Latham Legal Jargon…that you can take with you

Yesterday, while satisfying my annual attorney CLE requirement, I was listening to a great seminar —
60 iPhone and iPad Apps in 60 Minutes for Lawyers — sponsored by ALI-ABA Law Practice Management section.

One of the apps featured got me thinking about the marketing potential for law firms who come up with useful iPhone/Pad and Android apps.

If you’re a corporate lawyer and find yourself puzzled by financial jargon like “second lien” while doing document review, the law firm Latham & Watkins has a solution for you.

Last year, Latham released “The Book of Jargon,” a free app that has a glossary of 750 financial terms, like “bear hug letter.”

Courtesy of Latham & Watkins
The firm’s compendium isn’t comprehensive, though: While it has definitions for “material adverse change,” “Rule 144a offering” and “white knight,” it lacks definitions for more au courant terms like “collateralized debt obligation” and “credit default swap.”

These small quibbles aside, The Book of Jargon is useful for lawyers and those curious about the terms of art used in the words of corporate law and finance.