Five great industry news stories from this week you may have missed.
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Lawyers producing podcast for more easily accessible CPD training
Three lawyers and one interior designer have teamed up with a CBC producer to launch LAWPOD: a Law Society of Ontario-accredited program for lawyers and paralegals. LAWPOD offers podcasts on mental health, legal tech, professionalism and more. The majority of the content is focused on equality, diversity and inclusion. Each episode can be counted towards Ontario lawyers' required three hours of EDI training each year. Read the full story on Law Times.
Sandboxes for legal innovation
An often-ignored fact is how much law firms pay the price for inefficiency. A figure in a new CBA/ABC National article claims that that law practices with under $250,000 in revenue struggle to bring home $40 for every $200 charged to the client. The reason? Unlike other industries, the legal profession has failed to deploy technology to drive efficiency and meet those needs, leaving much of a firm's earnings spent on unbillable work, professional development, and managing clients and staff.
Legal regulatory reform is quickly gathering steam in several U.S. states. Find out how Utah's sandbox is being touted as a model for Canadian jurisdictions, here.
Parole Board to allow victims in Ontario, Quebec to participate in hearings via videoconferencing
The Parole Board of Canada has launched a videoconferencing technology pilot project to enable victims in Ontario and Quebec to take part in hearings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Lawyer reports the Board consulted with public health authorities to develop this pilot as a part of its commitment to the health and safety of its members and staff, of offenders and of the public. In a news release, the Board stated they hope to apply this videoconferencing solution across Canada by the end of this year.
Google's law firm hit by data breach, employee details leaked
A top US law firm used by Google has confirmed it has been hit by a data breach. According to TechRadar Pro, Immigration law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy said that the breach saw the personal information of current and former Google employees affected. The company did not say exactly what data was accessed or how many employees were affected, but the firm looks after a wide range of Google's immigration law cases, meaning hundreds of workers could have had their information stolen. Find all the details here.
How AI Is Helping Companies Make Deeper Human Connections
Most CTOs or CIOs have embarked on enterprise-wide AI initiatives and roadmaps focusing on use cases across the board including operations, risk, personalization, marketing and sales. On Wednesday, Harvard Business Review reported that soon the standard enterprise playbook will include AI-based language to "help balance the concurrent objectives of message performance, maintaining brand voice and compliance with creative and legal guidelines — for every message, in every channel, at scale."
