Social Media « Virginia Lawyers Weekly

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 [...]

Ethics charges are filed over blog

By Deborah Elkins
Published: May 13, 2011
Tags: Chesterfield County Circuit Court, Constitutional, Federal Courts, Judge Frederick G. Rockwell III, Judge John A. Gibney Jr., Law Firms, Lawyer Discipline, Social Media, Virginia State Bar

Richmond lawyer Horace F. Hunter faces a June 10 disciplinary hearing before the Virginia State Bar on a charge that a blog on his law firm website does not carry a disclaimer.
Hunter says the VSB’s demand for a disclaimer violates his First Amendment rights. He sued the VSB in federal court under 42 U.S.C. § [...]

Getting the business, from in-house counsel

By Deborah Elkins
Published: April 21, 2011
Tags: Corporate Counsel, Legal Marketing, Social Media

Lawyers sifting through social media tools should start with LinkedIn, a panel of in-house counsel told their law firm counterparts April 21 at a program in Richmond.
“It’s your resume and Rolodex online,” all rolled into one, said Springfield lawyer Brett Coffee, a panelist at Virginia Lawyers Media’s first Business and Law Breakfast April 21 in [...]

Done right, social media a powerful tool for lawyers

By Deborah Elkins
Published: March 25, 2011
Tags: Social Media, Technology

With every year, it seems that the Internet and social media become more ubiquitous. As online sites and mobile applications continue to become the dominant media by which content is delivered and digested by the public, traditional platforms – such as print publications and broadcast television – cede ground. The very ways in which we [...]

Facebook ‘sideshow’ no distraction, lawyer says

By Peter Vieth
Published: December 16, 2010
Tags: Charlotte County Circuit Court, Judge Edward Hogshire, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Personal Injury, Social Media, Wrongful Death

The fight over a wrongful death plaintiff’s Facebook page led to an ugly discovery dispute, with sanctions for the plaintiff’s lawyer for accusing opposing counsel of “hacking” and a spoliation claim for the plaintiff’s deletion of photos from his Facebook page.
But the evidence that finally was gleaned from the plaintiff’s Facebook page apparently had little [...]

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