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Law firm liable for unpaid court reporting fees 

Published: January 24, 2012

Tags: ethics

A law firm rather than its client is liable for unpaid court reporting fees, the Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled in affirming a $6,000 judgment.

Professionalism and ethics 

By: Thomas Spahn
Published: January 20, 2012

Tags: legal ethics, professionalism

Most lawyers use the words “professional” and “ethical” as synonyms for some vaguely defined “good” lawyer behavior. However, the concepts are really quite different, and lawyers hoping to act “professionally” sometimes must examine the ethics rules for permission to do so.

ABA weighs in on suit over lawyer’s immunity 

Published: January 20, 2012

Tags: ABA, American Bar Association, qualified immunity

The American Bar Association has weighed in on a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court over whether a lawyer in private practice hired by a city can claim qualified immunity from a civil rights lawsuit.

Lawyer can’t exploit students’ Westlaw/Lexis privileges 

Published: January 9, 2012

Tags: ethics, Lexis Nexis, Westlaw

A lawyer violates professional rules of conduct by asking a law student to perform legal research with free Lexis and Westlaw passwords provided for educational purposes, a Utah State Bar ethics committee has concluded.

2011 wrap-up: Tech and practice management tips 

Published: January 3, 2012

Tags: blogging, ethics, iPad, iPhone apps, legal fees, practice management, referrals, technology, websites

In 2011, Lawyers USA covered a range of technology, marketing and law firm management topics for small and solo law firms.

Here’s a look at some of our top stories on managing your technology and marketing your firm.

How to make it rain 

By: Correy Stephenson
Published: December 30, 2011

Tags: law firm marketing, legal marketing

Want to be a rainmaker in a dry economy?

Try some of the tips offered by legal marketing expert and editor-in-chief of Lawyers.com Larry Bodine at a recent webinar sponsored by The Business Development Symposium, an Encino, Calif. firm that specializes in helping lawyers find clients.

Tips on building a Facebook fan page for your firm 

Published: December 29, 2011

Tags: Facebook, law firm marketing, legal marketing

As Facebook’s search functionality has improved, law firm marketers say now is a good time to create a business page on Facebook.

Law firm not liable for collecting municipal fines 

Published: December 29, 2011

Tags: debt collection, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, FDCPA

A law firm wasn’t liable under federal debt collection law for actions taken to collect unpaid fines assessed by a municipality, the 7th Circuit has ruled in affirming a dismissal.

iPhone personal assistant offers time-savers for lawyers 

By: Correy Stephenson
Published: December 29, 2011

Tags: iphone, Siri, technology

The iPhone 4S offers lawyers a valuable new tool that can speed up tasks and simplify phone use.

Top news in legal ethics in review 

By: Correy Stephenson
Published: December 27, 2011

Tags: attorney advertising, blogging, cloud computing, ethics, ghostwriting, legal ethics, metadata, referrals, technology, Total Attorneys

News in legal ethics in 2011 ran the gamut from high-tech – can I friend the employee of an opposing party? – to more traditional challenges, like attorney advertising and judicial recusal.