Julian Webb
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julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb
@julianinoz.bsky.social
740 followers 580 following 320 posts

Law prof at UniMelb; lawyers/legal ethics, digital tech/reg, civil justice, empirical research. HREC Chair, Grampians Health. Recovering legal education geek.Trainee lavender grower, 💙art and books. Dja Dja Wurrung country #firstgen .. more

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Political science 28%
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julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Jan 30
"Informative, inspiring and ambitious, Leading Works is a landmark work in legal ethics... The wide-ranging and thought-provoking territory that the book covers make it an invaluable resource..."

- Amy Salyzyn, JOTWELL (Jan. 29, 2025) (reviewing Webb (ed), Leading Works in Legal Ethics, Routledge).
Three copies of a book, 'Leading Works in Legal Ethics' fanned out on a wooden table

Reposted by Julian Webb, Sabine Pahl

charlottegarden.bsky.social
Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social · 2d
A variation on the story from the other day about how many teens think factual reporting is routinely made up:
susannashore.bsky.social Susanna Shore, Author @susannashore.bsky.social · 7d
I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.
A post on Mastodon by small cypress (@small_cypress@indieweb.social): As an art teacher I was worried AI would come up as an issue of "why should I learn how to draw when I can use AI instead." But the real issue is that my middle schoolers CONSTANTLY believe all art I show them is AI. Digital art. Photography. Oil paintings from the Western canon. "A human couldn't do that" Being convinced that humans can't make great art is kind of terrifying

Reposted by Julian Webb

legalfutures.bsky.social
Legal Futures @legalfutures.bsky.social · 7d
Ethics and profits clash “regularly”, say general counsel zurl.co/xxJKK
Ethics and profits clash “regularly”, say general counsel
Most general counsel at large UK companies have said that ethical and moral concerns “regularly” come into conflict with “profit motivations”.
zurl.co

Reposted by Julian Webb, Lisa Larrimore Ouellette

matthewsag.bsky.social
Matthew Sag @matthewsag.bsky.social · 7d
Harvey.AI is courting law schools like Westlaw/Lexis once did, but do we really need it? After a demo, my verdict: it's ChatGPT in a black turtleneck. Good for firms needing secure doc review & RAG, but law students can already do most of this with existing tools. matthewsag.com/do-law-schoo...
Do law schools need Harvey.AI? – Matthew Sag
matthewsag.com

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · 11d
There is no smell of living thing,only the trace
Of an empire long forgotten, bleeding
Stone out of the dead land.
A frown and wrinkled lip lie shattered,
Half-hidden, a lip that lies, lied once bidding
All in a voice of cold command.
Where are you now,
But in the shadow of monuments?
reddite.bsky.social Pete Smith @reddite.bsky.social · 12d
Hwaet! a strider from sore agéd strand
Speaking of stone shattered shanks
Hard by hewn and haughty highbrowed
Sternly showing the sculptor's sight
Memory of might majestic
Cold and clear calling to conquered
Lost and lowly now lingering looks
OZYMANDIAS' ornament orders
Despair and doom
scriblit.bsky.social Gabby HC's books make ideal festive presents @scriblit.bsky.social · 13d
Once upon a desert sandy
As through winds the trav'ling man he
Spied the face of Ozymandy
Lying, simply lying there
Suddenly there was some writing
Pon the plinth that he was sighting
That the sand and time were blighting
Quoth the statue, "Now despair"

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · 12d
Some good news for a change: Cheers as historic treaty with First Nations people passes Victorian parliament search.app/PJB1G
Cheers as Victoria legislates historic treaty with First Nations people
The upper house of state parliament erupted in cheers last night when vote was passed and the politicians w...
search.app

Reposted by Julian Webb

reddite.bsky.social
Pete Smith @reddite.bsky.social · 12d
Hwaet! a strider from sore agéd strand
Speaking of stone shattered shanks
Hard by hewn and haughty highbrowed
Sternly showing the sculptor's sight
Memory of might majestic
Cold and clear calling to conquered
Lost and lowly now lingering looks
OZYMANDIAS' ornament orders
Despair and doom
scriblit.bsky.social Gabby HC's books make ideal festive presents @scriblit.bsky.social · 13d
Once upon a desert sandy
As through winds the trav'ling man he
Spied the face of Ozymandy
Lying, simply lying there
Suddenly there was some writing
Pon the plinth that he was sighting
That the sand and time were blighting
Quoth the statue, "Now despair"
nick-pettigrew.bsky.social Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 13d
There was an old man you could gaze
At his works in despair in a daze
If you looked upon them
And were mere mortal men
'Ozymandias mighty', it says

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · 16d
Human Rights Commission calls for neurotech safeguards www.innovationaus.com/human-rights...
Human Rights Commission calls for neurotech safeguards
Australia's privacy laws should be updated urgently to protect neural data, the Australian Human Rights Commission has warned in a landmark report calling for new safeguards on the nascent technology....
www.innovationaus.com

Reposted by Julian Webb

legalfutures.bsky.social
Legal Futures @legalfutures.bsky.social · 22d
Law firm that cited fake AI-generated cases to pay wasted costs zurl.co/7yJ1H
Law firm that cited fake AI-generated cases to pay wasted costs
A law firm has been ordered to pay wasted costs after it cited two fictitious cases that were generated by artificial intelligence.
zurl.co

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · 27d
Great, now AI slop porn is, apparently, an essential step towards superintelligence. And this from a co that once pretended it was committed to AI for social good! If only this were satire...
mattburgess1.bsky.social Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 28d
Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year
We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right. Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases. In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing). In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · 28d
ChatGPT ‘upgrade’ giving more harmful answers than previously, tests find www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
ChatGPT ‘upgrade’ giving more harmful answers than previously, tests find
Campaigners ‘deeply concerned’ about response to prompts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Julian Webb, Fabián Muniesa , and 2 more

mattburgess1.bsky.social
Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 28d
Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year
We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right. Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases. In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing). In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Oct 9
www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/43109...
4 in 10 disciplined lawyers struck off, exclusive data reveals
Exclusive Lawyers Weekly data revealed that around 40 per cent of lawyers facing disciplinary action have been struck off or recommended for removal. A closer analysis of the last 100 disciplinary rep...
www.lawyersweekly.com.au

Reposted by Julian Webb

lpeblog.bsky.social
LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · Oct 6
Today, @lookheron.bsky.social argues that, for higher education, it's been one battle after another: how the neoliberal era laid the groundwork for the recent authoritarian turn.
The Neoliberal Foundation of the Authoritarian Turn in Higher Education
Recent authoritarian attacks on higher education mark a significant shift from the neoliberal era, which celebrated institutional independence from the state, the role of education in boosting worker…
lpeproject.org

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Steve Peers, Tim Bale , and 2 more

davidallengreen.bsky.social
dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · Oct 1
This is the judgment on the PPE/Medpro claim.

A cracking £122m win for the Government Legal Service

And is wonderful to see the government bringing a claim in contract against a shoddy supplier.

This does not happen often, and it should happen far more.

www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...
www.judiciary.uk

Reposted by Julian Webb

orinkerr.bsky.social
Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · Sep 25
"Trial Separation: Courtroom Lawyers Are Breaking Up With Big Law," a very interesting WSJ story on prominent biglaw litigation partners starting boutique firms. Gift link:
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Trial Separation: Courtroom Lawyers Are Breaking Up With Big Law
Top litigators are leaving elite firms to start boutique firms, a trend that is accelerating in the Trump era.
www.wsj.com

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Sep 22
Looking forward to discussing Legora over dinner this week with my MLS colleague Jeannie Paterson, Minter Ellison's Jack Stoneman and Legora's Heather Paterson

Reposted by Julian Webb

rantlaw.bsky.social
RanTLaw @rantlaw.bsky.social · Sep 19
I don’t think Ben realises how funny this quote is
Screenshot of a quote pull from Baker Mckenzie. “Leveraging Al will hopefully create a 1 + 1 = 3 equation - where technology helps us deliver legal services in smarter, more effective ways. But getting there will mean adjusting how we structure legal work in a more complex world. BEN ALLGROVE Chief Innovation Officer” On the right is a picture of Ben. He is a white, middle-aged man withe close-cropped blond hair. He wears black wire-framed glasses, a teal close-check open neck shirt and a broad smile. His headshot is in front of a dark panel with lines of graduated colour that are mean to evoke technology

Reposted by Julian Webb

lsolum.bsky.social
Lawrence Solum @lsolum.bsky.social · Sep 18
Rapoport on Law Firm Responses to Targeting by Executive Order, buff.ly/2Pw8AmC -Nancy B. Rapoport (University of Nevada, William S. Boyd School of Law) has posted Scrappy or Strategic? Law Firm Decision-Making in Light of Executive Orders (Vol 13, Emory Corp. Gov. & Account. Rev. (2026)) on SSRN.
Rapoport on Law Firm Responses to Targeting by Executive Order
Nancy B. Rapoport (University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law) has posted Scrappy or Strategic? Law Firm Decision-Making in Light of Executive Orders (Vol 13, Emory Corp. Gov. &…
buff.ly

Reposted by Julian Webb

6newsau.bsky.social
6 News Australia @6newsau.bsky.social · Sep 17
NEW: The ACT Legislative Assembly has today moved to enshrine access to adequate housing as a human right, in an Australian-first decision that passed with bipartisan support

WATCH: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP4-...
ACT makes housing a human right in Australian-first move
YouTube video by SIX News Australia
www.youtube.com

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Sep 11
A start, but so much damage seems to have already been done.... www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Embattled ANU vice chancellor resigns amid staff fury
The university’s chancellor, Julie Bishop, announced the move in a short statement posted to the institution’s website on Thursday.
www.smh.com.au

Reposted by Julian Webb, Martin Tomko, Fiona Armstrong

lucytartan.bsky.social
Laura @lucytartan.bsky.social · Sep 10
Big turnout at this morning’s rally against @mupublishing.bsky.social vandalism of Meanjin. @beneltham.bsky.social called for Meanjin’s name and archive to be surrendered so the magazine can be published by someone who deserves to and appreciates the honour
Protesters gathered outside Melbourne University Publishing office at 715 Swanston St

Reposted by Julian Webb

legalfutures.bsky.social
Legal Futures @legalfutures.bsky.social · Sep 10
Fascinating ruling about a couple who 'gifted' their third child to the wife's childless sister. "It will surprise no one reading this that within a very short space of time the decision began to create distortions in the fabric of the families lives". Judge asked to rule on adoption zurl.co/s6KQ7
IN & Anor v RL & Ors [2024] EWCC 27 (08 August 2024)
zurl.co

Reposted by Julian Webb

cameronwilson.bsky.social
CAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · Sep 9
another day, another judgment featuring an AI fuck up. This time: ChatGPT gave someone bad advice, but also told them to speak to a lawyer or union. Naturally, the user didn't and just turned in excerpts from their conversation with the bot.

Reposted by Julian Webb

beneltham.bsky.social
Ben Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · Sep 9
Rally to save Meanjin magazine
Thursday 11 Sept 9am
715 Swanston St Carlton

A number of Australian writers, editors and academics will speak in support of this vital cultural institution

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Mary Bosworth, Dorothy Bishop , and 35 more

benpatrickwill.bsky.social
Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · Sep 6
Academic authors, here's a peek into the black box of journal publishing from an journal editor if you can bear it:

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Sep 6
MI5? ASIS? CIA? 😉

Reposted by Julian Webb

shannonvallor.bsky.social
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · Sep 5
Since surely we are taking an evidence-based approach to assessing AI’s value, and in light of last week’s MIT study showing similar results for businesses, we will now be halting the ‘put AI into everything everywhere always’ campaign?

*listens in earpiece* oh no
M365 Copilot fails to up productivity in UK government trial
: AI tech shows promise writing emails or summarizing meetings. Don't bother with anything more complex
www.theregister.com

Reposted by Julian Webb

ketanjoshi.co
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · Sep 4
"Regional Victoria is the canary in the coalmine here. As soon as it becomes unprofitable gas companies cut and run...this will keep happening"

During a death spiral, people get hurt - and gas companies want to make sure it isn't them. Great piece by @envirovic.bsky.social -->>>
Putting gas companies in charge leaves communities unprepared
This week, 10 small towns around regional Victoria, including Swan Hill, Lakes Entrance and Marong, received the news that their gas company, Solstice Energy, would be cutting them off some time next ...
environmentvictoria.org.au

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Sep 3
First disciplinary sanction in Australia for lawyer misusing AI: "The lawyer will undertake supervised legal practice for a period of two years, with the lawyer and his supervisor reporting to the board on a quarterly basis in that time." www.theguardian.com/law/2025/sep...
Lawyer caught using AI-generated false citations in court case penalised in Australian first
Victorian solicitor stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after acknowledging he did not verify case list
www.theguardian.com

julianinoz.bsky.social
Julian Webb @julianinoz.bsky.social · Aug 29
Wow
adigitaltanay.bsky.social Tanay Katiyar @adigitaltanay.bsky.social · Aug 29
On Prolific, "we estimate that about 34% of online study participants use LLMs to answer open-ended questions atleast some of the time..."

Seems like a very timely paper for behavioural scientists using online samples: osf.io/preprints/so... ;

We really need more papers on this issue