Emerging Litigation Podcast
The Rise of Robojudges with Josh Davis
The Rise of Robojudges with Joshua Davis The good news for all of us, not the least of which are the robe and wig industries, is that we still have time. Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, but it's still not able to think like a learned jurist. We can say it will have flaws, but so do our human deciders. So it will be a tradeoff, right? What are the risks? What are the upsides? Will robojudges be able to absorb infinitely more information quickly? Will they hand down decisions free from the influence of bias? Wouldn't it be great to eliminate conflicts of interest? Joining me to discuss this not-so-out-there concept is Joshua P. Davis, a nationally recognized expert on legal ethics, class actions, and artificial intelligence in the law. He is Research Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of Law, and Shareholder and Manager of Berger & Montague, P.C.'s new San Francisco Bay Area Office. For more than 20 years Josh was a tenured Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco Law School, where he also served as the Director of the Center for Law and Ethics. Josh is authoring two books, one titled Unnatural Law, dealing with AI and the law, and a second on the important issue of class action ethics. Finally, remind me never to assume anything when I ask Josh a question. I said something like, "Surely we're not talking about sci-fi robots here," to which he basically said, "Not so fast." This happened more than once. When will I learn? This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our [...]
Broken Privilege and IoT with Kathryn Rattigan
Broken Privilege and IoT with Kathryn Rattigan Joining me to discuss this emerging area of law is Kathryn M. Rattigan, a member of the Business Litigation Group, the Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team, and the Drone Compliance Team in the Rhode Island office of Robinson Cole. Kathryn provides clients guidance regarding privacy and data protection in connection with mobile devices, data storage technologies, mobile apps, and location-based services. She assists with the development of website and mobile app privacy policies and terms and conditions. Kathryn is a frequent contributor to the excellent Robinson Cole Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Insider blog. She holds a J.D. from the Roger Williams University School of Law and a B.A. (magna cum laude) from Stonehill College. This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how insightful and informative Kathryn is, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. Finally, yes, "skeevy" is a word. And the law is not settled as to whether Shiloh has privacy rights. Tom Hagy Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast There are now billions and billions of interconnected devices in the world with more coming online every day. Smart cars. Smart cities. Smart agriculture and so much more. Even our pets are connected. And you have to look no further than the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack to see the real-world consequences of what criminals can pull off by connecting with things large and small. Worried about your privacy? Well. There is plenty to worry about. Fortunately we also have a lot of people fighting back on the technical, security, law enforcement, and [...]
The Cyber Insurance Market Has Problems: A Conversation With Tom Johansmeyer
The Cyber Insurance Market Has Problems: A Conversation With Tom Johansmeyer The author of the piece is my guest on our latest episode. He is Tom Johansmeyer, ARM, is head of PCS, a Verisk business. PCS investigates and provide, independent loss estimates on catastrophes and large individual losses to the benefit of the global risk and capital supply chain. Tom has focused on the broad and rapid expansion of PCS, leading the team into Japan, New Zealand, and other APAC regions in 2019 – as well as Mexico. Tom is the architect of the PCS entry into global specialty lines, most recently adding large risk loss reporting to the group’s portfolio. Previously, Tom held insurance industry roles at Guy Carpenter (where he launched the first corporate blog in the reinsurance sector) and Deloitte. Personally, I like his LinkedIn description: "Aspiring cyclist and distance swimmer, former soldier. Leading the global charge at PCS. Haven't driven anything with a motor since 2007." Excellent. This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the legal news folks at Law Street Media, and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Docket Alarm and Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how insightful our guests are, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. You might notice that I misused a commonly used term, one specifically common in the world of insurance, or maybe you weren't paying that much attention. That would make two of us. Also, Tom J. was just a fun interview and I hope to get him back! I like the way he explained his candor at the end. He suffers from an infliction that I wish were a pandemic. I hope you enjoy it. Tom Hagy Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast [...]
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Emerging Litigation Journal
Robojudges: If Machines Could Make Judicial Decisions, Should They?
The Author A leading academic and practitioner, Joshua P. Davis (davisj@usfca.edu) is a nationally recognized expert on legal ethics and class actions, as well as on artificial intelligence in the law, antitrust, civil procedure, free speech, and jurisprudence. He has published more than 30 scholarly articles and book chapters on these subjects and is currently writing a book on AI titled Unnatural Law, which will be published by Cambridge University Press. He is Research Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of Law, and a Shareholder of the Berger Montague PC law firm and Manager of its new San Francisco Bay Area Office. Before taking these posts, for more than 20 years Davis was a tenured Professor of Law at University of San Francisco Law School, where he also served as the Director of the Center for Law and Ethics. Davis is also a member of the Editorial Board of Advisors for the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, published by Fastcase Full Court Press. Tom Hagy, Editor in Chief. You can also listen to Josh on the Emerging Litigation Podcast! Robojudges: If Machines Could Make Judicial Decisions, Should They? By Joshua P. Davis Abstract: As artificial intelligence makes its way into every aspect of our daily lives—including the practice of law—humans have some decisions to make. Do we wish for AI to replace human judges? What are the risks and how might they be mitigated? What breakthroughs need to occur? How might robotic judges, or “robojudges,” perform better than human jurists? What surprises might be in store? Read on for the author’s perspectives on these important questions. After all, as he points out, AI is already being used by the judiciary, albeit to a limited extent. Some of the most exciting, vexing, and terrifying issues at the intersection of [...]
Going Viral or Going Nuclear: Social Inflation’s Impact on Jury Verdicts …
The Authors All three authors are with the law firm of Hall Booth Smith, P.C., and concentrate on various aspects of healthcare defense. Lindsay A. Nishan (lnishan@hallboothsmith.com) is an Associate in the HBS Charleston office. Samantha Bowen Myers (smyers@hallboothsmith.com) is an Associate in their West Palm Beach, Florida, office. Sandra Mekita Cianflone (scianflone@hallboothsmith.com) is a Partner in the firm’s Atlanta office. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of Advisors for the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, and a frequent contributor to the Emerging Litigation Podcast. Going Viral or Going Nuclear: Social Inflation’s Impact on Jury Verdicts and How to Safeguard Against It By Lindsay A. Nishan, Samantha B. Myers and Sandra M. Cianflone A juror’s perception of companies and healthcare providers is increasingly colored by TV and social media. The same is true for their understanding of the practice law or medicine, which may be as wrong as it is immovable. “Social inflation” refers to rising litigation costs and the resulting higher insurance payouts which drive up the cost of insurance. In this article the authors, each of whom represents parties in the healthcare industry, discuss the evolving social trends that lead jurors to render “nuclear verdicts,” and what attorneys should consider in mitigating the effects of this phenomenon. Social media feeds today are crammed with flashy advertisements from lawyers promising big-dollar settlements against “rich insurance companies.” The number of these commercials has spiked since the 1970s as the phenomenon known as "social inflation" has taken root in the legal system. Social inflation is a term of art that refers to rising litigation costs, the impact those costs have on insurance claim payouts, and how much the average policyholder is expected to pay for basic coverage. Recently, the term social inflation has taken on a new meaning as it has [...]
Can we rely on shareholders to compel corporations to meaningfully act on ESG issues? | By Rebecca Boon and John Rizio-Hamilton | Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann GalleryCan we rely on shareholders to compel corporations to meaningfully act on ESG issues? | By Rebecca Boon and John Rizio-Hamilton | Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann
Can we rely on shareholders to compel corporations to meaningfully act on ESG issues? | By Rebecca Boon and John Rizio-Hamilton | Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann
The Authors Rebecca Boon has been litigating securities fraud and shareholder rights actions for over a decade, recovering more than $1.5 billion for the firm’s institutional investor clients. Her work at the firm expands beyond litigation. Rebecca has advanced equality in the workplace by co-founding the Beyond #MeToo working group and leading landmark recoveries that have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars back to investors and important social change among industries. Contact: rebecca.Boon@blbglaw.com John Rizio-Hamilton is one of America’s top shareholder litigators. He works on the most complex and high-stakes securities class action cases, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional investor clients. John led the trial team that recovered $240 million for investors in In re Signet Jewelers Limited Securities Litigation, a precedent-setting case that marks the first successful resolution of a securities fraud class action based on allegations of sexual harassment. Contact: johnr@blbglaw.com Can we rely on shareholders to compel corporations to meaningfully act on ESG issues? By Rebecca Boon and John Rizio-Hamilton This article was first published in the Responsible Investor, Aug., 10th, 2021. Posted with permission of the authors. Copyright 2021 by Rebecca Boon & John Rizio-Hamilton. All rights reserved. There is an ongoing debate about the role that regulators should take regarding corporate obligations and accountability for ESG issues. Earlier this year, the Ontario Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce weighed in with its long-anticipated recommendation on diversity quotas for corporate boards. After receiving significant industry feedback, the Ontario Taskforce changed its initial recommendation from a requirement that public companies meet specific diversity targets, to allowing companies to set their own targets, report them, and develop a timeline for implementation. This ‘market-based’ framework for diversity would rely on investors to push corporations and hold them accountable. There was significant backlash when the Ontario Taskforce changed its initial recommendation. It was [...]
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The Promise and Peril of Quantum Computing and Its Implications for Cyber Insurance
Quantum computing, like artificial intelligence, is one of several emerging technologies that could either save the planet or end the world, depending on which expert is holding forth on the issue. This article explores the promise and peril of quantum computing and the potential coverage implications under cyber insurance policies. As Cameron notes, "while cyber insurance may provide some coverage for hazards that result from quantum computing, those policies may not respond to many of the risks".
Machines Inventing Machines: Artificial Intelligence and Patent Law
In this episode, we talk to Robert A. McFarlane of Hanson Bridgett LLP about artificial intelligence in the world of invention and questions raised in a recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that expounded on the principle that only human beings - not machines - can be named as inventors under U.S. patent law. Listen and learn more!
Video Game or Casino? An International Examination of Loot Boxes and Gambling Regulations
The author, Darius Gambino of Saul Ewing LLP examines the legal and regulatory challenges surrounding loot boxes in video games, highlighting the risks of litigation, government scrutiny, and the need for industry self-regulation.
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