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On April 4, the DOJ Antitrust Division announced an update to their leniency policy and issued a revised set of frequently asked questions (FAQ).

The legal industry is undergoing transformational changes as aspects of information governance and eDiscovery are refined with new data governance solutions and technologies to address evolving business and regulatory requirements.

The concept of infusing Artificial Intelligence into legal technology solutions started at the onset of the digital age, around the time when smartphones became widely available and AI began to be practically applied to optimize user experiences based on prior user behavior. Brands that rushed to develop and incorporate AI into their products and services included global flagship companies such as Amazon (Alexa), Apple (Siri), and subscription-based organizations, Netflix and Spotify, that began to feature the ability to provide AI-based recommendations to users.

Organizations in Japan, and generally across Asia Pacific (APAC), have experienced a sharp increase in eDiscovery related work over the past several years due to a rise in cross-border litigations and investigations. It is more critical now than ever before to take stock of important considerations when evaluating and partnering with service providers that will guide and support your eDiscovery needs.

One consistent message that seems to resonate from legislature to legislature across the world is the recognition of the fact that data - especially personal data - is both a weapon and a vulnerability, and in the quickly-evolving digital landscape of today the task of safeguarding it effectively becomes more and more difficult. The Australian legislature seeks to update its current privacy laws, which are based on both the original 1988 Privacy Act, and its later update from 2000, to reflect the rapid technological advancements that took place in the early 21st century in data collection, data storage and data analysis.

Cyberattacks that use AI are currently rare and limited to social engineering applications, (such as impersonating an individual) or used in ways that aren’t directly observable by researchers and analysts. However, the quantity and quality of advances in AI have made more advanced cyberattacks likely in the foreseeable future.

October is the 18th Annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the United States. It is sponsored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Cyber Security Alliance. This year’s theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Being Cyber Smart includes awareness of current threats like business email compromise (BEC), phishing, ransomware, and supply chain compromise.

Messaging apps have become a ubiquitous form of communication, with billions of users worldwide. They have changed the way we communicate and share information with others in our personal lives and business, such that employees now routinely use messaging apps to conduct business. As the use of messaging apps has grown, so too has the need to collect data from these apps in a forensically sound manner from corporate-managed systems, as well as mobile devices for legal or investigatory reasons.

Cloud Computing, or the ability to use software and data storage over the internet rather than on a local physical device, has greatly increased over the past several years, skyrocketed during the pandemic, and is predicted to continue growing into 2022.

2021 has been a record year for legal tech: $1.4 billion was invested by venture capital firms in the first half of the year, which is more than in the entirety of 2020, and well above what was raised in 2018 and 2019. Leading the investment boom are startups like RocketLawyer (which provides legal services to individuals and small businesses), Verbit (voice transcription for the legal sector), Notarize (digital notarization), and Clio (cloud based CRM).