"FBI collars Nuance as software supplierMass High Tech. The FBI plans to offer Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal to special agents and bureau support staff to help create reports, text copies of interviews and other documents via voice recognition instead of manual typing, company officials said. . . "
Do's and Don'ts of High-Tech Trial Presentations. "Four years ago, our courtrooms in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota were equipped with new technology tools, including digital document cameras, real-time feeds, video and audio conferencing, and more. Since then, I've witnessed effective and ineffective use of courtroom technology by attorneys, support staff and trial consultants. Here are 10 common mistakes: . . ."
Courts get tech makeover. Judges say electronics speed trials. " It's all about grabbing your audience. Good lawyers know that if you capture the jurors' attention, you just might earn their understanding. In an age of instant messaging, 3-D video games, and cellphone video, attorneys who opt for old-fashioned blown-up texts or photos on poster board can lose a jury's attention before saying a word. Nowadays a well-equipped attorney will bring Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and videoconferencing to courtrooms equipped with flat-screen monitors for the judge's bench, speaker phones, VCRs or DVD players, document cameras, overhead projectors, touch-screen annotation, scanners and monitors . . . "
Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter. "Wi-fi finders were all the rage a year or so ago, and they continue to grow in popularity. First off, they are handy for people that travel frequently and need a handy way to find free wireless hotspots so they can get some work done. But Wi-Fi finders/detectors are also used to test the strength and reach of a home- or office-based wireless network. They are much easier to use than walking around balancing a laptop in your hand. . . "
Objecting to high-tech prosecutors. "Bergen County prosecutors could soon replace the boxes and carts they drag to courtrooms with something less bulky: wireless laptops. By next year, all criminal courts at the county courthouse in Hackensack could have a system that allows certain laptop users to connect to the Internet, access networks and conduct online legal research in the courtroom without being tethered to a phone line, said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. But not everyone is hailing the new technology. Although championed by many as convenient and time-saving, the service will be available only to prosecutors - who are paying for it out of their budget. . . "
Keeper of Expired Web Pages Is Sued Because Archive Was Used in Another Suit. "The Internet Archive was created in 1996 as the institutional memory of the online world, storing snapshots of ever-changing Web sites and collecting other multimedia artifacts. Now the nonprofit archive is on the defensive in a legal case that represents a strange turn in the debate over copyrights in the digital age. Beyond its utility for Internet historians, the Web page database, searchable with a form called the Wayback Machine, is also routinely used by intellectual property lawyers to help learn, for example, when and how a trademark might have been historically used or violated. . . "
To all:
Today, I just heard of the passing of Jim Keane, one of the true pioneers in the litigation technology area. My heartfelt condolences to his family.
In a way all of us want to be able to say that we made a difference. Jim did. From the first time in 1989 that I heard Jim present at a technology conference he inspired me by his writings and presentations. Over the years I was always amazed by his energy and enthusiasm for his work and life.
For those of you who want to read about his life please click on http://web.archive.org/web/19981205084909/jkeane.com/lookback.html/.
Below is the "object" that Jim had on his web site welcoming visitors.
Impossible Object Source: The Eye Beguiled "Het begoochelde oog" - Bruno Ernst (Taschen, 1986 The Devil's Fork first appeared in an ad in Aviation Week and Space Technology (80, 1964)
Litigation Support is not an Impossible Object!
James Keane Company {Litigation Systems Analysis}
He will always be remembered.
Michael Arkfeld
Over the last 5 years I have downloaded and reviewed more e-mail distribution software programs and services then I care to admit.
Recently, I have come across an excellent program for those of you who are providing e-mail newsletters and other news alerts to your clients. The program is Email Marketing Director (US$495) from Ariel software. (http://www.arialsoftware.com/).
Its features inlcude:
Though you can find other programs for less money, this one is definitely worth its price.
Burney's Gadgets for Legal Pros "Software Rundown Adobe Acrobat 7.0; ZoneAlarm Security Suite 5.5; Diskeeper 9 and Norton SystemWorks 2005 . . ."
Comment: Must read article on these 3 products from an expert reviewer.
Tips for Mastering E-mail Overload. "Being at or near the the top of your organization, everyone wants a piece of you. So they send you e-mail. It makes you feel important. Don't you love it? Really? Then, please take some of mine! Over 100 real e-mails come in each day. At three minutes apiece, it will take five hours just to read and respond. Let's not even think about the messages that take six minutes of work to deal with. Shudder. I'm buried in e-mail and chances are, you're not far behind. For whatever reason, everyone feels compelled to keep you "in the loop." . . "
To keep those secrets safe, beat your computer's brains out with a hammer. "HAVE YOU been reduced to a state of such furious impotence by your computer that you wanted to smash it into a thousand tiny pieces? Perhaps the world would be a safer place if you did. Businesses and private users are failing properly to delete sensitive information stored on their computers before the machines are sold on. This has made the burgeoning trade in secondhand computer parts a potential treasure trove for blackmailers, paedophiles and fraudsters . . ."
Another article on used hard drives . .Clean the Hard Drive Before Dumping Your PC.
MSU College of Law is fifth most wired. "Michigan State University College of Law has been named to the National Jurist technology honor roll. In its January 2005 issue, the magazine listed the 50 most wired U.S. law schools, with MSU in fifth place after University of Oregon, Nova Southeastern, University of Illinois and Duke. To be named to the honor roll, law schools must have implemented leading-edge technology such as computer-based exams, videoconferencing for job interviews, high-tech courtrooms and Internet technology in the classroom. MSU Law offers a wireless network with access to all areas of its building, completely wired classrooms, a distance-learning room with videoconferencing capabilities . . "
Show and Tell. "Technology captures jurors but frustrates some judges and lawyers. Judge Mary Lisi of the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island keeps her eyes glued to two flat-screen panels on the bench. One displays evidence. The other displays testimony translated from the court reporter's shorthand into English in real time. With an optical mouse, the judge flags key testimony and makes notes on the screen. . . "
Courts to launch computer filing. 'A quantum leap to a paperless federal court system in South Carolina is about to lift off. By March, the four U.S. district courts around the state and the legal community are expected to be ready for computer filing and retrieval of criminal and civil documents. That means that bringing a lawsuit or responding to one, announcing a hearing or keeping up with a criminal charge will be available electronically through the courts. For the lay public, however, viewing the information will require a second step. The public will have to use the courts’ current computer system, called Pacer, to link to their computers, said court staffer Lois McLeod. That can be done online for free. . . . .'
Electronic tablet more than notable in features. "The huge Consumer Electronics Show concludes in Las Vegas Sunday with what boils down to a single word of advice about what could be the hottest stuff in personal technology this year . . . That's tablets along the lines of yellow legal pads or Big Chief grade-school notebooks. But these are equipped with digital technologies that are supposed to replace our laptop computers, our television sets, our iPods and even our yellow legal pads. . . "
IM is a must in lots of offices. "Talk about instant messaging and some people think it all concerns teenagers exchanging information about the latest news, trends and fashions online. But instant messaging, or IM, is an essential business tool that has become indispensable in many workplaces. Today, 53 million American adults use instant messaging, and 21 percent of those, or 11 million, use it at work, according to a recent survey by Pew Internet & American Life. Many people like the casual and quick communication that instant messaging provides, said Nancy Flynn, author of "Instant Messaging Rules: A Business Guide to Managing Policies, Security and Legal Issues for Safe IM Communication." "IM is essentially turbocharged e-mail," Flynn said. "It enables you to communicate instantaneously. You can respond to client questions in real time." . . ."
The Politics of Ownership. "What is the biggest challenge to achieving intranet success? You might be inclined to answer technology or budgets but, in reality, it is politics. A 2001 study of 500-plus intranet managers by Melcrum Research of London, found that 74 percent of them identified content management . . . "
Lawyers' new credo: Keep it entertaining. "To rouse a sleepy juror, Center City lawyer Jim Griffith once nearly fell into the jury box to humorously convey a wordless message: "Pay attention. This is important." Tom Kline, another lawyer in town, relies on high-tech imagery to keep jurors alert and intent. He uses PowerPoint, animation and a special gizmo called a Smart Board to present evidence. And he likes to show TV documentaries to paint compelling portraits of his clients. While lawyers have been trying for millennia to put on a good show, modern technology and the era of the high-profile trial have raised jurors' expectations higher than ever. . . "
Online courses for judges go on nationwide pilot test. "In an attempt to make judges familiar with information and communications technology, the judicial department recently put two courses on the Internet for pilot testing by judges located in at least 10 regions around the country. . . "
Consultancy offers fresh approach to law. "ABTS Global offers tight integration between consulting and law advice -- and a flat fee . . As the head of a consulting company specializing in business-process outsourcing and data security, Hari Venkatacharya must constantly stay on top of fast-evolving privacy laws to ensure his clients don't land in hot water. Some of his corporate customers outsource operations to places as far away as India, and he must routinely hire lawyers not just for the usual contract paperwork, but also to keep staff and clients abreast of the latest privacy policies, and to help design computer networks and data-storage facilities with legal and regulatory compliance in mind. Just deciding when to call in the high-priced legal help can be a difficult and costly proposition. . ."
JUST RELEASED! 2nd Ed. - Focusing on computer technology basics,
e-discovery procedural rules, rules of evidence for admitting electronic
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