Futurelawyer

Keep Your Passwords Simple, Stupid.

Making Passwords Simple | LegalFuel. Let's face it. The conventional wisdom (talk about a contradiction in terms) says that passwords must contain letters, numbers, Capitals, special characters and other complexities to be secure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Modern password cracking software can cycle through billions of letter, number, character combinations, and get to your data. The best password is one that is paired with a second authentication factor; such as, a text message you your smartphone, which is unique to you, and probably in your personal possession. The next best password is one that pairs simple words together, in an easy to remember sequence. For this Saturday's security project, go to every site or program that uses a password, and change it. Do it now. Do it today. Call me in the morning.

20 Ways To Get Use Out Of Old Android Devices

20 great uses for an old Android device | Computerworld. Okay, you probably don't have as many old Android devices laying around as the FutureLawyer. I probably have about 20 working smartphones, a few tablets, and 5 or 6 working computers that are just sitting, doing nothing. I have used old smartphones for remote security cameras, backup phones, universal remotes; but, this exhaustive list is certain to pique your interest. Makes a great weekend project. Enjoy.

Microsoft Tips For Fun And Profit

Microsoft Tips. Are you spending enough time honing your computer skills by mining the many and varied ways that your computer and Windows can be used to have fun and be more productive? Increasing your computer skills will make you a more productive lawyer, and will turn into more dollars in the firm bank account. You can start learning here. Just learn one new thing a day, and you will find yourself being called an expert soon. How do you think the FutureLawyer started? Osmosis is reserved for biological transfer. Computer knowledge requires brain power and work. Now, get to work.

Client Data Security - Lock That Sucker

How to Quickly Lock Your Computer %u2013 The Florida Bar. As a solo, I am not at as great a risk for data security breaches since there aren't dozens of people with access to my computer roaming the halls. However, I still lock my computer when I step away from the desk to keep out prying eyes. It is a lawyer's duty to keep client data private, and locking the computer screen is really basic common sense, as well as an ethical requirement. I have a timed screen lock set, at 30 seconds, which can sometimes be a pain; but, which lowers the risk of someone getting into my computer if I forget to lock it. The easiest way is to press the Windows logo key and L, for lock, when you get up. Make it a habit. Be careful out there.

Relax, Your Phone Battery Is Fine

I love tech articles and reviews that bust myths. There are so many out there. This one busts battery myths. 1. No, you don't have to let the battery go to zero to prolong battery life. In fact, you will probably get a day and a half of use out of most modern phones. 2. No, it won't hurt your phone to leave it on the charger all night. Modern Lithium Ion batteries won't overcharge. Really. Relax. 3. Well, watch this video and find out. I don't want to spoil all the fun.

 

Use The Redactions Tool Properly - Don't Get Burned

How to Avoid Getting "Burned" by Redactions: eDiscovery Best Practices - CloudNine. So, Ms. Lawyer, your client has been compelled to provide ediscovery of some sensitive documents; but, your stellar legal arguments have convinced the Court that you should be able to redact confidential, or embarrassing portions of the documents. Do NOT just put a black box over the text by adding a layer to the digital document. Removing the layer after you provide the document will reveal the text underneath. Rookie mistake. Adobe and Nuance Power PDF both provide a redaction tool. Use it. But, make sure you save the redacted document so that the redaction is "burned" into the final document. Look Ma! No layers! Be careful out there. If you want to keep being a lawyer, that is. Jeez.

PhotoScan by Google Photos - Save The Past

PhotoScan by Google Photos - Apps on Google Play. Those of us of a certain age remember when photos were shared in paper albums, and pasted in place. These days our photo lives are stored on a remote server, and accessed through apps like Google Photos. But, what of the past? How do we save our prized memories? Many of us share photos of photos on Facebook or other social media. But, were you aware that there is an app within the Google Photos app that scans photos with your smartphone camera and uploads them for you? Pull out those printed photos and scan away.  

GMail - Use It Properly

From The Center Gmail Enhancements and�Tips. I have a vanity email address at futurelawyer.com. In fact, my host provider will forward to me any email sent to futurelawyer.com. Please don't take this as an invitation to send me an email at bozo@futurelawyer.com. The truth hurts. But, the email address I use for most communication is rickgeorges@gmail.com. I have taken flak in the past from  those who think only the great unwashed use gmail. Trust me, I have never lost a client because I use Gmail. But, there are tips and tricks available to GMail users that you should know. Catherine Sanders Reach has done a good job of highlighting them in this article. Every GMail user should check it out. For lawyers, I particularly recommend the option that allows the sending of emails that can only be opened with a code received on the user's phone. This two factor authentication method is a secure way of accessing websites that contain confidential data, and works great for private emails. Be careful out there.

It It's Tuesday, It Must Be Backup Day - Disaster Planning & Recovery In The Age Of Computers

Disaster Planning & Recovery Archives | LegalFuel. Are you reliant on your computers to store your life, law practice and all other data? Of course you are. We live in a data dominated society, in which invisible drives collect our lives and store them out of sight, out of mind. But, the Stoics tell us to expect disaster, doom, and all sorts of bad stuff, brought by fate, and which we must accept and deal with. The prudent lawyer will create backups of their data and software. She will never have a complete image of her hard drive more than a week old. She will be attentive to the documents she creates every day, and find a safe place to store them until needed. Do you know where your data is?

#WhyIAmASolo - Law Office Management Is A No Win Proposition

14 Law Office Management Tips to Run an Effective (and Legal) Business | Process Street | Checklist, Workflow and SOP Software. By definition, we lawyers, as a class, are involved in helping our clients navigate life's minefields. In effect, we attempt to control our environment. Control issues are common with us, and it is a real revelation to deal with the fact that we actually control nothing. This makes for some interesting internal stress, and is multiplied by the number of lawyers and clients in a single firm. If I can't control a solo practice and a few clients, what does a BigLaw manager do? Talk about stress? There are things you can do, as in this article, to manage the risk; but, in the end, just get over it.