When I originally wrote the message for this issue of the newsletter, shortly before the Spring Meeting was cancelled, I planned a short inspirational message on how to find the right way to combine your livelihood with your interest in analytics and data – something that proves difficult for many legal practitioners.
With the events over the past few weeks, we face different concerns. For most of us, we are closely focused on helping our families, friends, co-workers, and customers navigate difficult times. But new challenges bring new opportunities. As you face new situations and challenges think about how you might leverage analytic tools to solve them. Will economic principles or game theory help you better analyze a brand new situation and predict future outcomes? Is there data available that can be examined to bring clarity to an otherwise hazy future view? Can you deploy tools using machine learning to speed contract analysis tasks or create needed efficiencies?
Unfortunately, we were not able to meet in person in Boston. But this group remains a community with a common viewpoint and a belief that law can be better. Let’s continue to maintain that community using our online tools:
- Twitter – follow and use the @BLSData handle
- LinkedIn – follow and discuss at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12119994/
- ABA Connect – participate at http://bit.ly/39WFIjO
To make up for Boston, we are going to have a virtual committee meeting June 9, at 2:00 pm EST. The ABA's Science and Technology Section is working on an ABA resolution on the ethical use of AI in the law, and we will probably devote the meeting to a discussion of the topics it raises so we can present the committee's views on the subject to the Section Council later in the Summer.
Hold the date, and make sure you are ZOOM ready! We want to see you! More information will follow.
Please note that the Zoom link is being sent only to people signed up for the committee through the ABA. If you can't access that information for some reason, please reach out to me directly.
In addition, I'm very pleased to let everyone know that our Vice Chair, Dan Linna, has agreed to be the first appointed chair to the Legal Analytics Committee. In case anyone here doesn't know Dan, he is one of the leaders in the legal analytics field with a depth of knowledge and a breadth of connections that is unmatched. Currently, Dan teaches at Northwestern University, where he holds positions in both the Law School and the School of Engineering.
Until our June 9 Zoom, stay well and stay safe.
Warren Agin
Chair, Legal Analytics Committee