Church Officials Violate of Freedom of Speech Court rules that seeking identity anonymous blogger critiquing the church and forcing him out was unconstitutional. Richard R. Hammar
Clergy-Penitent Privilege Waived Murder suspect lost privilege when he confessed murder to a law enforcement officer Richard R. Hammar
Q&A: E-mail Confidentiality What all the fine print at the end of some e-mails means. Richard R. Hammar
Protecting Sensitive Data How copiers make churches vulnerable—and what to do about it. Richard R. Hammar
Computer Privacy for Church Staff A recent Supreme Court case addresses employers' right to search electronic media. Richard R. Hammar
Caught on Camera Video surveillance may reduce embezzlement, but is it an invasion of privacy? Richard R. Hammar
Q&A: Posting Personal Information on the Web What concerns should our church have about posting personal information online? David Middlebrook
Q&A: Are Churches Legally Obligated to Disclose Staff Salaries? No statute requires church employee salaries to be disclosed to the public. Frank Sommerville
Q&A: Is It Okay to Post Videos of Kids at Church Events? There are precautions and guidelines that can reduce legal action against the church. Frank Sommerville
Untangling the Web (Part 1) Key tax and legal issues for churches with an online presence. Richard R. Hammar
Can Churches Inspect Employees’ Computers? Church computers can be a great blessing. Just ask any church employee who was hired Richard R. Hammar
Q&A: Accessing Employee Computers Do churches have the right to monitor computers and phones? Richard R. Hammar
Q&A: Inspecting Church Contribution Records Can pastors and board members review what people give? Richard R. Hammar
Clergy-Penitent Privilege in Court Cases The clergy-penitent privilege may be lost if a counselee seeks out a minister for spiritual counsel in the presence of one or more third persons. Richard R. Hammar
IRS Loses 500 Computers in 3 Years Lessons for church leaders to learn from these losses. Richard R. Hammar
Clergy-Penitent Privilege and Confidentiality In many states, the presence of third persons during a conversation with a minister will prevent the conversation from being privileged. Richard R. Hammar
Clergy-Penitent Privilege and Observations Ministers can be compelled to testify regarding their "observations" or general impressions of a counselee's demeanor. Richard R. Hammar
Confidentiality A Florida court ruled that a student at a religious high school could not sue the school as a result of the disclosure of his sexual orientation. Richard R. Hammar
Privacy A federal appeals court ruled that an employee did not have an expectation of privacy in his workplace computer. Richard R. Hammar