Practice Technology

Does the S.C. Need to Open Up More?

Veteran Supreme Court reporter Tony Mauro sure thinks the country’s highest arbiter could stand a little more sunshine. And Mauro would like to see some demystifying by justices who aren’t just trying to sell a book. “Thank goodness U.S. Supreme Court justices write books. Otherwise, the public would almost never…

Apr 23, 2008 4:47 PM CDT

R.I. Court to Webcast Key Lead Paint Arguments

In a first for Rhode Island, the state’s highest court will webcast hearings on the closely watched lead-paint case against three major manufacturers. While the state’s high court doesn’t typically televise its hearings, the court plans to place two cameras in the court so that anyone with Internet access can…

Apr 22, 2008 10:50 AM CDT

New Website Plays Matchmaker For Would-Be Plaintiffs

A new website that has been described as a “reverse Martindale Hubbell” directory is getting some attention as it tries to match would-be plaintiffs to trial lawyers. Prospective plaintiffs looking for a lawyer can visit SueEasy.com, select a category of lawsuit and create a profile. The idea is that lawyers…

Apr 21, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Looking For Employee Perks to Offer? Facebook Access May be Enough

Employers who take a more liberal view toward allowing workers access to social networking sites may have a better shot at recruiting young talent, according to a survey by the Australia-based law firm Deacons. Of those surveyed, nearly half reported that “if given a choice between two jobs equal in…

Apr 16, 2008 8:28 PM CDT

Lawyer Suspended for Failing to E-File

A Topeka, Kan., lawyer has been suspended for three months, partly because he ignored a bankruptcy court’s warning that he needed to file his cases electronically. The Kansas Supreme Court held that the lawyer, Stephen D. Harris, violated his duty to represent his clients with competence, diligence and promptness. The…

Apr 15, 2008 5:28 PM CDT

Beware of E-Mail Bearing O’Melveny Name

Thousands of CEOs have received spyware e-mails bearing the name of O’Melveny & Myers. The e-mails contain attachments purporting to be grand jury subpoenas and are sent from a uscourts.com address, Legal Pad reports. But computer users who open the attachments could install spyware that logs their keystrokes. The U.S.…

Apr 15, 2008 11:23 AM CDT

N.Y. Law Firm Bans BlackBerrys at Major Meetings

A law firm in suburban New York City has banned electronic devices from major meetings to prevent distractions caused by cell phones and BlackBerrys. The six-month-old “no-device policy” at the Long Island law firm of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone is intended to prevent even vibrations from incoming calls and…

Apr 7, 2008 3:56 PM CDT

Law Blogging Shifts from Novelty to Community-Builder in Ohio

Lawyer-run blogs haven’t completely taken off in the Columbus, Ohio, legal community, but they’re becoming increasingly common. While corporate America uses blogs to detail product development and further brand identity, the Dayton Business Journal notes that law blogs “are more likely to stick to communicating about a specific practice area…

Apr 4, 2008 5:13 PM CDT

Law Firm Posts Lawyer Cartoons on its Website

A New York law firm trying to stand out from the crowd is posting lawyer cartoons from the New Yorker to its website. The cartoons are part of a new “branding approach” by the Mineola law firm, Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, Newsday reports. The firm posts five new cartoons…

Apr 3, 2008 2:44 PM CDT

In an About Face, New Jersey Provides Lawyer Records to Website

The state of New Jersey has complied with a request for records of thousands of lawyers in the state by lawyer-ranking website Avvo. Avvo had petitioned the New Jersey Supreme Court for access to names, year of admission and current bar status of the state’s lawyers after the clerk of…

Apr 2, 2008 1:38 PM CDT

A Quarter of the Nation’s Top Law Firms Have Blogs

More than 25 percent of the top 200 law firms have blogs, and the numbers are increasing. A study reported by Kevin O’Keefe’s Real Lawyers Have Blogs says 53 of the top firms have blogs, and 10 percent have more than one blog. In all, the top firms publish 110…

Apr 1, 2008 4:04 PM CDT

SCOTUSblog Bans Reader Comments Due to ‘Silly Sniping’

SCOTUSblog, a popular blog for Supreme Court watchers, has decided to ban reader comments on most of its posts because of “silly sniping.” A notice posted on the blog today says the editors tried unsuccessfully to reduce unproductive comments in 2006 by requiring commenters to post their full names. “We…

Apr 1, 2008 2:02 PM CDT

In a Discovery Bind, Calif. Law Firm Created FIND Process

When a client of a Silicon Valley law firm balked at the expected seven-figure cost of searching through 100 million files, Fenwick & West found another way to deal with the discovery issue. It put an in-house IT team to work on the problem of culling through the files to…

Mar 17, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

Lawyer Rating Service Petitions N.J. Court for Lawyer Records

The lawyer-rating service Avvo has petitioned New Jersey’s highest court to gain access to public information about that state’s lawyers. Avvo wants access to names, year of admission and current bar status about lawyers licensed in the state, according to Avvo and an Associated Press report. Avvo maintains that its…

Mar 13, 2008 3:30 PM CDT

The Debate Rages

See Mac v. PC. Our advocate for Apple and protector of PCs continued their debate of who’s box is best in a flurry of e-mails. Here is what they wrote:

Mar 1, 2008 11:02 PM CST