Drawing from a variety of publicly available data, this report reviews the labor
costs of legal research and the value of efficiency for a hypothetical, midsize law firm.
«Access to justice» diminishes as
the costs of legal research increase.
This can mean using alternative legal research tools to cut down on
the costs of legal research, utilizing cheap and efficient tools such as Evernote to make your practice more efficient, or by setting up shop as a virtual law office to cut down on your overhead.
Unfortunately, however, it's easy to get through law school with little understanding of the real - world
costs of legal research.
They don't have to worry about
the costs of legal research in law school, so they don't worry about researching efficiently.
And when dealing with
the costs of legal research, less ignorance equals more bliss.
I think most of us would agree that firms shouldn't be marking up
the cost of legal research.
As a general matter, virtually every state bar allows lawyers to mark up
the cost of legal research and writing services, so long as the overall costs are reasonable.
For the record, Wiffen Litigation does not charge clients for
the cost of its legal research subscriptions.
For many of us,
the cost of legal research wasn't something we gave much thought to in law school since free law student LexisNexis and Westlaw accounts were handed out like candy.
According to Ovbiagele, one of the major impediments to quality, affordable representation is the high
cost of legal research.
Remember when
the cost of legal research subscriptions went down?
I believe technology has improved the practice of law for better in a myriad of ways — from DNA testing on the CDL side to substantial reduction in
cost of legal research to tools like email and the cloud that have enabled me to improve the quality of service that I provide to my clients.
Blue Hill's prior Analyst Insight Balancing
the Cost of Legal Research explored the labor and access costs legal research creates for a law firm.
So, yes, Russ,
the cost of legal research is a downward pressure.
Not exact matches
Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation: (1) the effect
of economic conditions in the industries and markets in which United Technologies and Rockwell Collins operate in the U.S. and globally and any changes therein, including financial market conditions, fluctuations in commodity prices, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, levels
of end market demand in construction and in both the commercial and defense segments
of the aerospace industry, levels
of air travel, financial condition
of commercial airlines, the impact
of weather conditions and natural disasters and the financial condition
of our customers and suppliers; (2) challenges in the development, production, delivery, support, performance and realization
of the anticipated benefits
of advanced technologies and new products and services; (3) the scope, nature, impact or timing
of acquisition and divestiture or restructuring activity, including the pending acquisition
of Rockwell Collins, including among other things integration
of acquired businesses into United Technologies» existing businesses and realization
of synergies and opportunities for growth and innovation; (4) future timing and levels
of indebtedness, including indebtedness expected to be incurred by United Technologies in connection with the pending Rockwell Collins acquisition, and capital spending and
research and development spending, including in connection with the pending Rockwell Collins acquisition; (5) future availability
of credit and factors that may affect such availability, including credit market conditions and our capital structure; (6) the timing and scope
of future repurchases
of United Technologies» common stock, which may be suspended at any time due to various factors, including market conditions and the level
of other investing activities and uses
of cash, including in connection with the proposed acquisition
of Rockwell; (7) delays and disruption in delivery
of materials and services from suppliers; (8) company and customer - directed
cost reduction efforts and restructuring
costs and savings and other consequences thereof; (9) new business and investment opportunities; (10) our ability to realize the intended benefits
of organizational changes; (11) the anticipated benefits
of diversification and balance
of operations across product lines, regions and industries; (12) the outcome
of legal proceedings, investigations and other contingencies; (13) pension plan assumptions and future contributions; (14) the impact
of the negotiation
of collective bargaining agreements and labor disputes; (15) the effect
of changes in political conditions in the U.S. and other countries in which United Technologies and Rockwell Collins operate, including the effect
of changes in U.S. trade policies or the U.K.'s pending withdrawal from the EU, on general market conditions, global trade policies and currency exchange rates in the near term and beyond; (16) the effect
of changes in tax (including U.S. tax reform enacted on December 22, 2017, which is commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
of 2017), environmental, regulatory (including among other things import / export) and other laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries in which United Technologies and Rockwell Collins operate; (17) the ability
of United Technologies and Rockwell Collins to receive the required regulatory approvals (and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition
of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits
of the merger) and to satisfy the other conditions to the closing
of the pending acquisition on a timely basis or at all; (18) the occurrence
of events that may give rise to a right
of one or both
of United Technologies or Rockwell Collins to terminate the merger agreement, including in circumstances that might require Rockwell Collins to pay a termination fee
of $ 695 million to United Technologies or $ 50 million
of expense reimbursement; (19) negative effects
of the announcement or the completion
of the merger on the market price
of United Technologies» and / or Rockwell Collins» common stock and / or on their respective financial performance; (20) risks related to Rockwell Collins and United Technologies being restricted in their operation
of their businesses while the merger agreement is in effect; (21) risks relating to the value
of the United Technologies» shares to be issued in connection with the pending Rockwell acquisition, significant merger
costs and / or unknown liabilities; (22) risks associated with third party contracts containing consent and / or other provisions that may be triggered by the Rockwell merger agreement; (23) risks associated with merger - related litigation or appraisal proceedings; and (24) the ability
of United Technologies and Rockwell Collins, or the combined company, to retain and hire key personnel.
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The
research team found that a single outbreak
of listeria in fast food and casual style restaurants could
cost upwards
of $ 2.5 million in meals lost per illness, lawsuits,
legal fees, fines and higher insurance premiums for a 250 - person outbreak.
Her
research focuses on school
cost - cutting practices, the role
of private enterprise and business engagement in public education, and the
legal and structural barriers faced by education leaders.
In conjunction with scholarships, federal loans, and our Loan Repayment Program (LRAP), the
Research Triangle's low
cost of living make it possible to minimize the
cost of your
legal education.
The
cost exceeded one - half million dollars for molding
of parts,
research,
legal and medical investigations.
The service, which requires a registration for which there is no
cost, links to documents published by the African
Legal Information Institute and other collections, including suggestions for
research projects and the ability to support communities
of practice (workgroups).
Maximizing the re-use
of finished work - product is a key principle
of creating the high
cost - efficiency
of a centralized
legal research support service like LAO LAW, accompanied by highly specialized
legal materials used, and specialized principles
of database management.
Performing
legal research is an important and unavoidable aspect
of the practice
of law, but the
costs of using the largest commercial
legal research tools (namely, Westlaw and Lexis) are -LSB-...]
Brown calls this a conservative estimate, as the math is based on the notion that only 25 percent
of the
legal research costs are attributable to primary law, whereas he believes the actual proportion to be much greater.
Automatic preparation
of short summaries and classification will help to improve
legal research processes by facilitating the drilling down
of search results will keep usage
costs down.
• Create 15 new staffed civil
legal aid attorneys; • Increase the capacity
of pro bono programs across the state; • Invest in
research and training for
legal aid and pro bono attorneys; and, • Provide Northwest Justice Project attorneys with long overdue
cost of living and salary adjustments.
Costs are simply a reality
of legal research in practice.
One (relatively trivial) example I regular cite
of evidence that
legal research is important are the various court decisions cited in Chapter 1
of my
legal research book where courts have awarded
costs for conducting online
legal research.
Last year, the Canadian
Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) and the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) sent out a survey to family lawyers in Canada to get a sense
of legal professionals» preferences around dispute resolution methods and the
costs associated with these various avenues.
That question lies at the crux
of Texas businessman Virgil Waggoner's recent lawsuit against Chadbourne & Parke for overcharging him for
legal research costs.
The
research from Jim Diamond, an independent
legal costs consultant, shows that partners at five
of London's top firms (Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Slaughter and May, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters) billed an average
of # 450 an hour, down from # 675 a year ago.
For example,
legal research, as a specialized support service provided by career
research lawyers, is a far more competent and
cost - efficient way
of producing
legal opinions than relying
of students»
legal research.
In this current electronic age there are even more resources available (at no
cost) for conducting
legal research online than ever before (for example, there is now the CanLii system and our own court's website — which includes the vast majority
of the court's written reasons issues since 1999, at least).
Last month, as part
of a five - year SSHRC funded
research project exploring the
costs of justice, the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice released the first data from its national
legal problems survey, «Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada&ra
legal problems survey, «Everyday
Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada&ra
Legal Problems and the
Cost of Justice in Canada».
While they are not able to give
legal advice or perform the duties
of a lawyer, they can conduct
legal research, review and organize client files, help with closings at trials, prepare documents, and so many other important practices that reduce operational
costs.
This body
of research argues for the recognition
of everyday
legal needs and responding investment in affordable, community - based
legal outreach, pointing to the very considerable social
costs of non-resolution that are borne by social and health services, income supports, disability plans, and employment insurance, other social services (more information and supporting publications can be found on the Forum website).
Effective
legal research requires deep focus and concentration yet... «the myth
of cost effective
research» requires an associate to engage half
of their attention on a collateral and competing analysis
of factors which have nothing to do with the substance
of the law.
However the advocate's task can be readily separated from the
cost of routine
legal work — document analysis and organization, interim motions,
legal research, routine correspondence and scheduling.
If you can't afford the full
cost of a factum, for instance, you might consider the value
of having a lawyer
research and write up a summary
legal argument on your behalf, from which you may construct your own factum.
Sometimes the
cost of joining the bar association pays for itself due to the savings on
legal research tools alone!
Sparks» first steps involved evaluating the potential
costs of research, insurance, malpractice, and other
legal necessities, and comparing it to an assumed client income.
Recognizing that litigation results — and the prospects for settlement — often hinge on the presentation
of persuasive
legal arguments in line with the relevant case law, Mr. Cooper employs an effective mix
of case law
research and evidence consultation in order to ensure that clients on a tight budget understand all the
costs and benefits
of proceeding with, or defending against, a
legal action.
Having just gone back into private practice at the time, I was in search
of free resources for
legal research, hoping to avoid the high
cost of a Westlaw or LexisNexis subscription or investment in a library
of hard - bound reporters.
Given good high - speed Internet, secure communications and a body
of qualified lawyers in India, the company is able to offer a variety
of legal services as agents to North American lawyers at a much cheaper
cost (the obvious examples are document review or analysis, large drafting projects or
legal research or client bulletins that do not require specific «local» knowledge).
While I believe that both factors — the informality
of e-mail and lack
of quality teaching — have contributed to the decline
of legal writing skills today, I think the main problem is the easy availability
of low -
cost, computerized
legal research tools.
And there are many other parts
of lawyers» work that can be more competently and
cost - efficiently done by specialized
legal research support services than general practitioners can do it.
Pretty much every report on self - represented litigants, from the work
of the Canadian
Research Institute for Law and the Family to the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters to the CBA's Envisioning Equal Justice Initiative to the National Self - represented Litigants Project, agrees that the
cost of legal representation is the number one barrier to accessible justice.
For example,
legal research support services available to all lawyers at cost, i.e., because no law firm would have enough legal research work to afford such specialist lawyers, they would have to be made available to all lawyers by way of support services such as is LAO LAW available to all lawyers who do Legal Aid c
legal research support services available to all lawyers at
cost, i.e., because no law firm would have enough
legal research work to afford such specialist lawyers, they would have to be made available to all lawyers by way of support services such as is LAO LAW available to all lawyers who do Legal Aid c
legal research work to afford such specialist lawyers, they would have to be made available to all lawyers by way
of support services such as is LAO LAW available to all lawyers who do
Legal Aid c
Legal Aid cases.
What if you could review a dictionary
of legal terms,
research statutes
of limitations, look up information about visa types, investigate crime rates and history for specific crimes, as well as state and national average comparisons, get closing
cost estimates, and information on square footage, home sales price, and utility prices from one iPhone app?