Liza Barry-Kessler, Esq.

FTC Guides Article in Wisconsin Lawyer

Check out my article in the December 2009 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer: Endorsements, Testimonials, and Bloggers: The New FTC Guides.

This article spends a little more time on advertising endorsement issues in general, not just with regard to bloggers.

New: The Social Media Forum Video Blog

I’m doing a great new project with Kyle Blades of Time for a Rebel and and Paul Hager of IT Pro USA.

Together, we’ve launched The Social Media Forum, and are rolling out a series of video blog discussions on hot topics in the art, science, and law of social media.

Check them out, and if there are issues you would like to see us discuss — or potentially, discuss with us — please let us know by leaving a comment on the blog!

Register Now – CLE Webinar on Social Media Challenges for Lawyers and Clients

On January 27, 2010, I’ll be conducting a webinar called Social Media Challenges for Lawyers and Clients. The webinar is through the State Bar of Wisconsin, and will also include Tim Pierce, Ethics Counsel, State Bar of Wisconsin.

Important details: 2 CLE credits, from 11:30 am-1:30 pm, Central time, register through the State Bar. The cost is $125 for members, $145 for non-members, and is free for Ultimate Passholders.

Here’s the agenda:

Can you Twitter your way to a lawsuit?

Are there downsides to using social media? Whether or not your clients have made a strategic choice to create a presence on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or through corporate blogs, they have a social media presence. Their employees are using these tools, at home if not at work. (Your employees are, too!) The question is what are they saying about their work, and how are your clients and their customers responding?

Find out about potential pitfalls in using various forms of social media to communicate with your clients or discuss client-related issues.

You’ll also learn:

• Potential dangers that may lurk in a law firm’s Web site
• What to watch out for to avoid creating problems for yourself and your firm

Companies and organizations need to set policies around how their employees (and volunteers) communicate about work and the workplace via social media venues, and they need to make sure that their employees understand the rules.

Who should attend:

• Any lawyer considering social networking
• Any lawyer representing clients involved in social networking

What you’ll learn:

• Key elements of a good policy and risks associated with bad policies
• Special issues for certain populations: Financial Services, Health Care, Education, Law Practice
• Importance of employee education/training

Liza Speaking at Atlanta RIMS Educational Conference

I’m very excited to go down to Atlanta on February 18, 2010, to speak at the Atlanta RIMS Educational Conference.

In case RIMS is a new element for your acronym soup, it isn’t a car accessory company. RIMS is the Risk and Insurance Management Society, the professional organization for corporate risk management professionals.

I don’t have a panel title yet, but we will be talking about how companies can mitigate the risks associated with social media participation. I expect that I’ll be talking a great deal about the FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising that go into effect December 1, 2009.