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    January-February 2009

    Vol. 33 No. 3  

    Media & Communications

    Social networking: Not just for youngsters anymore

    by Clifton Barnes

    The Internet has transformed the process of social networking. State and local bars are becoming leaders in electronic social networking for their members.

    Featured Articles

    Prosecution

    Nifonged—Dealing with media emergencies

    by Robert J. Derocher

    The word is not in Black's Legal Dictionary (yet). It means "to be deceived by hiding evidence" and refers to the controversy surrounding the former DA who charged three Duke students with rape. The North Carolina State Bar was swept into the maelstrom. Across the country, the State Bar of Texas developed a comprehensive response to a raid by Texas child welfare officials on a fundamentalist compound. Both bars came out winners in the press.

    Courts & Judiciary

    Sitting in judgment

    by Michelle A. Behnke

    In these days of 15-second sound bites, YouTube, and the nonstop barrage of information and entertainment, how can bars help bring attention to the importance of a healthy judicial branch? It's not by stressing the phrase "judicial independence," which can actually turn people off, says Michelle A. Behnke, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services. Here, she shares some ideas that have worked in her home state of Wisconsin.