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.
Zoom. Now that most of us are staying at home, and trying to practice our professions in front of a computer, it is problematic to meet and talk to our clients and colleagues. The best videoconferencing alternative out there is probably Zoom, which is seeing an exponential increase in users and subscribers. Easy to use, with plenty of features, it is the go to app for these times. You can sign up for free, and have up to 100 participants for meetings up to 40 minutes. For a $15 a month subscription, there is no limit on time. I have spent my career avoiding meetings, when I can, and it is a popular topic for #WhyIAmASolo. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, and I find myself using Zoom a lot more, if only to attend the exploding number of webinars on every topic you can think of. I wish that all meetings were limited to 40 minutes or less; but, I realize that when you add in the technical hiccups inherent in any technology presentation, an hour is probably a better length. That said, any photographer will tell you that we spend a lot of time on our subject in a photograph and not enough time on the background. The same goes for videoconferencing. So, learn about virtual backgrounds, and spend some time creating one that you can live with, and that prevents your viewers from seeing your pets, children, spouses, and general clutter from being seen. You have been warned.
New Normal? This article about the changing relationship most people have with the Internet talks about a new normal, in which social contacts, work, and most human interaction is being accomplished on the Internet, using social media, video teleconferencing, email, texts, and other tools to engage with family, friends, colleagues, clients and others. Some of us, however, have been doing this for years, and, as I have aged, I have learned how to stay involved by using all of the tech tools that are now essential to coping with a world in which human contact has become dangerous. I have used tech because I enjoyed learning about it, and have loved gadgets since my first Atari game system in the Eighties. I learned to use it because I wanted the freedom to practice law wherever I happened to be. However, the big deal for me was the increased productivity I gained using tech tools and the Internet. When the blogging phenomenon began, I saw it as a way to get my ideas and views out to a larger audience. Then, social media allowed me to connect with family and friends and new friends in a way that old tech didn't allow. So, don't be afraid of this technology. Jump in, the water's fine.
I recently bit the bullet and installed a whole house solar energy system. Previously, my monthly electric bills averaged $600 a month over a 12 month period. That is high, I know; but, I have 2 refrigerators, a freezer, a two story house, millennials, and a whole lot of computers and gadgets that use a lot of electricity. The system costs approximately $200 a month, and I received a tax credit worth thousands of dollars. After 19 months the cost of the system increases to $300 a month. I paid zero down. This is my bill for the fist full month of using the solar system. While I will probably be dead when the system is paid off, the next owner of the house will have sub $200 electric bills for the foreseeable future. If you live in a warm climate, you owe it to yourself to check out solar energy. In addition to the cost savings, you will be helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. I call that a Win-Win.
Little Villages This post by Michael Wade at Execupundit highlights the fact that most of us, even in good times, have a small orbit in which we live, play, and exist. We travel in local places, for working, shopping, recreating, and so forth. My little village is a six mile radius from my home to the office and back. My office is just me and my spouse. My home is me, my spouse and my son, the millennial. I never see him anyway. But, when he appears, he is my beacon of hope for humanity. My parrots live at the office, so I need to be there every day for a little while, at least. If we are issued a "stay home" order, I will still make the 5 mile journey there to keep them alive. But, now that society is contracting, and our orbits are shrinking, it is instructive to take a closer look at our surroundings. Remember what your life is really about.
My sister and I in bed with my Teddy Bear. Grudgingly, I gave it up when I went to College. More information than that, I will take to my grave.
Father Survives 40 Foot Fall Off Cliff. Jonathan Turley writes today about a son who lured his 78 year old father to the edge of a 40 foot cliff, and pushed him off, laughing as he did it. Unfortunately for the son, the father is one tough guy, and survived the fall with cuts and bruises. I have a suspicion that dad will be visiting his lawyer soon. Son has been charged with third degree felony injury to an elderly person. How this isn't attempted murder is beyond me. In any event, the son isn't smiling now. Is your will up to date?
Business Continuity Plan. As I read about cancelled conferences, remote working for employees of large organizations, and other fallout from the current viral outbreak, I realize that I have been operating for years with a plan to work anywhere. From the first realization in the Eighties that I could create documents at home with an Atari game machine and a word processing cartridge connected to a TV monitor and a dot matrix printer, up to and including my current setup, in which I carry a small 3 pound notebook computer back and forth from home to office and in a briefcase for traveling, I have been practicing law remotely for 40 years. In the early days of the Internet, it was posited that we would all become isolated from each other, and lose our human connections. In fact, while we still crave person to person contact, the communities we have built on the net are as real as anything we have ever had in person. In times when person to person contact can be dangerous, the Internet communities become even more important. In fact, our internet communities have connected us to many more human beings than we could meet in a lifetime of human travel. However, if you are a medium to large law firm, you need a Business Continuity Plan, and this checklist is a good place to start.
Cancel Culture At The University. Scott Greenfield has an intriguing post today about a Science Professor who had views that angered the Professors at the small college where he was a tenure track professor. Read the post and ask yourself whether the censoring of opposing views is the beginning of the loss of freedom in the United States. Firing people, or cancelling speeches, or yelling at, or screaming at, persons with differing viewpoints is a form of violence, and violence begets violence. I will be dead by the time this idea reaches fruition; but, the rest of you had better ask yourselves what kind of world you want to live in. The original article by the Professor, Bo Wineguard, is here. I believe that we fought a Revolution to protect our right to be independent thinkers, didn't we? If I had college age kids, I would be very wary of which college I sent them to, and the college that fired him probably wouldn't be on the list.
