Thursday, May 1, 2008 is Law Day. We encourage every ABA member to celebrate Law Day by taking some action to further the Rule of Law—and the ABA Web store has the resources and materials you'll need.
After a devastating flood or storm, property owners may wonder what steps they should follow. Hurricane Katrina spawned a vast array of litigation relating to issues such as insurance policy coverage for damaged property to inventories of lost property. Learn what insured property owners should do after the disaster hits.
Virtual law is like "Internet law," in that it refers to a wide body of generally preexisting law that is applied somewhat differently in a new context. In fact, much of what we think of as "Internet law" applies to virtual worlds. In sum, virtual law is the statutory and case law that impacts virtual worlds and the application of that law to these spaces.
In 2006, the U.S. government recovered $3.1 billion in settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act (FCA). The construction industry accounts for a small portion of these settlements (more than 70% involve the health care industry), but judgments against a single contractor can be steep.
When I was in law school, many of my fellow-students shunned the practice of business law. They weren’t in law, they said, to make money; they were in law to "help people."
Most lawyers are road warriors today—if their entire office is not on their laptop, a good chunk of it is—and the rest is accessible through remote access. Whether in court, on vacation, or in a meeting, lawyers need access to their e-mail, calendar, appointments, and files. There is a strong expectation by many clients and colleagues that lawyers will be constantly accessible via email even, sadly, on vacation. So how do we stay in touch with the office?
Juries have changed in more ways than you realize. And with it, the old litigation tactics have to change, too. How you think, what you plan, what you will say, and how you will say it need to be revisited and rethought in light of the changing demographics. Reaching today’s juror means everything from getting and keeping their attention, to homing in on and finding ways to speak to their different belief systems and passions to recognizing the impact of technology on our lives. How can you actively involve the jury in pursuing the information you are giving them?
Now you can have instant access to articles previously available only to members of certain ABA entities. Articles from Litigation, Probate & Property, The SciTech Lawyer, and Experience are available as searchable PDF downloads.
ABA Members can now save on the Program on Negotiation's Negotiation newsletter. If you are an ABA Member, in order to receive your special subscription price, please specify the Product Code: 08Z00ABA.
Does an attorney have a duty to plan now for assisting future clients after a disaster or other unexpected events? Events ranging from hurricanes and office fires to physical illness and military call-ups can bring devastation to clients while distracting or preventing an attorney from practice. In disaster and emergency situations, attorneys face an ethical obligation to provide appropriate advice and assistance to clients. During the audio program, Ethical Issues Following a Disaster, our panelists discuss the duties imposed by the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and explore interstate issues that may arise when legal services must be provided across state lines.
The upcoming National Institute on Cyberlaw: Expanding the Horizons, is to explore recent developments involving computers and the Internet, especially in the realms of criminal law, business law, and intellectual property. The presenters and panelists are nationally known professionals including practitioners, judges, academics, and scientists.
The civil False Claims Act (FCA) is the fastest growing area of federal litigation, particularly because of its unique Qui Tam enforcement mechanism. The upcoming seventh National Institute on the Civil False Claims Act and Qui Tam Enforcement will bring together experts from all areas — healthcare, defense, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, accounting and consulting, construction, higher education and grant recipients — in which qui tam lawsuits under the FCA have been filed.
Modern legal practice often requires in-house and law firm lawyers to work on and provide counsel on matters outside their states of licensure. If not carefully handled, providing legal services outside a state of licensure can expose a lawyer or firm to a variety of ethical dangers. The Ethics of Managing Multi-State Law Practices audio program will give lawyers in both corporate and law firm settings practical ethics advice for managing multistate practices.
Lawyers deal with an enormous amount of vulnerable, confidential, and privileged information. Commercially valuable or proprietary information is susceptible to information pirates and personally sensitive information is targeted by hackers and identity thieves. Given these risks, lawyers have explicit ethical rules, particularly those relating to competence and confidentiality, which make information security essential.
The ABA Book Briefs Podcast is a series of audo interviews, discussions, and readings from ABA Books. Our Feature Podcasts are about 10 - 15 minutes in length and come out once a month. Occasionally we offer Special Podcasts. You can listen to each podcast individually or you can subscribe to receive them automatically when they are released.
Modern Election Law and Voting Rights
Listen to an interview with Benjamin E. Griffith editor of the ABA best seller America Votes! A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights. In this podcast, Mr. Griffith discusses the current state of election law and voting rights.
Ethical Issues Following a Disaster