Marquez: Spoofing and impersonation: identifying and addressing the issues
What’s the difference between spoofing and impersonation? These terms are often used interchangeably, but they really are not quite the same.
Information Technology
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User-friendly data: Lawyer-technologists launch new software to address e-discovery problems
A developer of software that comprehensively tracks e-discovery progress in real time describes his team’s inspiration this way: “What we tried to do was take away some of the barriers because people go to law school to be lawyers not to learn software or how to put together Excel spreadsheets … We wanted to create something that was the path of least resistance for people. They just log in and get all the critical information they need.”
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New firms juggle business challenges, pandemic pressures
Hanging a shingle is always risky. Add a pandemic to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for stress. Most lawyers across Indiana felt the pinch of the COVID-19-induced economic downturn in some fashion. But those who made career moves in the months before the pandemic say the recession has put their business acumen to the test.
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A brave new chapter: AI tackles legal writing
A well-written opinion or brief can change the course of legal thought, but while other parts of the practice of law have been upended by technology, the physical act of writing remains pretty much a job done by humans. However, new artificial intelligence software appears poised to rewrite the definition of writing.
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Big data is predicting outcomes in court
Big data is growing in importance, and corporate legal departments, despite being slower to adapt initially, are increasingly utilizing data analytics as part of their practices, according to a 2019 report. But despite all the hype, big data, by itself, cannot do a thing.
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Articles
Marquez: Implementing a secure BYOD policy at your firm
Well before the current pandemic, BYOD policies were already in place for many law firms. BYOD stands for “bring your own device,” which in general terms allows users to access corporate data on their own personal devices.
AGs urge Facebook to drop ‘Instagram for kids’ proposal
A bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general has written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday.
Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not an indefinite one
Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — at least not yet. Four months after Facebook suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans but told Facebook to specify how long they would last.
Justices to hear in-person arguments next week
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments in person next week in three cases, including a dispute over a missed hepatitis diagnosis and allegations of a breached settlement agreement.
Justices to hear arguments on order for informant to sit for face-to-face interview
An order requiring a confidential informant to sit for a face-to-face interview with defense counsel will be reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court during oral arguments Thursday. Justices will also hear arguments on petition to transfer in a case where a defendant was erroneously released from prison then reincarcerated.
High court sides with Google in copyright fight with Oracle
The Supreme Court of the United States sided Monday with Google in an $8 billion copyright dispute with Oracle over the internet company’s creation of the Android operating system used on most smartphones worldwide.
SCOTUS dismisses case over Trump and Twitter critics
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a case over former President Donald Trump’s efforts to block critics from his personal Twitter account. The court said there was nothing left to the case after Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter and ended his presidential term in January.
Supreme Court sides with Facebook in text message dispute
The United States Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Facebook in a lawsuit over unwanted text notifications it sent, rejecting a claim that the messages violated the federal ban on robocalls.
Start Page: Digital evidence pilot program clears preflight checklist
The Hamilton County courts have been piloting, in select family law cases, a program for the online submission of trial exhibits through a website called CaseLines, part of Thomson Reuters. Attorneys and their teams can log in to a website, upload their digital exhibits for a hearing and the participants have access to those files for the hearing. The website is one place where the exhibits are stored and all participants can access at the hearing.
Lawmakers press Big Tech CEOs on speech responsibility
The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling Thursday in Congress as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies’ roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
Northern District Court extends virtual proceedings through June 14
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across Indiana, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana is extending its authorization of video and teleconferencing in court proceedings by three months.
New online court hearing calendar in use by more than 30 counties
The Indiana Supreme Court has launched a new online tool providing information about daily dockets for courts in more than 30 Indiana counties. The tool follows court rules requiring courts to make daily calendars public and permitting courts to livestream proceedings due to COVID-19.
Start Page: Reduce cost of smartphone ownership: Limit interruptions
Over the next few articles, I will share some thoughts on setting your devices up for a “palm practice” (practicing law from the palm of your hand). Most lawyers now have smartphones or devices with us every day. But, with great power comes great responsibility. While these tools are helpful, they can also increase the sense that we should always be working on something.
Attorney-at-paw? Filter during Zoom hearing makes lawyer appear as cat
A West Texas judge has a word of caution to those attending court hearings via Zoom: Always check for filters before logging on. The advice came after a Texas lawyer had difficulty removing the filter during the hearing, assuring the judge, “I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”
Mizzell: You can’t ignore texts and chat messages in e-discovery
Texts and chat messages are informal and fragmented forms of communication that can be hard to address in both written discovery and the technical collection of documents. So here are a few suggestions to help attorneys who are just starting to grapple with this developing area of electronic discovery.
CJ Rush: Pandemic changed judiciary, but courts kept working
Speaking with reporters via Zoom on Thursday, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush acknowledged that despite efforts to keep courts operating remotely as much as possible, judges will face the difficult task in 2021 of working through COVID-created backlogs and getting their dockets back on schedule.
Indiana among 10 states suing Google for ‘anti-competitive’ online ad sales
Indiana is among 10 states that on Wednesday brought a lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook.
LSAT staying remote; Indiana Bar Exam still deciding
Citing the “continuing uncertainty and disruption of the COVID-19 emergency,” the Law School Admission Council has announced that all the remaining LSAT exams will be delivered remotely instead of in-person through April 2021.
Justice Department files landmark antitrust case against Google
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging Google has been abusing its dominance in online search to stifle competition and harm consumers. Attorneys general from 11 states, including Indiana, are plaintiffs in the case.