Law Technology

More Freebies on the Web: PC World?s 101 Fantastic Freebies

Posted on June 24, 2008
PC World has posted its list of 101 Fantastic Freebies covering free utilities to tweak MS Windows, secure your computer, productivity applications, communications and more.

PC Magazine?s 529 Computing Tips (but who?s counting)

Posted on June 23, 2008
Ever wondered how to create a shortcut to today?s date in Excel or how to find enormous attachments in Outlook?

Dealing with the Deluge ? Get your faxes without a fax machine.

Posted on June 20, 2008
If you have been forced out of your office due to flooding, getting your faxes can be an issue. While you can forward the fax line to another number such as your home telephone line, this requires that you have a fax machine their and also ties up that line for voice calls...

Dealing with the Deluge: Flood Resources for Wisconsin Lawyers

Posted on June 13, 2008
Flooding is affecting attorneys and their clients throughout Wisconsin. The State Bar of Wisconsin has assembled resources for lawyers available here. They have also created the Wisconsin Lawyer?s Flood Assistance Bulletin Board for lawyers who need help and for lawyers who want to help their fellow attorneys...

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Casual is OK - But Leave the flip flops at the Beach.

Posted on June 12, 2008
It seems like summer is finally here which means summer dress codes will be an effect at most workplaces. Here at the State Bar Wisconsin, we not only have a dress code but we also have a casual Monday policy. Like most employers, it is sometimes necessary for us to remind employees that certain items of clothing are inappropriate due to the fact that they may be too revealing, present an image that is unacceptable for a professional membership organization or are inappropriate in other ways.

All Chairs Are Created Equal - Or Are They?

Posted on June 11, 2008
There was an old joke among horse cavalry troopers after long rides which was they had gone 40 miles in the saddle with Major Assburns. I feel the same way when I have to sit for long periods of time in a cheap desk chair or one that was built for looks rather than function.

E-Discovery gaff waives Attorney-Client Privilege

Posted on June 09, 2008
It seems a number of factors were at work in this case including poorly defined keywords for the search as well as a failure to properly review documents that were not electronically searchable. The end result was that 165 privileged documents were turned over to the Plaintiff by Creative.

Missouri Solo & Small Firm Conference Turns 13

Posted on June 05, 2008
The Missouri Solo & Small Firm Conference is unequivocally the most successful solo and small firm conference. how's that for a statement from an attorney? The conference turns 13 this summer and has more than 800 folks registered to attend this 3 day event starting Thursday June 12 and ending on Saturday June 14.

Honey, I shrunk the Word Document.

Posted on June 02, 2008
I don?t know of anyone who hasn?t gone to print an MS Word document at one time or another and had a last page that had perhaps only a small amount of text on it. Trying to get your document so you could do away with this page with minimal text can be very frustrating...

?Book?em Danno? ? Back to My Mac catches thief!

Posted on May 12, 2008
Here?s a link to a story about a MacBook user using the Apple Back to My Mac feature to capture an image of the thief who stole her MacBook.

The Check?s in the mail or is it?

Posted on April 28, 2008
While it is hard to condense all of the things you should do, Ed provides some useful suggestions for dealing with clients who are avoiding paying your bill under one of his 5 scenarios.

Wisconsin Quarles Ex-Partner makes the news (and not in a good way)

Posted on April 25, 2008
The ABA Journal reports in this story that an ex-Quarles & Brady partner has been suspended for nine months for failure to turn over fees he earned as a trustee to his former firm.

Monster Cable vs. Blue Jean Cable: Will this be a Repeat of David vs. Goliath?

Posted on April 15, 2008
For many lawyers (myself included) Intellectual Property (IP) law is similar to trying to understand a foreign language; some of the word might seem familiar, but you know that you really don?t have a clue. Usually, threats of patent and trademark infringement don?t make the evening news and it?s an area of the law best left to the ?experts? However, occasionally an IP case comes along that captures the attention of the common practitioner.

Getting Vista and XP to Play Nice on the same network.

Posted on April 07, 2008
For those of you who live in a mixed household ? some Windows XP computers and some Windows Vista computers ? getting the Vista systems to share files with their XP brethren can be challenging, if not downright frustrating. In most instances, the problem arises because the Vista systems can?t ?see? the XP systems on the network.

You Want to Work From Where? Telecommuting as an Alternative.

Posted on April 04, 2008
Many law firms are looking for ways to retain good people without having to ?break the bank? to do so. One option that is being used more regularly is giving employees the opportunity to telecommute. No longer is telecommuting a rarity; organizations now exist to provide information and assistance such as the American Telecommuting Association, the International Telework Association & Council and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Great Utilities to Supercharge Windows!

Posted on March 28, 2008
Despite the perception that Windows has every utility you need to get the most out of it, the truth is that 3d party programs still play an important role in obtaining the best user experience. While Windows often includes features to do things such as defragment your hard drive, switch between open programs, view files, etc...

Outlook + Gmail = Goodbye Exchange Server?

Posted on March 26, 2008
c|net News Blog reports here that Cemaphore Systems is preparing to roll out a beta of its Software as a Service (SaaS) product Mailshadow for Google Appa a/k/a MailShadow G which will allow the use of Outlook with Gmail for multiple users without Exchange Server.

Backup your Gmail Account.

Posted on March 20, 2008
I?m a big fan of backing up your data (as I?ve made clear in prior posts including this one). Using traditional email programs such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Outlook Express, you have copies of your emails on your computer and can make backups of them.

Microsoft Office OneNote is no one-trick pony!

Posted on March 08, 2008
If you think of OneNote as an electronic three-ring binder, you?ll begin to understand how this product works. A notebook in OneNote is the equivalent of a binder, with each notebook section being the equivalent of a paper tab, and the pages inside being places to write down notes and collect and organize your information.

Lost and Found: Where do I find familiar commands in Word 2007?

Posted on February 14, 2008
For those that have switched to MS Word 2007 or are in the process of doing so, it can be a bit daunting trying to learn where familiar commands from Word 2003 are now located.

ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Wants You!

Posted on January 22, 2008
The ABA TECHSHOW is fast approaching and if you haven't done so already, you need to register today. If you want to learn about cutting edge legal technology for any firm size, then you won't want to miss this event.

Mac and the Dragon (Dragon NaturallySpeaking that is).

Posted on January 17, 2008
Courtesy of the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center comes word that Nuance, the maker of Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition software for the PC, has licensed its product to MacSpeech who is bringing it to the Mac.

Great Deals on 4 & 8 GB Flash Drives at OfficeMax

Posted on January 15, 2008
If you are looking for a USB flash drive, Office Max has the A-Data Classic 4 & 8GB flash drives on sale. A 4 GB drive is $24.99 and an 8GB drive is $47.99. WOW! They are available in store and on the OfficeMax website here and are enhanced for MS Windows Vista ReadyBoost use...

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum - Why Lawyers Should Read Blogs

Posted on January 15, 2008
My friend Bonnie Shucha, author of WisBlawg and Head of Reference for the UW Law Library, has an article on fellow law librarian and blogger Bev Butula and a story that Bev penned regarding the usefulness of blogs to legal professionals with the title of Bella is Bewildered About Blogs.

TimeMatters Ver. 9 Service Release 1 Now Available

Posted on January 09, 2008
LexisNexis has announced the release of Service Release 1 to its TimeMatters and BillingMatters version 9 software. For licensed users, SR1 can be downloaded from https://pm.lexisnexis.com/support/update, but you must have already created a Service Center account to do so...

Oops ?Microsoft Stumbles Again: Older File Formats Disabled in Office 2003 Service Pack 3

Posted on January 02, 2008
Slashdot is reporting that Microsoft has disabled support for many older file formats with the installation of Service Pack 3 in this post.

Getting Started in eCommerce Information.

Posted on December 26, 2007
If you have clients that are looking to get started in ecommerce or online sales, then the ABA’s new safeselling.org website should be one of the first places they visit. According to the introduction for the site: “Safeselling.org offers a resource for business people launching ecommerce enterprises and for businesses venturing into online sales...

Don?t Make Your Attendees Gargle Peanut Butter: Deliver a Performance Not a Presentation!

Posted on December 20, 2007
While most people can gargle peanut butter for an hour if they have to, having a speaker that not only conveys useful information but does so in an entertaining fashion can make even the most boring topics worth paying attention to for an hour or two.

Are You A Goldfish In A Shark Tank? Things Every Lawyer Should Know When Getting Started.

Posted on December 13, 2007
I remember back in March 1989 when I started with the firm of Alexander & Cicero, P.C. in Rockford, Illinois. I figured I?d be mentored by one of the firm?s partners who would ?show me the ropes? and work with me over a period of time to get acclimated to the firm and practice law, think of this as the ?Cinderella? view...

Christmas isn?t just about toys- it?s about tools to! Continued

Posted on December 08, 2007
Continuing with the theme that Christmas isn?t just about toys- it?s about tools to, here are some other great resources for unique tech gifts this holiday season.

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