Judge Scott Schlegel from Louisiana was a speaker at the 2023 Oklahoma Access to Justice Summit. Last year, I noted his conviction that both courts and law firms should embrace text message reminders to reduce failure-to-appear issues. Lawyers want to make certain their clients, especially potential new clients, do not miss their scheduled appointments
Decades ago, I assumed that technology would soon advance to the point where automated document assembly would be fully incorporated in most law offices across the country. While great strides have been made in law office technology tools, and tools for automatically generating documents are much improved over what was available decades previously, many law
In private practice, I was threatened several times, always related to domestic and protective order cases. I didn’t consider any of them serious and took no
action. But that was decades ago. Today we need to appreciate that threats must be taken seriously. Have you had a conversation with all of the people who work
Marketing was the theme of the March/April 2023 American Bar Association Law Practice Magazine. While there are many articles of interest in that issue, let me direct you to Marketing Tips For Young And Not So Young Lawyers by Stephen Embry, Chair of the ABA’s Law Practice Division. This is a short piece with
Barron Henley, of Affinity Consulting, spoke at ABA TECHSHOW on mastering Microsoft Word (my title, not his). Barron has done similar programs for the OBA before. His program is part great tips and improved efficiency and part voicing all the frustrations we have experienced with Word. You know these, e.g. “How can deleting one
When lawyers leave private practice to take an in-house counsel or government position, they are often asked about the differences in their new roles. Many of them say they are pleased not to have to complete timesheets anymore – it is a relief not to have to look at the day in six-minute increments. As
We have certainly seen many weather-related disasters this year. How long has it been since your law firm reviewed its disaster plan? Disaster Planning: It’s Not Just for Hurricanes is our new Digital Edge podcast.
Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson get Shawn Holahan’s top tips for disaster planning in legal practice. Shawn Holahan is Practice
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 Association Committee On Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility may provide helpful guidance for lawyers.
Formal Opinion 2022-500 Ethical Considerations for Lawyers Storing Information
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 private practices. A year or so ago, I attended an online program put on by another
We all agree that email is a pain, and sometimes managing email seems like a separate job all by itself. But Outlook users have a great tool for processing email that is already built-in. It is called Outlook Quick Steps. Being able to accomplish several email actions with one click is a significant time-saver for
