<b><i>Legal Tech</b></i><br>Making Sense of New Data Types in the App Age
While the threat of "big data" — massive amounts of data inside an organization — has cast a shadow over IT and legal departments for several years, the real challenge can oftentimes be the variety. It's why we believe the real challenge is less about "big data" and more about "new data types" — that quickly defeat traditional collection and review tools and strategies.
Expansion of the <i>Barton</i> Doctrine To Unsecured Creditors' Committees
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held in <i>Blixseth v. Brown</i> that under <i>Barton v. Barbour</i>, a plaintiff must obtain a bankruptcy court's permission before commencing a lawsuit in another forum against a member of the committee of unsecured creditors, and that <i>Stern v. Marshall</i> does not preclude bankruptcy courts from adjudicating such claims on the merits.
Employee Advocacy
Employee advocacy is when an employee talks favorably to others about the company he or she works for. At its most basic level, it's word-of-mouth marketing. This article explores the advantages of employee advocacy programs in law firms.
Make-Whole Mayhem
<b><i>Uncertain Treatment of Make-Whole Premiums Upon Bankruptcy-Induced Acceleration and Redemption of Indentures</b></i><p>Make-whole premiums are essentially prepayment penalties imposed on borrowers when loans are paid off in advance of their maturity dates. These premiums remove the borrowers' incentives to refinance whenever interest rates drop, and provide stability and predictability to the world of secured lending.
Structuring and Managing Practice Groups
There is no question that today's sophisticated clientele is placing more emphasis on the full service concept. Multi-disciplinary practices are a good example of how clients want all or most of their outside services handled by the same organization. The Walmart one-stop shopping idea has become part of the legal profession. Thus, the firm needs to determine how it can best deliver its legal services with this full service concept in mind.
What Law Firms Can Learn from The Ninth Annual Law Department Operations Survey
Over the last few years, the legal operation manager's role has flourished, growing from a profession in its infancy into an unruly teenager, far more mature but with substantial areas poised for development. The results of the survey showed that more than ever, law departments are focused on implementing programs and structures to improve their financial management and deliver value.
In the Courts
On March 9, 2017, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby's approval of a settlement that barred several IRA account owners from filing individual claims against the custodian bank. An in-depth analysis of the court's ruling.
