Google Apps May be Good News For Attorneys and Firms

Good news for both attorneys and their clients comes in the form of Google Apps. Google Apps allows both attorneys and their clients to benefit from the efficiency of Google Docs, Google Sites, and an ability to share a calendar through Google as well. This type of communication serves to strengthen the attorney-client relationship to the benefit of both. Additionally, this technology allows attorneys, especially personal injury lawyers like me! to help educate their clients on legal issues with greater ease. Google is committed to constant innovation, and this commitment comes through as the Google Apps suite has provided new, more convenient features such as page-level permissions, inbox prioritizing, and the ability to access information offline. Both legal offices and their clients have found Google Apps to be user friendly as well as easily adapted to a number of uses.

Google appears to understand that future businesses will thrive if they realize that their customers, both in and out of the office, will increasingly turn to social media and other applications like Google App to keep communication and information flowing. Google Apps features, such as Google Docs and Sites, can indeed be used to enhance communication within and without the office. Future businesses, including legal groups, will be turning to concepts such as client portals and direct, electronic communication capabilities more frequently.


Of course, law firms have a particular need for confidentiality when communicating with peers or clients. Google Apps keeps that need foremost in mind with its integral safety features such as a two-step verification process, and SAS70 Type II certification. Attorneys and clients alike can feel safe in the knowledge that their private information is kept secure and protected. Google Apps actually offers more security than that of the average private host.

Despite the recent 44 Google anti trust allegations, Google Apps May be Good News For Attorneys and Firms that are anticipating upcoming trends and technological advances with their clients’ needs in mind, the forward-thinking attorney will consider Google Apps for his own use to improve not only communication within his office, but accessibility and ease to attract, serve, and maintain his clients as well.

Google Being Investigated for 44 AntiTrust Violations

I have been following this for quite some time. I have always been more than concerned over how easy it is for a competitor to exhaits your daily bid on Adwords, and it looks like there are other concerns as well. I am keeping an open mind over this. After all, Google rocks. Anyways, an investigation of Google’s business practices is being urged by FairSearch.org, a group of companies that feels Google may be violating antitrust policies. The investigation is being urged of all 50 U.S. state Attorney Generals by the coalition, which includes not only Google’s main rival Microsoft, but also other companies such as Expedia, Kayak, TripAdvisor, and Travelocity. The coalition delivered a letter and white paper consisting of 44 pages of allegations that Google is abusing their dominant search position illegally.

According to FairSearch.org, Google harms not only its competitors, but also consumers, the economy, creativity, and job growth with its alleged illegal antitrust violations. They feel that it is vital that Google’s practices be thoroughly investigated by the attorney generals. These allegations are not necessarily new to Google who already is being probed by not only national but international groups; the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as well as the European Union and Korean Fair Trade Commission have antitrust probes concurrently. Additionally, some attorney generals have already begun investigation into potential antitrust violations by Google.

FairSearch.org’s advisor and former Attorney General of Rhode Island, Patrick Lynch, states “Evidence is mounting that Google’s business practices deserve further investigation from law enforcement and antitrust officials, and that the time to act to protect competition, innovation, and consumers is now.” He furthermore states “State Attorneys General have a critical role to play in investigating Google’s conduct to prevent further harm to competition and consumers, and many of you are already deeply involved.”

Lynch feels that Google employs “deceptive” search results, manipulating the viewer into clicking on links that benefit Google. These links are said to be placed near the top or middle of all searches so that they are most likely to be chosen, yet appear to be organic results even though they are not. Accusations by Lynch include further tricking of users by employing a search-ranking algorithm that purposefully excludes sites or lowers them to a position where they are less likely to be seen and chosen by users.

Lynch further claims that Google is responsible for the theft of content from other websites to display on their own pages without having obtained necessary permission from the originator of the content.

Additionally, FairSearch.org alleges that Google purposefully inflates their own advertising prices by tampering with quality scores. They state that Google is aware of their dominant position as an advertising venue and abuses this position by such inflation of ad rates, knowing that other companies must buy at these rates to get necessary exposure.

FairSearch.org alleges that Google is suppressing competition and thus cheating consumers by buying companies that allow it to monopolize the growing mobile search market. After purchasing these companies, Google is said to employ “exclusivity restrictions…to maintain and expand its dominance”, such as with the Android licensing, according to the letter.

The formation of FairSearch.org originally began in opposition to the acquisition by Google of ITA Software, maker of software for air travel and flight information, for $700 million. In October of last year, FairSearch.org began its battle with this search company giant. Despite protests, the acquisition of ITA Software by Google was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. However, there were conditions placed on the acquisition, including the requirement that Google develop and license software for use by its online travel site competitors. Furthermore, Google must be responsible for arbitration concerning complaints about fees from said sites.

When asked to comment, Google declined.

Marine Corps To End Rolled Sleeve Policy for Cammies/BDU’s

The Marines have new rules regarding their combat utility uniforms and rolled up sleeves, according to an administrative message. Marine Commandant General James Amos stated that the Uniform Board has recommended that there will be a change on October 24th, for the rolling of sleeves on the combat utility uniforms.  Marine officials have noted that deployed Marines are wearing their sleeves down and in order to have an across the board look, as the uniform policy is meant to be, Marine’s will now keep their sleeves down.

Marine with rolled sleeves showing warrior tats. oohrah!

Commandant of the Marines, General Amos, and his spokesman Maj. Joe Plenzler have not offered any reason or made additional comment on the new policy. The change in being permitted to roll up the cammie sleeves caused blogs and Twitter accounts to see increased posting with Marines that had something to say about the police that went into effect on October 24th.

The comments on the internet included:

• Commenter: Commandant General Amos has lost his mind and is not in touch with the Marines.
• Commenter: As a perfectionist I could spend hours rolling the sleeves to make them perfect. This is a pet peeve of mine and the change makes sense
• Commenter: Experience tells me this is a good move.
• Commenter: Knowing what the proper sleeve roll is, was a nightmare.

One Marine, Cpl. Kevin Webb had posed the rolled sleeve combat utility uniform change on his website, with a pole and there were over 1,000 respondents. Approximately 90 percent of the posts were in opposition to the change. As an inactive U.S. Marine, I think it is silly to ban rolled sleeves. There are many reasons a Marine would want the sleeves rolled up. But the Commandant was never an 0311. Maybe if he had been a grunt, he’d of thought twice. This is not the first time a Commandant came up with seemingly strange policies. When I was getting out, the then CMC had banned Marines using the term “Gunny” to describe or address a Gunnery Sergeant.

Michael Ehline is a former Marine and currently assists members of the military and their families in recovering damages as a military motorcycle accident lawyer.  Contact him at 633 West Fifth Street, 28th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071. 213.596.9642.