New BNA Webinar Addresses Use of Social Media in Government Investigations

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 20, 2011/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The increased use of social media platforms has made it much easier for people and entities to "speak" without an understanding of privacy or confidentiality. Social media communications may be powerful evidence in investigations, and both federal and state governments have an interest in accessing social media in the furtherance of investigations to consider what may be said.

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But, under what circumstances can social media be of interest to the federal government? What might the government be interested in? How might the government access social media? What, if anything, may individuals or entities do in response to government inquiries?

Six of the nation's top litigation specialists will share their expertise in criminal and e-discovery issues, discuss recent legal developments, and share strategies for navigating this complex area of the law in a new webinar, The Use of Social Media in Government Investigations, Prosecutions, and Trials from BNA Business & Legal.

Panelists for this September 22 webinar will offer practical advice and insights addressing:

• What policies, if any, should guide an individual or organization in the use of social media?
• What expectation of privacy or confidentiality, if any, might an individual or organization have when social media is used?
• How might the federal government gain access to particular social media?
• What restraints, if any, are there on government access?
• How might the government use information gained from social media?
• What might an individual say on social media that would bind her principal?

Webinar attendees are also eligible for CLE credit.

About the Speakers:
Andrew Goldsmith was appointed by the Deputy Attorney General in January 2010 as the Department's first National Criminal Discovery Coordinator. In this role, he oversees a wide range of national initiatives designed to provide federal prosecutors with training and resources relating to criminal discovery, including a Handbook on Criminal Discovery and Case Management, training for prosecutors and law enforcement agents, and review of criminal discovery policies nationwide. He is also the primary liaison to all United States Attorneys' Offices and Department components on these and other discovery-related matters, including electronic discovery issues in criminal cases.

Tracy Greer is an attorney in the Networks & Technology Enforcement Section of the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice. The Section has the responsibility for mergers and civil conduct antitrust matters in the areas of computer hardware and software, high technology component manufacturing, Internet-related businesses, financial services, and the securities industry. Ms. Greer joined the Antitrust Division in 1997. She also serves as a member of the Department of Justice's E-Discovery Working Group. Ms. Greer received her undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1985. She received her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988 where she was the Managing Editor of the Texas Law Review. She clerked for the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ron Hedges is a special master, arbitrator, and mediator specializing in e-discovery and privilege issues. He served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey from 1986 to 2007. Ron is a member of BNA's Digital Discovery and Electronic Evidence Advisory Board. He is also a member of The Sedona Conference, and E-Discovery Institutes of Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches e-discovery and e-evidence. Ron is author of Discovery of Electronically Stored Information: Surveying the Legal Landscape (BNA: 2007) and a coauthor of Managing Discovery of Electronic Information: A Pocket Guide for Judges (Federal Judicial Center: 2007).

Sarah M. Mathias currently works within the Federal Trade Commission's Office of General Counsel as the Associate General Counsel for Project Management. Before her rejoining OGC, she was Chief of Staff under Chairman William E. Kovacic from March 30, 2008 to March 2, 2009, and she served as an attorney advisor to Commissioner Kovacic from 2006 to 2008. She began her work at the FTC in the fall of 2002 within the Office General Counsel's Policy Studies. Ms. Mathias contributed to the FTC/DOJ Hearings on Health Care and Competition Law and Policy by organizing, researching, and participating in the hearings.

David C. Shonka is the Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission and he heads the FTC's E-Discovery Steering Committee. Before becoming the Principal Deputy, he served as the Assistant General Counsel for Litigation at the FTC from 1993. Before joining the FTC, Mr. Shonka was an associate in a Washington D.C. law firm and a litigator in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. In his career at the FTC, Mr. Shonka has tried and argued competition and consumer protection cases in the federal district courts; tried cases in administrative proceedings, represented the Commission in numerous appellate cases; and contributed to the government's briefs in several Supreme Court cases.

Ronni D. Solomon focuses her practice on the management of major discovery matters and is a member of King & Spalding's E-Discovery Practice Group. She serves as National E-Discovery Counsel for large corporations providing guidance on e-discovery issues, including both litigation preparedness and discovery strategy in active litigation. Ms. Solomon has been quoted in a number of publications on e-discovery issues, including The Wall Street Journal, the American Bar Association's Litigation News and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

About BNA Legal & Business Webinars

BNA's Legal & Business Webinars are designed for today's busy professionals. In just 90 minutes, you have access to in-depth coverage of an ever-changing array of current topics, including the latest trends and developments, new and revised laws and regulations, and legal principles and precedent. Get expert insights into compliance requirements, as well as authoritative and practical guidance on the issues that matter most to you and your clients.

With our webinar topics covering the broad spectrum of legal practice areas and corporate issues, from Intellectual Property to Privacy to Pensions & Benefits, you can count on BNA to bring you quality content on today's hottest topics. What's more, BNA's Legal & Business webinars are CLE/CPE eligible, making it easy to stay compliant with your continuing education needs.

SOURCE BNA