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Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be called out by a federal appellate court for neglecting to update your email address in the electronic case filing (ECF) system? No? Let’s it keep it that way. Aside from a self-serving desire to avoid public shaming, it could also help your clients. Unfortunately, we learn that lesson this week from a cautionary tale. The district court affirmed the bankruptcy court’s rulings in a memorandum decision....

When you hear “project management,” you may be think, “That’s a business term, how does that apply to me?” As a small firm owner, you are running a business, and each of the cases and assignments you take on are “projects.” The organization that goes into project management is just as relevant to lawyers as it is to business people. Here are some tips to “project manage” your case load:...

According to seasoned in-house counsel attorneys Scott Herber and David Moncure of VIA and Shell Oil Co., respectively, lawyers can no longer turn a blind eye to highly sophisticated threats to their data management and data. This applies to their highly sensitive e-discovery as well. Now that we’re on high alert after the recent hospital hacks, we thought it was a good idea to start getting attorneys back in their “alert” mode when it came to their international eDiscovery....

If you’ve finally decided to take the plunge into starting your own firm, you may find yourself contemplating legal alphabet soup for the first time. LLP. LP. LLC. PS. You’ve seen the letters on other attorneys’ shingles, but which combo is right for you? When thinking about which type of business structure is best for your firm, you should first decide whether you’re going into business by yourself or with a partner....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Artificial Intelligence (AI) sounds exciting in terms of what AI can do for humans; however, a more fully automated world comes with a price – many jobs lost that were previously performed by humans. This is especially true in specific employment sectors: sales, customer service, transportation, shipping/logistics and healthcare/legal paraprofessionals. A recent article posted on Futurism....

Let’s face it: cell phones can be dangerous. That’s why it’s against the law to drive and text. You shouldn’t take a selfie on the edge of a cliff, either. But the latest cell-phone danger is about company security. For example, some people were using FaceTime to secretly record conversations. Let’s Not FaceTime It Apple had to disable the FaceTime group feature after a 14-year-old kid exposed the problem. Basically, FaceTimers were recording conversations by adding unsuspecting cell phone users to videochats....

Are you ready for the future of contracts? Automatically executing smart contracts are no longer a thing of science fiction fantasy, they’re here. But the big question is whether smart contracts will be like the smartphone, which rendered non-smart phones nearly pointless, or the smart home, which just seems to be unable to really take off. For smart contracts to succeed at the same level of the smartphone, they will need to usable by techies, lawyers, businesses, and, most importantly, everyday consumers....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the internet. Right before the start of the last decade, the chief tech concern was Y2K and the worry that computers worldwide would crash as we rolled into the year 2000. Well, what a difference a decade makes! Not only did Y2K not materialize as the huge problem that had been feared, the Internet has grown up in a major way and some of the issues we are dealing with now were not even on the radar screen in the days of Y2K paranoia....

Imagine you’re a midsized law firm with a bevy of fresh-faced talent ready at the helm. You’re going to change the world. Then, a few years into the practice, everybody wants to leave – including you. What went wrong? Chances are it wasn’t the work, it was the law firm culture of one-ups-manship, slave-like hours, and ego. That toxic mixture can wear anybody down. If you want to foster a work culture that attracts people and keeps them, you should follow a few tried and true tips....

For many consumers, a lawyer doesn’t exist unless she has a web presence. Yes, the phone book says that you have an office on Broadway, but (1) that information could be outdated and (2) who uses a phone book anymore? Web is the way to go. A full-fledged website is probably the most impressive option, but a blog or social media page (i.e. Facebook, Google+) is a lot cheaper. Regardless of which platform you ultimately choose, there’s one element of Internet marketing that you need to nail: Your bio....

The American Bar Association has announced that it will launch a new technology marketplace called ABA Tech EZ for its members to take advantage of. The purpose of ABA’s Tech EZ will be to serve as an educational tool as well as to offer ABA members competitive pricing on legal information technology (IT). According to the press release by the ABA, they believe that this collaborative initiative will help solo practitioners and small law firms who do not have the luxury of having an in house legal IT staff to help them run their businesses....

Cloud computing is everywhere. It’s no surprise that many companies are switching over to the cloud. After all, why pay exorbitant fees to keep your data in-house when you can outsource to companies that run their own data centers? This doesn’t necessarily mean attorneys should discourage their companies from using cloud computing. There are many advantages. Using cloud resources can allow companies to utilize powerful computing options. It can also cut down on software costs....

In the 2017 year end report drafted by Chief Justice John Roberts, in addition to applauding the successes of the federal judiciary, he acknowledges that sexual harassment in the workplace is inexcusable and has no place in the courthouse. To that end, Justice Roberts explains that in 2018, the court will perform a careful evaluation of “whether its standards of conduct and its procedures for investigating and correcting inappropriate behavior are adequate to ensure an exemplary workplace for every judge and every court employee....

It is a sad commentary on the workplace that just about every employer needs to consider adding a workplace violence policy. Just a few weeks ago, Jeffrey Johnson walked into the offices of his former employer and shot an ex-supervisor that he had been having problems with. And when people found out that it was an act of workplace violence – and not terrorism – the murder seemed to be less shocking, reports Inside Counsel....

The best way to decide how to dress your client for a jury is to hire a jury consultant and work with at least one focus group. At the other end of the spectrum, the least you can do is find an organization such as Friends Outside to provide your in-custody criminal defendant with civilian clothes so he doesn’t have to appear wearing a prison uniform. Here are a few quick tips on dressing a client for the jury....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. A few weeks ago this blog pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security’s command center regularly monitors social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, popular sites like Hulu, controversial sites including WikiLeaks, and news and commentary sites like The Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document. Now, there is an indication that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is developing a web application that will have the ability to monitor social media sites like Facebook and Twitter....

What’s the best attire for court? (Suit or pants suit.) Can you ever wear too much black? (Not really.) Bow tie or regular tie? (Regular tie, of course.) These are important fashion questions, but they’re certainly not what fashion lawyers wonder about. The few, lucky attorneys in the fashion industry are much more likely to be worrying about counterfeit goods than how best to accessorize. And with the rise of Internet shopping and ecommerce, the fight against counterfeits has taken on a new shape....

In early April, the Treasury Department and IRS released new proposed regulations under Section 385 of the Internal Revenue Code. They have been called “sweeping” and “dramatic” by tax experts and partners at major firms across the board – terms not usually associated with IRS regs. And they come as a bit of a surprise, having only been hinted to in earlier Treasury rule-making notices. The new Section 385 regulations are so broad that they “fundamentally redefine the extent to which an intercompany instrument will constitute debt, irrespective of whether that group is inverted and who in the group issues it,” as Kevin M....

The American Bar Association’s 2013 Annual Meeting is just a few weeks away — are you coming to San Francisco? You’ll find over 200 CLE programs, the world’s largest legal EXPO, and of course a chance to network with lawyers and judges. 1. Set a Goal Before you go to a networking event, determine what it is you hope to achieve. Is there someone in particular you are hoping to meet?...

A federal appeals court ruled that judges cannot shackle criminal defendants routinely, and must consider each defendant’s circumstances on a case-by-case basis before imposing the restraints. In a split decision, the majority of the en banc panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said it is unconstitutional to shackle defendants in court because it contravenes their presumption of innocence. It doesn’t matter whether the proceeding is before a jury, a judge, or in a routine appearance....