Bloomberg Law

Check out the latest edition of Inside Big Law here: Cleary Gottlieb is adding a non-equity partner tier with the next round of associate promotions. Law schools across the country are adapting course offerings to make students AI savvy and ready for legal practice. Fifty-eight percent of legal departments expect to rely less on outside service providers because of Gen AI, according to a new report by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Everlaw.

The legal profession has a problem with burnout, according to findings from our workload & hours and attorney well-being surveys. Attorneys felt burned out almost half of the time at work in the second half of 2023. And with the average number of hours worked every week hovering just around 50 during this period, it comes as no surprise. Awareness of, and frustration with mental health and well-being in law has never been higher, yet systemic change has been slow to manifest. Take a moment this World Mental Health Day to focus on your welfare, and when you're done with that, dive into our well-being report to learn about the divide between mental health and the legal industry: https://lnkd.in/emPEWKwY

The legal industry has been embracing AI to varying degrees—some with hesitation, some with haste. To help leaders in the sector navigate and understand AI as it applies to their organizations and clients, we gathered expert panelists for an exclusive executive forum. In welcoming remarks from Bloomberg Chief Legal Officer, David Levine, attendees learned the three principal reasons why the legal industry is poised to be among the most impacted by recent technological advances: 1?? "The nature of what we do is very text and language heavy, which is one of the areas where generative AI has the greatest potential." 2?? "Law firms and in-house legal departments have historically spent less time and money on technology than other sophisticated organizations and are less advanced, which means there is significantly more room for improvement." 3?? "Clients of legal services will ultimately demand that generative AI capabilities be deployed in much the same way that we require eDiscovery." For over a decade, we have been leveraging AI to transform our offerings and empower lawyers with the tools to speed up and simplify tasks. Learn about our AI-driven solutions and tools: https://lnkd.in/eWJbC6im

One company allegedly programmed its AI-powered software to reject women job candidates over age 55 and men over 60, the agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws told Congress. Another company allowed customers to systematically prevent American citizens from applying for open jobs through its website, the agency alleged. While those cases were resolved without admitted wrongdoing, the EEOC told federal lawmakers they show how companies could violate anti-discrimination laws by relying on AI and algorithms. In a report obtained by Bloomberg Government through a Freedom of Information Act request, the commission also warned US lawmakers that it will need to build up more resources to educate employers and conduct investigations. Read more in an exclusive from Jack Fitzpatrick, Kaustuv Basu, and Rebecca Klar: https://lnkd.in/eUjKQ4uu

We welcomed Mike Bloomberg to our office this week to give employees the opportunity to hear from him directly about the values that define Bloomberg – in particular, focusing on customer service and giving back to the community. He spent time with our sales and product teams where he heard about our latest innovations for Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Tax, and Bloomberg Government, and he offered his perspective on building market-disrupting technology and delivering value to clients. We were all inspired by his journey, philanthropy, and words of encouragement.

The latest edition of Inside Big Law is here: The prevalence of law firm mergers has placed another issue front and center — forging a new identity for the combined entity. Davis Wright Tremaine elected litigator Jaime Drozd as the firm’s next managing partner, ending the Seattle-founded firm’s six-month search for a new leader. The wave of public support from lawyers for Vice President Kamala Harris since she became the party’s nominee in August is in stark contrast to the muted approach from Trump’s backers in the legal industry.

The US Supreme Court agreed to hear at least five cases this year that could potentially reshape the employment law landscape, including when plaintiffs are entitled to attorney’s fees and whether workers must go through administrative processes before filing a federal civil rights violation claim in state court. Employers’ burden for showing federal overtime exemptions and the contours of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act’s causes of action are among a handful of disputes with workplace implications to be tackled by justices this upcoming term. Discover from Khorri A. Atkinson how the high court’s new term is shaping up for employment law: https://lnkd.in/eYqA24_X

Attorneys, do you feel like your well-being has worsened this year? If so, you are not alone. Data from our 2024 Well-Being Report reveals that one in four attorneys feel like their well-being has worsened. The Well-Being Report dives into the disconnect between how important attorneys say well-being is, and how “well” attorneys say they are. It also examines attorneys’ reported usage of industry and organizational resources related to well-being, including how frequently attorneys take advantage of benefits and training offered by their companies. Learn more about the report in an analysis piece from Jessica Blaemire and Mary Shields: https://lnkd.in/dpTK27Gy For an in-depth review of the results and implications, join Jessica, Brittany L. Long, and Patrick R. Krill on October 8 for a webinar with the American Bar Association: https://lnkd.in/ee5Z-XRU

Our?approach to AI?development centers on four key areas: our expertise and accuracy, our customer-centric philosophy, transparency you can trust, and our differentiated content. Join Bobby Puglia and Erin Perugini on October 2 at 1:00 PM ET to learn more about our approach to developing and using AI that is built for lawyers, by lawyers: https://lnkd.in/eWHqRztn

Check out the latest edition of Inside Big Law here: Chief operating officers at some large law firms are focusing more of their attention on client initiatives as the nature of the job changes. That means pricing, invoicing, and even helping to hunt for new business. New York City Mayor Eric Adams hired a lawyer known for representing Elon Musk, Alec Baldwin and Jay-Z. In his latest Big Law Business column, Roy Strom looks at a law firm leader who moonlights as a podcast host.