Your Law Firm Blog is Terrible
Some of the worst legal writing is found… on the internet. Yes, when there is an opportunity to market, explain a new legal development, or explain the latest law firm news, lawyers take to their firm blogs and write some of their worst material. We understand. Billable hours are draining. …
Boston Bombing: Getting Your News From Internet vs. Television or Print
The recent bombing of the Boston Marathon lead to an unprecedented manhunt which shut down a city and drove a nation to watch the events unfold on live tv. But how “live” was it? If you were to follow the news hashtags on twitter or listen to the police …
US Memo on Drone Strikes vs. Al-Qaida Memo on How to Avoid Them
A bit off topic of Internet law, the discovery by the Associated Press of an Al Qaida memorandum on how to avoid detection/death from American drones is a technology story worth discussing. The news coverage on this has been bleak. On the other hand, there has been plenty of coverage …
5th Circuit Holds Cell Phone Data Not Protected by SCA
The federal Stored Communications Act (SCA) does not protect text messages, photos, and video on a cell phone since the phone is not a “facility” nor an “electronic communication service” as defined in the federal statute. An employee had her phone taken from her work locker and inspected for potential …
Florida Trend Legal Elite 2013 – Please Vote
Florida lawyers: a brief request shameless plug to vote for me in the Florida Trend Legal Elite 2013. Thanks for your help. The link is here. Christopher B Hopkins / Akerman Senterfitt / West Palm Beach.
FAA Is Considering New Rules Re: Use of Devices During Take-Off, Landing
The FAA is seeking comments about its current policy which airlines follow regarding passenger use of personal electronic devices. Yes, that list that flight attendants rattle off (which surprisingly still includes “iPods” and “Gameboys”). So apparently it is time for review and comment. The FAA’s call for comments is in …
Mandated E-Service for Florida Civil Filings as of September 1, 2012
The Florida Supreme Court has required e-service in Florida Civil cases by September 1. The change-of-date order is here. The underlying order is here. Confused? Here’s sources of information so you can prepare your firm over the next month. The Florida Bar News had these relevant articles: “Court Sets E-filing, …
20 Free Programs You Should Have on Your PC in 2012
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 …
Florida Adds New Teen (Anti) Sexting Law — Here Are All of the Official Documents
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 …
Will Your Law Firm Accept Bitcoin?
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 …
Sending Large PDF Documents by Email
Lawyers (and others) often send emails with large PDF and other attachment. This article from the May 2011 Palm Beach Bar Bulletin will give you some tips and tricks to get around firewalls and other e-barriers.
South Park’s Use of WWIB Video Deemed Fair Use
A Wisconsin federal court judge dismissed a case against the makers of South Park where the plaintiff had alleged a copyright violation of its use of an Internet viral video, What What in the Butt. In the April 2008 episode, “Canada on Strike,” character Butters Stotch “replicates parts of the …
Sending Large PDF Documents by Email
Have you run across the situation where you want to email PDFs, video or image files but they get caught in either the sender’s or recipient’s filter because the attachments are too large? Problem solved. This article from the May 2011 Palm Beach County Bar Association Bulletin explains how to …
Ninth Circuit Rules in Facebook Case (but wait, is there more?)
The Ninth Circuit federal court released its decision in Facebook v. ConnectU, the lawsuit made famous by the 2010 movie, The Social Network, regarding the creation of Facebook and the litigation it spawned. The full decision is here. The news coverage (already clocking in at over 800 stories in four …
The Woes of Citing Wikipedia in Court Pleadings
In a federal court case out of Kentucky, defense counsel reportedly cribbed portions of the brief from… Wikipedia. And then from a Federal Judicial Handbook. Both times without proper citation. Before getting to the orders, we note the case has the narrowest connection to Florida. In a February 2011 order, …