8th Annual Technology and Justice for All CLE Friday, December 6, 2024 Texas Law Center | 1414 Colorado Street, Austin, Texas 78701 4.5 hours MCLE credit, including 1.25 hours ethics credit
Holiday Greetings from the Computer & Technology Section! We thank you for being a member and please help us spread the word by urging your fellow colleagues to join as well. Recently as Chair of our Section I attended the Council of Chairs, a bi-annual event hosted by our State Bar in Austin. This was a great event allowing the Chairs of the various Sections of the State Bar to personally interact with each other and share common issues and potential solutions. The State Bar provided up to date information regarding Bar activities and requirements for Sections per our State Bar rules and regulations.
On December 1, 2023 our Sections sponsored its 7th Annual Technology and Justice for All CLE live in Austin, Texas at the State Bar Building. This year’s presentations were outstanding, and we thank our great presenters and our engaged audience for their participation and presence. As many of you know we offer this CLE free to the legal aid lawyers who serve our community. This year we were able to record our program through the assistance of Texas Legal services Center and especially Bruce Bower and Melissa Deutsch their videographer. By recording our CLE we are now able to provide to the Legal Service Community an opportunity to view our CLE for those Legal Aid Lawyers who were unable to attend our live CLE in Austin. As a secondary benefit we will be able to provide you as members of the Computer and Technology Section access to the CLE on our website, https://sbot.org. Currently the recording is being edited and should be available in early 2024.
In the spirit of this holiday season, I want to express my thanks to the officers and council and ex-officio members of our Section. They continued work and relentless efforts on behalf of the Section make the “Magic Happen”! Behind the scenes the work of the Section appears effortless but without their support and guidance we would not be able to provide our services to you as Section members and to our State Bar. A special thanks also to our Administrative Assistant, Erica Anderson, who never fails to anticipate an issue and provides guidance to our Executive Committee and Council. Thank you, Erica.
I also want to thank the State Bar Sections Department who so ably support our Sections. As many of you who work with the State Bar and attend various CLEs throughout the State it requires an enormous effort to coordinate Section activities, publications, and programming. This year after many years of service to the State Bar, Tracy Nuckols. Tracy over the years has provided many untold hours in support and guidance for our Section and we wish you well in your new future. Lyndsey Jackson is our new Sections Department Director, and we are excited to work with Lyndsey and her great team and we congratulate her and thank her as she continues to support our Sections. Also, I would like to thank Paul Burke and Jake Stoffle with the State Bar, who help make the “Magic Happen”.
The December 2023 Issue of Circuits is an outstanding issue for our members. The variety of articles and material will reward our members with scholarly and practical articles to be utilized in their everyday practice. We have articles and tips including, AI Discovery Issues, 4th Amendment cases dealing with iPhones, 3rd Party Rights and DNA Consent, Kid influencers, Preparing and Responding to Cyber Incidents, ADR Technology, Presenting Science Evidence, and Review of State and Federal laws regarding Privacy, Security and Wiretapping. To our great authors we appreciate your contributions to Circuits and thank you.
I would like to thank Sally Pretorius our editor of Circuits and Katie Stahl, associate editor. You both knocked it out of the park.
This year the State Bar of Texas honored our Section with a request to take over the programming for the “Adaptable Lawyer Tract” held annually at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas Texas on June 20-21,2024. The “Adaptable Lawyer” tract will be on June 20,2024 and will be a full day CLE. With the guidance of our CLE Chair, Grecia Martinez and our CLE subcommittee I can assure you that this will be an outstanding CLE and we look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.
Cindy Tisdale, President of the State Bar of Texas in her recommendation to the State Bar was to create a Working Group, now a Taskforce to examine issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Law and to make recommendations to the State Bar. Currently the Chair of this Taskforce is John Browning and several of the appointed members of this Section serve on the Taskforce. The issue of AI and the practice of law has and will be a continuing issue for lawyers currently and into the future. The Computer and Technology Section has and will continue to monitor, write, and speak on these issues. AI platforms like ChatGPT and others will need to be evaluated for transparency, accountability, and accuracy. As Texas lawyers we have an ethical obligation under our Professional Code of Conduct to maintain “technical proficiency”. Our Section has and will continue to examine these issues regarding AI and its usage by lawyers and provide information, resources, and guidance. We as a Section strive to assist Texas lawyers in maintaining their “technical proficiency” and to respond with knowledge and resources regarding these every evolving changes.
Finally, our behalf of the Section we wish you and your family the happiest of holidays and a happy New Year.
Reginald A. Hirsch 2023–2024 Chair Computer & Technology Section State Bar of Texas
Without further ado, the latest version of our e-Journal Circuits for December, 2023 is here.
The Computer & Technology Section makes free CLE available to attorneys as a service of the Section and the Texas Bar. This CLE is entitled: “To Chat GPT or Not to Chat GPT – That is the Question” Speaker: John G. Browning
Course Number: 174206926 The recording will be available until 10/23/2024. MCLE Credit: 1 hour of participation with .25 hours of ethics.
The journal’s editors and contributing authors have put together a fine edition of our Section’s journal, “Circuits.” This issue has the following features:
• Message from the Chair by Pierre Grosdidier • Letter from the Editor by Sally Pretorius
Featured Articles • Examining Heslin and Lewis v. Infowars and Alex Jones, by Judge Xavier Rodriguez • Service of Process via NFT: A Novelty or a Natural Next Step? by Hon. John G. Browning • FAA Drone Regulation Survives Constitutional Challenge, by Pierre Grosdidier
Short Circuits • Featuring Lisa Danley, Dawson Lightfoot, Brett Burney
Circuit Boards • Highlighting Facebook evidence and Metaverse
You can download the latest copy of Circuits here.
For the first time in several years, ABA TechShow is back in all things “live!” in Chicago, March 1-4, 2023.
If you’ve never been, this is a significant opportunity as there are more legal technology startups and providers than there have ever been in my recollection. In addition, expect massive pushes by those who have gobbled up or been gobbled up as a result of the disruption that occurred during Covid.
All prognostications I’m seeing in the news seem to imply a bad year financially. I truly hope this is not the case, but the key to surviving if not thriving this next year will, IMO, be creating efficiencies. These often come with some of the legal tech solutions offered over the last 10 years and refined over the last 3.
I’ve been fortunate to attend most years over the last 15 and every year is a ramp-up, but this year, I’m expecting really significant things from them. If you go, I hope you soak in as much as possible between the CLE tracks and topics as well as the Vendors on and off the beaten path.
Key tracks include:
I. Core Concepts
II. Financial Management
III. Futures
IV. Litigation Tech
V. Operations
VI. Transactional Tech
VII. Client Experience and
VIII. Marketing
Key topics that stand out at first glance
Wed PM:
Start-Up Pitch Competition with Bob Ambrogi Robert Ambrogi(legend of a nice guy and pitches from maybe a dozen startups looking to hit it big w/lawyers and law firms; my favorite part of TechShow).
Thursday + Friday:
Tech Competence: Now that 40 Jurisdictions mandate some form of the ABA trickledown model rule comment regarding technology as a part of competence, this panel boasts 4 well-known though leaders on the subject. As relevant now as it was before Covid, probably more so.
Billing 101 With Tech – I could spend a day talking about this and how practice management systems, apps, snippets and workflows cut my billing entry down to 15-30 seconds per, but why not start with this; this is low-hanging fruit for consultants because with the right tools, it’s basically creating what I call “free money” (that which you can get back in time and money for ‘efficiencizing.’
Using AI and Data Analytics in Litigation
Legal Marketing Trends: Where Should You Spend Your Marketing Resources?
Early and Often: Better Client Communication through Automation – Regina Edwards (“Lawyer on the Beach” FB Group) is on this panel and is, IMO, extraordinary in workflow efficiencies. This will be a no-miss.
The Security Challenge for Microsoft 365: In Plain Language You Can Understand— Ben Schorr is old school, but even previously as a consultant who Microsoft bought, ‘er hired, he’s the best as all things MS; veteran TS speaker, another no-miss.
Web3 and Law Firm Financials
Using AI and Data Analytics in Litigation
Leaving the Law Firm for Greener $$ Pastures
Mac Hacks – With my friend Brett Burney (probably one of the top 5 technology consultants in the country and an overall phenomenal guy; and from Texas originally, to boot.
Practicing with Bots: Where to Draw the Ethical Lines?
Technology Assisted Review – Not sure where we’ll end up, but if dealing with ESI (now which identification and location is mandated under the new Texas mandatory disclosures’ rules), then this might be a good place to start learning. Mostly used with big discovery, we are ripe for a turn towards turnkey, small law solutions. #FingersCrossed
I Didn’t Know PDFs Could Do That – Darla Jackson and Dan Siegel – we all need regular CLE on this every year, myself included
Law Firm Efficiency Overhaul: Optimize Your Tech Stack for Maximum Performance – Including our own Texas Attorney, Alex Shahrestani, this is one for everyone looking to review what software apps you are using and where you can up your game.
Transactional Word Document Automation Workshop, Part 1 (and Part 2 on day 2)Kenton Brice runs the OU Law School Library currently and more importantly is the Director of Technology Innovation there. He is outstanding and a great person to know and bounce things off of; together with massive veteran knowledge of Ivan Hemmans, Barron Henley and another top 5 pick Paul Unger, this room will be packed.
Follow the above with —
What’s Up with Word for discussion of newer features again with Barron Henley and Ben Schorr.
NFTs and Web3: What are They and How Does Intellectual Property Law Apply?
The market may have cratered, but some of the cryptocurrencies are still around (as is Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.)
Countering the Cyberthreat Tsunami: Start with the Basics
w/ Legend veteran David Ries
Automating the Transactional Client Lifecycle
With Sofia Stefanie Lingos and Andrea Sager, look to this to complement Regina Edwards workflows and presentation tips.
Hacks to Command and Control Your PC
Former TS Chairs Debbie Foster (now part of the biggest legal tech consulting merger of companies I’ve ever seen) and Ivan Hemmans, on legal hacks or shortcuts…these are likely going to be gold at a time when gold is desperately needed.
Designing an A+ Client Experience including another top 5 Catherine Reach
Justice Tech: Using Innovation to Reduce the Access to Justice Gap
No Code, No Problem: Unleash the Power of Automation to Transform Your Law Firm– follow-up from day one
Contract Management Systems
Getting Things Done: Overcoming Procrastination and Implementing Technology to Better Manage Your Time (I’ve got five bucks that says ‘pomodoro’ will be mentioned multiple times). Paul Unger
Data-Driven Tech: What’s your ROI?
Document Management and Compliance
60 in 60
Closing out the sessions, for the first time now on Friday at 4:30 instead of Saturday morning, this is the most entertaining 60 minutes in legal technology (with a couple nods to keynotes in past years including Ben Stein and David Pogue and Lawrence Lessig, among others.
CLE
The ABA will seek 9 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states, and 10.8 hours of CLE credit for this program in 50-minute states [including 2 hours of Ethics CLE credit in 60-minute states and 2.4 hours of Ethics CLE credit in 50-minute states]
