John O'Brien

Editor and Publisher of the ABA Journal. Formerly of DNAinfo, Patch, Sun-Times Media, Daily Southtown, Joliet Herald-News. Opinions are mine, not my employer's.

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

For centuries, sailors who survived shipwrecks but faced starvation after running out of food and water had a tradition known as “the custom of the sea.” It was permissible, the custom went, to kill and eat one of their own after drawing lots.

https://t.co/9lheAkXzT0

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Have you ever heard of “vampire law” or “vibe coding?” They join other top new terms and phrases compiled this year by law professors and academics tasked with updating the lexicon of law.
https://t.co/XfCWIx2C7T

[ABA Journal @ABAJournal]

What's on the Shelf? "Whirlwind": Bill Kurtis memoir tells how law school trained him for covering trials. https://t.co/uwT6De9iQV #whatsontheshelf #legalwriting @juliannehill @BillKurtis1

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Sad to hear the news that Judge Caprio died.

https://t.co/QCBvlRAKqP

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

To all my lawyer connections: The Journal is looking for interesting stories about the day you took the bar exam. Share them with us for a future story!

[ABA Journal @ABAJournal]

Everyone knows the bar exam is super stressful. What’s your story? Did a hurricane hit? Did you go into labor? Drive to the wrong location? Panic, thinking they accidentally gave you an exam in Russian? Share your war story! Email [email protected] @juliannehill

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Deans from eight of Texas law schools are among those who oppose ending Texas’ requirement that bar exam takers graduate from an ABA-accredited law school, according to responses to the Texas Supreme Court obtained by the ABA Journal.

https://t.co/Y6gmCHiptn

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Canadian software company Clio, a legal tech leader with more than 200,000 clients, is spending $1 billion to buy vLex, a legal intelligence and global research platform that includes Fastcase and Vincent AI (vLex’s AI platform).
https://t.co/cfSmHLRbDl

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Legal academics say critical pieces of information, such as a broader variety of sample questions and specific study materials, are still missing—and can’t come soon enough for law schools and bar candidates.

https://t.co/Y7HeNw0miJ

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

70% of legal professionals say advancements in AI and generative AI will have a transformative or high impact on the legal profession within five years. Could that transformation extend to possibly replacing judges or jurors?
https://t.co/LUjE2B7vcH

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Sometimes, when software is created for the legal profession, legal technology founders assume it’s a one-size-fits-all proposition. Law firms are law firms, right? Wrong.

https://t.co/RAtayPDptY

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Will Seaton, the chief customer officer at DraftWise; Dan Wallace, the vice president of sales for the North American markets at Neota Logic; and Laura Wenzel, the global marketing and insights director at iManage.

https://t.co/vL2DOKIXfY

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

It’s a rite of June every year, but especially so when there is a new presidential administration. Those in the orbit of the U.S. Supreme Court ask, “Will a justice retire at the end of the term?”

https://t.co/HGDig2AOZZ

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Poetry is a great way to infuse a little humor in what can be a “tedious” lifestyle, says New York attorney Stevi Siber-Sanderowitz.
https://t.co/SMVdCIr6HN

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

"Advertising for lawyers is actually a new kid on the block. I am talking about the 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, which held that advertising legal services was free speech protected by the First Amendment."

https://t.co/NYKKYJ65nJ

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Canon law is the body of norms and regulations that govern the inner workings of the Catholic Church, including its structure, the duties of its clergy and its disputes. Pope Leo XIV himself has a JCD, a doctorate of canon law.

https://t.co/aj7aTH8Dli

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

@Nerdy_Addict @BbqLadyy Wrong John O’Brien. Not me.

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

More than half of students who were preparing to go to law school said politics impacted their decision to apply, according to a survey from test prep company Kaplan released Thursday.

https://t.co/MFnBz8PdQp

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Bar candidates who failed or withdrew from February’s problem-plagued California bar exam would be eligible to work under the supervision of an experienced attorney until they could pass the exam.

https://t.co/PnfvHp3pKO

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

The ABA opposes the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which the association says is “a vital tool for ensuring that the public receives critical public services.”

https://t.co/8DAF5KOub0

[John O'Brien @johnobrien34]

Law students will need to get twice as much practical, hands-on experience before graduation if a proposal by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions moves forward.

https://t.co/H5luy2KQzK