Futurelawyer

Yes, Virginia, You Can Practice Law On A Beach.

Michael Wade, of Execupundit, is fond of linking to some of my posts with this image of a beach. The implication is that we Florida lawyers spend our days sitting on a beach, and staring at the Gulf or Ocean. Well, that may be partly true. In fact, you CAN practice law on a beach with modern tech. And, we have a lot of beaches and sun here in Florida. But, many of us prefer practicing law poolside.

Where Do The Years Go?

As I reach the fiftieth anniversary of my induction into the Florida Bar in 1972, I suppose, like all old people, I ask myself how time passed so quickly. As I participated yesterday in the Technology Symposium at the Convention, I was struck by the youth of the other participants. I thought back to the 1994 Bar Convention, when my Committee introduced our fellow Bar members to this new thing called the Internet. I saved the banner from our presentations; and, it can be seen in this photo. We had computer terminals installed at the Convention, so that lawyers could see the promise of a new way of finding case law, and communicating with colleagues. In our wildest dreams, we never considered that we would be carrying computers in our pockets and on our wrists in the not too distant future. Sometimes, I wish that I could be around in another 28 years, to see where technology has taken us. But, that privilege will be reserved for the fresh, young faces that I observed yesterday. Be good to each other. Time flies.

FutureLawyer Presenting On Mobile Tech At The Florida Bar Convention.

Had a great time today presenting on mobile tech with Michelle Gilbert. Thanks to LegalFuel for the great photo.

The FutureLawyer's Next Event Might Be In The Metaverse.

Web Event - Mastering The Metaverse. Just as I prepare to give a presentation tomorrow at the Florida Bar Convention on remote lawyering from physical locations other than a traditional law office, I have received this announcement from Steve Tover, of AnyLaw, about a two hour webinar on June 30th discussing the Metaverse, a virtual world in which many persons can create an avatar and interact in real time over the Internet. The modern Internet finally has enough bandwidth to make such an environment useful, and Steve wants to show that it can be a way for lawyers to interact in a virtual environment. Is this the future of the Internet, or another fad? Watch and see. As an aside, I will be at Camping World on the 30th, with my RV, having some work done, and it is ironic that I will be working that day in a Camping World waiting area, and plan to attend the webinar while there. 

Get Some Continuing Legal Education Credit By Attending The Tech Symposium At The Florida Bar Convention.

Florida Bar Convention CLE Opportunities. If you are looking to learn about the effect of technology on law practice, check out the Committee on Technology and Legal Fuel's Symposium next week at the Convention. You don't have to attend the live presentation; although, I am giving the first session on using tech to practice law on the road, and I would love to see you. I will be taking questions, along with the rest of the presenters at the Convention. If you can't get to Orlando, you can attend via Zoom, or watch the recorded sessions in July. I am writing this post from my desk in my RV which is parked in the KOA Kissimmee RV Park until Tuesday, when I will move the beast to Ft. Wilderness at DisneyWorld.

June 22, 2022 - Florida Bar Annual Technology Symposium.

Florida Bar Convention. If you want to meet the FutureLawyer, and see me in action, I am the first presenter this year at the Florida Bar President's Showcase Seminar, the Annual Technology Symposium, put on by the Standing Committee on Technology, of which I am a proud member. My half of the presentation will focus on gadgets, and equipment that the mobile lawyer can use to practice law anywhere. The Convention is right down the street from Disney Springs in Kissimmee, at the Signia By Hilton. If you are in the Orlando area in two weeks, let me know.

28 Years Of The Internet And Lawyering Has Come A Long Way.

As I prepare for my 50th Florida Bar Convention in June, at which I will be presenting on being a mobile lawyer, using the power of the Internet and Technology, I came across this photo of my first Florida Bar Convention in which we were demonstrating the power of the Internet and Web Browsing. My Committee and I set up a dozen computers and connected to the Internet via telephone lines, and showed lawyers what the power of a world of connected computers could do for lawyers. Lawyers deal with information and using it to advise and counsel, and the Internet made the search for information light years faster and more accurate. It was 1994, and we called it "Surfin' The Net". I kept the graphics banners as symbols of that milestone. I started the FutureLawyer site that same year, and 10 years later, turned it into a blog, which I have posted to almost every day since. I have stored almost 16,000 posts over that time period, and it occurs to me that you could follow them for a pretty comprehensive picture of the progress of legal technology.

Start Owning Your Talent. MyShingle.com

MyShingle Facebook group. My dear friend, and solo lawyer Pied Piper, Carolyn Elefant, has a new Facebook group for lawyers who are tired of the BigLaw structure, and who want more control over their lives and practices. Wouldn't it be nice to practice law the way you want, without someone controlling your work day? Of course it would. The first solo to weaponize the Internet to show lawyers it was possible was Carolyn, and you can benefit from that knowledge, and find the strength and resources to do it yourself by joining her Facebook group, and learning as you go. I just talk about going solo. Carolyn shows you how.

#TBT - Don't Be This Guy - PowerPoint Sins That Will Require Forgiveness.

I discovered this seven years ago, as I prepared to present at the 2015 Legal Tech Show in Chicago. It has been on my mind for every presentation since. Wordy, cliche, redundant slides full of text do not persuade or educate anyone. I will apply these lessons to my presentation on mobile computing at this year's Florida Bar Convention. PowerPoint can be useful, if done properly. Don't be this guy.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Get To Decide What Continuing Legal Education Seminars I Take.

Being solo means that I have to pay for each seminar I attend, out of my own funds; whereas, in BigLaw, the corporation pays, and even pays for travel and lodging. But, what happens when your law firm bosses don't allow you to travel or attend the seminars you want?