Legal Current

The ongoing commitment of Thomson Reuters to access to justice and the global rule of law manifests through its long-standing support of programs like Books for Africa – a non-profit organization that sends millions of books, computers, e-books and other educational materials to countries throughout Africa. But the work to strengthen and improve the legal mechanisms in nations like Kenya also comes from “boots on the ground” work led by people like Peter Vincent, general counsel for Thomson Reuters Special Services, who is one of many who have worked closely with lawyers and others throughout the region to support the rule of law as a means to confront violent extremism.   In this very special edition of For Public Consumption, Sharon Sayles-Belton, vice president of government affairs at Thomson Reuters, discusses with Peter how he became engaged in this effort, why this work is so vital to this region and what the future holds for programs like Books for Africa and Lawyers without Borders in Kenya and beyon

Earlier this month marked the celebration of World Food Day, which recognizes the persistent issue of food security around the globe. As recent United Nations data suggests, hunger impacts 2 billion people worldwide, and of that, 240 million are women, children, and the elderly who live in Sub-Saharan Africa.   As a technology company, Thomson Reuters works to innovate and create technology to help people to find answers and solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. But today we take a break from looking at how technology can serve professionals to learn how an organization in Minneapolis-St. Paul – Compatible Technology International (CTI) – has taken technology to solve hunger in a unique way.   Listen to a special Legal Current podcast as Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Government Affairs & Community Relations with Thomson Reuters, interviews Alexandra Spieldoch, executive director for CTI, about how the organization designs and develops tools for farmers in regions like Sub-Saharan A

The Legal Geek Conference in London gathered together legal technologists from around the world.  Carlos Gamez, senior director of innovation at Thomson Reuters, presented at the conference on how corporations like Thomson Reuters collaborate effectively with startups to create innovative solutions for the legal market. 

Law firm places tens of thousands of ads on Facebook every year. But following controversies such as the Cambridge Analytica, new Facebook rules designed to prevent election-meddling could, in some instances, hamper legitimate non-political ads from law firms.    A new FindLaw white paper explains what law firms need to know.  Sean Sands, a Facebook digital specialist, discusses the findings from analyzing thousands of Facebook ads. What triggers to avoid and how to succeed in the appeals process. This is not the end of Facebook advertising for law firms. It’s just the new reality. Is your firm ready?

INSIGHTS FROM THE EDGE EPISODE 4: What Makes Good AI   Insights from the Edge This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay informed. Episode 4: What Makes Good AI There's no question that artificial intelligence (AI) is making an impact in the legal industry. However, not all AI-enabled solutions are created equal. When you’re choosing what services to incorporate in your practice, you should be aware that there can be big differences in their effectiveness and efficiency. To understand what you should look for in legal AI solutions, it's important to know why artificial intelligence is necessary and what makes good legal AI. Hear from Tonya Custis, Research Director Center for AI and Cognitive Computing, and Adam Riley, Insight Attorney, from Thomson Reuters on what’s driving the use of AI for lawyers and the key components that are needed to deliver good legal AI. Insights

This week, ACAMS 17th Annual AML & Financial Crime Conference will be held at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Among the 2,000 public and private sector professionals who will meet and share insights on anti-money laundering and financial crimes at the event is Peter Vincent, general counsel for Thomson Reuters Special Services, who will be among the panelists at a discussion titled, “Crafting Detection and Investigation Systems to Fight Human Trafficking.” We had a chance to catch-up with Peter to learn about the current state of human trafficking, how public-private partnerships are being deployed to confront the issue and what’s currently missing from discussions of labor and sexual exploitation.

Insights from the Edge This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay informed. Episode 3: Litigation Analytics & Big Data Litigators need strong insights into judges, courts, and opponents to be competitive. The job of a litigator is to win, but they don’t usually have the time to find, let alone fully digest and analyze, all the data that could provide advantages in court. This is why litigation analytics tools have become too important for attorneys to ignore. Hear form Jeff Arvidson, Director of Product Management and Eliot Wrenn, Reference Attorney Consultant from Thomson Reuters about some of the ways you can use litigation analytics to improve your practice. Plus, learn more about the features that are available with Litigation Analytics on Westlaw Edge. Insights Attorneys – a new era in legal research support Our tradition of excellence set by our Reference Attorney

Employee Performance Reviews run the gamut from helpful to the subject of Dilbert-esque scron and ridicule.  Leigh Goodard, co-chair of the employment law practice at McDonald Carano, warns that fail to make sure their performance reviews are conducted properly, employers may be exposed to potential legal problems. 

Too many organizations are stuck in the status quo and fail to think differently or solve problems creatively.  The very structures that are put in place to help organizations grow are now holding them back from innovating.  This was the topic for the keynote address at ILTACON 2018. Lisa Bodell, CEO of futurethink is also the author of the best-selling book Kill the Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution, which won the 2014 Axiom Best Business Book Award.  In this interview, she discusses how people and organizations can innovate better every day. 

  Insights from the Edge This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay informed. Episode 2: The Meaning of AI for Legal Research Many legal professionals currently use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work, although they may not even realize it. To begin our discussion on what AI means for legal researchers, it’s important to have a common definition of artificial intelligence and understand how it differs from other types of technology. In this podcast, we will also tackle the pressing questions that most legal professions want to know – how will AI change the work of attorneys and what are the benefits of using AI tools? Get the inside scoop on the meaning of AI for legal researchers from Rachel Beithon, Insight Attorney and David Curle, Director of Technology and Innovation Platform at the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute. Insights Attorneys – a new era in leg

Just as businesses around the world are still trying to come to grips with complying with GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation – the sweeping new data privacy regulations that recently took effect in the European Union, California has passed legislation that will lead to similar regulations taking effect in 2020 that will impact any company conducting business with customers in California. Tyler Newby of Fenwick and West discusses what the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 means for California residents – and the companies that do business with them.

Insights from the Edge This podcast series brings you the latest legal trends and topics as Insight Attorneys sit down with industry experts to discuss hot legal topics. Explore our latest topics to stay well-informed and well-prepared to meet your most pressing legal research challenges. Episode 1: Introducing Westlaw Edge Thomson Reuters Westlaw™ is the legal research platform that generations of lawyers and legal teams have depended on to get work done quickly, efficiently, and with confidence. Now, we are excited to introduce Westlaw Edge, the most intelligent legal research platform ever. Powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that’s built upon more than 100 years of attorney-edited annotations, only Westlaw Edge brings together a full suite of AI-powered legal research tools - including the next generation of legal search, integrated litigation analytics, a more powerful citator, and more.      

Firms that have figured out how to retain, champion, develop and advance women partners are solving three significant problems – they are closing the gender gap in law firm partner compensation, they are winning top talent and they are meeting their clients’ demands for diversity. Baker Botts LLP is an excellent example of a firm that has taken a focused approach to solving these problems.          Christa Brown-Sanford, Deputy Department Chair - Intellectual Property and Bridget Moore, Deputy Department Chair – Litigation discuss how the firm is striving to create, and preserve an organization committed to diversity while also generating more business, hiring the best talent and institutionalizing equity in pay,

Elite 2018 VANTAGE Worldwide User Conference - Day One

Welcome to another edition of KM With Kim, with Kim Stein, knowledge management manager at Thomson Reuters, Kim talks with Scott Bailey, Global Director of Research Services at Squire Patton Boggs about his firm’s use of km technologies and the importance to his firm of thought leadership in knowledge management.

Developments this week in two mega-mergers are raising questions about what the Trump administration’s approach to corporate mergers.  T-Mobile and Sprint announced plans to merge after similar plans were benched in 2014 over concerns the Obama administration would oppose the merger.  And closing arguments were held in the Justice Department’s antitrust trial seeking to block the proposed AT&T-Time Warner merger.   Mark Ostrau, head of the antitrust group with Fenwick & West discusses what may lie ahead for anti-trust in the Trump administration.

Marijuana use is now legal in dozens of states.  But laws vary considerably.  Is it medicinal use?  Recreational?  Do federal laws still take precedence?  What are employers’ rights to screen to marijuana use?  What are employees’ rights in jurisdictions where marijuana use is legal?   Elizabeth Levine with Ghoulston & Storrs’ labor & employment practice provides some guidance through the hazy legal landscape for employers.         

Geoff Goldberg, Manager of Contract Express Service and Support for Thomson Reuters, recently moderated a panel about document automation hosted by the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute at Legalweek 2018 in New York. Titled “Document Automation – Workflow Strategies for Competitive firms”, Goldberg and panelists discussed how firms can use document automation to meet client expectations for more innovative practices and greater efficiency; all with the end goals to provide higher-quality service at a lower cost and in less time. In this podcast conversation with Legal Current, Goldberg provides a big-picture overview of why document drafting is so critical to the value proposition of all law firms and how the automation of that process is becoming a bigger competitive advantage in the changing legal landscape