Virginia Lawyers Weekly

It’s just Google! Keeping jurors offline to stay in line

By Deborah Elkins
Published: May 18, 2012
Tags: Judge Edward Hogshire, Judge Pamela S. Baskervill, Social Media, Technology

NORFOLK – Jurors who have a hard time putting their Internet habit on hold during jury service need strong guidance from trial judges, a jury research expert says.
In Virginia courtrooms and around the country, jurors are yielding to the impulse to “just Google it” when they have a question.
A once-or-twice warning not to consult outside [...]

Scenes from the VTLA 

By Peter Vieth
Published: April 9, 2012
Tags: Judge Jerrauld C. Jones, Judge Leslie M. Alden, Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr., Practice Tips, Social Media, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

With 12 hours of continuing legal education from leaders of the bar, the court and the legislature, good advice was in plentiful supply at the annual convention of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association at The Greenbrier last month. Some samples:
About Facebook

“Never, ever, ever, ever tell your client to delete anything,” said Malcolm P. “Mic” McConnell [...]

Beware as Google peeks – legally – at your personal info 

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: February 15, 2012
Tags: Social Media, Technology

Et tu, Google?
The recent shift in Google’s privacy policy has to rank as one of the most significant items in technology news so far this year.
Google will now combine all your data from all Google services, and users won’t be able to opt out. The effective date of the change is March 1.
Long before I [...]

Twelve for ’12: A look at the stories we’ll be watching in the coming year 

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: February 13, 2012
Tags: Bankruptcy, Employment, Fairfax County Circuit Court, General Assembly, Hernandez, Judgeships, Justice William C. Mims, Legal Marketing, Million-Dollar Settlements, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Social Media, Supreme Court of Virginia News, Technology, Trends

For our annual Trends issue this year, we have identified a dozen different issues or points of departure that we’ll be watching in the coming year.
Twelve for ’12, we call it. Here’s the list:
STRESS ON THE COURTS
Read the lead story in this issue if you want a preview of coming attractions in courts across the [...]

Legal technology predictions for 2012 

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: January 26, 2012
Tags: Social Media, Technology

If 2011 was the year that lawyers finally took notice of Internet-based and mobile technologies — if only because these tools affected evidentiary issues in their practices — then 2012 will be the year that most lawyers not yet using these tools will make a conscious decision to put off using many of them in [...]

Background checks in the electronic age 

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: December 7, 2011
Tags: Law Office Management, Social Media, Technology

Credit and criminal history background checks, an integral part of the employment screening process, are becoming hot-button issues in the courts. They are potential minefields for employers.
In the electronic age, employers are able to research applicants’ backgrounds quickly and thoroughly. Companies must navigate a rapidly developing array of laws in this area, and balance [...]

Tips for maximizing your privacy on Facebook 

By Sarah Rodriguez
Published: November 14, 2011
Tags: Social Media, Technology

Set your posts to “Friends Only”
Each time you post a status update or add a photo/video to Facebook, you can control who has permission to see it. A pull-down menu lets you choose if your posts are “Public” (anyone can view your post) or “Friends” (only your Facebook friends can see).  To further fine-tune your [...]

Social media: Ignore at your own risk 

By Deborah Elkins
Published: November 14, 2011
Tags: Charlottesville Circuit Court, Judge Margaret P. Spencer, Personal Injury, Richmond Circuit Court, Social Media, Technology

Maybe you’re blasé about blogs, turned off by tweets, skeptical of the whole social media scene.
That hands-off policy may hurt you and your client.
Lawyers no longer have the luxury of ignoring social media, even if they choose not to use it personally or professionally.
Clients are using these online tools and more. Facebook claims over 800 [...]

Should you ask clients to give you a ‘thumbs-up’ online? 

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: November 2, 2011
Tags: Legal Marketing, Social Media

Given the number of social media sites reviewing everything from barbeque to Botox, some law firm consultants say that lawyers should be asking their clients to post positive reviews on websites like Yelp!, Avvo and Google Hotpot.
Dale Tincher, a law firm consultant, recommends striking while the iron is hottest and the client is happiest.
“When you [...]

Using social media as part of your trial preparation 

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: July 15, 2011
Tags: Practice Tips, Social Media

For years now, jury researchers have been using the Internet to gauge public sentiment and investigate potential jurors. The media-fueled frenzy of the Casey Anthony trial opened new avenues for trial consultants to help lawyers craft their tactics, and experts say those techniques will find their way to other, less publicized court battles.
Lawyers for the [...]