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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
A Lawyer’s System for Active Reading
Craig Tashman
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
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Accounting And Financial Planning For Law Firms
Is Non-Lawyer Ownership of Law Firms Coming Soon?
Quentin Brogdon
Powerful forces are now pushing regulators in the direction of non-lawyer ownership of law firms in the United States. Some of the forces are completely well-intentioned, but some of the forces are not so well-intentioned.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
NY Court Strips Major Claims from Lil Wayne’s Suit Against Lawyer
Jason Grant
A New York State appellate court knocked out major claims from prominent rapper Lil Wayne’s $20 million lawsuit against Ronald Sweeney, his former attorney and representative of 13 years, including causes of action for fraudulent inducement, legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Upcoming Webinar: Reorganization Ethics and Fees
Michael Cook
A discussion on the ethical restraints on professionals imposed by the Bankruptcy Code, Bankruptcy Rules, and the ABA Code of Professional Conduct. Also, how the rules work and can affect your case.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
New Technologies Make for a Shifting Definition of ‘Technical Competence’
Tinamarie Feil
While new and/or improving technologies may be challenging, they likely also present new opportunities which can facilitate delivering the best services at the best cost. Some solutions can be handled directly by law firms — but others will require the courts to approve, and, perhaps, even change of procedures to get with the times.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
The Duty and Benefits of Technology Competence
Tinamarie Feil
We all have experienced technology’s dramatic effect on bankruptcy practice, particularly in the electronic filing of documents and in the electronic communication and sharing of information among parties.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Attorney Competence in Technology Is in the Spotlight. Are You Competent?
Tomas Suros
In response to widespread changes in the use of technology, and evaluating the potential risks of remote work and the rise of virtual meeting platforms, on March 10, 2021, the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion 498 making it clear that the Model Rules of Professional Conduct permit lawyers to conduct their practices virtually, but urges caution at all times:
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Update on Business Bankruptcy Legal Fees and Professionalism
Michael L. Cook
A review of recent cases shows that poor billing judgment and unreasonable billing have been with us for decades.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
California Court of Appeal Rules on Formerly Licensed Attorney Who Continued as Talent Manager
Stan Soocher
Conflict of interest is a red-flag concern when an attorney becomes a talent manager. But what happens when a formerly licensed attorney continues to provide management services for talent?
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Privacy and Ethical Concerns of Vaccine Passports
Emily N. Litzinger and Alexa R. Hanlon
While the concept of digital vaccine passports might seem like a perfect solution, implementation is muddled not only by administrative feasibility, but the web of legal and business considerations raised if requiring the passport to return to the workplace or enter a business. This article untangles some of these complex legal considerations, including privacy and ethical concerns, offering employers guidance in evaluating their feasibility at the workplace.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Legal Tech: The Ethics of E-Discovery In a Remote Work Environment
Joseph Tate and Emily Plowcha
Just as the pandemic has challenged every aspect of our lives, the shift to a remote work environment has significantly impacted e-discovery and the ethical obligations of attorneys in this ever-evolving technological and legal landscape.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Lawyer Disbarred Over Mishandling of Investors’ Funds for Film Project
Charles Toutant
The New Jersey Supreme Court disbarred lawyer Gary Mason after finding he knowingly misappropriated $690,000 that investors paid to support the work of a fledgling filmmaker.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Bit Parts
Stan Soocher
Film Clips Included in Talent’s Acting Reel Are a Copyright Fair Use
Ninth Circuit Finds Judd/Weinstein Meeting Within Scope of California Sexual Harassment Statute
Personal Manager’s Lawsuit in New York Against Former In-House Counsel Can Move Forward
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Data Security Ethics and Best Practices for Court Reporters
Andy Fredericks
The issue of digital security and privacy should be a paramount concern to modern court reporters just as it is to their attorney clients. Yet their biggest risk remains the same as everyone else’s: believing it won’t happen to them.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Safeguarding Client Data: An Attorney’s Duty to Provide ‘Reasonable’ Security
David G. Ries
Effective cybersecurity requires an ongoing, risk-based, comprehensive process that addresses people, policies and procedures, and technology, including training. Effective security also requires an understanding that security is everyone’s responsibility and constant security awareness by all users of technology.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Worried About Complying with ABA Opinion 483 on Cybersecurity? Fear No More
Larry J. Hershman and Jeffrey S. Brenner
In response to the omnipresent threat of cyberattacks, the ABA issued Formal Opinion 483, which addresses the obligations imposed upon lawyers to safeguard their clients’ data. Here’s how to achieve compliance.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Counsel Concerns: Lawyer Ethics Rule In Play in Suit By Business Manager Against Rap Artist
Stan Soocher
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina dismissed a conversion counterclaim by rapper Chingy against his former business manager Leslie King, who is a lawyer, on the ground that the artist hadn’t established that a royalty purchase agreement he signed with the lawyer was void for allegedly violating the state’s attorney ethics rule. However, the district court allowed the artist to pursue the ethics rule as an affirmative defense in the underlying lawsuit the attorney’s music company has filed against Chingy.
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Marketing The Law Firm
Leadership: No Immunity: Sexual Harassment & the Legal Industry
John Hellerman
For members of a conservative industry that — literally — wrote the rulebook on sexual harassment, law firms need to be ready for a day of reckoning that seems inescapable (and may have already happened by the time this article is published).
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Second Edition ABA Cybersecurity Handbook Reflects the Need for Greater Awareness
Mark Sangster
As 2017 came to a close, the American Bar Association opened the next chapter in cybersecurity awareness with the release of the second edition of its…
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Internet Law & Strategy
Internet Legal Ethics and Client Privacy
Jonathan Bick
Internet professional responsibility and client privacy difficulties are intimately associated with the services offered by lawyers. Electronic attorney services result in data gathering, information exchange, document transfers, enhanced communications and novel opportunities for marketing and promotion. These services, in turn, provide an array of complicated ethical issues that can present pitfalls for the uninitiated and unwary.
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