Futurelawyer

Office 365 - I Surrender.

Office 365 - The Ultimate Crash Course For Lawyers. Okay, I surrender. I will have to learn the basics of Word, since most lawyers are using it every day. I will still use WordPerfect as my main document software; but, this one hour crash course on Office 365 seems like a good place for me to start. Free CLE from the Florida Bar at LegalFuel.com. Get some benefit from those dues you pay every year.

I Am A Real Property Lawyer, Why Should I Care About BlockChain?

What's The Big Deal About BlockChain. Simply put, a blockchain is a digital record of transactions. The name comes from its structure, in which individual records, called blocks, are linked together in single list, called a chain. Blockchains are used for recording transactions made with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, and have many other applications. This LegalFuel article is a very good description of some of the ways blockchain technology is taking over the world of data management in financial transactions. But, storing data in impenetrable and secure streams that live forever for banking transactions is just the tip of the iceberg. When all real estate transactions are stored in a database with blockchain tech, title plants become obsolete in a short time. No more paper. No more long hours poring over title reports. When Software As A Service (SAAS, later Cloud Computing) became popular early in my career, I, and others, worried about the security of data in the cloud. But, blockchain technology makes such worries a non-starter. The reason you need to learn about blockchain is that it will be in your life and practice whether you like it or not.

Two Of The Scariest Words A Lawyer Can Hear.

Record Retention For Lawyers. Lawyers say, hear and repeat some pretty scary words. Liability, Lawsuit, Damages, and other words that strike fear into the hearts of men. But, lawyers are fearful also. And, when somebody says "records retention", I get chills up my spine. Okay, not really. But, we are, more than most professions, keepers of some very sensitive and essential data, and we are duty bound not only to retain it; but, also to keep it confidential. So, the topic of records retention can be pretty scary. It is also a pain; because, time spent on it is not compensated. I don't get paid to retain information. It is an obligation. Digital storage has made retention easier; but, keeping data in digital form means I can't touch it, or see it, or unlock a door and put my hands on it in a paper file. I must keep it secure, however, and that is pretty scary. I remember a scary time in my early career when a letter I wrote for a client became important in a high profile matter, and I had to dig around in an old storage unit to find it. It was actually examined for rust around the paper clips to determine it was genuine. That was a scary time. But, I had retained it for years, and was glad I did. Now, I scan everything, and have a digital copy of documents I wrote 25 years ago, all stored on my notebook computer. Most of them will never be important to anyone; but, I can find them with a word search on my computer. And, I have staggered backups of the files, and the drives, and other copies of copies. If I need them, I will be able to find them. This hour and a half seminar might help you learn to systematically store and save important files and data. Pretty scary; but, you have to do it, grasshopper.

 

25 Years Goes Fast.

Twenty Five Years...Time Flies When You're Having Fun.

I was updating the Copyright Notice on the FutureLawyer site this morning, and I realized that I started the site in 1996. That means I have been doing this for 25 years. It has been a daily passion since 2005; but, I haven't missed many days. So Happy Birthday to the FutureLawyer site. I have no idea which day in 2021 will be the actual anniversary. But, let's celebrate every day, okay?

Do You Really Know How To Do Legal Research Online?

Introduction To Boolean On FastCase. Everyone, including the FutureLawyer, is always touting the vast legal research resources available on the Internet. When I was a young lawyer, we sat in libraries, surrounded by thousands of imposing books; and, during a research project, it wasn't unusual to be sitting at a big wooden table, surrounded by open books, leafing through paper pages. To find the correct pages in the correct books, we went to wooden cabinets, filled with index cards, organized by a system known as the Dewey Decimal System. The books were arranged on the shelves so that we could physically go to them. It sounds so ancient and old fashioned now. These days, all of that knowledge is available on screen with the tap of a few keys on a keyboard. But, you still have to know how to locate the good stuff. There are a lot of free ways to get there. And, some of those are subsidized by Bar dues. FastCase is a repository for all reported Florida law, and is available to all Florida lawyers. This one hour seminar is designed to help you get results from FastCase research. Do you know how to craft a Boolean search? What about a natural language search? Sign up for this seminar. You'll be a better legal researcher. Thanks to LegalFuel and FastCase, for the help.

 

Get Your Head (And Law Practice) Up In The Clouds.

LegalFuel - Using The Cloud Securely. When I was a young lawyer, green in judgment, there came a thing called the World Wide Web, and it was good. Then, it became the Internet, and it was good. Then, it became a million separate computer servers, all over the world, and data got stored in another physical location, and it was possible to run software from a computer many thousands of miles away, and everybody freaked out. SAAS (Software as a Service) was the buzzword, and we all spent time wringing our hands and worrying about client confidences being stored somewhere up in the clouds where we had no control. Was it reasonable for a lawyer to store such sensitive information off site? At least, having the information on computer servers located in the office location seemed to keep it under "control". But, what is control? And, what is "reasonable". Lawyers have grappled with "reasonableness" for centuries. Negligence law assesses fault based upon whether an action or inaction was "reasonable'" under the circumstances. So, in a world in which cloud computing is necessary in order to keep up with modern technology, what is a "reasonable" lawyer to do? This article highlights the areas and problems you need to look at. My all time number one favorite is to make certain that anyone who tries to break into your data vault, especially when the data is stored on a server in the cloud, is to lock the door. Use two factor authentication for everything. If a site doesn't offer it, your data doesn't belong there. Be safe out there.

Google Scholar, AnyLaw, FastCase. You Don't Need Anything Else.

Google Scholar. Legal research isn't for sale anymore. For decades, a big portion of law firm budgets were allocated to law book subscriptions, CD purchases, and even in an Internet age, online subscriptions. Some online subscriptions deliver value; but, is it value you need? AI enhancements make FastCase an attractive buy, given that it is very inexpensive; but, luckily, many State Bars provide access to it as part of the annual dues. My state of Florida does, and I pay a little extra every year to expand that library nationwide. AnyLaw, the promising startup that provides all case law, and access, for free, is a great option also. Finally, the first place I go is Google Scholar, which often is the only place I have to go to find cases that relate to my problem. To the person who commented that there are a lot of search engines out there, and nobody needs Google, I submit you must not be a lawyer or scholar looking for case law or scholarly articles. So, keep your money in your pocket. Start every research project with the Big Three. I bet you won't need to go anywhere else. All three sit on my Google Chrome TaskBar, ready to rumble.

 

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Need To Access The Florida Bar's LegalFuel Career Center Page.

Florida Bar Career Center Network. One of the best benefits of being a solo practitioner is being able to go to work every day without fear of being fired. If a client fires me, there are more to take their place. If I don't like the way a representation is going, I can fire the client. Of course, that requires court approval if in the middle of litigation; but, still doable. And, while LegalFuel.com, the Florida Bar's excellent website, has much material on every aspect of law practice, I don't need to plumb the depths of attorney job searching, and I don't need to worry about what type of legal organization I will choose to practice within. Florida Bar Career Center Network. I don't need it.

Trust No One.

Understanding Deep Fake Videos. This course presentation should be viewed by every lawyer. We are in an age when you should trust nothing that you hear and nothing that you see. When we were teenagers, the rallying cry was: "Question authority". Today, it should be: "Question everything". Never accept video or audio evidence at face value. Always hire an expert to test the evidence. At least then, you have a fighting chance of uncovering deception. Lesson over for today.

Legal Research - Be Careful What You Pay For.

Google Scholar. I don't do much contested litigation anymore. So, I don't have occasion to do a lot of complex research. But, I still do some, and, as before, it largely involves case finding. When a lawyer is involved in a brief or memorandum or searching for precedent, it is a search for previous case law, appellate opinions that support some facet of the current case. In the old days, we spent a lot of time in libraries, with hundreds of printed volumes, containing the reported decisions of State and Federal courts. There were other sets of books that attempted to digest the opinions into categories and chunks relevant to particular legal topics. The image of a lawyer, sitting in a law library late at night, surrounded by dozens of books, wasn't far from the truth of law practice. However, these days computer assisted legal research, artificial intelligence and the Internet have combined to automate much case finding, and the Internet now stores every reported legal decision of every court, and free access is available at Google Scholar and other sites. In order to charge for access to legal databases, research companies have to offer something extra, such as analysis, and there are some that do a fine job. But, for the initial foray into a research project, do not pay anything. Start at Google Scholar, and use the power of Internet and computers to drill down to the appellate decisions in your State, for free. All you spend is your time.