The Commercial and Federal Litigation Section’s Social Media Ethics Guidelines have long been recognized as the most widely relied upon publication in the United States on social media legal ethics. The Fourth Edition of the Guidelines, which has just been released, shows why they are so highly regarded, why they have been quoted in opinions issued by ethical … Continued
“What a boring subject! I can’t believe anyone would write an essay on this topic – no less read it. C’mon, let’s find something better to do.” Wait a minute; wait a minute. Just give me a chance. Read a bit further. Trust me. Death and taxes: the two certainties in life. Well, it’s time … Continued
In a pioneering collaboration with the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession, City University of New York School of Law offered a Technology and Law course in the spring 2019 semester. This two-credit course was offered in the evening and 17 students participated, including both day and evening students. Classes featured weekly guest … Continued
BALTIMORE’S PATCHING MISTAKE On May 7, 2019, the City of Baltimore was hit by ransomware. A month later, in June, Ars Technica reported that the city had already lost $18 million. At that point, it was still far from full recovery. Less than a third of employees were back at work. Many were using “paper-based workarounds.” How … Continued
Burgio is special counsel at Barclay Damon. She lives and works in Buffalo. What advice would you give a young lawyer just starting her or his career? When you’re in law school, it can be overwhelming trying to choose a specific area to practice in. Then, when you get into practice, you might find out … Continued
Increased legislative focus on data privacy and security has made it necessary for businesses and their lawyers to review corporate record retention policies and data disposal practices to determine whether they comply with newly enacted state laws, and to update them accordingly. The penalties for noncompliance with the provisions in these laws that specify the … Continued
On the wall of the 1837 Chenango County Courthouse is an inscription in large letters: “FIAT JUSTITIA RUAT CAELUM.” It means: “Let justice be done though the heavens may fall.” The idea of justice is eternal. We see it in the biblical passage in Deuteronomy commanding: “Justice, Justice, you shall pursue.” That is the lawyers’ … Continued
Sitting on the side of a country road, waiting for a young Guatemalan woman to emerge from a small clapboard house so that I could drive her to a local church, was not what I envisioned doing as a lawyer all those years ago in law school. Yet last May there I was, deep in New … Continued
Especially in competitive markets, attorneys need to attract and retain clients in order to stay in business. Traditionally, attorneys used to get most of their clients through referrals or perhaps advertisements in the yellow pages or, more recently, through television commercials and advertisements in general circulation and specialty print publications. Another popular choice has long been … Continued
The Legal Writer continues its series on what we can learn from the great teachers of writing. In this column, we continue our focus on Antonin Scalia and Bryan A. Garner’s preeminent book, Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges. In Part II of this two-part column, we address Scalia and Garner’s suggestions on writing … Continued