Paper or Digital: What’s Your Fancy?
In today’s digital age there is quite a bit of debate over the “paperless office.” On one hand, we have the people who want to digitize everything, leaving no scrap of paper piling up on desks and filling waste baskets. On the other side, people want to keep their paper files that they can touch, arrange, tab, and highlight.
In my opinion, paperless is the way to go. With document management systems, it is simple to have any document you need at your fingertips. Moreover, with the proper programs, you can re-arrange, edit, and annotate scans of paper documents.
For another viewpoint, check out Do Away With Paper Entirely? Not Me (The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog).
What do you guys think about all this? Leave a comment or drop me a line.
[tags]legal andrew, paperless, law firm, office, document management[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Map the Firm, Attorneys, and Clients Online
With today's growing law firms, and even for solo practitioners, keeping track of locations can be a challenge. Sure, you could just keep all your addresses in Outlook or some other contact manager. The better ones will provide you with a nifty little "Map This" button that will pull up an online map for the location. Today I want to propose a better solution for your mapping needs: online community maps.
Community maps have now become a staple on the internet, and I think law firms should take advantage of this great technology. With a community map, you can plot the firm's offices, all of the attorney's homes, client offices, favorite restaurants, etc. The possibilities are endless. The benefits are great: quick and easy directions from place to place, everyone mapped in one bookmarked location, and an easily sharable mapping interface. Now that you are convinced you need an online map for your firm, how do you start one? Keep reading to find out…
Click to continue reading
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Open Source Software at the Firm: Closer Than You Think
What could save law firms thousands of dollars every year? Well, cutting back on the recruitment gifts they send to people like me (:)), but more importantly using open source software.
What is "open source software" you ask? From The Free (Computing) Dictionary:
Refers to software that is created by a development community rather than a single vendor. Typically programmed by volunteers from many organizations, the source code of open source software is free and available to anyone who would like to use it or modify it for their own purposes.
Basically, it is software created by a dedicated and motivated group of people who put their time and effort into creating something that people will find useful. Because of this community approach, the software evolves rapidly with new features being added continually. One of the great benefits is that if there is not a feature that you need, you can program it yourself (or theoretically pay someone to do it for you).
Now, you may be wondering what in the world this has to do with law firms. I'm here to tell you. Instead of paying almost $300 for a copy of Windows XP, and over $400 for a copy of Office Professional 2003, the firm could outfit a computer with open source software for the low, low price of FREE. The firm could use a free version of Linux, combined with the awesome and daily-improving OpenOffice, and have everything Microsoft offers (wihout the headaches), for free. When looking at the bottom line, nothing saves money like free stuff.
While it is true that some companies sell distributions of open source software, so it is not technically free, you can almost always obtain a distribution of what you need for free. One example: a popular and rising database server, MySQL. Basically, you can download the actual software for free, but you can also pay money to obtain technical support. If your firm already has in-house IT guys, they can likely setup and administer a MySQL database without paid support by simply referring to the comprehensive user manuals and obtaining help from the active and encouraging development community.
So Andrew, why are you writing about this today? I'll answer that question for you too. Basically, there are organizations that approve and monitor standards for computing technology to help ensure that people's products harmonize nicely with one another. Just yesterday, they approved the OpenDocument format, which is used by one of my favorite programs, OpenOffice.
Thus, the open source world is getting one step closer to becoming more widely used and well-known. Before long, it may be at a firm near you.
Wow, it's time to catch my bus to take another final. 🙁 Do you have any thoughts about open source software at the firm? Either drop me a line or leave a comment to let everyone know your thoughts.
[tags]legal andrew, open source, law firm[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Legal Blogs: One for All by 2010?
There is an interesting article over at Kevin's LexBlog about lawyers being slow to get onto the blogging bandwagon. I find the author's prediction about the future quite intriguing:
Same thing happened with law firms and websites in the mid to late '90's. Most firms saw no reason to have a website. By 2000, they all had firm websites. With blogs, it will not be all lawyers, but by 2010 the majority of lawyers will be publishing blogs. Those who begin now will be way ahead of the game in enhancing their reputation and growing their practice.
While I was not really tracking the legal web in the mid '90's, I am very inclined to agree with this statement. It takes a while for "old school" kind-of people to see the benefit and value of new technology and climb on board. Heck, I have done web programming for 6 years, and this is my first ever blog. Even I was skeptical of the value it could add to my career.
However, I began to think that maybe I would be able to establish myself in a niche and garner some respect among the blawgosphere (I like that word 🙂 ). The principle is that earlier adopters will be more credible in the future and hopefully we will have a leg up on those who are dragging their feet right now.
And even if blogging doesn't help my career in this sense, it does other great things for me in the mean time. Of course, right now it is seriously distracting me from my exams.
[tags]legal andrew, law firm, blog[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
VoIP in the Law Office: Polycom Communicator
I am an avid VoIP (voice over IP = phone over the internet) proponent, so naturally this announcement (great review from MobileWhack.com) from Polycom and Skype got my attention. They are rolling out a new device by the end of June that connects via USB and will allow Skype users to have speakerphone capabilities. Of course, this also frees the user from a headset and wires (me gusta wireless). More than that, the device also doubles as a regular computer speaker, but I have to be skeptical about the audio quality for playing music. All this for only $129 USD.
Personally, my wife and I use Vonage for all of our calling needs. Since we don't own cell phones, this means all of our calls go through Vonage. From our experience of almost two years now, we have had pretty good service. I can say this: VoIP is as good as your internet connection. Sometimes our cable internet provider decides to screw up our connection, thus disconnecting us from the world completely. But, overall, VoIP is a great technology.
My biggest interest will be what effect VoIP has on law firms. It seems to be an affordable option, especially for solo or small operations where something like a Vonage small business plan would probably work. Shoot, Skype is now even coming out with a mobile Wi-Fi phone that will allow users to make and receive calls anywhere they have a Wi-Fi connection. These days, that is almost as good of coverage as cell phones had a couple years ago.
I would surmise that an enterprising firm (even a large one) could do away with traditional phone lines and cell phones within a year or two and switch completely to VoIP. Maybe I will push my future firm to try just that. Of course, I would probably end up being the guinea pig. 🙂
What do you guys think about VoIP? Have you used Skype? You can drop me a line or let us all know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
[tags]legal andrew, voip, law firm, office, polycom communicator[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Quit Trying to Keep Up
In the midst of studying for exams, I have been huriedly trying to keep up with my RSS feeds, email, and other daily distractions. I have been thinking that something must be amiss. That’s when I ran into this great article on keeping up at Creating Passionate Users (via LifeHacker).
I guess it’s time to do as the article says and “cut the redundancy.” I need to go and weed out my RSS reader.
I think the biggest thing that I do to help myself keep up is to evaluate EVERY piece of paper reading material and decide if I will read it in the next few days. If not, it goes in File 13. If I keep it, and I still don’t read it within a few days, it goes in File 13 anyway.
That’s my two cents. Back to studying.
[tags]legal andrew, redundancy[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Weekend Retreat Before Exams
My friends think I am crazy, but my wife thinks I am super-husband. Why? This past weekend, I left all my books, laptop, and other electronic gadgets to go on a marriage retreat with her. What is the result? I am feeling better than ever, and ready to tackle exams head on.
Before the retreat, I was seriously suffering from major burnout. I had been working on my term paper, working on outlines, preparing for summer internships, etc. Life was crazy, and the fact that I had a week and a half of law school exams ahead did not make my mental state any better.
What was the key to this more relaxed mental state? Blocking out exams and to-do lists for the weekend. We spent that time just focusing on our relationship and building stronger bonds between us. Even though there were a few rough spots due to the hotel’s insanity, the weekend turned out great.
Depending upon how grades come out this semester, I might try this every semester from here on out (luckily, there are only two left). I think the rewards have been amazing. I worked really hard last week to get all of my outlines about 95% completed. I have a day between each of my four exams. Thus, I have plenty of time to polish the outline, study it some, do a sample question or two, and be ready for the big exam day.
I think my new philosophy is: take care of your mind and body first; the information will all fall into place.
I was prompted to write this post based on a roundup I read on Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground: The Putting-Off-Studying-For-Finals Edition.
[tags]legal andrew, law school, exam, retreat[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Legal Networking Through Professional Orgs
There is a great post over at Lifehack.org about the virtues of "professional volunteering." This is a great introduction to the concept of networking by volunteering for professional organizations. Of note for people in the legal profession, this would probably include organizations like the local bar association and specialized groups depending upon your practice area.
From the article:
… [O]nce you’re safe and sound in a position you’re okay with, you can use volunteering to build a powerful network and increase your marketability. … My advice if you’d like to expand your career horizons is to join a professional association. … But really benefiting from the association means more than just opening up your checkbook and paying the dues (altho you’ll keep the staff happy that way). No, to really get the benefit out of the association, you have to work it. The best way to do this is to volunteer.
I personally think that is some sound advice. There is much more to being part of an organization than just paying dues. So get out there and "work it," before the guy down the hall does.
[tags]legal andrew, network, professional organization, volunteer[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Blogging Frees the Mind (and it helps your career)
I am pretty new to blogging, so I am trying to figure out what it is actually doing for/to me. I was inspired to write this because of an article I just read over at Home Office Lawyer about the strategic benefits of blogging (for your career). The article has some interesting things to consider that apply to probably any career, and especially one oriented around client service, like the law. Anyway, here are my thoughts on blogging and how it relates to law.
I'm Addicted
Every five minutes I feel the need to hit "Refresh" and see if someone else has viewed my blog. Yes, I'm that pathetic. I feel the urge to post something to this darn blog every day, even when I told myself that once a week would be fine. My RSS feeds are growing, my multi-tasking is growing rampant, and my inbox is filling up. All because I decided to start blogging. But, I can't stop now because I'm addicted. I'll admit my problem (my doctor would be proud).
Blogging Frees the Mind
Yes, you read that right. I think that's why I'm addicted. It is therapeutic to make a post to your blog for all the world to see. Talk about getting something off your chest. I don't intend to use this blog as any kind-of soap box or whipping post, but it does feel good to write and post.
I think the inner reason behind this is our desire to connect with others. In a couple short weeks of serious amateur blogging, I have already begun to make new contacts and friends. I am becoming exposed to a whole online world that I really never knew existed. What a rush! See, I'm Addicted, supra. More than this, though, is the freeing of my inner creativity. I hope my posts have not all been dry and dull like this one. It has freed my mind so much to try to push my writing skills and creativity up a notch every time I post to better convey my message and hopefully not run off my 3 readers (me, my wife, and our cat).
How This Pertains to Law
As a professor I had in undergrad would say, "Yes, that is the question we must ask." He was really prepping me for law school well. I just finished outlining a course and realized that half my outline was questions. Where are the answers?!
Being creative, that is the answer. Anything that helps us to be more creative and think outside our normal box (or sphere) helps us to be better lawyers. As a professor told us today, good lawyers figure out the result they need, then find a way to get there. It's all about creativity and freeing yourself to think with the other side of your brain.
[tags]legal andrew, blog, free mind[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
Kill Your Mouse: Automate Mouse Clicks
This is the final installment of the Kill Your Mouse series.
By now everyone should have a firm grasp of keyboard shorcuts that save clicking with the mouse. Also, hopefully you have taken the few minutes necessary to get a grasp of our new best friend, AutoHotkey, which can launch programs as easy as pressing a key on the keyboard. The final step in killing your mouse is to take AutoHotkey to the next level. Hold onto your chairs, since you will be amazed at what this little program can do.
The Concept
Before diving into the scripting itself (which is easy, I promise), I thought it would be good to look at the conceptual view of this article. More precisely, what is is that you will learn by reading this?
Is there a certain place on your computer screen that you find yourself clicking all the time? For me, this is in my Quick Launch toolbar, most notably the "My Documents" shortcut that I put there. This article will teach you how to map a hotkey to actually click anywhere on the screen with your mouse.
Figuring Out Where to Click
The first thing we will learn is how to use AutoHotkey to make the mouse click somewhere on the screen, at the push of a key. First off, you'll need to make sure you have installed AutoHotkey, as described in the last Kill Your Mouse article. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume you want to click something in your Quick Launch bar. For me, this is my "My Documents" shortcut:
The easiest way to make our script work is to use a handy program that comes with AutoHotkey, called "AutoIt3 Window Spy". Launch this program from your Start menu, or by right clicking on your AutoHotkey "H" in the system tray and selecting "Window Spy". Once launched, it will be blank, until you click out of it and move your mouse around. You will immediately notice the "Active Window Info" window to fill with data that changes as your mouse moves around the screen. For our purposes, the crucial part is in the second section called "Mouse Position".
What you do is simply position your mouse on the screen where you want to automate the click, then look in the "Active Window Info" window to see where that pixel position is. If you want to click relative to an active window, write down the "In Active Window" coordinates. If you want to click based on the entire screen (as I do for my Quick Launch toolbar), write down the "On Screen" coordinates. For my example, this is (116, 784).
Writing the Script
Now that we know where to tell the script to click, we simply have to code it. This is easy as pie, trust me. 🙂
Open up your AutoHotkey.ini file (right click on the system tray H, and select Edit). Now you can just go below where you previously added your program hotkeys, and add another few lines to your script.
First, we need a line to tell the script what key to assign to this mouse click. I selected the combination of Windows + z, since they're close together and not used for anything else.
#z::
Second, we must tell the script that we want to use absolute coordinates, since we're clicking on the toolbar (it never moves, and it's not in a window).
CoordMode, Mouse, Screen
Third, we tell the script where to click:
MouseClick, Left, 116, 784
Fourth, we basically reverse the second command, by telling the script to go back to relative positioning. This is useful in case you add later mouse clicks in your script. It's not necessary, but it's good practice to do it.
CoordMode, Mouse, Relative
Finally (and crucially), we tell the script that we're done.
return
Putting it to Work
Once you have done all this, you should have several lines that look something like the follow. Please note that your coordinates will be different.
#z::
CoordMode, Mouse, Screen
MouseClick, Left, 116, 784
CoordMode, Mouse, Relative
return
Once you have this in your AutoHotkey.ini file, you simply need to save your changes. Then right click on the system tray H, and reload the file. Now you should be able to press the key combination defined in line one, and watch your mouse click away.
Personal Challenge
Ok, if you have made it this far, congratulations! I commend you on putting up with my ramblings, and actually weeding through the code I have thrown at you. Hopefully you have found this series helpful. If you really want to take things to another level, you can study a bit more about AutoHotkeys and automate just about anything on your computer. I will probably write more about this in the future, but see what you can do on your own. Also, let me know if you have other uses for this awesome program.
The Series: Kill Your Mouse
- Your Legal Career Will Thank You
- Keyboard Shortcuts, and More Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
- Launch Applications with a Key Press
[tags]legal andrew, autohotkey, keyboard, shortcut[/tags]
Get more legal tips
|
See also... |
-
Legal tips by email
Sign-up below to get email tips and exclusive discounts on videos, webinars, and future items.
All fields are required.
-
Receive updates
By email
By rss (full feed)
-
About Andrew Flusche
Lawyer, bicyclist, husband.
More about me...
Tumble Log
-
Popular Posts