The New Jersey Supreme Court has vigorously defended its supremacy with respect to the administration of the courts from intrusion by other branches of government. The Separation of Powers Doctrine is premised on the theory that government works most efficiently when each of the three branches of government acts independently within its designated sphere.
From our estimates, we will all meet approximately 830 new people in 2014. Of those, 707 of them will ask you this question: "What do you do?" Your response and the tone of your reply will dictate the direction, scope, connection and possibility of an ongoing business relationship with these new acquaintances. The elevator pitch is the first volley you serve across the net to develop a new business venture.
In medical malpractice cases, treating physicians, nurses and other providers are key witnesses. They have specialized knowledge of the plaintiff and her medical conditions, and, unlike expert witnesses, they have had the opportunity to personally examine and evaluate the plaintiff. Because ex parte meetings and discussions with treating physicians can be so informative, they are often seen as invaluable tools for any party permitted to meet with treating physicians.
As with many good things however, trade associations come with a price. They have attracted the attention of the plaintiffs' bar, and have been named as defendants in a growing variety of cases including antitrust, product liability, and even false advertising.
Just over five years after the start of the global financial crisis, the job of an Am Law 200 law firm leader arguably remains as tough as it has ever been. The painful decisions to cut staff and attorneys may now be a distant memory, at least for most firms, but there remain two distinct drags on Big Law businesses.
e-Commerce professionals just aren't destined to get a good night's sleep. First there was the recession, slowing upgrades and new projects. Then lawyers using personal smartphones and tablets for work, raising confidentiality headaches. Now, a new challenge: Protecting against cyberattacks ' and convincing clients that the firm is doing this job well.
With a view to addressing a market imbalance ' litigation clients demanding better early case assessment, and commercial providers not developing tools to meet that need ' Duane Morris litigators handed the firm's technology team a mandate: Help us develop a system to assist our clients in the resolution of the ubiquitous try-or-settle conundrum and, in the process, position the firm to capture more litigation business.
The world is getting smaller as technology changes enable us to share documents with those on the other side of the globe. When sharing documents "in the cloud" it is possible to see real-time updates when using the Microsoft 365 Office Web Apps. As most legal documents are created in Word, this column will focus on the Word Web App.
Since the 2008 economic downturn, the U.S. legal market has undergone a permanent restructuring. With huge firms collapsing due to crippling debt, we see that legal services firms are no longer untouchable. The legal environment has become increasingly challenging as competition has increased, demand for legal services has remained flat, and firms are being forced to adopt more efficient, cost-effective and strategic business models.
By definition, metadata is data about data. For computer files, it includes metadata fields that are hidden to typical users. This information can be valuable for a court case, and it goes beyond standard electronic discovery data collection: it must be gathered and analyzed by a digital forensics specialist.
