Category Archives: Social Media
UK Juror Faces Contempt for Friending a Defendant
London’s High Court has approved the request of the Attorney General to bring criminal contempt charges against a juror alleged to have contacted a defendant in the case via Facebook. According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, the juror is accused … Continue reading
Filed under Jurors, PDFs, Social Media
Social-Media Jury Instructions by American College of Trial Lawyers
The American College of Trial Lawyers published a comprehensive set of proposed jury instructions that are intended to deal directly with juror’s use of technology, particularly the Internet and social-networking sites. The publication, which dates back to September 2010, was … Continue reading
Filed under Jurors, Social Media
Social Media & Legal Ethics
Readers interested in the various ethical implications relating to the use (and nonuse) of social-media by legal professionals also may be interested in a just-published law review article on the topic. The article is published in the current edition of … Continue reading
Filed under For Legal Professionals, Judges, Jurors, Lawyers, Social Media
Judge Rules Facebook Won’t Be the New Frontier In Debt Collection
A Florida judge has ordered a debt-collection agency not to contact a debtor and her family via their Facebook profiles, according to Beacon News in St. Petersburg. The woman, who is said to owe less than $400 for an overdue … Continue reading
Filed under Social Media
Lawyer Fired For Comment Made on Twitter
The union battle in Wisconsin is causing controversy across the country. It is, undoubtedly, a hot topic that pushes the buttons of lots of people on both sides of the issue. And, as is a common practice today, many of … Continue reading
Filed under Lawyers
New Technology Makes Courts the “Wild, Wild West” Says Ohio Judge
The recent Ohio murder trial of Ryan Widmer was broadcast to thousands play by play by journalists via Twitter and blogs. The judge presiding over the trial permitted the use of social media in the courtroom but gave stern warnings … Continue reading
Judge Bans Public From Courtroom to Prevent Prejudice by Twitter
A judge in Calgary has received a great deal of media attention after banning members of the public from his courtroom for the duration of the high-profile trial of Russell Williams. Williams is a former air force colonel and convicted … Continue reading
Filed under Jurors, Social Media
Ohio Judges Given the Green Light for Facebook
Ohio judges may have a personal Facebook profile, so says the disciplinary board of the Ohio Supreme Court in an advisory opinion issued December 8, 2010. Provided, of course, that the judge keep in mind certain ethical considerations. For example, … Continue reading
Filed under Judges, Social Media
Judge Grants Defense Request for Juror’s Facebook Posts
Lawyers for Kendrick Morris have been granted permission to subpoena the Facebook posts of one of the jurors who convicted him of rape. For background about this story, see my previous post, Lawyers Seek to Subpoena Juror’s Facebook Posts. In … Continue reading
Filed under Jurors, Social Media
Social-Media Policies for Law Firms
Social media is everywhere and its ability to produce a negative impact on your law firm is just as great as its ability to generate a positive one. Be sure to educate your employees on the proper use of these … Continue reading
Filed under For Legal Professionals, Lawyers, Productivity, Social Media
