The latest issue of Lawyers USA has a interesting (albeit brief) summary of an ABA program, Dangerous Curves Ahead: When Legal Ethics and Technology Collide,” presented by Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center. Knowing Catherine, I am sure that the program was interesting and thoguht-provoking. It covered issues, including the Model Rules, Metadata, Email, Social Networking, and Data Security.… Read the rest
How to Do 90 Minutes of Work in 60 – New Version
On April 7, 2010, Dan Siegel will present “How to Do 90 Minutes of Work in 60,” his popular presentation featuring tips – for everyone, not just lawyers – about how to make your computer more user-friendly and accomplish more with fewer keystrokes and in less time. The presentation will be on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.… Read the rest
Reflections on Techshow (Part I)
Having just returned from Techshow 2010 in Chicago, the ABA Law Practice Management Division’s annual trade show and CLE program extravaganza, I was struck by a couple of things. First, no longer did it seem as though every booth was focused on e-discovery. While there is no question that e-discovery is an important issue, I felt as though the issues the vendors focused upon were things like case management (and my friends from Time Matters and Legal Files were present), document management (ditto for Worldox and Fujitsu (Scansnap), legal research (Lexis for Office – Wow!… Read the rest
Lexis for Microsoft Office
Admittedly, I’m skeptical about new software, and have always been leery of new developments in legal research, most of which has been more fluff than stuff. At ABA Techshow in Chicago yesterday, however, I drank the Kool Aid and saw the beta of Lexis for Microsoft Office, a very impressive product for conducting research within Word or Outlook. The software really does streamline the work, such as instantly compiling all the documents in a brief for download.… Read the rest
Windows 7 – Part II – The Good & Atrocious of Customer Service – Dell
Upgrading to Windows 7 can be an adventure if any of your hardware or software has any incompatibility. It’s worse, however, if you order a new computer and it arrives unbeknownst to you with a bad/corrupted installation of Windows 7. Mine did. Windows 7 Ultimate began as Windows 7 “the pits.”
So what did I do? I trudged ahead, using repairs, trying to make things work.… Read the rest
Windows 7 – Part I
It’s here – Windows 7 – the latest, greatest operating system from Microsoft. I’ve upgraded all the PCs at home and in my office. Generally, the transition went smoothly, but not completely. First, if you do an inplace upgrade (from Windows XP to Windows 7), you’ll need the Laplink Upgrade Assistant software. In every instance, it worked well – although some programs (including all media type programs) needed to be re-registered.… Read the rest
Legal Tech Thoughts
Today, my associate, Molly Barker Gilligan, Esquire, and I made our annual pilgrimage to Legal Tech, the mammoth legal technology trade show in New York. What a difference year makes.
Crowds – last year they were relatively sparse, today the aisles were filled with people.
Liveliness – last year the attendees seemed quiet and reluctant to engage the vendors, today, was the opposite.… Read the rest
Ahh, the No Asshole Rule
A few years ago, I reviewed a book, The No Asshole Rule, for The Philadelphia Lawyer, the Philadelphia Bar Association magazine. Written by Robert Sutton, a Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, the premise of the book is that no business should hire, tolerate or perpetuate the employment of “certified assholes,” people who are assholes all the time.… Read the rest
Never Read a Paper Deposition or Other Transcript Again
For years I have argued that lawyers who read paper transcripts are “wasting” time. I don’t mean they aren’t working. I mean they could be working better faster, with improved results, merely by using transcript/deposition review software. In my case, I haven’t read a paper transcript since 2001 and my staff is forbidden from doing so.
The problem, however, is that many lawyers were leery of putting down the paper.… Read the rest
I Love Microsoft Outlook – I Hate Microsoft Outlook
It’s everywhere – not quite Chicken Man (for those old enough to remember) – but Microsoft Outlook is used, it seems, in virtually every law office — and the 2007 Version is excellent. The small tweaks Microsoft made really helped improve the product overall (even though some actions remain counterintuitive). I recommend clients upgrade to it, especially any clients who are using Outlook 2000 or (yes) earlier versions.… Read the rest
