Listing the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as a significant “first” is a farce. This is not to take away from the significance of freedom of the press or freedom of speech. I am referring to the order in which the amendments are recorded. In the book, In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court’s First…
When it comes to legal cases or controversies, so many verdicts arise from the court of opinion first. Social media, broadcast media, newspapers, websites – these platforms spread information rapidly and make determinations before courts have delivered final decisions. This includes legal journals, law reviews, trade media in the legal industry, and even legal analytics…
Social media can be a liability for attorneys. Yet, many have yet to master the rules to stay out of trouble. Using social media in a legal setting is a serious issue that it is being researched. A study was conducted titled “Ensuring an Impartial Jury in the Age of Social Media” for the Duke…
LinkedIn is the most effective platform for business development, networking, and professional development for attorneys. According to an In-House Counsel survey, “LinkedIn leads all other social networks in professional usage and perceived credibility….” While LinkedIn may seem complicated to navigate, here are some ways to use profiles more effectively. 1 – Clean it up. Your photo should…
Recently, prominent Pittsburgh defense lawyer James Ecker passed away. Usually attorneys don’t get so much media coverage, especially if they’re just known locally. However, Ecker had a long relationship with the media because of the way he communicated with reporters and how he described his high-profile clients who were accused of horrible crimes. He was…
Attorneys know that they have to be careful about what they put online, and they usually use social media sparingly, if at all. I’ve noticed that attorneys limit their social media activity to LinkedIn because they think it’s the safest. However, everyone has to be careful, no matter how professional a website might seem. One…
When I saw this news piece on Fox Chicago about a strip club opening next to a convent and school, I was surprised that the Mayor of Stone Park ran away from Dane Placko and shut the door on him, right on camera for all of Chicago (and the world online) to see. After all,…
I came upon an interesting article in Businessweek about“Argentina’s Dollar-Sniffing Wonder Dogs” and how they’re sniffing for US currency to prevent “capital flight” from that country. That’s the first time that I’ve seen something about dogs sniffing for money, not drugs, but I guess countries have to get creative to prevent disasters. It’s too bad…
Inside Counsel has an article called “37% of people say lawyers have ‘very low’ ethical standards” and the title really says it all: too many attorneys do not have a good reputation. The article gets that statistic from a Gallup poll that was conducted earlier this month, and even though we’re almost at a new…
There has been a lot of media coverage about what’s going on at Penn State, which has resulted in thefiring of head coach Joe Paterno. Actually, Penn State didn’t use the word “fire”, but I am, because that’s what happened. He was planning on retiring from that position, but they showed him the door. I’d…
