Futurelawyer

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my! Want to be really afraid? Read Social Media posts all day.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Get To Keep It Plain And Simple.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. What is it with big corporations, billion dollar companies, and Big Law? Is it the fact that they have so much money they need to look substantial? This article about the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is a Foundation operated and funded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, takes two readings to figure out. The Foundation is cancelling a biomedical research project that was called Meta. This action comes on the heels of the renaming of the company to Meta. But, they aren't cancelling it. They are "sunsetting" it. They are "deprioritizing" it. I guess that unpleasant sounding words like "kill", "die" and "cancel" need euphemistic words to soften the impact. So, from now on, the FutureLawyer site will be deprioritizing efforts to make sense of corporate Big Law speak, and will "drink the KoolAid" of data analytics and Lean Six Sigma and concentrated business metrics. I want to signal my virtue in every way possible.

Tweets As Evidence In Litigation.

Tweets are classic hearsay evidence. As such, they are not admissible to prove the truth or falsity of the assertion in the tweet. They can, however, be powerful evidence in defamation cases, or cases which turn on the mindset of the person publishing the tweet. So, in addition to being skeptical of the reliability of twitter as truth teller, consider the consequences of the tweet in the hands of a competent lawyer. 'Nuff said.

Social Media Addiction...It's A Thing.

We all do it. We seek validation from other humans, and the most contact we have these days is on the Internet, and in Social Media. We meet people, communicate with them, are judged by them, judge them, love them, hate them, and generally maintain contact. When validation doesn't come, or we are ignored or ostracized, we don't like it. The sages tell us not to care what others think or do, because those things are not in our control; but, we do, anyway. I prefer to concentrate on the good things in social media, and try to only communicate with kind and generous souls. Toxic souls are sent to Facebook Hell, and we all move on. So, don't bother seeking advice from the WiseAss On The Hill. Learn from Rat's mistakes.

Social Media - The Death Knell Of Civilization.

Thousands of years of human development, and we are back to communicating in images. Our kids can't write a sentence in cursive. Some of them communicate by taking photos and posting to Instagram. Where will it end?

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Worry About Making Employee Mistakes After The Pandemic.

Bosses Mistakes Upon Return To Work After Pandemic. We are already treated like children by our spouses and significant others. Employees will not react well to being treated like a child after sampling the independence of work at home. The ship has sailed, and affects all employees, not just millennials. Since I am my own employee, I only have to deal with one boss, and she makes my food. Many of you don't share my penchant for solo practice. So, read this article and remember that your employees are adults. Treat them as such, and you will succeed.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Get To Decide How To Market Myself.

Modesty Can Go A Long Way. Okay, I agree that there is a line between marketing oneself and unctuous braggadocio. As a solo, you have to get your abilities and personality out there somehow. Social media provides a great vehicle. The greatest lesson my mom taught me was her advice: "Son, if you don't toot your own horn, no one will". Yes, you risk being too out there. But, in my experience, honest expression more often elicits the response: "I wish I had said that" or "I feel the same way". You will find that there are groups of people and individuals who like you, and want to hear what you have to say, and others who don't. Never dwell on those who don't. Speak your mind. Tell your truth. Say what you need to say. False modesty will often not get you where you want to go. You want to market yourself; but, not take any risks? Good luck. Now, get out there and show your true self to the world. What do you have to lose?

In An Internet Age, It's All About Social Media Marketing.

Marketing really hasn't changed a lot. The immediacy of Internet media has made marketing decisions more complicated; but, the reach can be extensive. It's the media, not the message, stupid.

Are You Worried About Your Privacy On Social Media?

We all want privacy in our personal communications. So, it is somewhat disingenuous of us to complain about the lack of privacy in social media, when we choose to post our secrets on the public wall of Facebook, and in other places. Of course, we all want to be loved, and respected, and cared about, so that is the intended goal of the things we put out there. But, the opinion of others should be the last thing we worry about. The Stoics tell us that the only thing over which we have control is our own actions or reactions to events. That said, there is a way to protect yourself from the problems engendered by membership and use of social media, and Facebook in particular:

Leave Me Alone. I Just Want A Cup Of Coffee.

The good news is that we still have a choice which businesses to frequent. The bad news is that they all want our personal data. Expert tip. Never take surveys. Never answer questions about your favorite things. Never respond to Internet memes that want to know your personal history. Your information is being collected, analyzed, and used to sell you stuff you don't want, or need. It may even be used to harm you. Be careful out there.