Law
fromAbove the Law
13 hours agoWhat Does Competence Mean When Litigation Happens In Real Time? - Above the Law
Competence in law is evolving as technology changes the speed and precision of decision-making in litigation.
The Gibson plaintiffs claimed that eXp negotiated the agreement with the Hooper plaintiffs after conducting prolonged, unsuccessful settlement negotiations with Intervenor Plaintiff counsel, conducting a reverse auction in an attempt to gain a sweetheart deal.
Roberts alleges that the girlfriend of David Golden, one of the men she has claimed sexually assaulted her, placed a pill in her mouth and told her it was Adderall. Instead, it was a drug that caused Roberts to black out. While Roberts said she doesn't remember the majority of what happened after blacking out, she said that through the testimony of others at the event, flashes of memory that came back to her and contextual clues, she concluded that she was raped by Golden and another former eXp agent Michael Bjorkman.
Your potential client is in pain, their car is totaled, the medical bills are piling up, and a claims adjuster is calling them relentlessly, trying to get a recorded statement. They do not want a gladiator in a suit; they want a lifeline.
The legal profession rewards endurance, precision and control. It also quietly normalizes stress, isolation and overextension. For patent practitioners and other IP lawyers, the pressures are uniquely acute: compressed prosecution deadlines, high-stakes litigation exposure, often unrealistic client-driven budget constraints, regulatory whiplash at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and increasingly complex technologies layered with global filing and prosecution strategy.
Here's the good news: writing isn't a talent. It's a skill. And skills respond to the same cure as every other skill: reps. Not glamorous reps. Not the kind that gets applause. The kind you do in small rooms, when no one is watching, when you're a little uncomfortable, when you want to quit halfway through because the sentence you just wrote feels like wet cardboard. That's the work.
OL Title represents a significant expansion of our capabilities. We're making available a title and closing resource specifically designed to handle the complexities of commercial and high-end residential transactions backed by the strength of a full-service law firm and the resources of Florida's largest independent title network.
Leading legal departments are shifting from reactive negotiation to proactive pricing design, setting guardrails before rates are proposed rather than responding after the fact. This approach enables departments to establish parameters and expectations upfront, fundamentally changing the negotiation dynamic and improving outcomes.
You're getting ready to make a document production to the other side. You're worried though that the other side may use GenAI tools on the documents that don't ensure they are protected from public disclosure. You ask to see the other side's policies just to be sure. They refuse. You ask the judge for a protective order since some of your documents contain trade secrets.
They don't drive it. They don't manage it. They don't control it. They let it control them. And then one day, they look up and realize discovery closed last week, the client is asking why nobody has taken the key depo, the adjuster wants a status report "by the end of the day," and the partner is asking the question that makes your stomach drop: "Where are we on this file?"
Lawyers and clients often develop years-long relationships during which clients and lawyers cultivate connections that often transcend the traditional attorney-client framework. During this relationship, clients may ask for favors in the form of favorable billing terms or other advantages that the lawyer is uniquely able to provide. Although it is acceptable to perform such favors for clients, lawyers should not do so under the assumption that it will result in additional work.
A year or so ago, most legal departments were still testing. AI pilots. Workflow trials. Small process experiments. Everyone was learning cautiously. The stakes were relatively low, and the work was labeled "innovation," which made imperfection forgivable. Then something shifted. Those same pilots became part of day-to-day delivery, and the business started relying on them. Sometimes intentionally, because early results looked good.
As a finite supply of business exists in the legal industry, practitioners need to compete against each other. Clients consider many attributes when selecting counsel, including abilities, costs, and the capability to handle a given representation. When a lawyer suffers a health issue, it can create difficulties in maintaining client connection, since clients might believe that they should select other counsel without the same health challenges.
Witnesses play a crucial role in personal injury cases, often serving as the backbone of the evidence presented in court. Their testimonies can provide essential context and details that may not be captured through physical evidence alone. In many instances, the accounts of witnesses can corroborate the claims made by the injured party, lending credibility to their narrative. This is particularly important in personal injury cases, where the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff. A strong witness can help