For lawyers, “law new” is a lot about being agile and adapting to the changing legal landscape. It’s about working with underserved communities, embracing technology and coming up with strategies that would not have been part of standard practice in the past. But it also involves taking the long view and thinking about how to unleash clients’ potential in a holistic way.
As the world continues to face economic challenges, many law firms are shifting how they operate and approach their work. They are focusing on the big picture, looking for ways to improve client outcomes and creating an environment in which their employees can thrive. It’s a radically different way to run a business and one that will be vital in meeting the demands of an increasingly diverse and competitive legal market.
When a law firm starts looking for ways to become more innovative, it is often difficult to know where to begin. The universe of potential topics is huge and, at first, it can seem daunting. It is important to find a niche that makes sense for the firm and its employees, but even then it can be challenging to come up with ideas for a paper, comment or note that will be original enough to deserve as much of an investment of time as writing one of these pieces requires.
Using the example of an antitrust investigation, this Article offers an analytical framework for determining when a law firm should seek out innovation and where it should be cautious. It begins by describing the current regulatory environment in which law firms operate, pointing out the limits of the traditional regulatory paradigm and identifying some alternatives that could be used to foster greater innovativeness in law firms. It then outlines five types of innovations that can be used to enhance the value of legal services, while highlighting some potential risks and barriers to these innovations.
Local Law 1 of 2021
This bill prohibits fast food employers from discharging employees through on-call scheduling practices and enables laid off fast food workers to be compensated for their missed schedule pay premiums.
Local Law 2 of 2021
This Local Law amends the City Charter and Administrative Code to change the name of the Department of Consumer Affairs to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, establishes the Office of Labor Standards and the Office of Paid Care as offices within the Department, and updates references to these offices and agency nomenclature.
This Article argues that there is no principled foundation for the Supreme Court’s doctrine of non-retroactivity and proposes an alternative framework for evaluating whether new rules should be applied retroactively. It argues that the doctrine is inconsistent with both the objectives of judicial review and the realities of legal practice.