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With all the recent advancements in technology, and with how interconnected everyday life has become with tech, the question arises whether programmers need to be held ethically accountable for their actions, in the same way lawyers are. Currently, there are no requirements that programmers who release code publicly, or for sale, be licensed by any sort of governing body that ensures the protection of the public. Sure, there are best practices, and there can definitely be criminal charges, civil lawsuits, and other consequences for a programmer’s unethical conduct....

As an in-house attorney, you’ve probably learned what pushes an executive’s buttons. You also know that if an exec runs across an online posting that slams your company’s reputation you’ll probably be receiving an angry call. But is it ever a wise idea to go after an anonymous blogger? It might make the exec initially happy. After all, they don’t want to see their business get tarnished. But legally speaking, it seems that going after someone whose identity is under wraps might be a long process....

A new lawsuit alleges that Google follows people on their phones – even after they have disabled location services on the devices. It’s a troubling development for the company because it already settled a related privacy complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The lawsuit alleges more violations of California’s privacy laws. What’s worse, Google said previously that disabling “location history” would solve the tracking problem. Apparently, the company didn’t know how to stop it either....

With Facebook jumping onboard the hashtag fun alongside Twitter, hashtags are now being used on social media more than ever. This means that if your law firm has an account on Twitter or Facebook (ideally, you should be on both and have a website), this will possibly affect the way your content is viewed and used by your clients as well as other Interner viewers and passerbys. Before you get too pound-sign happy, though, keep in mind that it’s not as easy as it looks....

If you’re starting a solo practice or you’re already running your own practice, you already know the value of branding yourself. Remember, branding involves a multitude of things for your practice. First you need to develop a niche. Once you determine what your practice area is, you can refine your brand and determine your clientele. Developing a niche will also help you grow your reputation as a respected attorney in your practice area....

What part of “World War III” did Sihai Cheng not understand? Cheng, a Chinese national convicted of selling parts to Iran for “World War III,” asked a federal appeals court to reduce his sentence. He basically said it was just a sales pitch, apparently forgetting that China sentences people to death just for selling sensitive information. The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals summarily dispatched Cheng’s appeal, ruling that the trial judge did not exceed her authority in sentencing him to 108 months in prison....

California Western School of Law is the latest law school to add an incubator law office. If you don’t know what an incubator law office is, you’re not alone. These programs set up by law schools are relatively new, and aim to benefit both starting attorneys and low-income clients. California Western’s incubator law office is modeled after the program at CUNY School of Law and is designed to aid new graduates to gain experience while offering low-cost legal services to San Diego residents, reports JD Journal....

Privacy advocates love California’s new personal data law; internet companies, not a data bit. No sooner had Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Consumer Privacy Act than Silicon Valley began to erupt in protest. Consumer groups, on the other hand, saw it as a sign of good things to come. “This is a milestone moment for privacy law in the United States,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Long ago and far away, back when the Internet first started gaining traction as a public communications medium, a cartoon depicted a dog logging onto a computer with a caption that read: “On the Internet, nobody knows you are a dog.” The clear implication was that the Internet was a new playground where communications could be free and anonymous....

Many lawyers have uttered the foxhole prayer. It’s that prayer you give after a judge crushes you with a bad ruling. Even the most atheist attorney knows the feeling, if not the words. Whatever you believe, however, you can’t really pray in court unless it’s a prayer for relief. So maybe that’s when you ask for a break. Ask for a Break The foxhole prayer is about accepting vulnerability. It can change things, which is really what we’re asking for when we make the petition:...

A final order of the BIA denying Indonesian national’s request for withholding of removal on the basis of political asylum is affirmed as petitioner failed to establish past persecution in Indonesia or a clear probability of future persecution. Petitioner’s claim of a due process violation resulting from insufficient transcription also fails as he did not establish that it created prejudice. Read Sihombing v. Holder, No. 08-2119 Appellate Information On Petition For Review Of An Order Of The Board Of Immigration Appeals...

Six months ago, I went under the knife. Or laser, to be more exact. Because laser vision correction is something that many lawyers may consider, I figured it was worth sharing my experiences in a three-part series: the decision, the surgery and recovery, and coping with limited vision when returning to work. Today’s post, and tomorrow’s, were written at the time of the surgery and edited today. Why in the hell would someone voluntarily submit to having their corneas removed, lasers shot in their eyes, then having their corneas slapped back on?...

Everything you know is a lie. Remember criminal procedure? Remember the lesson, and the trope, that there is a “penalty,” in terms of sentences received, for defendants who take trials instead of pleas. If a recent study is to be believed, it’s apparently an urban legend. Maybe. Except, Methodology In the comments to PrawfsBlawg’s highlighting of the Abrams study, a reader pointed out Al Alschuler’s critical evaluation of Abrams’ methodology....

Some people believe that public assistance applicants should be required to submit to suspicionless drug testing in order to receive welfare benefits. Others question the assumption that poor people use drugs at a higher rate than rich people, and denounce suspicionless testing as unconstitutional, scientifically unsound, fiscally irresponsible. It turns out that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals falls in the second camp. This week, the Atlanta-based appellate court upheld an injunction barring the Florida from enforcing its welfare drug testing statute, finding that the state failed to establish a substantial special need to support the law....

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Conviction Affirmed In US v. Rodriguez, No. 09-15265, the court affirmed defendant’s conviction and sentence for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act where 1) the record established that defendant exceeded his authorized access to a government computer; 2) the Act did not require proof that defendant used the information to further another crime or to gain financially; and 3) the district court was entitled to find that an upward variance was warranted based on the number of victims and the extensive nature of defendant’s unauthorized access....

How many websites are there on the Internet? In September 2014, the number of websites probably hit the 1 billion mark. We say “probably” because no one really knows for sure when that happened, only that there are 1 billion sites, according to Internet Live Stats, which keeps track of this sort of thing. Those are active sites right now; there are probably even more websites that have gone dark for whatever reason....

The heads of the heads of America’s law firms are getting grayer by the day, as more and more firm leadership hits retirement age (and beyond). Nearly half of the partners in Am Law 200 firms are members of the Baby Boomer generation or older, according to a report by the American Lawyer. Boomers, the 76 million adults born during the post-WWII boom, are now anywhere between 52 and 70 years old – prime retirement age....

It has been roughly 1,900 exhausting days since John Coleman, a researcher and author, filed his Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request with the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”). Under FOIA, departments have twenty days to respond to requests, plus a ten day extension for cause. Coleman is still waiting. And after 1,900 or so days, he may still have to pay for the photocopies. Coleman filed his initial request in February 2008, seeking information concerning the government’s regulation of the drug carisoprodol (a muscle relaxant also known as Soma)....

Does a person have standing to claim a product defect because of an increased risk of harm from a product’s vulnerability to lightning strikes? Maybe. The First Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that such scenario could give rise to standing, but in the case of Tim Kerin and his lawsuit against the Titeflex Corporation, the court said that, regardless, Kerin hadn’t met his burden of alleging sufficient facts to show probable future injury....

Lawyers are writers by trade, but we’re not always good writers. At times, legal writing can be so convoluted that it serves more to obfuscate than illuminate. First, we’re not against complex, even difficult writing. Complicated thoughts can require complicated sentences. But even the smartest of us can come off looking incomprehensible when we make our writing too complicated. If you want to write better, try writing more simply. Here are three tips to help you out....