Futurelawyer

Solo Lawyer, Small Firm Lawyer, BigLaw Lawyer...We All Need Help.

Florida Bar Tech Help Line. One of the lesser known services provided by the Florida Bar to its members is the amazing Tech Help Line that exists for one purpose: to help our members navigate the complex and ever changing world of technology and its impact upon the practice of law. Law Tech Partners, headed by Adriana Linares and Liz McCausland, handles the service for the Bar, and, while they might refer you to your software provider for answers, they can take care of many basic tech questions. It's your Bar. Use it.

 

Who Are The Gray Old Internet Lawyers?

When I posted this two years ago, I heard from several old friends: Carolyn Elefant, Nikki Black, Craig Waters, Jennifer Rose, and Bruce Dorner. We all began our Internet journey in the Nineties, and we have seen it blossom into the juggernaut it is today. 

"I gave my first seminar on the Internet for lawyers in 1994. It is hard to believe that I have been shilling for Lawyers on the Internet for 26 years. That date coincides with my first website for the FutureLawyer, which has been going strong every day since. Teaching lawyers about the Internet and how it could amplify and energize their law practices has been a life long obsession. So, I look with pride at the complete integration of the Internet into the practice of law, just as it has infiltrated other professions. Technology can be harnessed for good purposes, and can enable a life well lived. In 1994, when my Committee on Technology conducted the first statewide demo of the World Wide Web for lawyers at the Florida Bar Convention, we setup computers and monitors and dial up access, and sat Bar members down to show them the future of legal research and computing. I actually saved the graphics banner from the Convention, and it is mounted on the wall of my home office."

Craig created the Florida Supreme Court's first website, although he had created a personal web page even earlier. That personal page was what prompted Justice Ben Overton to ask if he could create a page for the Court.

Carolyn put up a website for her firm in January 1995 and taught a course on Energy Resources on the World Wide Web in 1996. She had an email address on her business card in 1994. 

Bruce, I met in the Nineties at the ABA tech convention, and he has been around forever. He is so old that one of his mentors taught Wozniak how to code. He also did the first demo of a remote connection to the office by dial-up at TechShow way back in the mid 80’s.

Nikki created a personal website in 1995 and met her husband online that same year. (I met my wife, Jacquelyn, may she rest in peace, online in 1997).

Bruce started Solosez; but, Jennifer has been den mothering it since 1998.

So, on this first day of 2023, I honor these legal Internet pioneers. May we all live another 20- something years, and see what it becomes.

 

T-Mobile Home Internet - Cheaper For Magenta Max Customers.

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Review. Apparently, being a long term T-Mobile customer has its perks. I recently added the 5G Home Internet Gateway service to my home. The Cylindrical Combination WiFi6 router and 5G modem just plugs in anywhere in the house, and provides unlimited broadband data to up to 64 household devices. It is upstairs in the master bedroom, where it is providing access to an area of the house that has been problematic for my Cable Internet originating downstairs at the other end of the house. I thought I was paying the reasonable monthly fee of $50 a month for the service, which is the same price I am paying for the Inseego portable 5G device that I carry in the RV when traveling. I considered that a small price for a backup broadband service. Then, when I got my bill this month, I discovered I was only being charges $30 for it. A little research determined that Magenta Max customers get a discount. Thanks, T-Mobile. 5G whole house Internet with unlimited data for $30 a month? I'll take it.

 

The Future Of Home Internet Is Wireless.

The New T-Mobile Gateway. The FutureLawyer is always looking for ways to connect to the Internet, without relying on free public WiFi which is never secure. I have added a new Home Internet device to the mix, which will be a backup to my Cable Internet. Cable is very fast; but, sometimes it isn't. Buffering streaming, and outages during weather events can be annoying. Since 5G wireless Internet became available on smartphones, I have sometimes used the hotspot feature on them as a backup; but, data is limited. Then, for RV travel, I added a 5G mobile Internet device that I can carry everywhere. Still, it is limited to 100 Gigs of data over a month. Not expensive, at $50 a month, and I have used it at home when cable got spotty. Now, however, for another $50 a month, I have an unlimited Internet gateway that can serve the entire house. I just plugged it in to an outlet in the kitchen, next to a window, and, voila, I have broadband backup that can serve the whole household. Do I NEED all this Internet access? No; but, my readers want to know about the various ways that remote lawyers can do their work. So, let's recap. 5G Gateway from T-Mobile - unlimited data for $50. 5G Hotspot from T-Mobile - 100 Gigs for $50, and you can carry it in your briefcase. Cable Internet from Spectrum - $89 when bundled with phone and TV service. Smartphone Hotspot - 20 Gigs included with phone service. Starlink satellite Internet when traveling in the RV - $135. Access to broadband Internet wherever I am - Priceless.

FutureLawyer Connects To The Internet Anytime, Anywhere.

T-Mobile Home Internet. Your intrepid legal technology researcher, the FutureLawyer, is always looking for new and better ways for today's tech savvy lawyer to connect to the Internet. Access to the Internet has become essential to the practicing lawyer, and I will be discussing the various ways to do it at next year's Florida Bar Convention. But, if you follow this blog, you will get periodic updates ahead of time. Currently, I pay $135 a month for a Starlink antenna on the RV, which gives me reliable Internet access on the road, anywhere in the continental U.S., at speeds between 35 Mbps and 200 Mbps. I pay $99 a month for a Spectrum cable home internet subscription that averages over 400 Mbps, and I have a cellular 5G modem from T-Mobile that averages around 100 Mbps. All of these speeds are fine for broadband Internet streaming and general Internet usage for many devices. Of course, I don't NEED all of these ways to get to the Internet; but, I am willing to spend a couple hundred dollars a month to let my readers know what to expect, and I like having options. Cable Internet can be spotty during storms. Starlink dishes need an unobstructed view of the Northern sky, and the RV version is deprioritized when there are a lot of home units competing for access. The 5G signal isn't as fast as cable, so it can be limited if there are too many devices on the network. All that said, I have signed up for a home Internet modem from T-Mobile, which promises whole home wireless access for $50 a month. This access is limited to a fixed location (your home or office), but the data is unlimited. My cellular modem works wherever I carry it; but, access is limited to 100 Gigabytes a month. I will, in the coming months, be using all of these methods, and comparing access speeds and reliability. The point of this exercise is to make you aware that we are approaching a world in which broadband Internet is available to all.

Stay Connected Anywhere With Starlink.

The Committee on Technology will be doing an all day seminar again at the Florida Bar Convention next year. I have convinced the Committee to allow me to do an update of last year's Traveling in an RV and remote lawyering. I will be focusing on the rapid advances in tech for keeping connected on the road. As an example, I am loving Elon Musk's Starlink system, which gets better every day. I mounted the dish on the top of the RV and, when I pulled in to my spot this afternoon, I connected power, and immediately had broad band Internet at 32 Mbps up, (normally 152 Mbps, which is enough for a full household of Internet, and TV streaming. We have two TVs, with Roku sticks, 2 computers, 2 Smartphones, and various other stuff going on. I won't be doing too much work this week, as we are going to have some fun; but, I brought scans of documents from a new probate matter, and I might work on the documents a little. The cool thing about Starlink is that, when it is fully deployed, users can literally have broadband Internet anywhere in the world.

If You Are A Millennial, Keep Walking.

I am so tired of millennials complaining about the tech we use these days. Complaints about Internet speed, companies that initiate data caps, the size of smartphones, and other complaints are everywhere. The next millennial that gripes to me is going to have to spend a few hours listening to me talk about the state of computers in 1983, when I got my first luggable computer. It weighed 25 pounds, had a keyboard connected by a cable, a 10 inch green screen, and no graphics. A mouse? Are you kidding me? Internet access? What is that? So, call me a boomer if you like. Every new tech gadget I have used since 1983 has been a revelation to me, and I smile every time I think about my tech and gadget journey. I once sent an email from a pay phone in Yosemite National Park back to my office using a portable 300 baud modem by connecting the pay phone handset and an acoustic coupler. I know I sound like a grand dad talking about walking 20 miles to school; but, children, you have no idea of the journey boomers have been on. So, spare me your whining and complaining, and keep walking. Jeez.

 

In An Ideal World.

In an ideal world, the hotspot feature of your Samsung phone would automatically connect to your Windows notebook wherever you were. It would appear as a WiFi option on your Windows computer when you powered up. Presto, connect to the phone, and off you go into Internet nirvana. Well, children, that day has come, and soon your Windows 11 computer will do just that. The partnership between Microsoft and Samsung is a recognition that the most popular operating system and the best smartphones in the world should be working together. No more having to separately set the phone hotspot first. Since we rock several smartphones from Samsung, and have a TMobile hotspot device, we will never be without an Internet connection. What to do in the remote hinterlands in our RV, you ask? Why, SpaceX and Starlink to the rescue, of course.

Starlink Delivering A Flat Antenna For In Motion Use.

Starlink Flat Antenna For In Motion Use. The rumored, in motion Starlink antenna was announced yesterday by Elon Musk, for delivery in December, 2022. The antenna is mounted permanently on top of a moving land vehicle, and lays flat on the roof. It is pricey, at $2,500, and is a high performance antenna. The monthly cost, without a subscription, is the same as the portable Starlink RV antenna, at $135 a month. I have no need for in motion use, so my RV antenna, at $599, is all I need. It isn't designed for permanent mounting; but, I bolted it to the RV roof, and it works fine. Even with a best efforts plan, I have been able to connect wherever my RV is, and I can use it at the office while the RV is parked outside in my parking lot. Satellite Internet using Elon Musk's system is the future of Internet access.

You Can Prevent Facebook And Other App Hacking Attacks.

More than one Facebook friend has had their account hacked, and dummy accounts set up that message all their friends. This is one of the easiest hacks to prevent, and only requires the use of two factor authentication for entry to your Facebook account. While in Facebook, click the down arrow in the upper right of the screen. Click Settings and Privacy. Click Security Settings. Click Two Factor Authentication. Enter your cell phone number. Then, before a hacker can ever get into your account again, they will have to have your cell phone as well as your password. You have to get a code on your phone before you sign in to Facebook; but, you can leave Facebook connected if you have control over the physical computer you use. Sure, it is annoying to have to check your phone for a text message and code to get back in to Facebook after you log out. But, it is more annoying to find out some jerk has hacked your account because it was only secured with a password. If you aren't using two factor authentication with every site that has it available, you are like a homeowner leaving the front door to your house unlocked, who is surprised when a criminal walks in and steals something. Be safe out there.