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Daily Archives: September 11, 2016

New on LLRX – Mecha Justice: When Machines Think Like Lawyers

Via LLRX.comMecha Justice: When Machines Think Like Lawyers – Most workplaces, whether public, private, academic – within the government, legal, education, news, or advocacy sectors – are increasingly focused on how to define, implement and position the use of ‘Big Data,’ data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and even robotics, into respective organizational missions that are under increasing pressure to innovate faster. Ken Strutin’s comprehensive, insightful and expertly documented article is a critical read to assist all of us in the legal environment, regardless of our role, in understanding key cases, issues, science, technology and applications, and potential as well as actual outcomes. As Strutin writes, the term “Mecha” envisions a futuristic artificial intelligence wrapped in human likeness and seamlessly woven into the activities of society. It represents a time when the aggrandizement of our species will depend on technology that looks and thinks like us. Today, the prototype of attorney mechas are emerging from advances in computer reasoning and big data. The demands of increasingly complex legal transactions, sophisticated consumers, and the momentum of technology are putting pressures on the practice of law that only computer assistance can relieve. This compilation of notable news articles, scientific studies and legal scholarship highlights the progress of rights, responsibilities and roles of legal professionals and thinking machines.

DHS 2014 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics

2014 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, August 2016. “Statistical data on immigration have been published annually by the U.S. government since the 1860s . Over the years, the federal agencies responsible for reporting on immigration have changed, as have the content, format, and title of the annual publication. Currently, immigration data are published in the Yearbook… Continue Reading

Volkswagen Engineer Pleads Guilty for His Role in Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions Tests

DOJ news release: “James Robert Liang, a Volkswagen engineer, pleaded guilty today for his role in a nearly 10-year conspiracy to defraud U.S. regulators and U.S. Volkswagen customers by implementing software specifically designed to cheat U.S. emissions tests in hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen “clean diesel” vehicles, the Justice Department announced today.  Liang’s plea agreement… Continue Reading

Paper – Do Firms Engage in Risk-Shifting? Empirical Evidence

Gilje, Erik, Do Firms Engage in Risk-Shifting? Empirical Evidence (September 9, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2837013 “I empirically test whether firms engage in risk-shifting. Contrary to what risk-shifting theory predicts, I find that firms reduce investment risk when they approach financial distress. To identify the effect of distress on risk-taking, I use a… Continue Reading

Brief of Amici Curiae 55 Antitrust and Competition Policy Scholars, Teladoc Inc. v. Texas Medical Board (5th Cir.)

Volokh, Alexander, Brief of Amici Curiae 55 Antitrust and Competition Policy Scholars, Teladoc Inc. v. Texas Medical Board (5th Cir.) (September 9, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2837026 “This appeal involves an effort by a state administrative agency, the Texas Medical Board, to evade the substance of federal antitrust law. The basic purpose of… Continue Reading

BLS Data – Education, training, and library occupations in May 2015

September 02, 2016 – “In May 2015, there were about 1.4 million elementary school teachers, excluding special education—the largest occupation among teachers. These teachers had an average annual wage of $57,730. Excluding special and career/technical education, there were 963,000 secondary school teachers and 633,000 middle school teachers. Secondary school teachers earned an average annual wage… Continue Reading

9/11 – passage of 15 years brings new insights

There are many articles that continue to provide us with perspective and insight as we respectfully and with continued sadness, mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11. For many years there was an effort to obtain the release of the redacted “28 pages from the House Intelligence Committee’s 2002 report to Congress. As I posted July… Continue Reading