Here are the details of the meeting:

Date:          Thursday, May 20, 2010

Time:          6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Location:  38777 Six Mile Road, Suite 410 Livonia, Michigan 48154

You can register here: http://www.socialmediami.com/register/

Congratulations to all of the new Executive Committee officers who will serve NASABA for the 2010-2011 year!

• President – Anna Sankaran
• President-Elect — Jolsna John
• Secretary – Tarun Chandran
• Treasurer – Priya Marwah Doornbos
• Vice President-Memberships — Emilie Ninan
• Vice President-Public Relations — Chintan Amin
• Vice President-Affiliate Relationships — Manjit Gill
• Vice President-Community Outreach — Paul Saghera
• Vice President-Convention — Ankita Patel (appointed by SABA SoCal for the 2011 NASABA Convention Host Chapter

I look forward to working with all of you next year to make another successful year for NASABA and South Asian Attorneys everywhere!

The law, which is known as the Dr. Ron Davis Smoke-Free Air Law, was passed by the Michigan legislature on December 10, 2009.  It was signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009.  The law applies to most public places including, but not limited to, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, bowling alleys, concert halls, arenas, museums, mechanic shops, health facilities, nursing homes, education facilities, and child care centers.  It does not apply to cigar bars, tobacco specialty retail stores, and the gaming floors of Detroit’s three casinos.  The law also does not apply to Native American land, including the Indian casinos.

In order to comply with this new statewide law, here are the top 5 things that businesses in Michigan should know:

1. Businesses must clearly and conspicuously post “no smoking” signs or the international “no smoking” symbol at each entrance and in other areas where smoking is prohibited under the law.
2. Businesses must remove ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia from anywhere where smoking is prohibited.
3. The business owners and operators must inform individuals smoking in violation of the law that they are in violation of state law and are subject to penalties.
4. The business must refuse service to an individual smoking in violation of the Smoke Free Law.
5. The business must ask an individual smoking in violation of the law to refrain from smoking and, if the individual continues to smoke in violation of the Smoke Free Law, ask him or her to leave.

The burden is on the business owners and operators to ensure compliance with the Smoke-Free Law.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding compliance with the Smoke-Free Law, please feel free to post a comment or contact me.

Happy Anniversary!

You don’t have to have an iPhone to download and use many of these apps since they are available on most smartphone app stores like the BlackBerry App World and Palm App Store.  The name, prices and functionality do change depending on your smartphone so be sure to visit the app store for your smartphone for details.

You can also check out this blog on the Legal Edge app from the Lawyerist.

LexisNexis also has its very first iPhone app called “Get Cases and Shepardize” and its free.  The app does exactly what it says, you can get cases from Lexis.com and Shepardize the cases.  In order to access and use this app you must have a current account and valid password with Lexis.

To learn more details on this iPhone app from Lexis, check out the Martindale.com Blog.

Do advertisements like this sound familiar?

            “I lost 30 pounds in 1 month using XYZ product!”

 *Your results may vary.

You will no longer hear or see these types of advertisements under the revisions to the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) Guides (“Guides”) Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which went into effect on December 1, 2009.

The Guides address endorsements of products and services by consumers, experts, organizations and celebrities and how such advertisements must comply with the FTC Act regarding use of endorsements and testimonials in advertisements.  This is the first time that the Guides have been revised since 1980!  With the Internet and the explosion of social media, the new FTC Guides are long overdue.

It is important to note that the Guides are administrative interpretations concerning the application of the FTC Act and are not law.  Therefore, compliance with the new Guides does not mean that you are complying with the law.  And non-compliance with the Guides does not mean that you are violating the law, which would subject you to fines and penalties under the FTC Act. 

Needless to say, the Guides do provide important guidance on how best to comply with the law regarding use of endorsements and testimonials in advertisements.  One of the biggest changes in the Guides is that you can no longer use the “your results may vary” safe harbor disclaimer in your advertisements.  Another big change is that you must disclose any material connection between the advertiser and the endorser. 

The Guides also incorporate specific requirements for bloggers.  Bloggers must now disclose whether they receive any compensation (gifts or money) in return for blogging about a product. 

There are many articles and blogs on the Internet that explain the FTC Guides and provide advice on how advertisers who use endorsements and testimonials can comply with the law.  The publication found at FTC Guides provides many examples that may address your specific situation.  

Also, Creative Business Lawyer, Kevin Houchin, has a great article on his website.  However, the best advice I can give is to contact your attorney to ensure that you take the appropriate steps to comply with the rules.