Law In The Time Of CoronaVirus. Carolyn Elefant is my heroine. I don't know how she manages to publish such a huge amount of valuable content; but, this comprehensive guide to practicing law during the Coronavirus pandemic is must see TV for any solo or small firm lawyer. She discusses the provisions of the new Stimulus bill, all the various apps and resources for going virtual and much more. Bookmark the page and go back to it as a resource. Thanks, Carolyn. You just touched my WOW button.
Why Millenials Will Make Or Break Your Firm. Nora Bergman is one of the best law firm consultants in the business. This article is a great piece on the needs of millennial attorneys in the law firm, and how to manage them in this new world of ours. Thanks, Nora, but this advice I neither need nor want. The next millennial who says "OK Boomer" to me is going to get "Yes, millennial, I hear you and I ignore you". I don't have to hire you. I don't have to listen to you. I am always available to you for advice and counsel if you want it. I figured out that I needed work life balance before you were born, and, guess what? Practicing solo gave me the freedom and autonomy to do just that. So, if you want to go to work in BigLaw for a big salary, and are willing to make the necessary compromises, go for it.
Free Online Basic Legal Research. I love Fastcase legal research. It is the best online research site available. It is offered to the lawyers of many States, as part of the resources provided for dues paying members. For an additional $195 a year, access to all case law everywhere, both State and Federal, is available. However, I also love the upstarts, like Anylaw, which is free for all. It is just the basics: internet based case finder for all Federal and State cases. Like Google Scholar, it is free to all comers. With these three resources, no lawyer need go elsewhere, or pay a lot of money for bells and whistles she will never use. In fact, a lot of legal research can now be done in the general Google multiverse, with a simple search in the Chrome text box. If you aren't competent doing research on the Internet, you are committing legal malpractice if you miss a case on piece of on point information. So, lawyer, get your Internet shoes on, create favorite links to your favorite sites, and get to work.
Unnecessary Complexity. Ernie Svenson gets it right in this post. Simplicity is always best, and, in law practice, it doesn't get much simpler than solo practice. Big bureaucracy, and big law firms, with their size, naturally add complexity to anything. Committees, task forces, interfirm warfare, large clients, complex legal matters, big budgets, all naturally create situations in which everyone wants to contribute something, which sometimes makes more problems than it solves. The same is true with technology. As Ernie says, don't buy a space pen, when a pencil will do the trick. Be simple out there.
Small Firm Bootcamp. There are a lot of people out there who promise to make you a more "successful" lawyer by using marketing, and other techniques. However, they are all about money, money, money, and they want a lot of yours. As a solo, I have always been of the view that the more productive and efficient you are, the more time you will have to be everything BUT a lawyer, and enjoy life. My friend, Ernie Svenson, is of the same mind, and he has created a two day intensive program to teach you how to do that. And, his techniques don't require thousands of dollars in marketing campaigns. A paperless office just requires a good scanner and a plan. A successful marketing campaign can be launched for almost nothing via email and social media. But, just buying a computer, and a scanner, and other tech won't do you any good if you don't use them properly. Check out Small Firm Bootcamp. It's in New Orleans, so add a couple of days on either side to have some fun in the Big Easy. No brainer.
Google Scholar. The people at MyCase have published a great book on the ins and outs of using Google Scholar. This can be used by lawyers and others to do indepth legal research on case law, parties, judges, lawyers and anyone else. Google provides this research free on the Internet, and you don't have to be the smartest guy or girl in the room to learn how to use it effectively. Did I mention it is free? Why are you paying for legal research? By the way, Google Scholar covers much more than case law. Check it out. It is the first place I go when researching.
Nicole Black Nikki Black knows what she is talking about. This short article about current research tools used by lawyers surprised me, in the large numbers of older lawyers still using print materials for most of their legal research. I just want to travel around and shake them into the new decade. Oh well. Their loss. This old lawyer will using cloud based research until they nail on the coffin lid. Hey, I wonder if I can convince Diane to put my computer in there with my Smartphone and my Smartwatches?
Beach Law. I am often asked why I have been interested in gadgets and tech for so many years. It is true that I love the challenge of new tech, and I enjoy playing with gadgets. But, the more serious reason is that I figured out, as a young lawyer, that technology and computers could automate many tasks that made my law practice drudgery. For instance, before I figured out how to harness computers to type Wills and other documents, I laboriously hand wrote long documents, much of which were repetitive words and sentences. It felt like I was practicing law in quicksand. Then, when the first large, room sized, computer typewriters became available, I stored forms on floppy disk, and later on other forms of computer storage. Suffice it to say that technology and curiosity have resulted in my being able to practice law anywhere in the world; but, I am happy on my own little beach. Michael Wade, of Execupundit fame, likes to link to some of my posts about tech with a picture of a beach. This is a back handed reference to my Florida residence; but, it is in line with this post by Ernie Svenson, in which he makes a strong case for working smarter, not harder, using technology and computers. I owe much both to Ernie and Michael, who have enriched my life as a lawyer. I should also mention that I met both of them online through our blogs. Technology has made a big world as small as a computer and keyboard and Internet connection. What are you doing to do to make your law practice and life better? Your first stops should be to Execupundit and to Law Firm AutoPilot.
Why psychology matters more than... - Ernie The Attorney. We used to call it "social engineering". Since lawyers are in the persuasion business, they need to be street smart. That means getting some understanding of how we make decisions, about anything. This post by Ernie Svenson highlights some of the ways in which persuasive people convince others to do what they want. Do you want Judges, juries, employees, and clients to believe you? Well, the first way is to be genuine. But, after that, there are techniques to allow them to come to your conclusion on their own. Because, if they think it was their idea, they will be immovable. I really hate to be using techniques used by con men and grifters. But, using them for noble purposes is okay. And, being a successful lawyer is, in my mind, a noble purpose.
