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The FCC’s net neutrality rules go into effect this Friday, June 12th. The FCC’s net neutrality rules prohibit three main practices: blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization. The goal is to provide an “open Internet” where all content is treated equally by internet service providers. Telecom companies are scrambling to get their ducks in a row and settle disputes that could end up before the FCC. But, as the rules get ready to go into effect, some roadblocks remain....

A recent case decided by the Ninth Circuit has been causing a stir, simply for reaffirming what’s already well established, though resoundingly un-liked, under the law: Accompanied minors facing deportation do not have the right to an attorney provided by the government. In addition to that holding, the Ninth Circuit also rejected the notion that an immigration judge is required to advise of all possible eligibilities for benefits. Rather, the court explained that only the benefits that the record clearly shows an alien is eligible for are required to be advised....

An article by The New York Times, “Cracking the Apple Trap,” hasn’t even been published in print yet, but is already stirring up discussion over planned obsolescence, thanks to the online version of the article going live this morning. The short version? Apple is forcing upgrades by designing their products to fail after two years. While the tech blogs are (rightly) mocking the article (all batteries die over time, operating system upgrades will, of course make your gadget run slower), that doesn’t change the harsh reality for consumers on a budget: that $600 iPhone will perform poorly after two or three years....

In plaintiff-mortgage lender’s lawsuit against the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac), district court did not abuse its discretion in denying bank’s untimely motion to intervene post-settlement between the parties. Read R&G Mortgage Corp. v. Fed. Home Loan Mortgage Corp., No. 08-2542 Appellate Information Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico Decided October 1, 2009 Judges Before: Howard, Ripple, and Seyla, Circuit Judges Opinion by Seyla, Circuit Judge...

In a rare decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated and remanded an order of a lower district keeping the documents showing the probable cause basis for a pre-indictment search warrant under seal. These decisions are usually upheld as appellate courts generally provide quite a bit of deference to the lower court’s findings of fact. The appellant in the matter, Justin Smith, was the subject of multiple searches, authorized by warrants....

You’re a modern attorney, down with the social medias. You’ve got hundreds of Twitter followers and a professional blog. Maybe you have a few YouTube videos out there, or a social media team that updates your firm’s Facebook profile every once in a while. But Instagram? Should you get on the massively popular social-media sharing site? Probably not. Here’s why. If you’re not familiar, Instagram is a photo and video sharing social network site that is incredibly popular, particularly among young people....

Some say that an office is essential to maintaining an appearance of professionalism. Others argue that you can have a home office, meet clients offsite, and save tons on overhead. You might even be able to deduct that home office as a business expense on your taxes. Some practice areas are more suitable to offsite meetings and limited in-office time. For example, an estate planning attorney might only meet with the client a couple times when planning and reviewing a will....

The Internet of Things and other “smart” tech may offer promises of a more convenient life, allowing you to operate any number of gadgets, home appliances, locks, lights, cameras, and more, all from the palm of your hand. However, some IoT and smart tech can also offer a really easy backdoor into your network for hackers, even after you’ve sent them off to the e-recycler. Notably, one of the big problems is discount, or bargain bin smart tech....

In Stevens v. Epps, No. 09-70009, a capital habeas matter, the court affirmed the denial of petitioner’s habeas petition, holding that, because the trial court allowed a juror to be struck after having rejected the prosecutor’s assertion that she did not complete her juror questionnaire, it was not unreasonable for the Mississippi Supreme Court to conclude that the trial court implicitly credited the prosecutor’s assertion that he struck the juror because she was inattentive, and thus, that court properly rejected petitioner’s Batson claim....

A lot of people are rightfully enraged at the moment. A drunk 16-year-old, with two people riding in his truck bed, slammed into three people who had stopped to help a stranded motorist. Those four people died, one of the individuals who was riding in the pickup truck bed can now only communicate by blinking, and who knows how many people were injured between the truck’s other passengers and the oncoming car that collided with the wreckage....

What are some good password managers for attorneys? Lawyers probably possess a bevy of passwords. You need passwords to access your Westlaw account, PACER, your e-mail, and your online banking. Yikes. It’s no wonder that many of us now need a password manager. It’s simply difficult to remember all of them. Here are some top password managers to help you stay on top of your practice: 1. LastPass LastPass needs to be downloaded and installed....

It’s the dream of almost every new tech startup: grow big, gain buzz, and get acquired. Indeed, acquisition has largely replaced IPOs as the get rich quick strategy of choice, as giant companies like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook have paid out billions to acquire promising new companies. But for a startup’s lawyers, getting acquired can mean major and sudden changes to their job, if they get to keep it. When a startup is acquired by a larger company, many of the perks that draw attorneys to work in-house at startups can suddenly disappear, as David Ruiz recently explained in the Recorder:...

We all want to do less and earn more. But when that doesn’t happen, we need to do more to earn more. But you don’t need to work through the night in order to get work done. There are plenty of tools out there to help increase your productivity, helping you become a more efficient, effective attorney. Here are three. If you find yourself writing the same thing over and over (don’t we all?...

Law firms, like any business that relies on individual customers or clients, might want to lean into Valentine’s Day before it’s too late. And thanks to social media, even if you forgot to plan anything, you can still do something. To that end, if you’re confused on how to get social media marketing right on Valentine’s Day, below you can get a few tips on what to do. If there are any lawyers or staff at your firm that have a particularly romantic love story about how they ended up with their significant other, today is a great day to share and celebrate it on social media....

Technology always seems to be a step ahead of the law, and that is not always a good thing. In the latest stretch of technology’s imagination, for example, researchers have developed a 3D printer that can make human skin. It is designed to cover and heal wounds. Legal minds will differ, of course, because we can argue the pros and cons about almost anything. As for new technologies, however, the best we may be able to do is try to keep up....

The controversial ‘sanctuary cities ban’ passed by the Texas legislature in the spring of 2017 had its day in court before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier this year, a federal district court blocked the law from taking effect. The district court found that imposing criminal penalties on officers that do not honor immigration detention requests, as well as imposing civil fines and removal from office against officials who limit or fail to endorse immigration enforcement....

In March, Hulk Hogan won an invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker, a pioneering Internet gossip website. The litigation came after Gawker published a sex tape featuring the professional wrestler. Faced with a $140 million judgement, Gawker may have to shut down if it cannot win its case on appeal. But Hogan wasn’t the only winner in the litigation. Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and conservative tech entrepreneur also came out on top....

In the not-too-distant future, everybody will be on the cloud just like they are on cell phones today. According to one survey, 83 percent of enterprises will be on the cloud by 2020. That’s about one “Star Trek” sequel from now. In other words, resistance is futile because the cloud will cover the earth. Is your law firm ready? Data in Flight We’re really talking about survival because many clients will precede law firms into the cloud....

Federal Trade Commission’s suit to recover millions in damages to customers who purchased defendants’ purported panaceas off their infomercials Fed. Trade Comm’n v. Direct Mktg. Concepts, Inc., 09-2172, involved the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) suit against a number of parties seeking both injunctive relief and monetary equitable relief in order to redress customers who had purchased defendants’ purported panaceas off their infomercials, claiming violations of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. sections 45 and 52....

If you’re looking to keep better track of things efficiently at your law firm, Needles Case Management System just came out with a new and improved version of its software. Names Notes Case Tab Value Tab items and Calendar items. In addition, Needles stores information regarding integrated applications such as Outlook, QuickBooks, Juris, and TimeSlips when the application creates or modifies information in Needles in either the names, value or calendar areas....