Priori Digest #276 | A CEO in Space, Lawyers Using Venmo & “First-of-its-Kind” AI Fraud Case

I enjoyed attending the Economist General Counsel Summit US last week, where I sat on a panel with Angela Steele, General Counsel, McDonald’s USA; Inderpreet Sawhney, Group General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Infosys; and Kevin O’Connor, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Carrier, that discussed a range of ‘what if’ scenarios from cybersecurity disasters to supply chain disruption to other events (like a pandemic) that would shrink the legal workforce.

I had the opportunity to share some trends we’re seeing about usage of a flexible talent workforce as a strategy to manage a changing labor market. If you’re curious about the specifics of what was discussed or would like to share your thoughts, please reach out.

We’re also releasing a series of eBooks covering the RFP process that can help your legal department address uncertainty in your budgeting and forecasting efforts. You can download the first two parts of “The ABCs of RFPs” now, which dig into general RFP best practices and tips and tricks for matter-level RFPs. Stay tuned for our final eBook in the series which looks at the use of RFPs in panel convergence projects.

?

Warmly,

Basha Rubin | CEO & Co-Founder

Follow me

View upcoming Priori events

Legal News

• ?? A creator of AI-generated music was indicted for a “first-of-its-kind” fraud case in which he allegedly used bots to stream his music billions of times, allowing him to accumulate millions of dollars in royalty payments.?
• ?? Legal Dive highlights a unique risk issue for the legal team at fintech company Shift4 Payments—its CEO, who the company has said it is “highly dependent” on in filings, is preparing for his second SpaceX flight.?
• ?? A dispute right out of a law school exam made it to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last week when the court heard arguments regarding a fight over the ownership of a $70,000 engagement ring.?

Legal Trivia

Answers at the end:?

1. Which law firm ranked highest on The American Lawyer’s recent Midlevel Associate Tech Survey??

2. As of July 2024, how many states have legalized online sports betting?? ?

3. Since its creation in 2019, how many people have held the top position of Chief of Space Operations in the United States Space Force?

Tech News

• ?? Bob Ambrogi of LawSites highlights a uniquely problematic intersection of the business of law and technology: After reviewing public Venmo transactions, he found many payments between lawyers and clients that (likely unwittingly) expose confidential information.?
• ?? Apple announced its new offerings this week, including the iPhone 16 and new versions of the Apple Watch and AirPods, however, commentators are most curious to test the new AI-enhanced features, called “Apple Intelligence.”
• ?? Following other tech stock additions earlier this year, Palantir and Dell joined the S&P 500 this week, with Palantir seeing a 14% bump in share price that coincided with the news.

Legal Quote of the Week

"It's a very hard problem … I don't think we do our best work in this way."

– U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan discussing the emergency (or “shadow”) docket process that the court has been using more regularly to issue rulings.

By the Numbers

28%

The increase in the likelihood of bankruptcy in the states that have legalized online sports betting since the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed them to do so.

$600,000?

The amount won by a former Twitter employee who didn’t respond to the now-infamous email Elon Musk sent to workers after he took over the company, asking them to commit to “hardcore” hours or resign.

More From Priori?

Legal Trivia Answers

1. Blank Rome.
2. 30 states.
3. Two (General John W. Raymond & General B. Chance Saltzman).

?? Want to receive the Priori Digest in your inbox? Sign up here.