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The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton’s conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine on Thursday, reports The Associated Press. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison last year in Tampa federal court, shortly after winning a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. During his trial, Banton testified that he was bluffing about a drug deal that he made with an undercover informant, and that he had no money to make the deal....

This week a lot of Americans are asking “Who is Mark O’Mara?” After George Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder Wednesday, he has retained a new attorney to help him through the legal maze that faces him in the months to come. Who is George Zimmerman’s attorney? Who would take up this arduous task of representing such an infamous defendant– a defendant who has come under media scrutiny, has received death threats and may be one of the more hated men in America these days?...

Littler Mendelson has been making legal headlines over the recent hiring of a Chief Data Analytics Officers. The role is designed to head up the firm’s data analytics practice as well as help to implement new technologies. Other large firms that utilize large amounts of data analytics, or have major technology practices, may be considering following Littler’s lead. However, for small to mid-size practices, the Chief Data Analytics Officer role might be a bit over-the-top and unnecessary, though the idea could be implemented in a variety of ways to accommodate different types and sizes of practices....

This is an absolutely twisted, twisted case. Calvin “Calcutta” Dyess is a former drug kingpin who pleaded guilty to drug charges in order to avoid a life sentence. He was supposed to provide material assistance as part of the deal, but apparently didn’t, which ended with him receiving the lifetime bid. During sentencing, two major snafus happened. First, and more importantly, the amount of drugs wasn’t included in the indictment – a mistake that would appear to create Apprendi problems (Apprendi was decided after Dyess’ indictment, but before sentencing)....

Evernote just got a little cooler. An update to the cross-platform note-taking darling brings some useful new functionality to lawyers. We’ve talked the app’s great features before. The new Android version seems to have been designed with Ice Cream Sandwich in mind. Evernote’s developers have made some changes to the program’s aesthetics and abilities that mesh well with the mobile OS. So what can Evernote’s latest revision do for attorneys?...

A recent case out of the First Circuit Court of Appeals provides some much needed clarity on the relationship between the False Claims Act and the federal anti-kickback statute related to Medicare claims. In short, a fired management-level employee’s whistleblower retaliation case was revived on appeal due to the fact that a violation of the anti-kickback statute basically begets a False Claims Act violation, and that to prove retaliation, a plaintiff need not prove an actual violation....

The holidays are a time when we can set aside our differences and focus on what unites us as people. For kids, candy canes might be the common thread. For school principals, it’s qualified immunity. For the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, it’s a 100-page decision on First Amendment rights for kids and qualified immunity for the instructors who teach them. In Morgan v. Swanson, better known as the Candy Cane case, the Fifth Circuit ruled that Texas elementary school students had a First Amendment right to engage in student-to-student religious speech, but school administrators who restricted their right to do so were protected by qualified immunity because the law is unclear on the extent of students’ free speech rights....

Next week, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai will appear before the House to testify at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. As the committee’s press release advised, “The hearing will examine potential bias and the need for greater transparency regarding the filtering practices of tech giant Google.” However, it is pretty much expected for the tech giant to be grilled on whether and how it is filtering (positive) content related to President Trump, whether political bias influences their practices, and what the company is doing with its work with China....

In a world of shrinking wallets, some attorneys have started offering a-la-carte legal services. Also known as limited scope representation, it can help clients get manageable legal fees. The ABA’s new book on the topic explains the concept of limited scope representation in an online guide. In its online guide, the Section of Litigation has laid out some basic guidelines on limited scope representation in litigation matters. First off, lawyers offering a-la-carte legal services need to be aware of ethical pitfalls....

Petition for review of an order denying application for withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture, and rejecting a request for voluntary departure, is denied in part and dismissed in part where: 1) petitioner is not entitled to withholding of removal as substantial evidence supports a determination that petitioner faced neither past persecution nor a likelihood of future persecution, and did not show a well-founded fear of future persecution; 2) petitioner is not entitled to protection under the Convention Against Torture as he presented no evidence regarding the likelihood of his being tortured upon his return to his home country; and 3) the present court has no jurisdiction to review denials of voluntary departure....

For in-house lawyers, the word vacation may be as foreign a concept as billable hours. However, when the weather’s hot and you want to stretch right up and touch the sky, you might realize that it’s a little more difficult than you expected to do what you feel. There are unrealistic expectations and there will always be pitfalls when in-house counsel want to take time off. Here are three tips to help you be one of those lucky in-house lawyers on the beach this summer....

Nobody likes a patent troll. Still, even with the prevalence of frivolous litigation brought by these non-practicing entities, there remains a portion of the court’s docket that is filled with legitimate claims brought by small businesses with actual, legitimate infringement claims. We’d like to stop patent trolls in their tracks, but the remedy has to be narrowly tailored. Otherwise, we risk bringing the hammer down on both idiots and innovators alike....

Now in its ninth year, SuperConference is the premier event for legal executives seeking the latest tools, techniques, trends, and analysis on the most pressing issues in law. The two day, multi-track program will feature legal industry luminaries David Boies, Robert Bauer and Dick Thornburgh as keynote speakers, a world-class Advisory Board, and a diverse roster of speakers from some of the nation’s leading companies and law firms. The 2009 SuperConference will be open to both in-house counsel and outside counsel alike, providing you enhanced networking and learning opportunities....

Color us skeptical whenever a hip new social networking fad comes around. Remember Ello? So do we: At least we remember signing up, writing a story about it, and then never using it ever again. Between all the myriad social networks (and their core audiences), new networks have to more than just provide a place for you to say “hey” to your friends. For its part, Facebook had to go all meta on us and create a new social network experience within its existing social network....

My favorite judge in America, outside of the Supreme Court, just made headlines again. And again, it’s for his manner of online speech, rather than the content. Again, it’s begging the question: Is it time for Judge Kopf to re-retire his keyboard? And with the demands of avoiding the appearance of impropriety, respect for the office, and political correctness, should judges blog, or tweet, or even go on social media at all?...

Since retiring from the Supreme Court in 2005, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has kept herself busy with television appearances and making speeches at law schools. She also sits by designation when a circuit court is running low on judges. He challenged the sufficiency of the evidence as well as the sentencing enhancement for a violent crime. Because, you know, shooting at a police helicopter is not a violent crime, right?...

The old adage that any publicity is good publicity may be true - especially in the realm of law firm marketing. Okay, so maybe that old saying needs a bit of work. Certainly, losing cases wouldn’t be good publicity - but advertising something kind of controversial, like free divorces, might be something that can help push a firm into the public limelight. One British firm, Follett Stock Solicitors, is doing just that....

If you’re a busy lawyer, particularly if you’re a busy solo practitioner, stepping away from work can seem virtually impossible. There is simply too much to do and too few people to do it. So you keep working, day in and day out, for years. Stop. Take a break. Take a vacation. You don’t only deserve to escape and relax for a bit, you need to, for the health of your practice....

What’s the difference between paying for fake followers and selling bots that use stolen identities? There is no difference because they are both embarrassments. Actually, selling bots with stolen identities as fake followers is also a crime. That’s what New York’s attorney general says after opening an investigation based on an expose by the New York Times. The newspaper disclosed that social media users buy fake followers – bots using real identities – to raise their public profile....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Protecting customer private data is not necessarily easy for companies. And with increasing government regulation and customer expectations, the associated burden and cost may seem heavy. However, companies are starting to “get” that privacy protection translates into good business. Happy customers tend to be repeat customers. Unhappy customers whose private data has been compromised might go elsewhere with their future purchases and transactions....