Binder Training Law Topics, 2019

Looking forward to sharing my favorite topics for HR professionals and corporate employees this summer and Fall:

I. Leading By Example 

A. Ethics in the Workplace for Managers, Supervisors, and all Employees

-   B. Social Media in the Workplace

-   C. Re-Sensitizing Employees to Harassment and Discrimination Issues

II. Internal Controls: Protecting the Company’s Assets

A. Contracts - What managers and supervisors need to know about contracts

B. Intellectual Property - All employees must guard the company’s valuable brand

C. Minimizing External Business Risks with an Effective Document Retention Program

Great Time Speaking with 8th Graders / After School All Stars Atlanta

We did a simulated First Day of Class in College.  After going over the syllabus, we covered:

LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS – First Day of Class

Theme 1: The Consequences of Winding up in Court

Theme 2: How to Protect Your Business Before Its Formation

Theme 3: Knowing Your Individual Legal Rights

Civil and Criminal Cases

Example of Civil Case: Negligence

1-      Does the defendant owe a duty to plaintiff?

2-     Did defendant breach that duty? ...

3-     By proximately causing …

4-     Damages

Palsgraf case and Proximate Cause

a-     Were the events foreseeable? or …

b-     Did the series of events break the chain of causation?

Example of Criminal Case: 4^th Amendment

Warrant to search home - Police need probable cause, based on “objective, articulated facts.”

What is suppressed evidence?

-          It depends – Were the police lawfully present?

Exclusionary rule

-          Fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Data Mining in Class?

Great speaker today: My former student, Luis Ferrer-Labarca / Co-founder of BitcraftCrypto in Technology Law for Entrepreneurs class. Proud teacher moment! 
  

Working on IP Initiatives with Georgia Governors

In October 2018, Governor Nathan Deal proclaimed IP Month in Georgia - the only state in the country with such a dedication.

The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA) looks forward to working with Governor Brian Kemp on similar projects for all regions and reaches of Georgia with IP education, conferences, economic development, and much more to benefit our citizens.

Click here for more information on GIPA Programs.

Social Media Article has 3,500+ Views

This was a fun article to write:
SMH! I Got Fired 4 FB Posts On My Device And Off Company Time? GTG #YOLO

Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” People worldwide affirm that statement daily with ill-advised social media posts in their professional and personal lives.

In 2007, the infancy of social media, I opened a Facebook account. With a bit of trepidation, I asked my students to add me as a “friend,” find inappropriate online content written by griping employees, post it to my wall and discuss it in class. Since then, I created several projects to educate students on appropriate uses of social media. Recently, I published these activities in a journal article, titled “Creating Social Media Law Projects to Sensitize Business Students to Appropriate Digital Conduct.”

The article describes how social media promotes “instantaneous dissemination of thought, oftentimes without filter or reflection,” in “a participatory forum of real time information clutter.” My interactive projects are designed for students to recognize good from bad digital behavior and become 24/7 brand ambassadors for wherever they work, as well as for themselves.

Click here to Continue Reading

Appointed Board Member of the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA)

GIPA improves society with a global model for the most efficient and effective IP ecosystem, facilitating the creation, protection & enablement of ideas that serve the common good. 
Part of my role: 
- Secured four Governor Proclamations, including Georgia IP Month (Oct. 2018) 
- Co-Founder/Co-Organizer: GIPA/GSU Corporate IP Institute, 2007-present 

Article: Protecting Ownership Interests and Intellectual Property Rights on a Shoestring Budget

In December, I'll submit this article to a law journal:

Abstract

This article highlights a team project for Entrepreneurship students, focusing on the most common mistakes that people make in the formation of a business, without legal counsel.  In the assignment, four hypothetical business partners are full-time students, with only $500 for initial legal costs.  Students are instructed to allocate these funds; assess personal and company risk levels; draft a Shareholder agreement entailing different roles and capital contributions; and write a Work for Hire agreement with a clause conferring intellectual property ownership.