information technology — The BUSKLAW Newsletter

When I describe my legal specialty as information technology ("IT"), the common response (along with a puzzled look) is, "what does that mean?"

Short answer: "It means a lot."

Because there isn't a business in existence that isn't affected by something IT related. Does your firm have a website that collects personal information? Then you should have terms of use (and a cookie policy) that comply with state and federal laws, regulations, and the GDPR. Do you sell things on your website and accept credit cards as payment? Then you must institute payment card industry data security standards to protect that credit card data from hackers. And you also must have credit card agreements with your card companies and processing bank that contain indemnity and other "bet your business" obligations. In my experience, credit card agreements are notoriously one-sided and chock full of legal jargon. Have you read yours?

Apart from those considerations, do you lease or buy computers for your firm? What legal terms govern those deals? Do your computers run software programs that are properly licensed to you? Is the data generated by your computers adequately secured on your premises and backed-up in the cloud? And do you allow your employees to access your data remotely or via their own devices? Do you hire contractors to work on (or off) your premises? Do they use their own computing devices as part of their work?

If the answer to these questions is "Yes," then you need a lawyer with IT expertise. Good news! I've acquired this expertise by working with some great corporate IT business folks over the years and developing specialized IT contracts, as this snapshot from just one of my legal subdirectories illustrates:

If you see anything you need from this list, just call or email me about working with you to meet your IT legal needs. And I can help with your other legal needs too.

There's no charge for an initial consultation (I'll even buy you coffee) to see if we make a good fit! Maybe like these two guys engaged in an important contract review (or maybe not):

IT law casts a wide net. Have you closed the gaps in that net as it applies to your business?

If you find this post worthwhile, please consider sharing it with your colleagues. The link to this blog is www.busklaw.blogspot.com and my website is www.busklaw.com. And my email address is busklaw@charter.net. Thanks!

I had the privilege of presenting at the Embedded GR group meeting at The Geek Group Lab on January 25. The meeting topic was "Contracting, Consulting, Moonlighting, and Independent R&D," and I spoke about legal and business "red flags" in contractor agreements. Around 30 engineers were in the audience, along with two motley dogs, plenty of geek food (pizza and pop), and a fellow Grand Rapids IT attorney and Hope College grad, Elliott J.R.Church.

I learned a lot at the meeting and had a grand time. These IT engineers and software developers are a very entrepreneurial bunch and were receptive to me expounding on what contractors should worry about when asked to sign a client-drafted consulting contractor agreement. Here's the link to my PowerPoint deck, if you're interested.

The camaraderie among this group reminded me of my late father's associates - wildcatters -in the "oil business" in Michigan in the 1940s and 50s. These guys had their own lingo in discussing where to drill for oil in Michigan and how to raise funds to finance their activity. I was only a kid at the time, but I sensed that they enjoyed each other's company and usually drilled - and discovered - oil without friction between them. (For a rare Michigan Supreme Court case among wildcatters that involved my dad, see Rex Oil & Gas Company v Busk.)

So the IT business in West Michigan is booming, and I hope to learn how I can meet their legal needs given my expertise in that area.

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If you find this post worthwhile, please consider sharing it with your colleagues. The link to this blog is www.busklaw.blogspot.com and my website is www.busklaw.com. Thanks!