Le Journal

* Meta learns that you can’t just block your former friend’s deposition testimony. [Law360] * DOJ considering new Comey indictment even though it would be — to quote Talladega Nights — “completely illegaI and in no way will count.” [Reuters] * Immigration judge sues Pam Bondi and the DOJ for wrongful termination. [National Law Journal] * Revisiting Dudley & Stephens. [ABA Journal] * Supreme Court hears bid to hold internet provider liable for user conduct. [Courthouse News Service] * Former Cooley lawyer launches AI-driven startup. [Business Insider] The post Morning Docket: 12.02.25 appeared first on Above the Law.

Whenever new AI laws are introduced, the reaction in many companies is predictable: frustration, concern, and a scramble to adjust. Regulation is often cast as the adversary of innovation, the red tape that slows launches and burdens teams. In reality, legal frameworks can serve as design tools. When used intentionally, they can shape AI products that are not only compliant but also more competitive and resilient. Seeing The Law As A Design Partner Compliance has traditionally been treated as a final step before launch, a box to tick once the system is built. That approach is risky. For AI in particular, many of the requirements embedded in new regulations, from explainability to bias monitoring, influence the product’s core structure. Ignoring them until the end means expensive redesigns and missed opportunities. If counsel is involved from the earliest design discussions, those same requirements become part of the creative process. The legal framework becomes less of a roadblock and more of a set of guiding lines, pushing the product toward safer and more marketable outcomes. Turning Boundaries Into Breakthroughs Some of the most interesting AI features emerge directly from regulatory requirements. If the law says your AI must be explainable, your team might develop intuitive user interfaces or clearer decision logs, both of which improve user experience. If bias testing is mandated, you might invest in richer datasets or better evaluation methods, improving model accuracy overall. Privacy constraints can lead to innovations in synthetic data or federated learning that make the product faster and more secure. These improvements are not side benefits. They are market advantages. In a competitive field, the product that can prove it is safe, transparent, and fair is the one that earns user trust. Building Compliance Into The DNA The real shift happens when compliance is embedded in the development process, not bolted on at the end. That means counsel understanding the technology well enough to translate legal obligations into engineering goals. It also means engineers seeing compliance not as an external burden but as a parameter to design within. This collaboration prevents the common scenario where a nearly finished system needs major rework to meet a regulation. Instead, the product is launch-ready both legally and technically, with no last-minute compromises. The Competitive Advantage Of Being Ready AI markets move fast, but regulatory change is accelerating too. A company that reacts to new laws only after they pass is already behind. The teams that anticipate likely requirements, design with them in mind, and keep counsel engaged throughout are positioned to move quickly and confidently when the rules take effect. From a business perspective, this reduces the risk of enforcement actions, product delays, or reputational damage. From an innovation perspective, it pushes teams to think more deeply and creatively about the product’s structure and capabilities. Shaping The Future Responsibly The assumption that rules and innovation cannot coexist belongs to an earlier era of technology. In the AI space, regulation is helping define what responsible, sustainable products look like. Those who embrace that reality will not only keep pace with compliance but will also lead in building systems the public and regulators can trust. For in-house counsel, this is an opportunity to shift the conversation from “what do we have to change to comply” to “how can these requirements make our product better.” That is where compliance becomes more than a safeguard. It becomes a driver of innovation. Olga V. Mack is the CEO of TermScout, an AI-powered contract certification platform that accelerates revenue and eliminates friction by certifying contracts as fair, balanced, and market-ready. A serial CEO and legal tech executive, she previously led a company through a successful acquisition by LexisNexis. Olga is also a Fellow at CodeX, The…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With Biglaw bonus season already well underway — thanks to Cravath and Milbank, we’re talking year-end bonuses and special bonuses, too — the holiday season is already off to a great start. Law firm holiday parties will certainly get our readers feeling festive, but all of the celebrations and hefty paychecks pale in comparison to what’s about to get underway: Above the Law’s seventeenth annual holiday card contest. We’ve already received several emails asking about when this year’s contest would start. The answer: It starts today. We are a legal website, so of course there are some rules to follow: 1. Because we are committed to the environment here at Breaking Media, we will consider ONLY E-CARDS. Please don’t send us paper holiday cards via snail mail this year — the Above the Law editorial team hasn’t been in our physical office much since March 2020. 2. To submit an e-card, please email either a link to the card or the card itself (as an attachment) — but note that WE PREFER LINKS, if available — to tips@abovethelaw.com, subject line: “Holiday Card Contest.” The subject line is very important because it’s how we will comb through our inbox to collect the entries when picking finalists. If you don’t use the correct subject line, expect a lump of coal in your stocking. 3. Please limit submissions to holiday / Christmas cards that you view as WORTHY CONTENDERS. We’re looking for cards that are unusually clever, funny, or cool; we’re not interested in cards that are safe or boring (e.g., a beautiful winter landscape, a “Happy Holidays 2024,” and the law firm name). We’re seeking cards with some attitude, with that extra je ne sais quoi. If you send us a banal card, don’t be surprised if we make fun of it. 4. In your email, please include a BRIEF EXPLANATION of why this card is compelling — an explanation that we MIGHT QUOTE FROM if your nominee makes the finals (if you want to be anonymous, let us know). If you can’t offer an explanation, please rethink whether the card is a worthy contender (see rule #3, supra). 5. The deadline for submissions is about two weeks away: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, at 11:59 p.m. (New York time). No exceptions. If you’re reading this post after the deadline, then you don’t read Above the Law frequently enough. We look forward to seeing your submissions. Thank you, and happy holidays! Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn. The post Above The Law’s 17th Annual Holiday Card Contest appeared first on Above the Law.

Corporate legal departments are under immense pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources. The expectation to ‘do more with less’ is a constant challenge, with many teams reporting a 20%-30% increase in workload over the past year without a proportional increase in staffing. The daily workload is vast, spanning critical areas such as contract lifecycle management (CLM), entity oversight, litigation, and compliance. Relying on disconnected point solutions or outdated manual systems like spreadsheets, shared drives and email inboxes creates significant information silos, escalates risk, and can lead to legal teams spending up to 40% of their time on non-strategic, administrative tasks, effectively turning the legal department into a bottleneck. A truly effective legal department needs a unified platform that provides a single source of truth for all legal matters. Legisway from Wolters Kluwer offers an all-in-one legal management solution, enhanced with AI, that empowers legal teams to amplify efficiency, improve collaboration, and drive business growth. This is why forward-thinking legal departments are choosing the Legisway advantage. Move Beyond Disconnected Tools Many software providers specialize in niche functions, most commonly contract lifecycle management. While these tools can be effective for a single purpose, they often fail to address the full scope of a corporate legal team’s responsibilities. This forces departments to either purchase multiple, disconnected systems or create manual workarounds to connect essential data. Legisway provides a comprehensive, all-in-one legal hub. Our platform was designed to manage the entire spectrum of legal operations, including: Contract Management Entity Management Claims & Litigation Tracking Compliance Legal Ticketing By unifying these functions, Legisway eliminates data silos and provides a ‘single source of truth’ for all legal records. Our global search capability allows your team to instantly access information across contracts, matters, and compliance documents, saving valuable time and ensuring decisions are based on a complete picture. A Flexible Platform That Grows with You Your legal processes are unique to your organization. A rigid, “one-size-fits-all” solution can force your team to change proven workflows, causing disruption and hindering adoption. Legisway is different. Our platform is highly configurable, adapting to your existing processes without requiring heavy, expensive custom coding. The modular design of Legisway offers unmatched flexibility. You can start with the modules you need most—like contract and entity management—and easily add more as your department’s responsibilities evolve. This scalable approach ensures you only pay for what you need, with the assurance that the platform can grow alongside your business. Key features that provide flexibility include: Tailored Workflows: Adapt the platform to your department’s specific processes. Role-Based Dashboards: Give general counsel, paralegals, and business users a customized view of their priorities and tasks. Legal Ticketing: Empower business users with self-service tools to submit requests for NDAs, contract reviews, and other legal issues, reducing email overload for your team. AI-Driven Insights: Leverage advanced AI tools to analyze contracts and automate document review to streamline efficiency and enable your team to make strategically informed decisions faster. Get Measurable Value and Transparent Pricing Investing in legal technology should deliver a clear and rapid return. Hidden fees, per-contract charges, and add-on costs for essential features can make budgeting unpredictable and strain resources. Legisway operates on a simple, all-inclusive annual subscription model. There are no hidden charges for storage, AI features, or additional modules, giving you full transparency and cost predictability. Because our platform consolidates both contract and matter management, customers…