June 1, 2019 Court Rules Update

New Court Rule Sets Available:

New York Supreme Court, New York County, Hon. Anthony Cannataro, Part 41 (NYNYAC)
New York Supreme Court, Westchester County (excludes Commercial Division Rules) (NYWCNC) 
New York Supreme Court, Westchester County, Hon. Lawrence H. Ecker (NYWELE)
USBC, Louisiana, Eastern District(LAEB)
USDC, Utah, Hon. Tena Campbell(UTTC)

Courts Removed:

USDC, Illinois, Northern District, Hon. Frederick J. Kapala (UTTC)
USDC, New York, Southern District, Hon. Robert W. Sweet (NYRWS)

Detailed information regarding updated rules can be found on the Rule Update Details page.

THE eDOCKETS USER GROUP – TOGETHER, WE DEFINE THE FUTURE OF DOCKETING

THE eDOCKETS USER GROUP – TOGETHER, WE DEFINE THE FUTURE OF DOCKETING by Dan Biegel, Chief Client Experience Officer The world of docketing has always been a unique niche, requiring highly specialized and underappreciated expertise within the larger legal landscape.  Over the past few years, we’ve advocated strongly for more community resources and events to bring docketing professionals together.  For example, we were one of the first to partner with the National Docketing Association which has done an amazing job uniting docketing professionals and is now a hub for docketing, both nationwide as well as within local subchapters. As American LegalNet has continued its explosive growth and innovation within the space, we see a tremendous opportunity to continue to build the community and to collaborate with our clients to collectively define the future of docketing.  Recently, we kicked off the new eDockets User Group, led by Kathleen Remetta of Blank Rome and Phillip Thomson of Thompson Hine. In this last meeting, we had over 60 of the top docketing-related managers in the U.S. participate, representing a substantial portion of the docketing world.  Erez Bustan, our founder, president and CEO, shared his vision for the company, looking holistically at the past, the present, as well as the future.  We also revealed for the first time some of the new capabilities and services we’re soon releasing (not yet announced to the public – make sure to join the user group if you’d like to be privy to these early previews!) and our product roadmap for the next 18-24 months. 

In upcoming user group meetings, we look forward to working with our clients as a community to come up with and prioritize ideas for our next generation of docketing technology solutions, brainstorm designs, and share learnings with one another in order to help move the entire space forward.  Together, we’re defining the future of docketing.  Interested in joining the conversation?  Please contact me directly for more information at dbiegel@alncorp.com.

American LegalNet, Trusted Partner to Law Firms, Expands Court Rules Team

American LegalNet, Trusted Partner to Law Firms, Expands Court Rules Team

With our ever-expanding list of eDockets clients and our commitment to be the leader in court rules technology we are very pleased to announce that we have once again expanded our court rules team to fifteen full time U.S. based licensed attorneys. This gives ALN more licensed attorneys working on court rules every day than any of our competitors. This expansion is to accommodate the continued growth of our client base and their ongoing need for more rules coverage. “We have not only added to the size of our Court Rules Team but also the quality. With this recent addition we now have over 100 cumulative years of litigation experience working on our court rules. This is just another reason why we are the premier provider of Legal Risk Management and Workflow solutions.  Their commitment to working as a team has allowed us to attain uncommon results. We couldn’t be prouder of their daily efforts on behalf of our law firm clients,” said Erez Bustan, President and CEO.
ALN Court Rules Team

About American LegalNet

American LegalNet, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is a trusted partner to law firms, empowering them with innovative workflow management technologies that help mitigate risks, increase operational efficiencies, and reduce costs so they can focus on their core competencies. Today, American LegalNet is the premier provider of litigation workflow solutions that include eDockets, Docket Direct, Smart Dockets and Docket Alerts. The company is based in Los Angeles, California. Visit www.alncorp.com for more information.

American LegalNet Launches Certification Program for eDockets Critical Dates Calendaring Software

American LegalNet Launches Certification Program for eDockets Critical Dates Calendaring Software

American LegalNet, Inc. (ALN) publisher of calendar/docket software with built-in court rules databases, announced today the launch of a user certification program for its popular eDockets Critical Dates calendaring/docketing software. Created in response to the needs of its customers, ALN carefully designed each training session to educate legal professionals and support staff on best practices in court calendaring. The program will provide eDockets users with the tools to not only train colleagues and other staff members, but also to increase best practices and quality control when tracking rules updates and deadlines.

The eDockets Certification Program involves detailed instructions and overviews of eDockets, intensive on-site training with a senior Trainer, complete oral and written examinations, and hands-on application training – where the student is then required to “train the trainer.” After completing the program, participants receive a certificate, indicating that they have demonstrated the skills necessary to facilitate internal training sessions for their firms.

With the ALN Certification Program, the user’s skills and knowledge of eDockets are assessed and validated on a wide variety of topics, including: adding clients/matters, generating court ruled and non-court ruled events, editing / adjourning / copying / completing events, running reports, managing matters, and admin tool training.

“By completing the certification program, users will become a much more valuable calendaring resource for their firms, colleagues, and clients,” said Erez Bustan, Founder and CEO of American LegalNet.  “Our new certification program provides legal professionals with a thorough overview of eDockets – from main screen and operational functions to working with clients, events and appointments. This program is for users that seek to master legal calendaring to help safeguard their firms from malpractice and enhance risk management initiatives. We are excited to welcome new members into our eDockets community of highly skilled certified legal calendaring professionals.”

eDockets is an industry trusted calendaring/docketing software that enables attorneys to automatically schedule critical dates in accordance with court rules, greatly reducing the possibility of missing deadlines through error-prone and time-consuming manual docket calculations.  For more details about the Certification Program, customers can contact, Anthony Gabriele, Senior Corporate Trainer, at 818-817-9236 or agabriele@alncorp.com.

About American LegalNet

American LegalNet, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is a trusted partner to law firms, empowering them with innovative workflow management technologies that help mitigate risks, increase operational efficiencies, and reduce costs so they can focus on their core competencies. Today, American LegalNet is the premier provider of litigation workflow solutions that include eDockets, Docket Direct, Smart Dockets and Docket Alerts. The company is based in Los Angeles, California. Visit www.alncorp.com for more information.

May 1, 2019 Court Rules Update

New Court Rule Sets Available:

New York Supreme Court, New York County, Hon. Manuel J. Mendez, IAS Part 13-NY Cal Coordinating Judge (NYMMCJ)
New York Supreme Court, Orange County, Justice Sandra B. Sciortino (NYOCSS) 
Ohio Court of Common Pleas, Clinton County (OHCLC)
Texas Civil District Court, Comal County (TXCLDC)
USDC, Ohio, Northern District, Hon. Dan A. Polster (OHDAP)

Courts Removed:

N/A

Detailed information regarding updated rules can be found on the Rule Update Details page.

Superheroes of Malpractice Mitigation

Superheroes of Malpractice Mitigation by Joseph C. Scott, Chief Strategy Officer Every year on April 28th we observe “National Superhero Day” to honor superheroes, both real and fictional. Although the real-life superheroes in law firms may not wear capes, they certainly have powers that are super when it comes to defeating their arch nemesis – Calendar Related Errors – the leading cause of malpractice claims. Unlike the fictional villains, calendar related errors are real, and lurk in the shadows everyday just waiting for someone to make a mistake. So perhaps on this April 28th you should take your favorite calendaring/docketing superhero to lunch and say thank you for fighting the good fight every day. Even though cyberattacks, ransomware, and data breaches are getting more headlines of late, calendar-related errors continue to be the leading risk for malpractice claims and thus present tremendous financial and branding risks to a firm. As all risk-averse attorneys know, it is the diligent calendaring professionals working behind the scenes on those dates and deadlines that enable attorneys to sleep at night. That’s why I think they are the true Superheroes of legal malpractice mitigation. According to the ABA, over one-third of legal malpractice claims are attributable to deadline and calendaring errors. Such lawsuits can devastate a law firm and the person responsible for the error. But if you have the right people with an automated, rules-based calendaring system double checking your dates and deadlines, that will make all the difference. Using such a system will not only reduce the chance of missing important deadlines, it can also help assure the implementation of best practices and thus should be a critical piece of any firm-wide formal risk management initiative at your firm. 

The good news is that with the recent advances in computerized date calculation technology, this software is affordable and manageable for firms of all sizes. That software, along with great people, consistent training and clear guidelines, helps make this major risk relatively easy to prevent. A good legal-specific, automated, rules-based calendaring system with well-trained experts and clear disciplined processes could have prevented most, if not all, of the calendar related problems.

But many malpractice cases involving calendaring or docketing errors were not really about a failed calendaring system, but about a failure in the processes at the firm. Therefore, establishing centralized policies and procedures backed by a firm-wide risk management culture is key to preventing professional liability claims and critical to the long-term health of a law firm. Risk management strategies should be included in every aspect of your practice, particularly with the calendars.

Although technology can be the great equalizer when it comes to risk management, many have learned the hard way that the most important element of any system is still the people. Relying too heavily on technology, while discounting the importance of the people may actually increase your risk, because of the false sense of security it may provide.

And even though we have seen some remarkable technologies make docketing more efficient and less error-prone, docketing and calendaring is not simple data entry. Without knowledgeable, well-trained and detail-oriented docketing people carrying out the actual day-to-day workflow, you are still susceptible to serious errors and major risks, regardless of the technology you are using. Even though the software often seems easier and more intuitive, and can even improve efficiencies and reduce risk, that is only true if the users are at least as competent as the software. You need people with a wealth of legal docketing knowledge and the ability to transfer that understanding into a technological interface. My experience in the industry has taught me that understanding the logic of the software can be as important as understanding the rules.

Even the most skilled and trained professional can only act as a check and balance for the attorneys. Many aspects of calendaring can be delegated to qualified paralegals and legal assistants, but lawyers still need to be in control of the process and, of course, remain ultimately responsible for the outcome.

The bottom line is that technology is only as good as the people who use it, and firms must invest in people and recognize the importance of the human element if they are to reap the full benefits of technology. The most successful docketing professionals are the ones with the most experience working for firms that align people, processes and technology.

With the legal profession poised to experience more dramatic changes in the next ten years than in the last century, it is truly an exciting time with lots of challenges and opportunities.

These extraordinary changes mean extraordinary opportunities, so I encourage you to embrace the changes, embrace the new technologies, embrace the future because if we ever needed an everyday superhero to help us navigate the calendars and the future, it is now.

You are my Superhero. Happy Superhero Day.

April 1, 2019 Court Rules Update

New Court Rule Sets Available:

Missouri Circuit Court, 22nd Judicial Circuit, City of St. Louis (MO22CC)
New York Supreme Court, 6th Judicial District (NY06SC) 
New York Supreme Court, 6th Judicial District, Tioga County (NYTCSC)
New York Supreme Court, Westchester County, Commercial Division, Hon. Laura Jamieson (NYWELJ)
Ohio Court of Common Pleas, Miami County (OHMIAC)
USBC, Rhode Island (RIB)
USDC, Ohio, Northern District, Hon. John R. Adams (OHJRA)
USDC, Texas, Southern District, Hon. Nancy F. Atlas (TXNFA)

Courts Removed:

N/A

Detailed information regarding updated rules can be found on the Rule Update Details page.

Professor Patrick Connors Lecture and CLE Program

Here is a CLE presentation that Professor Patrick M. Connors, the Albert and Angela Farone Distinguished Professor in New York Civil Practice at Albany Law school, gave to a standing room only crowd at Schulte Roth & Zabel in New York City last month. The New York Chapter of the National Docketing Association hosted the event and American LegalNet was proud to be the sponsor.

Professor Connors is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars on recent developments in New York Practice, professional ethics, legal malpractice, and civil procedure. We think you will enjoy his informative and entertaining style in giving practical tips and strategies.

Check out our video!

March 1, 2019 Court Rules Update

New Court Rule Sets Available:

United States Court of International Trade (USCIT)
USDC, California, Southern District, Mag. Robert N. Bloc (CARB)
USDC, Connecticut, Chief District Judge Stefan R. Underhill (CTSRU)

Courts Removed:

USDC, California, Southern District, Mag. Jan M. Adler (JMA)
USDC, Illinois, Northern District, Hon. Amy J. St. Eve (ILAJS)

 

Detailed information regarding updated rules can be found on the Rule Update Details page.

The NDA New York Chapter invites you to the Professor Patrick Connors Lecture and Program sponsored by American LegalNet

We are pleased to announce that Professor Patrick M. Connors will present a lecture and lead a discussion on developments in NY Practice.

Professor Connors

 

Patrick M. Connnors,
Professor of Law

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

 

Friday, February 22, 2019 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 

SCHULTE ROTH & ZABEL

919 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

 

NDA members: Please RSVP here no later than 2/21/19

https://www.nationaldocketing.org/event-3252690

 

Provided to you at no cost in partnership with American LegalNet www.ALNCORP.com

 

This program is open to Non-Members of the NDA. You can register no later than 2/21/19 by emailing Kristen at kgutierrez@labaton.com or Scott at svalentino@alncorp.com

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