Drive Better Outcomes

The promise of artificial intelligence technologies captured the imagination of the legal community in a big way in 2023. None more so than “generative artificial intelligence,” which has the ability to create pleadings and correspondence, and to summarize source materials, that approximate the work of a well-informed, legally trained human being. Artificial intelligence also has…

Depositions are a potent pretrial discovery and trial preparation tool. They allow parties to gather information regarding any non-privileged matter that is relevant to a party’s claim or defense. Through depositions, litigators are able to evaluate the credibility of potential witnesses, authenticate key documents, gain admissions that might narrow the scope of issues to be…

In theory, pretrial conferences streamline litigation by setting discovery deadlines and encouraging parties to take a hard look at all relevant issues in the case and, if possible, reach a settlement before trial. In practice, however, pretrial conferences often fall short of this ideal. They can be go-through-the-motions affairs conducted by lower-level associates who are…

The international law firm McGuire Woods recently published a news note, Virginia Court Holds School Board Immune From Virginia Human Rights Act Claims, explaining how a local school board successfully raised a sovereign immunity defense to defeat several potentially expensive state-law civil rights claims. Along the way, the article’s author identified two reasons why the…

Like anyone whose livelihood is based on intellectual capital, the best investments that lawyers can make are those directed at increasing their education, acumen, and professional ability. Are they making sure they have the skills needed to excel in the current, technology-driven legal services market? Are they keeping up with rapidly changing technologies, laws, and…

There are four main ways to conduct a pretrial deposition in modern law practice: the deposition by written question, the in-person deposition, the remote deposition, and the hybrid deposition. Each has its strengths and limitations, and each can be appropriate in the right circumstances. This post summarizes each type of deposition, along with a suggestion…