You might think that opening a new law practice during a pandemic is a bad idea. But for many lawyers, it is the best idea. For lawyers who have just passed the bar and always dreamed of opening their practices, it is time. For lawyers who have left employment or were laid off because the…

Working from home really wasn’t the challenge. A lot of lawyers and legal assistants had worked from home on occasion. The big difference this time was the reason we were working from home, with the abruptness, the stress, other closures and disruptions. I have reviewed several working from home productivity tips pieces. Today I am…

Google My Business is a free tool which allows business owners to manage how their business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. If you have never explored these free marketing opportunities that focus on your office’s physical location, then this may be the most valuable tip you read this week. To be clear, no…

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. But it also should help the recipient understand what the email is about— and you should never assume…

No one knows what the next weeks and months will look like for our country and our world. I don’t want to seem overly pessimistic but getting back to normal “soon” does not seem to be the most likely scenario. Some people don’t like the phrase “The New Normal,” but to me, it is about…

Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway offer guidance for weathering COVID-19 and its economic impacts on the legal profession. Podcasts seem to be continuing their resurgence. Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson have been podcasting for years. This month’s podcast marks their 148th monthly podcast. We decided to omit having a guest this episode so we can…

The cell phone rings and you cannot answer. Your phone presents you with options for a quick response via text message. Texts only work if the caller is calling from a cell phone, but the phone often informs you who is calling. My completely unscientific research has led me to the conclusion that the most…

Friday’s tip is about ideas for weekend recreation. Veteran legal technologist Tom Mighell has relaunched his blog at https://www.inter-alia.net where his focus will be consumer technology for lawyers. He is going to write about phones, tablets, important tools like password managers, digital personal assistants and technologies we lawyers use both professionally and personally. He is…

Some lawyers working from home may miss the massive copier/scanner back they had at the office. While I understand the need for larger firms to have these expensive behemoths for quickly handling large jobs, I’ve always been a fan of desktop scanners. Most firms that have transitioned to paperless workflows will agree that all attorneys…