Internet Law Bulletin

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Hunting For A Job? Try the Internet

Posted: August 11th, 2010, 9:09pm EDT

Barbara Fullerton is our guide to effectively engaging in an activity which has assumed increased importance in the face of the grim economy - searching for positions with a specific company, business or educational facility on the Internet. She details how webmasters have designed ways for prospective employees to sign-up on job-finding websites and create personal alerts concerning their job needs. In many cases, the job hunter can post a resume online, which can be utilized by prospective headhunters and company human resources personnel. Many of these job boards have added value to their websites with information including relocation surveys, job search tips, moving companies, salary comparisons, city data, Fortune 500 information, real estate companies, and assessment resources.

Solitary Confinement

Posted: August 10th, 2010, 5:53pm EDT

Ken Strutin's selected guide represents current research and thinking about the physical, psychological and legal implications of isolation as punishment, and the policy issues behind continuing this practice in the light of national and international standards and human rights declaration. Ken engages us to consider the ramifications of solitary confinement, the most extreme penalty in the hierarchy of incarcerative punishment. Depending on the institution, length of detention and purpose, this "prison within prison" has been described in many ways: administrative segregation, communications management unit, control unit, disciplinary housing unit, the hole, intensive management unit, lockdown, punitive isolation, segregation, SHU (special housing unit, special handling unit, segregated housing unit, security housing unit), and Supermax (Super-Maximum Security Confinement).

Documentation Capturing

Posted: August 9th, 2010, 6:29pm EDT

In the past, many of us have failed to document processes for ourselves or for our organizations. A good example of a professional arena where good documentation has the potential to have a positive impact is within the IT department. When a computer-related system blocks access to staff or fails to timely record updates, the IT staff has to respond accurately and effectively. Ulysses Weldon and Lorette S.J. Weldon focus on the importance of good documentation and how computer-related systems are installed, configured, customized and implemented.

Your Cheat Sheet for Local Rule Motion Practice Part Two: Central District of California

Posted: July 19th, 2010, 8:38pm EDT

You know the Federal Rules backwards and forwards, but its compliance with the local rules that really makes a civil litigator look like a pro to colleagues and clients. In this ongoing LLRX series, the editorial team of SmartRules gives you the tools to navigate motion practice in these busy federal courts with ease and grace. We've outlined the key provisions and highlighted the pitfalls. Here's what you really need to know about motion practice in the Central District of California.

Development of a SharePoint Site

Posted: July 11th, 2010, 1:07pm EDT

Lorette S.J. Weldon continues her series with a discussion on how to interpret and document the requirements of an organization or a specific department in order to develop a successful SharePoint site.

Testing the Accuracy of Database Information Produced in Civil Discovery

Posted: July 5th, 2010, 4:17pm EDT

Conrad J. Jacoby identifies the trend that increasingly electronically stored information ("ESI") requested in litigation discovery originates in databases or other structured data repositories. Previously, this data was stored in discrete e-mail messages, spreadsheets, and word processing files that have long made up the bulk of most ESI document productions. Businesses creating and managing their accumulated information have discovered that they are able to extract far more utility if they store their data in a single repository and in a standardized format.

Law Libraries Transformed

Posted: July 5th, 2010, 12:10am EDT

Not long ago, the law library was "a place". It housed printed materials and staff and provided work space for research. Lawyers went there to use books and consult librarians to locate and complete assignments. Today Eleanor Windsor and Ron Friedmann report that the notion of a modern law library is very different, shaped by the skills of specialized researchers and information managers rather than by bookshelves and bound volumes.

Employment Online Resources

Posted: June 24th, 2010, 6:39pm EDT

This guide for researchers by Marcus P. Zillman is a comprehensive bibliography of resources and sites comprising the latest and most comprehensive, reliable content and value added information currently available on this subject via the Internet.

Basic Legal Research on the Internet

Posted: June 24th, 2010, 4:08pm EDT

This article explores the corner of the Internet landscape that concentrates on legal research. For the most part, these databases and search tools are free, although some might require a library card. Essentially, this is a short list of "go to" sites that most researchers will find useful. Before delving in, author Ken Strutin also examines a few time tested research concepts for the Internet age.

Problems with Creating a Course to Help Colleagues

Posted: June 20th, 2010, 9:52pm EDT

How many times have you wondered how to do a task or work with software? You feel wonderful once you have found a colleague who could share their "know-how" about how to complete that task more efficiently or how to implement an applications that does not have a manual that makes sense to you. Lorette S.J. Weldon focuses on four factors to consider when you want to share your knowledge on your own: cost; timing; equipment and global presentation.

FOIA Facts - Ideas for Faster FOIA Processing

Posted: June 13th, 2010, 10:12am EDT

Scott A. Hodes notes that in the current Congress there are bills pending that would create a commission to come up with ideas for faster FOIA processing. He contends that by taking those ideas, along with a few days of congressional oversight hearings to solicit other opinions, Congress would have ample information to create an actual bill that would implement faster FOIA processing now rather than wait for a "commission" to come up with these same ideas.

What is Open Source?

Posted: June 13th, 2010, 12:32am EDT

In the past few years, the term open source has been bandied about not just in library-land, but in every industry. When a term is talked about this much, some would say to the point of overuse, people start to think it's a fad. In this and upcoming articles, Nicole C. Engard is here on LLRX to tell you that open source is no fad, and why.

Your Cheat Sheet for Local Rule Motion Practice - Part One: Southern District of New York

Posted: May 18th, 2010, 8:07pm EDT

You know the Federal Rules backwards and forwards, but its compliance with the local rules that really makes a civil litigator look like a pro to colleagues and clients. In this column, Wendy Schneider provides professionals with the tools to navigate motion practice in these busy federal courts by outlining the key provisions and highlighting the pitfalls.

A Compilation of State Lawyer Licensing Databases

Posted: May 10th, 2010, 3:00am EDT

Trevor Rosen and Andrew Zimmerman's guide focuses on websites that will help you determine whether a lawyer is currently licensed to practice in a particular state.

Forensic Evidence and the CSI Effect

Posted: May 9th, 2010, 10:41am EDT

The media's popularization of certain types of evidence may be inspiring a "CSI effect" on decision makers according to Ken Strutin. There is a question about whether impressions created by the media in its treatment and portrayal of forensic proof as either irrefutable or absolutely necessary for conviction is truly impacting the outcome of criminal cases. Ken's guide is a collection of select legal scholarship and media studies that illuminates the extent of the phenomenon and whether it needs to be addressed and how.

Knowledge Discovery Resources 2010 - An Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation

Posted: May 8th, 2010, 1:16am EDT

Marcus P. Zillman's latest guide is a touchstone from which all researchers seeking comprehensive, reliable and diverse resources for knowledge discovery via the Internet can benefit. The key is to be able to find the important knowledge discovery resources and sites both in the visible and invisible World Wide Web. This guide to selected knowledge discovery resources and sites offers excellent knowledge and information discovery sources to assist you attaining your research goals.

Are You SharePoint-Ready?

Posted: May 5th, 2010, 3:13am EDT

Lorette S.J. Weldon explores how "ready" are librarians to use SharePoint 2003, 2007 and 2010? She asks: do you consider yourself an IT Librarian or a non-IT Librarian, an answer that can be part of your job description. She reviews results from a survey presented at Computers in Libraries 2010, with insights into how this application is leveraged in various organizations.

Justice Stevens Invented the Internet

Posted: April 23rd, 2010, 2:34pm EDT

With the announcement that Justice John Paul Stevens will resign from the Supreme Court at the end of this term, Jonathan Band and Matt Schruers focus on one of his opinions that has had a direct daily impact on virtually all Americans: the majority opinion in Sony v. Universal, decided by the Supreme Court in 1984. This decision is the legal foundation of the Digital Age.

The Government Domain: New & Free Regulations Trackers

Posted: April 21st, 2010, 7:06am EDT

Peggy Garvin reviews new, free, non-government resources that have recently come online to complement the official U.S. government regulatory information sites, RegInfo.gov and Regulations.gov. For this bounty, Peggy says researcher can thank innovative developers and the relatively new availability of a free XML version of the Federal Register that can be downloaded in bulk.

Of Refrigerators and E-Discovery

Posted: April 21st, 2010, 6:01am EDT

Conrad J. Jacoby's commentary offers perspective on the complexities and nuances of technology innovations, in the home and in the office, causing him to reflect on how incomplete or incorrect impressions of how a responding party organizes and manages its business records impacts knowledge management and e-records.

The Odd Couple: SharePoint and Librarians

Posted: April 14th, 2010, 3:21pm EDT

Lorette S.J. Weldon examines how SharePoint is used within the library to facilitate the coordination of collaboration, capturing and organizing "corporate" knowledge, and organizing digital content. She also reviews the results from her survey, "SharePoint Usage in the Library" which demonstrated how librarians could program their department's SharePoint site without code.

From the Law Firm Library Trenches: A Conversation Between Two Veterans

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 1:10pm EDT

Elaine Billingslea Dockens and Karen Krupka, each of whom has over 20 years of law librarian experience, discuss the field of law librarianship, and key issues and factors that new law librarians are likely to encounter as they enter this unique, and still vital profession.

Getting Educated at LegalTech New York 2010

Posted: March 27th, 2010, 10:17am EDT

Conrad J. Jacoby provides an overview of the New York LegalTech show and conference, long one of the preeminent opportunities to catch a glimpse of the future of legal technology. Conrad highlights how the conference provides a surprisingly accurate snapshot of litigation support, electronic discovery, and even the health of the legal industry as a whole.

FOIA Facts: Nonsense

Posted: March 20th, 2010, 12:33am EDT

Senators Patrick Leahy and John Cornyn have introduced a bill establishing a committee of citizens to make recommendations on improving FOIA performance. A similar version of this bill was introduced in 2005 and went nowhere fast, according to Scott A. Hodes.

DNA Identification Evidence in Criminal Prosecutions

Posted: March 7th, 2010, 7:04am EST

In criminal cases, there have been challenges on sufficiency grounds and concerns over the use of forensic DNA evidence as the sole or primary proof of guilt. Uncorroborated DNA matching might not be enough to satisfy the burden of establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The reliability of forensic DNA testing results might be questioned for any number of reasons, e.g., laboratory error, cross-contamination, interpretive bias or fraud, etc. Ken Strutin's essay provides an overview of nuclear DNA typing, a sampling of the kinds of discretionary decisions that analysts often confront when interpreting crime scene samples, and concludes with with remarks about current disputes in forensic DNA typing, and how recognition of its inherent subjectivity might inform and illuminate these debates.

The Web Guide for the New Economy

Posted: March 7th, 2010, 5:03am EST

This guide by Marcus P. Zillman showcases the latest world wide web resources for discovering new knowledge on and understanding about developments with regard to the New Economy. The rapid changes in government transparency policies have resulted in the release of large volumes of data pertinent to researchers that public, advocacy and corporate entities are publishing to the web.

Cloud Computing for Lawyers

Posted: March 7th, 2010, 12:50am EST

This is Nicole L. Black's primer for the legal profession on an emerging technology which is defined as a "type of computing that is comparable to grid computing, [and] relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. The goal of cloud computing is to apply traditional supercomputing power (normally used by military and research facilities) to perform tens of trillions of computations per second."

Social media, geolocation and privacy, oh my!

Posted: March 6th, 2010, 4:15am EST

Nicole L. Black highlights how our net activities are carefully monitored and meticulously tracked by some of the biggest players, including Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. Our individual online footprints, from the Web sites we visit, the items we purchase, the people with whom we communicate, to the locations where we access the Internet, are extremely valuable commodities that are increasingly sought after.

Law Firms Now Outsourcers?

Posted: February 20th, 2010, 5:17pm EST

With the recent announcement that UK law firm Eversheds will launch its own outsourcing business, Ron Friedmann addresses the question of what exactly is law firm outsourcing, and how does it differ from where lawyers are located.

FOIA Facts: Why the Wait?

Posted: February 20th, 2010, 9:31am EST

Requesters who are new to using the FOIA statute often complain that they have filed a request within the last month but haven't receive their documents yet. FOIA expert Scott A. Hodes explains that the congressional budgeting process does not specifically provide FOIA operations within an agency a set line item amount. Thus, FOIA Offices usually have limited resources from within their own agencies to fulfill requests.

Preserving Born-Digital Legal Materials - Where to Start?

Posted: February 14th, 2010, 9:44am EST

Sarah Rhodes discusses the monumental challenge of preserving our digital heritage. She argues that law libraries specifically have a critically important role to play in this undertaking as access to legal and law-related information is a core underpinning of our democratic society. Our current digital preservation strategies and systems are imperfect but tremendous strides have been made over the past decade to stave off the dreaded digital dark age, and libraries today have a number of viable tools, services, and best practices at our disposal for the preservation of digital content.

Ethics of Legal Outsourcing White Paper

Posted: February 14th, 2010, 9:02am EST

The practical reality for US and UK attorneys engaging in or contemplating Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) is that the outsourcing of both core legal and support services across the legal profession is nothing new. What is different today with the emergence of the LPO industry is that both core legal and legal support related services are being outsourced to lawyers, law firms and corporations located offshore in countries such as India, South Africa and the Philippines. Mark Ross analyzes how the outsourcing of legal work by a law firm or legal department to a legal outsourcing company or an entity located offshore raises specific issues pertaining to the outsourcing lawyer's ethical obligations to his or her client.

Effective Project Management: the Art of Creating Scope Statements

Posted: February 7th, 2010, 12:16am EST

Carol A. Watson's discussion of how well-defined scope statements are the key to successful project management continues with this article focused on how all written documentation should be clearly and concisely written, avoiding ambiguities at all costs.

Business Intelligence Online Resources

Posted: February 3rd, 2010, 5:15pm EST

This extensive guide by search expert Marcus P. Zillman includes a wide range of sources designed to serve as a foundation for knowledge discovery specific to business intelligence resources on the Internet.

The Government Domain - Congressional Documents on FDsys: Advanced Techniques

Posted: January 23rd, 2010, 4:14am EST

Following up on a previous column in which she introduced FDsys and explained the site's simple search and navigation, this month Peggy Garvin provides an update and introduces more advanced search techniques for the congressional information available on FDsys.

Works for Hire, Copyright Terminations and Marvel

Posted: January 16th, 2010, 4:29am EST by CILaw

I have been asked about the following topic several times this week, so I will address it briefly on the blog: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dispute between Marvel Entertainment and the heirs of Jack Kirby, Kirby is the creator of several well-known comic book characters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, and [...]

Wrongful Conviction and Attorney-Client Confidentiality

Posted: January 9th, 2010, 4:30pm EST

Interpreting Rule 1.6(b)(1) of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct in the context of wrongful convictions is complicated by evidentiary and practical considerations surrounding the potential use of such information. This article by Ken Strutin examines resources about several notable cases and the scholarly literature analyzing different approaches to resolving this dilemma.

Google Scholar: A New Way to Search for Cases and Related Legal Publications

Posted: December 30th, 2009, 7:30pm EST

Courtney Minick and David Tsai provide an overview of the new features Google Scholar provides for the legal research market.

Understanding the Limitations - and Maximizing the Value - of eBooks

Posted: December 24th, 2009, 1:22am EST

The holiday season is here, and many signs suggest that thousands of people are finding themselves new owners of electronic book ("eBook") readers. Whether it's an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes & Noble Nook, a Sony Reader, or any of the less heavily advertised devices currently on the market, electronic book readers are being trumpeted as a product that has finally hit the mainstream after years on the bleeding-edge. eBook readers, in fact, do have the potential to radically reshape how books are read. Equally important, according to Conrad J. Jacoby, they are already reshaping how books are bought and owned.

Project Management - A Law Librarian Survival Skill

Posted: December 23rd, 2009, 1:40am EST

Carol A. Watson discusses how effective project management requires considerable thought and preparation before actually initiating the work of the project. Although many of us are eager to jump into the tasks related to a project, it is important to remember that careful planning will provide the groundwork for a successful project outcome. Carol reminds us, "Remember, it takes time to save time," and she will be writing on this overall topic in forthcoming issues of LLRX.com

A Guide for the Perplexed Part III: The Amended Settlement Agreement

Posted: December 18th, 2009, 1:33pm EST

On Friday, November 13, 2009, Google, the Authors Guild, and the Association of American Publishers filed an Amended Settlement Agreement (ASA) in the copyright infringement litigation concerning the Google Library Project. The amendments proposed by the parties are designed to address objections made by the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders to the original proposed settlement agreement. This paper by Jonathan Band describes the ASA's major changes, with emphasis on those changes relevant to libraries.

Deep Web Research 2010

Posted: December 14th, 2009, 1:41am EST

Marcus P. Zillman is a an internet search expert whose extensive knowledge of how to leverage the "invisible" or "deep" web is exemplified in this guide. The Deep Web covers somewhere in the vicinity of 1 trillion pages of information located through the world wide web in various files and formats. Current search engines are able to locate around 200 billion pages. Marcus identifies sources to mitigate the odds on behalf of serious searchers.

Research RoundUp: Business Filings Databases Updated

Posted: December 5th, 2009, 3:00am EST

Kathy Biehl's guide to online corporate and business filings available provides links to and descriptions of services available from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as selected commercial services. It is the most comprehensive, reliable web resource available on the topic.

Permalink for 'Access to Social Websites in The Legal Environment - Fall 2009 - Part 1: Survey of Law Librarians in Selected Firms, County/State Law Libraries and Law Schools.'

Access to Social Websites in The Legal Environment - Fall 2009 - Part 1: Survey of Law Librarians in Selected Firms, County/State Law Libraries and Law Schools.

Posted: November 30th, 2009, 4:31pm EST

Enclosure: [download]

To ascertain the current use of social websites/media in law firms, a survey was conducted among Law Librarians entitled Computer Use in Your Organization. In addition to the responses from law firm Law Librarians, several Law Librarians from law schools and county/state government law libraries also responded as did an independent Law Librarian. The opinions of Law Librarians was sought since they are typically among the first professionals in the legal environment to explore, use and recommend new computer innovations and trends useful to attorneys, judges and legal scholars regarding information gathering, information sharing, electronic legal research and current awareness. Part 1 of the Survey details the responses of fifty-six Law Librarians regarding computer use in their organizations. Part 2 will review the responses and take a close look at the implications of the responses and what, if any, patterns can be predicted for 2010.

New Disclosure Requirements for Endorsements and Reviews

Posted: November 25th, 2009, 6:36pm EST by CILaw

On October 5, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission announced revisions to its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, effective Tuesday, December 1, 2009. [Federal Register Notice] [Revised Guides] Some of the more significant changes include: Advertisements that feature a consumer conveying atypical experiences with a product or service must now disclose [...]

Strengthening Forensic Science: The Next Wave of Scholarship

Posted: November 23rd, 2009, 9:19pm EST

Ken Strutin's article focuses on threads of scholarly literature citing and commenting on the recent National Academy of Sciences report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, and highlights discussions where experts and practitioners rethink the merits of a wide range of forensic issues.

Bridging the DiGital Divide: A New Vendor in Town? Google Scholar Now Includes Case Law

Posted: November 18th, 2009, 5:55am EST

The November 17, 2009 Google launch of free caselaw searching via Google Scholar is the focus of John J. DiGilio's timely content and resource review.

Support for the Research Process - An Academic Library Manifesto

Posted: November 17th, 2009, 4:02pm EST

This document by Chris Bourg, Ross Coleman, and Ricky Erway can serve as a pathfinder for those professionals seeking to focuses on roles that academic, law and special librarians could undertake in order to better support the research process.

Free Tools and Applications For More Efficient Online Interaction

Posted: November 14th, 2009, 8:58pm EST

Many lawyers understand the importance of networking, but running a law practice takes time and no one ever seems to have enough of it. This factor is one of the main reasons lawyers offer as an excuse to avoid online networking, but Nicole Black proposes how choosing even a few efficient applications from the range of free tools available can streamline and accelerate this marketing process.

The Government Domain: A Handful of Classics

Posted: October 31st, 2009, 6:08pm EDT

Peggy Garvin has updated her directory of useful government information resources online, the e-Government and Web Directory: U.S. Federal Government Online. Her research has found that federal web sites do not change as rapidly as users believe. The content on these sites is dynamic, constantly being refreshed and redesigned. However, the sites themselves, the ones that represent so much of the work of the federal government and are selected for inclusion in the book, are fairly stable.