SL Bar Association logo

Visit the SLBA
in Second Life!®
Justice Center,
Malfelonius Island (SLURL)

(From the lobby, look for the directory/ teleporter board to our 6th floor office.)


SLBA Forums
(free, email-only
registration required)


SLBA Bylaws


SLBA in the media


SLBA Officers (2007-08)

President:
'Solomon Cortes'

President-Elect:
Legal Writer

VP, Communication:
'Cat Galileo'

VP, Finance:
'Geri Kuhn'

Past President:
'Benjamin Noble'

SLBA Executive Board

'Ida Recreant'
'Juris Amat'
'Lexis Looming'


SLBA Meetings

SLBA meetings are open to the public. They are usually held in the SLBA offices at 10 a.m. SL time (Pacific) on the second Saturday of the month.

Transcripts of past meetings


Upcoming events:


Sept. 13, 2008, 10 am
Monthly meeting


2008-09 Elections

August 15, 2008, 11:59 p.m.:
Voting closes


SLBA Seminars

September 9, 2008, 12:00 noon
"Trademark infringement in virtual worlds," Legal Writer
1 hour CLE Credit (California)

Postponed
"Legal research on the (free) internet," Cat Galileo
1 hour CLE Credit (California) (approval pending)


Events archive

All times are SL time:
Pacific time zone
UTC/GMT -8 (Standard)
UTC/GMT -7 (Daylight Savings)

Daylight Savings is currently in effect

The SL Bar Association is an informal professional organization that helps members navigate the Second Life® legal landscape.

Meetings, lectures, and social events are held regularly.

Attorneys, legal scholars, and other legal professionals are encouraged to join.

In-World Contact: 'Solomon Cortes' (President)

Join our network!




2008-09 Elections:
Voting open; runs through August 15

Nominations for the 2008-09 officer positions are now closed. Voting is underway in the lobby of the SLBA offices. SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malfelonius/209/69/61. Group members can touch it to vote.

Votes will be anonymized and sent to both President Solomon Cortes and Past President Benjamin Noble for counting and comparison.

Voting will remain open until August 15, at 11:59 pm Pacific (SLT).   Election results will be announced after voting closes.

For more information on positions and candidates, visit the SLBA Forums. Read the comments of presidential candidates Juris Amat and Legal Writers here.



Association news

August 9 General Meeting summary

2007-08 President Solomon Cortes led today's meeting. Dave Elchoness (SL: 'Da Etchegaray'), the founder and executive director of the Association of Virtual Worlds, spoke to the SLBA members about the activities and goals of the AVW. Next, the 2008-09 Presidential candidates, Juris Amat and Legal Writer, talked bout their backgrounds and goals for the SLBA. Both also answered questions. Finally, Solomon asked members to visit the forum to review Lexis Looming's draft description of our credential checking service.

For more details, see the complete transcript.

"Internet Fraud" talk well received; next CLE session Sept. 9

The July 29 continuing education session was attended by 14 people and received very positive reviews. Next up: "Trademark Enforcement on Virtual Worlds" with Stephen Wu (SL: 'Legal Writer') on Sept. 9. See you there!

July 19 General Meeting

The agenda included guest speaker Ren Reynolds (SL: 'RenZephyr Zircon'), the founder of the Virtual Policy Network (www.virtualpolicy.net), a product strategy consultant at a virtual world start-up, a regular contributor to the influential Terranova blog and a generally all-round virtual worlds specialist. He spoke about the Virtual Policy Network and the upcoming virtual policy conference. Other topics were the upcoming elections, an update on the CLE Speaker Series, and a credentialling update.

For more info, click here to read the transcript.

SLBA Speaker Series kickoff success - next up, IP enforcement in virtual worlds, by Juris Amat

On Tuesday, July 15, at the SLBA offices, Fitz2 Consulting (Virtual Worlds Law Library) and Field Fisher Waterhouse sponsored the first-ever in-world continuing legal education session. The speaker, Solomon Cortes (RL: David Naylor, FFW) gave a general intro to virtual worlds legal issues. The session was approved for 1 hour California MCLE/1 hour England and Wales CPD. At least 26 people attended and evaluations and comments were overwhelmingly favorable. Thanks, everyone, for helping us make history!

Come hear Juris Amat (RL: Tamiko Franklin) speak next Tuesday, July 22, on enforcing IP rights in virtual worlds. For more info, and to register, click this link. This session is also approved for 1 hour California MCLE (CPD pending) and will be presented at no charge.

General Meeting rescheduled to July 19

The July membership meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -7) on July 12, was cancelled due to Second Life connectivity problems. The meeting has been rescheduled for the same time next Saturday, July 19.
Agenda:

  1. Virtual Policy Network briefing with Ren Reynolds
  2. Elections
  3. SLBA Seminar Series
  4. Verification
  5. AOB

If you have items to add, contact Solomon Cortes.
See you there!

SLBA Seminar Series - Now with California MCLE goodness!
July 5, 2008

The SLBA and Fitz2 Consulting (Virtual Worlds Law Library) are excited to announce that the first SLBA Seminar Series has been approved for MCLE credit by the State Bar of California. Fitz2 Consulting (CA provider no. 14547) is the MCLE provider. (Check with your jurisdiction to see if California activities are accepted for credit there.)

Best of all, to kick off the series, the first sessions will be free! You can't get a better CLE deal than that. Here's our current line-up:

RSVP here.

For more information about the seminars, or about how to volunteer as a speaker, visit the "Speaker Series" page.


Seminar series, dues payment, verification, more discussed at June meeting
June 14, 2008

For more details, see the June 14 transcript.



Full agenda at SLBA's May meeting
May 10, 2008

Credential verification progress: At this meeting, members voted to approve an annual $10 (US) fee for those who desire credential verification.

The final draft of the application form is now up in the forums for final comment. If you wish to comment, please do so before Saturday, May 17. Unless changes are needed, the draft will become official on that date.

SLBA seminar program: Initial dates of July 15, 22, and 29 and Sept. 9 and 16 have been set. For more information, or to find out how to volunteer as a speaker, visit the SLBA Speaker Series page.

Dues:The SLBA will be creating a new group in-world to reflect the new name, and members will pay their annual dues ($L500) upon joining this new group.

Website changes: The website has been updated. We have also added a Ning network for members to use to network with each other. Join by clicking the badge on this home page.

Promotions: A sub-group will be formed to coordinate promotion of the SLBA, including the verification service and the seminars. Interested volunteers should check in with the forums to find out more or give suggestions for promotional ideas.

Elections in July: Please consider running for office. Elections are just around the corner.

For more details on all these topics, see the May 10 transcript.



SL Bar Association changes its name
April 12, 2008

At the April 12, 2008 meeting, the members in attendence voted to change the name of the organization from "Second Life Bar Association" to "SL Bar Association." The change comes in the wake of Linden Lab's controversial new trademark policy limiting the use of "Second Life" by anyone other than themselves. For more information, see the April 12 transcript.