BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Diversity at major law firms across the U.S. has dropped as a result of the recent recession. According to the annual Diversity Scorecard issued by The American Lawyer, which compiles diversity data from 200 of the largest U.S. firms, the percentage of attorneys of color at all responding firms decreased for the first time in nine years in 2009. Between 2000 and 2008, diversity had increased from below ten percent to 13.9 percent. Last year, ... READ MORE

This week, Apple Inc. took an aggressive step toward the courtroom when it filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. District Court in Delaware against HTC, a Taiwanese manufacturer of Android smartphones, including Google’s Nexus One. Not surprisingly, the lawsuit made headlines – but for all the wrong reasons. Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ commentary on the matter has painted a contradictory picture of the company that prides itself on ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to employment lawyer Anthony Lazzaro of The Lazzaro Law Firm, LLC in Cleveland, Ohio, who specializes in wage and hour cases. Mr. Lazzaro is currently representing some 40 legal secretaries against their employer, Turocy & Watson, an intellectual property law firm. The employees claim the firm misclassified their job status ... READ MORE

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. In today’s digitally-dominated marketplace, where 93 percent of Americans feel that a strong social media presence is essential to top-notch customer service, companies across all industries are wrestling with how to best infuse marketing and public relations efforts with fresh online approaches. In the legal services industry, engaging with key constituencies via social media platforms provides powerful thought leadership opportunities; alerts firms to client ... READ MORE

Microsoft announced Monday that it has forged a patent cross-licensing agreement with Amazon.com that will enable each company to mutually share proprietary technology for set royalty fees. Some critics believe the deal sets a "bad precedent" for roping other competitors into unnecessary agreements involving open source technologies that are normally shared with the public at no cost. Although the deal includes a "broad range" of products, Microsoft is quick to highlight that the agreement covers “Amazon’s ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Jonathan S. Selbin, who represents plaintiffs in a class action alleging that Dell shipped faulty laptops with defective cooling fans, power supplies, and other essential materials. At issue are the Inspiron 5160 and 1150 models sold between July 2004 and January 2005. The case has particular relevance because it ... READ MORE

Back in November, New Jersey law firm Levinson Axelrod filed suit against a former employee who established a website from which to lob reputational attacks against the firm that fired him in 2004. In January, a federal judge shut down the former employee’s www.levinsonaxelrod.net (the firm’s actual URL is www.levisonaxelrod.com) due to violations of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which protects organizations against “gripe sites” that could reasonably be mistaken for a legitimate Web presence. At ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Marc R. Levy of Levy, Morse & Wheeler, P.C. in Denver. A lawyer who usually defends insurance companies, Mr. Levy recently won one of the largest plaintiff’s verdicts in Colorado history against Time Insurance (also known as Fortis and Assurant Health). In late January, a jury found for his ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Daniel Harris of The Law Offices of Daniel Harris in Chicago and Ann Miller of Ann Miller, LLC in Philadelphia, two of the lawyers representing plaintiffs in Coleman v. Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co. In late January, 2010 U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky refused to dismiss class action ... READ MORE

Last week, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) announced that it has voted to initiate an investigation into whether or not Apple Computer products such as the wildly popular iPhone and Macbook illegally infringe upon patents held by Nokia. It’s just the latest development in a dispute that has raged since Nokia filed a complaint in October alleging that Apple broke U.S. intellectual property laws by using ten patent-protected technologies in just about every ... READ MORE