The American Bar Association’s (ABA) pro bono project enjoyed the most volunteer participation ever in 2021, with more than 140 attorneys handling at least 50 legal inquiries last year.

The online program, ABA Free Legal Answers, includes participation from more than 10,000 U.S. lawyers in 45 states, according to information from the trade group. The web-based ask-and-answer service is aimed at helping income-eligible residents get legal assistance from volunteer attorneys.

“For those who cannot afford an attorney and have nowhere else to turn, ABA Free Legal Answers serves as a critical resource,” said ABA President Reginald Turner in a statement. “We are proud of the more than 10,000 volunteer lawyers nationwide who are helping to meet these important legal needs, and particularly pleased about the efforts of our FLA Pro Bono Leaders. We urge other attorneys to step up and assist as well.”

Recently, the ABA recognized the most prolific volunteer attorneys with the publication of its 2021 Pro Bono Leaders list. Texas led the pack with 14 individuals, organizations, schools or law firms answering more than 50 inquiries. Illinois, though, was a close second with 13 such entities qualifying for recognition.

“ABA Free Legal Answers offers a flexible online platform, even in pandemic conditions, to do this important pro bono work from our offices, homes, makeshift workstations at the courthouse and on our own time,” said attorney Brandon A. Robinson. “Participating on the platform with hundreds of North Carolinians has been one of my daily joys during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

From Twitter

Ukraine Advice Project UK @ukraine_advice Mar 11

"IMPORTANT UPDATE Since the project began on Monday 28 February, the response from the profession has been humbling, and somewhat overwhelming. The project has registered over 430 volunteer lawyers to date and given pro bono advice on almost 700 requests."

According to the ABA, the program has helped answer close to 200,000 inquiries and has doubled in volume over the last two years.

Earlier this year, The Association of Pro Bono Counsel put out a report detailing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the pro bono service industry, and highlighted some of the ways to retain best practices moving forward. The report “Positive Change: How the Pandemic Changed Pro Bono and What We Should Keep,” includes analysis from the legal services community, non-profit legal advocates and experts in the field, according to the Counsel. “We hope it will spark thoughtful discussion about how we pro bono volunteers, legal services organizations, bar associations and the courts can continue to expand access to justice for all members of our communities,” reads information from the group.

According to the report, the Counsel recommends legal service providers offer things like virtual clinics, online platforms, in-person meetings when technological resources are unavailable, technological resources for volunteers and e-filing, among other things.

“This final report documents changes to the delivery of pro bono legal services during the pandemic, with the focus primarily on how the adjustments to intake, representation and advocacy impacted clients,” notes the report. “Our hope is that documenting and sharing these experiences and practices will inspire those responsible for delivering pro bono legal services… and those responsible for the systems with which pro bono client communities interact … to consider keeping the changes that benefited client communities, and to continue to develop accessible, client-centered systems that deliver just outcomes.”

Document automation means creating automated templates, using software, for legal documents (such as contracts).

Once the templates are created, users of the software usually answer questionnaires. Once it has this information, the software can instantly generate the contract, and you’re done.

The purpose is to automate the repetitive process of building a document from scratch each time you need a new contract.

In practice, many contracts are extremely similar, with just a few variations. So, for example, once you create an NDA template, the next time you need an NDA, you can generate the template much more quickly using the questionnaire.

By clicking Download, you are agreeing to receive emails about Thomson Reuters Legal products or services that may interest you.

As a lawyer, you might not think of your work as “creative.”

True, on your off time, you might pursue creative endeavors such as writing, cooking, painting, or practicing a musical instrument. But the practice of law requires a rigorously analytic mindset that relies on precise, predictable processes and precedents.

From a professional standpoint, you probably relegate “creativity” to realms like advertising and product design.

But take a closer look at what you do, and you’ll see that you’re often called upon to come up with solutions that aren’t necessarily found in case law and legal textbooks.

During a difficult negotiation you’re handling for a business client, say, or in researching a legal problem that seems to have no obvious precedents, you may have suddenly come upon the solution while reading a book on a different topic, or while mulling over the matter during a long walk.

By clicking Download, you are agreeing to receive emails about Thomson Reuters Legal products or services that may interest you.

There’s no question about it, content marketing is today’s marketing. It’s what everyone in the marketing world is talking about and has been talking about for the last couple of years.

And with good reason: within one broad banner, content marketing encompasses almost every aspect of marketing, client engagement and brand promotion.

It makes sense, then, that content marketing has been touted as the “must have” strategy for businesses, and many have jumped on board the content marketing train.

According to Hubspot, content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional marketing but costs 62% less. Furthermore, companies that publish at least 16 blog posts per month average 3.5 times more traffic than those that post four or fewer.

By clicking Download, you are agreeing to receive emails about Thomson Reuters Legal products or services that may interest you.

General Electric's general counsel's 2012 compensation package afforded him almost $11 million in cash, making him the highest paid general counsel on Corporate Counsel magazine's latest list of the nation's 100 highest paid GCs. So reports Law.com.

At $1,853,671, the average take-home pay enjoyed by the lawyers on the list this year is the highest it has ever been.

Read the full article from Law.com here.

After entering a guilty plea, John Farahi, founder of Newpoint Financial Services Inc., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on March 20, according to a National Law Journal story. The Beverly Hills businessman admitted his role in a $20 million Ponzi scheme and the plea could have ramifications for former Nixon Peabody securities partner David Tamman, who was found guilty for his role in the scheme.

Tamman’s lawyer, though, insists the two instances are different and “suspect the judge will listen to what we have to say and make a decision accordingly."

Read the full article from the National Law Journal here.

A Los Angeles nutrition company is locked in a legal battle with billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who has accused the company of perpetuating a pyramid scheme. Herbalife officials said the company will up their legal defense costs from $25 million to $40 million in the wake of Ackman’s accusations, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

Ackman, who reportedly bet $1 billion the company is a sham, has said most of the company’s sales people lose money and expects the company’s shares to fall to zero.

Read the full article from the Los Angeles Times here.

Food and Drug Administration logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When attorney F. Lee Bailey was indicted for mail fraud in 1973, he quoted a popular aphorism referencing the difference between how England and the U.S. treat their criminal defense lawyers.  “In England they are apt to be knighted; in the United States they are apt to be indicted.”  There is quite a bit of truth in the saying and the dangers inherent in practicing law in the U.S. are not only faced by defense lawyers.  Sensing an opportunity, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently set its sights on corporate in-house counsel.

In November, 2010, Lauren Stevens, a former vice president and general counsel for pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, was indicted on federal charges of making false statements and obstructing a federal investigation.  Stevens was accused of making false and misleading statements in a series of letters to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on behalf of her employer.  Despite it having been obvious from the beginning that Stevens was only relaying information furnished by her client and had no intent or motive to mislead federal investigators, she was enthusiastically pursued by the DOJ.  “Where facts and law allow, the Justice Department will pursue individuals responsible for illegal conduct just as vigorously as we pursue corporations,” Tony West, assistant attorney general for the civil division, said in a statement.  It should be noted that despite the DOJ’s stated commitment to pursue corporations, GlaxoSmithKline’s name was noticeably absent from the Stevens indictment.  West continued, “Criminal charges are appropriate when false statements such as those alleged here are made to the FDA.”

Read the full article here...

The American Bar Association has begun the piecemeal release of its ABA TechReport 2021, which takes a comprehensive look into how lawyers use technology in their everyday practices.

The first segment of the report was released on Wednesday, Nov. 10. In total, the publication will provide observation, analysis and predictions on a number of topics from leaders in the legal tech space, according to the trade association.

The report will be separated into eight different segments with the first portion of the report focusing on cloud computing. One area of particular note is with respect to data protection while engaging with the cloud.

“The 2021 Survey highlights a major concern that, while lawyers talk the talk about security concerns in cloud computing, to a shocking degree they do not walk the walk,” reads the report. “The poor results in the cybersecurity category should be a major concern for the legal profession. If you take only one thing from this TechReport to add to your 2021 technology agenda, it should be to up your game on cloud security, for your sake and, even more so, for the sake of your clients.” 

From Twitter

Digital Legal Lab @SectorplanDLS Nov 6

"There’s still time to submit your abstract for Digital Legal Talks 2021! We welcome published & unpublished work on law & digital technologies from interdisciplinary perspectives. More info & get involved here https://sectorplandls.nl/wordpress/digital-legal-talks-2021/"

Among some of the other topics covered in the report, which was compiled by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center, include the impact of COVID-19, budget allocations and employee wellness.

For example, according to information in the survey, 26% of respondents reported a decrease in access to print materials as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This decrease was most obvious in firms of 100 or more, as 44% of attorneys in those firms reported a decline in access to print materials. Only 4% of those asked reported an increase in access to print materials, notes the tech resource center.

Further, the report also indicates law firms have increased their attentiveness to technology, and as such are budgeting for it at a higher clip than ever. The report points out 65% of firms are now setting aside funding for technology, while that number was only 62% in 2020, 60% the year before and even lower in 2018. As has been the case traditionally, larger firms tend to be more inclined to budget for technological changes than smaller ones.

According to analysis from technology consulting and research firm Gartner, in-house legal departments have been hesitant to shift toward new technological paradigms like automation, but COVID-19 might have accelerated the need to adopt such changes.

“The new pressures brought about by the coronavirus pandemic certainly have acted as a catalyst for this shift,” said Zack Hutto, a director at Gartner. “Legal and compliance teams have rarely been frontrunners to modernize, digitalize and automate. The pandemic has flattened staffing budgets and increased legal workloads; technology is the most obvious solution for many legal departments.”

From Twitter

MarkUpgrade @markupgrade
"With the pandemic legal companies are seeking more innovation to enhance efficiency and decrease costs, hence turning to technology. Check out the #naming choices of the top players in the #legaltech sector
https://t.co/Xg4fEzAPWL?amp=1"

According to information from the ABA, the remaining segments of the report will be posted on Wednesdays through Dec. 29. The other topics are as follows:

• “Websites & Marketing”
• “Practice Management”
• “Budgeting & Planning”
• “Technology Training”
• “Solo & Small Firm”
• “Cybersecurity”
• “Life & Practice”

There’s no better time than now to sit down and plan for success. Law firms like yours need actionable steps and clear attainable business goals to achieve success and facilitate the growth of your business. 

Download FindLaw’s 2022 Law Firm Business planner today, in digital format.

Established in 2011 with seven staff, California-based employment law firm LightGabler has always been a very “tech-forward” firm — in fact, it has operated entirely paperless since its first day in operation. Today, it has 17 attorneys and a total team of 26 providing day-to-day employment advice and complex litigation counsel (in both federal and state courts) to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. Since the firm’s inception it has been using ProLaw®, the comprehensive business management solution from Thomson Reuters, hosting it in the cloud.

LightGabler’s founders were already familiar with ProLaw, having used it successfully at the large firm where they previously worked. Running on relatively lean staff numbers, it was important to implement one solution that LightGabler could use for all of its practice management and matter management needs, including billing, timekeeping, accounting, reporting, contacts management, conflicts checks, and document control.

"I wanted a practice management program that can do it all, and I think ProLaw is the leader in that regard"

Jody Toerner, Executive Director

“ProLaw is an all-inclusive option and that’s key for us,” says LightGabler’s Executive Director Jody Toerner, who is responsible for all of the firm’s IT and accounting as well as its general operations. “Whereas some firms are running several different programs at once for different things, we have everything in one place, making it easy to use and saving us time. We don’t need anything else.”

For example, LightGabler uses ProLaw to create a database of contacts that can be seamlessly linked into client matters. It uses it as a virtual filing cabinet for client documents and emails — which is fully searchable — and as a repository for master documents. All pre-bills are edited and invoices tracked through ProLaw. Timekeeping reports can be run, detailing billable time and expenses. Accounting reports are converted into PDF format for review or into Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheets for data manipulation. The firm even cuts all of its checks through ProLaw.

The importance of interconnectivity

Toerner appreciates this wide scope of features and functionality, but just as importantly, she likes how interconnected the different parts of the system are and how they work together as a whole.

“ProLaw has a ton of bells and whistles, and even as an extensive ProLaw user myself, there’s still more to learn,” says Toerner. “That said, it’s so easy and efficient to maneuver around. One of the best things is the ability to “hot-key” directly into specific areas, without having to continually open new windows. So, if I’m in a matter and I want to know what a client owes us, I can just hit the ledger button and see the information instantly. Or a user can hit the timekeeping button and enter billable time from wherever they are in the system or in email. That’s genius.”

The integration between ProLaw and Microsoft Outlook® is one Toerner says is particularly valuable. She explains that attorneys like the ability to save emails into ProLaw, creating real-time visibility on matter status within the system, all the while enabling emails to stay “live” in Outlook so that those conversations with clients and contacts remain open.

With so much functionality available, it’s useful to be able to customize what options are available to users in ProLaw. For instance, LightGabler finds it helpful to minimize the list of fields that attorneys can choose from when managing their matters, so they are only viewing the ones they may need. The firm also implements customized settings around who can access its accounting data for security reasons. Toerner makes the point that it is possible to experiment with customization without fear of inadvertently causing problems that could impair the smooth running of the system.

"Being able to access such a comprehensive system from anywhere, on any device, is a huge benefit."

Jody Toerner

Talking in the cloud

Interconnectivity and integration also matter greatly when it comes to operating ProLaw in the cloud. Streamlined, remote accessibility allows attorneys to view documents and work on matters in ProLaw from anywhere, at any time, from any device. This “talking in the cloud,” as Toerner calls it, had always mattered to LightGabler, but it took on new meaning when the coronavirus pandemic hit, forcing firms to shift to remote working. Having ProLaw in the cloud meant that LightGabler was well positioned when this happened: its attorneys were already working this way; now paralegals and support staff also started to access ProLaw remotely.

“We’ve been very busy since the start of COVID-19, but we’ve had no downtime at all in terms of our ability to provide services to clients, because we had ProLaw set up in the cloud,” says Toerner. “I know that some other firms that hadn’t taken the leap into the cloud have really struggled.”

When the firm moved its cloud hosting provision to LevelCloud, with whom ProLaw has partnered since 2019, Toerner describes this as a game-changing moment. Its seamless integration with ProLaw was the main motivation for LightGabler to move from its previous cloud-hosting provider to LevelCloud. “I was thrilled when ProLaw opened the gates to LevelCloud to enable their servers to work together. We switched to LevelCloud and haven’t looked back,” she says.

Another reason for LightGabler’s choice of LevelCloud was that it wanted a private cloud-hosting solution, rather than being on a shared server with other firms. Toerner feels totally secure with having all of the firm’s files in the cloud. She notes that other firms are likely to have to follow suit sooner or later, given that “this is the way the world is moving.”

As proof of the power of such a shift, Toerner points out that her firm comprises users aged between 25 and 81 — and that the eldest is one of the solution’s biggest proponents. “Younger staff are great at coming up with ideas and questions about what ProLaw can do, and our 81-year-old attorney raves about it,” says Toerner. She understands technology can sometimes be a source of frustration in law firms if it fails to help attorneys operate more efficiently and effectively, but Toerner has no such concerns here. Overall, users seem very satisfied with ProLaw being hosted in LevelCloud.

Cost-effective systems and support

Having ProLaw hosted in the cloud removes the need for costly in-house servers or IT support, saving the firm tens of thousands of dollars per year. “When you map out all the costs involved in having local servers and IT support — and in running a variety of programs for different needs, like timekeeping and contacts management — there are huge cost savings to be made from having one externally maintained, all-inclusive program and one vendor,” says Toerner. ProLaw does all the software updates and maintenance and Toerner has one direct contact at LevelCloud who liaises with ProLaw to troubleshoot any back-end issues that arise.

That takes a huge amount of pressure off Toerner personally in terms of ensuring the firm’s critical technologies are well supported. As well as saving on costs and complexity, using an external hosting provider means that, rather than just having one internal member of support staff available to help a large group of users, the firm can have several specialists advising individuals all at the same time.

Training is relatively straightforward and is conducted internally by Toerner herself, who estimates that most people become fully comfortable with using it within a month. “It’s easy to teach people how to use ProLaw, and once they get going, they’re fine,” she says. “Most people wouldn’t want to go back to a paper-based system, and I certainly wouldn’t. We want to move with the times, and ProLaw enables us to do that. I’d recommend it for sure.”

LightGabler’s future plans for using ProLaw even more extensively include increasing the amount of report customization it undertakes and using the document assembly tool, which is the only component of ProLaw that the firm does not currently deploy. “Being able to click on a couple of buttons in ProLaw to create a template letter, for example, that can just be filled in — that would be a major time saver for us,” says Toerner. “We do everything else in ProLaw, that’s all that’s left.” 

LightGabler

LightGabler advises businesses across California on employment issues, employment and business litigation (including complex class, collective, and representative actions), intellectual property, and unfair competition. Its offices are in Camarillo in Ventura County.

Business challenges

Operating a paperless office, LightGabler needed a holistic solution that could meet all of its practice management needs, but one that worked effectively and efficiently in the cloud, enabling anywhere, anytime accessibility.

Why ProLaw

ProLaw delivers a comprehensive array of features and functionality all in one place. Critically, everything works together smoothly, with users able to “hot-key” quickly to different areas of the system. Its seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook and LevelCloud was another major plus.

Benefits

• All-in-one solution with extensive features and functionality
• Fast, efficient maneuverability around the program
• Makes processes like timekeeping and billing easy
• Interconnects with Microsoft Outlook and cloud-based service providers
• Remote accessibility, with no need for internal servers or IT support

Civil litigation firm Case Linden PC has been making a name for itself representing businesses, executives, and professionals in U.S. state and federal courts since 2001. With a team of 22, including 10 attorneys covering a two-state area (Kansas and Missouri), the firm is a boutique with a big impact and counts top insurance companies among its clients. From its original focus on employment litigation, it has grown in size and scope to provide expertise on a range of other claims, from personal injury and wrongful death to toxic exposure.

Business challenges

The firm wanted to create efficiency gains and enhance client service in an area of law governed by strict deadlines and highly specific client requirements. It needed a holistic solution to stay ahead of the game and be nimbler in responding to clients’ needs. And, it needed a solution designed with the “firm of the future” in mind.

Why ProLaw

ProLaw offered the full range of functionality Case Linden required, with significant scope for customization to the firm’s and clients’ exact needs. The firm was confident in the Thomson Reuters brand and the level of investment and insight that had gone into developing the solution as well as the prospects for ongoing support and future enhancements.

Technology as a Team Player

This is a firm for whom technology is not merely a tool, but an integral part of the team. Rather than viewing tech investments purely in terms of cost, the value they can deliver is top of mind: Case Linden sees the role of well-designed tech solutions no less than that of professional staff members.

"We have clients that provide us accolades all the time, and I know those are directly linked back to some of the functionality of ProLaw."

John Travers, Case Linden

This is certainly the case when it comes to ProLaw®, the comprehensive business management solution from Thomson Reuters, which comprises case/matter management, time entry, billing, accounting capabilities, and more. The firm has been using it since 2007.

The rationale for selecting ProLaw was simple yet ambitious. The firm was looking for a solution that could increase efficiency and effectiveness while elevating the firm’s practice to exceed client expectations and compete with larger firms, as well as support its growth.

Working smarter

To John Travers, controller operations manager for Case Linden, who had been used to working via shared systems in his previous role at a leading global consultancy firm, efficiency and effectiveness in practice meant working smarter, with better oversight, consistency, and control. ProLaw has not disappointed and continues to impress. As Travers explains, “We chose ProLaw because it was best in breed at the time, and it still is.”

John Travers says that ProLaw has fundamentally changed the way the firm operates for the better—so much so that it has become a core feature in shaping the firm’s culture. Crucially, it has enabled teams to become more collaborative, which feeds directly into the efficiency and effectiveness agenda.

With ProLaw, having a central repository of real-time client and matter information that is easily accessible to everyone enables attorneys to do their jobs better and helps build a common language in how matters are dealt with.

This environment enables Case Linden to leverage its expertise. Thanks to the easy-to-search records, archives, and legal documents, attorneys can get up to speed quickly when taking on new cases. They can learn from past firm work instead of reinventing the wheel, and new staff can rapidly gain insight into the workings of the firm.

A major factor behind this cultural shift is that, like other solutions the firm uses from Thomson Reuters such as Westlaw® and eDiscoveryPoint™, ProLaw is built with a clear understanding of the market and the specific requirements of end users in mind. Travers comments, “That comes from a lot of investment and research, highlighting how important it is to work with a partner like Thomson Reuters that is well established, fully entrenched in that conversation, and forward thinking. That’s vital when selecting a product that is going to be the infrastructure for your organization.”

Critical infrastructure

The result of this deep legal sector knowledge is what Travers describes as the uniquely rich feature set in ProLaw. Having reviewed many other systems on the market, the firm has failed to find another solution that addresses all its various requirements like ProLaw does.

“We are still finding ways to extend and capitalize on that investment in ways we could never have imagined,” he says. “It has deep and robust functionality. Every single feature we looked at with ProLaw was important, be it docketing, document assembly, e-billing, contact integration, or record keeping. But the way it all works together in one place under one umbrella application is critical.”

ProLaw may be sophisticated enough to meet very complex needs, but it is not complicated to use. According to Travers: “Our end users rave about ProLaw. Former employees always report back and lament how much they miss it!” Case Linden found the initial implementation and data conversion very smooth, and that experience has been replicated with every upgrade since.

One example of how ProLaw makes attorney’s lives easier is the Full Text Indexing feature, which allows for powerful, intuitive content searching within documents. Another is its Pro Filing feature, which integrates with Microsoft® Outlook® to streamline email management. This allows users that receive (and send) large volumes of digital information to manage it effectively, such as by automatically saving copies of emails or attachments into appropriate folders. It even allows simultaneous automatic time entry.

Its mobile functionality also opens up new possibilities for delivering client service and managing professionals’ work/life balance alike. Enabling attorneys to access documents in court, at home, or even on vacation helps them do a better job in more flexible ways, which is essential as remote working takes off.

In fact, Case Linden has been using ProLaw remotely since its implementation. This meant that when staff went into lockdown due to Covid-19, the firm could seamlessly maintain business as usual. Travers is keenly aware of how vital that business continuity was to the firm.

"ProLaw is unique compared to other systems—its feature set is very rich. We are still finding ways to capitalize on that investment in ways we could never have imagined."

John Travers

Tailored tools

The extensive functionality of ProLaw has the added benefit of being customizable, and this was a major selling point. One standout example is the way in which Case Linden has been able to develop its own internal docketing system within its workflow using the ProLaw docketing feature.

Litigation is an area of law in which there are often strict, specific deadlines and reporting requirements that are ­­­imposed either by the court or by clients. Therefore, tailored tools that facilitate meeting those needs can make a big difference to both case management and client satisfaction.

Likewise, Travers adds that ProLaw can be molded to fit a firm’s specific data storage needs, creating custom tabs to determine how data should be stored and presented in the way that users want to see it. As he points out: “Most applications don’t allow you to add database fields like that. The ability to customize ProLaw is tremendous.”

The customization list goes on: Travers also cites the fact that the application is extremely versatile in allowing the creation of custom e-bills related to each client. This matters significantly, given that they do not all want billing information delivered in the same format, nor do they use the same billing codes.

The firm uses ProLaw to tailor how it reports its activity to clients while adhering to stringent billing guidelines. Making those routine—yet important—processes more accurate and streamlined truly creates efficiencies that improve client service and equates to savings for clients.

“When you have a client say to you: ‘How do you do this so quickly? How are you able to consistently provide me with the information I need so seamlessly?’ That’s an unquestionable return on investment in a professional services organization,” says Travers. “Clients are constantly evaluating the quality and efficiency of the service they are getting. The longer a legal file is open, the more expensive it is. So, if we can make them look good by managing their litigation more swiftly and successfully, they recognize and reward it in repeat work and referrals.”

He makes a direct correlation between ROI for ProLaw and the firm’s success. “We’ve tripled in size since implementation, and there’s no doubt in my mind that ProLaw has been instrumental in that growth. It helps us enhance service quality because our attorneys can focus on delivering excellent work without friction or distraction. We have clients that provide us accolades all the time, and I know those are directly linked back to some of the functionality of ProLaw.”

Achieving future goals

Now that ProLaw has enabled the firm to become more efficient and cohesive, helping it to expand, Travers is confident that it has what it takes to help Case Linden achieve its future goals, too. He envisions the ability to mine their own data­­­­­­­­­­­—accessing it, analyzing it, and taking action accordingly—will be key for firms in the years ahead. The architecture of ProLaw already allows firms to do this effectively, and it is a key focus area for ongoing expansion and enhancements.

He argues that, when investing in a solution that is going to play a major role in the firm’s future, it is important to choose a partner who is going to back that product for the long term. This means not only in terms of ongoing support so that it keeps working well, but how in touch they are with the market, continuously developing the product so it delivers the functionality firms need to serve clients.

“We chose ProLaw because it spoke to all aspects of our needs and because Thomson Reuters backs it. We love it, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it,” says Travers.

ProLaw has changed our firm by helping to create a common culture and raising the professionalism of our practice. It’s also perfectly positioned to help us meet our future goals.

John Travers

Lasting Benefits of ProLaw

• Practicality – delivers easy-to-access, real-time information all in one place
• Unique set of features with rich, robust functionality, including powerful search tools
• Significant scope for customization to meet wide-ranging needs
• Easy implementation and seamless upgrades
• Delivers major efficiency gains on routine tasks
• Freedom to access information anywhere, anytime via mobile devices

The legal battle over equal pay for U.S. soccer players came to a historic climax last week as the United States Soccer Federation and both the men’s and women’s national teams established new collective bargaining agreements running through 2028.

To that end, the federation, the United States Women’s National Team Players Association and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association brokered a deal featuring equal compensation for both teams, which includes the FIFA World Cup. The deal also includes identical compensation with respect to commercial revenue sharing as well as a number of provisions related to data privacy and player safety, according to the deal’s announcement.

“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, in a statement. “U.S. Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the preeminent sport in the United States.”

According to the announcement, these first-of-their-kind agreements make the U.S. the only country in the world to equally split FIFA World Cup prize money among men and women.

From Twitter 

WBBM Newsradio @WBBMNewsradio

"U.S. Soccer set a new 'global standard' for compensation in the sport with the announcement of collective bargaining agreements setting equal pay for women’s and men’s teams. #USWNT #USMNT
https://t.co/PdXPMtHmAS"

“These agreements also come at a crucially important moment for our game, with two World Cups in the next year and the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics set to take place on home soil,” said Parlow Cone in a letter. “We now have labor peace through 2028.”

The road to this historic agreement was lengthy, and there was no shortage of legal wrangling to get to this point. In 2016, several members of the women’s team lodged a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to address the pay gap between the men’s team and the women’s team.

Later, a gender discrimination suit was filed against the federation in March of 2019. Claims of unequal pay were dismissed, though, in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles based on calculations showing the women’s team actually earned more than the men’s team from 2015 to 2019. That case was appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. There, the EEOC penned an amicus curiae brief supporting the women’s effort.

“Although the [Women’s National Team’s] expert calculated that the women’s team would have earned millions more during that period had they been paid under the terms of the [Men’s National Team’s] collective bargaining agreement, and the undisputed record evidence shows the unequal availability of bonuses to the women in nearly all game categories, the district court threw out both claims on summary judgment,” reads the brief.

It continues, pointing out alleged discrepancies in the ruling. “The court deemed the plaintiffs to have rejected proposals never offered to them, relied on several legally irrelevant factors, conflated one element of an affirmative defense with the plaintiffs’ prima facie case, and generally credited the defendant’s evidence over the plaintiffs—all without resolving pending motions challenging various aspects of the expert reports. This Court should correct these errors.”

Ultimately, a settlement agreement was reached in February. The agreement included provisions requiring equal pay for both teams moving forward. That deal led to this week’s announcement. “The ratification of the CBAs is a necessary and critical step to resolution. We now await the final approval of the settlement by the class members and the Court,” concludes the announcement.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has recently begun publishing bar passage data with respect to ethnicity and race, and every demographic measured showed a decline between first-time takers in 2020 and 2021, according to the latest figures provided by the trade association.

Demographics included in the breakdown distinguish between nine separate categories as well as accounting for gender. According to the ABA, the first-time passage rate for White test takers was down three percentage points between 2020 and 2021 while the rate for Black takers and Hispanic takers were down five and four percentage points, respectively. Overall, White takers passed more than Black and Hispanic takers by double-digit percentage points in both years measured.

Recently, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which produces the licensing exams used in most jurisdictions, issued a statement indicating it is working to combat bias in the legal field, specifically at historically Black universities and colleges.

“NCBE takes seriously the need to work toward greater racial and gender equity in all it does as a testing organization and actively works to eliminate any aspects of its exams that could contribute to performance disparities among different groups,” writes the organization. “We maintain high standards in developing our test questions through the work of our diverse drafting committees, and engage in a robust process of external review, bias review, pretesting, and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to ensure fairness.”

The ABA data comes from 196 law schools taking new students and was collected with its Standard 509 questionnaire. That survey covers several categories, including bar passage and employment information, according to the trade group.

“This is the second consecutive year that the section is releasing this data in response to concerns about the lack of national data on bar passage by members of different racial and ethnic groups,” said Bill Adams, ABA managing director of accreditation and legal education, in a statement.

According to the Managing Director’s Office of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, law schools are required to have a 75% passage rate across the board for all takers within two years of graduation or else they could be deemed out of compliance with the 2019 revision to Standard 316.

“We promised to collect and publish such aggregate data and consider whether the requirements of Standard 316 needed to be reviewed in light of what we collected. We will continue to evaluate the annual data and consider any changes as appropriate,” Adams said.

From Twitter

John Isner @BigJohnIsner May 3

"I didn’t pass the Bar the first time I took it. I was told I’d never be an attorney. Because of that, I abandoned my dream for almost 5 years. Today, I had my first trial as a Public Defender. I won. The Bar Exam doesn’t define whether or not you’re a good attorney."

The 2021 and 2020 breakdown of first-time takers' passage rates for the demographics measured are as follows:

2021

• White: 85%
• Black: 61%
• Hispanic: 72%
• Asian: 79%
• Native American: 70%
• Hawaiian: 47%
• Non-Residents: 84%
• Race Unknown: 81%
• Two or more: 76%

2020

• White: 88%
• Black: 66%
• Hispanic: 76%
• Asian: 80%
• Native American: 78%
• Hawaiian 78%
• Non-Residents: 86%
• Race Unknown: 84%
• Two or more: 82%

The total passage rate for the 34,217 first-time takers in 2021 was 80%, notes the data.

From Twitter

JD Advising @JDAdvising

"Many bar exam takers wonder whether they should take a live prep course or an on demand one? And the answer is that it depends on how you learn best and what you need! In this post, we discuss who would benefit from which type of course: https://buff.ly/2P4Uegg"

The unprecedented, explosive leak of a draft Supreme Court ruling has angered pro-choice advocates, raised serious concerns about the sanctity of the court and created one of the most peculiar legal landscapes in modern history.

To that end, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has ordered the Marshal of the Court to investigate the circumstances surrounding the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which deals with abortion rights in Mississippi.

“[Recently], a news organization published a copy of a draft opinion in a pending case. Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the Court’s confidential deliberative work,” reads information from the Supreme Court. “Although the document described in … reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

In a statement, Robert’s said the leak is an act of “betrayal” of the Court’s confidence but vowed its work will not be deterred

“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce–permanent employees and law clerks alike–intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court,” Roberts said. “This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.”

From Twitter

Ben Shapiro @benshapiro

"Has there been a single major Democrat who has condemned the leak of the SCOTUS decision? One?"

At the heart of the matter is a draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn the longstanding federal right to an abortion born from Roe v. Wade. The draft was obtained and provided by news outlet Politico. “We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each state from regulating or prohibiting abortion,” reads the draft. “Roe and Casey arrogated this authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.”

From Twitter 

Laurence Tribe @tribelaw

"Only in cases involving financial secrets is a leak of a SCOTUS decision minutes before it’s handed down likely to matter much. But a leak of a decision months in advance, while drafts are still flying among chambers, is another matter altogether. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/02/leak-time-magazine-roe-wade/"

It is unclear when the Court will issue a final ruling on the matter. Reports indicate the decision was not expected for some weeks, and the incident took place well ahead of any official decision in the Mississippi case.

Recently, constitutional law scholar and Harvard Law School professor Laurence H. Tribe offered his take to The Harvard Gazette about the potential consequences of a draft opinion leaking. Tribe addressed the integrity of the Court and the public’s perceptions about it in the wake of such an unprecedented event. Tribe said, though, “obviously partisan divisions within the court” are a greater threat to it than the leak itself.

“The legitimacy of the court ever since Bush v. Gore has been teetering in various ways, and I think the leak itself just reaffirms people’s view that the court is subject to lots of infighting and maneuvering,” he told the news outlet.

Newly published employment data from the American Bar Association (ABA) shows a marked increase in the number of law school graduates who found top jobs in the legal field when comparing the 2020 graduating class to the 2021 graduating class.

The data shows 83% of those who graduated from ABA-approved law schools in 2021 found “full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs” within approximately 10 months of graduation. For the 2020 companion cohort, the data shows 77.4% had found like work within a comparable window.

“The higher percentage of graduates in the Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs likely reflects a modest increase in the number of jobs nationwide, perhaps due to the legal market’s recovery from the impact of the pandemic,” said Bill Adams, managing director of ABA accreditation and legal education in a statement. “This is encouraging given there was also a 3.8% increase in the number of total graduates.”

According to the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, there were 29,624 graduates who were able to find qualifying work in 2021. In 2020, that number was 26,638. Additionally, the total number of “full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs” jumped by nearly 3,000, or more than 11%, between 2020 and 2021.

From Twitter 

Paul Cogan @PaulCogan Apr 10

"When you read that the 'tight' jobs market is 'fueling inflation' and 'requiring the Fed to raise interest rates' watch your wallets. This is rubbish. It’s being pushed by Wall Street and corporate economists. Inflation is being fueled by corporate pricing power."

Overall, the data shows the class of 2021 produced 35,712 total graduates while the class of 2020 produced 34,420 total graduates.

“The ABA’s accrediting body, under Standard 509 of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, requires schools to report to the ABA and publicly disclose varied information, including employment outcomes,” according to the announcement. “Employment and other statistics are posted to the section’s statistics web page. Bar passage data will be posted later this month.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released broad employment data indicating the nation’s job market, in general, has improved. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by approximately 431,000 jobs while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%.

“Notable job gains continued in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, retail trade, and manufacturing,” reads the BLS summary.

From Twitter 

Pytheas @PytheasThe

"The #US yield on the 10-year note, which sets the tone for corporate and household borrowing costs worldwide, rose past 2.86%, a level not seen since late 2018. In the meantime, the job market has been showing signs of being extremely tight. Via @tEconomics #Bonds"

A more detailed breakdown of the data, as well as an explanation of relevant terms and definitions pertinent to the survey, can be found in this ABA chart.