Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier--New Book in at Law Library

The 2010 ABA book entitled Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier has just reached our Law Library. The table of contents covers everything from posting information on personal and professional sites, like Linked In and Facebook, to the ethics of friending clients. If patrons were not so hungry to read this book, I would have taken it home tonight. Members can get on the list to borrow this book by calling the Law Library at 216-861-5070 or by emailing us at lawlib@clelaw.lib.oh.us.

If Survey Results Are Correct, Litigators Ought to Make Money Next Year

Fulbright's 7th Annual Litigation Trends Survey Report indicates that business disputes and litigation will be up in the next 12 months. That would be good news for lawyers who have had fewer clients and less work to do lately. Click here to read the report (you may have to register for free), and click here to read a press release about the report. KJK Lawyer John Hyman has also posted his insightful comments on the survey.

A new article from Columbus Business First suggests that more lawyers are joining or creating virtual law firms with huge benefits. According to the attorneys who were interviewed from Ohio and elsewhere, virtual firms offer the opportunity to work less, eliminate overhead costs, spend more time with clients, and bill less. The last benefit may not seem like a benefit, but the lawyers indicated that lower fees means more clients find the attorneys affordable, thereby garnering the attorneys more clients and raising their income. Thanks to the OSBA for the link to this article.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Gaul Receives Stayed 6-Month Suspension from the Practice of Law

Local Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Daniel Gaul has received a stayed sanction of a 6-month suspension from the practice of law. This discipline derives from his actions related to a 2007 criminal trial over which he was presiding. The Ohio Supreme Court's press release summarizes the court's decision as follows:

"In a 4-2 per curiam decision, the Court adopted findings by the Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline that Gaul improperly attempted to initiate an “Amber Alert” for two witnesses who had failed to appear for the defendant’s scheduled trial, and made improper public statements in court and during an in-chambers meeting with the news media in which he asserted his belief that the defendant had intimidated or interfered with the missing witnesses when there was no factual evidence in the record to support those assertions. The Court agreed with the disciplinary board’s conclusions that Gaul’s actions constituted conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, manifested bias against the defendant, and called into question his own impartiality and the fairness and impartiality of the judicial process."

 Click here for a copy of the Supreme Court's opinion.

Law Firms Cutting Back on Staff, Library Research and Business Development

A recent survey of law firm staffing by Hildebrandt Baker Robbins  concludes that law firms facing tough financial times are cutting back on their "backoffice" overhead costs. These costs include secretarial help, library research, and business development. I would not be a good librarian if I did not plug our Law Library, the Cleveland Law Library, as a substitute for your legal research needs. We can offer solos, small firms, and even large firms hit hard by the economy free in-house use of Lexis and Westlaw, as well as a lot of other databases. Memership is very affordable, and a single yearly fee provides a full 12 months of access. We are high-tech here and always welcome new members to our library. Join, and we can serve as your office away from your office.

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers Release Top Law Firm Rankings

If you have not already looked at the results, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have teamed up to provide their brand new list of the top law firms in the country. The data is available for free on the web, where you can browse the national rankings by practice area, firm name, or location. A quick search for law firms in Cleveland revealed both small and large law firms with tiered rankings. Apparently, the new system of creating tiers for rankings has caused a bit of a stir. Click here to read a summary of how lawyers perceive the new rankings and what the ABA is doing to analyze the new methodology.

Register for Our Library's Year-End CLE Programs on Foreclosures, Technology and Ethics

Our Law Library is once again sponsoring three (3) year-end CLE programs. This year, we start off the CLE season with a November 19th program on the foreclosure process from start to finish. Our second CLE on December 3rd will cover technologies for the Web 2.0 lawyer, including mobile apps., cloud computing and blogging. We will finish out our CLE year on December 8th with our annual program on Ethics, Professionalism and Substance Abuse. 

Here is our complete lineup, with links to the registration forms:

Foreclosures: Process, Prevention & Preservation, Friday, November 19, 2010

The Web 2.0 Lawyer: Mobile Apps., Cloud Computing & Blogging, Friday, December 3, 2010

Ethics, Professionalism & Substance Abuse, Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Our Fall 2010 Newsletter also contains hyperlinks to the registration forms for the programs.

COA Judge Jones Served as a Visiting Judge on Ohio Supreme Court Panel

Yesterday, 8th District AppellateJudge Larry A. Jones, Sr. served as a visiting judge on a panel at the Ohio Supreme Court. Judge Jones was appointed to replace Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, who had a conflict of interest in an attorney discipline matter. Click here to read the Court's Press Release, and click here to listen to the case.

Law Grads Who Can't Find Jobs Blame Their Law Schools

The downturn in the economy is not enough of a reason for law grads who cannot find jobs. Now, according to an article from USAToday.com, they are also blaming their law schools for failing to inform them about job prospects, or the paucity thereof, before they incur huge debts for tuition. There are probably a number of factors that contribute to the inability to find work in the current legal market, but are the law schools to blame?

West Publishing Is Now Renting Casebooks to Law Students

The latest news for poor law students is that West is renting its casebooks for 3, 6 or 12 months. Renting a hard-copy book apparently comes with e-access to an online version of the same book. It is hard to believe, but students are allowed to highlight and mark up the books as much as they want, giving the rentals much greater utility. Just hope you aren't the second person to borrow a book where every other sentence is highlighted in different color highlighters. West is also offering an online library of Gilbert outlines, Nutshells and other handy tools for helping to get through classes and study for the bar exam.