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What I Learned from Owning an EdiphoneAs much as I like new technology, I have a quaint interest in old technology. A few years ago I began purchasing vintage office equipment. From antique shops and swap meets I acquired typewriters and candlestick phones. But one...

Why Lawyers Should Wear SuitsA few years ago, the start-up culture began infusing into the legal profession.  Trendy offices began appearing with bean bags, ping pong tables and silly job descriptions like “Chief Happiness Wizard”.  I do think that there are many...

Hiding In Plain Sight: Dumb DisclosureThere is an ever increasing amount of “consumer protection” regulation that forces disclosure of an ever increasing amount of information.  Instead of achieving its stated goal, all that happens is we have endless pages of...

How To Get Your First Legal Job – A Practical GuideI have delivered this advice a number of times to students and at Universities and each time I have had feedback that it was very helpful.  It not intended to be cynical (or not wholly cynical) but helpful and so...

How to Design Better COVID RulesAt a recent wedding the attendees picked up their glasses of champagne and began to stand to toast the new bride and groom.  “Stop” shouted the COVID Marshalls supervising the event.  Under the COVID rules a person is not allowed to...

There Are No “Robot Lawyers” And There Never Will Be (Except in One Country)It was a trend a few years back for every other legal tech company to declare that it had created the “world’s first robot lawyer”.  I think there was more claims of first than Kim Jong-un at...

To Support Innovation We Need To Accept Government FailureThe most insightful idea that I have heard on how best to support and encourage new companies to create innovative products is this: companies don’t need a grant, or advice, they need a customer.  Therefore,...

Can Machines Have Ura And Omote Understanding?In Japan there is twin concepts of Ura and Omote.  Most commonly it is used in a societal sense to describe the private or hidden aspect of a person (Ura) and their public persona (Omote).  For a highly conformist and...

Why We Need Fewer "Experts" An interesting view that I have seen appear across many differing topics in the past few years is that only experts should opine on any given area.  This has been used across the political spectrum:  only economists should opine on the...