For anyone operating in the realm of legal services, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly making its mark. This is nowhere more evident than in the recent high-profile case involving Fugees hip hop star, Pras Michel, who alleges his legal counsel utilized artificial intelligence to construct their closing argument during his witness tampering trial. The trial, held in April this year, ended in a conviction, and Michel’s new legal team from ArentFox Schiff is requesting a retrial because of this. They contend that his former attorney, David Kenner, made use of an experimental AI program which conflated Michel’s alleged schemes. Read more about it on Politico.
Major litigation cases are notorious for accruing astounding legal fees. Illustrative of this is the nearly $1 billion case against 3M Co. and DuPont de Nemours Inc. concerning claims of contaminated drinking water. This colossal case involved lawyers from 28 different firms calling the total $10.5 billion settlement value in the class action staggering and herculean. More about the case can be found on Law.com.
Moreover, an interesting development coming from London is how the city’s top 10 law firms experienced a 1.7% decrease in billable hours over the last 12-month period. This is partially due to revenues from mergers and acquisitions, better known as M&A deals, dropping to a 10-year all-time low. Notwithstanding, these firms managed to offset this loss by charging clients an additional 12.3% from the previous year. Read this fascinating report from the Financial Times.
As for lateral movements and promotions in law firms, a noteworthy mention is Stephen DeCosse who has returned to Morrison & Foerster as a partner in the corporate group in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Michael Caruso has joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as a shareholder in the bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice group in New Jersey. Read more about these changes on Bloomberg Law.