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Woods Rogers PLC, the ninth largest law firm in Virginia, has switched to BigHand’s document template management solution, BigHand Create, following a firm-wide Microsoft Office 2016 upgrade.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 10, 2017

Woods Rogers, a law firm that appears on the 2017 BTI Law Firm Power Rankings list for “Best Client Relationships” and has been recognized by Corporate Counsel magazine for delivering “exceptional work”, has chosen to replace their template management solution with BigHand Create. The switch supports the firm’s ongoing commitment to innovation and utilizing technology to offer exceptional levels of customer service.

Prior to the switch, Woods Rogers’ document template solution experienced limitations in functionality. The firm’s template administrators were unable to create or update document templates without seeking external consultation and development. The software was slow and users experienced many glitches. In addition, following the firm’s upgrade to Microsoft Office 2016, their template solution became very slow and any efficiency benefits that the technology once offered were lost. Management decided to switch to a more robust solution that would not only allow them to continue offering high-quality, professional documents to their clients, but would save users time and reduce the firm’s document production overhead.

Jill Moomey, Applications & Training Specialist at Woods Rogers comments, “We started looking for a new template management solution in June of this year. We wanted a technology that would give us the freedom to create and edit templates when we needed to, without having to outsource the work or rely on third-party developers.”

Jill attended ILTACON in August 2017, with the intention of finding a new template solution. Jill comments, “It was crucial that we found a solution that was trusted in the market and easy for both our staff and template administrators to use. ILTACON gave us a great overview of the document automation solutions available, and for me, BigHand really stood out. I already knew that BigHand offered template and formatting tools, but it was a great opportunity to meet the team and see the technology in action.”

Within one month of meeting with BigHand at ILTACON, Woods Rogers moved to outfit the entire firm with BigHand Create licenses. Jill summarizes: “The whole process has been very slick. The BigHand team is extremely easy to work with, BigHand Create is a very clean product and overall, I’m thrilled with our decision.”

About Woods Rogers

Woods Rogers PLC is a Virginia-based, customer-centric law firm that’s been serving clients since 1893. The firm has over 75 attorneys, representing 19 practice areas and 100-plus related services. Woods Rogers supports the legal requirements of major corporations, small and mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals in matters of business and corporate law, emerging growth companies, intellectual property, labor and employment law, litigation, tax, and trusts and estates.

About BigHand Create

BigHand Create is a Microsoft Office 2016 (32 and 64-bit) and Windows 10 compatible template management software. The solution is widely-recognized in the legal technology market and is consistently ranked in the top 3 document automation solutions in the annual ILTA technology survey.

BigHand Create integrates with BigHand’s other productivity software, BigHand Voice, to enable law firms to automate much of the document production process and allow users to create legal documents from dictations in just a few clicks.

BigHand is a legal technology company based out of Chicago, Eindhoven, London, Sydney, Temecula and Toronto, currently supporting over 280,000 users in 2,550 global organizations. BigHand is ISO27001 certified. For more information, visit http://www.bighand.com or follow @BigHandNA on Twitter or BigHand North America on LinkedIn.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/10/prweb14775067.htm

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By David Shortell

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A top Justice Department official on Tuesday criticized technology companies that “enable criminals and terrorists” with encryption software and foreshadowed a new government approach to the issue that has increasingly frustrated law enforcement.

“When investigations of violent criminal organizations come to a halt because we cannot access a phone, lives may be lost,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a speech at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

“The approach taken in the recent past — negotiating with technology companies and hoping that they eventually will assist law enforcement out of a sense of civic duty — is unlikely to work,” he said.

Though he did not outline future steps, Rosenstein, seemed to be taking up the mantle of a fight propelled by former FBI Director James Comey in the last administration.

Referred to at times as “going dark,” the emergence of encrypted communication channels impenetrable to law enforcement even with proper warrants has proved an unsolvable issue.

Over the past year, the FBI was unable to access about 7,500 devices seized in investigations, Rosenstein said.

“Technology companies almost certainly will not develop responsible encryption if left to their own devices,” Rosenstein said — stopping short of singling out any specific companies. “Competition will fuel a mindset that leads them to produce products that are more and more impregnable. That will give criminals and terrorists more opportunities to cause harm with impunity.”

Technology firms have regularly balked at calls by law enforcement to open up encrypted devices or reserve a key that a company could use to access content requested by court order as seeking “back doors” that would compromise their clients’ privacy and expose them to hacking.

“It’s called a back door because someone can sneak in” said Michelle Richardson, deputy director of the Freedom, Security and Technology Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, which advocates for online civil liberties. “Even when the key sits in the company’s hands, that can still happen.”

The issue famously boiled over during the investigation into the 2015 San Bernardino terror attack, when Apple refused to unlock the iPhone of one of the shooters, Syed Farook.

After being rebuffed by the company in court, the FBI was able to eventually gain access to the phone after purchasing a “tool” from a private company — a workaround Rosenstein on Tuesday called time-consuming and not practical.

The new approach signaled by Rosenstein could include more litigation and public shaming of technology companies or a push for legislation that would compel the companies to comply.

TM & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown defied the drug industry Monday, signing the most comprehensive drug price transparency bill in the nation that will force drug makers to publicly justify big price hikes.

“Californians have a right to know why their medical costs are out of control, especially when pharmaceutical profits are soaring,” Brown says. “This measure is a step at bringing transparency, truth, exposure to a very important part of our lives, that is the cost of prescription drugs.”

Brown says the bill was part of a broader push toward correcting growing economic inequities in the U.S., and called on the pharmaceutical leaders “at the top” to consider doing business in a way that helps those with a lot less.

“The rich are getting richer. The powerful are getting more powerful,” Brown says. “So this is just another example where the powerful get more power and take more… We’ve got to point to the evils, and there’s a real evil when so many people are suffering so much from rising drug profits.”

The drug lobby fiercely opposed the bill, SB 17, hiring 45 firms to try to defeat it and spending $16.8 million on lobbying against the full range of drug legislation.

The new law is intended to shine light on how drugs are priced, requiring pharmaceutical companies to notify the state and health insurers anytime they plan to raise the price of a medication by 16 percent or more over two years. And, companies will have to provide justification for the increase.

The legislation was supported by a diverse coalition, including labor and consumer groups, hospital groups and even health insurers, who agreed to share some of their own data under the bill. They will have to report what percentage of premium increases are due to drug prices.

“Health coverage premiums directly reflect the cost of providing medical care, and prescription drug prices have become one of the main factors driving up these costs,” says Charles Bacchi, CEO of the California Association of Health Plans. “SB 17 will help us understand why, so we can prepare for and address the unrelenting price increases.”

Drug companies criticized the governor’s move, saying the new law focuses too narrowly on just one part of the drug distribution chain and won’t help consumers afford their medicine.

“It is disappointing that Gov. Brown has decided to sign a bill that is based on misleading rhetoric instead of what’s in the best interest of patients,” says Priscilla VanderVeer, spokesperson for the drug industry association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). “There is no evidence that SB 17 will lower drug costs for patients because it does not shed light on the large rebates and discounts insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers are receiving that are not always being passed on to patients.”

This law is part of a long game toward developing a stronger web of drug laws across the country, says Gerard Anderson, a health policy professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who tracks drug legislation in the states. In that respect, it makes sense to start with the source of the drug prices: the drug makers themselves, he says.

“The manufacturers get most of the money — probably about three quarters or more of the money that you pay for a drug — and they’re the ones that set the price initially,” he says. “So they are not the only piece of the drug supply chain, but they are the key piece to this.”

California’s law will not stand alone, says state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), the bill’s author and an optometrist. “A lot of other states have the same concerns we have, and you’re going to see other states try to emulate what we did.”

Copyright 2017 KQED. To see more, visit KQED.

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Article – BusinessDesk

Oct. 11 (BusinessDesk) – ASX-listed IPH Ltd said it has acquired New Zealand intellectual property law firm AJ Park for $66 million.
ASX-listed IPH acquires NZ law firm AJ Park for $66M

By Sophie Boot

Oct. 11 (BusinessDesk) – ASX-listed IPH Ltd said it has acquired New Zealand intellectual property law firm AJ Park for $66 million.

IPH, which describes itself as Asia-Pacific’s leading intellectual property group, expects the deal to be completed by Oct. 31. AJ Park employs 205 people with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, including 30 percent of New Zealand’s registered patent attorneys, and was established in 1891. The Kiwi law firm’s client list spans a third of Fortune 500 companies and more than half of New Zealand’s top 200 companies.

AJ Park will be the first New Zealand IP firm to join a publicly listed IP group, as a result of legislation which took effect from February 2017, which removed restrictions on ownership structures for patent attorney firms.

The deal comes as foreign ownership was discussed in the current negotiations between NZ First and the National and Labour parties to form the next government. NZ First has been a strong proponent in seeking to limit the level of foreign ownership in New Zealand.

The $66 million price tag, adjusted for net debt and working capital, represents 7.5 times AJ Park’s normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) in the 2017 financial year, IPH said. It will be settled 60 percent in cash and the remainder in new IPH shares, with those shares to be escrowed for two years and the cash to be funded by USD denominated debt.

“We are confident that significant benefits will flow from being part of the IPH Group,” AJ Park managing partner Damian Broadley said. “Importantly, we will continue to operate under the same name, with the same high-quality people, but will gain access to investment, technologies and networks that will enhance the way we deliver services to our clients.”

IPH managing director David Griffith said the deal “represents a further step in IPH’s strategy to expand its presence in secondary IP markets and, most importantly, supports IPH’s growth in Asia through extension of our Asian service offering to AJ Park’s local and international clients.”

The acquisition still hinges on completion of restructuring and contractual arrangements, consent from third parties and no material adverse changes, IPH said. Its shares last traded at A$4.96 on the ASX, and are down 3.1 percent this year.

(BusinessDesk)

ends

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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ASX-listed IPH Ltd said it has acquired New Zealand intellectual property law firm AJ Park for $66 million.

IPH, which describes itself as Asia-Pacific’s leading intellectual property group, expects the deal to be completed by October 31. AJ Park employs 205 people with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, including 30 per cent of New Zealand’s registered patent attorneys, and was established in 1891. The Kiwi law firm’s client list spans a third of Fortune 500 companies and more than half of New Zealand’s top 200 companies.

AJ Park will be the first New Zealand IP firm to join a publicly listed IP group, as a result of legislation which took effect from February 2017, which removed restrictions on ownership structures for patent attorney firms.

The deal comes as foreign ownership was discussed in the current negotiations between NZ First and the National and Labour parties to form the next government. NZ First has been a strong proponent in seeking to limit the level of foreign ownership in New Zealand.

The $66m price tag, adjusted for net debt and working capital, represents 7.5 times AJ Park’s normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) in the 2017 financial year, IPH said. It will be settled 60 per cent in cash and the remainder in new IPH shares, with those shares to be escrowed for two years and the cash to be funded by USD denominated debt.

“We are confident that significant benefits will flow from being part of the IPH Group,” AJ Park managing partner Damian Broadley said. “Importantly, we will continue to operate under the same name, with the same high-quality people, but will gain access to investment, technologies and networks that will enhance the way we deliver services to our clients.”

IPH managing director David Griffith said the deal “represents a further step in IPH’s strategy to expand its presence in secondary IP markets and, most importantly, supports IPH’s growth in Asia through extension of our Asian service offering to AJ Park’s local and international clients.”

The acquisition still hinges on completion of restructuring and contractual arrangements, consent from third parties and no material adverse changes, IPH said. Its shares last traded at A$4.96 on the ASX, and are down 3.1 per cent this year.

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ASX-listed IPH Ltd said it has acquired New Zealand intellectual property law firm AJ Park for $66 million.

IPH, which describes itself as Asia-Pacific’s leading intellectual property group, expects the deal to be completed by October 31. AJ Park employs 205 people with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, including 30 per cent of New Zealand’s registered patent attorneys, and was established in 1891. The Kiwi law firm’s client list spans a third of Fortune 500 companies and more than half of New Zealand’s top 200 companies.

AJ Park will be the first New Zealand IP firm to join a publicly listed IP group, as a result of legislation which took effect from February 2017, which removed restrictions on ownership structures for patent attorney firms.

The deal comes as foreign ownership was discussed in the current negotiations between NZ First and the National and Labour parties to form the next government. NZ First has been a strong proponent in seeking to limit the level of foreign ownership in New Zealand.

The $66m price tag, adjusted for net debt and working capital, represents 7.5 times AJ Park’s normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) in the 2017 financial year, IPH said. It will be settled 60 per cent in cash and the remainder in new IPH shares, with those shares to be escrowed for two years and the cash to be funded by USD denominated debt.

“We are confident that significant benefits will flow from being part of the IPH Group,” AJ Park managing partner Damian Broadley said. “Importantly, we will continue to operate under the same name, with the same high-quality people, but will gain access to investment, technologies and networks that will enhance the way we deliver services to our clients.”

IPH managing director David Griffith said the deal “represents a further step in IPH’s strategy to expand its presence in secondary IP markets and, most importantly, supports IPH’s growth in Asia through extension of our Asian service offering to AJ Park’s local and international clients.”

The acquisition still hinges on completion of restructuring and contractual arrangements, consent from third parties and no material adverse changes, IPH said. Its shares last traded at A$4.96 on the ASX, and are down 3.1 per cent this year.

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(c) 2017, Bloomberg.

Uber Technologies said its British drivers would face broad changes if required to be classified as employees with benefits, a sign it’s is considering alternatives to its labor model amid tighter scrutiny from regulators.

Uber would become more like a private-hire car service that exerts more control over when and where drivers work, Andrew Byrne, the head of public policy for Uber in Britain told a parliamentary hearing Tuesday.

The statement was a rare instance in which Uber said how it may adjust if a government implements new labor laws, a threat the company’s business is facing in cities around the world.

“It would change the nature of the relationship we would have with drivers,” he said, adding that classifying drivers as employees would add “tens of millions” in additional costs such as national health insurance taxes, minimum pay, sick and vacation time, and maternity and paternity leave.

The startup generated $1.75 billion in adjusted net revenue in the second quarter of this year, up 17 percent from the prior quarter. Uber narrowed losses by 9 percent to $645 million, based on financial results provided by the company.

The worker debate goes to the heart of Uber’s business model. The company has relied on a network of workers who log-on through an app without much oversight from the company, arguing it shouldn’t have to classify drivers as workers because it’s a platform that connects drivers with people seeking a ride.

As long as drivers have a private-hire driver license and proof of insurance registered with Uber, they can log into the app to pick up passengers. Byrne indicated that flexibility would erode if drivers are classified as employees.

Byrne said drivers earn about $19.8 (15 pounds) per hour, excluding the cost of fuel, insurance and car payments. The company said it couldn’t ensure drivers earn more than the minimum wage of 7.50 pounds an hour after those deductions are made.

British policymakers are exploring new regulations for the so-called gig economy, in which workers set their own hours at companies such as Uber and are classified as self-employed contractors rather than staff members entitled to benefits. A British government report published earlier this year concluded a better balance needed to ensure workers aren’t exploited, while also maintaining the flexibility many say they like about joining Uber and similar firms.

The report recommends more assurances for workers, including minimum pay and vacation time, as well as requiring companies to pay taxes for “dependent contractors” to cover government benefits.

Critics of the Uber model, including many taxi companies that have lost business as people have signed up to drive, say the companies are exploiting labor laws and other regulations to keep costs low and grow quickly. After hearing complaints from a group of Uber drivers, a British employment tribunal also is deciding whether the company must provide more stable pay and benefits.

Uber also faced questions about the safety risk of drivers on the road who are working long shifts. The company said it’s testing a function that would block drivers from using the app if they drove more than a maximum of driving 10 or 12 hours in a 24-hour period. Roughly a quarter of Uber drivers in Britain work more than 40 hours per week, the company said.

The hearing highlights the multiple ways Uber’s business is under scrutiny. London transportation authorities revoked Uber’s license last month. The authorities said Uber hasn’t properly reported crimes or conducted adequate background checks, concluding the firm doesn’t pass the “fit and proper” test to operate.

The Independent Workers Union criticized regulators for not citing treatment of workers among the reason the city revoked Uber’s taxi license last month. A group of Uber drivers have been pushing the government to force the company to adopt more worker protections, including minimum wage and pay for vacation and sick time.

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First Published: Wed, October 11 2017. 00:09 IST

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Zombie Walk 9 is an excellent opportunity for AHA to help educate and advocate for individuals and families affected by Hemophilia, Hemophilia-related disorders, von Willebrand, and Hepatitis.

Lerner & Rowe teams up with 98KUPD in support of Zombie Walk 9 in Downtown Phoenix to benefit the Arizona Hemophilia Association on October 28th.

Zombie Walk 9 is an excellent opportunity for AHA to help educate and advocate for individuals and families affected by Hemophilia, Hemophilia-related disorders, von Willebrand, and Hepatitis.”

— Kevin Rowe, ESQ.

PHOENIX, AZ, USA, October 10, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ — Lerner and Rowe’s Phoenix personal injury law offices are teaming up with John Holmberg and 98KUPD to support Zombie Walk 9 on Saturday, October 28th. Approximately 15,000 –  20,000 ghouls of all ages are expected to flood the streets of Downtown Phoenix (Warehouse District at 4th Street & Jackson) from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. to benefit Arizona Hemophilia Association (AHA) and take part in a family friendly event lead by Grand Marshall John Holmberg of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness on 98KUPD.

“In our line of work we see a lot of accident victims that experience internal and external injuries. These types of personal injuries become even more significant for people living with a bleeding disorder,” said attorney Kevin Rowe. “The Zombie Walk 9 is an excellent opportunity for AHA to help educate and advocate for individuals and families affected by Hemophilia, Hemophilia-related disorders, von Willebrand, and Hepatitis.”

In addition to Lerner and Rowe’s sponsorship donation, the AHA will charge a $10 entry fee to cover Zombie Walk 9 costs and to help raise funds for the organization; zombies 12 and under are free. Ticket sales and other details may be found at arizonahemophilia.org/zombie-walk/.

More Details and How to Connect with Lerner and Rowe

For additional information about Lerner and Rowe’s Tucson personal injury attorneys call (602) 977-1900. To learn more about the criminal defense and bankruptcy legal services offered by their partner law firm Lerner and Rowe Law Group, visit lernerandrowelawgroup.com or call (602) 667-7777. Need help filing an application or appeal for Social Security benefits? Contact the law firms other legal partners at Social Security Disability Advocates by calling (602) 952-3200 or online at socialsecuritydisabilityadvocatesusa.com.

To connect with the law firm socially, follow Lerner and Rowe on Twitter, or become a fan of their Facebook page. Also visit lernerandrowegivesback.com to learn more about the community services that the lawyers and legal support team of Lerner and Rowe actively support.

###

Kevin Rowe, ESQ.
Lerner and Rowe, PC
(602) 977-1900
email us here

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London – Uber said its UK drivers would face broad changes if required to be classified as employees with benefits, a sign the company is considering alternatives to its labour model amid tighter scrutiny from regulators.

Uber would become more like a private-hire car service that exerts more control over when and where drivers work, Andrew Byrne, the head of public policy for Uber in the UK told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. 

The statement was a rare instance in which Uber said how it may adjust if a government implements new labour laws, a threat the company’s business is facing in cities around the world.

“It would change the nature of the relationship we would have with drivers,” he said, adding that classifying drivers as employees would add “tens of millions” in additional costs, including national health insurance taxes, and paying for covering minimum pay, sick and vacation time, and maternity and paternity leave.

The startup generated $1.75bn in adjusted net revenue in the second quarter of this year, up 17% from the prior quarter. Uber narrowed losses by 9% to $645m, based on financial results provided by the company.

Gig economy

The worker debate goes to the heart of Uber’s business model. The company has relied on a network of workers who log-on through an app without much oversight from the company, arguing it shouldn’t have to classify drivers as workers because it’s a platform that connects drivers with people seeking a ride.

Presently, as long as a driver has a private-hire driver license and proof of insurance registered with Uber, they can log into the app to pick up passengers. Byrne indicated that flexibility would erode if drivers are classified as employees.

Byrne said drivers earn about £15 per hour, though that doesn’t include the cost of fuel, insurance or car payments. The company said it couldn’t ensure drivers earn more than the minimum wage of £7.50 an hour after those deductions are made.

UK policymakers are exploring new regulations for the so-called gig economy in which workers set their own hours at companies such as Uber, but are classified as self-employed contractors rather than staff members entitled to benefits.

A UK government report published earlier this year concluded a better balance needed to ensure workers aren’t exploited, while also maintaining the flexibility many say they like about joining Uber and similar firms.

The report recommends more assurances for workers, including minimum pay and vacation time, as well as requiring companies to pay taxes for “dependent contractors” to cover government benefits.

Critics of the Uber model, including many taxi companies that have lost business as people have signed up to drive, say the companies are exploiting labour laws and other regulations to keep costs low and grow quickly. After hearing complaints from a group of Uber drivers, a UK employment tribunal also is deciding whether the company must provide more stable pay and benefits.

Driver safety

Uber also faced questions about the safety risk of drivers on the road who are working long shifts. The company said it’s testing a function that would block drivers from using the app if they drove more than a maximum of driving 10 or 12 hours in a 24 hour period. Roughly a quarter of Uber drivers in the UK work more than 40 hours per week, the company said.

The hearing highlights the multiple ways Uber’s business is under scrutiny in the UK London transportation authorities revoked Uber’s license last month. The authorities said Uber hasn’t properly reported crimes or conducted adequate background checks, concluding the firm doesn’t pass the “fit and proper” test to operate.

The Independent Workers Union criticised regulators for not citing treatment of workers among the reason the city revoked Uber’s taxi license last month. A group of Uber drivers have been pushing the government to force the company to adopt more worker protections, including minimum wage and pay for vacation and sick time.

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