Futurelawyer

RV Lawyer - The Book

I am pleased to report that the RV lawyer book is with the editor and image placement department now, and, while it won't be out by next month's Florida Bar Convention, it will definitely be out this year. I have tried to cover just about everything a lawyer needs to know or learn in order to be a moving target; but, the book will just be a jumping off start for those of you who want to leverage the current tech to be able to get away from the office. Planes, trains, automobiles, RVs, boats or whatever mode of transportation gets you moving. There is no reason you can't be a lawyer wherever you happen to be. It is the ultimate freedom. No bosses. No desks in stuffy office buildings. Just set yourself free.

Ernie Svenson's Top Tech Tools For Remote Lawyering.

Law Firm Autopilot Top Tech Tools. Ernie Svenson is a resource that keeps on giving. I am giving a presentation at the Florida Bar Convention next month on emerging technology trends to help lawyers stay connected while working remotely, and this PDF guide is the natural corollary to the FutureLawyer's emphasis on computers and tech devices. I will be highlighting tools and methods to access the Internet and legal documents in the cloud. This PDF guide lists 13 applications and sites that help remote lawyers practice law and create systems that can guide remote practice. Thanks, Ernie, you just added an important set of slides to my presentation. Ernie also has some essential programs for lawyers who want an efficient, productive law practice. Check them out.

Chat GPT Can Browse The Web - Should Google Be Worried?

OpenAI Connects Chat GPT To The Internet. My $20 a month subscription to Chat GPT Plus just got scarily valuable. I was able to turn on the Beta web browsing feature today, and I am now able to ask questions that mine the current Internet for answers. My preference for the abilities of Chat GPT over Google's Bard has been limited by the fact that Chat GPT, up to now, could only access information prior to 2021. The new Beta feature opens the whole world of data, and I feel like I have a super intelligent friend helping with every search I make. Of course, the user must always be aware that the answers may be wrong, or fictional. But, with a critical eye, the breadth and scope and cogency of Chat GPT is beyond amazing, and it will forever be the first place I go for information from now on. I only have a few years to live; but I now feel like I can compress several decades of learning into those years. Now, let's find a Chatbot that knows how to extend human life. 

Legal Education - You Don't Have To Be There.

The Attorney's Title Fund Assembly in Orlando is a tradition in my law practice. I have been attending them annually since 1977. This year, I couldn't attend in person because of recent illness. But, thanks to tech, I have been able to attend online. I am watching the presentations live, on the Internet. The monitor has the sessions on the right, and my browser open on the left. I am taking notes on my Kindle Scribe, and have the written materials on my tablet on the right. My home office is messy; but I really do know where everything is. Don't let life's little difficulties prevent you from getting things done. You can get a lot done with modern tech.

 

Law Firm Cybersecurity - It's Job One.

Legal Fuel - Guide To Law Firm Cybersecurity. Legal Fuel is a great free resource for Florida lawyers, and lawyers everywhere. This free download is a great guide to keeping law firm data secure in the cloud environment where we all live these days. ALPS Insurance provides the guide, which includes just about every cybersecurity risk modern lawyers face. From Vishing to Phising to Password security, to Public WiFi, to Two Factor Authentication, to Ransomware, this is an essential guide to essential knowledge that every lawyer today needs to stay functioning. Print it, read it, and read it again. Forewarned is forearmed. 

Is 5G Living Up To The Hype?

5G Rollout Disappointments. You don't have to be a road warrior lawyer to need fast cellular Internet access. As our lives go faster, and our dependence on broadband Internet increase, the need for speed follows us everywhere: to the courthouse, the grocery store, our relatives' and friends' homes, and everywhere else our busy lives take us. We carry our lives on our phones in our pockets, and slow Internet doesn't get the job done. As 5G cellular access becomes more ubiquitous, however, there are always some problems, just as 4G was, in its infancy. I have added satellite Internet access for my travels, partly because I love adopting new tech; but, also to hedge my bets. In my travels in the RV, I always have options for Internet, and I have yet to face a situation in which both cellular Internet and satellite Internet don't do the job. Of course, there is always RV park WiFi; but, it is notoriously slow, and insecure. I have gotten into the habit of using a VPN everywhere, in order to secure my traffic whatever avenue I am taking to the Net. So, by all means, use your 5G cellular Internet first, before you default to WiFi; and consider adding Starlink to your arsenal. Be a lawyer wherever you are.

 

The Three Bears Theory Of Modern Day Tablet Computers.

He who dies with the most gadgets wins. I have long suspected that my obsession with technology was outstripping my outside veneer of sanity; but then I realize that life is short, and it is fun to figure out productive uses for technology. Tablet computers, for instance, have brought fun and convenience to my life. Smartphones and Smartwatches, for all their benefits, have small screens, and sometimes you want something larger. Enter tablets, and my current stable is what I call the three bears tablet theory. On the right, playing local news in the morning is a 9 inch tablet, the Samsung Tab A, (Baby Bear) which has an LTE chip, and can be also used as a phone. I use it when I want something small but with a large screen. For instance, it is easy to hold for 2 to 3 hours while scoring a baseball game. To its left is Mama Bear, which is a Samsung Tablet S5E, an 11 inch screen with an LTE phone chip, that is a couple of years old; but is the thinnest and lightest tablet available. Papa Bear, next to it, is a Samsung S7 FE, a 13 inch screen, suitable for movie watching, reading newspapers and magazines, and also has a 5G chip, which makes it the fastest tablet around. All three of them have their own Internet access, so no need to look for WiFi. At the far left, is my Kindle Scribe, which I use for calendar entries, book reading, and note taking every day. It has eliminated the need for a paper tablet for note taking and calendaring. Life is short. You don't want to run out of devices.

Galaxy Watch 5 For $250?

This Deal Brings Galaxy Watch 5 Price Down To $250 I have been a Smartwatch evangelist since the first one was introduced some years ago. Having a small computer on the wrist that vibrates for texts, phone calls, emails, and other notifications means that a practicing lawyer need not be holding a Smartphone everywhere and can get essential notices wherever he is. In addition, the state of the art sensors can be a complete health care and fitness aid, measuring heart rates, ECGs., blood pressure, and sleep patterns. Now, the price point has come down on the best Smartwatch out there, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. One can be purchased on Amazon now for $249. I prefer the pricier version, with an LTE phone chip, which serves as a tiny smartphone on my wrist, for the times when I don't want to, or forget to, carry my phone. No more excuses, fellow lawyers. You need one of these.

When Work Is A Vacation, Life Is Fun.

Workations - The Travel Trend Of Mixing Work And Play. One of the most important lessons I learned when I decided to slow down, and "semi-retire" is that what we have always been taught about keeping a bright line between work and play was counter-productive to a happy life. I agree that, to accomplish the seamless mixing of work and play requires work that is part of you. I am a lawyer 24-7, and I try to enjoy every day, even when things don't go right. So, I have used technology to allow me to work or play whenever, or wherever, I want to. At first, it was about the gadgets; for instance, once, in the early days, I sent documents back to my office over a pay phone in a laundromat in Yosemite National Park. Or, the times I hooked up to a motel room phone system to communicate with my office. Over the years, I finally realized that I could do productive work wherever I happened to be, and, if I wished, I could stop and smell the roses. Work? Vacation? All of life is both, and neither. Find a profession or work that you love. Then, live it.

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