From the blog: “ABA Law Practice Today and LexisNexis make available the transcript from the Keynote Address at ABA TechShow 2004. Lou Andreozzi, President of LexisNexis North America, and Mike Wilens, President of West, shared their opinions about the future of legal technology.”
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
30 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: “Legal professionals can now access LexisNexis via the BlackBerry Wireless Handheld. You can retrieve full-text news, business, legal, public records, and regulatory and legislative information sources. You can also receive current news on predefined topics of interest.”
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
30 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: “Washington & Lee Law School has developed a resource for authors who want to publish in legal journals. Most-Cited Legal Periodicals ranks law reviews by how often they are cited. It also provides information about the article submission process for each journal.”
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
30 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the e-news alert: "Could you be sued for turning over an Internet user's sign-up information to law enforcement?
Mary Minow reviews policies, procedures and links to legal and professional resources for libraries and other Internet service providers who are served with a search warrant.
· Business Filings Databases -- Updated
Kathy Biehl has made extensive updates to her online guide to state business and corporate filings' resources from all 50 states.
· Notes from the Technology Trenches: Bloomberg for Law Firms
Cindy Carlson evaluates the platform, features, coverage and value of this premium corporate news service.
· Metaforix@Health - Medicare Resources Online
Lois C. Ambash reviews a range of topical online resources, most free, but some requiring registration, from the government, academic and private sectors, that focus on the new Medicare law effective June 1.
· FOIA Facts - FOIA Fees
According to Scott A. Hodes, fees associated with FOIA requests can result in "sticker shock," and he offers suggestions on ways to obtain appropriate cost estimates for specific document requirements.
· Burney's Gadgets for Legal Pros - The Fabulous Life of a Pivoting Monitor
Brett Burney recommends hardware that facilitates an expanded and more flexible vantage point for the increasing amount of time that we spend using our PCs, for offline and online applications.
· Wisdom From the Grammar Goddess - Defining Diction
Diane Sandford's topic is the importance of word choice as a means to convey your ideas with precision and accuracy."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
29 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Content comments from: LLRX Update, 26 April 2004
Copyright © LLRX TM, Law Library Resource Xchange, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Can the Retiree Health Benefits Provided by Your Employer Be Cut?
From the e-newsletter: “This fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor discusses the questions "How secure are my health care benefits after retirement? Under what circumstances can the company reduce or terminate my health benefits?" The sheet advises that "the key to understanding your retiree health benefits lies in the documents governing your plan," and suggests what to look for in plan documents.”
Source: LII Librarians' Index to the Internet
NEW THIS WEEK for 29 April 2004
Copyright 2004 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.
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From FindLaw's DUI Center, links to national and state-specific
resources on driving under the influence laws, penalties, statistics,
and more.
Learn More: DUI / DWI Overview
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Newsletter Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
April 29, 2004, Issue # 30
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Not Enough Financial Aid? Seek Counseling
From the e-newsletter: "As they face steeper tuitions, more parents are deciding that investing in college is as worthy of professional help as buying a house or creating a stock portfolio. Some counselors now specialize in appealing colleges' financial-aid awards, and they can advise about the many legitimate reasons a school should consider, such as a change in family structure or employment, high medical bills, or a student's recent improvement in grades or test scores."
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Newsletter Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
April 29, 2004, Issue # 30
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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In the news: “In 1994, South Africa emerged from a half-century of apartheid. Now, as the country grapples with that legacy, Maureen McCully and Mickey Winograd, retired New Jersey lawyers, are playing a role by increasing access to courts through expanded pro bono. Says McCully, "I would love it if lawyers ... trying to wind down their careers think about doing something like this" -- using their skills while seeing the world.”
Source: Law.Com's Today's Legal News, 29 April, 2003
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the blog: "Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (2003) implementation; fair credit reporting medical information regulations: notice of proposed rulemaking, April 28, 2004:
· "The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, and NCUA...are required to prescribe regulations that permit creditors to obtain or use medical information for eligibility purposes where necessary and appropriate to protect legitimate operational, transactional, risk, consumer, and other needs, consistent with the Congressional intent to restrict the use of medical information for inappropriate purposes."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
28 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Tara writes: "I'm late for Earth Day; sorry about that. However the issue of how to recycle electronics is a year-round concern, so I'm pointing you at the Electronic Industries Alliance Consumer Education Initiative, a directory of places around the US where you may recycle electronics. Get to it at http://www.eiae.org/ .
The front page gives you a US map to choose from; you may also view national programs. I picked Wisconsin, which had seven programs available. Listings include program title, county, and city. Click on the program title and you'll get additional information including hours, address, and notes about what is and isn't accepted. With over 1,800 programs listed this could be very useful."
Source: ResearchBuzz #281
29 April 2004
Reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz (http://www.researchbuzz.com).
Copyright 2004 Tara Calishain. All rights reserved.
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Overcoming Information Overload
From the article, "Taxonomies organize your information for more efficient retrieval and better topic insight. Here's how to choose the best approach to building a better taxonomy." Glad to see that the authors mention the skills of corporate librarians in the article. This pdf chart compares major players in the space."
Source: The ResourceShelf, 28 April 2004
From the blog: "Cool! A New Version (Beta) of the Opera Web Browser is Online
Say hello to Opera 7.50 for Windows Beta 1! I just learned of the release and still haven't had time to check it out but I thought those of you who use Opera (those of you who don't should) would like to know. Screenshot here.
+ Company supplied list of changes
+ Beta available for numerous operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris)"
Source: The ResourceShelf, 23 April 2004
Google Alert Add New Services
Gary Price comments: "I will be the first to say that up to this point I haven't been a big fan of this service since it only looks at the first 50 results to find new material. That said, Gideon Greenspan and his team continue to add new features and services and I think it's about time for me to take another look.. We've also been told that a premium service is coming soon and will check more than the first 50 results for new material. Here's what's new today:
+ Sight Point Technology
"The new SightPoint personalization technology automatically rates new search results based on their similarity to results the user has clicked on before. SightPoint uses Bayesian statistics, made popular by spam email filters, to identify useful information in a sea of background noise. The feature is now available on an opt-in basis to all users of the free Google Alert service." You can toggle this technology on/off via a box in the user settings.
+ Case Sensitive/Punctuation Senstive Searching
"These features help users filter out unwanted noise by automatically removing any results that don't match the exact case or punctuation of a search term."
+ Coming Soon: Premium Service
According to the announcement Google Alert has signed a deal with Google allowing them to offer a premium service. The new service (pricing info to come) will launch soon. I've heard that it will check the first 500 results for new material (that could be very useful)."
Source: The ResourceShelf, 27 April 2004
In the news: "South Brunswick, N.J.'s Internet auction of $34 million in education construction bonds on April 1 was the first online public financing for a New Jersey school district, but there was no pioneering spirit in selection of bond counsel. The district picked McManimon & Scotland -- the firm New Jersey public issuers choose most often according to 2003 rankings provided by Thomson Financial."
Read full text
Visit Automated Lawyer
Source: Law.Com's Today's Legal News, 29 April 2003
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sabrina posts: "The National Council for Research on Women issued a report today on the organization's documentation of how specific information and resources on women's issues is no longer available to the public through government sponsored channels. [Link to the press release]
· From the Executive Summary: "The report concentrates on missing information that directly affects women's lives. Vital data has been deleted, buried, altered, or has otherwise gone missing from government websites and publications."
· The text of the report - MISSING: Information About Women's Lives, 24 pages, pdf."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
28 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the blog: “West yesterday launched WestCheck.com, a citation-checking service that automatically extracts and verifies legal citations with KeyCite. Previously available as a software application, the online version provides much of the same functionality without the hassle of installing and updating software.”
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
27 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: “ PC World columnist Alexandra Krasne explains how to create your own browser start page chock full of useful links to Web sites you use frequently. Her advice involves downloading an application that will help get you started. Next, you review and replace the default links with sites of your own choosing. Because she explains how to edit everything with notepad, you don't have to have access to an HTML editor.”
Source: TVC Alert , The Virtual Chase
27 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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Rick Klau posts: “Erik Heels just did a great Movable Type brain dump that’s well worth a look.”
Source: tins ::: Rick Klau's weblog, 27 April 2004
In the news: “An ideological turf war has erupted in law schools, as liberals push against what they call a conservative dominance of American law. Enter the American Constitution Society, formed to counter the powerful Federalist Society. Saying the Federalist Society does not speak "for all the people," former Attorney General and ACS board member Janet Reno adds, "Law students want something real. They want to understand how they can participate and what a difference they can make."
Source: Law.Com's Today's Legal News, 28 April 2003
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the blog: "From Websense's fifth annual Web@Work survey, April 26: "92 Percent of Organizations with at Least 100 Employees Have Been Contaminated With Spyware, Yet Only Six Percent of Employees Believe They Have Been Infected."
· In related news, see A Web of Electronic Denial"
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
27 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the blog: "Here's another article on a company that has found outsourcing jobs to India to not be the new Mecca for corporate profitability. Seems like all the hullabaloo over outsourcing may end up in a fizzle as a political issue in the upcoming campaign season."
Source: ESQlawtech, Ltd.
28 April 2004
© 2002-2003 ESQlawtech, Ltd. All rights reserved.
From the blog: "NIHSeniorHealth.gov: “Developed by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, this Web site offers information about several health conditions often suffered by the elderly. Conditions covered include Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, balance problems, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, hearing loss and others. The site provides information about each condition, including causes and prevention, symptoms and diagnosis, treatment and research and frequently asked questions. In addition to options that let you adjust the size and contrast of the text, the site provides an audio function. Simply turn it on and it will read the text on the page to you.”
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
27 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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Glenn Garnes posts: "Here's the Internet's version of "identity theft". You build a great web site, drawing lots of traffic, and then someone comes along, steals your HTML code, and puts up a duplicate site under a different domain. All of a sudden your traffic is gone, and you're left wondering what happened.
If any of your clients have popular web sites, you many want to alert them to the increased proliferation of website hijacking as described in this article.
Source: ESQlawtech, Ltd.
28 April 2004
© 2002-2003 ESQlawtech, Ltd. All rights reserved.
From the blog: "Be sure to check out the new issue of Law Practice Today. The highlight is the transcript of the WestLaw / Lexis joint keynote presentation from TECHSHOW. I've chipped in with my 2004 trends article and my newest column on legal technology blogs."
Source: DennisKennedy.blog, 21 April 2004
From the blog: "After reading The Dallas Morning News, [Use link from the original article] one might think so. Naturally, PDA enthusiasts at PDABuzz and Brighthand recently discussed whether PDAs' usefulness is waning, in wake of the Dallas Morning News article. I'm inclined to perceive the issue is one of semantics.
After all, PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant. From the most basic unconnected organizer to snazzier connected devices such as Blackberries and smartphones, the basic functions are still very similar, and I'd say that all of these devices qualify as PDAs. I think what the negative press is centering around is that people generally want more remote connectivity and overall integration, either via their laptops or cellphones. Smartphones like the Treo 600 blur the lines, being a bit of all the above. Wireless connectivity is driving the debate, whether it's Wi-Fi, cellular or other proprietary wireless networks such as Cingular's Mobitex.
On one hand, smartphones are beginning to gain more popularity, but they cost substantially more than the average person wants to spend. Interestingly, I posted recently how the top-selling PDAs were not high end, but instead were basic unconnected models. I know many attorneys who use their PDAs almost exclusively for two functions: calendaring and contacts. Some have found the benefits of having live remote e-mail access via Blackberries, Goodlink devices, and Treos, but I wouldn't say they represent the majority of PDA users in the legal market -- at least not yet.
So I'd say that the reports of the PDA's demise are greatly exaggerated. While smaller, lighter notebooks and tablets are probably eating into some of the PDA market, as well as beefed-up cell phones, I'm perceiving that PDAs are simply evolving. At TECHSHOW, I saw a record number of Treo 600s in one place, especially among the presenters, some of whom were also successful business executives. While it may be more desirable to surf the web and read e-mail and attachments on a laptop, I sure don't want to try stuffing one in my pocket or holding one to my ear. While much of the excitement over PDAs has waned in the press, I see this more as a stage of maturity. People have simply discovered what works for them, and are buying accordingly. About the only PDA that I consistently hear excitement about is the Treo 600, although I've also heard some good things about Goodlink's hybrid messaging devices and underlying platform.
PDAs as pure standalone tools are of limited utility. I strongly believe that one of the keys to having a successful PDA experience is integration with remote systems. It needs to be a seamless extension. How and how often one is able to synchronize and thus integrate the data with one's personal information management system makes a huge difference between being nominally useful and a vital tool. Another problem is that people don't want to carry around four or more gadgets. Thus the basic PDA works well for people who only need some basic information support, while smartphone PDAs are filling the need for more savvy users. Also, I don't think a PDA is for everyone. There are still those who prefer to work with analog tools such as paper, or whose work style just isn't a good fit. How many people still print their e-mails to read them (as opposed to archiving them in hardcopy form for backup)? In those cases, cramming a PDA into their daily routine is going to produce a negative result, and I wouldn't be surprised if their experiences were quite similar to the ones depicted in the news article.
There's definitely a need to have a small, portable device capable of accessing and sharing information such as calendaring, contacts, e-mail, and even web-based information. The instant-on capability is of great use while traveling, just as with a cell phone. With the explosion of spyware infestations, particularly keyloggers on public terminals, one needs to increasingly rely on having their own portable tools. I find it interesting that some of the articles mention that cellular carriers are pushing more advanced cell phones because they find those customers actually use more airtime and data services, which generates more revenue for the carriers. Well, if they're using more airtime and data services, one would think they're actually doing something useful or of interest. I definitely think the PDA market has changed in its dynamics from just a few years ago, but I'm much more likely to attribute it to evolution rather than disinterest. In particular, I believe that wireless connectivity and synchronization has played a huge role in that evolution. Our mobile needs have become more demanding, and we need tools that can keep up with that demand, in turn "enabling" us.
Source: LawTech Guru by Jeff Beard, 27 April 2004
From the blog: "This is the kind of news that makes a search freak like me go giddy all over:
Google has announced an alliance with 17 universities, including MIT, to provide a way to search the scholarly papers of each institution. [Use link from the original copy] When the testing is complete, the option may become an option on Google's advanced search page.
I love it -- search engines are tapping deeper into the Invisible Web."
Posted by: Tom Mighell
Source: Inter Alia, 26 April 2004
From the blog: "Carolyn Elefant writes: Matt Homann of the [Non]billable hour (great blog) is taking on a partner as part of his new practice venture, the "Silver Lake Group." Matt lists the highlights of the new firm's business plan over at his blog, but they're so helpful - and inspiring - to new shinglers that we're posting them below here:
1. No client will be billed by the hour. I'll unveil our Service Pricingsm plan in more detail next week.
2. We will guarantee each client's satisfaction with our service or refund their money.
3. We will hire a "client concierge" who will be responsible for one thing: keeping our clients happy. The client concierge will contact every client weekly, organize monthly seminars of interest to them, write topical newsletters, send birthday and holiday cards, solicit client feedback, and manage our firm's master client to-do list.
4. We will set up the "Silver Lake Small Business Foundation" and contribute ten percent of our profits to it. The money in the foundation will be used to teach entrepreneurship in local schools, donate books to public libraries, encourage people to start small businesses (with micro-loans), establish mentoring programs, and fund scholarships and work-study programs for local students.
5. We will share our methods, forms, letters, and experiences with others to encourage all of us in the legal profession to move away from the billable hour and toward a saner, customer-centered way of practicing law.
6. We will have a hell of a good time.
Probably the best thing about birthing and growing a practice is that you have the opportunity to define it just as you like. That's something that just doesn't happen in biglaw with multiple partners and bureaucracy, plus that fact that many large firms have been around for so long that their image is already entrenched. So what can you do to personalize your practice and make it your own - it's never too early - or too late to start pondering that question."
Source: MyShingle.com , 22 April 2004
In the news: "Charlie S. Martinez Jr. says he went to attorney Earl King for legal advice about his tax problems. King says Martinez came to him for a loan. But the result of the relationship -- whatever it might have been -- is a suit that ethics experts say is a prime example of why lawyers should never mix financial dealings with legal services. Ethics experts agree that the attorney-client relationship often blurs when lawyers enter into business deals."
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Today's Legal News, 19 April, 2003
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the blog: "The E-Government Act of 2002 includes the provision that all federal agency websites must post privacy policies in "standardized machine-readable format." However, a recent survey indicates that less than 15% of the 137 federal websites are in compliance."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
26 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: “A new report shows that most major Internet service providers shunt into end users' Junk Mail folders (or simply delete) about one-quarter of the opt-in communications that their customers have requested. More info”
[This is an add-on to our latest Info@ article in the Advanced Section, read more about it on our Website]
Source: Brian’s Buzz on Windows
CONTENTS — 2004-04-22 — Issue 28
Copyright © 2004 by BriansBuzz.com LLC.
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From the blog: “Obtaining legitimate wireless Internet access on the road requires some advanced planning. As the writer explains, you need an online connection to find an online connection. He provides a list of resources, include JiWire [Scroll Dowm] (see Take JWire To Go on the home page), which offers a downloadable look-up utility for finding hot spots when you don't have a connection.”
[We have a LOT MORE HotSpots in the area now! Check it out.]
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
26 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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A study by the Economist Intelligence Unit says the United States now ranks sixth in E-readiness:
· "The U.S. ranks sixth on this year's E-readiness list of 50 developed countries. E-readiness measures a nation's E-business milieu to determine how open it is to Internet-based opportunities." (the 2004 e-readiness rankings report, 30 pages, pdf)
· In last year's e-readiness rankings report, available here, the U.S. tied for third place."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
23 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe
From the blog: “ Searchers, who query Google without checking the default preference settings, might not know what they are missing. The article gives specific examples of legitimate Web sites blocked by Google's SafeSearch. To turn the filter off, go to Google and select Preferences on the home page. Set SafeSearch Filtering to "do not filter my search results."
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
26 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: “PC World reporters tested the effectiveness of the CAN-SPAM Act by signing up for numerous email subscriptions and then trying to stop them. Bottom line: unsubscribing typically isn't as easy as it ought to be. "It's okay to opt out, so long as you can trust the company that's sending you e-mail. But sometimes even that doesn't help."
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
26 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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The Paper Chase (Jurist): "Legal information service Jurist offers a legal news Weblog and XML-based news feed called The Paper Chase. It summarizes, and links to, select legal news stories of mostly national or international interest. The site's RSS news feed consists of headlines and partial lead paragraphs. You can also request a copy of the code for displaying the headlines in your intranet."
Topix.net Law: "News search service Topix.net displays the headline and full or partial lead sentence for law-related news stories from numerous local, national and industry sources. The XML-based news feed displays the same information that appears in the Web site's category index. Follow a linked headline to display the full article (free)."
PRWeb Legal News: "Free news wire service PR Web offers an XML-based news feed for law-related press releases. The feed displays the headline and partial summary or first sentence."
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
26 April 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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Attorney General John Ashcroft's Remarks Regarding Operation Fastlink and Internet Piracy:
· "Intellectual property enforcement is a priority for the Department of Justice. That is why last month I established the Intellectual Property Task Force. This task force is looking at how the Department can strengthen and improve our efforts to combat theft of intellectual property. Built on the model established by our successful Corporate Fraud Task Force, the Intellectual Property Task Force will draw on all of the resources of the Department of Justice to send an unmistakable message - theft of intellectual property will not be tolerated."
· 'Operation Fastlink' Is The Largest Global Enforcement Action Ever Undertaken Against Online Piracy
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
24 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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In the news: “Pete Cardillo's whole practice is devoted to suing pest-control companies. Yes, indeed, it's all termites all the time. He may be the first lawyer in the country to establish the specialty, but if he's right about its potential, he won't be the last. Once plagued by nightly visions of the pests devouring his own house, the Florida attorney now dreams of opening more offices in the "termite belt" spanning much of the South.”
Source: FindLaw's Today's Legal News, 26 April 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Be sure to check page 8 of your Stark County Bar Journal for area Law Week activities!!
From an e-mail: "Law Day is almost here, and all indications is that this year's theme is a hit and this may be the biggest Law Day yet.
Here are some links to help you and your volunteers make the most of your
Law Day events.
For Speeches -- dozens of topics, including many on equal protection and Brown v. Board.
For Lessons -- dozens of lessons at all grade levels, including six on this year's theme; great for lawyers and judges in the classroom.
For Your Proclamation -- a sample proclamation on this year's theme, both as a .PDF and as a Word document.
For Help with the Media -- tips on media-savvy events.
For Reaching the Community -- practical law presentations.
For Background on Law Day -- Law Day's origins, first Presidential Proclamation, Congressional Resolution on Law Day."
Source: E-mail from Charlie White, “Law Day Help on the Web”, 21 April 2004
From the blog: "An update to my April 13 posting, CA Senator Plans Bill on Gmail and Privacy, as follows: April 21, Senator Liz Figueroa Introduces Bill to Stop Google from Secretly "Oogling" Private E-Mails, and a link to SB 1822, which contains her amendments relevant to this issue."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
22 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: "Researchers uncovered a serious flaw in the underlying technology for nearly all Internet traffic, a discovery that led to an urgent and secretive international effort to prevent global disruptions of Web surfing, e-mails and instant messages.
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/ht/1700/4-21-2004/20040421050004_04.html
Get Tech Tips For Your Law Firm In FindLaw's Modern Practice"
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
April 21, 2004, Issue # 183
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: "Spyware that monitors keystrokes, scans files, reconfigures browsers, snoops in email or installs additional spyware threatens corporate security. Unfortunately, much of this activity occurs without the user's or company's knowledge. Kelly Martin, a product manager with Symantec, discusses how to protect company computers. Much of the advise, however, depends on a user's technical savvy."
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
27 January 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: “Librarian Tony Greiner outlines research into the disappearance of a politically sensitive article from the online edition of Time magazine and many fee-based databases. While the research was inconclusive--no one knows whether it was removed because the authors requested it or because the serial rights expired, the fact remains the article disappeared almost without a trace.
It's the removal of the article without notation that concerns librarians. For a generation depending mostly, if not entirely, on online sources of information, the publisher's oversight presents a danger. Unless the researcher knows to check the print edition, or scours sources like the Internet Archive or The Memory Hole, which record online history, it's as if the article never existed.
Librarians can help patrons avoid missing critical information by teaching them about the research value of sites like the Internet Archive. In this case, familiarity with Amazon.com's Search Inside a Book also would have been helpful. The article was excerpted from A World Transformed by Brent Scowcroft and George Bush, Sr. A search for all references to "Saddam" or "Noriega" finds page 489, which contains many of the sentences that appear in the excerpt.
QUERY at Amazon:
Use the power search box.
title: (world and transformed) and keywords: saddam
title: (world and transformed) and keywords: noriega"
Source: TVC Alert, The Virtual Chase
27 January 2004
(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. All rights reserved.
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In the news: "The Internet's database capability has produced a new phenomenon: blacklisting. Until closed amidst criticism, one Web site was allowing doctors to check patients' litigation history. And other companies give landlords online information about a potential tenant's eviction history. Although industry lawyers say the sites merely report openly available information from court records, the practice has led to at least two class actions."
Read full text
[Requires subscription to the Tech Law Practice Center, but you can get a 30-day trial at the above site]
Source: FindLaw's Today's Legal News, 23 April 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the e-newsletter: "FindLaw's Family Law Center features links to divorce and child custody laws in all 50 states, including statutes describing proper grounds for divorce and dissolution, and laws regulating child support, spousal support, and visitation rights."
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Resource Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
April 22, 2004, Issue # 29
Copyright © 1994-2004 FindLaw, a Thomson business
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FFrom the e-news alert: "Information about TV Turnoff Week, usually held the last week of April. Includes tips and ideas for organizing, downloadable posters, archives since 1999, and related links. From the nonprofit organization Adbusters Media Foundation."
Source: LII Librarians' Index to the Internet
NEW THIS WEEK for April 22, 2004
Copyright 2004 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.
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From the blog: "Huge Surge In Phishing Scams As Fraudsters Seek Financial Gain
· This link on Antiphishing.org : "Earthlink Toolbar™Featuring ScamBlocker™
EarthLink ScamBlocker is part of a free browser toolbar that alerts you before you visit a page that's on Earthlink's list of known fraudulent phisher Web sites. Its free to all Internet users." [Download]"
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
22 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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David Giacalone of ethicalEsq? & haikuEsq! posts: “In an important position paper released on April 14, 2004, entitled Supporting Information Literacy (draft), the Washington State Access to Justice Board asserts that "Access to justice requires that all people must be able to recognize when they have a legal information need and must be able to locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information. This skill is called “Information Literacy.”
The Paper declares that "The justice system has the dual responsibility of offering or otherwise assuring availability of both physical access (computer literacy) and intellectual access (information literacy) to legal information" and that the justice system must design programs to meet both responsibilities."
This must-read 7-page document is loaded with seminal ideas. Here are a few concepts that seem most important for assuring that all Americans have ready access to legal information and services -- and that all members of the judicial and legal communities, and all information experts, form a partnership to achieve the goal of computer and informational literacy:
1. "In order for everyone to have full access and use of the justice system, the justice system must further examine the nature of legal information that may be sought, the nature and demographics of the people wanting to access and use it, and not only provide it in the language read or spoken by the user, but in a manner relevant and understandable to the user. "
2. Efforts to create better web portals, sites, and tutorials of legal information are key to proactive legal information dissemination.
3. When new legal information is created, it must be composed and disseminated using and accommodating the perspective of the first-time, inexperienced or unskilled user.
4. The Justice System should foster the development of information literacy skills for everyone, especially to those who may be vulnerable or are on the wrong side of the digital divide.
5. Partnerships must be formed with information providers such as librarians and legal clinics that assist individuals in sifting through materials, deciding which are most relevant and useful, and determining options and next steps. Public libraries and law libraries are especially important leaders in this area.
6. Libraries and other information providers and legal service providers must continue to play a critical role in teaching computer and information literacy skills, and should be supported in their efforts to do so.
Finally, there is one recommendation the legal community should especially heed:
"Because legal information is a very specific piece of the larger universe of government information, the legal community is obligated to identify a baseline necessary for understanding and using legal information. A dialogue between past, current and potential legal consumers, individuals who seek or may seek legal information, and the justice system is needed to determine baseline legal information literacy skills that are necessary to create true legal literacy standards."
[Thanks to SelfHelpSupport.org [Members Only] for pointing to this Paper.]"
Source: ethicalEsq? & haikuEsq! 20 April 2004
In the news: “In their second annual In-House Tech Survey, Corporate Counsel peers into the server rooms of Fortune 500 company legal departments. More than 20 percent of Fortune 500 IT directors participated, answering questions about their preferred technology solutions. The survey also details Liberty Mutual's impressive shift from paper-logged firm to streamlined digital case management model. How does your department compare?”
Source: FindLaw's Today's Legal News, 22 April 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
To Navigate Seas of Data, Pick Librarian Over Google
[Free Registration required]
From the blog: "It takes skill to evaluate the credibility of information provided by search engine software. Anyone (and his brother) can post a Web site claiming to provide accurate and reliable information. Librarians are trained in evaluation of information sources. They also know the secrets of the Web, and how to find the information buried beneath the accessible surface. Users of the 'free' Internet might not realize that high-quality information is increasingly a commodity -- with a price tag. It costs (dearly) to access rich databases." Thanks to Shirl Kennedy for the link and annotation.”
Source: The ResourceShelf, 18 April 2004
GSA To Implement E-Authentication System for Federal Websites
Sabrina Pacifici posts: "From FCW.com, "Officials at the General Services Administration are building a system to check the identities of users doing business with agencies online, and they plan to rely on outside organizations to generate users' digital credentials."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
21 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the blog: "Here are a few new general web search tools to keep an eye on. These projects are NOT ready for prime time but still are worth a spot on your search engine radar. Each of these tools are building their own databases and not repackaging data from other sources. At the moment each index is very small.
+ FyberSearch
This engine allows the user to tweak the keyword density portion of its relevancy algorithm. I haven't seen this option from a general web engine, I like it! You often find this functionality from databases like LexisNexis and Factiva where the searcher can specify how many times a word or phrase must be mentioned in a document to be considered relevant. Often, the syntax atleast(x) is used. An advanced interface and image searching are available. You'll also notice a link (on search results pages) to immediately reindex each page. Finally, options to limit your search to terms in the title, meta tags, and url by simply pointing and clicking. The default search finds your terms in page titles only. You'll need to select "content keywords" to search terms on the page.
+ Mozdex
A beta built by Byron Miller using the Nutch open source search platfom. A bit more info from Search Engine Journal.
+ Sootle
In alpha mode. Being built by a group of people located throughout the world. Comments from Tara and Battelle.
Source: The ResourceShelf, 21 April 2004
Hiring: It's a Good News/Bad News Thing
In the news: “If you're a mid-level associate looking to make a lateral leap now that the legal economy is picking up at long last, you're in luck -- law firms want you. But if you're a recent or soon-to-be J.D., the situation is a lot dicier despite the recovery; reports coast to coast suggest that firms can't or won't take the time and expense to train great numbers of you right now. Maybe in a couple of years, when you have some experience ... oh, wait.”
Source: FindLaw's Today's Legal News, 22 April 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Fom the Free E-newsletter: "Next Wednesday is the fifth anniversary of Baskin Robbins' "Free Scoop Night." That's right, folks. MORE FREE ICE CREAM! Head into any US Baskin Robbins on Wednesday, April 28th, between the hours of 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM and you'll get yet another free scoop of ice cream. Better still, for each person who shows up and nabs a free ice cream cone, Baskin Robbins will make a donation to First Book, a non-profit organization that provides books to underprivileged kids.
For more information about Baskin Robbins' Free Scoop Night, hop on over to
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/promo/free_scoop_night.shtml"
Source: TOURBUS Volume 9, Number 41 -- 21 April 2004
Copyright 1995-2004, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved
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In the news: " Cleveland Public Library is First to Lend eBooks for Smartphones and all PDAs From the news release, "When Cleveland Public Librarian Cynthia Orr checks her new Motorola cell phone, in addition to making calls, it's to read new eBook titles available from the CLEVNET Digital Library Connection. Cleveland Public Library was first among a national network of public libraries to add Mobipocket eBooks to their download libraries. With the free Mobipocket Reader software, patrons can download and read titles on Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia Smartphones, virtually all PDAs, and on personal and notebook computers."
Source: The ResourceShelf, 20 April 2004
From the blog: "The BBC reports that the results of recent surveys of London commuters, requesting their PC login passwords in exchange for chocolate, were that a majority of respondents provided them without hesitation. Must be really good chocolate! In addition, the survey established that pet names are all too often passwords of choice, and are also willingly shared. Scroll to the end of the article and review the reader comments as well."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
20 April 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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