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Daily Archives: September 23, 2019

Twitter 101 for Lawyers

Law Technology Today: “The recent 2019 “ABA Profile of the Legal Profession” report says that only 25% of lawyers personally use or maintain a presence on Twitter for professional purposes. That same report also states that only 14% of law firms use Twitter (down from a high of 21% in 2016). My business clients—who in my opinion, are the greatest sales professionals on the planet—like to use a word known as “whitespace” to describe new potential opportunities with customers. I believe that Twitter is “whitespace” for lawyers. Embracing Twitter provides lawyers with a highly powerful—and free—opportunity to learn, build your organization’s brand, build your personal brand and develop relationships. In this article, we explore some strategies for you to do so…The beauty of Twitter is that you need to be “short and sweet” in your Tweets as you are limited to 280 characters. Using Twitter has taught me to become a more effective and efficient digital communicator with my business clients. You can also enhance your Tweets—and increase the likelihood they will be viewed—by adding some visual content in the form of emojis, pictures, videos, GIFs, etc….”

The Misadventure of Copyrighting State Law

Johnson, Eric E., The Misadventure of Copyrighting State Law (2019). Kentucky Law Journal, Vol. 107, No. 4, 2019. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3446229 – “Many states have asserted copyright over their own official state legal texts, limiting access to those materials and attempting to monetize them. This Article aims to provide helpful analysis for state officials deciding… Continue Reading

Exposing Animal Abusers: Update on the Animal Welfare Blackout

Animal Legal Defense Fund: “In early 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) purged tens of thousands of important documents related to animal welfare from the agency’s website. The purged inspection reports documented violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and inhumane treatment of animals in research labs, zoos, circuses, and puppy mills, as… Continue Reading

UN Report on Climate Change 2019

United In Science – High-level synthesis report of latest climate science information convened by the Science Advisory Group of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. September 22, 2019. Foreword by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General: “Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. This important document by the United Nations and global partner organizations,… Continue Reading

The veins of America: Stunning map shows every river basin in the US

DailyMail UK: “A stunning new map [includes video and data] shows the complex network of rivers and streams in the contiguous United States. Created by Imgur user Fejetlenfej, a geographer and GIS analyst with a ‘lifelong passion for beautiful maps,’ it highlights the massive expanse of river basins across the country – in particular, those… Continue Reading

The 7 Most Dangerous Technology Trends In 2020 Everyone Should Know About

Forbes – “As we enter new frontiers with the latest technology trends and enjoy the many positive impacts and benefits it can have on the way we work, play and live, we must always be mindful and prepare for possible negative impacts and potential misuse of the technology. Here are seven of the most dangerous… Continue Reading

Ways and Means Committee Releases Report on International Drug Pricing

“Today, the Ways and Means Committee released a report, titled “A Painful Pill to Swallow: U.S. vs. International Prescription Drug Prices,” finding that U.S. drug prices are nearly four times higher than the combined average of 11 other similar countries, and that Americans pay as much as 67 times more than consumers in other nations… Continue Reading

The Extended Corporate Mind: When Corporations Use AI to Break the Law

Diamantis, Mihailis, The Extended Corporate Mind: When Corporations Use AI to Break the Law (July 18, 2019). North Carolina Law Review, Vol. 97, Forthcoming . Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3422429 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3422429 “Algorithms may soon replace employees as the leading cause of corporate harm. For centuries, the law has defined corporate misconduct — anything from civil… Continue Reading

The Language of Congress – What topics do members of Congress tweet about most frequently?

The Pudding – “We fed thousands of Congressional tweets to a machine learning algorithm in order to recognize political issues. We’ll keep doing this every day of the 116th congress, from January 3 2019 through January 3, 2021. These are the topics that dominate members
 of Congress’ public discourse—the issues they discuss (and don’t discuss).… Continue Reading