Software that sifts through millions of documents for relevant information gets the green light to replace human lawyers When you see such “Shock! Horror!” headlines many lawyers will throw up their hands in despair. They have just about come to terms with the idea that technology exists which, in appropriate circumstances, may shorten the time… Read More »
A question of trivia: How many needles did Cleopatra have? The answer, it seems, is four! If you have been reading my recent posts from New York, you will not be surprised to learn that one of the “needles” is in Central Park. Its partner is on the Embankment in London and they came originally… Read More »
When asked what possession they would save in the event of a house fire, many people will plump for the family photograph album. Even if there is research on the subject to back up this assertion, I think it likely that the population will divide along generational lines. Just as generations which made do with… Read More »
On the flyleaf of a book given to me by a friend appear the words “…I hope this book brings on an afflatus rather than a Winchester Goose….” If you are anything like me, you will not immediately understand where the donor is coming from. Indeed, I had to look up the words in the… Read More »
Sarah Vine is a journalist at The Times. She is also Mrs Michael Gove, wife of the Education Secretary. Normally I would find it difficult to justify blogging about the wife of a politician who, as far as I am aware, has absolutely nothing to do with, and quite possibly no interest in, the world… Read More »
Which is closest to your view of disclosure/discovery? •Technology created the problem so technology needs to solve it. •Electronic discovery is often the tail which wags the litigation dog, using up between 50% and 80% of the litigation budget. •I am afraid not to know it because it dominates every part of the case. •None… Read More »
“I get it entirely when you say we should not print out electronic data”, said the trainee who approached me at the end of a recent training session, but, and here she blushed, “what do I say to the partner who insists that I print out the contents of a CD or hard drive?” It… Read More »
If you can tear yourselves away for a moment from the grim headlines in the newspapers of tumbling stock markets and idiots rioting in the streets, you will know that I believe one of the major barriers to engaging lawyers in the use of appropriate technology is the widespread use of “technospeak.” It seems obvious to… Read More »
How many is a billion? Everyone knows the answer. Or do they? Does it actually matter? The official answer is that what we in England used to know as a billion has been downgraded. Is this just another example of Governments massaging statistics? I suppose it matters if you are trying to make something look… Read More »
One of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Europe, founded in 1118, by St Bernard, sits in a marshy valley near the small town of Montbard in Burgundy. It was here in the medicine garden of Fontenay Abbey that I found myself on a gloriously sunny day at the end of last month. I must confess that… Read More »