Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Top 10 in Law Blogs! It has been a gray and rainy week here in Seattle, but the legal industry continues to churn around the globe. Some of our best from this week include Jack Blakey of Squire Patton Boggs on how North and South Korea are coming together for the upcoming Winter Olympics; Bill Marler of Marler Clark with a melancholy reflection on the tragic 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak; and Bob Amgrogi sharing the news of the launch of Legalweek Monitor, a new LexBlog venture that will be providing coverage of Legalweek through citizen journalists. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy weekend.
25 Years Ago – Jack in the Box – Lessons Learned the Hard Way – By Bill Marler of Marler Blog: I have thought a lot over the last 25 years about what lessons can be drawn from the tragedy that was the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Knowing the children—many who are now nearing 35—who still bear the scars of eating a hamburger, and knowing the parents of those who died, makes it difficult for me to see the benefit of those losses. View Full Post
Out with the Old and in with the New: What Technological Trends Can the Construction Industry Expect in 2018? – By Elizabeth Wright of Construction Law Zone: As we embark upon 2018 we find ourselves not only reflecting on past accomplishments but also looking to future goals for the upcoming year. Construction is a fast moving and ever changing industry which requires a real commitment to keep apprised of the latest trends and developments. So what can we expect in 2018? Although there are a variety of opinions concerning expected trends one in particular is the increased use of technology. Construction is not an industry known for being at the technological forefront. But with heightened competition and pressure to efficiently and cost effectively deliver projects, certain technological advances are surely to increase in popularity including the continued use of BIM, project management software, virtual and augmented reality and of course, drones. View Full Post
The Department of Labor’s Proposed Association Health Plan Regulation: Who Wins, Who Loses? – By Alden Bianchi of Employment Matters: In last week’s post we explained the changes made by a newly proposed Department of Labor regulation, the purpose of which is make it easier for small employers to band together to form “association health plans” (“AHPs”). In that post, we promised to examine the impact of the proposed regulation on the small group and individual health insurance markets, which we will do in this post. View Full Post
The Transatlantic Battle – By Catriona Henderson of Legal Flight Deck: The transatlantic market, typically the most lucrative aviation market in the world, is under attack. Research carried out by Telegraph Travel in conjunction with OAG, the air travel analysts, has revealed the pressure being put on traditional carriers by low-cost, long-haul disrupters. Telegraph Travel asked OAG to compare this winter’s transatlantic capacity with 2016/17. In terms of total seats on offer, British Airways remains the biggest player for flights between Europe and North America, but the low-cost airlines are closing in fast. View Full Post
AI in the Law Firm: The Ethics of Who’s Running the Show – By Philip Segal of The Ethical Investigator: We’ve had a great response to an Above the Law op-ed here that outlined the kinds of skills lawyers will need as artificial intelligence increases its foothold in law firms. The piece makes clear that without the right kinds of skills, many of the benefits of AI will be lost on law firms because you still need an engaged human brain to ask the computer the right questions and to analyze the results. View Full Post
Announcing the Launch of LexBlog’s Legalweek Monitor, Covering Legalweek and Legaltech – By Robert Ambrogi of Law Sites Blog: Recently I announced that I would be joining LexBlog as publisher and editor-in-chief. I started Jan. 1 and I am proud to unveil our first publication — Legalweek Monitor, a first-of-its-kind publication devoted to publishing gavel-to-gavel coverage of ALM’s Legalweek conference, which begins Jan. 29 in New York City. Legalweek is actually multiple conferences, including the well-known tech conference Legaltech, as well as LegalCIO, LegalMarketing, the Business of Law Forum, and the Legal Diversity & Talent Management Forum. There are also three standalone workshops devoted to artificial intelligence, in-house leadership and solo practice. View Full Post
South Dakota May Become 49th State to Pass a Data Breach Notification Law – By Michael Bertoncini of Workplace Privacy, Data Management & Security Report: Only two states in the United States lack data breach notification statutes, but that may change in 2018. If legislation pending in South Dakota passes, Alabama would be the only state without a data breach notification law. South Dakota Senate Bill No. 62 would create a breach notification requirement for any person or business conducting business in South Dakota that owns or retains computerized personal or protected information of South Dakota residents. View Full Post
Why #MeToo hitting the campaign trail matters – By Jon Wainwright of CAP Impact: As I’ve discussed before, the #MeToo and We Said Enough movements are starting to bring change to the California legislature’s persistent culture of sexual assault and harassment. That process of bringing change has been slow, perhaps too slow. Furthering that concern are the reports about state Senator Tony Mendoza. He is under investigation for sexual harassment and misconduct and agreed earlier this month to take a paid leave of absence. However, after taking his leave, he has returned to the Capitol to work on legislation as well as attend and host events. He’s remained active in his district as well, posting pictures from a boat tour he hosted for high school seniors this past weekend. It needs to be noted that he has consistently denied the allegations against him. View Full Post
North Korea, South Korea and the Olympic Games – By Jack Blakey of Sports Shorts: Despite increased tension and growing hostility in the region, an agreement has been reached in respect of North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. On 9 January, the two countries met in their first high-level meeting in over two years to discuss North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics. South Korea made the offer after Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, proposed immediate talks over North Korea’s inclusion in the games during his New Year speech. View Full Post
Trump Administration Imposes Tariffs on Foreign Solar – By William M. Friedman of Energy Business Law: Yesterday, the US Trade Representative announced that President Trump President Trump approved recommendations to impose a safeguard tariff on imported solar cells and modules under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. This tariff is the result of petitions filed in May 2017 by two US solar cell manufacturers at the (ITC under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. The petitions alleged that a global imbalance in supply and demand in solar cells and modules and a surge of cheap imports caused serious injury to the domestic solar manufacturing industry. View Full Post