A new administration in the U.S., ransomware, ALSPs, new regulations in the U.S. and abroad, and the long-lasting impact of working remotely are just some of the factors that respondents say will factor in to how law firms need to prepare for 2021.
Working from home and other social distancing limitations forced even the most reluctant lawyers to embrace new ways of working and connecting with clients in ways that will long outlast the pandemic. With a new year and fresh outlook for the future, the time is ripe for legal technologists and innovators to take the delivery of legal services and client experience to the next level.
Part One of a Two Part Article
While the livestreaming of music performances is not an entirely new phenomenon, the COVID crisis has transformed the live performance landscape, compelling artists from around the world to reach their fanbase by producing "quarantine streams," in which they livestream their sets on social media platforms. Given this sudden pivot to livestreaming over social media, unsurprisingly many questions have arisen.
Would Shakespeare Post Hamlet on Instagram in 2020?
While the sound distracting you hear from this article may well be William Shakespeare rapidly turning in his grave like the Mad Hatter Teacup Ride at Disneyworld, recent legal and procedural developments associated with the ubiquitous Instagram social media site have created significant practical and legal risks for both copyright owners and account holders that would have even vexed the Bard himself.
"Ensuring that electronic records are disposed of in a timely manner is essential to maintaining security, confidentiality and data protection," says Darrell Mervau, FileTrail president. And law firms are taking note.
A new case has brought into the spotlight the risks responding parties face when entering into ESI protocols with detailed disclosure obligations regarding technology-assisted review (TAR).
Part I of this series looks at what veteran legal editors want and expect from law firms and PR pros in 2021. Part II will be in the February issue. Part I offers you a head start.
Firms must be cautious as they re-examine budget priorities to not underestimate the harm that can be caused by failing to consider the long-range damage that can be done to a firm's brand by cutting back too much on their marketing efforts.
At the Oscars in March, Best Actress winner Frances McDormand made “inclusion rider” go viral. But Kalpana Kotagal, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll had already worked for months to write the language for such provisions. Kotagal was developing legal language for contract provisions that Hollywood's elite could use to require studios and other partners to employ diverse workers on set.
The law firm office cannot remain unchanged, as if frozen in time set to some date prior to the onset of pandemic, when the terms and meaning have all changed. In fact, the office must now provide benefits or an experience the lawyers and staff cannot get at home.
The legal implications of branding generally arise initially for companies during the process of selecting a company name and any initial product or service names. For drug development companies, however, careful consideration should also be paid to the implications of branding a clinical trial.
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.
