Topic: Legal

S1:E8 // Search warrants for cloud data: Building legal process around how online data is actually stored 

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As more digital activity migrates to the cloud, investigators need to adjust their legal processes to align with the realities of online data storage. In this episode of Legal Unpacked, Justin Fitzsimmons will examine how to draft effective search warrants for cloud-based data, including the need to understand the types of user information providers actually collect and store.  

You’ll learn the importance of reviewing and preserving key service documents, including terms of service, privacy policies, cookie policies, and screenshots of provider-facing dashboards or archive tools, to demonstrate what data exists and how the companies retain it.  

There will also be an emphasis on defining, with precision, the types of data relevant to the investigation and supporting each request with the information courts expect: a clear explanation of the specific data sought, how that data is generated through user or system activity, where it resides within the provider’s infrastructure, why it is relevant to proving elements of the offense, and how it may help attribute the activity to a specific user. This approach provides a practical framework for satisfying the requirements of probable cause and particularity, while making your request intelligible and credible to both courts and service providers. 

S1:E6 // AI on trial: Understanding AI for lawyers

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Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a regular part of our daily lives—including modern criminal prosecutions and courtroom practice.

In this episode of Legal Unpacked, Justin Fitzsimmons introduces a clear three-dimensional AI framework for lawyers, distinguishing capabilities, tools, and applications, and explaining the current reality of narrow AI that drives most systems in use today.  

Prosecutors will gain a practical understanding of generative AI, including how it creates content, where it fails, and why documented breakdowns in the legal profession matter for credibility and risk assessment.

The presentation also addresses the ethical and professional responsibilities associated with AI-assisted work and provides a structured approach for evaluating when and how generative AI may be used responsibly in prosecutorial functions.

The session concludes by grounding generative AI–created trial exhibits in evidentiary foundations, focusing on authenticity, reliability, and admissibility in court.

Highlights from Magnet Virtual Summit 2026

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Thank you to everyone who joined us for Magnet Virtual Summit 2026—our biggest and best Virtual Summit yet! This year’s event brought together thousands of investigators, examiners, prosecutors, and industry experts from around the world for four days of community learning, practical insights, and an in depth look at the innovations shaping the future of … Continued

Proving what’s real in a synthetic world

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I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago, and one thing became impossible to ignore. Five or six presentations, different speakers, different research, all orbiting the same core problem: deepfakes, synthetic media, and altered images.