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Google and Microsoft have filed motions with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, seeking permission to reveal information about how many secret FISA requests they have received under the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The move shows just how crucial a role in-house counsel can play in combating negative media reports. As you know, FISA has been in the national spotlight ever since Edward Snowden leaked documents about the U.S. government’s Prism surveillance program, which reportedly provides the National Security Agency with direct access to customer data stored by Microsoft, Facebook, Google and other big technology companies, reports PC World....

Do you have a dog and a law firm? If so, you might want to consider exploiting your dog’s cuteness to help market your law firm. Simply put, your law firm’s social media needs content, and people love dog photos on social. In most, if not all cases, your dog (like mine) will willingly agree to be a social media star in exchange for copious treats and playtime, so there’s no harm there....

Depositions can make or break a case, and can make or break some attorneys’ careers or reputations too. Take for example the Illinois attorney who recently was recommended to face a disciplinary action by the state’s disciplinary hearing board due to his incredibly obnoxious behavior during a deposition. He not only personally insulted opposing counsel, but had the gall to blame his untoward conduct on election of President Trump and the erosion of American standards, all while on the record....

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that Jefferson Parish deputies who placed a mentally-ill suspect in a four-point restraint that led to his death did not employ excessive force. Based on Fifth Circuit precedent on the issue, the court ruled that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity. Police officers then escorted Khan out of the Winn-Dixie, while Khan forcefully resisted his removal from the store, (e.g. thrashing his legs, attempting to bite, and, according to one officer, reaching for an officer’s gun belt)....

It’s a battle of due process versus doping. Judge Sam Sparks dismissed Lance Armstrong’s lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Monday, after concluding that Lance could rely on international arbitration bodies for due process, reports The Washington Post. If Armstrong were to accept the sanctions, he would forfeit seven Tour de France titles, and he would be banned from the Olympics, reports The Washington Post. We all know that won’t happen, so let’s discuss the other options....

Another law firm is branching out on the internet, setting up a virtual office to complement its brick-and-mortar presence. Taylor English Duma, which brands itself as a new breed of law firm, is hiring partners to become part of a virtual hub. Unlike purely virtual firms, the Atlanta-based firm calls it a “hybrid” model that will give partners more support to work at home. It also represents a trend in law firms branching out on the web to serve clients across the country....

A new database has been published with more than 66,000 data fields on thousands of commercial arbitration cases in 136 countries, enabling legal professionals to analyze international arbitration in new ways. No, it’s not from Wikileaks or Edward Snowden. It’s from a start-up company called Dispute Resolution Data, which has contracts to collect and release the information from some 20 arbitration institutions. This is a significant release of information because, historically, commercial arbitration has been confidential....

The White House on Friday debuted its proposed Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Act, which would provide additional statutory protection for sensitive consumer information like Social Security numbers and mandate that holders of such information have to provide consumers with notice about privacy and security practices. As predicated, no one is happy. MediaPost reports that advocacy groups on both the pro-privacy and anti-privacy sides voiced their opposition. On the “anti-privacy” side is the Association of National Advertisers, a marketing and advertising trade group....

When filing or defending a lawsuit with an arbitration clause, it can often work out to your client’s advantage to utilize that arbitration provision, or to try to get around it. Sometimes though, cases will get filed before a contractually required demand for arbitration is made. In those cases, defense counsel will have an important decision to make: whether to invoke the arbitration provision and quash the case, or simply continue on with the litigation, and waive that clause....

If you talk to marketers, you’ve probably been told that you need to put some videos on your website for potential clients. After all, video is one of the strongest marketing channels out there to reach consumers in an impactful way. However, attorneys are loathe to make YouTube channels for a variety of reasons, not the least of which probably involves the comment section where the internet trolls seem to be like a mutant hybrid between a four-year old mid-temper-tantrum and the most bigoted, foul-mouthed, fictional sailor you can imagine....

Should your law firm offer coupons? No. See, that wasn’t too hard, was it? OK, the answer might not be that simple, but for most practice areas, most lawyers, and most clients, coupons are a bit too low-class for general use. You won’t see any BigLaw firms tossing out coupons. You won’t even see most family law lawyers tossing out coupons. And seriously, as a client, what would you think if you got a “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” coupon for DUIs or divorces?...

We’ve talked a lot about the Sony hack. And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you know that Sony (along with a number of theaters) decided to cancel the release of “The Interview” (the film that may have inspired the hack, which some have speculated was carried out by the North Korean government). Sony then decided to release the film on Christmas Day and online simultaneously....

You know how people are always saying – it’s who you know? Well, that might be more true than people like to actually admit. According to a recent Harvard Business Review piece, one of the most critical components for achieving success in your career involves surrounding yourself with the right people. Surprisingly, it’s not all about knowing people who can actually give you a hand up, but rather, it’s more about knowing people who are going to challenge, inspire, and help lift you up....

One month down, eleven more to go. Have you begun to implement changes to meet your departmental goals for 2014? What? Haven’t even made a list of goals yet? Stop. If you are running around putting out fires you will never be able grow as a management professional and trusted team player in the legal department. Before you run off to that next meeting, take a look at some of the top trends for 2014 in legal department management, that Huron Legal put together....

In the month of April, all eyes were on the Fourth and Ninth Circuits as they took on the president’s controversial travel ban. But the First Circuit was also busy handing down major decisions. Whether you’re keeping an eye on space law, tort law, or gaming law, the First Circuit’s recent decisions are worth reviewing. In a suit brought by a solo law practitioner alleging that defendant violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) when it issued a software license key that expired on May 31, 2011, despite the fact that he owned a permanent license to the software at issue, the district court’s order adopting the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation are affirmed where plaintiff failed to establish the necessary $75,000 amount in controversy....

Twitter is one of the best online media tools for a busy lawyer. The messages are short and sweet while the site gets enormous amounts of traffic every day. Since most tweets are public (unless you explicitly make them private) users can easily find what you have to say. But in a sea of Twitter users the trick is finding a way to stand out. If your name doesn’t have the draw of a major pop star, how can you make sure your tweets are being read?...

It’s just a matter of time before hackers get inside our heads. They have already gotten inside our bodies – literally. If you have a pacemaker, you know what we’re talking about. Now the hackers can take over our lives through our voices, sort of. It’s a voicemail hack. Leave a Message According to reports, security geek Martin Vigo knows how to get your passwords to online accounts through your voicemail....

Why should you use calendaring software to meet court deadlines? One word: malpractice. Here are a couple more: insurance rates. Here’s a whole phrase: peace of mind. However you want to say it, it should go without saying. A calendaring system can save your professional life. Here are more reasons to use calendaring software for court deadlines: Software Calendar If you have a paper calendar, good; software is better; cloud-based is best....

In these highly interconnected times, a company’s intellectual property and trade secrets are more valuable than ever. With this in mind, both houses of Congress sent a bill which will, upon President Obama’s signature, become the Defend Trade Secrets Act. If passed, the newly minted federal law will open the door for companies to sue domestic and foreign violators in federal court in a streamlined litigation manner instead of having to navigate the state laws....

An en banc Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s 2013 Firearm Safety Act on Tuesday. That law, passed in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting that left 20 first graders dead, banned assault weapons and high capacity magazines – the very type of weapons common in mass shootings. But the Fourth didn’t just rule that the law withstood scrutiny under the Second Amendment. It ruled that the targeted weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment at all....