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Articles by Jerry Lawson
Can Judges Use AI? Should They?
The best defense against AI slop in the courtroom may be AI. We hear a lot about AI-generated filings overwhelming judges. That’s a legitimate concern. We hear much less about countermeasures. Used properly, AI can make judicial opinions more accurate and produce them faster.
Your AI Thinks You’re Brilliant. That’s the Problem.
There’s a major caveat: A critical tone is not evidence of accuracy either. Lawyers should verify adverse claims just as carefully as reassuring ones. Why This Matters for Lawyers Ask an AI whether your argument is strong, your contract clause airtight, or your client’s position solid, and a flattering answer can feel like confirmation. It isn’t. The weaknesses it glossed over will surface eventually, perhaps in opposing counsel’s brief or a judge’s ruling.
Can Judges Use AI? Should They?
The best defense against AI slop in the courtroom may be AI. @Jennifer Ellis’s analysis of judges’ responsibilities when using AI is spot on. I’d add one optimistic observation: The best defense against AI slop in the courtroom may be AI. @Jennifer Ellis’s analysis of judges’ responsibilities when using AI is spot on. I’d add one observation. We hear a lot about AI-generated filings overwhelming judges. That’s a legitimate concern. We hear much less about countermeasures.
Rogue AI Agents? A 1950 Book Warned Us
Isaac Asimov was way ahead of his time. I, Robot, his 75-year-old collection of science fiction stories,remains strikingly relevant to today’s hottest news topic: AI agents that behave unpredictably and sometimes dangerously. Asimov repeatedly shows how even a system equipped with seemingly sensible safety rules can behave dangerously when the rules are ambiguous, incomplete, or conflicting, or when they are applied in an unforeseen setting.
The Best AI Experts To Follow on LinkedIn
A friend recently asked me to recommend which AI experts they should follow on LinkedIn. Jennifer Ellis, Carolyn Elefant, Nicole Black, and Thomas G. Martin are can’t-miss choices in the legal AI space. Venturing beyond the legal domain, Wharton’s Ethan Mollick, author of the best-selling Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI, has some great insights on AI generally. He has 400,000+ followers on LinkedIn, but I find it easier to follow him on his One Useful Thing Substack.
The Best AI Experts To Follow on LinkedIn
A friend recently asked me to recommend which AI experts they should follow on LinkedIn. Jennifer Ellis, Carolyn Elefant, Nicole Black, and Thomas G. Martin are can’t-miss choices in the legal AI space. Venturing beyond the legal domain, Wharton’s Ethan Mollick, author of the best-selling Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI, has some great insights on AI generally. He has 400,000+ followers on LinkedIn, but I find it easier to follow him on his One Useful Thing Substack.
A Baker’s Dozen AI Books for Lawyers
There’s an obvious objection to recommending books about AI: timeliness. Between manuscript and publication, details change, and capability claims are overtaken by whatever shipped last week. All of that is true, but none of it matters much. What a good book does better than a vendor demo or a LinkedIn post is provide a framework for understanding what these systems do well, where they break down, and which failures should worry someone holding a bar card.
A Baker’s Dozen AI Books for Lawyers
There’s an obvious objection to recommending books about AI: timeliness. Between manuscript and publication, details change, and capability claims are overtaken by whatever shipped last week. All of that is true, but none of it matters much. What a good book does better than a vendor demo or a LinkedIn post is provide a framework for understanding what these systems do well, where they break down, and which failures should worry someone holding a bar card.
A Chat With Legal Rebel Richard Granat
I was surprised when the ABA told me they were doing this, but it is a way of characterizing my career. It’s a theme that runs through almost all of my projects. My first experience as a legal rebel was at Columbia Law School. I co-founded the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, which placed hundreds of law students with civil rights lawyers working in the South during the civil rights era.
Password Managers: A Perennial Recommendation-And For Good Reason
There is a reason Smart Guys like Jim Calloway keep returning to the topic of password managers. Too many lawyers still don’t understand that besides improving security, they can improve productivity. Fellow members of the Smart Guys Club Tom Mighell and Catherine Reach have also weighted in on the subject. After experimenting with Last Pass I’ve gone back to 1 Password. It gets rave reviews but any of the top programs is light years ahead of a chaotic pile of yellow sticky notes.
Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Access to Justice Crisis
Few social issues are more significant than unequal access to justice. Any nation that aspires to the highest level of democracy must make the civil justice system accessible not just to the affluent, but those of modest means. Professor Renee Knake Jefferson‘s excellent new book “Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis” explains exactly where we are, where we need to go, and how we can get there. An updated version of my review is available at The Impact Lawyers.
Law Firms Banning the Use of AI?
“Our law firm has a policy forbidding our lawyers to use generative artificial intelligence to produce legal products such as briefs, motion arguments, and researched opinions.” — From a partner at Carlton Fields. Rather than requiring carpenters to use only manual saws, wouldn’t it make more sense to teach them to use power tools safely? Back in the day smart law librarians like Genie Tyburski, Cindy Chick and Sabrina I.
Catherine Reach: Note-taking Guru
Catherine Reach‘s article on modern note-taking is the most useful thing I have read this year. Check it out & see if you feel the same. Unfortunately it’s a little late for me to get maximum benefit. If I’d read an article like Catherine’s 20 years ago and followed her advice, I think my net worth would probably be about twice as much as it is today.
Smaller Firms Will Lead the Way on AI (Just Like Did With the Internet)
Vanderbilt Law School Professor Cat Moon sees it quite clearly: [T]he very [law] firm structure repels innovation (and modernization).” Yep. Some people are innovating. Just don’t expect to see much out of large law firms. What does happen won’t happen fast. The curve will be pretty much what we saw decades ago with the Internet. Rick Klau & Erik J. Heels documented large firm adoption of the Internet is their 1998 book Law Law Law on the Internet.
Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis, by Renee Jefferson
Is anyone in the country better qualified than Renee Knake Jefferson to write about access to justice? Professor of Law at the University of Houston, co-reporter for the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, and designated by the American Bar Association as a “Legal Rebel,” she has long been a thought leader in the quest to make legal help available to all, regardless of resources. Her new book, Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis, does not disappoint.
Publishing for Profit: Selecting the Best Publisher
Reciting credentials is a tried and true method of building credibility. Prestigious school? Law review? Judicial clerkship? Your clients include Microsoft, Tesla and Google? By all means, recite every credential that might impress a potential client (or convince your current clients how lucky they are to have you in their employ). Credential-flaunting can help, but there are more effective ways to promote your practice. Rather than say you know what you are talking about, prove it.
AI for Beginners
John Tredennick and Bill Webber would never publish a book entitled “AI For Dummies,” so best to consider their new article “AI For Beginners.” Whatever you call it, GenAI for Smart People: An Introduction to Large Language Models for Smart Legal Professionals is an excellent “entry-level” intoduction to key AI concepts: The most entertaining parts are the AI-generaged “Brain In A Jar” graphic above and the Executive Summary generated by ChatGPT 4.0: “GenAI for Smart People,” authored by John...
How To Show Your Receipts on LinkedIn
Hypertext links in blogs and other online publications articles build credibility with readers. I’ve written primarily for online publications for years. It’s second nature to me to turn relevant words or phrases into hypertext links, so the inability to do this on LinkedIn (and Facebook) has been a long-time annoyance. Richard Tromans is a respected British legal innovator who operated the Artificial Lawyer website.
More On Transformative Negotiations Book
As an instructor at a prestigious negotiation program I like correctly observed, many, maybe most books on negotiations are little more than collections of war stories or Machiavellian tricks. Sarah Federman’s new book Transformative Negotiations is light on dirty tricks but provides a sometimes head-spinning large collection of characters, anecdotes, tips, and examples.
Book Review: Transformative Negotiation Strategies for Everyday Change and Equitable Futures
Transformative Negotiation: Strategies for Everyday Change and Equitable Futures, by Sarah Federman (University of California Press 2024). Available from the publisher, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. So you think you know how to negotiate? You’ve done some deals, maybe a lot, maybe some for big bucks. Maybe attended some classes. Maybe read some books. Surely you can’t have all that much left to learn, right? You may see things differently after reading this book.
Transformative Negotiation
My review of the new book Transformative Negotiation will appear in this month’s issue of LLRX.com. In the meantime, here is a summary of the book’s eight chapters, with my reactions: 1 Imagine. Understanding what you need and want is the first step toward successful negotiation. Why do you really want swans at your wedding? (page 20). How can a “Come As You Will Be Party” help clarify goals? (page 21).
Kennedy Innovation Book: Repurposing In Action
I thought Dennis Kennedy’s book was a bargain two years ago at $34.99 two years ago. Is he nuts to give it away now? Nah. It’s actually brilliant. After two years sales of the book must have dwindled to nothing. Getting extra mileage out of this book is a great marketing tool. Did Dennis think of this idea or did some marketing guru like Conrad Saam suggest it? Does it matter?
Off The Clock: 2024 Lawson Family Update Original
Back to work next week, but I’m off the clock with a personal note this week: Too busy to send out Christmas cards this year, so I played catch-up by sending out 2024 New Year’s Day cards and an accompanying newsletter. You can read the text of the newsletter below, or the formatted PDF version with photos, available through a Dropbox link.. For the benefit of family and friends whose names did not make it onto my paper mailing list, I’m attaching a PDF copy.
Judges, AI and Access To Justice
My article AI and the Organized Bar: Lessons from the eLawyering Project is now available at LLRX.com. Thanks to the insightful and indefatigable Carolyn Elefant for publicizing one tip I will include in a followup article: Don’t allow regulation of AI for the purpose of grinding down people who already have nothing.
Luring Fish vs. Landing Fish Original
Too many lawyers are letting money slip through their fingers. Alabama personal injury lawyer Hunter Garrett was pleased to take a client that three other lawyers had lured but not landed. He observed: “Later, the client mentioned that I was the 4th lawyer that he called.” Spending lots of money on the best bait around won’t do you any good if you ignore a fish nibbling at it. Conrad Saam‘s book Own the Map addresses this and many other aspects of effective marketing.
Ben Schorr's AI Vocabulary Primer
Ben Schorr is a treasure for Microsofties. His job is making life easier for those using Microsoft products, and he is very good at his job. His recent LinkedIn post publicized an MS news item, a List of 10 AI Terms Everyone Should Know. Cocktail party experts are a dime a dozen, but lots of people (especially the seniors among us) don’t have time or inclination to master all the intricacies of AI and don’t want to sound stupid either. Getting the vocabulary right is worth something.
Merry Christmas From Santa and Elf #1
For friends concerned about my wife’s stroke: Nice walk around Lake Braddock today.
Article: New Book Publishing Options for Lawyers
One of the best ways for ambitious lawyers to increase their visibility and credibility is to write and publish a book. Many decent writer/lawyers find writing a book in their specialty area to be relatively easy. Getting it published, not so much. “Vanity Publishing” has been around for years. It’s sometimes referred to as “subsidy publishing.” Basically, the author pays for his book to be published. Self-publishing is an option.
New Book Publishing Options for Lawyers
One of the best ways for ambitious lawyers to increase their visibility and credibility is to write and publish a book. Many decent writer/lawyers find writing a book in their specialty area to be relatively easy. Getting it published, not so much. “Vanity Publishing” has been around for years. It’s sometimes referred to as “subsidy publishing.” Basically, the author pays for his book to be published. Self-publishing is an option.
Book Review: Legal Tech Ecosystem, by Colin Levy
My review of Colin Levy’s new book The Legal Tech Ecosystem: Innovation, Advancement & the Future of Law Practice is now available at LLRX.com. In brief, I like the book a lot, though I wish Levy had done more to directly address knowledge management issues.
The Legal Tech Ecosystem
Colin Levy’s interesting new book The Legal Tech Ecosystem is a worthwhile read. One feature impressed me: Levy’s extensive use of quotations from other experts. You are not merely getting Levy’s ideas, but those of a host of other people who also know what they are talking about. I’m completing a considered review.
Law of Armed Conflict War Research Aids
High emotions generated by the Israel-Hamas conflict make this a time of wild claims and counterclaims. Few subjects are timelier and more critical than the Law of Armed Conflict, (LOAC). Researching LOAC can challenge U.S. researchers and lawyers. There are no codified statutes or well-organized case law of the types familiar to most U.S. researchers Sabrina Pacifici and I are trying to provide some light on the situation through the LLRX Israel-Hamas War Project.
Blogging's Alive & Thriving-For Those Who Use Well
Psakalakis & Saam have it right at Lunch Hour Legal Marketing. Couldn’t have said it better myself: Blogging used to be the crème de la crème for getting your content to the masses, but somewhere along the way, something changed. Too many blogs traded in engaging, thoughtful posts for years-long spoutings of “marketing drivel,” as Conrad so aptly puts it. But, blogging isn’t dead, and you can learn to do it right.
FTX Collapse & Future of Crypto
Schadenfreude is having a field day after the spectacular fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX. John Lindsey was inspired to link to a fun song parody. All I need to say about this is in my June article in LLRX.com, Is A Crypto Collapse Inevitable?
Executive Order on AI: Scientific American Summary
Scientific American has a good summary of what the Biden Executive Order says–and doesn’t say. Their bottom line: Finally, the executive order on its own is insufficient for tackling all the problems posed by advancing AI. Executive orders are inherently limited in their power and can be easily reversed. Even the order itself calls on Congress to pass data privacy legislation. “There is a real importance for legislative action going down the road,” Ho says. King agrees.
Hamas-Israel Conflict & The Law of Armed Conflict
Is there such a thing as the law of war, or is the phrase an oxymoron? The Law of War, better described as International Humanitarian Law (IHL) or Law of Armed Conflict, (LOAC) is very real, though difficult for most lawyers to understand or research. There are no codified statutes or well-organized case law of the types familiar to most U.S. researchers: The primary basis of international law is a patchwork of complex treaties. They are binding only on nations that have ratified them.
Research Guide: Law of Armed Conflict
In a time of wild claims and counterclaims, the subject of the Law of Armed Conflict, (LOAC), often referred to as International Humanitarian Law (IHL) or the Law of War (LOW), is a topical subject. Researching LOAC can challenge U.S. researchers and lawyers. There are no codified statutes or well-organized case law of the types familiar to most U.S. researchers: The primary basis of international law is a patchwork of complex treaties. They are binding only on nations that have ratified them.
Lexblog: First Choice for Lawyer Bloggers Original
Why do I host this blog (and in fact this entire website) at Lexblog? Because it is the best platform for lawyer/bloggers. It’s probably also one of the best choices for general website development, since it does a great job of integrating Why is Lexblog the best? Too many reasons to list all today, but here’s one: The highest quality of user support. I’ve won many awards for legal writing and been blogging for a quarter century.
Israel/Hamas Conflict: Why the Law of War Matters
We’ll take a break today from our usual commercial programming and go off the clock to address a timely and critical topic. Here’s the beginning of an article I’m developing for LLRX.com. Watch this space. It’s hard to imagine a bigger military victory than Israel won in 1967. Israel killed 20,000 Arabs and suffered only 1,000 deaths. Yet 50 years later there is no peace. Hamas is more dangerous than the Arabs were in 1967.
Thinking Like A Client
As the influential British apostle of innovation Richard Susskind has pointed out, clients don’t want a hammer. They want a chair. What you do (or like to do) as a lawyer is not necessarily what your clients expect or want. Design thinking is a systematic approach to rethinking your business approach with the goal of finding and implementing new and better ways to operate.
AI vs. Copyright Laws
For weeks, the Times and the maker of ChatGPT have been locked in tense negotiations over reaching a licensing deal in which OpenAI would pay the Times for incorporating its stories in the tech company’s AI tools, but the discussions have become so contentious that the paper is now considering legal action. . . .
LinkedIn Impressions
Post Regularly Consistency is key with any social media platform. If you want to be part of the conversations happening in your industry, then post regularly. When you post regularly and not randomly, the algorithm works in your favor. Regular, informative posts help to develop your authority on a topic. Slowly, this will help widen your reach and get more people not only seeing your content but engaging with it too. Keep in mind, though, that quality is more important than quantity.
Impact of AI on Lawyers: Leading Indicators
Published on Lex Blog How can you know whether AI is real or hype? One of the best ways is to look for leading indicators: Who is interested in AI? When you see top pros that you respect taking AI seriously it’s a pretty good sign that you also should take it seriously. Joan Feldman, for example. Her latest Attorney at Work article analyzes the Thompson Reuters survey report on the impact of AI on legal professionals.
Impact of AI on Lawyers: Leading Indicators
How can you know whether AI is real or hype? One of the best ways is to look for leading indicators: Who is interested in AI? When you see top pros that you respect taking AI seriously it’s a pretty good sign that you also should take it seriously. Joan Feldman, for example. Her latest Attorney at Work article analyzes the Thompson Reuters survey report on the impact of AI on legal professionals.
Failure Is Just The Cost Of Success
Matthew Homan has what he tongue-in-cheek describes as “Idea Surplus Disorder.” He’s never short of good ideas. Here is one of his better LinkedIn posts. Paralysis due to fear is one of the leading impediments to productive innovation. Leaders, start reframing failure as “tuition.” Tell your teams you’re happy to pay tuition to learn a lesson, but make it clear that you’re not willing to pay to take the same class twice.
Failure Is Just The Cost Of Success
Matthew Homan has what he tongue-in-cheek describes as “Idea Surplus Disorder.” He’s never short of good ideas. Here is one of his better LinkedIn posts. Paralysis due to fear is one of the leading impediments to productive innovation. Leaders, start reframing failure as “tuition.” Tell your teams you’re happy to pay tuition to learn a lesson, but make it clear that you’re not willing to pay to take the same class twice.
New Book: Design Your Law Practice
Will AI put you out of a job? Or just revolutionize the way you practice of law? Maybe. The jury is still out on AI, but design thinking is an approach that might help you make your law firm seriously more profitable in the short-to-medium range. Design thinking is a systematic approach to rethinking your business approach with the goal of finding and implementing major beneficial changes. Check out the Harvard Business School definition.
Greg Siskind, Lawyer Social Media Model
Will Twitter recently rebranded as “X,” go under? Maybe, and that might not be a bad thing. Whether or not that happens, one or more other social media platforms will remain one of the best places to market law firms, so understanding the basic principles of social media is essential for ambitious lawyers, who can learn something from chess players.
Pass Phrases vs. Passwords
from the Department of Interior Inspector General. Their conclusions apply just as well to law firms. The length of a password is more important than complexity. It’s better to have a phrase like JonesAndSallyLoveBaskingInSunshine than #si30_584JKL. Implementing this advice is a no-brainer, since a well chosen phrase is easier to remember than a cryptic string of numbers, characters and letters.
The Coming Collapse of Crypto: Technical Reasons
Theoretically unbreakable encryption schemes like those underpinning blockchain have proven to be less than impermeable in practice, as users of Coinbase discovered upon losing fortunes. Attackers go after the weakest link in the chain, usually the way in which the algorithm is implemented. Perhaps more ominous, the emergence of a new class of devices called quantum computers threatens to eat the algorithms that underlie crypto for lunch.
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