I was reminded this morning by a post from the esteemed Kevin O’Keefe that I have forgotten to share on this site that I will be speaking at the 2014 Clio Cloud Conference next week in Chicago. The list of presenters includes a remarkable Who’s Who of legal technology thinkers and writers… and then there’s me! (more…)
Well, summer has been in full swing, with world events (ok, my actual day job and the whole “planning a wedding” thing really) drawing my attention away from blogging. I intend to rectify that as the weather cools down, and my wedding planning concludes. However, I couldn’t possibly go without keeping y’all posted on the newest apps available!
These are my Best New Apps for Lawyers – July 2014:
I was asking for it. Last month, I suggested that the reason I didn’t include new Windows Phone apps in my list was that I didn’t know any lawyers who used them. The first response from a lawyer with a Windows Phone came within about 15 minutes of publishing my post. So, here you go, my first post including new apps from all three major smartphone operating systems. In case you’re wondering, no, I don’t care at all about Blackberry OS users.
My first post-USA defeat in the World Cup (you guys were awesome, proud to be an American Outlaw!) list of new apps is here. These are my Best New Apps for Lawyers – June 2014:
Imagine a world in which one of the two certainties of modern life – taxes (the other is death… you know the quote) – was simple, easy, and most amazingly, fast. (Now try reading that last sentence with the music for John Lennon’s Imagine playing in your head… now try not hearing that music. Sorry.)
Think about it – most of the information you include in your taxes is already in your previous year’s version. Of the information that’s not, most of it has already been submitted to the IRS and state revenue agencies by the respective banks, lending institutions, medical institutions and other large corporate entities that process information considerably faster than you do. Want proof? Most of those valuable “Forms” that get sent to you containing information on your health savings account or your student loan interest statements have already been received, and approved by, the IRS.
So why isn’t there a free, online way to file your taxes that can be completed in a couple of minutes?
TurboTax, that’s why. (more…)
Celebrating the World Cup with a look back at 2010. #IBelieve
Part 1: The Importance of Social Media to the Modern Law Practice
Part 2: Marketing Your Practice on Social Media
Part 3: Personal Use of Social Media
Part 4: Social Media in Discovery
Part 5: Social Media as a Research Tool
Part 6: Advise Your Clients Wisely! (June 12, 2014)
Social media is, at its most basic level, a tool for communication. Sure, it’s a great way for your firm to market your services locally. It’s also a great way for some 23 year-old to completely screw up their own personal injury case by posting inappropriate pictures shortly before trial. But at it’s core, it’s about communication.
However, it’s a communication tool that archives, stores, indexes, and is searchable. That’s right, it’s your communication history. I can find out quite a lot about you by checking out your social media accounts. Quite a lot of information that may be useful, say, if you were to be on my list of potential jurors for a major case. The ethical rules have been particularly slow to keep up with this facet of social media. However, in Part 5 of my presentation on the Ethics of Social Media, I discuss some ways to keep yourself within ethical bounds while performing your due diligence. (more…)
Social media is where we go to tell people about what’s going on in our lives, particularly for millenials and Gen-Xers. It stands to reason, then, that social media is one of the first places attorneys should look during discovery. In the abstract, failing to request social media in discovery is really poor litigation strategy at best, legal malpractice at worst.
Practically speaking, actually obtaining all relevant information from an opposing party’s social media will rarely be worthwhile, and in general, doesn’t work. (more…)