<b>Technology In Marketing: </b> Attorney Blogging: Best Practices
April 27, 2006
Obtaining a high search-engine ranking may no longer be enough to realize the business potential of a blog. The reason is that as the use of blogs as a marketing tool proliferates among lawyers, differences in quality between blogs covering the same topic will become evident. There are only so many blogs that prospective clients can read on a daily basis, and as the number of choices grow, readers will become more and more selective. It is therefore critical for any lawyer launching a blog to consider 'best practices' that will set his or her blog apart from the pack.
What You Need to Know About the PPEBA
April 27, 2006
The union of the Internet and commerce has lead to increases in productivity, convenience, and access for consumers everywhere. At the same time, it has spawned tremendous privacy concerns. It is not uncommon these days to hear of businesses inadvertently publicizing consumers' personal data, or worse, hackers obtaining personal financial information.
The Basics of Hiring A Contract Attorney
April 27, 2006
Law firms use contract attorneys to aid in large-scale document reviews such as those often required in e-discovery, and for mergers, internal audits and other matters that require an influx of temporary help. Of course, the subject matter involved in these wide-ranging projects varies, which makes contractors an ideal solution for dynamic business. If a project requires that attorneys or other workers who are or may be involved have a specific background, then law firms, or the agencies they hire, may well be better positioned using temporary workers who also may be making a specialty of the work required, such as the search, classification and other specific functions required in e-discovery. And often, projects require only a general legal background, which makes finding candidates far easier. But whatever the situation that demands looking for short-term or long-term employees ' for staff positions or contract work ' firms should consider the key factors when hiring contract attorneys.
News Briefs
April 19, 2006
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
Company Had No Duty to Encrypt Personal Information on Stolen Laptop
April 19, 2006
A Minnesota district court recently found that a financial institution was not negligent for failing to encrypt personal information contained on a laptop computer that was stolen from an employee's home office. In <i>Guin v. Brazos Higher Education Service Corp.</i>, the court dismissed the negligence action brought against a student loan provider by a customer. In granting the defendant's summary judgment motion, the court ruled that the company did not breach a duty of care under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ('GLB') to customers whose unencrypted data may have been contained on the laptop.
A Notice Does Not Notify Unless It Can Be Understood
April 19, 2006
The office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, along with the Ontario Bar Association's Privacy and Health Law sections and the Ontario Dental Association, spearheaded a team to develop short notices for the province's new Personal Health Information Protection Act ('PHIPA'), which launched the products earlier in June 2005.
The Company's Right to Know v. the Anonymous Critic's Right to Remain Unknown
April 19, 2006
When does it make sense to spend the time and expense necessary to determine the identity of an anonymous blogger who is damaging a company? This question is becoming increasingly important with the proliferation of blogs and Web postings used for corporate criticism ' from wakeupwalmart.com to www.googlereallysucks.blogspot.com.
Focus on China: Critical Issues Affecting U.S. Businesses Today
March 30, 2006
For U.S. companies today, it seems as if all eyes are on China. That country has vaulted past Japan to become the world's second largest economy and the United States' third largest trading partner ' and it's just getting warmed up. With over 1.3 billion consumers ' more and more of whom are middle class ' and a strong and rapidly growing economy, full and fair access to the Chinese market is critical to the future success of U.S. businesses and workers. Yet many companies find getting over the Great Wall and into the Chinese market to be fraught with challenge. This article highlights some of the recent developments in areas that most concern our clients with operations in China: the protection of intellectual property rights, the promulgation of national standard-setting provisions, and the adoption of a new antimonopoly law.
Building A Law Firm Intranet
March 30, 2006
The intranet has developed into the preferred platform for internal communication within many law firms. <br>Similar to the Web, there is a lot of value to be gained from a strong intranet presence. Everyone had his or her own ideas on what should be included and posted on the intranet. After a number of group meetings with IT, each department was given a page with basic components.
Net News
March 30, 2006
House Panel Clears Anti-Internet Gambling Bill Last month, a U.S. House committee approved a bill aimed at stifling the $12 billion Internet gambling industry by prohibiting businesses from accepting credit cards and other forms of payment. The bill, endorsed by voice vote in the House Financial Services Committee, would enjoin a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire transfers and electronic funds transfers in illegal gambling transactions. …
