Futurelawyer

Ransomware - Do You Know What It Is, And How To Protect Your Firm?

Ransomware Webinar At LegalFuel.com The Standing Committee on Technology of the Florida Bar, of which the Futurelawyer is a proud member, is sponsoring a one hour webinar today at 11 A.M. Eastern Time, at the Florida Bar website, LegalFuel.com. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aurora A. Fagan will discuss the issue of ransomware, what it is, efforts by the Department of Justice to combat it, and steps companies/law firms can take to mitigate their exposure to it. Every computer user, whether in a law firm or not, should spend an hour learning about the increasing threat of ransomware. 

Legal Research Really Is Free - AnyLaw

Anylaw. For basic legal research, it is no longer necessary to pay a legal publisher. Google Scholar, AnyLaw, and others have made the finding of on point case decisions, which is the basic task of most legal research, totally free. Zero dollars. No subscriptions. Nothing. Nada. All U.S. Federal and State case law in one place with a great search engine. If you are paying monthly subscription fees for legal research, make sure you are getting some other specialized resource that you need in your practice. If you are a grunt lawyer, or firm, ask the publisher what they are giving you that you can't get for free. FastCase, for instance, has a really good AI engine, and add-ons that justify the price. Get case law research for free, and, if you want an enhanced service, you can find it separately. Anylaw.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Have To Work In A Toxic Environment.

Nora Riva Bergman. One of my favorite consultants, Nora Bergman, points today at the necessity of escaping from toxic environments, whether at work or otherwise. I clerked in a medium sized law firm in law school; and, while it wasn't toxic, I could see how large firms might become toxic due to the stresses of group practice. So, I hung a shingle the first day out of law school, with another like minded graduate. I have never looked back, and have watched friends have successful practices, and then retire. Many are happy; but, some found themselves in toxic work environments that they had to escape from. I am convinced that solo practice has allowed me to avoid many bad situations, even though I have sacrificed a lot of money over the years. I have also learned to avoid toxic people in my life, and have never looked back. Why subject yourself to toxicity in your relationships or your job? Make a new plan, Stan. No need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Need Big Law And A Big Budget To Be A Lawyer.

Google Scholar. When I was growing up as a lawyer, the biggest expense for my law practice was a law library of Florida cases, and the pocket parts that kept them up to date. I still have a room in the office dedicated to housing hundreds of printed law books. I haven't the heart to get rid of them, and the room doubles as a conference room. The books look pretty; but, are completely useless to me as a place to find out what the law is. This brings me to the present, in which all law is contained in computer servers somewhere, and accessible via artificial intelligence engines which are better at ferreting out useful precedent that I ever was. Google Scholar contains a search engine and access to just about every case ever decided, and is free to anyone. As a basic case finder, it is as good as any paid for service out there. There are other great free legal research sites, of course. But, legal research materials are no longer a cost barrier to the solo lawyer, or any lawyer or citizen, for that matter. Love the tech giants, or hate them, never doubt that they are responsible for the level playing field that a solo lawyer can use to compete against anyone.

Rick's Newsletter - Law, Technology, Poetry, Computers, And Fun.

Microsoft Word For Lawyers - It Isn't WordPerfect, But You Need To Know This Stuff.

Word Pro Tips. It is impossible to practice law these days without a passing familiarity with Microsoft Word. While I use WordPerfect everywhere I can, which is 90% of the time, I get Word documents often, and I need to edit, save, and print them, or convert them to WordPerfect format, which is never "perfect". So, fellow lawyers, learn about what you need to know, at this seminar sponsored by the Florida Solo and Small Firm Lawyer's Section of the Florida Bar. Lawyer, teach thyself.

 

If You Want To Learn Something, Teach It.

One of my areas of law practice is real property law. I enjoyed the course in Law School, and it was two semesters long. But, I never really learned the subject until I taught it in Law School, as an adjunct professor. Professor Feynman's quote rings true. Teaching is learning in a deeper way. Successful teachers learn along with their students, in a joyful collaborative way. Pretending to teach, or to learn, however, is a prescription for failure. Be curious. Have fun. But, really want to learn. And, realize, that you are either learning every day, or you are dead.

#WhyIAmASolo - The Internet Has Leveled The Playing Field.

Florida Solo And Small Firm Section QuickLink. It's a fact. In the old days, bigger meant better. Big Law Firms had access to more data, more quality research, and more resources than any solo or small firm lawyer could approach. But, a funny thing happened on the way to the courtroom. The Internet made access to the whole world of information easy for anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. Suddenly, the world of knowledge was more available to me and those like me than some Luddite partners at very big Law Firms. As an example, a Florida solo or small firm lawyer can access the Section's QuickLink feature, and get caught up on tech and other trends in the law in five minutes. Favorite the Quick Links site. Check in often. You will be surprised what you will learn.

Before AnyLaw, Before Google Scholar, Before FastCase, We Had Pocket Parts.

Pocket Parts. If you don't know what this post is talking about, I suggest, young Grasshopper, that you spend some time on this Wikipedia page. I spent many hours as a law student and young lawyer sitting in my law library, surrounded by hundreds of leather bound volumes, and placing thin groups of pages anchored with staples and cardboard, inside the back cover of old volumes of primary and secondary law. Putting in the pocket parts was one of the tasks, in BigLaw, assigned to young Associates, or to Law Clerks and Legal Assistants. It was considered a menial task; but, because I never worked in a firm with more than three lawyers, and went solo in 1985, I did it myself. The odd thing is that the pocket parts contained every new case or statute on point, and I learned a lot doing that mundane task. There is something satisfying, and tactile, about holding the current state of the law in your hands. While the demands of the practice sometimes caused the pocket parts to pile up in the law library, it was always a nice respite from the craziness of the world, to sit among dozens of books at a long wooden table, checking on the new things that affected everything. I still have the paper law library, and I confess to the guilty pleasure of going out there sometimes, and sitting among the work of giants and knaves, and the collective wisdom and foolishness, that somehow has been lost in a cloud of electrons in an invisible sky.

Continuing Legal Education Is Free At LegalFuel.

LegalFuel. The active practice of any profession requires continuous learning. Keeping up with changes in law, and better ways to practice is a requirement to maintain a law license, and the Florida Bar wants to help. I have again begun doing Bar work, with current memberships on the Senior Lawyer's Section and the Standing Committee on Technology. (I am both old and a techie). I enjoy applying my skills and interests in areas in which I am skilled and interested. Old lawyers can learn new tricks. In any event, the LegalFuel website will be undergoing some changes in the near future, and an excellent place for resources and information will get better and easier to use. In the meantime, check out the learning area where the learning is free. Every day alive is another day to learn something new. Every day learning something new is a way to stay alive.