Federal judge seeks to prevent generative AI mistakes in briefs

The Texas jurist’s mandatory certification regarding AI use highlights that the latest technology can “make stuff up” and introduce bias.

By Lyle Moran • June 1, 2023

M&A deals require largest outside counsel teams

Law firm work on commercial, employment and IP matters typically results in fewer billing attorneys comparatively, a LexisNexis report found.

By Lyle Moran • May 26, 2023

Largest law firms claimed nearly 50% of U.S. legal work in 2022

Partners at the 50 top firms charged more than $900 an hour on average, as rates rose across all firm sizes and practice areas.

By Lyle Moran • May 24, 2023

Louisiana bill would require litigation funding disclosure

If passed, Louisiana would join New Jersey and Wisconsin in targeting the growing use of outside funding.

By Robert Freedman • May 24, 2023

Generating outside counsel savings from disallowed costs

Billing discipline can drop as law firms work on long-term engagements. Using a billing tool with clear guidelines can get that discipline back on track.

By Robert Freedman • May 17, 2023

Using litigation funding for ESG credit

In-house legal teams are tapping Burford Capital’s Equity Project to finance legal matters and at the same time help their company get ESG credit.

By Robert Freedman • May 14, 2023

Partner eyes smarter GC engagement now that he’s been one himself

Winston & Strawn’s Dane Drobny, who oversaw legal at Sears and Groupon, says he has new ideas about what GCs should expect from outside counsel.

By Robert Freedman • May 11, 2023

Debunking the top 7 myths about interim attorney work

Interim work can provide inroads to legal skills, practice areas and industries that an individual wouldn’t have easy access to otherwise.

By Nina Houston and Thom Burke • May 10, 2023

Law firms raised rates 5.5% to start 2023

The rate increases among Am Law 100 firms were even higher and set a new record, helping law firms increase profitability. 

By Lyle Moran • May 9, 2023

In-house teams expect law firms to use legal analytics

Law departments want to see outside counsel provide the kind of hard numbers on litigation outcomes and pricing inputs that require data crunching, a survey shows.

By Robert Freedman • May 4, 2023

Last-minute settlement took Dominion’s co-lead attorney by surprise

Stephen Shackelford of Susman Godfrey draws a straight line from the agreement with Fox to Tucker Carlson’s firing even though that was not one of the terms. 

By Robert Freedman • May 2, 2023

How CrowdStrike’s use of an ALSP shifted legal team’s mindset

After partnering with Factor on workflows, members of the cyber company’s in-house department started viewing their work through a more operational lens.

By Lyle Moran • May 1, 2023

How to draft fee-shifting provisions in indemnification clauses

Delaware courts have determined that even quite broad language referencing attorneys’ fees may not be explicit enough to shift fees in first-party litigation. 

By Heather Benzmiller Sultanian and Jarrett H. Gross • April 26, 2023

How PwC will use generative AI to assist with legal work

The global firm’s use of Harvey.ai is expected to help in the areas of due diligence, regulatory compliance and contract analysis.

By Lyle Moran • April 25, 2023

Using litigation funding to increase certainty in outside counsel spend

General counsel can reduce budget volatility by partnering with a firm that can cover overages from unexpected lawsuit costs, a finance executive says.  

By Robert Freedman • April 20, 2023

Law firms take cautious approach to use of generative AI

Despite the slow rollout, 51% of law firm professionals believe tools such as ChatGPT should be applied to legal work, a survey found.

By Lyle Moran • April 19, 2023

Leveraging outside counsel to manage multiple priorities

Legal leaders can’t put compliance or other matters on hold to focus on deal making or litigation, so a mix of in-house and outside expertise is considered crucial. 

By Robert Freedman • April 18, 2023

How legal ops helped Ingersoll Rand cut tort liability costs

The company’s in-house team created what amounted to a virtual law firm, spread across the country, to better process asbestos-related claims.

By Robert Freedman • April 13, 2023

Patent trolls often target smaller companies, study finds

IPOs and private funding rounds can also put companies at greater risk of facing patent lawsuits from entities created to file such litigation.

By Lyle Moran • April 11, 2023

Ex-Trump CFO, facing fresh legal pressure, swaps attorneys

The legal turmoil still swirling around the Trump Organization’s former CFO shows just how closely intertwined a finance chief’s fate is with that of the organizations they serve.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • April 4, 2023

How to develop and enforce effective outside counsel guidelines

Creating guidelines related to budgets, internal communications and research can help you save significantly on legal costs.

By Kevin Cohn • April 4, 2023

Tapping accountants’ expertise in financial fraud claims

It’s not the role of accounting professionals to offer views on liability when a financial matter is in the spotlight but their knowledge of standards can shed light on evidence others might miss.  

By Jeffrey Matthews • March 30, 2023

Longtime Portland Trail Blazers GC says relationship-building was key

In-house legal leaders don’t always need to play hardball to produce positive results, according to Ben Lauritsen, who worked in the NBA for 13 years.

By Lyle Moran • March 24, 2023

How legal teams are tapping flexible talent amid tight budgets

Litigation and claims management professionals are in high demand on Consilio’s TalentConnect platform, as are contracting pros. 

By Lyle Moran • March 21, 2023

Class-action defense spending eclipses $3.6 billion

Labor and employment cases, as well as consumer fraud matters, generated the lion’s share of company expenditures, a Carlton Fields survey found.

By Lyle Moran • March 13, 2023