By Jim Calloway Lawyers appreciate that many of our security threats today come directly into our inbox. In addition, spam that is not trapped by a spam filter wastes your valuable time. Despite this, we often give out our email addresses freely. You may not be familiar with email masking, but it is a useful…

ABA TECHSHOW turned 40 this year, and what a celebration it was. The conference moved to McCormick Place in Chicago, drawing record attendance and a packed schedule full of sessions on AI, legal tech, and practical tools for modern law practice. One of the biggest highlights (and the best-attended session of the week) was “Soaring…

by Jim Calloway Most lawyers use PDF creation and management tools that are very powerful. But such power generally means complexity. Sometimes you have something open on your phone you want to quickly send to a client or coworker. Here’s a quick method to “print” to PDF on your iPhone or iPad: Tap “Print” from…

By Jim Calloway Imagine you show up for a deposition or trial to find they have changed their display setup connection to something new, and you are not sure you have the correct connector. Or you are in a day-long pretrial prep “war room,” and you discover the phone charging cable that looked like the…

By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Jim Calloway Lawyers use Google apps in many ways. Some haven’t opened Gmail in years, but they use Google Drive as a collaborative workspace when jointly drafting legal documents with others. Others frequently watch YouTube videos when logged in without even realizing YouTube is a Google product. Chrome is…

By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Jim Calloway If you have a practice where you primarily represent consumers, particularly those who have never retained a lawyer before, it is as important to make scheduling appointments for new prospective clients as simple and easy as possible. Nowadays, some people avoid speaking on the telephone whenever they…

By Jim Calloway It is not your imagination, spam calls and robocalls are increasing, in many cases powered by artificial intelligence tools. They are annoying and time wasters. But lawyers occasionally do have to answer some calls from unknown numbers. I can personally attest that going into your recents and blocking the calls individually does…

By Jim Calloway Keyboard shortcuts are timesavers. But, to be useful they have to be memorized. For most of us, that limits the number we will regularly use. The three we have all committed to memory are Ctrl + C (Copy), Ctrl + X (Cut) and Ctrl + V (Paste). 12 Windows Key Shortcuts I…

By Jim Calloway Digital interactions form the backbone of lawyers’ daily communications, as is true for many businesses. Today we will discuss security for sensitive text messages. Apple’s iMessage Most readers are aware that Apple’s iMessage encryption provides end-to-end encryption. That encryption was upgraded in 2024. Apple’s improvements are significant as Apple iMessage is encrypted,…

By Jim Calloway It was always a positive day in the law firm when I had several potential new client appointments scheduled. New clients. New challenges. New retainers. This was long ago. Back then, I began new client intake interviews with “getting acquainted” questions like name, address, phone numbers, etc. Perhaps we should re-examine whether…

By Jim Calloway Gmail is under attack from hackers. Gmail users should move forward cautiously when clicking on any links received in their Gmail inbox, particularly those that were unexpected, according to a recent FBI warning. AI-Powered phishing attacks have grown at a staggering rate. It is estimated that there are over 2.5 billion active…

By Jim Calloway There are many tasks to complete when closing a client file. But one of the most important tasks is reviewing the contents of the file to make sure it is ready for destruction. This means making sure every original item given to you by the client is returned to the client. This…

By Jim Calloway I was on the phone with a lawyer last week and told him to, “Open up Word.” The lawyer responded loudly, “What is this?” He then began to describe a series of text boxes that appeared at the top of his blank Word document. I realized he was describing Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s…

By Jim Calloway It is impossible to teach everything we lawyers need to know in law school. Lawyers involved in domestic practice often deal with emotional and unhappy clients. I’m sure the law schools do a better job today, but I received little training on client counseling and certainly there was no discussion of the…

By Julie Bays For 40 years, ABA TECHSHOW has been the premier event for legal professionals to explore how technology transforms their practices and elevates client service. As we mark this milestone in April 2025, we’re more excited than ever to bring lawyers, innovators, and cutting-edge technology together. ABA TECHSHOW consistently brings together lawyers, innovators,…

By Jim Calloway One might not expect that the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas would hold many lessons for lawyers. But legal technology-focused blogger Stephen Embry took away many thoughts affecting lawyers from this conference. What Lawyers Can Learn From CES 2025: Trends That Matter is a useful essay with lessons for all…

By Jim Calloway We have seen a resurgence in professional engagement on LinkedIn the last few years. As other social media hosting sites have evolved into platforms less appropriate for professional engagement, many law firms have revitalized their LinkedIn pages with regular posts about legal subject matters related to their practice areas. Many of these…

By Jim Calloway Precise and accurate communications are critical in the attorney-client relationship because they form the foundation of trust and understanding, helping clients comprehend the legal advice given and the implications of their decisions. This clarity prevents misunderstandings and misinterpretations that could potentially cause problems. In the October 2024 Oklahoma Bar Journal, I wrote…

By Jim Calloway The skills needed to successfully practice law continue to evolve, particularly as applied to legal technology tools. Some traditional skills and habits are constant however, and are still critically important today. Essential Lawyer Skills Needed for Success by Theda C. Snyder on Attorney@Work is an outstanding and detailed discussion of these skills….

By Jim Calloway A headline on a newspaper article or a blog post is supposed to draw readers into the story. So, too, should the subject line on an email encourage the recipient to open the email and read it. Whether you are emailing clients, opposing counsel or a prospective client, the goal is that…