Futurelawyer

Rick Georges Is The FutureLawyer.

Florida Bar Guide To Using Artificial Intelligence.

LegalFuel Guide To Getting Started With AI I have been playing with, writing about, and using Gen AI in my practice for over a year. Since it was made available in 2023, the advances in the technology have been mind blowing. LegalFuel, which is the Florida Bar's stellar resource for lawyers, now has a really basic, but really good, guide for those of you who have not yet dipped their toes in the AI water. The Florida Bar, I am proud to say, has been at the leading edge of using technology in the practice of law for decades. I have some institutional memory of this, having been there since the beginning. I was on of the first members of the Coordinating Committee on Technology in the early Nineties, and we did the first, as far as I know, presentations about this amazing thing we called the World Wide Web, in 1994. Since then, I have followed every tech advancement in law practice, and I must tell you  that Gen AI is the greatest advance in the field ever. Gen AI is about to become part of everything you do as a human being, and can be the greatest tech tool you ever use as a lawyer. I am already consulting Chat GPT every day, both to enhance and confirm legal advice I give to my clients. This $20 a month investment has given me the power of ten Legal Assistants; but, rather than having to wait a week or two for a memo from a human assistant, the analysis appears, like magic, in seconds. So, read this guide if you want to know what is happening. But, even if you don't, just pick an AI engine and start asking questions. You will soon be an expert. 

Round and Round And Round We Go, Where We Stop No One Knows.

Government Appeals Tansparency Act Injunction To Supreme Court. Well, children, for tonight's story, we catch up with the fight between the U.S. Government and its citizens over the CTA requirement that all LLCs and small businesses (S Corps,etc) file a report of beneficial ownership. The apparent point is to identify terrorist organizations and foreign governments that set up shop in the States. Of course, like gun laws, you can expect that only law abiding citizens will comply properly but that doesn't matter. Right now, there is again an injunction against enforcement, and the government doesn't like it. So, it is asking the Supreme Court of the land to weigh in. Given the speeded up process, it is expected that the Court might rule in the first quarter of the new year. How is a lawyer to advise a client? My take has been that it is a small 10 to 15 minute process, and that it is painless. However, it is one more nail in the coffin of lack of privacy, even if the information is largely available in other locations. What are you going to do?

Another New Year. Another Year Of The Internet.

I first asked this question four years ago, and my long time friends participated. Carolyn Elefant, Nicole Black, Andy Adkins, Bruce L. Dorner, Craig Waters, and Jennifer Rose all chimed in. We are some of the gray beards of Lawyers on the Internet. But, Who Is The Oldest Of Them All? How Long Have You Been On The Internet?

 

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 30 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.

 

ProtoArc Keyboard And Mouse - The Perfect Companion For RV Lawyering.

ProtoArc Full Sized Foldable Keyboard And Mouse. Part of the fun of being a gadget guy is that I get to try out all sorts of tech in my obsession with being able to be a lawyer anywhere on the planet. It is an expensive hobby; but it makes me productive on the road, and I get invited to talk about it at events like ABA TechShow next April. I have been trying out portable monitors the last month or so, and have purchased a Splay fold out screen that turns a package the size of a paperback into a 24 inch portable monitor, and short throw projector that can project a 120 inch screen. I also have XReal's AR glasses, which put a screen in the air that looks like a 100 inch screen, and can handle input from my Samsung phone (using DEX), or my notebook computer. Paired with this fold up keyboard and bluetooth mouse, I will be able to compute on airplanes, in the RV, and just about anywhere I go. If there is no WiFi, as many of you know, I carry a tiny TMobile modem that gets me broadband 5G Internet wherever I go. I will be talking about all of these cool tech toys in April; but I am available to talk about them anytime. Just ask.

         

 

ABA TechShow 2025 - Come To Chicago And Meet The FutureLawyer.

RV-Lawyer-Technology-Remote-Lawyering- I am in preparation for two presentations at the ABA TechShow In Chicago April 1-5, 2025. The presentation will track my new book, RV Lawyer - The Use of Technology In Remote Lawyering. The presentations that are planned:

 RV Lawyering - Using Current Technology To Practice Law Anywhere Part 1, and is scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd at 2:15 pm

 RV Lawyering - Using Current Technology To Practice Law Anywhere Part 2 with me as your co-speaker, and is scheduled for Friday, April 4th at 10:30 am

I would love to see any of my readers who can make it to TechShow. It is the preeminent tech conference sponsored by the ABA. I won't be driving the RV to Illinois; but, I will still be working wherever I am. You can buy the book at the link, if you want to get a headstart on the matters I will be discussing. I will try to hit on everything from hardware, to software, to broad band Internet access away from a fixed office. As you might expect, the advent of broadband Internet access, and generative AI has made the entire legal landscape available at all times to every lawyer. I don't pretend to have all the answers; but I can show other lawyers how I use tech in my day to day practice, and have done for 51 years. We have come a long way from my first days as a lawyer in 1973, when I was writing in longhand on yellow legal pads , and keeping a paper calendar. Back then, advanced tech consisted of a key telephone system, a handheld tape recorder and a $5,000 Xerox machine. 

Let me know if you can make it. I would love to meet each of you.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun.

Has it been 8 years since the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Florida Bar hosted TechShow? Wow. A blast from the past.

 

Forget Xmas Shopping Days Left. Have You Filed Your BOIR?

I have been notifying clients and others of the new Corporate Transparency Act, which requires filing of a Federal form that identifies beneficial owners of U.S. LlCs and Corporations. Large entities are largely exempt, as are other entities described in the statute. However, most of us will have to comply. Here is the text of a letter that I am sending out. You can go online to FinCen.gov, and learn about it yourself.

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), takes effect on January 1, 2025.

The Corporate Transparency Act requires most businesses operating in the United States to file detailed information about their beneficial owners with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). A beneficial owner is defined as any individual who, directly or indirectly, exercises substantial control over a business or owns or controls at least 25% of the ownership interests.

The purpose of the CTA is to combat financial crimes such as money laundering, tax evasion, and terrorism financing by improving transparency around the ownership of U.S. business entities. Failure to comply with this new law could lead to significant penalties, including:

Civil penalties of up to $500 per day of non-compliance.
Criminal fines up to $10,000 and potential imprisonment for willful violations.

To ensure compliance by the January 1, 2025, deadline, your business must prepare to file the following information with FinCEN:

Full legal name, date of birth, and residential address of each beneficial owner.
A unique identifying number from a valid U.S. or foreign passport, state-issued ID, or driver’s license.
This information must be kept up to date, with any changes to the beneficial ownership of your entity reported within 30 days of the change.

Review your company’s ownership structure to identify all beneficial owners.
Collect the required information from each beneficial owner.

Does Chat GPT Know Who You Are?

In a world connected by the all knowing, all seeing Internet, modern Generative A.I. bots rule. But, they can be prone to hallucinations, which is why the legal community needs to be careful how they are used in modern law practice and litigation. They literally can be the most intelligent, fastest thinking companion you ever had, and can shave hours off of research projects. For fun, try asking your favorite Gen A.I. bot if it knows who you are. In my case, Chat GPT did a fine job when I asked if it knew who Rick Georges was.

"Richard M. Georges, P.A.

futurelawyer.com

Rick Georges is a seasoned attorney based in St. Petersburg, Florida, with over five decades of legal experience. Admitted to The Florida Bar on October 6, 1972, he specializes in corporate law, probate and trust litigation, and real estate.

The Florida Bar

In addition to his legal practice, Georges is known for his "FutureLawyer" blog, where he explores the intersection of law and technology. Through this platform, he provides insights into how technological advancements impact the legal profession, offering guidance to fellow attorneys on integrating modern tools into their practice.

Georges is also a member of The Florida Bar's Real Property, Probate & Trust and Solo & Small Firm sections, reflecting his commitment to staying informed about developments in these areas.

The Florida Bar

His extensive experience and dedication to both his clients and the broader legal community have established him as a respected figure in Florida's legal landscape."

I am not certain whether I like the "seasoned" attorney classification, however. It sounds like I am a candidate for roasting  over some hot coals before dinner. The lesson here is that Google is no longer your first destination for a new project. Start with your favorite Gen A.I. bot. Check its sources. Check them twice. You will find out who's naughty and nice. It's Christmas time, after all.

Grok3 From X And Elon Musk Will Add All Case Law To The Data Set.

Grok From X.AI It looks like I am going to have to add Grok to my list of Gen AI sources. Elon Musk is adding all case law to the next version, Grok 3, which means that all legal research that involves case finding will be turned on its head. Will Grok replace my Sunshine from Chat GPT? It just might. I will report back.

Nicole Black's Weekly Legal Tech Reality Check.

Legal Tech Reality Check. Nicole Black is doing the heavy lifting for those of us interested in the impact of Gen AI on law practice. In this week's article, she points to my post about Google's Notebook LM, which is changing the way lawyers analyze legal documents. I recently plugged in about 35 pleadings and memos from a long running case, and the AI did a two page analysis that was spot on, and even suggested some avenues of approach that I hadn't thought of. You need to read Nicole's weekly blast, and you need to keep up with this stuff.