Driving on a Suspended Drivers License is a more serious offense than driving without a valid drivers license because it is a misdemeanor crime that brings possible jail time and 2 negligent driver points on your DMV record. Continue reading
Posts Tagged ‘Time’
Cut the Glut: State-by-State Empirical Labor Market Model for Law School Grads
29
Jun
In The Oversupply of Lawyers in America, ATL’s Elie Mystal asks “if we’re producing twice as many lawyers than we need, is it time to close half of the law schools?” I’m inclined to believe Elie’s answer is “yes.” I’m…
Divorce Rate Statistics
22
Jun
Divorce rate statistics are commonly quoted at around 50 percent. But divorce statistics depend on many
factors such as age at time of marriage and number of marriages. Current divorce rates in the United States.
Reminder: Law Librarian Conversations: Today at 2:00 PM Central Time
20
Jun
Law Librarian Conversations, will be returning to BlogTalkRadio. It’s the Summer Preview/Spring Wrap Up episode and is scheduled for 2:00 PM Central Time, today. Click on this link to listen in. Rich Leiter and his crew will be talking about…
What Every Lawyer Should Know About Document Automation
18
Jun
For years some law firms, but not all, have used some form of document automation in their law offices. Ranging from an MS Word macro to long standing programs such as HotDocs, as well as automated forms distributed by legal publishers such as Willmaker by Nolo, some law offices have incorporated some form of document automation in their law practices. Document automation of legal documents that are generated in high quantity by a law firm is an indispensable process for increasing law firm productivity and maintaining profit margins in an era of intense competition.
Legal Document Creation the Old Way
The manual process of cutting and pasting clauses from a master MS Word document into a new document, is a productivity process which is fast becoming out dated. It reminds me of the time before there were automated litigation support programs, and legal assistants would duplicate a set of case documents three or four times. The next step was filling one file cabinet with a set of documents in alpha order, filling another filing cabinet with a set of documents in date order, and finally, filling another filing cabinet with a set of documents in issue or subject order to enable "fast" retrievable of relevant paper documents. It took awhile, but almost all litigation lawyers now use automated litigation support methods.. This is not true of transactional lawyers, many of whom still use out-dated methods of creating legal documents, as if each legal document were a unique novel, poem, or other work of fiction.
Barriers to Change
An obstacle to wider use of automated document assembly methods, is typically the lawyer’s insistence on crafting the words in each clause to their own satisfaction. Because most lawyer’s do not have the requisite programming skill to automate their own documents, law firms by default will opt to use their own non-automated documents, rather than risk using the legal documents automated by an independent provider, because by definition the content of the documents is "not their own." As a result, many law firms do not even use desk-top document assembly solutions when the forms are published by an independent provider or publisher, remaining stuck using more time consuming and less productive manual methods.
Typically, when a law firm does use document assembly methods, a paralegal inputs answers from a paper intake/questionnaire into a document assembly program running on a personal computer. This results in the extra time-consuming step of inputting data from the intake questionnaire to the document assembly program, but it is still more efficient than manual methods.
Web-Enabled Document Automation
Now comes, "web-enabled legal document automation" methods." Web-enabled document automation is a process whereby the intake questionnaire is presented on-line to the client through the web browser to be completed directly.
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When the client clicks the "Submit" button the document is instantly assembled, ready for the attorneys further review, analysis, revision, and customization if necessary. The result is a further leap in productivity because the client is actually doing part of the work at no cost to the lawyer, freeing the lawyer up to focus on analysis and further customization of the document.
This is what the work flow looks like when using web-enabled document automation methods:
Unfortunately, lawyers have been slow to adapt to this process as well, because of their reluctance to use legal documents drafted or automated by someone else. However in order to automate their own documents they must either acquire the skill to do the job, or commit the capital to have a skilled professional automate their documents for them. For solos and small law firms these two constraints create formidable obstacles to using more efficient methods.
Since neither condition is common within smaller law firms (programming skill, investment capital), the result is that the law firm gets stuck using older less productive methods of document creation.
Vendors that provide web-enabled document platforms include, our own Rapidocs, and Exari, Brightleaf, HotDocs, DealBuilder, and Wizilegal, to name only a few, all claim that their authoring systems are easy to use, but I have yet to see lawyers without any kind of programming skill create their own automated legal documents in any quantity. Thus, law firms become stuck in a negative loop of their own creation which reduces productivity (and profitability) :
"My legal documents are better than yours; I can’t automate them for the web because I don’t know how; thus I will be less productive and be required to charge you more because of my own inefficiency."
Competition
In the consumer space, now comes the non-lawyer providers to take advantage of the solo and small law firm’s competitive disadvantage. Research by companies like Kiiac provide support the conclusion that 85% of the language in transactional documents is actually the same. In more commoditized areas, where legal forms have been standardized, the legal form content is 100% the same in all documents. Taking advantage of this consistency of legal form content, companies like LegalZoom, Nolo, CompleteCase, SmartLegalForms, and LegacyWriter , with their superior on-line marketing and branding machines, now sell legal forms by the thousands at low cost which provide a "good enough" legal solution for consumers who would do any thing to avoid paying the higher fees to an attorney.
Its true that the consumer doesn’t get the benefit of the attorney’s legal advice and counsel, and the accountability and protection that dealing with an attorney provides, but consumers don’t seem to care.
What can be done?
The "web-based legal document automation solution" , used by non-lawyer providers, is a disruptive technology that is eating away at the core business base of the typical solo and small law firm practitioner.
What can solos and small law firms do to compete in this challenging competitive environment?
The American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center reported last year in their Annual Technology Survey that only 52.2% of solo practitioner’s don’t have a web site. Even if this number is underestimated, it is shockingly low compared with web site utilization by other industries. If you don’t even have a web site, the idea of "web-enabled document automation" is still a "light year" away.
What can be done to encourage more wide-spread use of web-enabled document automation technology by law firms, particularly solos and small law firms? A follow-up post will explore some solutions, but I am open to ideas from anyone.
Don’t Sit on the Fence: Why you should come to the PLL Summit?
08
Jun
Time is running short. So if you are on the fence about attending, jump off and sign up. The day is packed with great programming but I am sure you have seen all the emails publicizing the programming. So, I…
Why do people go to court without first learning the rules of the game and how to use them to win?
02
Jun
Those who don’t want to spend a few hours to learn a few rules and how to use them to win shouldn’t complain when they lose. Most of you who are sports fans know at least a few of the rules of your favorite sport, yet very few (who don’t have my course) have made any real effort to learn the rules of the game we call litigation! You wouldn’t think of arguing with a referee or umpire if you didn’t know the rules of the game.
People who use my course are winning!
The rules of baseball are far more complicated than the rules of court, yet nobody told you! So, if you’re like most people, you probably fear the courts and the high costs associated with hiring a lawyer … when all the while you could be learning how to use the simple rules of evidence and rules of procedure that are far, far easier to learn than the official rules of baseball, football, soccer, and many other games 8th graders are smart enough to learn!
The federal rules of evidence are only 16 pages!
So, why weren’t you told?
Why weren’t your children told?
Who is hiding the truth so they can make more money?
USE YOUR COMMON SENSE AND STOP LOSING!
The challenge for you (and everyone else seeking justice in our courts) is your willingness to learn how to use that power by spending 24 hours studying my popular course!
You have real power to get Justice in America!
Too many complain their rights are being violated, while those same people refuse to learn how to use the power of due process and its rules to overcome their opponent, control the court, and force judges to grant them justice! Such people spend too much time complaining and too little time learning! Because they do not know the rules or how to use them effectively, they lose … needlessly!
It is NOT DIFFICULT to learn!
Lawsuits are nothing more than contests about facts that tend to prove or disprove the essential “elements” of what we call “causes of action” (explained in my course). Once you understand the elements, what a cause of action is, and how to control the evidence, you are on your way to victory.
If you don’t understand these things, you cannot win!
Do nothing in your case until you identify the elements!
Do nothing in your case until you understand the causes of action at play.
Do nothing in your case until you learn how to use your five discovery tools to get your evidence in and keep your opponent’s evidence out!
There’s much more to it than I can tell in Tips & Tactics newsletters, of course, so order my popular, case-winning, 4-CD, affordable, step-by-step, 24-hour Jurisdictionary course everyone is talking aboutand start winning today!
With such powerful Rules to win your case, why not learn how to use them effectively?
Order my popular, affordable, official 24-hour course and empower yourself today with Jurisdictionary know-how.
Order NOW, if you don’t already have my course. And, if you do have my course, tell everyone to order so they can start winning, instead of losing and complaining.
My official Jurisdictionary course explains the rules of litigation in an easy-to-learn format people tell us an 8th grader can learn, understand, and use in just 24 hours!
That’s why my course is so amazingly popular!
Chances are someone told you about the course and encouraged you to visit my website.
Be clever. Think through the elements of your position (plaintiff or defendant) and sort out the essential facts you need to prove from those you don’t need to prove.
If you don’t know what the “elements” of your case are, or you don’t know what the “elements” of your opponent’s case are, then STOP NOW AND LEARN WHILE YOU HAVE TIME TO LEARN AND NOT LOSE!
The details are explained in my course, of course.
If you think you can waltz into court with some legal argument and no admissible evidence to back up your argument (instead of doing things the way I explain in my popular course) you’ll be sadly disappointed when you lose … unnecessarily.
YOU MUST LEARN THE ELEMENTS OF THE GAME!
Doing anything in your case before you understand the rules, the “elements”, and your 5 discovery tools, is plain stupid.
The key to winning is knowing the causes of action, the “elements” and how to get facts that lead to admissible evidence that tends to prove or disprove those elements!
Yes! It really is this simple!
That’s why my course is so popular!
My course shows you how to identify the elements and how to get the evidence to prove or disprove them.
THIS IS HOW YOU WIN ! ! !
Nothing else matters!
For very little money and about 24 hours of your time, you can know what it takes to control crooked lawyers and get your evidence admitted so you can WIN!
You are entitled to get evidence into the court record! Rule 26 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires disclosure, as do all state courts.
Why be hoodwinked or caught behind an 8-ball by your lack of knowledge about the rules, the elements, and how to get evidence to prove the elements?
Get my official Jurisdictionary course now (if you aren’t one of the thousands of winners who already have its case-winning power.
What you seek with all five (5) of your discovery tools (explained fully in my affordable Jurisdictionary course) is evidence in support of ultimate facts that tend to prove the allegations of your position and disprove those of your opponent … nothing more, please!
Don’t let lawyers trick you!
You have an unchallengeable right to get evidence that tends to prove the elements of your case and to disprove the elements of your opponent’s case.
Everything else is a waste of time!
Evidence + Legal Authority = Victory in Court!
But, if you don’t know how to get evidence, you lose!
If you don’t understand how and when to use your five discovery tools (especially depositions) you cannot win!
Learning all this is easy with my popular, affordable, 24-hour, step-by-step, case-winning, official Jurisdictionary course. If you don’t already have my course, NOW is the time to order and start learning how to avoid legal trickery so you can win your case and overcome your opponents using official rules … instead of internet legal mythology!
You cannot win if you don’t know how to get evidence into the record using your five discovery tools and what I teach you about how to overcome crooked lawyers!
Clever argument is not enough.
Arguing “your rights” were violated is not enough.
Complaining about the Constitution is not enough.
Those who haven’t yet learned how to get evidence go to court with the idea they “already have all the evidence they need”. I hear this over and over again. People think because they have a copy of a document or photograph or audio recording that they’re sure to win. Then, when they get to trial (when it’s too late to do any more discovery) they “discover” all the stuff they thought was “evidence” is inadmissible at trial!
Why lose when it’s so easy to learn how to win?
Everyone is talking about Jurisdictionary.
People tell their friends.
People promote it on their websites.
People talk about it on social networking sites.
People blog about it and praise its power in emails.
Why?
Because Jurisdictionary works!
That’s why!
Don’t be left holding an empty evidence bag!
The decision to win is a decision to learn how to win!
Winners know how to get evidence!
My 25 years as a case-winning lawyer licensed in state and federal courts has shown me this.
Evidence wins lawsuits!
If you don’t know how to “get it”, you cannot win!
My Jurisdictionary course will show you much more about how to effectively use all your five discovery tools to get case-winning evidence into the record and force your opponent to stop “hiding the ball”!
Order Now! before the price increase and before your opponent takes advantage of your not knowing how to find evidence and get it in the court’s record!
Winning is fun!
Losing is for losers!
Learn from the leader!
Step-by-step in 24 hours!
Opening: Associate Director, Instructional and Faculty Services Librarian, Washington & Lee Univ. School of Law Library
01
Jun
Position Summary: The Washington and Lee University School of Law Library seeks applications to fill the position of Associate Director, instructional and Faculty Services Librarian. This is a permanent full time position reporting to the Director of the Law Library….
D.A. Cooley obliged to institute lawsuit to recover money paid to Judges
Sterling Norris, an ex-D.A., was perhaps best known for going after the criminal behavior of serial killers, the best-known of them being Ted Bundy.
Now he works for Judicial Watch, the public interest watchdog that looks after the best interests of the common public.
This time he seems to be going after the (alleged) criminal behavior of our judges in the California system of judgeships in Superior Court.
Read his letter and attached brief addressed to D.A Steve Cooley.
Cooley – April 13, 2011[1]
But here’s a thought… Will Steve run again? Will he care to undertake this huge responsibility during his endgame?
We got part of the answer. He will not run again, and is endorsing his second-in-command, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Lacey, as “the most qualified leader to run the nation’s largest local prosecutorial office.” He says he has “complete faith in Jackie’s skilled leadership and commitment to the office’s mission,” and is hosting a fundraiser for her on June 9 at the City Club.
The part he doesn’t answer is whether she’ll pursue the case against the judges. Also, whether this played any part in his decision not to run again for a fourth term.
Posted in COMMENTARY-Passing parade, Links to Courts & Judges