Lake County courts to switch to online filing system in May
Court officials in northwestern Indiana’s Lake County plan to switch next month to an online filing system that’s already used by nearly three-quarters of Indiana’s counties.
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Questions about PACER fees swirling in court disputes
Just about any discussion of the federal judiciary’s online document system, PACER, will quickly turn to a questioning of the fees charged for accessing filings and why the information is not available for free. A recent ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia provided insight into the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system’s financial health and raised more questions.
Mueller examining Cambridge Analytica, Trump campaign ties
Special counsel Robert Mueller is scrutinizing the connections between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which has come under fierce criticism over reports that it swiped the data of more than 50 million Facebook users to sway elections.
Senate committee approves bill allowing e-signatures on probate documents
The electronic signing of estate planning documents is one step closer to becoming legal under Indiana law after a Senate committee passed e-signing legislation on Wednesday. The measure passed the House last month.
Notre Dame law students’ Impowerus wins raves for empowering immigrant teens
Notre Dame Law students created an online platform — Impowerus — designed to connect pro bono attorneys with people who need legal services. What sets this product apart from the other sites is its focus — a specific demographic, immigrant youth — and its aim to be self-sufficient, charging lawyers licensing fees rather than relying on donations.
Ruesch: Cyberinsurance outlook for 2018: Risks evolve, as does coverage
While businesses and industries across the board continue to address how best to evolve their data security and practices to, at the very least, minimize the risk of a cyberattack, the insurance industry is also evolving and working with these companies to produce and market insurance policies and products to respond to a cyber event.
Christensen, Haller and Barberio: E-Discovery — Using technology to manage technology
Recent advances in technology assisted review, or TAR, significantly reduce the time and cost to review data to cull responsive documents.
Kilies: Discover a way to avoid the document dump
In a case where lots of documents are expected, an online platform can be used to exchange some of them. Given the time and expense associated with the discovery process, we must find creative ways to make the process less burdensome.
Emerging smart contracts offer possibilities and risks
Though the idea of smart contracts was first proposed by computer scientist Nick Szabo almost 25 years ago, only recently has true potential of the format begun to be realized. Smart contracts soon may change the way many lawyers practice.
Rush: Courts ready for hope-filled future
It’s no secret the ongoing opioid epidemic has ravaged nearly every corner of the Hoosier state, sending thousands to court on drug charges, ballooning the number of children in need of services and more. But even as the drug crisis strains Indiana’s judicial resources, Chief Justice Loretta Rush said new court programs and technology have positioned the judiciary to meet the crisis head-on and lead the state into a “hope-filled future.”
Child support network faces fear of collapse
Several times while talking about the statewide computer system that keeps track of child support money, John Owens rapped his knuckles on the nearest piece of wood. Indiana’s technology, dubbed ISETS, processes almost $1 billion in child support payments every year. However, the Department of Child Services says in a report that ISETS is “built on dying technology” from the 1980s. The concern is one day, it will crash for good.
2018 State of the Judiciary set for next week
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush will discuss the judiciary’s continued efforts toward expanding court technology, addressing the opioid crisis and other related topics during her 2018 State of the Judiciary address next week.
Courts enter final year of e-filing rollout
The Benton Circuit Court implemented mandatory electronic case filing on Tuesday, the first court to move to a mandatory system in 2018 as the state continues its push to introduce e-filing to all Indiana counties by the end of the year.
Legal tech experts: Virtual reality is coming to courts
Though the prospect of virtual reality as a litigation tool seems improbable now, legal tech experts predict that in coming years, VR will appear regularly in courtrooms. That time is likely still years away, they said, but predecessor technology is already popping up in court now, preparing jurors, judges and attorneys for the day when futuristic technology becomes commonplace.
IMPD officer charged with obstruction of justice, may be fired
A 10-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department accused of deleting cell phone messages made to an 18-year-old female acquaintance who committed suicide has been arrested on a charge of felony obstruction of justice and has been recommended for termination from the force.
Plugged In: A positive Outlook for the holiday season
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season just around the corner, many of us need time-saving tips to keep us on task. Oftentimes, the details of upcoming appointments and events lurk just a few clicks away and can be easily added to your Outlook calendar.
Taking extra precaution, firms plan to spend more on cybersecurity
As the threat of cyberattacks continues to loom over professions including the law, legal practitioners are taking additional steps to protect themselves and their firms from harmful access to their data.
Wilson: Use Word sequence fields to speed up discovery drafting
This article will be a collection of three tips that can be used to speed up the various portions of discovery document drafting. Combining the formatting and these tips will help increase your efficiency when using Microsoft Word.
Survey: 41 percent of lawyers to boost cybersecurity budgets
Four in 10 lawyers plan to boost spending on cybersecurity next year, with average budget increases of 13 percent, according to a study released Thursday by a national legal consulting and staffing firm.
Poll: Most Americans believe their jobs are safe from automation
Most Americans believe their jobs are safe from the spread of automation and robotics, at least during their lifetimes, and only a handful says automation has cost them a job or loss of income.