Searching for Work in the Digital Age

By Alex Hoyt-Heydon
Graduate Fellow, Law Career Development

With the July Bar results being posted and holidays right around the corner, many recent law school graduates are feeling pressure to find a job and fast. Between rent, student loans, basic necessities, and yes, holiday shopping, the need to find a stable source of income, as well as move forward in your legal career, is a strong motivation to keep looking for work. However, you are not the only one looking for work. And trying to hone in on any one specific field can become a daunting task in a sea of legal specialties, firms, and potential employment opportunities.

Oddly enough, it seems that in this age of quickly advancing technology and internet dependence, most articles on looking for work still hold many in-person tactics for obtaining work. Things like leveraging networks, reaching out to personal contacts, and looking into opportunities where you have worked in the past are all great, tried and true methods for obtaining work, but may not necessarily help find the exact opening you are looking for. And for those law students who were not able to form a strong network during law school, finding that first legal job after graduation can be even more difficult. Enter the online search engine to help bridge the gap.

Legal Resource - Solo Practice University

By Alex Hoyt-Heydon
Graduate Fellow, Law Career Development

Striking out on one’s own can be an interesting experience. For many of us, we have been brought up and raised on stories of the lone wolf, the solitary hero, or even just “The One.” Movies, books, and television shows of a single person against the rest of the world are so common that they have become an inseparable part of modern living. Most of us can probably remember back to that first breath of fresh air as we stepped into our first apartment away from our parent’s house, finally on your own.

Yet even as amazing as that first breath of freedom feels, it always seems to be followed by a less then pleasurable second thought. Now what? Being on your own carries with it a lot of work and responsibility, and even the best prepared will always miss a detail or two that could lead them into trouble down the road. And in the legal world, the devil is always in those details. Luckily, for those lawyers looking to start their own solo careers, Solo Practice University has a blog full of information to help you set up and maintain that decision.

Wearable Device Data as Evidence

by Hampton Jackson
LCS Intern

Data from wearable technology is expected to come to U.S. courtrooms soon. But how reliable is this data? And how should it be used?

Almost all of us carry electronic devices that track personal data. Some devices can be conveniently wrapped around our wrists, while others remain tucked away in our pockets. These devices help us track important health information, stay organized, and keep us in sync with our schedules. 

Increasingly, police and attorneys have been using data stored on personal electronic devices to disprove false claims, or to corroborate other evidence. A woman in Pennsylvania is being charged with filing a false police report. The woman told police she was sleeping, before waking up to a man on top of her. She claimed that the man assaulted and raped her. Her Fitbit, however, told a different story. Data collected from the device showed she was awake and active during the time she stated she was asleep. The ABA Journal published an article about the legal developments of wearable device data. The article describes attorney Simon J. Muller's attempts to use data from a client's wearable device in a personal injury case. He plans to use the data to show significantly reduced activity levels as a result of an accident. Muller stated, "the data has not yet been tested in court reliability, but I think there is great probative value."

Reliability of wearable technology remains a concern. While it is generally accepted that electronic devices accurately track GPS location, it is much harder to prove the accuracy of other data. For instance, a Fitbit tracks activity based on body motion. However, a Fitbit is unable to differentiate between motion from walking and motion from arm movements while seated. Because of reliability concerns, data from wearable technology will likely be used to corroborate other evidence, and will not be used as stand alone evidence.

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