The Lawyers Guide To Social Networking

Written by a veteran litigator and leading expert on law and social media, The Lawyers Guide to Social Networking provides a comprehensive look at how social media is affecting the legal system. This book examines the myriad ways in which information from sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter is being put to use in everything from criminal and family law matters to personal injury, employment, and commercial cases nationwide. The author illustrates how the pervasive social networking phenomenon is redefining traditional notions of jurisdiction, duty, service of process, and legal ethics while using actual trial and appellate level cases to analyze the discoverability and admissibility of social media evidence.

Many lawyers view social media as a passing fad, but lawyers who dismiss social media do so at their peril. This cutting-edge guide shows lawyers how to use a practical, goal-centric approach to social media. By enabling lawyers to identify the social media platforms and tools that fit their practice, lawyers can implement them easily, efficiently, and ethically. Written by two lawyers, this book is designed with both the novice and advanced user in mind.

Litigation is about winning. It's not like a game of horseshoes, where coming close is good enough. Placing second is not something that gets and keeps clients. Now flash forward to the social media era of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat—and the list could go on and on, with new sites springing up and gaining traction all the time. Social media—once the stomping grounds of a youthful, tech-savvy generation—is a phenomenon with an incredible impact in the legal arena. The oversharing that happens on social networking sites can make or break a case—and what's more, the online landscape is ever changing, ever morphing and evolving, nearly at the lightning speed of technology itself. It may sound like a brave new world out there (and it is), but the good news is that you can quickly get up to speed and have a desktop guide at your fingertips. And, once you become comfortable with social media, you're going to be pleasantly surprised by how much helpful evidence can be found on social networking sites. That's where Winning with Social Media comes in. In this new book by attorney Michelle Sherman, you'll discover how this modern form of evidence plays a key role in cases ranging from divorce and child custody to wrongful termination, from narcotics trafficking to invasion of privacy, from breach of contract to intellectual property, from DUI to professional malpractice. You'll learn how to: • conduct informal discovery for getting social media discovery from the opposition • execute personal service through social media when all else fails • lay a rock-solid foundation to get online posts admitted into evidence • overcome objections in discovery and at trial • authenticate "ownership" of social media accounts and the incriminating posts made to them • keep your clients from sinking their case through "loose lips" on social media • use and monitor social media posts— not just from the parties, but witnesses, jurors, and even the judge—from start to finish in your case What you won't come away with, Sherman advises, is any reassurance that you can ignore social media in your litigation matters. Lawyers who do or who dismiss its relevance do so at their clients' peril. In the twenty-first century, dealing with social media evidence is a crucial part of your discovery plan and trial preparation, and Winning with Social Media will help you meet that challenge.

In this up-to-date third edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet, you'll learn how to make the latest technology work for your practice and increase your firm's visibility. This comprehensive resource provides proven online marketing strategies and guides you on how to effectively and efficiently market your law practice.

Social Media Law examines social and new media issues through the lens of law and policy, reflecting new case law and legislative developments.

The world has changed in the last twenty years, and evidence has changed with it. Gone are the days when exhibits consisted of paper documents, photographs, and tangible items. Instead, we live in the era of instant messages, social site accounts that come and go, and online anonymity in need of piercing. Forgery, fraud, and falsehoods have always been with us, but the tools for committing these acts are now easily obtained and widely used. All this presents a host of new challenges to any attorney attempting to use or combat evidence from these sources. Our courts rely on evidence that is reliable and honest, and our job as lawyers is to find and confirm that reliable, honest evidence. Winning with Social Media is designed to help you do just that. It provides the tools you need to find and capture the online evidence that a party opponent may try to obscure, modify, or even erase from the Internet. With this guidebook at your side, you can do the research and evidence preservation necessary to make your case. New to the Second Edition: Updated with discussions of current tools such as Snapchat, TikTok, and more Updated authority dealing with social media evidence Expanded discussion of Hearsay and social media evidence Checklists for preparing witnesses for trial Checklists for assisting clients with discovery Checklists for authenticating numerous sources of social media evidence Checklist for an Authentication Hold letter Additional checklist for sources of social media not included in the text Professors and students will benefit from: Insightful and practical discussions of social media evidence Aids of mock trial and trial advocacy classes which may incorporate social media evidence An introduction of social media concepts for students and faculty who may not have an understanding of the evidentiary concepts associated with social media

This Special Report provides a practical introduction to social media for lawyers. By avoiding technical details and jargon, it offers a pragmatic guide on how all lawyers - irrespective of industry sector, firm size or client base - can successfully integrate social media into their marketing, business development and client relationship management programmes. Containing essential information on the benefits and risks of social media in the legal sector, this report examines the social media platforms used by many law firms (LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook) and gives an overview of those less frequently used - enabling lawyers to make an informed choice. As well as featuring practical advice for setting up and using social media as an integral part of a lawyer's business development activity, this report also offers guidance on: * how to write great blogs and social media posts; and * how to integrate social media into a structured content management plan that supports business development objectives. The report also addresses how central systems, technology and support can be used to ensure that social media plays an effective part of a firm's business development programmes. In addition to lawyers, this text will be essential reading for marketing and human resource professionals in law firms who want to ensure the effective and sustainable use of social media.

The world has changed in the last twenty years, and evidence has changed with it. Gone are the days when exhibits consisted of paper documents, photographs, and tangible items. Instead, we live in the era of instant messages, social site accounts that come and go, and online anonymity in need of piercing. Forgery, fraud, and falsehoods have always been with us, but the tools for committing these acts are now easily obtained and widely used. All this presents a host of new challenges to any attorney attempting to use or combat evidence from these sources. Our courts rely on evidence that is reliable and honest, and our job as lawyers is to find and confirm that reliable, honest evidence. Winning with Social Media is designed to help you do just that. It provides the tools you need to find and capture the online evidence that a party opponent may try to obscure, modify, or even erase from the Internet. With this guidebook at your side, you can do the research and evidence preservation necessary to make your case. New to the Second Edition: Updated with discussions of current tools such as Snapchat, TikTok, and more Updated authority dealing with social media evidence Expanded discussion of Hearsay and social media evidence Checklists for preparing witnesses for trial Checklists for assisting clients with discovery Checklists for authenticating numerous sources of social media evidence Checklist for an Authentication Hold letter Additional checklist for sources of social media not included in the text Professors and students will benefit from: Insightful and practical discussions of social media evidence Aids of mock trial and trial advocacy classes which may incorporate social media evidence An introduction of social media concepts for students and faculty who may not have an understanding of the evidentiary concepts associated with social media

This first-of-its-kind legal guide showcases how to use the latest Web-based and software technologies, such as Web 2.0, Google tools, Microsoft Office, and Acrobat, to work collaboratively and more efficiently on projects with colleagues, clients, co-counsel and even opposing counsel. The book provides a wealth of information useful to lawyers who are just beginning to try collaboration tools, as well as tips and techniques for those lawyers with intermediate and advanced collaboration experience.