Technology Tips For Lawyers And Other Business Professionals

Technology Tips For Lawyers and Other Professionals is an instant-fire guide with quick tips that almost always offers some useful information that will improve your practice. The compilation of practice technology tips was compiled by Jeffrey Allen and Ashley Hallene, based on their many CLE presentations about technology for lawyers. The book was published by the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division. The book was published by the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division in April 2016. You can buy a copy at ABA bookstore. Each page contains one tip. This makes it simple to pick up the book, read a tip, and return to it when you have time. You can quickly browse the tips, identify those that are of particular interest, and jump to the page you need.

It begins with a reminder that all courts in the country recognize a duty on attorneys to demonstrate basic competency in technology-related matters. This duty has been recognized by the ABA Model Rules for many years. The authors offer CLE courses on technology and law to assist lawyers who are concerned about using technology responsibly. They have compiled the advice and tips from many CLE programs across the country to help lawyers who are concerned about technology responsibly.

Tips are organized by category.

  • Hardware and equipment tips – This is to help you choose technology tools that are affordable, easy-to-use and efficient.
  • Software tips – This includes advice on software that is useful, as well as ways to improve the use of common software.
  • Security and ethics tips – This section provides a wealth information for lawyers who are concerned about the responsible use technology.
  • Travel tips – This section aims to assist readers in getting the most from their travel experience.
  • Miscellaneous Tips – This section contains tips that don’t fit into any of the previous categories.

Hardware and equipment tips

These experts have analyzed a wide range of technology over the years and can offer useful advice to help you upgrade or add to your equipment. These tips cover everything from cell hotspots to scanners, tablets, and many other technologies. Some tips will show you how to use your equipment for creating your own cloud storage and backup system. Some tips are about accessories that can be used to enhance the equipment you already own. This section is a bit like reading a Consumer Reports article about law practice hardware.

Software tips

This section provides tips and tricks to help you use software better in your practice. This section also includes recommendations for lesser-known software that may make your life easier. These tools can save you from the embarrassment that comes with losing an attachment to an email. They also help you organize your thoughts before you go into trial. These tips can help you organize your thoughts and strategy before entering trial.

Security and ethics tips

This section was created by the authors to assist readers in using technology to practice law ethically and safely. These tips will assist lawyers in complying with Model Rule 1.1 regarding the duty to competence. The ABA changed comment 8 to Model. A lawyer must keep up to date with changes in law and practice. This includes the risks and benefits associated with technology. These tips offer guidance on a variety of topics, including protecting metadata in documents and setting up office backups. They also help you protect yourself against cell phone viruses. Model Rule 4.4 was also amended in. These comments explore the ethical responsibility of lawyers when they are unintentionally in possession metadata. This information is embedded in electronic documents. According to the latest commentary, lawyers are required to notify the sender if they have reason to believe that the metadata was accidentally sent. The latest commentary to the model rule states that lawyers have the duty to notify the sender if they know or reasonably suspect that the metadata was sent inadvertently.

Travel tips

Lawyers, and people generally, have been more mobile in the last part of the 20th century than ever before. The internet has made it possible to reduce our dependence on travel agents for planning and coordinating trips. There are many tools available today that offer virtual assistance to help you plan and execute your trip. The authors will guide you through this section to show you how to use these tools to make your trip planning and execution easier.

Miscellaneous tips

This is the largest section. This section serves as a general guideline, since many tips can be classified into more than one category. Some do not fit into any of the categories. These are general tech-related advice. This guide covers virtual receptionists and virtual assistants, as well as tips for improving Microsoft Outlook utility and setting up digital filing systems that are similar to your physical filing system. You can hire a cheap editor to handle your correspondences, contracts and pleadings, by using WordRake, an add-on for Microsoft Word. You can hire a virtual receptionist via Ruby Receptionists if you have a small solo practice but are not ready to hire a full-time staff member. There are some tips for writing better emails and creating safety nets to avoid sending the wrong email or hitting the send button at the wrong time. This idea is repeated throughout the book. Lawyers have a responsibility to their clients to use technology efficiently and competently.