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We’re at the time of year where everyone likes to make and share lists. Some new types of Internet tools let lawyers share useful lists of information in easier and more powerful ways. In this new episode of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, co-hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss why Twitter Lists, bookmark lists, OPML lists and other sharable lists should be making their way onto your list soon. After you listen, be sure to check out Tom & Dennis co-blog and book by the same name, The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies.

In the earlier 1990s, railroad workers claimed symptoms of what their lawyers call toxic encephalopathy. Ultimately, scores of lawsuits were filed in northern West Virginia in which those railroad employees sought compensation from the railroad. On this edition of Ringler Radio, host Larry Cohen welcomes Attorney James W.Turner from the firm Huddleston Bolen to discuss the groundbreaking railroad case: Carter, et al v. CSX Transportation, Inc. Larry and Jim will explore this controversial solvent study and how a Judge’s ruling in various Daubert hearings took center stage when it came to these cases.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and Google have re-submitted their revised Settlement Agreement for Google Books to U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in New York. The Department of Justice, which had responded to the original Settlement with a list of concerns in a Statement of Interest, is reviewing the new revision. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wired Campus feature of the Chronicle of Higher Education dated November 9, 2009 carries a story about Penn State requiring faculty advisors to appear in Second Life to advise students. Penn State has had a campus presence in the virtual world of Second Life for some time, and decided to offer advising there, in addition (according to a comment at the online article) to office hours, e-mail, phone and Skype. Faculty advisors are required to offer a minimum of two hours a week in Second Life and are given training in the online game. They are allowed to choose their own avatar names. It was not clear from the article how fanciful the avatar faculty may be. Second Life avatars do not, of course, have to reflect the gender, height, weight or ethnicity of the person behind the electronic face. But they may also appear as giant rabbits, may sport wings, or become more exotic still. Clothing, of course, can also be negotiable, but one supposes that is still somewhat bound by standards of propriety for advisors during office hours. Many law librarians are Second Lifers. It’s a fun way to interact. The Chronicle article reports that faculty members do enjoy their time once they get used to Second Life.

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“Civil Gideon” is now law in the state of California providing counsel to those who cannot afford an attorney in civil cases, predominantly child custody cases and foreclosures. On Lawyer2Lawyer, co-host and attorney, Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Robert L. Rothman, partner of the firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and Attorney James J. Brosnahan, senior partner with Morrison & Foerster and member of the California Commission on Access to Justice, to take a look at the impact of this new law in California and how it could potentially change the legal system nationwide.

The Boston Globe included a story yesterday about the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University in New York stating that they would not consider roll-outs of Kindle e-readers until Amazon addresses problems with accessibility for blind users. Both schools bought some Kindles this fall on trial, but were appalled to discover that the Kindle’s read-aloud feature would almost certainly require assistance from a sighted companion. The National Federation of the Blind released a statement about the two universities’ decisions, based on their nondiscrimination policies. The most disappointing aspect is that: Read the rest of this entry »

Law School Academic Support Program - The Days Before Final Exams

Law School Special Events and Presentations - Corporate Governance

The Boston Globe Idea section today has an interview with author Allison Hoover Bartlett about her recent book, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession (Riverhead), about John Charles Gilkey. Gilkey stole rare books from dealers and bookstores around the country. While serving several prison terms, he took classes to improve his understanding of literature and help him recognize rare books and manuscripts. Read the rest of this entry »

This editorial, published in today’s Boston Globe, caught my eye because my husband is currently serving on a federal grand juror here in New York, where cell phones and other electronic devices are banned from the courthouse. The editorial discusses the growing phenomenon of “tweeting, texting, and obsessive e-mail checking” which now threatens the jury system. “Increasingly, courts have had to warn jurors that blogging or searching the Web during trial jeopardizes the very foundations of the judicial system.” The author, Renee Loth, cites examples from trials in Florida, Arkansas, and Massachusetts that were compromised by jurors Googling the defendant, checking definitions of legal terms, “unearthing evidence that had been explicitly excluded,” and sending Twitter messages from the courtroom. Loth says that the “problem is widespread enough that legal experts have coined the term ‘Google mistrials.’ No verdict has yet been overturned for texting-while-deliberating, but the retrials themselves are costly and gum up the wheels of justice.” Loth points out that the Internet has made everyone an expert (think about the proliferation of medical information that has changed the relationship between doctor and patient), and people are used to seeking out information on their own. However, there is a downside to seeking out information on our own. “‘The rise of digital technology has devalued expertise across the board,’ observed journalist Mat[t] Bai … Such a cultural shift has dire implications for a trial system that relies on testimony from expert witnesses” and on jurors who are expected to weigh only the evidence that is presented to them in court. Of course, nothing but her conscience prevents a juror from going home at night and researching the defendant’s prior criminal history or even reading in the newspaper or online about the very case she is trying. Read the rest of this entry »