There’s no shortage of ideas about how legal firms can expand their reach, find new sources of revenue and provide clients with services that weren’t available in the past. One idea that is gaining traction is called “law new.” While it’s not an easy concept to define, it is one worth exploring for firms that wish to grow and prosper.
The New Law category includes companies, startups and subsidiaries augmenting the business of traditional legal services with a different approach to how work is delivered or how staff is utilized. This is also known as alternative legal service providers (ALSPs).
New York law firms and their employees are required to maintain a compliant recordkeeping system. This is a requirement under both New York state law and federal law. In addition to keeping client files, records relating to legal fees, billings and disbursements are required to be kept. In many cases, the information contained in legal firm records is confidential and proprietary. However, in some cases, information in the records may be made public. This information can be used to obtain financial and business data that would otherwise not be available or accessible to the public.
If a person or organization requests access to information from an agency, the agency must give them that information unless it falls within certain exceptions in the law. These exceptions include protecting the privacy of minors, protecting the safety of law enforcement and preventing harm to others. In these instances, the agency can delete any identifying details from the record in order to protect individuals’ privacy.
The legislative process in New York starts with a bill being proposed. This is often done by a senator, but it can also be brought to the attention of a member of the Senate by an interested citizen or by representatives in the House. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee for study.
After the committee completes its study of the bill, it is sent back to the House or Senate with a written report on the matter. This report includes the committee’s recommendation on whether or not the bill should be approved, along with a section-by-section analysis of the bill. If the bill is approved by both houses, it becomes law. If the Governor objects to a bill, he or she has 10 days to sign it into law or veto it. If the Governor vetoes a bill, two-thirds of both houses must vote to override the veto.