The Artificial Lawyer reports that the European Union is testing a system of automated lie-detector tests for use at its international borders. The technology “will use a digital avatar to interview travellers at border posts, ask them questions and then use facial expression ‘biomarkers’ based on previously taught patterns to decide if they are lying.”
Unlikely Bedfellows Unite under Internet Brands’ Umbrella
Last month, Internet Brands – a vertical marketing conglomerate in which marketing for the legal industry forms a major pillar – announced that it was changing the name of its law-services website from “The Martindale Legal Network” to “Martindale-Avvo.” The name change followed the acquisition by Internet Brands of Avvo.com.To see these
The Use of AI in Investigations: Keeping Up with the Regulators
In a recent article for Artificial Lawyer, Richard Jeens and Natalie Osafo – partner and associate respectively at Slaughter and May – point out that regulators and corporates are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out investigations. They offer the example of a complex matter conducted by the Serious Offences Office in the
Next Step in Law-Firm AI Implementation? Getting the Lawyers on Board
Remember when we all learned that humans use only about ten percent of their brains? Well, apparently that is an urban myth – science has shown that we use all parts of our brains every day. However, it turns out that humans are responsible for the current stunning underuse of advances in artificial intelligence that
Do or Die: Outside Law-Firm Rosters Shrink as Client Spending Grows
Lest any of us get too comfortable in our swivel chairs, a new report from Michael B. Rynowecer, president of the BTI Consulting Group, indicates that in 2018 – despite spending more on outside legal counsel than ever before – clients are using fewer outside firms than ever.
In a September issue of The
Competition Likely Cause of Unprecedented Merger Frenzy
U.S. law-firm mergers to the end of the third quarter of 2018 reached levels unseen in the first three quarters of any year for more than a decade, according to an article published last week at law.com. The number of mergers recorded by Fairfax Associates between January 1 and the end of September of
Artificial Intelligence: A Primer for Lawyers
For those who may be apprehensive about so much as clicking on a post relating to artificial intelligence (AI) as it applies to legal practice, I highly recommend a recent article in The Artificial Lawyer by Product Manager David Kleiman of Bloomberg Law.
Kleiman points out that anyone who has ever used Google has already
Big Four Accounting Firms Continue Their Advance into Legal Arena
A month ago we reported on the expansion of EY into the legal field through its acquisition of the U.K.’s Riverview Law. Now we learn that PwC U.K. has joined forces with immigration law specialists Fragomen of New York City – giving PwC “a major foothold in the U.S. market,” according to a report in
U.S. Law Firms Mark Best First-Half Revenue Growth in Ten Years
Citi Private Bank reports in The American Lawyer that the first half of 2018 was better financially, in particular for small- and large-sized law firms, than was the first half of 2017. In fact, overall revenue growth across the industry in the U.S. contributed to the strongest first half since 2007.
Citi Private Bank’s Law
Pull up a Chair: The Virtual Lunch Meeting
In an interesting fusion of technology and food, a company called eatNgage is offering users the opportunity to participate in virtual lunch meetings with groups of staff, clients, colleagues or others.
The rationale? People are more likely to look forward to, and show up for, a meeting that involves a meal than one that takes