Articles

China's Latest Crackdown on Lawyers is Unprecedented, Human Rights Monitors Say
By Abby Seiff, Originally Published in ABA Journal Magainze.
The attacks published in China's state-sponsored news media pulled no punches. Wang Yu is an "arrogant convict of a woman," screamed an op-ed article in one major newspaper. Wang Yu is a "hypocritical and false lawyer." Wang Yu is a "shrew."  In retrospect, the media assault against Wang, one of China’s leading human rights lawyers, should have come as no surprise—and it fore-shadowed things to come.  Full Article

Law Firm Marketing: Six Hot Search Tips for 2016
By Mike Ramsey, Originally Published in Attorney at Work
Driving traffic to your website through organic search is on every law firm’s marketing agenda — or it should be. If you’ve targeted wisely, then a significant percentage of your organic search traffic is primed to take the next step and contact your firm. Making the most of organic search can be challenging, though, because algorithms and market responses are always evolving. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead of the curve in 2016.  Full Article

Weary of Wearables: IP, Privacy, and Data Security Concerns  
By Zainab Hussain, Originally Published in ABA Law Practice Today Magazine
Have wearables signaled a new focus on couture from Cupertino? It’s on the rise, but not just yet. Not when the relationship everyone thought would be steady by now is firmly in the “It’s Complicated” phase. The fashion and technology industries have certainly recognized a gap in the market where they intersect, both in terms of fulfilling societal needs (needs we never even knew we had), as well as in lost revenue streams. Sales of wearables amounted to roughly $3.5 billion in 2014, and due to improving data reliability and product variety, industry experts expect sales to increase five-fold in the next five years. This is occurring in the face of whole groups, such as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, banning the use of certain wearables by soldiers, for fear of increased trackability and a higher chance of leaking military secrets.  Full Article

NSBA News

Gov. Ricketts appoints Judge Max J. Kelch to Supreme Court
Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Wednesday, February 3 the appointment of Judge Max J. Kelch to the Nebraska Supreme Court, Fourth Judicial District. Currently, Kelch serves as a District Court judge for Cass, Sarpy and Otoe counties.  "Judge Kelch brings a blend of real world experience from years in private practice and working as a prosecutor as well as serving as a judge on the bench," said Ricketts. "He has demonstrated he understands that the role of the court is to interpret the law, and this approach will continue to serve our state well as Nebraska's next Supreme Court judge."   Full Article

Judicial Resources Commission to Hold Public Hearing - February 11, 2016
The Judicial Resources Commission will hold a public hearing via a telephone conference call pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 24-1204 to determine whether, based on the judicial workload statistics, a judicial vacancy exists in the office of county court of the 3rd Judicial District, due to the retirement of the Honorable James L. Foster, effective January 31, 2016, and make a recommendation to the Supreme Court as to the primary place of office of said vacancy.  Full Press Release

International Law CLE and Informal Discussion
NSBA is offering a two-hour CLE seminar on “Cross-Border Litigation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Involving Canadian Entities:  Key Considerations for U.S. Lawyers” on Thursday, Feb 25 in Omaha.  The seminar will be 10 am to noon, followed by an hour lunch and informal discussion of the seminar material, issues faced by Nebraska lawyers working internationally, and whether there would be value in forming a section or committee of lawyers interested in international law.  Register Online Today.  Contact NSBA Section Facilitator Lorrie Benson with questions.

Public Notice For Appointment Of New Magistrate Judges
Chief Judge Laurie Smith Camp announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska will expand its search process to seek two magistrate judges to succeed Magistrate Judge Thomas D. Thalken, who will retire on December 31, 2016, and Magistrate Judge F.A. Gossett, III, who will retire on June 30, 2017. Applications are due on or before March 14, 2016. Information about the positions and the selection process, as well as an application form, can be obtained through the court’s website at http://www.ned.uscourts.gov/attorney/appointment-of-magistrate-judge.

Researcher Looking for Attorneys to Interview
Hello! My name is Lynn Phillips and I am a marketing PhD student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am seeking to interview attorneys by phone for my doctoral dissertation on how legal professionals create and maintain their professional image with clients. I am specifically hoping to interview attorneys who work in a small firm, have clients who are individual people rather than corporations, and are responsible for building up their own client base. Interviews would last between 30 minutes and an hour. In exchange for your time, I would be glad to share the results of the research, which should benefit both attorneys and the academic community alike. If you are willing to help me out by being interviewed, please email me at lphillips@huskers.unl.edu. Thank you in advance for your time and your help. 

Recent Supreme Court Opinions

Week of February 5, 2016

Week of January 29, 2016

For a complete listing of recent opinions, visit the Nebraska Judicial Branch Website.

NLF News

Trivia Night, February 18, 2016
Sponsored by the NSBA Corporate Counsel & Young Lawyers Sections
Know it all?  Support the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation and Prove it! 
February 18, 2016
Liv Lounge; 2285 S 67th St., Omaha
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Appetizers & cocktails provided.
Proceeds benefit the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation
Register your Team Today!!! 

13th Annual Greater Nebraska Golf Scramble
The 13th Annual Greater Nebraska golf scramble is Friday, June 3, 2016 at the Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska. Please reserve your foursome soon. You also have the option of playing your own ball on Thursday, June 2nd or Saturday, June 4th. To make tee times or reserve a sleeping room, please contact Janeen Arens at 888-402-1101, option 0. When reserving your room, make sure you tell her it is for the NSBA tournament.  All proceeds go to the Volunteer Lawyers Program. Did you know that thousands of individuals contact the Volunteer Lawyer’s Project for assistance each year. For the majority of persons who seek assistance from VLP, it is a place of last resort. During the nine months of 2015, VLP assisted 2,227 persons with case placement or service at one of six self-help centers located in county courthouses. More than 90% of these persons were self-represented. VLP assisted 2,806 telephone callers by providing information and resources about access to the justice system or referral to legal service providers.   Download and complete the registration form to sign up for the tournament.

Resources

ABA TECHSHOW 2016 - March 17-19
The ABA TECHSHOW Conference and EXPO is where lawyers, legal professionals, and technology all come together. For three days, attendees learn about the most useful and practical technologies available. Our variety of CLE programming offers a great deal of education in just a short amount of time.

As a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association, we want you to know that you can get a discount on the ABA TECHSHOW 2016. This discount only applies to registrants that qualify for the Standard registration. You can register online, or download this registration form and include this unique discount code: EP1615 to receive a discount.

Learn and network with legal technology experts from across the country, March 17 -19, at the Hilton Chicago. Visit www.techshow.com for up-to-date information on ABA TECHSHOW 2016, the best event for bringing lawyers and technology together.