A Guide to IT Contracting

Michael R. Overly is a partner in the Technology Transactions and Outsourcing Practice Group in the Los Angeles office of Foley & Lardner LLP. As an attorney and former electrical engineer, his practice focuses on counseling clients regarding technology licensing, intellectual property development, information security, and electronic commerce. Mr. Overly is one of the few practicing lawyers who has satisfied the rigorous requirements necessary to obtain the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) , Information Systems Security Management Professional (ISSMP), and Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) certifications. He is a member of the Computer Security Institute and the Information Systems Security Association. Mr. Overly writes and speaks frequently regarding negotiating and drafting technology transactions and the legal issues of technology in the workplace, e-mail, and electronic evidence. He has written numerous articles and books on these subjects and is a frequent commentator in the national press (e.g., the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, ABCNEWS.com, CNN, and MSNBC). In addition to conducting training seminars in the United States, Norway, Japan, and Malaysia, Mr. Overly has testified before the U.S. Congress regarding online issues. Among others, he is the author of the best selling e-policy: How to Develop Computer, E-mail, and Internet Guidelines to Protect Your Company and Its Assets (AMACOM 1998), Overly on Electronic Evidence (West Publishing 2002), The Open Source Handbook (Pike & Fischer 2003), Document Retention in The Electronic Workplace (Pike & Fischer 2001), and Licensing Ling-by-Line (Aspatore Press 2004).