By Jim Calloway Years ago, there was a lot of discussion in the legal community about metadata, that hidden data in documents that had the potential to reveal more about the document than most lawyers would like. It was a particular potential problem when using forms from a past client’s matter as a form for…

By Jim Calloway Microsoft Word is an important tool. But, unlike most tools, using it doesn’t improve your skills with practice. You can become a Microsoft Word power user. But you do that with training, internet searches that often begin “How do I ….“ and reading tutorials and help files. Today we are sharing a…

By Jim Calloway Hopefully, the headline captured your attention. You really do need to install the emergency patch for Windows 10 that Microsoft released last week. Some vulnerabilities in software do not impact systems lawyers use, but this one is an opening in wireless printing tools that can be used to take over other system…

By Jim Calloway Lawyers who once believed they would never post a video promoting their law firm on YouTube now host YouTube Channels. While many lawyers prefer reading online content over watching a video, that is clearly not the case for many, if not most, internet users. So, law firm marketing increasingly involves online video…

With Independence Day coming up, our thoughts turn to summer fun and travel, especially since both fun and travel last summer were so limited. In Lawyer Tech Tips: Ways to (Really) Get Away This Summer from Attorney@Work, several legal tech experts discuss using technology to enjoy a better summer vacation. Their tips cover using technology…

By Jim Calloway Sometimes adding a signature to a document before you print it is a big timesaver. Many Oklahoma lawyers have scanned a signature so they can “sign” their emails in their own handwriting. But you can also do that with a Microsoft Word document. Even if you do not use it frequently, setting…

By Jim Calloway Ransomware and other online attacks have been in the news recently, from shutting down the Colonial Penn pipeline to schools, hospitals, and a meat processing company. FBI Director Christopher Wray has asked victims not to pay ransoms. But the cybercriminals now have a new threat. If the ransom is not paid, in…

By Jim Calloway During the past year, many people got more Amazon deliveries than ever before. But on June 8 Amazon stealthily delivered something to you that you should reject. If you use Alexa, Echo or other Amazon devices, Amazon just enrolled you in a bandwidth-sharing service called Amazon Sidewalk. While it theoretically could have…

By Jim Calloway NEVER use BCC BCC is inherently clandestine. You are sending an email to someone while providing someone else a secret copy without letting the recipient know you’ve done so. The person you have BCC’d receives it in their inbox just like a normal email. If they decide to “Reply All” to that…

By Jim Calloway Keyboard shortcuts are real time savers, especially when editing documents in Microsoft Word. But keyboard shortcuts are only useful if committed to memory and the only way I’ve been able to memorize keyboard shortcuts is by using them. Practice management solution, Rocket Matter, has produced a pair of keyboard shortcut Cheat Sheets…

One of the creepiest things about modern technology is shopping for something with your phone and then ads for that product will be displayed on websites you visit and other apps you use for many days following. iPhone users now have a new tool to avoid this type of tracking and many will want to…

A major frustration with technology is knowing there is probably an easier way to do something, but not knowing what it is. Invest a few minutes reading 5 smart Windows 10 tricks to save time and space from Kim Komando in USA Today. If that is not enough for you, see this table of 30…

By Jim Calloway Sometimes it can be frustrating when the lawyer has completed a project except for the information that the client was supposed to provide. Perhaps our method of assigning tasks to clients could stand a review. Help Me, Help You: Getting Clients to Do Their Homework by North Carolina Bar Association’s Catherine Reach…

By Jim Calloway, Director OBA Management Assistance Program Online reviews are growing in importance where marketing is concerned. In a January, 2021 issue of Courts & More, I published Responding to a Negative Online Review. This is a challenging area for lawyers. So if you missed it before, here is another opportunity. Today I direct…

By Jim Calloway Ctrl + C and Ctrl+ V must be the two most used keyboard shortcuts. Even if you don’t know many other keyboard shortcuts, you’ve certainly memorized these two, which are used to copy a selection to the Windows Clipboard and paste the copied contents into another location. A few years ago, the…

By Jim Calloway, Director, OBA Management Assistance Program Would you invest just a few minutes doing something that will save you minutes each workday afterwards? Outlook users can quickly and easily automate several email actions to run sequentially. Open an email in Outlook and you see the Quick Steps in the Ribbon at the top….

By Jim Calloway A current TV commercial states in an uncomplimentary tone, “If you printed out the directions to drive here, you’re in the right place.” I resent that one. When I am driving around the state to meet with other lawyers, I always print out the directions, even though I rarely refer to them….

By Jim Calloway Director, OBA Management Assistance Program Lawyers have long had a love-hate relationship with office technology. Lawyers love tech tools that save time (particularly on tasks not being billed to clients) and money. So, long ago word processing software tools that meant not having to retype an entire document to edit it were…

ABA TECHSHOW 2021 was held virtually the second week of March and, by all accounts was a success. The virtual conference meant that many more expert presenters were able to participate than usual. Takeaways and Tips From ABA TECHSHOW 2021 from Attorney@Work featured comments from several TECHSHOW attendees, including me and a few other past…

Lawyers are trained to consider the negative implications of anything new. When the idea of chatbots on law firm websites first surfaced, many were concerned about the potential for malpractice liability based on poor advice from a chatbot. But giving legal advice is not something your law firm would ever want a chatbot to do….