In The Know

A consultant I once knew stated in a technology benchmarking report that while her client (a law firm) did in fact own industry-standard technology, the lawyers of that firm did not know how to use more than ten percent of the capabilities of their technology. In this situation it was abundantly clear that the technologists in that firm had a …

My favorite maxim regarding computer backups is Peter Krogh’s oft-quoted “3–2–1 Rule”. A proper backup of important information consists of three copies of you data, on two different types of media, one of which is off-site. Let’s take a look at how you can implement this system at home or at your law firm. Three Copies of Your Data The …

At the beginning of each year, adults all over the country promise themselves that this will be the year they finally get fit. Like those adults, I resolved in January to get more exercise. It’s now six weeks into the new year and I’m finding that I need a little more encouragement to stick with my New Year’s resolution. In …

We all dread that moment:  the one in which our computer malfunctions and loses all of your stored data.  That can be a scary moment, particularly if you do not know how to restore your system and data; but, even a system restore is useless if you haven’t backed up your data in the first place.  So, you should back …

Every present received is “better” when it is nicely wrapped, and the same goes for reporting packages to clients, particularly in commercial transactions. Here are some tips you might wish to consider for presenting your reporting packages/closing books to your clients: 1. Create a Report Index Make a list of all the documents that were created or utilized in the …

For most lawyers, managing information is a daily struggle.  Between email, research, documents and the considerable administrative work of an active law firm, it can be all too easy to become overwhelmed.  To make matters worse, technology and the aggressive pace of modern practice mean already-busy days are filled with a steady stream of interruptions., adding stress and decreasing productivity. …

A Comparison of Google Scholar, Fastcase, Casemaker, LexisNexis,WestlawNext, and Bloomberg To compare three of the most popular free and low-cost case law databases (Google Scholar, Fastcase, Casemaker) and their citator services with the more expensive databases (LexisNexis, WestlawNext, and Bloomberg) and their citator services we used an unpublished case as our test case. Google Scholar, Fastcase, and Casemaker’s citator services do …

Trying to find a good gift for a lawyer (or perhaps yourself) this holiday season?  Good news: Reid Trautz recently posted his annual Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers. This is the eighth year that Reid has assembled his gift guide, and each year features a few interesting gadgets and tools to appeal to the tech-oriented lawyer.  This year’s recommendations include …

Digital documents are abundant in modern law firms, from correspondence to evidence to forms libraries.  Navigating the maze of electronic files can mean a nightmare of inconsistent file names and indecipherable folder schemes. You can cut through many of those headaches by simply making sure your documents are searchable. In this free webinar, we’ll explore how documents from multiple disparate …