The Recorder

Social media is a great way to stay connected with friends and family members. But as a professional development tool, the purpose of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is far less clear. So far, many lawyers and judges have opted to steer clear of the web when it comes to professional contacts, and the American Bar Association has even said that it plans to address the ethics of social media use for lawyers. Last week, the San Francisco Recorder tackled the subject in a profile of a number of Bay Area judges. Perhaps it wont come as a surprise that their opinions differed quite a bit.

Now that Congress has passed a set of bills to (hopefully) improve the economy and mitigate the impact of the recession on poor Americans, it’s clear that a full economic rebound will take years. In the mean time, more Americans are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table, let alone afford legal advice amidst rising foreclosure rates and domestic violence incidents. It’s time for the US government and individuals to boost support for programs to strengthen access to legal aid.

One of the hallmarks of Bay Area legal news has announced a significant forum switch. Following the trend among nationwide newspapers and magazines, The Recorder, formerly a San Francisco daily newspaper, announced that it will beef up its website to integrate more static blog and multimedia coverage, and reduce its print presence to a weekly product.