Futurelawyer

Lawyers Who Take Notes, The Kindle Scribe Is Your Eink Tablet.

I loved the Remarkable Eink tablet. I loved ditching yellow legal pads and paper that tended to get lost in the flotsam and jetsam of my law office. I spent a lot of time searching in my files for that page of notes I took with someone's email or phone number or address on it. But, the Remarkable was difficult to navigate, and was more interested in complicated note taking. It was pricey, at $600; but, it found a home with Diane, who tends to get all of the gadgets I stop using. She is a list maker, and it suits her fine. I was then enamored by the Boox Note Air, which combined a really great note taking and writing experience with a full functioning wifi tablet that could download and run countless Android apps. But, I found that the screen was really squirrely, and difficult to control, and I found that video and android apps in a monochromatic screen was not optimal. I tended to use my color tablet from Samsung for that stuff. I still use my Samsung tablet for android apps, including my newspapers and magazines from PressReader. So, when I heard that Amazon was making a Kindle with ewriting capabilities, I was excited to see it. I like my Kindle Paperwhite. But, its screen is tiny, and, while easy to carry around and use, I was usually carrying something else. So, my huge collection of books wasn't at my hand all the time. Now, it is. I have a big, beautiful 10.3 inch screen to read, which is designed for reading text, and on which I can make all of my daily notes, either separately or on a pdf of my daily calendar. If I need to make notes or read a document, pleading, correspondence, or large file; most of which are in docx, pdf or other standard format, I just email the document to my Scribe with the Send to Kindle app on the Amazon site. It is then instantly on any Kindle device. I can mark it up, take separate notes, or whatever. Then, I send the notes or marked up copy to my computer with a click of the send to email button on the Kindle. Look, ma, no more paper? But, I can always print the notes or pdfs if I like. Call it overkill with a purpose. On top of all this, the battery lasts for a week or more, and the pen never needs charging. This video review outlines what the experts are calling the Scribe's failings. I call them features. The Scribe is perfect for the reading and note taking professional. 

 

FutureLawyer Connects To The Internet Anytime, Anywhere.

T-Mobile Home Internet. Your intrepid legal technology researcher, the FutureLawyer, is always looking for new and better ways for today's tech savvy lawyer to connect to the Internet. Access to the Internet has become essential to the practicing lawyer, and I will be discussing the various ways to do it at next year's Florida Bar Convention. But, if you follow this blog, you will get periodic updates ahead of time. Currently, I pay $135 a month for a Starlink antenna on the RV, which gives me reliable Internet access on the road, anywhere in the continental U.S., at speeds between 35 Mbps and 200 Mbps. I pay $99 a month for a Spectrum cable home internet subscription that averages over 400 Mbps, and I have a cellular 5G modem from T-Mobile that averages around 100 Mbps. All of these speeds are fine for broadband Internet streaming and general Internet usage for many devices. Of course, I don't NEED all of these ways to get to the Internet; but, I am willing to spend a couple hundred dollars a month to let my readers know what to expect, and I like having options. Cable Internet can be spotty during storms. Starlink dishes need an unobstructed view of the Northern sky, and the RV version is deprioritized when there are a lot of home units competing for access. The 5G signal isn't as fast as cable, so it can be limited if there are too many devices on the network. All that said, I have signed up for a home Internet modem from T-Mobile, which promises whole home wireless access for $50 a month. This access is limited to a fixed location (your home or office), but the data is unlimited. My cellular modem works wherever I carry it; but, access is limited to 100 Gigabytes a month. I will, in the coming months, be using all of these methods, and comparing access speeds and reliability. The point of this exercise is to make you aware that we are approaching a world in which broadband Internet is available to all.

Giving Thanks For Simple Pleasures.

I don't need a fancy home office. When I got kicked out of the house front room that used to be my home office (long story, in a marriage far, far away), I took my stuff to the garage. I put up bookcases, a few 110 outlets, laid some cheap carpet, installed a window AC unit in the exterior wall, and blocked off the garage door with plywood. I put a recliner on one side of the room, and bought the biggest TV available (65 inches, pictured here). Think rustic chic. No fancy mahogany desks, no pricey furniture, tiny by any measure. I set up a 32 inch computer monitor, attached scanners and printers and peripherals, oh my, and filled the room and every nook and cranny with my book collection. It is really a messy environment; but, out here, I am King, and no woman will ever want to come in here, for fear of dying from a heart attack. Still, as I have upgraded my computers and monitors, and recliner, and added junk, this trusty old TV still functions. It is really thick, and nothing like the slim, light big screens you can buy today. I have looked at some Black Friday deals for smart TVs, and found a 70 inch Vizio on sale for $458. I am tempted; but, this TV still works, and, at six feet away, it is almost too big. Today, I am giving thanks that I have a room to call my own (or, as Diane calls it, my Man Cave), and I am grateful for a place to think, and to write, and I really don't care what it looks like. Give thanks today for the freedom to do as you please, in a country that still, at least in many minds, is the most free on the planet. Happy Thanksgiving.

Why Have A Remote Lawyering Backup Plan? Ask The Hurricane.

After a day and a half of plus 75 mph winds, 24 inches of rain, downed power lines, and worse, I now have a real example for other lawyers who tell me that I don't need redundancy in my Internet and computer use. BTW, we in Pinellas County got the weakest part of the storm. South of us there is true devastation, and we should all be thinking of our colleagues there. I have 3 options for shelter during a storm. My home, My office, and the RV parked at the office. I have 3 methods of connection to the Internet, my cable modem at the office, my smart phones and smart hotspot from TMobile, and the Starlink Satellite dish on top of the RV. In this case, the power went out at the office, but stayed on at home. So, we rode out the storm at home. Had the home power gone out, we would have gone to the office; and, finding that power out, would have powered up the RV generator, which provides power for AC, lights, the Starlink dish, and charging capability for the smartphones. An 1800 watt solar powered generator acts as a backup to the gas generator on the RV. As long as cell service is available, I can use the TMobile hotspot for up to 100 gigs of bandwidth, and each smartphone supplies another 20 gigs if needed. The cost of all of this is not as much as you might think. The TMobile hotspot is $50 a month. The Starlink RV plan is $135 a month. The generator is powered by the sun, and has a 100 watt solar panel that folds up with a handle. Solar panels on the house keep the monthly electric bills manageable. My next big purchase will be a whole house solar battery for the house, which provides some backup to power outages at the house. I have several small backup batteries that can charge a notebook computer and smartphones up to 5 to 10 times. We can't control what fate brings us in the way of natural disasters; but, we certainly can prepare for them. Now, since I will be working from home the rest of the week, I am going to light a cigar, pour a couple ounces of single malt, and chill out in my chair. Enjoy the suck.

 

#WhyIAmASolo - The FutureLawyer Can Practice Law Anywhere.

Okay, sometimes being able to practice anywhere can be problematic. But, I swear, I can enjoy myself even if I always have my office with me. I just turn everything off, and go places. Of course, just in case, I have my Smartwatch, Smartglasses, and Smartphone with me at all times. You never know.

 

How Long Has The FutureLawyer Loved Gadgets?

When Chester Gould began Dick Tracy in 1931, it was an homage to Eliot Ness, during a time in which the good guys went after the bad guys, and their exploits were chronicled in the paper based newspapers and comic books. In 1946, Dick acquired a two way wrist radio, which later became the idea for a wrist phone that sent video back and forth. As a young boy, I was fascinated with the wrist communication device, and it sparked the later development of the SmartWatch, using tech developed for Smartphones. It also informed my lifelong interest in gadgets and computers, and was the principal driver of my pursuit of tech that could amplify my law practice. So, thank Chester Gould and his creation for what you are reading today.

 

"On January 13, 1946,[7] the two-Way Wrist Radio became one of the strip's most immediately recognizable icons, worn as a wristwatch by Tracy and members of the police force. This radio wristwatch inspired Martin Cooper's invention of the mobile phone, and may have inspired later smartwatches.[8] The two-Way Wrist Radio was upgraded to a two-Way Wrist TV in 1964.[9] This development also led to the introduction of an important supporting character, Diet Smith, an eccentric industrialist who financed the development of this equipment. In a conspicuous coincidence, the idea of a radio built into a wrist watch played an important role in the story line of "Superman – The Talking Cat" broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System on January 9 through 28, 1946 (episodes 878 through 891)."

 

So, the next time you take a call or text or email on your wrist, you can thank a comic book character. And Dick Tracy.

InseeGo MiFi 5G Hotspot - Don't Leave Home Without It.

t-mobile-inseego-5g-mifi-m2000 In the early days of the Internet, RV travel lacked an important function for traveling lawyers. In the Nineties, when the Internet was necessary to keep in touch with the office and my law matters, I was plagued with the nagging feeling that I had no control over what might happen in my absence. I remember returning from one vacation in the days before the Internet, and I found out that a matter had blown up, and gotten worse because I couldn't be reached. Then, as time passed, I got better at creating portable device solutions, and connected via early modems. I once sent an email to the office using a huge 300 baud modem with a handset that hooked to a payphone in Yosemite National Park's giftshop parking lot. I once spent an hour rummaging around under a motel room bed so I could hook up a modem to the room phone line. Then, when WiFi started becoming more ubiquitous, I could connect to hotel and RV campground systems; but, as we all know, public WiFi is not secure, and RV campground WiFi is usually slow and spotty. Through decades of effort, however, and with the advent of the greatest Internet wireless speed increase in history, the time of fast 5G broadband is here. Now, I can carry broadband speed with me wherever I go, and T-Mobile's almost total coverage of the continental U.S. makes me a mobile warrior wherever I go. I can check and respond instantly to Emails and texts. I can research, and prepare and file pleadings in any County in the State of Florida, from anywhere in the U.S. I can watch TV anywhere I go. The price, all things considered, borders on insignificant. 100 Gigabytes of data for $50 a month. That allows me to use the 5G Inseego MiFi device continuously for several weekends a month. I just plug it in when we park the RV, turn it on, and connect two TVs, a computer, monitor and peripherals, and an interior security camera, and a Waggle dog monitor that monitors internal temperature in the RV. I also have a couple of Bluetooth powered soundbars that fill the coach with surround sound. I will be traveling with this setup for the Florida Attorney's Title Fund Convention, and the Florida Bar Convention in June, and will be presenting the Wanderlust - How To Be A Digital Nomad presentation with Michelle Gilbert at the Bar Convention. If you want to be as effective an advocate on the road as you are in your office, pay attention. The tech is here now. Since I don't do much litigation anymore (I am old), I haven't had the opportunity to do hearing practice via Zoom from a remote location; but, the tech is available. So, saddle up, road warrior. Free yourself from the constraints of place. You can be a lawyer wherever you happen to be.

#FridayDoseOfReality. Yes, Lawyer, You Already Have A Disaster Recovery Plan.

Pandemics, and Hurricanes, and Death of a Partner, oh, my! In case you weren't made aware by recent events, stuff happens. Is your law firm ready? If you haven't thought about this issue, your plan looks a lot like Dilbert's plan, illustrated below. Of course, the best way to deal with computer disasters caused by technical failure or natural disasters or other calamity is to prepare in advance, there are tools to preserve your ability to be a lawyer. It means being able to do everything you need to do even if your physical world is crumbling. This means backing up your programs and data on a regular basis. It means imaging your drives. It means cloud backup of your essential files. It means redundancy in your backup plan. It means using two step authentication for your cloud software and websites used by the firm. It means locking active files in steel cabinets when you are physically out of the office. It means strong password security. It means off site storage of imaged drive data and backups. It means being proactive about training your personnel in security protocols. It means having backup plans for accessing the Internet, like MiFi Hotspots.  Need I go on? Now, make a plan, and start implementing it on Monday. Otherwise, know that if you don't have a Recovery plan, you already have a Recovery plan. It just isn't very good. Sorry if I have ruined your weekend plans. Someday, you'll thank me. Help, Help!

Practicing Law In An RV On The Road - No Expensive Hotels For The FutureLawyer.

I am honored this year to get back into Florida Bar Committee work, and am a member again of the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Technology, ably chaired by a young dynamo, Beau Blumberg (Oh, to have the energy of youth again). I will be on a two person panel on June 22d, and will be discussing the tools and strategies involved in practicing law as a mobile warrior; specifically, traveling around in an RV with everything needed for a law practice. I try to get away for at least a weekend a month; but, I have long carried a notebook computer with me to handle legal emergencies and to stay in touch, even early in my career when I stayed in hotels. When I recently got back into RVs, it occurred to me that the RV could serve as an office away from home. This year, we are getting back to pre Pandemic live conferences, and the Attorney's Title Fund Assembly and The Florida Bar Convention are back to back between June 15th and June 27th. But, I won't be paying huge sums to stay in hotels, or sleeping in a strange bed, or lacking home style food. We will also be able to do laundry in the RV, and I can kick back and watch Internet TV during down time. We will be talking about bringing the Internet with you when you travel, security protocols for Internet access on the road, such as Hotspot based WiFi and VPNs, and connecting a notebook computer to an external keyboard and mouse, and a big screen monitor. A portable printer provides hard copies when necessary, modern smartphones can scan documents into pdf format, for manipulation and use. Eink notepads eliminate the need for paper tablets and paper note storage, and when you get tired of being in the RV, you can take the computer outside. This photo is a recent shot taken at Ft. Wilderness Resort and Campground in DisneyWorld, where I will be camped during the Florida Bar Convention. A boy, his computer, his cigar, and his Scotch. Life is short, too short to practice law in an office.

Boox Note Air - EInk Tablet That Does It All.

Boox Note Air. I have lived with, and used, the Boox Note Air for several months now, and it has become my daily driver tablet in my law practice. It has replaced the color Android tablet, paper tablets, and smartphone on my desk. I take client conference notes on it. I follow my daily calendar on it. This morning I have already read some pages from Jay Glazer's great new book, Unbreakable, using the Kindle app. I have read a little of Sun Tzu's Art of War, on the Aldiko app, to get ready for the battles of my day. There are thousands of free Ebooks out there in the public domain, and the Note Air tablet is like carrying around a world class library. I can browse the web using Chrome's browser, check my email, look up a file on Google Drive, and anything my Android smartphone can do. There are compromises, of course. The black and white Eink screen lags a little as the processor isn't the fastest, and the interface can be confusing. But, once learned, it is adequate. Normally this is a $600 machine; but, as this link shows, you can get an Open Box device for around $350. There are dozens of other things the tablet can do; but, this isn't the place to discuss them. If you are tired of taking notes on paper, and losing them in paper files, get one of these. There are other EInk tablets around; but, finding one that is also a full function Android tablet isn't easy.