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The smartphone app InstaAgent has been surreptitiously stealing user passwords. If you have this app, get ready to do some damage control. There’s some good news, however: you’re probably used to it by now. Both Apple and Google have pulled the app from their stores after a series of developers descended onto the Internet and flagged it for copying user’s personal information including their user names and passwords. The developer apologized for programming InstaAgent in this way and acknowledged it was not a good idea....

It seems like incubators are finally moving into the legal world. Common in industries such as tech (AirBnB, Uber, and Hooli all came out of incubator programs), incubator programs provide funding, office space and training to small and new businesses. Several law schools and bar associations are now bringing the incubator model to small firms and solo practices, helping independent-minded lawyers and recent grads start up their own shops. Incubating the Next Big Small Firm...

Public defenders say they have so many cases indigent defendants are not getting adequate representation. Now tell us something we don’t know. Well, did you know one veteran judge says the caseloads have reduced the constitutional right to counsel to a “hollow shell”? Did you know a state Supreme Court is considering placing limits on criminal filings to deal with the problem? David Henderson, arguing to the New Mexico Supreme Court, said public defenders are turning cases away....

Research in Motion has lost a significant patent lawsuit just a few weeks after it posted its first operating loss in eight years. The suit, filed by Mformation Technologies, claims that RIM infringed on a patent for wireless device management reports Reuters. The ruling from the jury comes at a hard time for the Blackberry-maker which has struggled to keep its share price up. Shares in the company have dropped to about $8 from a high of more than $30 almost a year ago according to Huffington Post....

Big tuna is a big deal. It’s an $11 billion global market. And in the U.S., 80 percent of the tuna market share is dominated by three companies: StarKist, Bumble Bee, and Chicken of the Sea. Although the companies maintain that there is nothing fishy to see there, StarKist just pleaded guilty to price-fixing with their competitors, who have also had to come clean over the same. Unfortunately for StarKist, the company may be in for the worst wrist slapping out of the three, and maybe a real apology for Charlie this time....

The back story, in case you missed the last two posts in this exciting trilogy: I let someone shoot me in the eyeballs with lasers. It worked out fabulously (so far). Because many lawyers need functioning eyes and/or confidence, I figured I’d share the experience with you. We’ve already talked about the decision and the incisions. Today, we talk about the most important part: returning to work. Lasers. Eyeballs. Pain pills....

An angry rage tweet by a BigLaw partner, dispatched in response to a popular law blog’s sarcasm, made blog headlines, embarrassing both himself and his firm. A P.R. professional made an insensitive and racist joke about AIDS and Africa. She actually trended globally on Twitter, while her flight was in-air, and was fired when she landed. How do you avoid a similar snafu? It may seem excessive or burdensome to keep multiple Twitter accounts, but do you really want your clients to see you tweeting back-and-forth with @Keshasuxx?...

This, my friends, is why we love hackers. Design a state-of-the-art security system. Put it in front of non-malicious hackers. Patch the leaks. Repeat. Apple’s been busy this month, releasing two new iPhones, as well as the largest overhaul of its mobile operating system (iOS 7) since the original iPhone was released in January 2007. With new hardware (specifically, the new fingerprint unlock sensor) and new software, comes new security exploits to fix, and sure enough, the hackers have come through once again....

The increasing adoption of blockchain technology may soon have a significant impact for entertainment and copyright lawyers. It’s more of a question of when rather than whether. In fact, any lawyer that drafts or reviews contracts better start learning about blockchain as the future is here (so no more complaining about the lack of flying cars). If you don’t know anything about blockchain, you need to start learning. Blockchain is already seeing some use on the fringes of the music industry....

You may be sick of hearing Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” by now, but you’d be lying if you said it didn’t put a smile on your face, and a swing in your step – at least when it first hit the radio waves. And, maybe it resonated with so many people because well, people like to be happy. Earlier this week we read an article in Inc. about company culture hacks for a happier workplace....

Successful people need inspiration, whether it’s in the form of an encouraging mentor, a historical legal champion or just hilarious and well-written legal documents. In-house attorneys, or those aspiring to be one, can take motivation from the best GC’s in the country. Here’s a few that we think have careers worth emulating. So, aside from being brilliant and hard working, how did some of the best general counsels in the world end up where they are today – and what can you learn from them?...

What’s your typical meeting like? Partner walks in, sits at the head of the table, and runs the circus. Associates sit quietly at the end of the table, trying to remain attentive, but they have memos due by 3:00 p.m. to the same partner that is talking about last Sunday’s golf game. Meanwhile, Jimmy is teleconferencing in from home, where he’s caring for a sick puppy. Unfortunately, he didn’t mute his phone and we all have to hear the dog vomiting and whimpering....

Slow law firm computers are the bane of most attorneys’ existence. The only thing worse is having to endure needlessly long boot times beforehand. The time loss can be brutal, but there are ways to speed up the process. While buying a new computer or more RAM can obviously solve the problem, not every lawyer or firm is willing to shell out for the upgrade. Thankfully though, there are alternative ways for attorneys to cut down their PC’s boot time....

Back in May, the NCAA, game-maker EA Sports, and plaintiffs reached an agreement over the NCAA’s use of college football players’ likenesses without paying them. Earlier this week, video game football was dealt another blow as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed an ex-NFL players suit to proceed against EA for using former players’ likenesses without their permission. EA moved to dismiss the suit under California’s anti-SLAPP statute. The motion, whose name stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation,” is designed to dismiss nuisance lawsuits targeted at people exercising their rights....

You know that feeling of comfort that envelopes you when you walk into a spa? The smells, the music, the receptionist’s relaxing tone of voice, it’s all part of the ambiance and it matters. Though law offices may not be striving to make clients as comfortable as a spa, the right background music can go a long way in creating the sort of ambiance that makes a client feel comfortable. However, on the other side of the issue are the lawyers and staff who will have to put up with the background music....

In US v. DuBose, No. 09-11400, defendant was convicted of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, and possessing a firearm while subject to a protective order. The court of appeals affirmed defendant’s conviction on the grounds that 1) a conviction under 18 U.S.C. section 922(g)(8) did not require that the precise language found in subsection (C)(ii) must be used in a protective order for it to qualify under the statute; 2) the district court’s prohibition of irrelevant evidence complied with Fed....

EOG Resources, Inc. v. Chesapeake Energy Corp., No. 09-30363, concerned an action claiming that defendant drilled three oil wells without obtaining plaintiff’s permission, in alleged violation of an operating agreement between the parties. The court of appeals reversed judgment for defendant, holding that 1) plaintiff’s suit did not challenge an “operative fact” of the Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation’s orders and thus was not a collateral attack on them; and 2) the district court’s finding that there was no breach of contract was predicated on its finding that plaintiff was engaged in a collateral attack....

No one likes jury duty. And most prospective juries will do plenty to get out of it, from outright ignoring summonses (as in Houston’s suburbs, where 70 percent of individuals called for jury duty don’t show) or showing up dressed as Princess Leia (as Liz Lemon did to avoid service on ‘30 Rock’). There’s a reason for the jury antipathy too: the legal system treats jurors terribly. If jury trials are to be successful, we need to start thinking of what jurors actually need....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry to determine whether Facebook’s recently announced privacy policies violate an agreement to obtain express consent before revealing users’ private information to new viewers. According to The New York Times, the FTC claims Facebook’s new policies require users to provide Facebook with broad permission to utilize their personal information in advertising....

Gennady G. Golovkin, who is a better boxer than $300-million-per-fight Floyd Mayweather, was facing the biggest challenge of his perfect-record career. “GGG” was preparing to fight a younger, stronger fighter who was thirsty to take Golovokin’s championship crown. But that was not Triple G’s biggest challenge. The biggest challenge was deciding whether he should interrupt his training for the big fight so he could be present when his wife gave birth....