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LAWPRO Magazine: 2018 February Top Legal Disruptions
In This Issue of LAWPRO Magazine
Will disruptions make us better?
Disruption isn’t new – it just feels that way. The wheel, the printing press, even electronic land registration were disruptions to the status quo. What’s different this time? The relentless pace and the wide breadth of transformation. As we have all observed, change is constant and is taking place in all areas of our professional… Read More »
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is the technology behind bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. While the technology behind blockchain is very complex, the functionality at its core is quite simple. For a video demonstration of how blockchain works watch the YouTube video below. This infographic summarizes what is in the video.
Perspectives on the future of law – How the profession should respond to major disruptions
The legal profession is in the midst of significant change, and is headed into a period where there will be even greater change. These changes are driven by disruptions that alter the very nature of how traditional legal services have been performed and provided to clients for decades. These disruptions include: access to justice client… Read More »
Artificial intelligence: What is AI and will it really replace lawyers?
If you scanned social media or the headlines in many online or print-based newspapers or magazines published in 2017, you were pretty much guaranteed to see posts and articles on artificial intelligence (AI). Most of these articles suggest that AI is in the process of fundamentally changing our lives at work, home and play. And… Read More »
Thinking of virtual GC work? Understand your coverage needs
Outsourcing services that fall outside a company’s core expertise (consider for example executive recruiting or IT services) allows the company to access expert work product on an as-needed basis. Outsourcing means not having to pay a full-time salary to an expert who is needed less than full-time, and not having to pay the full cost… Read More »
Ideas for rethinking your law practice
The changes facing the legal professional may seem daunting, but all lawyers can rise to these challenges and embrace the opportunities they present. There are many ways to respond, some are quite small and easy, and others require a significant investment of time and money. Some can be done by individual lawyers, and others require… Read More »
LAWPRO is not like your auto insurer: Dispelling common myths about your insurance coverage
In my more than 20 years of defending lawyers on malpractice claims, I continue to be amazed at how little some lawyers seem to know about the “LAWPRO policy” and how a claim is handled. I am also frustrated by how often lawyers have not done even the simplest things that could help them avoid… Read More »
Why Excess insurance? Celebrating 20 years of the Excess program
In 1996 and 1997 LAWPRO (or “LPIC” as it was then known) began collecting information on whether lawyers had coverage in excess of the $1 million per claim/$2 million in the aggregate limits provided under the mandatory program. The thinking wasn’t that everyone necessarily needs excess. After all, some areas of practice are considered low… Read More »
Ending well means starting right: The family law intake process
The most critical step in any family law case is when clients meet with prospective counsel. That meeting establishes the nature of the relationship, a preliminary game-plan, and each party’s expectations of the other. Most clients approach that inaugural meeting with considerable anxiety. Most have never dealt with a lawyer, and certainly not with respect… Read More »
Does your firm need cybercrime insurance?
In a study titled The Cost of Cybercrime, Accenture surveyed 254 companies in seven countries. Over the course of five years, the study revealed a 62 per cent increase in cybercrime attacks. Data breaches during the same period doubled to 130 per year. Accenture noted that while not every security breach results in a loss,… Read More »
Coping with changes outside your control
Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one an identity, the end of safety. And at such a moment, unable to see and not daring to imagine what the future will now bring forth, one clings to what one knew, or… Read More »
How to safely put your data in the cloud
Cloud services help you access and store data on someone else’s server. You may not realize it, but Dropbox, Gmail, Facebook, and legal specific applications like Clio are all examples of cloud services. Putting data on the cloud raises issues like maintaining confidentiality, usability, cost, portability and applicability to your area of practice. Keeping in… Read More »
Civil litigation claims: What we saw in 2017
Claims against litigators are the largest area-of-law subset in LAWPRO’s claims portfolio. The rate of increase in claims in this area outstrips all others, and is an increasing source of concern.In the past two years, we have focused on the claims impact of the changes to Rule 48 of the Rules of Civil Procedure. Judgments… Read More »
Recognizing the red flags of real estate scams involving corporate identity theft
Frauds targeting real estate lawyers are getting ever more sophisticated. LAWPRO has seen several attempted frauds involving corporate identity theft. The properties involved may be commercial or residential, but are always owned by a corporation. How these frauds work These frauds start with the fraudsters changing or stealing the identity of corporate property owners. This… Read More »
Cybersecurity for the home and office
For many lawyers, the divide between “home” and “office” isn’t clear-cut. Work is often done in both places and during the trips back and forth. As a result, sensitive client information may not always be protected under the umbrella of a firm cybersecurity system. Cybersecurity for the Home and Home Office can help lawyers understand… Read More »
Make sure clients aren’t caught off guard by the Rental Fairness Act
On April 27, 2017 the Province of Ontario amended the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) with the introduction of the Rental Fairness Act. Some of the changes to the RTA are already fully in force, others will come into play in 2018. The amendments to the RTA affect every residential tenancy in Ontario to different… Read More »