Beware as Google peeks – legally – at your personal info
Et tu, Google? The recent shift in Google’s privacy policy has to rank as one of the most significant items in technology news so far this year. Google will now combine all your data from all Google...
View ArticleScenes from the VTLA
With 12 hours of continuing legal education from leaders of the bar, the court and the legislature, good advice was in plentiful supply at the annual convention of the Virginia Trial Lawyers...
View ArticleIt’s just Google! Keeping jurors offline to stay in line
NORFOLK – Jurors who have a hard time putting their Internet habit on hold during jury service need strong guidance from trial judges, a jury research expert says. In Virginia courtrooms and around the...
View ArticleSharpen your blogging skills with easy tactics
Although a great deal of attention is directed toward social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, even the newest tools have a tough time matching up to a now-classic online...
View ArticleApplicants don’t ‘like’ requests for social-media access
Social media clearly has changed the way we interact with each other. We offer up-to-date commentary about the details of our lives with BlackBerries, iPhones, smart phones and other devices. And we...
View ArticleSocial Media: To Link or not to Link
Should you accept a LinkedIn invitation from someone you don’t know? What about someone whose reputation is questionable? When people ask me questions about whether or not to “link,” they are usually...
View ArticleLook before you tweet: Some best practices for Twitter
Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool for lawyers. It’s a convenient and quick way to connect with clients and to share news and information. But there are subtle ways your tweets might be...
View ArticleHigh court hears record wrongful death appeal
A man should not keep a jury award for his wife’s death when he and his lawyer conspired to remove photos from his Facebook page and then lied about it to the court, a defense lawyer told the Supreme...
View ArticleWebsite must identify ‘John Doe’ posters
An Alexandria Circuit Court says a Virginia carpet cleaning business may subpoena information on persons who posted anonymous complaints about the business on Yelp.com, a California-based social...
View ArticleLitigation pitfalls and pratfalls
Lawyers can find plenty of ways to stay out of a courtroom. Instead of the hand-to-hand combat of a trial before judge or jury, they can opt for some form of alternative dispute resolution. But the...
View ArticleObtaining rights to ‘digital assets’
The grieving parents of a teen who took his own life hit a roadblock in a search for clues to help them understand the family tragedy. A widow is stonewalled as she tries to manage her own bank...
View ArticleAttorneys, marketers hesitate to endorse LinkedIn endorsements
Brian D. Wassom has never done work on mergers and acquisitions. But someone recently endorsed him for the skill on social networking site LinkedIn. A slip-up like that is part of the reason marketing...
View ArticleLegal Loop: When is social media contact criminal?
The online world is simply an extension of the offline world. So it’s no surprise that people’s behavior on social media sites can result in criminal charges. But the complexity of the relationships...
View ArticleFacebook “likes” admissible but punitives cut in defamation case
A dog trainer who claimed he was defamed by online accusations of animal abuse was entitled to tell a jury how many people “liked” the offending Facebook page, a federal judge has ruled. Nevertheless,...
View Article‘Right to Like’ gets protection under appeals court ruling
Clicking a “Like” button on the Facebook page of his boss’s political rival was protected speech that should not be the basis of a deputy’s firing, a federal appeals court has ruled. A panel of the 4th...
View ArticleVSB tests social media waters with videos
With a president who works every day in digital forensics and information security, the Virginia State Bar is exploring new ways of staying in touch with its increasingly tech-savvy members and the...
View ArticleSocial media for lawyers: Think of it as a non-stop cocktail party
Want to party 24/7? Social media perplexes many lawyers and law firms. They know they need to move in that direction, but the “how” escapes them. The way to succeed with social media is to embrace the...
View ArticleSocial media tip: Your firm is not Target
How did people find a lawyer before Al Gore invented the Internet? They asked a friend, saw an ad on TV, or looked one up in the phone book. Now, just 15 years after Google was formed, it has become...
View ArticleReal people still real drive behind marketing
Many lawyers bemoan the need to sit behind a desk staring at a computer numerous hours a day. They feel that their job, in particular marketing for that job, demands that they email, Facebook, tweet,...
View ArticleeDiscovery Update: Gathering tweets from a different place in time
There is no debate that social media has altered our lives both professionally and personally. Even if you don’t have a Facebook account or are not an avid Tweeter, chances are that a picture of you is...
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