Around the Blawgosphere: Profs on Economic Realities; Can We Have ‘Authentic Conversations’ Online?

Profs’ Blogging Symposium This week, Legal Ethics Forum hosted the “LEF Symposium on Legal Education’s Response to the Economic Realities Facing the Profession.” It was conducted by having more than 20 law professors contribute posts over a three-day period about “the implications of economic pressures on the way we teach…

Feb 10, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Unaware ‘Anonymous’ Existed Until Friday, Partner of Hacked Law Firm Is Now Fielding FBI Phone Calls

Unaware until Friday that the hacking collective known as Anonymous existed, partner Neal Puckett has gotten an extensive education in Internet security issues for law firms over the past three days. The attack that began Friday on Puckett & Faraj could have been much worse, he tells the ABA Journal,…

Feb 6, 2012 8:02 PM CST

ABA Supports Uniform Law for Online Publication of Court Decisions and Laws

The ABA House of Delegates has approved a resolution supporting the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act governing the authentication and preservation of laws, court decisions and other legal materials published online. Resolution 102B supporting the model law was approved on a voice vote, though a significant number of delegates voted…

Feb 6, 2012 5:56 PM CST

Lawyers Still Have a Lot to Learn About Technology, Ethics 20/20 Witnesses Say

Jayne Reardon. Photo by Kathy Anderson Lawyers don’t fully appreciate how much technology is changing the nature of law practice, several witnesses said today at a public hearing conducted by the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20. “Many lawyers don’t understand that technology is a leading cause of the economic climate…

Feb 3, 2012 2:12 AM CST

Phone Homes: As Smartphones Go Viral, Attorneys Gain Freedom of Platform

Feb 1, 2012 8:40 AM CST

Got Disaster? Your On-Hand Technology Can See You Through

Feb 1, 2012 8:20 AM CST

Torn Between BlackBerry’s Security Reputation and an iPhone? Soon, It May Be Possible to Have Both

Not so long ago, having a BlackBerry as a smartphone was virtually a requirement in many major law firms in the U.S. and Canada. But despite the device’s reputation for data security, a growing number of lawyers are choosing to make the switch to an iPhone or iPad, leading a…

Jan 31, 2012 11:47 PM CST

Some NY Law Firm Reps Said to Be Clueless as FBI Warned of Hackers Seeking Corporate Data

Representatives from New York’s top 200 law firms learned about hacking risks in a meeting with the FBI last November, and some were better prepared than others. The FBI’s cyber division in New York City held the meeting because of the rising number of law firms getting hacked, Bloomberg News…

Jan 31, 2012 2:53 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Takes on Apple’s iBook Author; Volunteer Job Requiring 5 Years Experience?

Launch’s Legal Fallout A big tech story this week was the Apple’s launch of iBooks Author, a free tool allowing users to create textbooks, which the company says will “reinvent textbooks” by allowing iPad users to access texts that are interactive and constantly updated and available at a relatively low…

Jan 27, 2012 2:30 PM CST

As Email Disclaimers Proliferate, Some Lawyers Say They Are Unenforceable

Recent law grad James Sinclair adds a satirical disclaimer to his emails—and most people haven’t even noticed it. And that may be the problem, some lawyers tell the Wall Street Journal. Boilerplate language on every email marked “privileged and confidential” could make it difficult to argue that some electronic communications…

Jan 27, 2012 1:41 PM CST

Insurance Can Be Purchased for Cyberattacks, But Figuring Out What to Cover Can Be a Challenge

If a law firm or client is hit hard by a cyberattack, their worries aren’t limited to data recovery and computer hardware and software that may have to be repaired or replaced. Lawsuits and regulatory fines could also result, as well as damage to the reputation of the business, reports…

Jan 24, 2012 5:39 PM CST

New Jersey Town Will Shine Red Light on Suspects Identified by Surveillance Cameras

The city of East Orange, N.J., has a plan to stop crime as it happens: It will shine red spotlights on people caught on surveillance cameras who appear to be committing crimes. Officers at police headquarters monitoring the video feeds will control the lights, mounted next to the city’s surveillance…

Jan 24, 2012 2:02 PM CST

Judge Orders Mortgage Fraud Defendant to Reveal Encrypted Contents of Laptop

A federal judge in Colorado has ordered a woman accused of mortgage fraud to produce the encrypted contents on her laptop. U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn said the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by his order, report the MSNBC.com blog Technolog, the Wired blog Threat Level and CNet. Blackburn cited…

Jan 24, 2012 1:27 PM CST

Videoconferencing Is Opportunity for Law Firm Hackers; Techie Demonstrates Vulnerability

A technology security firm has managed to hack into law firms, courtrooms and corporations through their videoconferencing equipment. HD Moore, a chief security officer at Rapid7, demonstrated his hacking abilities for the New York Times. “With such equipment,” the Times says, “the hacker could have easily eavesdropped on privileged attorney-client…

Jan 23, 2012 2:00 PM CST

Posner Gets Creative with Photos Again, Pictures Bob Marley in Prisoner Rights Opinion

The federal appeals judge who pictured an ostrich in an opinion has turned to photography again, this time in a decision on a prisoner’s suit over shorn dreadlocks. “Dreadlocks can attain a formidable length and density,” the Jan. 13 opinion (PDF) says. A photo of the late reggae musician Bob…

Jan 17, 2012 11:30 AM CST