The Palm Beach Bar Association is hosting the 2.5 CLER credit course, iPhone and iPad Apps for Lawyers, on June 15, 2012 at the Bar’s new offices. Bring your mobile device, have lunch, and learn about more than 50 apps which will help your law practice, writing, research, communications, and …

A defendant in a personal injury suit lost in arbitration and her lawyer sought trial de novo.  The defendant sent an email to plaintiff’s counsel stating that she, as the party, did not want a trial and complained that her counsel and insurance carrier were continuing to defend the case. …

Can you find someone with only a cell, fax or phone number?   Or just a name? Or email address? The March 2012 Palm Beach County Bar Bulletin can tell you in this month’s Technology Corner article, Internet Sleuthing: Number Guru and Spokeo.

Special thanks to the Paralegal Association of Florida for the invitation to speak at the Boca Raton Chapter’s 5th Annual Ethics Seminar. We discussed paralegal ethics relating to the use of social media (especially Facebook) for research as well as ethics relating to assisting lawyers with jury selection by using …

Consistent with most jurisdictions nationwide, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida circuit court judge ordered plaintiffs in a medical malpractice case to produce Facebook data in discovery.  Plaintiffs had objected to the production on the grounds that the request was overbroad, burdensome, not within the scope of discovery, and violated privacy rights. …

Apps for smartphones are pretty easy — finding and installing programs (the original “apps”) for a new PC is not so easy.  If you have a new PC after the holidays or simply want to make sure you have the right (free) tools which every lawyer should have on at …

A persistent problem for the jury system has been jurors using the Internet during jury selection and trial.  Despite media coverage, the problem continues (even internationally). But there may be a positive side of this issue: jurors are, like the rest of us, often tied to the internet or smartphones.  Perhaps …

The case of U.S. v. Jones is set for oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court next week and may resolve whether police may physically attach a GPS transmitter on a person’s car to track its movements for an extended period of time — without a warrant. Read the article …

As much as lawyers want to use Facebook for advertising, a key concern is security for their “public” accounts… and their personal ones.   This October 2011 article from the Palm Beach Bar Association explains, in step-by-step format, how to secure your Facebook accounts. In light of the recent Facebook …

On October 5, 2011, a Connecticut federal court judge declined to order a new trial after the defendant in a tax evasion case learned that  (a) “Juror X” was posting on Facebook during trial that he “may get 2 hang someone… can’t wait” and “Guinness for lunch break” and (b) “Juror …

There has been a rush of news stories about Florida’s new anti-sexting law which went into effect October 1, 2011.  Unfortunately, much of the coverage is inconsistent:  for example, CNN describes the new law as “easing” the penalties for this type of lewd behavior. The Sun Sentinel/Palm Beach Post simply …

While much of the focus on Internet safety is on our children, a lot of what they learn may come from the habits of their parents.  I had the pleasure to speak to a group of parents, and then a group of 7th and 8th grade students, at Rosarian Academy …

The concept of bitcoin, a virtual online currency, has been in the news in 2011.  The good news is that it has been somewhat stable, received media attention, and survived an attempted hack (arguably better than major corporations and some nations).  The bad news is that it remains a shadow-currency …

Remember the “news” that our smartphones are tracking user locations and storing them in files on the phone?   This article discusses how the iPhone accumulates and stores location data — and how it can be obtained by lawyers in civil cases. Originally published in the Trial Advocate Quarterly, Volume …

In 2011, the Palm Beach Bar Association hosted “Intermediate Facebook for Lawyers & Law Firms,” a seminar regarding Facebook: 1.  Current legal ethics issues; 2.  How to use Facebook and social media for jury selection; 3.  Facebook marketing for lawyers; and 4.  How to set up a Facebook fan page …