Futurelawyer

Tiniest Wireless-N USB adapter

Trendnet shows off tiny Wireless-N USB adapter | Crave - CNET.

Most notebook computers out there have older WiFi adapters (usually 802.11 G). Now that the N spec has been adopted, the longer range and multi-antenna goodness of the N specification is available in newer computers. However, if you have an older laptop, and are having trouble connecting in your favorite locations, this little N adapter may be for you. It is very tiny, plugs into an available USB port, and costs less than $25. What's not to like?

First Thing We Do - Let's Blame All The Lawyers

Some of you already know that the Shakespeare quote I have mangled in my title doesn't mean what many in the general public think it means. Dick The Butcher says: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers", which is commonly used when someone has a beef against the legal profession. Of course, what Dick The Butcher meant was that, if you wanted to create a Government in which chaos would reign, and everyone could do anything they wanted to do, you would have to kill all the lawyers. This cartoon conveniently castigates lawyers who allegedly create warning labels on products, and ignores the politicians, bureaucrats, and ignorant consumers who make them necessary. The legal profession stands in the way of tyrants and marches the path to freedom for many in this society and this world. Each of us needs to stand up against the defamation of our profession. Do we really want the society of Jack Cade and Dick The Butcher?

Fifty Tips For Writing Contracts That Stay Out Of Court

Article Florida Law - Contract Writing.

James Martin is a local attorney and friend of the FutureLawyer who has done some really fine writing about contract and document drafting. Every lawyer does a lot of writing, and most of us write contracts on occasion. This article follows some really handy tips for drafting that should be in your head every time you go to the keyboard. The toughest assignment can sometimes be to convince the client of the value of spending adequate time and money on a contract or lease or other legal document. Clients have been bombarded by vendors and sites that sell boiler plate documents cheap, and they don't understand how difficult and complex the drafting process can be. Discuss some of the matters in this Fifty Tips article with the client, and then ask them whether they want to give the process short shrift. Oh, and if you use James' tips, send him a thank you email.

Virtual LegalTech Trade Shows - the most important legal technology events online.

Virtual LegalTech� Trade Shows - the most important legal technology events online..

The website for Virtual LegalTech has gone live, and will begin in November. This is very cool, and allows you to attend a tech show about legal technology online. No plane rides. No expensive hotels. No jet lag. Disclosure: the site is sponsored by ALM, with which my blog is affiliated as an associate. They don't pay me, though, and I have been wanting an online meeting place, trade show, and CLE location for a long time. The site looks great, and I signed up. You should too.

Would A Real Man Carry A Phone Named Pixi?

Playing with the Palm Pixi, hands on photos, first impressions.

Okay, I admit it. I am jonesing for a phone called Pixi. If these things only came in hot pink, I would still want one. I won't buy the Sprint version; but next year, they should become available on Verizon Wireless, and I will wait. They are the Web OS version of the Palm Centro that I have carried around for two years. They are narrow enough to fit comfortably in one hand, have a hard keyboard that can be easily controlled with a thumb, and run the multi-tasking Palm Web OS that is taking the smartphone world by storm. I don't care if they call it Princess. I have got to get me one of these.

Your Google docs: Soon in search results?

Your Google docs: Soon in search results? | Webware - CNET.

Web 2.0 is great for interactive discovery of information. I have been reticent, however, to advise lawyers to put mission critical or client confidential information in the websphere, no matter the protestations of vendors about security. Users are not always going to make fine distinctions between "Publish to Web" and other web terminology if they are creating documents and sharing them online. It is risky enough to send documents attached to emails. Mis-directed emails have gotten more than one lawyer or firm in trouble. If Google starts including web documents created by users in searches, you risk the document being sent anywhere. Do lawyers really want to take that risk? So, if you are using Google docs to create and disseminate confidential documents, be careful that you don't hit that "publish as web page" button. Better yet, keep the document on your hard drive, and use email or paper mail to disseminate. Sometimes, too much technology can be a dangerous thing.

Palm gives up on Windows Mobile - We Are Not Surprised

Palm gives up on Windows Mobile -> TamsPalm.

WinMo on the Palm platform, or any platform, has been kludgy from the beginning. Pointing and clicking through nested menus, as on the desktop, just doesn't get in done on a 2 or 3 inch tiny screen. Since Palm has gone to the Web OS with its new Palms, the Pre and the Pixie, it isn't any wonder that Windows Mobile devices, like the Palm 700W, are being kicked to the curb. In addition to the OS problems, I also had a very tough time getting the Palm to sync to Windows during the time I had mine. You would think that an OS based on Windows would have no problem syncing to Windows XP; however, I couldn't get it to work reliably. So, good riddance Windows Mobile. Most of us will be using Apple's iPod Touch, or the iPhone 3GS, or Palm Pres or Pixies, or Android phones. Some of us will remain devoted users of the Palm OS Garnet for a while longer. You will still be able to buy smartphones with Windows Mobile if you want; but, they won't be built by Palm.

Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc. Fall Seminar

PAF, Inc.

The Futurelawyer spent a very nice morning speaking to the Florida Association of Paralegals,Inc. about technology and the mobile lawyer. With apologies to my bar brethren, I must admit that my best audiences are always paralegals. They do the grunt work in law firms, and they are the ones who believe in lightening the work load with tech. I have had a good response to the offer of a file containing hyperlinks to many of the websites that I use in my everyday law practice, upon subscribing to the blog, and I renew the offer for any paralegal who wishes to subscribe. The list is not intended to be comprehensive; however, it is free for the asking (or emailing) to all who sign up for the Futurelawyer RSS feed or email subscription. The feed and the subscription are free also; however, if you want a hyperlinked file containing links to a lot of useful websites, just send an email to the Futurelawyer and let me know you are already subscribed, or have subscribed. 

So That's Why I Can't Lose Weight!

Ouch - Do You Know Who Your Clients Are?

Small Firm Business - Impostor Clients Land Attorneys in Hot Water.  On the surface, this is a simple case. A lawyer in a closing asks for photo IDs of his clients at the closing table. Husband provides his. Wife says she left hers at the restaurant. The closing proceeds, and the lawyer doesn't follow up. Lo and behold, the mortgage goes into foreclosure and it turns out that the "wife" was an impostor. Now, lawyer is defending a grievance for not verifying the identity of the parties. Ouch. I had a similar case early in my career, in which I asked for the Seller's IDs. Luckily for me, "wife" said hers was "in the truck", and, when she and husband didn't come back after 30 minutes, I figured out that she never was. I shut down the closing, and didn't get burned. The moral of this story? Get photo IDs from everyone you meet; especially if they are doing business with you. The next chapter in this saga will begin if the FTC is successful in applying rigorous new identity-theft prevention rules to attorneys. The ABA has filed a lawsuit seeking an exemption; however, cases like this one don't help the cause. There are days when I wish I was 6 again, sitting in front of a black and white TV, and the masked man was the good guy.