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Smile for the Camera: Leverage the Power of Video
By Jim Calloway If one picture is worth 1000 words, how many words does that mean a video is worth? It is a nonsensical question. Yet we all understand that video content on the Internet is extremely popular and today many people prefer receiving their information and entertainment through apps like TikTok and YouTube. Some…
The Ethics of Attorney-Client Email and Having Client Data on a Smartphone
By Jim Calloway Most of us are doing business in the digital world these days, but protecting your clients’ confidential information must always be top of mind. Two recently released opinions from the Pennsylvania Bar may provide helpful guidance for lawyers. Formal Opinion 2022-500 Ethical Considerations for Lawyers Storing Information Relating to the Representation Of A…
A Keystroke to Memorize. Windows Key Plus H.
As you likely know, Microsoft 365 provides great speech recognition built right into Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and OneNote. You just click on the microphone icon labeled Dictate and begin your dictation. But to dictate into other applications on your computer, there are other built-in options. It’s simple on a PC, just use the Windows key…
Financial Issues for Lawyers
By Jim Calloway The September 2022 issue of Law Practice Today is a finance-themed issue. Among the seven features are Fundamentals of Accounting for Lawyers, Making it Rain, Eight Ethical Financial Mistakes Lawyers Make and How to Value, Sell & Purchase a Law Practice. The ABA Law Practice Today webzine is available to anyone, whether…
Slack v Teams for Law Firm Instant Messaging.
By Jim Calloway Can We Use Slack in our Law Firm? Some of us participate in Slack groups. Slack is a group messaging app that is simple and easy to use. As we know, group texts might work for social occasions, but aren’t great for business situations. (One reason — someone can be added late…
Time for iPhone Users to Upgrade to iOS 16
By Jim Calloway Every fall Apple holds a media event to highlight new versions of its offerings. This year the new features of iOS 16 have received a lot of attention. We know that upgrades are sometimes a mixed blessing. They bring needed features but also, they seem to change things unnecessarily. One new feature…
Your Law Firm Cookbook: How and Why
By Jim Calloway Why does your law firm need documented standard operating procedures? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview guest Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association on the August 2022 edition of the Digital Edge Podcast, Your Law Firm Cookbook: How and Why. Catherine outlines…
The Next Big Security Threat is Surprising and Scary
By Jim Calloway Deep fakes and other fabrications of “synthetic content” (as the FBI labels them) are rapidly improving and present a potential risk to all of us. You have probably seen deep fake videos where the video shows a person speaking but the voice belongs to another. Artificial intelligence tools match the speech with…
6 Things You Need to Do to Prevent Getting Hacked
By Jim Calloway Computer crimes continue. Lawyers need to be aware of wire fraud schemes and the many types of phone-based fraud that exist. But we also need to be aware of appropriate cyber security measures. You don’t want to be hacked. But you also don’t want clients, coworkers, friends and family to be hacked….
Tips and Tricks Using Microsoft Teams for Project Collaboration
By Jim Calloway Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration tool. But it does require a bit of training. Done correctly, instead of searching through your inbox for email discussions that took place over weeks, each subject under Teams can have a different area with all the discussions and files neatly arranged. Microsoft hosts free Microsoft…
Chrome Tips
By Jim Calloway Chrome is the most popular and most widely used browser. Tessa Davis is an educator who regularly posts technology tips on Twitter. Her most recent offering is “10 simple Chrome Tips that will blow your mind.” Did you know if you have a video or audio file you want to play, you…
Limited Scope Legal Representation Resources
By Jim Calloway It has been five years since the Oklahoma Supreme Court adopted Rule 33 of the rules for district courts. This rule was to provide a framework for limited scope representation. The rule is short and simple: Rule 33. Limited Scope Representation A lawyer providing limited scope representation under Rule 1.2 (c) of…
Gmail and Google Docs are Releasing New Features
By Jim Calloway Many lawyers use Gmail and Google Docs. I always suggest that if lawyers are going to use Gmail for client matters, they upgrade to the paid business version of the service for account controls and improved security. That business class service is Google Workplace (formerly GSuite, Google for Business, et al.) But…
Improving Your Proofreading with Microsoft’s Read Aloud
By Jim Calloway One of the more important tasks for lawyers is proofreading. It also can be among the most tedious. We endeavor to produce perfect legal documents. Reading a complex document for the third or fourth time can be tiring. We have all also learned that when proofreading a document you authored, there are…
The Rise and Decline of Google Search
By Jim Calloway Google is a technology powerhouse. But it all began with Google Search. It is a widely held view among technology experts that Google Search is not what it used to be—unless you are measuring corporate profitability. But that has become more apparent to many ordinary and occasional users. Even though Google officials…
Contemplating Retirement—The Lawyers Edition
By Jim Calloway Lawyers planning for retirement is often complicated by the fact that many lawyers love their careers, and their self-image is grounded in being a lawyer. On the other hand, there are also lawyers counting the days until they close their practices. A year or so ago, I attended an online program put…
Creating PDFs from Documents – Should You Save or Print?
By Jim Calloway, Director OBA Management Assistance Program Have you ever created a PDF from a Word or PowerPoint file that didn’t behave as you expected? Maybe links didn’t work or bookmarks within the document were lost during the conversion process. “How you choose to make a PDF file from Microsoft Office can make quite…
Niche Practices
By Jim Calloway Many lawyers have determined that their path for success is through narrowly focused law practices. The May 2022 issue of Law Practice Today has a niche practices theme. Several lawyers share how their niche practice works. Types of law practices profiled include equine law, esports law, cannabis law, mediation, rock and roll…
Buyer Journey: What Lawyers Should Know About the Psychology of Paying for Goods and Services
By Jim Calloway Marketing and sales is not typically taught in law school, except in the negative. There is significant attention paid to the possible ethical violations associated with inappropriate solicitation or other problematic approaches. But there is little attention paid to how to appropriately market. Many standard sales techniques are not appropriate for legal…
Social Media Marketing with LinkedIn
By Jim Calloway Elon Musk may have put Twitter in the headlines. But our data at the OBA suggests LinkedIn is now a very important social media tool for lawyers that is gaining popularity with professionals and business owners. The community of LinkedIn helps the admins explain the culture of the platform. There are plenty…