Section News

Get with the Annual Meeting Programs
The ABA Family Law Section Annual Meeting will take place August 8-10, 2008, and we hope you'll be able to join us as we celebrate the Section's 50th Anniversary and deliver top-notch CLE programming. (See middle column for more details about registration, etc.)

In addition to our own programming, the Section of Family Law is proud to co-sponsor other sessions you may wish to attend. A sampling is below:

The 21st Century Judge: Challenges for the Future
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Part I: 8:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Part II: 1:15 - 4:30 p.m.
New York Marriott Marquis Marquis
Salon C, 9th Fl.

Co-sponsored with the [ABA Judicial Division] National Conference of State Trial Judges, this two-part CLE program will focus on I: Technology: Changing What Happens Inside and Outside the Courtroom; and II: Successful Collaborative Courts and How to Develop Them & Collaborative Courts: A Skills Workshop.

A non-CLE "Lunch and Learn" with Mark Curriden will also take place from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (You may bring your own lunch or purchase a box lunch.)

Download the flyer for more details about this special program.

Problem-Solving Courts and Their Federal Obligations
Saturday, August 9, 2008
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Sheraton New York Hotel
Conference Room E
Executive Conference Center

This program, co-sponsored with the ABA Standing Committee on Substance Abuse, will explore successful, innovative and replicable problem-solving courts that are responding to epidemics of drunk driving and substance abuse in their communities. An overview of the clinical aspects of substance abuse, recovery and treatment will be provided, in addition to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ components of a drug court program.

FLS Council Member-at-Large and nominee for Secretary Randall Kessler is one of the panelists on this program.

Download the flyer for more details.

On the Docket: The Supreme Court's 2007-2008 Term
Saturday, August 9, 2008
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Sheraton New York Hotel
Conference Room E
Executive Conference Center

This CLE program, co-sponsored with the ABA Division for Public Education, will analyze the major trends of the October 2007 Supreme Court Term, which featured such cases as Baze v.Rees (upholding Kentucky's method of lethal injection), District of Columbia v. Heller (on the meaning of the Second Amendment), and Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (upholding Indiana's voter ID laws).

Panelists include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse and Laurence Tribe of Harvard Law School. Visit Supreme Court Preview to watch for details.

A complete list of other co-sponsored CLE programs and special events is available on our Annual Meeting Schedule page; check back often for updates.

Joining FLS Committees and List Serves
Want to join a topical committee or its list serve, but not sure where to begin? Here's a simple way to get started!

1. Go to the Committees page on our website. (Use the direct link above or go to the Family Law Section website and click on "Committees" in the left-hand navigation bar.)

2. Once there, you'll see a listing of committees at the right of the page. (There's also some information about determining your level of involvement. You might just want to keep abreast of what's going on in a particular area of family law, or you might want to help develop CLE proposals. You could share resources via the list serve, or ask questions.) When you see a committee you like, click on it and voila, you're on its page.

3. A "Join Our Committee" link appears at the upper right of each committee page. Click to join and you will also automatically be subscribed to its list serve. Just make sure you're logged in to the ABA website first.

4. That was pretty easy, wasn't it?

5. Although you *can* join just a committee's list serve without signing up for the committee itself, we don't recommend it. Why? Because if you do, you won't appear on the committee roster. The committee roster is a great way to see who else is involved in your area of interest. If you click on a committee member's name, you'll be able to access that member's contact information via our online member directory. If you haven't actually joined the committee, then you might miss out on some networking opportunities.

6. If you ever have any questions about joining Family Law committees or lists, contact Section staff member Hilary Glazer at glazerh@staff.abanet.org. If you have questions about the committee itself, contact its Chair (or Vice Chair or Executive Member). These folks are also listed on the committee pages.

Publications

The Family Lawyer's Guide to Stock Options (includes cd-rom)
Lester Barenbaum, Robert D. Feder, Walter Schubert


Product Code 5130147

The Family Lawyer's Guide to Stock Options is a handy, practice-focused guide to all aspects of employee stock options and their equitable division in divorce. The book provides comprehensive guidance on the valuation, taxation, and distribution of stock options upon divorce, including sample provisions for property settlement agreements. It begins with a discussion of how and when employee stock options are considered marital property through a review of major court cases. Following this, the authors discuss stock option terminology and how they are valued based on certain critical assumptions and how those assumptions are validated. An accompanying cd-rom has appendices, including sample language, checklists, and charts.

More information

To order today, call the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 and request Product Code 5130147 or order online.

Best of the List Serve

This month's Best of the FamLawEsq contains a multitude of military issues, as well as dealing with clients who may have diminished capacity. Military topics include health insurance and benefits; child custody jurisdiction; child support jurisdiction; and more.

Read more about this month's topic. (You will need to log in to the ABA website.)

Not on the list? All of our lawyer members are encouraged to join this popular discussion list. Read more about How to Join FamLawEsq in the Members Only section of our website.

CLE Calendar

Unable to attend a teleconference or a Section CLE conference? Not to worry, you can learn on your own time when you purchase the CLE materials.
See a listing of available CLE materials

Tech Corner

Digital-Age Communication Concerns for Family Law Attorneys
The technological advances of the computer age have helped attorneys become more effective and efficient, but they've also created a variety of concerns--many related to the security of client information and communications. This is particularly true for family law attorneys whose clients may share a computer--or even an e-mail address--with potential opposing parties.

It isn't difficult to imagine how such an arrangement could lead to embarrassing revelations or breaches of confidentiality. For example, a spouse may notice that the family computer has been used to Google "divorce attorneys" or may see web sites related to divorce in the web browser's history. More significantly, a spouse who knows (or guesses) the other's email password may stumble on information of great significance, such as evidence of an affair or suspicious financial activity.

So what can a family law attorney do to help guard a client's privacy? Here are a few suggestions:

* Immediately determine your client's computing situation: Do they live alone? Do they share a computer? Do they share an e-mail account or do others know their password? Take these factors into consideration when communicating with your client and inform them of the potential risk involved in sharing computers or passwords.

* Make sure your client is using secure passwords that other parties can't easily guess, and be sure that they aren't setting their web browsers or other software to "remember" the password. (For more information about creating a strong password, see Tech Corner, April 2008.)

* Consider recommending security tools to your client including encrypted e-mail (like Hushmail or Polyscribe) or encryption software (such as PGP). Also, most office software will allow the user to password-protect files, a step that--while not foolproof--is better than nothing.

* If your client maintains a blog or has a presence on a social network (such as MySpace or Facebook), make sure they understand that nothing posted on such sites should be considered private or confidential.

*While your client should use security measures where appropriate, they should understand that such measures may arouse suspicions--a potentially serious concern if they're at risk of abuse.

*Counsel your clients about the potential risks of their own cyber-snooping. As discussed on the South Carolina Family Law Blog, such conduct may have serious repercussions for the client and possibly for the attorney as well.

*Finally, if your client's computer security is in doubt, simply avoid using the computer. Handle communications the old-fashioned way: by phone or in person.

   —Joshua Poje, ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

Tell Us! Have you or your clients used any of the above programs? Or do you have any tips or tales about protecting your client's confidentiality when it comes to cyberspace? Tell us about it! We may use your feedback in a future edition of the eNewsletter. If there's some other technology you would like us to investigate, just e-mail glazerh@staff.abanet.org. Keep the Tech Corner working for you!

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