Every day, our more than 200 experienced attorney editors are on alert for the latest legal updates across 13 practice areas. They then take that information and create resources like checklists, how-to guides, and toolkits, so that Practical Law users always have the latest, best information in a form they can easily use to do their best work with less effort.
The following is just one recent example of how Practical Law helps practicing attorneys stay abreast with what matters most to them.
As a litigator, you’re expected to have mastery of many topics, from knowing the latest case law to understanding the formatting, filing and service requirements across jurisdictions. Failure in any of these areas can bring grave consequences to you and your clients.
Without a single reliable source of correct, up-to-date information, particularly for evolving legal issues or for morphing procedural matters, mastery can prove difficult or impossible.
This difficult situation is not theoretical; it is what New York litigators are facing today.
On March 1, 2018, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court began requiring e-filing of appeals for certain actions in each of the four departments. The new rules govern formatting, filing and service procedures. Failure to comply with these rules risks delay or even the loss of the right to appeal.
New York litigators trying to master these new requirements must confront the reality that there is no one source that provides all the latest information. In addition to the joint rules on e-filing and the technical instructions for e-filing, each Appellate Division department has its own rules and requirements. Making this situation even more challenging is that it is a fluid process, as each department will be regularly expanding the types of cases subject e-filing at different times and for different categories of cases.
Short of hiring additional paralegals to help research, what other options does a New York litigator have? The answer: Practical Law.
How Practical Law helps meet those challenges
Supporting Practical Law is a team of experienced attorney editors who average 13 years’ litigation experience. These attorney editors update Practical Law subscribers in real time by continually monitoring this dynamic process, gathering and distilling all published information and filling in the gaps with information provided by court clerks and staff.
To further support New York litigators, they also create key legal how-to guidance from this information. To date, these resources include:
- Civil Appeals in New York: E-filing Checklist
- Civil Appeals in New York: First Department Toolkit
- Civil Appeals in New York: Second Department Toolkit
- Civil Appeals in New York: Third Department Toolkit
- Civil Appeals in New York: Fourth Department Toolkit
The review process does not stop once the resources are published, however. Editors regularly update them to keep up with the latest legislative changes.
To learn more about how Practical Law supports litigators, go here.