McDonough Media LLC

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A Just Society

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Molly McDonough

Latest from McDonough Media LLC

As a reporter and editor for general and legal media for more than 20 years, I take my professional responsibilities and the privilege that comes with being able to publish to an audience seriously. Part of that is regular evaluation of ethical approaches to reporting news and publishing stories, sometimes revealing the most intimate and […]…
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Utah’s new regulatory sandbox is off to a strong start with Rocket Lawyer as the first large legal services provider to reveal it’s going to take part in the program. Bloomberg Law reported on the announcement and noted that four other smaller legal services providers have signed on to handle consumer bankruptcy and family law matters. In its announcement, Rocket Lawyer noted that it is uniquely poised to work in Utah given its offices in…
Just a few weeks ago Utah took the plunge to strategically test new legal services delivery models to open access to courts and justice in the state. I’d wondered who would be next. I didn’t have to wait long. Arizona, another pioneer in exploring A2J solutions, skipped the sandbox approach, and jumped ahead to become the first state to allow nonlawyer ownership of law firms. Whether this move by Arizona will actually lead to…
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I have a love/hate relationship with best-of lists. Many are superficial. Many have suspect or opaque methodology. Others are pay-to-play. Yet there are those that have real value to readers and to those featured on the lists. I’ve created and developed many best-of lists over the years, including the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels and the now-retired Blawg 100 franchise. See the full Fastcase 50 list and previous lists here. The Blawg 100 was a…
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I have a love/hate relationship with best-of lists. Many are superficial. Many have suspect or opaque methodology. Others are pay-to-play. Yet there are those that have real value to readers and to those featured on the lists. I’ve created and developed many best-of lists over the years, including the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels and the now-retired Blawg 100 franchise. See the full Fastcase 50 list and previous lists here. The Blawg 100 was a…
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All eyes were on Utah even before its Supreme Court took the historic step of green lighting its legal services sandbox and along with it implementing some key regularly changes. Its work exploring and recommending a regulatory sandbox created a buzz in legal tech, innovation, and bar reform circles. Earlier this week, the Utah Regulatory Sandbox, was named a court finalist in the inaugural American Legal Technology Awards. Admittedly, Utah wouldn’t have been top…
https-ajustsocietyblog-files-wordpress-com-2020-08-sup_ct-lg-jpgw1024
All eyes were on Utah even before its Supreme Court took the historic step of green lighting its legal services sandbox and along with it implementing some key regularly changes. Its work exploring and recommending a regulatory sandbox created a buzz in legal tech, innovation, and bar reform circles. Earlier this week, the Utah Regulatory Sandbox, was named a court finalist in the inaugural American Legal Technology Awards. Admittedly, Utah wouldn’t have been top…
https-ajustsocietyblog-files-wordpress-com-2020-07-screen-shot-2020-07-24-at-5-23-07-pm-pngw722
Efforts to shift public resources from jails to social services have long been advised by the experts in mental health, social services, and even law enforcement. Yet we continue to direct most of our public money to police and jails. When I first started studying these issues, data was emerging that diversion programs were effective and less costly over time than jail. But just one bad instance creating bad press could derail an entire campaign…
https-ajustsocietyblog-files-wordpress-com-2020-07-screen-shot-2020-07-24-at-5-23-07-pm-pngw722
Efforts to shift public resources from jails to social services have long been advised by the experts in mental health, social services, and even law enforcement. Yet we continue to direct most of our public money to police and jails. When I first started studying these issues, data was emerging that diversion programs were effective and less costly over time than jail. But just one bad instance creating bad press could derail an entire campaign…
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Utah courts are creating a new office to address racism and bias in the judicial system, a first step sorely needed to combat institutional racism and restore public trust and confidence. Deseret News Graph from “How to Build a More Open Justice System” – Science Magazine Business and legal researchers from Georgia State University, working with Northwestern University, are building a way to access and evaluate court cases online. While court records are public, many…