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Small claims court can pose a conundrum for attorneys. In many states, lawyers are not allowed to represent clients in small claims – a ban that’s meant to keep things simple when small amounts are in controversy. But if a litigant asks for help with a small claims case, you don’t have to turn her away, the Out-House General Counsel blog suggests. Even states that don’t allow lawyers in small claims courtrooms do allow parties to consult lawyers outside of court to help prepare their cases....

Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications manufacturer, has been charged with bank fraud, money laundering, and other federal violations. In a press release, U.S. Justice Department and Homeland Security officials unveiled the charges against the company and its chief financial officer. CEO Wanzhou Meng was arrested last month in Canada, but has been free on bail. At the time, it looked like a deal might be in the works. Now, not so much....

Robots are humans too, right? Well, not exactly. But as artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to advance, some are arguing that the resulting technology could deserve basic rights – a recognition of a sort of “electronic personhood.” In Europe, at least, the idea is getting some traction. A recent draft report by the European Union’s Committee on Legal Affairs calls for the consideration of whether robots may be entitled to legal rights – and how to hold them civilly liable should autonomous robots injure others....

The obituaries for Windows RT devices have been coming steady and frequently over the last few months. The offshoot version of Windows, meant for low power tablet (ARM) processors, was supposed to give Microsoft a presence in the tablet market. Instead, it’s sent their stock plummeting and partner companies into hiding. Despite the near-certainty of impending firesales, we’ll warn you now: don’t purchase Windows RT devices for your law firm....

“Metadata” entered the lexicon thanks to the Edward Snowden revelations, prompting explainers on what the heck it is. The prefix “meta” is self-referential; metadata is data about data. To put it in a less confusing way, metadata is extraneous information about data. You’ve got a document, and the content of the document – the words – are the data. But the document also contains other information about the data, like who authored the document and when it was created, and what parts of the text are underlined....

If you’ve ever zoomed in or out on a word processing document, it was probably via a simple left-right slider. Drag it to the left, things are smaller; drag it to the right, they’re embiggened. It’s hardly a revolutionary design, but it is one that Microsoft patented way back in 2006. Now, MS is hauling out that patent to sue Corel, owners of WordPerfect, the non-Word word processor most lawyers love....

A federal jury in Rhode Island convicted Arjusz Roszkowski of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and knowingly possessing a firearm with an altered serial number. Among his arguments on appeal, Roszkowski claimed the statutes of conviction were unconstitutional pursuant to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. Unsurprisingly, the First Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed with Roszkowski’s assertion that the Obamacare ruling held the key to his felon in possession appeal....

What is the scope of consent when the driver of a vehicle consents to a search of the car, but there are multiple passengers, all of whom have luggage in the trunk? The Fifth Circuit answered that question this week in U.S. v. Iraheta. At the district court level, a magistrate granted the defendants’ motions to suppress evidence on the ground that the search of the duffel bags exceeded the scope of the consent that the driver, William Iraheta, gave....

Solo practitioners in Oregon have it worst, while 11-20 person firms in New York had it among the best in terms of getting paid for legal hours worked. This according to a new survey on attorney billing efficiency. The survey looked only at small to medium sized firms with less than 50 lawyers. So the big firms with endless resources were not included. Though you can probably bet those firms milk every last penny out of their clients (and their attorneys)....

Many years ago, before the turn of the millennium, Staples and Office Depot sought to merge forces to create what would be the Costco of office supplies. Their efforts were stymied by the Federal Trade Commission, which voiced anti-competition concerns. Today, the two companies are still angling for US federal approval. But just recently the European Commission, the EU’s cousin to the FTC, greenlit the companies’ plans to merge. Is this the turnaround Staples and Office Depot have been waiting for?...

Did you know that you don’t have to tip skycap employees? Tips are appreciated, but not required – though to make sure our bags are in the same place as we are, and at the same time, we always tip. What does this have to do with the First Circuit? It may be a factor in a retaliation suit. Factual Background One skycap, Joseph Travers, sued Flight Services under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) for failing to pay a minimum wage....

A General Public License (GPL) lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this week. According to ARN, this lawsuit will feature a particularly large number of named defendants. The GPL is a software license which cover much of what is commonly called “open source” software. It allows other to use the covered software, but under specific terms, including that modifications of GPL covered source code, if released to the public, be made openly available themselves....

The final chapter in Sun Tzu’s Art of War is dedicated to emphasizing the critical role of the spy in warfare and the sage underscores the recurring thread throughout the work of the importance of information. With regards to spies, no one “should be more liberally rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved.” The role of the physical battlefield is playing a small and smaller part in the theatre of war; and cyberwarfare and electronic networks increasingly so....

If you’re thinking about establishing a solo practice as a young attorney, be prepared to face a number of challenges early on. The most practical issue is this: how to find your first clients? FindLaw has an affiliate relationship with Indeed, earning a small amount of money each time someone uses Indeed’s services via FindLaw. FindLaw receives no compensation in exchange for editorial coverage. Related Resources: Need recruiting help? Find it here....

US v. Ramunno, No. 09-10446, involved a mail and wire fraud prosecution in which the district court denied a victim’s petition to the district court to amend its preliminary order of forfeiture, contending that the victim was entitled to a constructive trust in the funds he invested. The court of appeals affirmed, holding that, if the movant were granted a constructive trust and recovered his entire loss, the other victims would recover less than their pro-rata share of the seized assets....

This is not your father’s will. Electronic wills, as proposed in the Florida Electronic Wills Act, are created in an electronic form, including e-signatures for testators with remote witnesses and notaries. In other words, the document will be made in a virtual world. If Florida enacts the law, it will become the second state in the country to expressly authorize electronic wills. While technology is pushing legal innovation everywhere, not all probate lawyers are ready to adopt the electronic will just yet....

You may not pay attention to the legal rights for most Christmas gifts you receive. But if you’re one of millions who received an ebook for the holidays, knowing about the legal rights to ebooks is particularly important. That’s because purchasers of ebooks can be more aptly compared to renters and licensees than outright owners, reports the Los Angeles Times. So unlike your TV or sweater, there are legal restrictions over what you can and cannot do with an ebook....

You were into the Microsoft Office Suite before it was cool; now you’re looking for the next best thing. You’re tired of the Apple fanboys and want to support the underdog. Or, you just really hate PowerPoint. Don’t worry, there are plenty of alternatives to dominant software out there – good, often cheap, and sometimes free alternatives. So, if you want your law office to take the road less traveled by (technologically speaking), we’re here to help you out....

Some big-name mobile apps may be taking data without a user’s explicit permission. Apps like Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram all reportedly take information in a user’s address book. The information taken includes contact names, emails, and phone numbers. Online privacy is something most consumers are concerned about. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many different mobile apps are all clamoring for your data. These days it seems that it’s all-too-easy to leave too much personal information up for public view....

Welcome to the firm, robot lawyers! Last week, BigLaw firm BakerHostetler announced that it was partnering with ROSS Intelligence to bring artificial intelligence to its Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Creditor Rights practice. ROSS will be used to help BakerHostetler’s non-robot lawyers research more quickly and intelligently. Will other firms follow their lead? A New Kind of First Year Associate When it comes to the law, many attorneys are skeptical of AI. After all, smart, machine learning programs will never have the charisma, experience, or gut instincts of seasoned attorneys....