The Courts and AI: A Bumpy Road in 2023

By Chris Cochran

For the sake of argument, let’s say 2023 was the year we were introduced to generative AI and ChatGPT, along with the myriad of other generative AI products from the big tech players. It was also the year we were introduced to any number of warnings of the social and economic effects of generative AI, “deepfakes” were moved into the mainstream, and dire predictions of AI-induced workforce reductions rumbled through the labor markets. Cecily Mauran over at Mashable.com gives us a good take on AI and the internet in 2023.

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Taking A Closer Look @ … Department of State Investment Climate Statements

By Chris Cochran

The U.S. government (USG) compiles enormous amounts of information each year, documenting the history and the health of the United States – statistics covering the economy, population, industrial production, mortality rates, and consumer demand among many other data points. This information is freely available and easily accessible if you’re patient, know where to look, and know how to extract the information you need.

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Beyond Madoff: Due Diligence Lessons that Stand the Test of Time

By Chris Cochran

I keep going back to an excellent Mintz Group article from 2010 that I’ve used (and shared) many times over since it was first published to demonstrate some due diligence traps that can have serious impacts on businesses and investors. It’s a great supporting document when a client questions the time – and expense – a background check or other due diligence investigation is taking. The article, “Beyond Madoff: Eight Lessons from Recent Due Diligence Background-Checking Gone Wrong,” bubbled up in my thoughts recently as I continued reading installments in a seven-part series the Wall Street Journal has been publishing for subscribers on financial crimes that “rocked” the U.S.

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Five Simple Ways to Get Free (or “Almost” Free) Company Information

By Chris Cochran

Finding information about publicly traded companies in the US has never been easier. For the most part, companies want to share information about themselves as both a marketing tool and a way to bring in more investors. Publicly traded companies are also required to provide their financial and other regulatory information to the US government. In this blog post, I’m focusing on open information resources about publicly traded companies in the US for the general researcher and knowledge consumer.

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The Devil in Due Diligence Details

By Chris Cochran

The due diligence devil is usually in the details. Investigating reputational risks shouldn’t just be an “add on” to make due diligence more thorough. As Jeff Berkowitz points out in his recent Forbes article about political and reputational risks, digging deep and understanding all the potential vulnerabilities of key participants in a deal is crucial. But really, it always has been.

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My Top 10 Morning Briefing Resources

By Chris Cochran

I’ve been a current affairs and news junkie for most of my life. Since I was about 10 years old, I found myself driven to know what’s going on in the world daily or weekly. It was easier to do before the internet exploded our access to vast information resources and created even greater volumes of content producers. That’s not an inherently bad development – just a challenge to be met.

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