Wake Up Call: Can Associates Be Replaced By Computers?

• Some 35 percent of law firm leaders think they could be able to replace first-year associates with law-focused computer technology in the next five to 10 years, according to a recent survey. (The American Lawyer)

• Billing rates surged at the country’s 50 biggest law firms to a median hourly rate of $711, in the 12-month period that ended June 30, up from $675 the previous year, according to a recent report. (Business of Law Blog)

• Los Angeles-based Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Seattle’s Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro Friday filed federal class actions against Volkswagen A.G. in Los Angeles on ...