Ethics & Professional Responsibility

December 5, 2024

ai lawyers Late night internet addiction or working late man using laptop computer in the dark

ChatGPT recently marked two years since its November 2022 release. As a Large Language Model (LLM) application that can process and generate text in real-time that resembles human language, ChatGPT represented a significant breakthrough in innovative generative AI (GenAI) systems. Similar tools followed, like Claude, Perplexity, and CoPilot.
Two years in, have you tried any

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2Civility Blog

Illinois Lawyers: Give Back This Season While Earning 6 Hours of CLE

By Laura Bagby

November 22, 2024

top view of give back lettering made of wooden cubes on blue background

The holiday season is a time to give thanks for the important things in your life. Loved ones, good health, and a safe home are commonly on Thankful Lists, as is a meaningful career.
Think back to the beginning of your career. What stands out? Many may cite endless hours of legal research, document review,

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2Civility Blog

Crafting Influence: The Role of Language and AI in Legal Advocacy

By Mark C. Palmer

November 22, 2024

language for lawyers Illustration of abstract stream. Artificial intelligence. Big data, technology, AI, data transfer, data flow, large language model, generative AI, binary concept

Lawyers make their living with words. They employ their tool of the trade by carefully crafting what is said in the courtroom and on paper, from a jury trial to a real estate contract.
A good lawyer also knows that words that may work wonderfully before a jury could backfire in a brief as inappropriate

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2Civility Blog

Phone Calls Ignored, Emails Unanswered: Fixing the First Impression Problem for Law Firms

By Mark C. Palmer

November 1, 2024

clio legal trends report 2024 Smartphone with missing call notification concept. Mobile phone screen with a lot of messages about missed calls. Isometric vector illustration.

The legal technology company Clio once again played “secret shopper” for its 2024 Clio Legal Trends Report. And once again, it reported dismal results on how law firms are doing on first impressions.
Just as it did in its 2019 survey, Clio used a third-party research firm to pose as a potential client

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2Civility Blog

Poor Lawyer Well-being May Cost Firms Up to $33M, Survey Says

By Marin McCall

November 1, 2024

Despite improvements in revenue and billable hours over the past 12 months, law firms may be losing revenue from decreased employee productivity, absenteeism, and attrition associated with poor well-being, according to a recent survey.
The 2024 State of Wellbeing in Law survey by Unmind included responses from 4,400 lawyers from nine mid-sized law firms in

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2Civility Blog

Clio 2024 Legal Trends Report Identifies AI, Alternative Billing Structures, and Client Engagement as Focus Areas for Today’s Lawyers

By Marin McCall

October 25, 2024

The theme of this year’s ClioCon, an annual legal technology conference produced by legal software provider Clio, was “Momentum.”
During the conference, which was held October 7 and 8 in Austin, Texas, Clio CEO and Founder Jack Newton used the image of a flywheel to illustrate the theme. A flywheel takes energy to start

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Global Investigations & Compliance Review

DOJ Updates Guidance on Corporate Compliance Programs

By Colin Jennings, Ayako Russell, Sassi Riar & Malak Abbas

October 14, 2024

In a post published earlier this year, we highlighted the importance of proactively managing artificial intelligence (“AI”) risks as part of an effective compliance program. Specifically, we explored the key considerations for organizations to effectively navigate AI-related risks and enhance their compliance efforts. We also referenced Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s announcement incorporating an…

2Civility Blog

ABA Council to Seek Public Comment on Proposed Revisions to Accreditation Standard Governing Diversity and Inclusion in Law Schools

By Erika Harold

August 23, 2024

A Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) will soon seek public comment regarding proposed revisions of an accreditation standard, Standard 206, governing diversity and inclusion in ABA-approved law schools.
According to an ABA Journal article, the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (Council) voted on August

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2Civility Blog

Should My Law Firm be on TikTok? 4 Questions to Ask Before Adopting Any Social Media Platform

By Marin McCall

August 22, 2024

Should my law firm be on TikTok? What is Threads? Is it too late to create a Facebook page for my law firm? Have you heard of that new platform, FriendFrame?
Okay, FriendFrame doesn’t exist… yet.
The majority of law firms (89%) have an existing social media presence, according to American Bar Association data.

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2Civility Blog

Breaking Down the ABA’s Guidance on Using Generative AI in Legal Practice

By Laura Bagby

August 15, 2024

Late last month, the American Bar Association issued Formal Opinion 512 detailing a lawyer’s ethical obligations when using generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in legal practice.
The Opinion acknowledges that lawyers often use traditional AI to boost the quality and efficiency of their legal practices, for example in contract analysis or e-discovery. However, the advent of

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