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What is the SADO Forum?
The Forum of the State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) is a moderated listserv for criminal defense attorneys, devoted to issues of criminal law and procedure, both state and federal. Participants send and receive e-mail messages which are shared with the group, unless they choose to send one privately.
The Forum has three components: all, drunk driving, and off-topic messages. All messages (forum@sado.org) cover criminal law and procedure, referrals of work or cases, need for or offers to cover court appearances, and office space or equipment, and all drunk driving and off-topic messages. Drunk driving messages (dui@sado.org) cover defense of those cases. Off-topic messages (ot@sado.org) are those relating to humor, politics, personalities, culture, and any subject not included within general criminal or drunk driving.
Can I temporarily suspend my service?You can temporarily suspend your service by sending an email to
forum.support@sado.org specifying which listserv(s) to suspend along with the dates that you wish to suspend and resume your service.
Can I opt out of some Forum messages?All subscribers are automatically enlisted to receive all messages. If you wish to limit your message intake, you may opt out of some or all groups by sending an email to
forum.support@sado.org specifying which listserv(s) you wish to unsubscribe from.
Who belongs to the Forum?Forum participants are limited to criminal defense attorneys who register, pay an annual fee, obtain a password, and sign a certification that they are practicing criminal defense attorneys. The group numbers approximately 650 criminal defense attorneys. Registered Forum members may see the list, which contains direct e-mail links to the individual members, at www.sado.org/forumusr.htm.
How do I join the Forum or renew my membership?Forum membership is maintained on the subscription year established by SADO's Criminal Defense Resource Center for all of its services, October 1 to September 30 of each year. A web services fee covers annual membership, and is not prorated by when the Forum is joined during the year. New members may use the registration form found at www.sado.org/wwwreg.pdf, which must be mailed with payment to SADO. Current members will receive a membership renewal request annually.
How many messages should I expect to receive?Approximately 80 to 100 messages are sent through the Forum on a daily basis, including weekend days. They appear in your e-mailbox, and may be opened, sent to a separate e-mail folder, or deleted.
How quickly are messages posted?Messages are automatically posted to the Forum group, with no delay, as soon as they are sent.
Are messages saved?SADO maintains a full archive of Forum messages, searchable by key word or browsable by subject matter. Messages on the same subject, or "thread," are assembled, so it is easy to retrieve information which may have been deleted from your own mailbox. The archives are available to registered Forum members at www.sado.org/comm1.htm.
Can I subscribe to a digest?The Forum listserv allows individuals to subscribe to a digest where one daily message is sent which contains all of the previous day's messages. To subscribe to the digest, send a message to forum@sado.org with the subject line "DIGEST-ON." Leave the body of the message blank.
How do I respond with a private message?It is very important to remember that a simple "reply" to a Forum message will broadcast your message to the entire group. If you want to send a message to another attorney, privately, you must insert his or her e-mail address into the "To:" box of your e-mail program. In most cases, you can simply "cut" and "paste" the address.
Is there any "netiquette" to observe?Members should remember some basic "netiquette" when posting a message to the Forum:
What if no one answers my question?If you receive no response, or inadequate response, you can send a "help!" message to help@sado.org. One of the CDRC's research attorneys will get back to you within a day. Also, remember to indicate your time frame for a response. If an urgent message is marked as such, Forum members often pay more attention to it.
Is the Forum confidential or secure?While SADO attempts to ensure that only criminal defense attorneys participate in the Forum, the nature of the medium makes it impossible to guarantee that your message will remain within the group. Any member of the Forum may share his or her password, print a message, or share the contents of an online "conversation." If a sensitive subject is concerned, it may be best to telephone the person posting a message. Messages shared with 650 members cannot be considered absolutely secure, so caution is advised. Forum moderators will terminate the privileges of members who abuse the implicit trust that messages will not be maliciously shared.
Are there any limits on message content?There are virtually no limits on message content, as we do not read or censor messages that go out automatically. Our "passive" moderation is based on the principle that this group is self-moderating: post a silly message or "rant" at your own risk, as someone will undoubtedly take you on publicly. Moderators intervene on content only when a Forum member posts a message that could reasonably be construed as threatening.
Who should be contacted if I have additional questions about the Forum?
The SADO Forum is moderated by Dawn Van Hoek (dvanhoek@sado.org) and Eric Buchanan (ebuchanan@sado.org), both of whom have additional e-mailboxes on the SADO Web page, www.sado.org.
Why should I belong to the Forum?The SADO Forum is the best (and only) online discussion group for criminal defense attorneys in Michigan. It is the deep well of our collective knowledge and expertise, and many have found it very useful. Particularly for those in a solo or geographically isolated practice, it is a line to other attorneys, open night and day.
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