Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: September 29, 2021

Mental Health and the Legal Profession

Denno, Deborah W. and Green, Bruce A., Mental Health and the Legal Profession (June 28, 2021). 89 Fordham L. Rev. 2415-25 (2021) (Foreward and Dedication), Fordham Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3875507, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3875507

“The Fordham Law Review’s Symposium collection on Mental Health and the Legal Profession is dedicated to the memory of Professor Deborah L. Rhode. As the Symposium highlights, the mental and emotional well-being of those in the legal profession is one of increasing concern. This November 2020 Symposium focused on current developments that have exacerbated the extraordinary pressures experienced by many legal professionals: the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions, and political uncertainty. From law school and into the legal profession, different groups of individuals confront varying challenges that propel mental health problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Racial-based adversity in particular compounds these difficulties for minority law students and attorneys; for example, minority women lawyers may be expected to take on additional responsibilities without being credited for their “invisible labor.” This Symposium’s contributors offered possible solutions the legal profession can embrace to address mental health issues and inspire positive change to the legal culture. Such a turnabout could better equip legal professionals to succeed in their professional lives without the cost of their personal lives and mental health.”

‘Speaking Portraits’ Make It Unsettlingly Easy to Turn Still Photos Into Animated Deepfakes

Gizmodo: “Earlier this year, social media was briefly taken over by seemingly everyone using MyHeritage’s Deep Nostalgia feature to bring old photos to life. The company whose AI technology powers Deep Nostalgia, D-ID, is taking that technology one step further, turning still headshot photos into videos that move and say whatever a user wants. As… Continue Reading

Understanding Federal Legislation: A Section-by-Section Guide to Key Legal Considerations

CRS Report – Understanding Federal Legislation: A Section-by-Section Guide to Key Legal Considerations, September 27, 2021 [91 pages]: “Federal bills are increasingly complex, making them difficult to understand for the average reader and the seasoned practitioner alike. What a congressional drafter understands to be the import of a given provision could later be discussed and… Continue Reading

Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks and Where to Get Them

Scientific American: “High-quality respirators such as N95s and K95s are now widely available and provide the best protection against COVID, according to experts. Why aren’t more people wearing them..There is now a cornucopia of high-filtration respirator-style masks on the market, including N95s, Chinese-made KN95s and South Korean–made KF94s. They have been widely available and relatively… Continue Reading

These systems are facing billions of attacks every month as hackers try to guess passwords

CNET – “Computer networks are being aggressively bombarded with billions of password-guessing attacks as cyber criminals attempt to exploit the growth in remote desktop protocol (RDP) and other cloud services in corporate environments.  Cybersecurity researchers at ESET detected 55 billion new attempts at brute-force attacks between May and August 2021 alone – more than double the… Continue Reading

The mail is getting slower this week: Here’s why and what it means for your deliveries

Fast Company: “After a year plagued with pandemic slowdowns, the United States Postal Service could hardly be called the class overachiever. But this Friday, it’s making that lax approach to deadlines official by loosening some of its mail delivery guarantees by roughly 30%. Here’s what to know: What’s changing? Starting Friday, October 1, the delivery standard… Continue Reading

Metasoftware: Building Blocks for Legal Technology

Shadab, Houman B., Metasoftware: Building Blocks for Legal Technology (June 29, 2021). NYLS Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3876785, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3876785 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3876785 “This Article develops a novel concept in information technology called metasoftware. It then applies the concept of metasoftware to developing legal technology. Metasoftware enables users to create the software of… Continue Reading