ABA Journal Weekly Newsletter. September 5, 2008.

September 5, 2008.

Exclusive survey: Lawyers slow to hop on blogging and social networking bandwagons.*

Careers Interview Mistakes Include ‘Too Much Information Syndrome’ and Bad Suits
Sep 3, 2008, 07:10 am CDT
“Some advice on how to avoid job search mistakes sounds like common sense: Make sure there are no typos in your resume or cover letter. Get an early start on your job search, and be aware of employer deadlines. Don’t get discouraged. Circle back after rejections and ask for guidance….”

Law Firms Make That 37 Partners Who Have Left Heller Ehrman This Year Sep 3, 2008, 02:33 pm CDT
“With the departure of two San Francisco Bay area attorneys for other law firms, the total number of partners who have left Heller Ehrman this year now reportedly tallies at least 37. Trademark lawyer Harold Milstein is the seventh Heller partner to join Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton this year,… ”

Hurricane Gustav Lawyer’s Gustav Observations: Loud Frogs and Brave Birds
Sep 2, 2008, 06:44 am CDT
“The lawyer known to his blog fans as Ernie the Attorney reports that Hurricane Gustav left the city dark but not silent. Ernest Svenson, a New Orleans solo practitioner, recorded his observations on Twitter as he weathered the storm in his high-rise condo during the weekend. “Looking from 10th floor…”

Law Firms Lawyers ‘in Love With MoFo’ Among those at Big Firms on Facebook Sep 4, 2008, 06:24 am CDT
Big law firms may be Facebook Luddites, but their lawyers are using the social networking site. “Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle was in the news last month for using Facebook as a recruiting tool. It’s believed to be the first big firm to do so, but it’s not the only…”

Criminal Procedure ‘Forgotten’ Defendant Sits in Jail for Two Years
Sep 2, 2008, 09:25 am CDT
“The federal prosecutor in St. Louis says she is concerned about the performance of a lawyer who represents a defendant sitting in jail for almost two years with apparently no action to secure his release on bond. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway spoke to the St. Louis Post Dispatch about the… ”

Law Practice Management
Law Firm Websites Lag: Spend More, But Think First, Experts Say Sep 2, 2008, 04:30 pm CDT
“Although law firms are far more focused on the Internet than they were a few years ago, experts say many still have a lot to learn about marketing themselves online, and that their websites could use improvement. Some law firms, for instance, feature streaming video, podcasts, RSS feeds and law…”

Associates Associate Quits O’Melveny & Myers to Volunteer Full-Time for Obama Sep 3, 2008, 07:29 am CDT
“Lee Fink had worked for O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles for seven years as a litigation associate when he quit his job in June to spend 12-hour days volunteering for Barack Obama. Fink has rented out his house and traveled to Denver, living off his savings and renting a… ”

Evidence Palin E-Mails Criticize Failure to Fire Trooper
Sep 4, 2008, 05:51 am CDT
“Two e-mails from Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin criticize the failure to fire a state trooper who was formerly married to her sister. Palin is being represented by a private lawyer in an investigation into whether she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan for keeping the trooper as a… ”

Women in the Law
Meet Shelley Smith, a City Solicitor With 200 Pairs of Shoes Sep 2, 2008, 02:22 pm CDT
“It’s not easy being in the shoes of Shelley Smith, who has served as Philadelphia’s city solicitor for the past eight months. For one thing, they’re size 11, and she’s got 200 pairs–50 of them ready for action in a closet in her municipal office. For another, she’s got a… ”

Legal Ethics An Overwhelmed Lawyer Leads to Md. Suspension for Lemon-Law Founders
Sep 3, 2008, 06:24 am CDT
“The founders of Pennsylvania-based Kimmel & Silverman, the “1-800-Lemon-Law” firm, have been suspended from legal privileges in Maryland for failing to supervise a lawyer there unable to keep up with an overwhelming caseload. Maryland’s highest court suspended Craig Kimmel and Robert Silverman in an opinion released yesterday, the Maryland”
_________________________________ *The ABA Legal Technology contains important information regarding the degree of adoption of Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and RSS feeds by lawyers who responded to the Survey. On observation of interest to librarians is that in 2008 the percentage of respondents using free online research has suprassed that of those using for fee online legal research. Approximately 850 lawyers nationwide responded to the Survey. The following is among the responses mentioned:

FREE ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH

2003 72%

2008 89%

FOR FEE ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH
2003 82%

2008 87%

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