Machine-learning algorithm beats 20 lawyers in NDA legal analysis

by techspot.com -- Most of the jobs that get displaced by computers or robots are menial labor that requires little or no education. However, now that machine learning algorithms are becoming more sophisticated, even highly educated positions could be replaced by automation. A recent study by LawGeex pitted its machine-learning AI against 20 human lawyers to see how it would fair going over contract law. Each lawyer and the LawGeex AI were given five nondisclosure agreements to review for risks. The humans were given four hours to study the contracts. The results were pretty remarkable. The lawyers took an average of 92 minutes to complete the task and achieved a mean accuracy level of 85 percent. LawGeex took only 26 seconds to review all five contracts and was 94-percent accurate. The AI tied with the highest scoring lawyer in the group in terms of accuracy. To be clear, these were not first-year grad students or even freshly minted lawyers with no experience. The group was comprised of law firm associates, sole practitioners, in-house lawyers, and General Counsel. Some of them worked at firms such as Goldman Sachs, Cisco, Alston & Bird, and K&L Gates. All of them had extensive experience reviewing contracts with these companies.

An independent panel of law professors from Stanford, Duke, and USC law schools judged the accuracy of the test. The study notes, “There is less than a 0.7-percent chance that the results were a product of random chance.” So what does this mean? Are lawyers at risk of being replaced? Probably not, at least not for things such as arguing case law. However, some lawyers and paralegals study contracts all day, every day. Computer algorithms like the LawGeex AI could replace these common positions. On the bright side, these displaced legal workers likely have skills that can be utilized in more challenging areas. It could also mean lower cost legal services for consumers down the road. Having a machine do the drudge work means lawyers can work more efficiently, the savings in time could be passed on to the client. Oh, but who are we kidding? We're talking lawyers passing on savings. I'm not betting on that horse

Lebanese govt talks hit snag over Sunni representation

The current Lebanese Justice Minister filed a complaint against a newspaper publisher, accusing him of harming relations with Saudi Arabia, AP reported. Charles Ayyoub, publisher and managing editor of Al-Diyar newspaper, in his article accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the deaths of civilians in Yemen. Acting Justice Minister Selim Jreissati asked the prosecutor general to bring a case against the editor, stating that the article violated Lebanese law and put the country at risk

Believe it or Not But Lebanon is Expected to Have New Cabinet in Next 48 Hours

by Daily Star.com.lb -- “Prime Minister Hariri is waiting for a final answer from the Lebanese Forces to his latest Cabinet offer before he meets with President Aoun either Monday or Tuesday to present him with the first Cabinet lineup that includes the distribution of portfolios among the main blocs, along with the names of ministers,” a source at Baabda Palace told The Daily Star. “The Cabinet formation process is on the right track. All signs indicate that the formation of a national unity government will be announced this week after major hurdles have been eliminated,” the source said. He ruled out the possibility of last-minute snags similar to those over the LF demand for the Justice Ministry that had thwarted the announcement of a Cabinet lineup nearly two weeks ago. The LF demand was rejected by Aoun, who insisted on retaining the Justice Ministry for one of his loyalists as part of his share after ceding the position of the deputy prime minister to the LF.

According to the source, Hariri’s Cabinet offer presented to the LF still stood unchanged despite the LF’s persistent demand for a weighty ministerial post as a substitute for the Justice Ministry. During one of his meetings with caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi last week, Hariri was reported to have offered the Lebanese Forces four posts: The deputy prime minister’s position and the Social Affairs, Culture and Labor ministries. Riachi, one of three LF ministers in the outgoing Cabinet, told The Daily Star Sunday that the LF would convey its answer to Hariri’s offer Monday.The LF’s parliamentary Strong Republic bloc will hold an extraordinary meeting in Maarab at noon Monday to be chaired by LF leader Samir Geagea to discuss “latest developments in the Cabinet formation and take the appropriate stances on it,” a statement from Geagea’s media office said Sunday night. LF’s deputy leader MP George Adwan said the party’s executive committee, headed by Geagea, would hold a “crucial meeting” either late Sunday night or Monday morning to decide on whether or not to participate in the new government. Adwan, in an interview with MTV, raised the possibility of the LF staying out of the new government. “There is a high possibility that the Lebanese Forces will not participate in the government,” he said. Assuring that a government would be formed in the next few days, Adwan said a “Plan B” would need to be devised if the LF did not participate in the government. Commenting on Adwan’s hint at the possibility of the LF staying out of the government, a source familiar with the Cabinet formation process told The Daily Star: “Adwan’s remarks are meant to enhance the Lebanese Forces’ negotiating position. No one wants to stay out of the government.” While Hariri insists on the LF participation in the new government, Adwan said caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, was seeking either to “prevent the Lebanese Forces from being represented in the government with its real weight, or prevent its participation.” Emboldened by the results of the May parliamentary elections in which it nearly doubled the number of its MPs from eight to 15, the LF has been demanding a significant Cabinet share. The LF and the FPM have been embroiled in a fierce struggle for five months over Christian representation in the government.

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WHY YOU SHOULDN’T HELP YOUR COWORKERS UNLESS THEY ASK

POSTED BY CAROLINE BROOKS-MICHIGAN STATE -- futurity.org -- Building upon previous findings that showed how helping colleagues slows one’s success, management professor Russell Johnson looked more closely at the different kinds of help in which people engage at work—and how that help was received. “Right now, there’s a lot of stress on productivity in the workplace, and to be a real go-getter and help everyone around you,” Johnson says. “But, it’s not necessarily the best thing when you go out looking for problems and spending time trying to fix them.” In looking at the ways people help one another in the workplace, Johnson explains that there are two basic kinds of help one can offer—proactive and reactive help—which are differentiated by whether or not a coworker requests assistance. If you’re the go-getter and actively offering to help others, you’re proactively helping. If a coworker approaches you and asks for assistance that you then give, you’re reactively helping, Johnson explains. “What we found was that on the helper side, when people engage in proactive help, they often don’t have a clear understanding of recipients’ problems and issues, thus they receive less gratitude for it,” Johnson says. “On the recipient side, if people are constantly coming up to me at work and asking if I want their help, it could have an impact on my esteem and become frustrating. I’m not going to feel inclined to thank the person who tried to help me because I didn’t ask for it.”

Johnson surveyed 54 employees between the ages of 21 and 60 who worked full-time jobs across a variety of industries, including manufacturing, government, health care, and education. He collected data over 10 days for a collective 232 daily observations to assess daily helping, receipt of gratitude, perceived positive social impact, and work engagement. With less gratitude for the helper and lower esteem for the person receiving help, Johnson explains that the respondents’ answers proved that proactive help has negative bearings on both sides—but for different reasons. “Being proactive can have toxic effects, especially on the helper. They walk away receiving less gratitude from the person that they’re helping, causing them to feel less motivated at work the next day. More often than not, help recipients won’t express gratitude immediately, which makes it meaningless as it relates to the helper’s actual act,” Johnson says. “As for the person receiving the unrequested help, they begin to question their own competency and feel a threat to their workplace autonomy,” he says. In some ways, Johnson says that his research suggests workers mind their own business and not go looking for problems to solve. Ultimately, he says, help is good—but just wait for coworkers to ask for it. “As someone who wants to help, just sit back and do your own work. That’s when you’ll get the most bang for your buck,” he says. “As the person receiving help, you should at a minimum express gratitude—and the sooner the better. If you wait a few days, it won’t have a positive impact on the helper.” Johnson’s next research will examine the ramifications of receiving help from recipients’ point of view, and how their reactions and feelings can shape the social climate at work. The research appears in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Microsoft just leaped over Amazon as second most valuable U.S. company

By Reuters Microsoft overtook Amazon as second most valuable U.S. company on Friday after investors punished Jeff Bezos' e-commerce behemoth for a disappointing quarterly earnings report, wiping $65 billion off the online retailer’s market capitalization. Apple still tops the list at over $1 trillion after crossing that threshold in September. Microsoft’s market capitalization was Wall Street’s highest in late 1998 through early 2000 before the dot-com bubble burst. Amazon’s shares dropped 7 percent, the most in nearly three years after its holiday season sales outlook missed targets, fanning concerns that Wall Street’s tech darlings are finally starting to face stronger competition. Microsoft fell a more modest 2 percent in a broad technology sell-off that was also driven by a weaker-than-expected report from Google-parent Alphabet. Shares of Microsoft remain up nearly 4 percent from Wednesday, when the four-decade-old software company beat quarterly profit expectations, driven by its cloud computing business that competes with Amazon’s.

Its stock market value on Friday stood at $823 billion, on track to close above Amazon’s for the first time since April, when it gave up its spot as second largest company by market capitalization. Amazon was worth $805 billion on Friday. Amazon’s tumble left it up around 40 percent year to date, while Microsoft has gained about 25 percent in 2018. On Wednesday, Amazon’s stock traded at the equivalent of 70 times expected earnings, its lowest level since 2011.

Jamal Khashoggi's son arrives in US

Washington (CNN) By Elise Labott and Nicole Gaouette--The son of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has left Saudi Arabia and arrived in the United States, a source close to the family told CNN. Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi, a dual US-Saudi citizen, had previously been unable to leave Saudi Arabia after his passport was restricted by the kingdom some months ago. A State Department spokesman said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Saudis to release the younger Khashoggi and deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said the US was "pleased" that he was allowed to leave the country. Salah Khashoggi is the eldest son of The Washington Post columnist who Saudis officials now admit was killed in a pre-meditated murder executed by a squad of men with close ties to the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Initially, Saudi Arabia denied all knowledge of Khashoggi's disappearance inside their consulate in Istanbul. Saudi officials later announced that they had identified 18 men involved in the operation, leading the State Department to announce it was freezing visas for 21 Saudi nationals. On Thursday, Palladino said the additional three people targeted by the US belonged to Saudi Arabia's intelligence services, royal court and a government ministry.

On Tuesday, the Crown Prince and his father King Salman were pictured shaking hands with the stone-faced younger Khashoggi at an investment conference in Riyadh. Officials have told CNN it is highly unlikely that the operation against the Saudi dissident and critic could have taken place without the awareness of the crown prince, who controls the country's security apparatus. CIA director Gina Haspel, who traveled to Turkey Tuesday to consult with officials there, briefed President Donald Trump Thursday on the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi's death. According to The Washington Post, Haspel heard audio in Turkey's possession that is purportedly of Khashoggi's October 2 killing. Palladino confirmed that Pompeo attended Haspel's briefing at the White House, but would not confirm whether he heard the audio or saw the video that Turkish officials claim to possess.

Trump has increasingly expressed frustration with the Saudi response. The kingdom has undertaken its own investigation, led by the crown prince. Palladino said the US had no timeline on the investigation, but that they'd like to see results "as soon as possible." The fallout from Khashoggi's murder has damaged Saudi Arabia, badly tarnished the crown prince and raised questions about US foreign policy priorities that hinge on the kingdom's financing or cooperation. The ongoing questions have riled Trump, who has been increasingly irritated by the negative coverage, sources say, and blames the Saudis for making him look badly. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" of the crime, and suggested to the Wall Street Journal that the crown prince may be responsible. "The prince is running things over there more so at this stage," Trump said when asked about bin Salman's involvement. "He's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him." CNN's Michelle Kosinksi and Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting.