SBM ethics panel approves digital property opinion
A new ethics opinion provides additional guidance regarding the extent of lawyers’ obligations to safeguard digital property under MRPC 1.15(d).
The State Bar of Michigan’s Professional Ethics Committee opinion emphasizes the importance of protecting digital assets entrusted to attorneys and finds that the responsibility to safeguard digital property is equivalent to any other property.
While acknowledging the complexities of digital assets, the opinion also clarifies that an attorney’s obligation is to safeguard the native format of digital property. For instance, an attorney must safeguard a USB drive, but the attorney is not obligated to update the file or format of the data it contains.
The opinion outlines scenarios regarding digital property and provides clarity on requirements for cloud-based digital property, password protection, and means of access for digital property.
To read the entire opinion, visit www.michbar.org/opinions.
Police officer charged with federal civil rights crime
WARREN (AP) — A Warren police officer who punched a 19-year-old Black man in the face and slammed his head to the ground is now facing a federal civil rights crime.
A criminal complaint against Matthew Rodriguez was unsealed in federal court Monday by U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.
Jaquwan Smith was being processed at the Warren police lockup on June 13. Video shows Rodriguez exchanging words with the man before the officer punched him, knocked him to the ground and slammed his head on the ground.
Other Warren officers immediately intervened and also reported the incident to managers.
Rodriguez has been fired.
‘Raise the Age’ focus of online discussion
The Youth Defense Project of the State Appellate Defender Office and Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System will present the webinar “Raise the Age” on Thursday, July 20, beginning at noon via Zoom.
Implementation of Raise the Age has left a variety of questions and concerns about the effect on the delinquency system and the young people brought in, particularly 17-year-olds now tried as youth. Those questions and concerns will be featured in a discussion during the webinar presented by Attorney-Referee Amanda Pollard.
Visit www.sado.org/go/raisetheage to register. Questions may be directed to Josh Pease at jpease@sado.org.
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