Tagged: Technology Developments & Issues

In Today’s World, Companies Face Large Exposure from a Wide Variety of Possible Data Breaches

As the world becomes more interconnected, data breaches and cyber-attacks are increasingly becoming an unfortunate reality for many organizations. The stakes are high: a data security breach can disrupt a company’s operations, damage the business’s reputation, cause its stock price to fall, lead to the loss of business, and attract government investigations, agency action, and class action lawsuits. Complicating matters is the fact that a patchwork of state and federal laws can apply to the same data security breach incident.

An International Standard for E-Discovery?

The International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) is forming a new e-discovery committee tasked with the development of standards for e-discovery processes and procedures. The international standard “would provide guidance on measures, spanning from initial creation of [electronically stored information] through its final disposition which an organization can undertake to mitigate risk and expense should electronic discovery become an issue” according to a draft committee charter.

Changing the “Games”: The First Social Media Olympics

As followers of this blog know, we often bring you updates regarding the ever-changing world of social media, in particular, how it affects attorney ethics or judicial proceedings, or how it is used by financial services industry participants. Here, as the closing ceremonies for this year’s London Olympics have recently ended, we pause to reflect how the popularity of social media has “changed the game,” resulting in the world’s first “Social Media Olympics.”

ESI Guidelines for the Bankruptcy Case: The ABA’s Electronic Discovery in Bankruptcy Working Group Issues Interim Report

Although the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were updated in 2006 specifically to deal with electronically stored information (“ESI”), Bankruptcy Courts and Bankruptcy practitioners have had little bankruptcy-specific guidelines for managing ESI and electronic discovery issues. As a result, the ABA commissioned the Electronic Discovery (ESI) in Bankruptcy Working Group “to study and prepare guidelines or a best practices report on the scope and timing of a party’s obligation to preserve [ESI] in bankruptcy cases.” On March 15, 2012, the Working Group published their interim report on ESI in bankruptcy cases in an effort to invite and stimulate comments from a wider audience regarding how ESI issues should be handled in (i) large Chapter 11 cases; (ii) middle market and smaller Chapter 11 cases; and (iii) Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases.

SOPA and PIPA Have Been Shelved

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, thousands of internet companies including Google and Wikipedia protested against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) proposed by the House and its counterpart in the Senate, the Protect IP Act (PIPA). For example, Wikipedia blacked out its website while Google collected over 7 million signatures for its anti SOPA and PIPA petition. Since the high profile protests, key House and Senate supporters have withdrawn their support, questioning the viability of both bills.

Current Cybersecurity Issues and Laws Effecting Private Sector Industries Discussed at the Fifth Annual Gibbons E-Discovery Conference

On the heels of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the second panel discussion at the Fifth Annual Gibbons E-Discovery Conference dealt with pressing issues involving cybersecurity and their effect on private industries. Moderated by Gibbons Director and senior E-Discovery Task Force member Jeffrey L. Nagel, Esq., the panel opened with a presentation by Erez Lieberman, Esq., Deputy Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit and Chief of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section, Office of the United States Attorney, District of New Jersey. Mr. Lieberman discussed several cases of high profile cybersecurity breaches in recent years and the government’s role in those cases. Mr. Lieberman identified the various types of cybercrimes affecting businesses and provided the audience with a unique understanding of the interaction and coordination between his office, the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and private companies. Mr. Lieberman also addressed the effect of data breaches on the public sector and the impact of public perception on the business.

Keynote Speaker Announced for Gibbons Fifth Annual E-Discovery Conference

Gibbons is pleased to announce that the Honorable Edwin H. Stern (ret.) will present a brief keynote address where he will provide an insider’s view of some e-discovery concerns facing the courts today at the Gibbons Fifth Annual E-Discovery Conference, which will be held at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

Gibbons to Host 5th Annual E-Discovery Conference – November 3, 2011

The Gibbons E-Discovery Task Force will host its fifth annual full day E-Discovery Conference for corporate counsel and information technology professionals on November 3, 2011, in the firm’s Newark, NJ office. Devoted to the latest developments in electronic discovery and corporate information management, this program will include speakers who are among the most respected names in the e-discovery field, including former United States Magistrate Judge John Hughes, e-discovery authority Michael Arkfeld, and representatives of leading corporations and e-discovery service providers. Among the Gibbons attorneys who will present and moderate panels are Task Force Chair, Mark S. Sidoti and Task Force members, Paul E. Asfendis, Melissa DeHonney, Luis J. Diaz, Phillip J. Duffy, Scott J. Etish, Jennifer A. Hradil, Jeffrey L. Nagel, and Mara E. Zazzali-Hogan.

Caution to Anonymous Internet Posters – Your Cover Might Be Blown

Next time you consider posting something on the Internet, think again as your identity could be revealed! Under the presumed cloak of anonymity, individuals often throw caution to the wind and voice controversial and unfiltered views on the Internet. Based upon a recent ruling by an Indiana State Court in a defamation case, however, the rules of engagement on the Internet may have changed.

The Gibbons E-Discovery Task Force and the NJ Chapter of Women in E-Discovery present “The Internet and Social Media in the Courtroom”

Please join the Gibbons E-Discovery Task Force and the NJ Chapter of Women in E-Discovery in its presentation of “The Internet and Social Media in the Courtroom,” hosted at Gibbons on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. CLE credit is available for NJ and NY, and pending for PA. Jennifer A. Hradil will moderate a panel featuring Mara E. Zazzali-Hogan, Jennifer Marino Thibodaux, and Suzanne Herrmann Brock, regarding the use of social media in litigation and the courtroom.