I was very pleased to interview Legal Rebel Richard Granat for LLRX.com. He has long been a national pioneer in legal innovation, especially in the field of giving non-wealthy Americans affordable access to legal services. I was privileged to work with Richard on the ABA’s eLawyering project. He is one of the most creative and inspiring people I have ever known.
When Colin Levy speaks, the wise listen. His recent LinkedIn post on keeping up with the intersection of technology and the practice of law has his usual quota of good ideas. Here are some thoughts on a few of the references:
–The Legal Tech Ecosystem (Book) (My review).
–Colinslevy.com (Website)
Is Levy wrong to open (and close) this list with references to his book and website? Modesty vs. Honesty? I’d be the last to argue with his list.
–Tomorrow’s Lawyers (Book).
Can’t go wrong with prophet Richard Susskind.
–Working Smarter with Knowledge Tools (Book)
This is one of the best legal tech books published in the past decade. Lauritsen doesn’t tell you what to think. He teaches you how to think.
–On Legal AI Book)
–AI for Lawyers (Book)
Not familiar with these two. They are now on my reading list.
–Lawnext.com (Website)
Bob Ambrogi’s home on the web is a must-follow.
The Rest of Levy’s list:
–Legal Evolution (Website)
–The Artificial Lawyer (Website)
–Legal Technology Hub (Website)
–Legal.io (Website)
Levy’s Parting Shot: Pure Gold
Levy closes the post with this suggestion. It’s probably the single most important thing most lawyers can do to improve their productivity:
Experiment with tools you currently use, like some of the myriad of functions offered by Word and Excel (and others like PowerBI and PowerAutomate also within the Office 365 suite). Often you may be underutilizing the tools you already use.
Very pleased to see The Impact Lawyers reprint my review of Renee Knake Jefferson‘s excellent new book Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis.
Ms. Jefferson believes that artificial intelligence “has the potential to become the single most important tool in solving the legal justice crisis,” so on completing this review, I decided to ask ChatGPT 4.0 the question:
“What is the probability of significant improvements in access to civil legal services?”
I found ChatGPT’s summary answer mostly consistent with Jefferson’s conclusions—and hence encouraging. In any event, Ms. Jefferson has provided a public service by writing Law Democratized. It will surely increase the probability of meaningful reforms.
The probability of significant improvements in access to justice for civil legal services depends on various factors, including policy changes, resource allocation, technological advancements, and societal attitudes toward legal aid. While it is difficult to assign a specific probability, several trends and initiatives may increase the likelihood of improvements:
I think the AI Law Librarians blog might grow on me. My favorite current post? Sarah Gotschall‘s article Move Over Law Professors? AI Likes to Write Law Review Articles Too! She gives an AI-generated law review article a passing grade.
Gotschall walks readers through the process of guiding an AI chatbot (“Claude“) through the process of developing an article. She provides the prompting practices she uses:
Here’s an example of Gotschall’s approach to being polite and encouraging:
Great you’re really good at following instructions! You’re also really good at creating outlines of law review articles. Now that you understand the topic and thesis, please use the information uploaded in the article and generate a detailed outline for the law review. You can get an idea of how law review articles are written and organized by analyzing the law reviews in the files that I’ve uploaded.
Move Over Law Professors Article
Handling AI’s emotions will be a challenge for me!
H/T to Sabrina I. Pacifici for the link.
Just completing an interview with Richard Granat for LLRX.com. My favorite sentence:
[Maryland Family Lawyer] fits my business model of generating income when I sleep.
Gotta love the business model of generating income while sleeping.
A few American Bar Association articles provide background about Richard Granat’s impressive contributions to using the Internet to provide better access to high-quality and reasonably priced legal services:
Sunshine Songs. Good for walking.
Dierks Bentley. He used to be her favorite singer. She will sing along with many of these.
Miscellaneous Videos. Not songs, but good for watching.
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.
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. It’s essential reading for anyone who wants to be a part of the better access to justice solution.
I’m pleased to be working on an interview with Richard Granat, a seminal figure in the drive to improve access to justice in the U.S. Here’s what ChatGPT has to say about Richard:
Me: Tell me about Richard Granat, legal rebel
ChatGPT 4.0: Richard Granat has been a pioneering figure in the legal technology field, often recognized for his innovative approach to providing legal services online. Known as a “Legal Rebel,” Granat was honored by the ABA Journal in 2009 for his forward-thinking methods in the realm of online legal services and legal tech education (ABA Journal) (ABA Journal).
Granat’s career has focused heavily on automating and transforming legal services to make them more accessible and affordable. He has developed various platforms, such as SmartLegalForms and DirectLaw, which enable law firms to offer standardized legal services at fixed prices. This approach not only democratizes legal help but also allows consumers to handle their legal needs more directly and transparently (ABA Journal).
Moreover, Granat has been involved in the early stages of online legal education, influencing the way legal services are taught and implemented in practice. His efforts include founding the first virtual law firm and various educational resources aimed at helping lawyers and clients navigate the complexities of law in the digital age (ABA Journal).
At the core of Granat’s work is the belief that technology can significantly enhance the efficiency of legal services and improve access to justice for a broader audience. This vision has driven him to continuously innovate and explore new ways to integrate technology into the legal field, keeping him at the forefront of legal technology advocacy and development (ABA Journal).
“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. Pacifici were busy teaching lawyers how to evaluate the reliability of information found via the internet. Something tells me there may be a need for similar training today.