In 2001, Williams found itself in the midst of a painful downturn that ultimately changed the composition of the company's assets and its direction. As such, our legal department was given a corporate mandate to increase our internal services while dramatically reducing our budget, headcount and spending on outside legal services.
As physical security systems become more IT-centric, they are more often being identified as an application on the network and not as a disparate system. Security guards have been replaced by intelligent IP-based enterprise security systems that ideally are tied into the existing IT infrastructure and normally segmented via a VPN.
Measuring service levels, ticket volumes, conversion staffing levels, and user satisfaction are all important aspects of running a successful helpdesk, but only of true value if compared to other metrics, and more importantly, acted upon.
Predictive coding is the latest of several innovations that have fundamentally altered the process of e-discovery, some of them even leading to changes in the Federal Rules. It has become a must-have e-discovery capability.
This article highlights the 2011 Top 10 Technology Issues identified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and discusses how law firms can benefit from an increased awareness of what the survey indicates.
It is clear that High Value Add outsourcing is the next big thing for law firms. It offers law firm management a path to better service at a reduced cost.
As the economy continues to flounder, CEOs and CFOs in law firms are often reluctant to replace technologies they believe are working fine. Yet, what they may not realize is while they are saving some upfront costs, ultimately they could be saving pennies to lose dollars, relatively speaking.
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.
This article reviews the fundamental underpinnings of the concept of insurable interest, and certain recent cases that have grappled with the scope of insurable interest and have articulated a more meaningful application of the concept to claims under first-party property policies.
That the pace of change is "accelerating" is surely an understatement. What seemed almost a near certainty a year ago — that law firms would fully and permanently embrace work-from-home — is experiencing a seeming reversal. While many firms have, in fact, embraced hybrid operations, the meaning of hybrid has evolved from "office optional," to an average required 2 days a week, to now many firms coming out with four-day work week mandates — this time, with teeth.
This year at Legalweek, there was little doubt on what the annual takeaway topic would be. As much as I tried to avoid it for fear of beating the proverbial dead horse, it was impossible not to talk about generative AI, ChatGPT, and all that goes with it. Some fascinating discussions were had and many aspects of AI were uncovered.
RPAPL ' 1331 and RPAPL ' 1403 Notices of Pendency are requisite elements for foreclosing a mortgage. <i>See, Chiarelli v. Kotsifos</i>, 5 A.D.3d 345 (a notice of pendency is a prerequisite to obtaining a judgment in a mortgage foreclosure action); <i>Campbell v. Smith</i>, 309 A.D.2d 581, 582 (a notice of pendency is required in a foreclosure action under RPAPL Article 13). In contrast, an ex parte CPLR Article 65 Notice of Pendency (the "Notice") is not required but it is a significant tool in an action claiming title to, or an interest in or the use or enjoyment of, another's land. The filer does not have to make a meritorious showing or post a bond. Article 65 provides mechanisms for the defendant-owner to vacate the Notice that caused an unilaterally imposed restraint on its realty. But, recent case law establishes the near futility of such efforts if the plaintiff has satisfied the minimal statutory requisites for filing the Notice.
