall. All of these continued to be important into 2014 and to develop throughout the year.

But 2014 had significant developments of its own in the area of legal technology. As I look back over the year, here are my picks for 2014’s most important legal technology developments. The numbers are not meant to be rankings — all of these are important in their own ways.

1. Legal research “rebels” join the establishment. 

Budget-consciousness at large firms is driving greater use of “value” legal-research services, transforming the importance of those services in the overall legal-research landscape. Let me explain. Loosely speaking, legal research providers fall into three groups. One consists of the 800-pound gorillas, the large and established companies that dominate the market. Here you find Westlaw and LexisNexis, along with Bloomberg BNA and Wolters Kluwer. Another group consists of the start-up innovators, new companies that are introducing new approaches to legal research. In this group, you have companies such as Casetext and Ravel Law. Somewhere in between those two groups are the companies you might think of as “value” providers, most notably Fastcase and Casemaker. These companies were once rebels themselves, bringing primary legal research to the legal market at a cost far more affordable than the gorillas offered.

http://goo.gl/mbjSSf

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Small is the new big in legal technology

By Kevin O'Keefe on September 25, 2014 By Kevin O'Keefe on September 25, 2014 in Cool Stuff

  

Big used to matter in companies providing legal support, research, and technology based solutions to law firms.

Lots of money, broad distribution networks, seasoned executives, elaborate conference booths, and fancy marketing collateral.

http://kevin.lexblog.com/2014/09/25/small-is-the-new-big-in-legal-technology-companies/

Beware of Email Jury Scams

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Do not give out personal information via email warned the federal courts Thursday. A new juror email scam has been reported in over a dozen federal court districts, the July 31 bulletin said.

The email scam targets citizens, informing them they have been selected for jury duty and must return a completed form. The bogus form requests information such as Social Security, driver's license and cell phone numbers, as well as a victim’s date of birth and mother's maiden name, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts warned.

The scam, which falsely claims to be affiliated with eJuror, goes on to say that those who do not respond will have to explain their actions to the court, and could even face fines and jail time. EJuror is an online registration program that approximately 80 district courts use

Read more:http://www.lawtechnologynews.com/id=1202665643161/Beware-of-Email-Juror-Scams#ixzz39RSulC4g

Hacking away to Justice

There’s perhaps no greater indicator of just how far technology has infiltrated the legal profession, than a Hackcess to Justice.  Suffolk University Law School in Boston is holding the event next weekend, with the aim of putting technological innovation and energy into supporting services for the general public to access legal help and advice.

“We are challenging lawyers, law student developers, coders and others interested in improving access to justice through technology to devise a technology-enabled solution,” to one of five areas recently outlined in the Legal Services Corporation’s seminal report on how to expand the access to justice through computers and mobile devices, according to the event website

Read more:http://www.lawtechnologynews.com/id=1202665700197/Hacking-Away-to-Justice#ixzz39RSVKTW5

Mobile facts law firm publishers ought to keep in mind

Frédéric Filloux (@filloux), the general manager for digital operations at Les Echos, the leading business media group in France shares that by the end of 2014, many news media will collect around 50% of their page views via mobile devices (smart phones and tablets).

Though Filloux is reporting on the news media, not law firm blog publishers, law firms ought take note of the figures and trends shared by Filloux.

Though native apps (think iOS or Android app) lead as compared to mobile websites (think responsive design), Filloux notes that with games and Facebook apps accounting for 50% of the time spent on apps that result is skewed mightily.

http://kevin.lexblog.com/2014/07/07/mobile-facts-law-firm-publishers-ought-to-keep-in-mind/

5 Reasons to Virtualize Law Firm Computing

Dale Roberts, Law Technology News

July 7, 2014    | 0 Comments

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Technology background.

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For several years information technology pundits have debated when is the right time to move your small business, and specifically small law firms, to virtual IT environments. The default answer has always been “It depends.” Although that still rings true in some cases, trends in the market, and our recent experiences with moving law firms to virtual environments, makes us confident in saying now is the time to move your law firm to a virtualized IT environment. Here are five reasons:

1. It increases profitability. It’s not a secret that many law firms are behind when it comes to their advanced and even more basic technology know-how. In fact, some consultants have actually conducted tests to see how behind legal firms are with their technology practices and how it may affect their profitability. Nine out of ten law firms failed the test or technology audit in one case.

Read more: http://www.lawtechnologynews.com/id=1202662030167/5-Reasons-to-Virtualize-Law-Firm-Computing#ixzz36pZ6lrsr

Courtrooms saying YES to Technology - it's ABOUT TIME!!!

STEVE HARTMAN/DAILY FORUM

Judge in control

Judge Roger Prokes, presiding judge of Missouri’s 4th Circuit Court, displays the small screen that allows him to control a variety of audio-visual and computer technology that was recently installed in the Nodaway County Courthouse’s main courtroom, where most upper-division cases are tried. Prokes said the new devises make the courtroom state of the art, even compared to facilities in metropolitan areas such as Kansas City.

Posted: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 5:00 pm

By STEVE HARTMAN Staff writer | 0 comments

• 
• Posted on Jun 25, 2014
  by Steve Hartman

Using revenue derived from court costs and the law library fund collected over several years, the main courtroom in the Nodaway County Courthouse has been outfitted with $30,000 worth of new technology, bringing the space in which most upper-division cases are tried to digital state-of-the-art status.

Presiding 4th Circuit Judge Roger Prokes said the new tech represent a dramatic improvement in his court’s ability to dispense justice.

http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/news/article_1abc1d1e-fca2-11e3-8785-001a4bcf887a.htmlhttp://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/news/article_1abc1d1e-fca2-11e3-8785-001a4bcf887a.html

http://goo.gl/rzarvh

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339 Litigation Consulting Report Articles Free

For the first time ever, A2L is releasing a free list (scroll down and see below or click here) of all 339 articles published in our litigation and persuasion-focused blog. They are organized into five categories below:

• Litigation Graphics: includes articles about PowerPoint use at trial, animation, how one should use litigation graphics consultants & practice area specific graphics.
• Jury & Trial Consulting: includes those articles that relate to the role of a jury or trial consultant, how to structure mock exercises and articles that discuss how best to communicate with a judge or jury.
• Trial Technology: includes articles about the best traits of a trial technician, how best to deploy technology in the courtroom, how to avoid technology problems and more.
• E-Books & Webinars: provides a list of many of our e-books and webinars released over the past three years.
• General: covers topics like economic conditions, witness preparation, tips for trial, storytelling, making presentations outside the courtroom and those articles that cut across multiple subject areas.

The list is below. ALL of the articles are free to access. I hope you enjoy them, and I would especially enjoy discussing your next courtroom or boardroom persuasion challenge.

Rebecca Mullen
Director, Customer Success
800.337.7697 x115
mullen@A2LC.com

Litigation Graphics

• Good-Looking Graphic Design ≠ Good-Working Visual Persuasion
• What is Visual Persuasion and What Do You Need to Know About It?
• 7 Ways to Avoid Making Your PowerPoint Slides Your Handout
• Litigation Graphics: It's Not a Beauty Contest
• Could Surprise Be One of Your Best Visual Persuasion Tools?
• 21 Reasons a Litigator Is Your Best Litigation Graphics Consultant
• 5 Settlement Scenarios Where Litigation Graphics Create Leverage
• Why Trial Tech ≠ Litigation Graphics
• 12 Ways to SUCCESSFULLY Combine Oral and Visual Presentations
• 16 PowerPoint Litigation Graphics You Won't Believe Are PowerPoint
• Litigation Graphics and Demonstrative Evidence at the USPTO
• Why Reading Your Litigation PowerPoint Slides Hurts Jurors
• 16 Litigation Graphics Lessons for Mid-Sized Law Firms
• Watch Out for Subliminal Messages in Trial Graphics
• Trial Timelines and the Psychology of Demonstrative Evidence
• Don't Be Just Another Timeline Trial Lawyer
• What Does Litigation Animation Cost? (Includes Animation Examples)
• Don't Use PowerPoint as a Crutch in Trial or Anywhere
• Litigators Can Learn a Lot About Trial Presentation from Nancy Duarte
• George Zimmerman Trial: Use of Animation Evidence and Objections
• 13 Reasons Law Firm Litigation Graphics Departments Have Bad Luck
• 7 Questions You Must Ask Your Mock Jury About Litigation Graphics
• Litigation Graphics, Psychology and Color Meaning
• Download the Best of the National Law Journal 2013 Here - A2L Voted #1 in Demonstrative Evidence!
• The 12 Worst PowerPoint Mistakes Litigators Make
• 5 Problems with Trial Graphics
• 5 Demonstrative Evidence Tricks and Cheats to Watch Out For
• 7 Ways to Prepare Trial Graphics Early & Manage Your Budget
• Why Patent Trial Graphics Matter-And Not Just for Confused Jurors
• Font Matters - A Trial Graphics Consultant's Trick to Overcome Bias
• Don’t Get Too Cute With Your Trial Graphics
• 24 Mistakes That Make For a DeMONSTERative Evidence Nightmare
• 10 Reasons The Litigation Graphics You DO NOT Use Are Important
• 14 Places Your Colleagues Are Using Persuasive Graphics (That Maybe You're Not)
• Antitrust Litigation Graphics: Explaining Complex Information Simply
• Comic Brief for Your Comic Relief: Teaching with Graphics
• 6 Studies That Support Litigation Graphics in Courtroom Presentations
• 12 Reasons Bullet Points Are Bad (in Trial Graphics or Anywhere)
• Using Trial Graphics & Statistics to Win or Defend Your Case
• Trial Graphics in Patent Litigation - 11 Great Demonstrative Tips
• 4 Litigation Graphics Tactics When the USA is a Client or a Foe
• Trial Graphics Dilemma: Why Can't I Make My Own Slides? (Says Lawyer)
• Explaining Patent Claim Language in Patent Litigation
• 3 Ways to Handle a Presentation-Challenged Expert Witness
• In Trial Presentation - A Camel is a Horse Designed by Committee
• Explaining a Complicated Process Using Trial Graphics
• 3 Styles of Document Call-outs Used at Trial
• The Best Ways to Use Calendars in Legal Graphics
• New Study: A Graphically Immersive Trial Presentation Works Best
• Who Are the Best Demonstrative Evidence Firms?
• 5 Inspiring Information Design/Data Visualization Sites for Lawyers
• Demonstrative Evidence: Using Maps as Courtroom Exhibits
• Making the Complex Understandable in Pharmaceutical Cases
• Legal Graphics in Cases Involving Architecture
• Litigation Graphics in White Collar Cases
• 3D Printing to Change Courtroom Demonstrative Evidence
• Courtroom Graphics in Mining Cases (e.g. Coal, Gold, Copper, Uranium)
• Trademark Litigation Graphics: Making Your Best Visual Case
• Perfecting the Patent Tutorial for Your Judge
• Courtroom Presentations in E-Discovery Disputes
• 12 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Trial Graphics Consultant
• Demonstrative Evidence: Simplifying Technical Cases or Patent Cases
• Courtroom Exhibits: Analogies and Metaphors as Persuasion Devices
• Courtroom Graphics in Labor and Employment Cases
• Banking Litigation Courtroom Presentations
• Product Liability Demonstratives - Defects and Failure to Warn
• 4 Tips for Using Trial Graphics in Motions and Briefs
• Printed Trial Boards Making a Comeback? It's Courtroom Deja Vu!
• Antitrust Litigation Graphics: Monopoly Power and Price Fixing
• Using Scale Models as Demonstrative Evidence - a Winning Trial Tactic
• Patent Comes Alive! Turning Patent Drawings into Trial Presentations
• Automobile Litigation: Patent Infringement and Product Liability
• Trial Presentation Too Slick? Here's Why You Can Stop Worrying
• Top 5 Trial Timeline Tips
• Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) Explained for a Jury
• Beyond PowerPoint: Trial Presentations with Prezi and Keynote
• 6 Ways to Convey Size and Scale to a Jury
• Litigation Graphics: The Power of Checklist Trial Exhibits
• Aviation Litigation Graphics and Effective Demonstrative Evidence
• Trial Presentation Graphics: Questioning Climate Change in Litigation
• Litigation Graphics: Timelines Can Persuade Judges and Juries
• Memorable Markman Exhibits and Patent Litigation Trial Graphics
• Trial Consulting: Using Trial Exhibits in Reinsurance Litigation
• Legal Animation: Learn About the Four Types Used in the Courtroom
• Securities Litigation Graphics and Juror Communication
• Environmental Litigation Demonstrative Exhibits and Trial Graphics
• Defeating Class Certification with Trial Presentation Graphics
• Construction Litigation Graphics: Construction Delay or Defect
• Trial Exhibits: Antitrust, Pharmaceuticals & Hatch-Waxman Litigation
• Patent Infringement Trial Graphics: Illustration + PowerPoint
• Trial Graphic: Could a Wall Chart Change How Litigators Prep Cases?
• Learn About Nuclear Power Plants Through Litigation Graphics
• Power Plant Legal Animations and Effective Information Design (pt. 2)
• Power Plant Legal Animation and Effective Information Design
• Semiconductor Patent Litigation Graphics (What is a MOSFET?)
• The Redundancy Effect, PowerPoint and Legal Graphics
• Information Design and Litigation Graphics
• Trial Exhibits: Using the Document Call-Out to Persuade
• Effective Trial Exhibits: The Litigator-Jury Communication Gap
• Trial Graphics, Color Choice and Culture

Jury & Trial Consulting

• 5 Tips to Avoid (Wo)Mansplaining in Single-Sex Juries
• Don't Overlook Deleted Social Media Profiles During Voir Dire

http://goo.gl/2kt4DQ

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