JD Scoop : JD Supra’s Blog : Content Publishing, Document Sharing, Expertise Marketing for Legal Professionals

File under: free legal newsletters.

Last week we sent out our inaugural JD Supra Digest. The monthly opt-in email lists top filings, articles, alerts, and legal newsletters posted to JD Supra by our contributors.

(Click here to see the web-based version of the digest.)

Contributors included firms and solos alike: Morrison Foerster, Duane Morris, Littler Mendelson, Lane Powell, Pryor Cashman, Ed Poll, Nicole Black, Robert Matthews Jr, and others. The excellent work in this first edition covered everything from Harry Potter copyright infringement to Washington's financial bailout plan, from how to avoid IRA distribution penalties to how to make a law practice more portable...

• To sign up for the free digest: email news@jdsupra.com or opt in at JD Supra.
• If you are lawyer or legal professional and would like to contribute your work to the mix, do so now: share your legal documents on JD Supra.

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- JD Supra Digest: New Filings, Alerts, Newsletters (October 2008)

And many thanks to our contributors for continuing to share such excellent legal documents...

Lawyers frequently ask us this question. Our answer: share any legal documents that help to demonstrate your experience and expertise.

JD Supra hosts filings and decisions in cases of national significance (as well as legal alerts and articles created by attorneys at some of the most prestigious firms), but neither situation is a requirement for a legal professional interested in participating on the site.

Our collection of legal documents is as varied as the group of professionals contributing to it.

Here are diverse examples of quality written work shared on JD Supra that have generated lots of views (and, as a consequence, exposure) for their contributors:

[One document listed here has received more views than any other on JD Supra - including the petition to cancel Facebook's Trademark. Can you guess which it is? Answer below*.]

• FIRPTA Affidavit by Doug Cornelius
• Death Penalty Defense Motion Book by James B. Atwood, Jr
• Sample Family Trust by Jim Bowman
• Reaffirmation Agreements Post BAPCPA by Marc S. Stern
• Do Wikis Belong in Law Firms? by Connie Crosby
• Florida Divorce Guide - How to Prepare Yourself for Divorce by James W. Hart
• E-Discovery: Implications of FRCP Changes on I.T. Risk Management by Bradley Schaufenbuel
• Motion to Administratively Close Removal Proceedings (for I-751) by Amy L. Becerra, Esq.
• Response to Request for Proposal (RFP) Regarding Legal and Government Relations Support Services by Phyllis J. Outlaw and Associates
• Criminal Law in New York, 4th: Ch 30.(Offenses Against the Right to Privacy), by Nicole Black
• Letter of Intent - Commercial Property - Canada by Clark Wilson LLP
• Complaint, Jury Demand, and Designation of Trial Counsel by Law Office of Steven Siegler
• Course Outline by Jim Walsh

Our analytics show that the more you publish, the more traffic your profile will receive - and yet, when it comes to marketing and business development, it only takes one good connection between your work and a researcher to reap the benefits of sharing on JD Supra.

(Example: while many people have found Doug Cornelius's form FIRPTA Affidavit, above, it was the fact that the right person saw his less-trafficked article: LinkedIn to My Facebook on My Blog - Social Media for Lawyers and Law Firm Staff, that made the difference.)

So, cast a wide net. Share a diverse range of work that shows what you do, what you know.

What to upload? Articles, forms, filings, decisions, newsletters, alerts - the choice is yours.

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Further reading:

- Lawyers Open Their File Cabinets for a Web Resource, The New York Times

 [*Answer: at time of writing the Sample Family Trust, included above, has received more views on JD Supra than any other document.]

Here's a round-up of some of the latest legal newsletters, articles, and alerts posted on JD Supra by our contributors. We also send via email an expanded, monthly version of this legal docs digest; sign up for it on the site:

[Note: If you are legal professional with work to share, we encourage to do it now. Join JD Supra and publish your daily written work to a wide online audience]

 

Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Distinction between Contribution and Subrogation Claims between Insurers, and Refines Standard for Prejudice for Late Notice Defense
Learn about this case and its implications in Lane Powell's latest newsletter.
 

Family Wealth Matters Newsletter - shared by Russell Golowin, features a discussion of Legalzoom and whether you should consider do-it-yourself legal services in general.

 

Investment Banker to a Seller's Board Owes No Fiduciary Duties to the Seller's Shareholders, Seventh Circuit Rules - submitted by Duane Morris, discusses the recent decision  that Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. ("Morgan Stanley") did not owe any contractual or extra-contractual duty to the shareholders of 21st Century Telecom Group, Inc. ("21st Century" and its shareholders, the "Shareholders"). Joyce v. Morgan Stanley & Co., No. 07-1992 (7th Cir. Aug. 19, 2008).
 

InBrief Fall 2008 - by Lang Michener, highlights a number of current issues:  failure to acknowledge one’s mistakes is discussed as grounds for dismissal; the likely rise in the cost of doing business, new tax options for independent contractors, cross-border whistleblower protection; identity theft and technology, security in electronic records, reasonable notice, the obligation to mitigate, the Keays case and much more.

How to Become a United States Government Contractor - by Robert Cogan, discloses how to become eligible for government contracts and research grants.

 

Subprime Solutions: Skillfully Navigating the Credit Crisis - August 2008 - by Mintz Levin’s Subprime Practice Group, gathers news on the subprime and credit crises from a variety of sources, to keep you apprised of breaking developments in this ever-evolving area and its far-reaching consequences.

 

Quarterly Cleantech Update: Green Marketing, "Greenwashing," and False Advertising - by Morrison & Foerster discusses deceptive or misleading marketing efforts  by some so-called "green" companies, referred to as “greenwashing.”

 

SELLING YOUR HOME -- TO TELL OR NOT TO TELL? - You’ve had your house on the market for three months and you’ve finally found a nice young couple who are going to make you an offer. They’ve looked over the house, but they didn’t notice that spot where the roof started leaking after that tropical storm last year. Do you tell them? Find out in this article by Gary Kaleita.

 

Life Tools for Lawyers: Optimism - this article from Cheryl Stephens will help you learn how to strengthen your practice--and your life--by cultivating an optimistic attitude.

JD Supra contributors have been writing and sharing a wonderfully diverse collection of newsletters, articles, and alerts. Here's a summary of some of the top uploads:

Bush Enacts Watershed Housing Bill Providing New Funding and Regulation for Mortgage Industry - Lane Powell provides insight into "one of the largest housing bills in decades to shore up struggling financial markets and a housing industry slump that is second only to that of the Great Depression. The Housing Assistance Act of 2008, signed after months of contentious negotiations, creates a $300 billion program to refinance troubled mortgages and creates new regulatory oversight of Fannie Mae (“Fannie”) and Freddie Mac (“Freddie”), which finance almost half of the country's $12 trillion in home mortgage debt."

Knocking Infringement Out of Joint - Morrison & Foerster discusses infringement liability in the wake of BMC Resources, Inc. v. Paymentech, L.P. and Cross Medical Products, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc.

Patent Happenings, July 2008 - from Robert Matthews Jr., concise summaries of important developments in U.S. patent law occurring during the month of July, 2008.

Drafting Arbitration Provisions to Mitigate Bad Arbitrator Decisions - TroyGould addresses the California Supreme Court's recent decision, in Gueyffier v. Ann Summers, Ltd., 43 Cal. 4th 1179 (2008), and its implications for arbitration provisions.

The HR Implications of a Privatized War - Jon Van Horne discusses an issue unique to the employees of businesses holding government contracts: "In places like Iraq and Afghanistan (and many other places in an increasingly dangerous world), civilian contractor employees face the very real possibility of injury, kidnapping and death. For the sake of these employees and their families, these risks must be addressed by appropriate insurance coverage, something for which Congress has in fact provided."

Web 2.0 and PR 2.0 - a white paper by Jaffe Associates discussing the importance of the Internet to legal marketing and PR and reviewing a number of Web 2.0 venues for the legal community, including JD Supra.

USERRA Overview - Markus Hartmann provides "a historical context and overview of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). The Act’s ethical context is framed by the following question: What is the proper amount of protection that should be given to citizen-soldiers and Marines when they return to civilian employment after completion of a period of active military service?"

What Is Probate? - a plain language review of probate law by Kenneth Vercammen.

When Private Concerns Become Public Domain -  Nicole Black discusses the "recent discovery order issued in Viacom v. YouTube Inc., 07 Civ. 2103, which arguably sets a precedent for broad discovery orders relating to internet users' identities and usage patterns in future cases."

Electronic Surveillance and Offshore Legal Communications - an editorial essay about a declaratory judgment action: NMH v. Bush et al. (D.D.C. 2008). Prepared by Michael Geske, C.O.O. of Aphelion Legal Solutions, which is an LPO and discovery consultancy. Aphelion argues that "NMH v. Bush faces potentially fatal procedural hurdles. Moreover, according to Aphelion, the plaintiff's requests for relief, if granted, would immediately and adversely affect the interests of every US law firm with a foreign office and every US business with an overseas business partner."

Subprime Solutions: Skillfully Navigating the Credit Crisis - from Mintz Levin's Public Finance practice group, news on the sub prime and credit crises from a variety of sources, keeping readers apprised of developments in this ever-evolving area and its far-reaching consequences.

Breaking the Congressional Logjam: A New Approach to the Regulation of Commercial Data Brokers -  this impressive paper by Bradley Schaufenbuel  (a student at John Marshall Law School)  discusses the commercial data brokerage industry, the current legal and regulatory framework that governs it, and the events that led to recognition of its threat to consumer privacy.

Drugs, Cars & Cigarettes: Some Brief Thoughts on Products Liability Class Actions - a paper prepared by Clark Wilson for the Canadian Institute’s Forum on Product Liability and Recalls, considering product liability claims in three classic areas: drugs or medical devices, cars, and cigarettes.

Here's a roundup of some of the newsletters, articles, and alerts recently posted to JD Supra by our busy contributors:

• Exxon v. Baker: The United States Supreme Court Limits Punitive Damage Awards Under Maritime Law - hot off the presses, Lane Powell PC looks at today's U.S. Supreme Court decision re: Exxon Shipping Co. v Baker "concerning the limits of punitive damages which may be assessed under federal maritime law." Includes an analysis of what the decision means to London market insurers.

• New on the Menu: Class Actions Targeting Restaurants - Morrison & Foerster issues an update on a rising trend in Texas and California: class actions against restaurants that allegedly misrepresent nutritional information on their menus. The primary, ahem, takeaway item (excuse the pun): make sure nutritional information is factually accurate.

• Patent Happenings - from Robert Matthews, Jr., of Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LLP,an update on developments in U.S. patent law for the month of May 2008. A rich archive of the "Patent Happenings" monthly update is available here.

• Energy and Clean Tech Connections - recent newsletter from Mintz Levin: "what’s new in the world of clean tech. We draw your attention to the latest industry developments, news from Capitol Hill, grant opportunities and upcoming events."

• Crucial Questions To Ask A Prospective Medical Malpractice Client - from Devesh Tiwary, MD, JD, of TiMedLaw Firm: "information needed to determine whether there is a good medical malpractice claim. [A] series of questions, organized by typical fact patterns."

• U.S. Dept of Labor (DOL) Joins the Immigration Enforcement Arena - an alert from Tindall & Foster P.C. encouraging all employers to review compliance policies and procedures in this latest move towards greater immigration-related law enforcement.

• Illiinois Joint Trust Disadvantages - from one of our newer contributors, Dana Zivkovich Johnson, a look at some of the problems associated with creating a joint trust in Illinois.