Annual Report to the State Bar of Georgia (2010-2011) I. Continuing Legal Education. High quality continuing legal education programs continued to be a signature of the Technology Law Section in 2010-2011. The Section sponsored its annual flagship event, the Technology Law Institute on October 22- “2010: A Tech Odyssey.” The event explored critical challenges for the world today--the economy, environment, and healthcare. The goal of the conference was to enable lawyers to make an impact and provide valuable services to their clients in these important areas. This year was the first year the Institute was simulcast to the State Bar office in Savannah. The event attracted approximately 60 paid attendees. The faculty consisted of contributors from premiere organizations such as AT&T, Emory University, Georgia Solar Energy Association, and McKesson. Participating law firms included Alston & Bird, FSB FisherBroyles, Hunton & Williams, and Morris, Manning & Martin.
The Section continued to offer smaller luncheon programs with CLE credit, including:
- Development, Licensing and Distribution of Mobile Applications
- Annual Technology Law Update on State and Federal Law
- Digital Media Matters: Attorney Advertising and Professional Guidelines
II. Website Enhancements. The Technology Law Section added numerous features to its website (www.technologybar.org) during the 2010-2011 year, including:
- Integration of the Bar’s Facebook Page to allow members to view Bar updates within the Section’s website
- Enhanced event pages with maps, driving directions, and online registration through the Bar’s membership portal
- Calendar page featuring upcoming events and annual calendars
- Redesigned logo
- Incorporation of the Section’s Twitter account to provided updates and reminders to members
- History page highlighting Section leaders for the past 25 years
- Incorporation of RSS feeds to incorporate news from Section members’ websites
- Ability for users to post comments on journal articles and share articles with social media sites
- Microsite for the Technology Law Institute (www.technologybar.org/tli2010) including agenda, speaker bios, sponsors, and event details
III. Participation by Section Members. This year the Section continued to increase participation of its members in Section activities. The Section hosted a networking event at Ri Ra Pub. Many current and prospective members attended in addition to several law students from area law schools. The Section has renewed its Law School Liaison position and continues to support student member participation in the Section.
IV. Community Involvement. During 2010-2011, the Technology Law Section continued to actively support important community development efforts. As in past years, the Section made a donation from the proceeds of the Technology Law Institute to Computers for Youth. Computers for Youth has been a long-time beneficiary of the Technology Law Section’s financial support. Computers for Youth is dedicated to increasing the availability of information technology to lower income households by providing donated computers to these families. The Section also made a donation to Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and established an annual goal for Section members to complete projects for this organization. Pro Bono Partnership provided a training session for attendees of the Technology Law Institute.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stephen Combs
Section Chair
Technology Law Section