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FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. Does it ever seem that teenagers can’t go anywhere without their mobile phones? Does it ever appear that whenever you see teenagers, they seem to be looking down at their gadgets while moving their thumbs at a feverish clip? Indeed, does it seem that their smart phones appear to be permanently attached to their hands as additional body parts?...

Have you ever seen a retraction or correction of a news story? They are rare and often inconspicuous when they do appear. After all, nobody likes to highlight their mistakes. The real problem, however, is that retractions and corrections do little to erase false impressions that have already been published. Words – especially in the social media world of instant publication – are very hard to take back. For this reason alone, law firms must have social media policies....

Last February, Ashley Diamond sued the Georgia Department of Corrections in federal court. A transgender woman, Diamond was housed in a men’s prison, denied medical treatment, and repeatedly sexually assaulted, she alleged – all while the state refused to take corrective action. This Monday, she was unexpectedly granted parole. Her release comes months before her case was scheduled for review and less than three years into her 11 year sentence. Diamond’s suit shed light on the frequent neglect and abuse transgender inmates face and it quickly became a “thorn in the side of the Georgia Department of Corrections,” according to The New York Times....

There a few things that every general counsel should know about the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). After all, the corporation is at the Internet’s helm. It drives policy which may ultimately impact businesses and corporations. Here are some things you should know about the organization and its new policies: Did you know that ICANN is taking applications for new top-level domains? Top-level domains are those “.com” and “....

This is definitely one of the most egregious cases of prosecutorial misconduct that you’ll ever see. We last saw former death row inmate Justin Wolfe in May 2013, when the Fourth Circuit reversed the district court’s order preventing the state from re-prosecuting Wolfe for a murder-for-hire. The district court’s order came after Brady violations in the original trial, a defied habeas judgment that ordered the state to retry or release Wolf within 120 days, and a wee bit of witness intimidation....

It has been claimed that eDiscovery now eclipses traditional discovery to the tune of 95 percent to five. At least one source claims that at least 95 percent of discovery is “borne” from a digital source. There’s no denying the obvious: eDiscovery is a major part of legal practice. Here is a quick review of the more significant eDiscovery cases of 2015. Clear-view Technologies v. Rasnick You might balk at the idea that text messages would ever qualify as business records, but you would be unwise to do so....

Prestigious legal jobs, up to and including federal clerkships, require letters of recommendation, that most hagiographic of exercises that’s really fairly pointless. Seriously: What is a prospective employer going to learn in a letter of recommendation? (The dark secret is that this is the employee’s chance to show off whom he or she knows.) It’s getting to be recommendation season, so if you’re going to write a letter of recommendation for young lawyers, law students, or even prospective law students, here are a few tips to keep in mind:...

If your firm uses AbacusLaw, it might pay to become acquainted with its recent release. For those unfamiliar with the software, here’s a quick primer. AbacusLaw is designed for law firms. It is an all-in-one software system that allows you to manage your practice. You can organize contacts, calendars, cases, documents, forms, billing, and accounting through one system. There is a new upside too. With the recent update, syncing with your mobile app is now easier....

While dogs may be making more and more appearances in courthouses across the country, few litigators will be so bold as to try to bring their pet with them to a court appearance. But, what’s the worst that could happen? Right? Perhaps surprisingly, there are not many reports of litigators trying to do so, despite the fact that more and more lawyers are bringing their furry four-legged friends into the office....

Does the right to counsel guarantee a criminal defendant’s request for a new attorney before sentencing? The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s denial of a request for new counsel this week, finding that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying the defendant’s request. Jose Luis Jaime Perez, was convicted of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine....

Lawyers are not taught to be business oriented. Sure, we can pierce or protect the corporate veil, and litigate on behalf of or against businesses, but when it comes to running a law firm, the ordinary business principles of growth and scale don’t seem to benefit legal consumers. A big law expat made legal news headlines for calling out the backwards business nature of law firms. William Glasgow, a former big law chief level executive, explained that, unlike other businesses that charge less for their products and services as they grow, law firms do the opposite....

By now, you know the drill when it comes to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving brother accused of orchestrating the Boston Marathon bombings. In the past year, the prosecution has been building its case alleging 30 charges against Tsarnaev, some of which may carry the death penalty. Tsarnaev’s trial is scheduled for November 3, 2014, but today, the first case against one of Tsarnaev’s friends – Azamat Tazhayakov began. Here’s a brief review of today’s court proceedings....

Construction on the Monroe bypass, Charlotte, North Carolina’s first modern toll road, was once again delayed this week. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the public agencies did not comply with federal environmental assessment requirements when developing a construction plan. The Conservation Groups asserted that the Agencies violated NEPA by: Failing to analyze the environmental impacts of the Monroe Connector, Conducting a flawed analysis of alternatives, and...

When Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs passed away this year, the technology world mourned. Jobs was a man who not only saved Apple from an untimely demise, but introduced gadget-hungry individuals (including attorneys) to the iPod, iPad, iPhone, and whole slew of personal computers. Attorneys might wonder how to channel their inner Steve Jobs. In fact, there was a recent article written about this very idea in the ABA Journal....

If you ask typical young lawyers how they envision their career path, you’ll likely hear a pretty uniform response. Join a big firm, perhaps after clerking. After a few years as an associate, become a junior partner. Divorce. Work your way to senior partner and wonder where your life went. Of course, plenty of lawyers will change course half way, leaving to hang their own shingle, work for a nonprofit, or take up a new career – but the usual path is clear....

Ding, dong, the most prolific patent troll is dead. Shipping & Transit, which filed more than 500 patents suits, has filed for bankruptcy. The company has done nothing but litigate for years. Its most famous claim to fame was winning the “Stupid Patent of the Month.” That and its $1 portfolio will get you a cup of coffee. 34 Patents = $1 According to its bankruptcy filing, Shipping & Transit had 34 patents worth a total of $1....

Basically, it was a high tech way of spying. According to reports, the Red Sox baseball team was stealing hand signs by watching video replays of the game off the field and then texting the information live to a staffer’s smart watch in the dugout. Cheating or gaming? Electronic Devices Courts generally limit lawyers’ use of electronic devices in the courtroom, i.e. no cell phone calls but yes laptops or tablets for research....

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen first started making national headlines when he blocked President Obama’s immigration reform plan, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, last year. But while that decision is now before the Supreme Court, Judge Hanen isn’t quite ready to let go. Last month, he put himself in charge of ethics retraining for all Department of Justice attorneys practicing in any of the 26 states involved in the suit....

If you were ever in a fraternity or a sorority, you probably received a paddle. It’s part of the Big Bro/Little Bro, Big Sis/Little Sis tradition. The “Little” makes or buys a paddle for the “Big.” If you purchased a paddle after 1961, you may have bought it from today’s Fifth Circuit litigant: Thomas Abraham. Yes, folks; we have officially located the most frat-tastic opinion ever published by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals....

According to a survey by Legal Workspace, only 13 percent of 240 responding law firms actually possess the required technology to process and maintain compliance with HIPAA. “For an industry that is traditionally hyper-concerned with protecting client information, legal is clearly not keeping up with business standards regarding technology and security,” said Joe Kelly of Legal Workspace. HIPAA and Lawyers One of the most widely known features of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is the rather draconian view it has on protecting the confidentiality of patient health records....