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In “Castaway,” Tom Hanks pointed at a clock and called it a “pulsating, accursed, relentless taskmaster.” And we know what happened after that – five years on a deserted island. Losing time was the real curse. Voice-Activated Tech Echo Input is different. It works like Chromecast, which you plug into your television to connect it wirelessly to tall your Echo devices. Together, you basically have a smart home or office. After all, lawyers need background music to ease away the hours....

‘Horseback Law’ is probably not what you think it is. It is not equine law, where lawyers specialize in all things horse-like. “Horseback Law” is Google’s law business model, a legal service tailored for fast-moving startups. “Lawyer rides up, assesses the problem, offers feedback and moseys on,” says practitioner-savant Carolyn Elefant. If you feel like saddling up, here are half a dozen new business models for law firms to consider....

Remember former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin? He was chared and convicted of corruption charges in 2014 and is currently serving his sentence in federal prison in Texas. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against Nagin, essentially laughing off his calls for a new trial based on incorrect jury instructions. The circuit called this claim “meritless.” One of the bases for requesting a new trial was Nagin’s contention that the lower court instructed the jury improperly on the elements of bribery....

If you didn’t know, they do things differently in Small Town, U.S.A. Not that every rural community has only one sheriff or three billboards. But you probably won’t find a lawyer in places like Zzyxx, California. That could be a good thing if you want a territory all to yourself. It just means you’ll have to practice law a little differently, including how you charge for legal services. Lawyer Shortage In some parts of the country, rural communities are practically begging for lawyers to set up shop....

It turns out there is no key to success. It’s just a metaphor to sell the idea that success can be achieved with one, quick turn. But it’s a lie. So how do you achieve success as a solo lawyer or small firm practitioner? According to extensive research, you need something more like a keychain. Keychain Success Paul Caron, writing for the TaxProf Blog, recruited a team of researchers to find out what made people more successful....

The Transformative Leadership Awards recognize and “honor general counsel and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in corporate law,” and is presented by InsideCounsel Magazine. An annual tradition, peers nominate attorneys for the Transformative Leadership Awards for recognition at an industry dinner. The Transformative Leadership Awards The Transformative Leadership Awards are split into two categories: three Economic Empowerment Awards, and four Awards Named for Stellar Attorneys....

Buying into new technology will probably make you better at lawyering, though it might not make you a better lawyer, per se. You’ll be able to get more done, be more organized, do things on your own that would’ve taken whole teams just a few years ago. But, when going to court, some lawyers think that all the new tech just gets in the way. However, ignoring technological advancements that have been made over the past two decades, especially when going to court, is a dangerous game....

Sentence for conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft is affirmed where: 1) the district court’s properly applied the six-level multiple victim enhancement for more than 250 victims as the bank account holders who were reimbursed for their losses were still victims; 2) the court understood its discretion to depart from the sentencing guidelines, and imposed a sentence with that understanding in mind; and 3) the court did not err in imposing a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for aggravated identity theft....

Sometimes when you read the news, you can see the lawsuits coming. Like the latest whistleblower suit against Wells Fargo. The former head of the bank’s foreign-exchange group claims he was fired right before he was scheduled to tell government regulators about allegedly “false and misleading” sales practices at the company. The lawsuit follows a Wall Street Journal report that federal prosecutors were investigating foreign-exchange trading at the beleagured bank. For general counsel, sometimes it’s about knowing what’s happening before it hits the news....

Thinking about selling your practice? If so, the next question may help you make up your mind. How much is it worth? It’s hard to say, kind of like explaining to clients the value of their case or the reason for your hourly rate. It’s a complicated question but boils down to this: How likely is it that your clients will actually continue with the potential buyer? Goodwill Like many things, a practice is worth only what someone will pay for it....

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 12 provides quite a bit of help to litigators looking to avoid trial. Apart from the various motions to dismiss that can be filed under 12(b), subsection (c) also provides an effective tool to end cases through motions for judgment on the pleadings. Typically, a motion seeking judgment on the pleadings can be filed any time after an answer has been filed and the time to respond to the answer – under subsection (f) or otherwise – has passed....

The Appeals Court for the First Circuit affirmed a lower district court’s decision on the production of allegedly privileged documentation, quite possibly expanding the exception to swallow the rule. For attorneys, this is a good chance to check up on your privileges. Crime-Fraud Exception A quick refresher: communications by a client to his or her attorney for the purposes of seeking legal advice are generally privileged and may not be disclosed to other third parties – including a court – unless an exception applies....

Last week, the Eleventh Circuit ruled that a marriage fraud prosecution was actually barred by the 5-year statute of limitation, and reversed the district court’s judgment that it was not. In its investigation, and because of several inconsistencies in the allegedly married couple’s documents and in their responses given during a joint interview, ICE investigators decided to conduct separate interviews. Even more suspicion was raised regarding the status of their marriage....

The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed a lower district court’s grant of summary judgment on age discrimination issues, finding that the trial court failed to apply relevant law and came to its conclusions erroneously. It’s a small victory for the plaintiff, who was subjected to the ridiculous drama of employee jealousy and company re-organization. Liebman, plaintiff in this case, worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance as the managing director at the company’s Boca Raton and West Palm Beach locations in Florida....

Apparently, it’s dangerous to your health to be idle in retirement. Studies say people are 40 percent more likely to have heart attacks or strokes than those who are still working. Not to be a skeptical lawyer, but don’t diet, age, and genetics have something to do with that? Anyway, it’s all the more reason for attorneys to stay active in retirement. Otherwise, they will question people to death. Here are five different things to do:...

The American Bar Association has formed a new task force to study due process rights in college sexual misconduct cases. Andrew S. Boutros, co-chair of Seyfarth Shaw’s White Collar, Internal Investigations and False Claims Act Team, will lead the task force. It will be comprised of 10 to 12 members, including lawyers, academics, government officials, victim advocacy representatives, and other constituents. “The Criminal Justice Section is committed to fair and balanced procedural and substantive due process in the criminal justice system,” said Matthew Redle, chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section in a press release....

If you shop online, you’ve probably received an email from a retailer or your credit card company explaining that their system was hacked, and your personal information may have been accessed. That warning is always followed by an attempt to reassure you that your credit card information is probably safe. If you are overcome with the litigious spirit every time you read one of those infuriating messages - we have received three in the last year - the First Circuit Court of Appeals is willing to consider your data breach lawsuit based on Maine state law claims....

Just when cryptocurrency was looking like a tech sector savior … It’s almost like a conspiracy, like someone is after cryptocurrency. Oh wait, that would be the Securities and Exchange Commission. Centra Tech In the continuing tale of suspected cryptocrooks, authorities have arrested the founders of Centra Tech. The company, once endorsed by Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled, raised $32 million with its initial coin offering last year. Sohrab “Bob” Sharma and Robert Farkas claimed they had debit card services that users could use to “instantly convert hard-to-spend cryptocurrencies....

When it comes to choosing the right tech for your law office, one of the biggest questions firms face is choosing desktops or laptops. This question gets even more complicated because laptops can be used with docking stations allowing attorneys to have multiple screens and other perks associated with using a desktop. For those firms that are leaning toward laptops, often, questions abound about whether using a docking station while in the office is worthwhile, or just having separate desktop computers for in office use is better....

District court’s grant of habeas relief is reversed in part, jurisdiction is retained, and question of state law is certified to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court where: 1) the witness’s eyewitness testimony together with the other evidence of record could reasonably comprise a constitutionally adequate foundation for defendant’s ensuing conviction; and 2) the question of whether allowing a witness’s redacted statement into evidence violated plaintiff’s Sixth Amendment confrontation rights depends on whether the petitioner’s conviction became final in 1996 or 2002, and is certified to the state supreme court to decide....