In contemporary litigation, "machine learning" and "predictive analytics" are phrases that are typically used in the context of e-discovery. However, as these technologies grow and evolve, so too will their application and utility in employment decisions and legal proceedings. Predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI raise a number of privacy and ethics concerns in society, but when utilized properly, can prove to be an invaluable asset to clients both inside, and outside, the context of litigation. Indeed, employers are rapidly deploying these technologies across the employment spectrum, from identifying potential job candidates, conducting initial applicant screenings, tracking working time and attendance, identifying potential promotion candidates, as well as in workforce restructuring. Employers definitely should embrace, and not fear, implementing these technologies, especially given their trajectory towards becoming essential to business in the modern era.

Last week, hosts Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson talked to Andrew Arruda, the CEO of ROSS Intelligence, about how artificial intelligence can assist lawyers, not replace them. They also discussed the biggest misconceptions about AI. Recorded at ABA TECHSHOW 2017, this episode of The Un-Billable Hour focuses on litigation finance underwriting for commercial cases. Joshua Lenon, lawyer-in-residence for Clio, and Eva Shang, founder of Legalist, discuss how Legalist, a service dedicated to financing litigation underwriting, works and how it integrates with Clio. They discuss the different e-discovery products available, sanctions, and discovery interactions with social media.

It is common, at the beginning of the year, to ponder upon what the year ahead will bring. Several experts have published their predictions for trends we can expect in legal technology, in 2017. So, what are they saying? Generally speaking, they expect lawyers to become more mobile, more collaborative (using the cloud do to do), and more responsive (using social media to engage with clients and potential clients). Cybercrime & Cyberwarfare, too, will remain in the news.