Futurelawyer

Who Owns The Law? Supreme Court Will Decide

AALL 2019: Does Georgia Hold a Copyright To Its Annotated Code? - Legal Talk Network. I confess to bias here. I think that the law belongs to the people, who pay for it by paying the salaries of the government employees who administer it. Thus, the State Government of Georgia, or any government for that matter, should not be able to claim copyright, and sell that copyright to a private entity. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide who is right, and the access to the law and the openness of the legal system depends on the result. Technology has made primary law much easier to access, and it may be that no law can put that genie back in the bottle. But, every lawyer and citizen has a stake in this case and should follow it carefully. What do you think?  

#WhyIAmASolo - What She Said...

Carolyn Elefant is one of my favorite people on this earth; one of the reasons is that we share a love of solo law practice in common. She, however, has inspired many to go our route, and has been active in touting the benefits, and defending solo practice from naysayers. She has written books about it, and has a website devoted to solo practice. She made this little video as well, which explains the myths and the realities of solo practice. Like real life, group practice in fancy office towers with expensive furniture, and big salaries isn't necessarily the best way to live a life. Every lawyer must make her own choices, and some of us don't need the trappings of "success". Do you know which one you are?

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Have To Attend Panel Discussions

How Not to Run a Panel - The Atlantic. Okay, maybe there are panel discussions at legal seminars and conventions. But, I don't have to go to them if the organizers don't follow the rules in this article. Like meetings, there are mandatory things you have to do in BigLaw or big organizations. Somebody always wants to dictate how you live your life and practice. Since I don't respond well to those kinds of directives, and since, after so many years, I don't suffer fools or panels or meetings gladly, I reserve the right to read about the stuff they are discussing, and to spend my time in quiet contemplation. I am my best teacher, and you aren't.

Virtual Bar Association - A Place To Call Home

Virtual Bar Association - Home. I just joined another voluntary Bar Association, hosted by friend, Andrea Cannavina, the Virtual Bar Association. The VBA promises to be a great repository of knowledge beneficial to those of us in the virtual space, with library, subject matter experts, and Bar discounts with products and services. Okay, Andrea, you're on.

Monday Morning Tech Fix From LegalFuel

All Technology Topics Archives | LegalFuel. Monday mornings are the start of a new workweek. They are also a good time to learn something new about how technology can help your law practice. Try learning about one new topic every Monday. You'll be glad you did. Today, for instance, you can read about backup and recovery of data. Sooner or later, every computer or mobile device crashes. Can you recover the data? Are you prepared? When was the last time you made a complete image copy of your hard drive? When was the last time you backed up your files, documents, scans, photos, correspondence, and financial data? Do you know how? Do you do it yourself, or do you rely on someone else, who may or may not do it correctly? Do you know what rolling backups are? Do you know what an external USB 3.0 drive is? Hmmmm......

Computer security - Top Ten Technologies To Learn

Computer security - Google Search. Learning about the impact of different tech developments on the practice of law is a full time job in itself. Spend some time with each of these ten areas, and you will be a better lawyer: BlockChain, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Security, Internet of Things, Big Data, DevOps, Cloud Computing, Mobile App Management, and much more. Start learning, young lawyer. You are already way behind.

Go Paperless Young Lawyer

A 12-Month Plan for Going Paperless | LegalFuel. Actually, this excellent one hour webinar by RocketMatter, the case management software service, is probably aimed at older lawyers; since the young Turks are already using technology in their practices. But, for less than $500, the cost of a Fujitsu IX500 scanner, you can quickly be on the road to paperless in 5 minutes. Of course, complete freedom from the tyranny of paper is impossible; but, you can get close these days, with computer document creation, digital file storage, digital efiling in every county in Florida, and the use of email and other digital communication. I have been scanning and saving everything since 2010, and I can attest to the efficiencies. Watch this video and get started.

Operational Efficiency - Use Technology In Your Practice

Operational Efficiency - Part III - Ernie The Attorney. Ernie Svenson has a lot of smart things to say about creating an efficient law office. He was the first to advocate for a paperless office, and this series of articles is designed to help attorneys organize the flow of cases through the office, and to make lawyers more efficient and productive. Digital documents make workflow much more efficient. As an example, I have scanned copies of office documents going back to the year 1998, and I recently was able to pull up a requested document in less than a minute because it was stored digitally. Do you know where your documents are?

Who Needs A Puppy When There Is FutureParrot?

The Florida Bar has recently started a tradition of having a puppy pit at the Convention as a reminder for lawyers to be mindful and to spend time recreating, as well as to highlight the work of the Animal Law Section. However, there is a glaring omission here, and I wish to register my complaint that there is no ParrotPit. FutureParrot stands as a symbol of the forgotten parrot pets of the world. Parrot Power!

Law Firm Document Library Free At LegalFuel

Document Library | LegalFuel. So many forms. So little time. The Florida Bar provides many free legal forms for the practicing lawyer, and they are online and ready to use as templates for case specific documents that are valuable to any lawyer. Need documents to document and regulate your law firm entity? LegalFuel. Need employment agreements for office staff? LegalFuel. These documents are available and free, not just to Florida lawyers; but, to any interested person. Welcome to the future.