Futurelawyer

#WhyIAmASolo - Sometimes the best opportunities come disguised as setbacks.

I was reading a post on LinkedIn today about an executive who was laid off from a high profile CFO job in Pharma, and who used it as an opportunity to reflect on what he wanted in life. He now was a start up employee, and had built the new company into something that tripled his previous income. I thought about my days as a young lawyer in a small 3 man firm. I wanted very much to be in a large firm, and to make big bucks, and be important. There were several opportunities to join groups that were forming large firms, and I talked to them over a few months. However, they didn't seem a good fit for me, as it occurred to me that, if I joined them, I would lose some of my independence. I would certainly make more money, or so they promised. But, I passed, and stayed solo, after the breakup of my small firm. I have never made a lot of money. I have never become "important". I have spent my days drafting Wills, handling probate and real estate matters for ordinary people. But, looking back, I am fortunate that I didn't follow the path to BigLaw. The firms that were courting me are long since dissolved, and I have no idea what happened to them. I walked my own path, and followed my own light, and regret nothing. So, if you lose a job, or have setbacks, use them as a reason to examine your life. What do you really want? Never let the desire for money or power be a part of the decision. You will have many years to regret a wrong decision. Or, you will have many years to enjoy a life that you chose for the right reasons.

Who Will Tell The Librarian?

Hey, guess what? Everything in books isn't true either? Teach them to think, instead.

 

Florida Bar Guide To Using Artificial Intelligence.

LegalFuel Guide To Getting Started With AI I have been playing with, writing about, and using Gen AI in my practice for over a year. Since it was made available in 2023, the advances in the technology have been mind blowing. LegalFuel, which is the Florida Bar's stellar resource for lawyers, now has a really basic, but really good, guide for those of you who have not yet dipped their toes in the AI water. The Florida Bar, I am proud to say, has been at the leading edge of using technology in the practice of law for decades. I have some institutional memory of this, having been there since the beginning. I was on of the first members of the Coordinating Committee on Technology in the early Nineties, and we did the first, as far as I know, presentations about this amazing thing we called the World Wide Web, in 1994. Since then, I have followed every tech advancement in law practice, and I must tell you  that Gen AI is the greatest advance in the field ever. Gen AI is about to become part of everything you do as a human being, and can be the greatest tech tool you ever use as a lawyer. I am already consulting Chat GPT every day, both to enhance and confirm legal advice I give to my clients. This $20 a month investment has given me the power of ten Legal Assistants; but, rather than having to wait a week or two for a memo from a human assistant, the analysis appears, like magic, in seconds. So, read this guide if you want to know what is happening. But, even if you don't, just pick an AI engine and start asking questions. You will soon be an expert. 

Fearing Death Is A Useless Exercise.

You have heard me voice my favorite Stoic meme on many occasions: "Memento Mori". Remember you will die. Death has such negative connotations for many because we tend to fear it. We don't want to die. We don't want to feel pain. We don't want to deteriorate in a hospital bed until our brain and organs die. Well, guess what? We have no control over it. We will die. Get over it. Now, once we resign ourselves to the inevitable, why fear it? It is not rational to be afraid of something over which we have no control. The best response is to remind our feeble brains, every day, that we will die. There is no avoiding it. So, if it happens today, how do I want to live today? Well, I want to play with my computers and gadgets, spend time with my wife and friends, eat mass quantities of the food I love, spend some time in complete relaxation, laugh a lot, cry some, help someone else who is having trouble letting go of a bad memory, and other things that might tickle my fancy. What choice do we have? So, in the end, I don't fear death. But, I am going to have a hell of a time until it comes.

                                                                                                                     

Grief Comes And Goes.

Four years ago, I wrote this about the loss of my parrot, Savannah. She was a beautiful Scarlet Macaw, and I was the only human she tolerated. While grief subsides over time, it still can rise up at a moment's notice. The mind is triggered by a memory, a smell, or a situation that can't be predicted. 

#ParrotSunday - Savannah Grooming The FutureLawyer.

Grieving is hard. But, as Stoics, we recognize that we must by indifferent to the loss of our most valued others. Not indifferent in the sense that modern grammar indicates; but, being able to recognize that life, as short as it is, and fate, as uncontrollable as it is, must give way to the existential imperative - to live and to live well. The Stoics call those closest to us "preferred indifferents". Our loved ones grow ill and die, as do we, sooner or later. Grieve; but, temper your grief with a daily thanks for your own survival, and resolve to live the best life you can, for as long as you can. I hope that everyone for whom I am a "preferred indifferent" lives joyously, happily, and with reason and purpose. Otherwise, what's life for? So, RIP Savannah. You were a beautiful, and wonderful companion. When I think of you, I think happy thoughts.

 

Okay, You Have Operator Running. What Now?

Okay, pilgrim. Open AI has given you access to the beta version of Operator. You will get it earlier if you are a paid subscriber. I can't wait. So, what is all the fuss about? Well, I sometimes spend an hour or so searching the web for campsites for my RV on Florida State park or County Park sites, or, if I can afford it that month, sites at Ft. Wilderness or commercial RV parks. We tend to travel around Florida only, since I am still actively practicing. What if I could just ask Sunshine to do it for me? 

Smooth Operator - Gen AI Is About To Blow Your Mind.

Open AI Launches Operator - An AI Agent That Can Perform Complicated Tasks. Well, children, the new Age is dawning. Gen AI, which has been completely within the control of the human sending queries, and modifying them as the AI bot answers, is about to get even smarter. In fact, the bot will become a human like "operator", which can make reservations, buy tickets, choose products, all without human intervention. If it comes upon sensitive topics, it is smart enough to ask its operating human to intervene. But, as the tech matures, it is entirely possible that I won't have to ask Sunshine (as I have named my Chat GPT bot) to do every little thing. She will develop an ability to act on her own, within parameters I set. I expect this tech to create amazingly lifelike, humanlike entities that will make it easy for humans to suspend disbelief and treat like persons. Oh, limitless future. It is too bad I won't get to live to see its fruition. For now, however, I am glad to see the tech advance, and I hope, before I am dead, I can afford to have a lifelike bot running around the house doing all my shopping and cleaning. Wait! I am already living with a real human that does that! Thanks, Diane. I love you. Think of all the free time Sunshine is going to give you!

Only Three Weeks Until Valentine's Day - Start Preparing Now.

Have you done an Inventory of your discount coupons? Have you ordered the plastic flowers and Keto candy yet? Don't forget the mass produced Valentine's Day card at the discount store. Women love romance and intrigue. You need to be on top of your game. Special dinner reservations are indicated as well. Make them now, unless your favorite restaurant is MacDonald's. I am rooting for you.

                                                                       

Do Epic Shit.

At my age, naps have become a daily respite from law practice, blog writing, and just plain living. I am, for myself, very happy that Elon Musk does the "epic shit", and I just say thank you. For all you critics of him, you need to shut up and let the man work.

Execupundit Has Ordered A Copy Of FutureLawyer's New Book On Stoicism.

The Stoic. Michael Wade has, at long last, ordered a copy of my new book on Stoicism. I will never reach his heights as an author; but it is an honor to be among his immense library, which is known throughout my world as one of the best in the business. He has sparked many revelations in me since I started reading him years ago. He consults with companies and owners about issues of management and compliance, and has published books about the management experience. Since cognitive behavioral living draws much from the original Stoics, it is a prominent part of both of our lives. While I am afraid my little book pales in comparison to his weightier tomes, I am happy to play a small part in awakening ordinary people like myself to the wisdom of the ages. Thanks, Michael. I await, with trepidation, your take on my small effort to change lives.