Law Practice Management Tips

PMA Tip of the Week(08/10/10):(This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Can't Read It!
Would you like to read articles on the web without the surrounding clutter?  Would you like to control the relative size of the text in web page articles?  Would you like to print only the article in a format that is truly readable? Explore the options for Internet Explorer,
Firefox and Safari at the following websites:  

Readability for IE
“Readability™ is a simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter around what you're reading. Follow the steps below to install Readability™ in your Web browser.” Copied from: http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/. This site has a short video to help you set up Readability on your Favorites Bar.

Readability for Firefox
 “Readability is a new Firefox add-on that makes reading web pages simpler and more enjoyable. The system strips the superfluous information and shows the main content in a single column of easy-to-read text. It is also a precious tool for printing the web pages in less.” Copied from: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/46442/

Safari Reader
“Safari Reader removes annoying ads and other visual distractions from online articles. So you get the whole story and nothing but the story. It works like this: As you browse the web, Safari detects if you’re on a web page with an article. Click the Reader icon in the Smart Address Field, and the article appears instantly in one continuous, clutter-free view. You see every page of the article — whether two or twenty. Onscreen controls let you email, print, and zoom.
Change the size of the text, and Safari remembers it the next time you view an article in Safari Reader.” Copied from: http://www.apple.com/safari/whats-new.html#reader

PMA Tip of the Week(08/10/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
The Ultimate Guide to Gmail

The Ultimate Guide to Gmail by Taty Sena is a handy, very informative PDF guide to using Gmail.  It also includes valuable links to Gmail shortcuts and a Gmail cheat-sheet. It explains labels, setting, advanced settings, filters and more.  If you are using Google Docs, Google Calendar, Tasks, or need help on just about any topic in Gmail this handy PDF document will likely provide some useful assistance for you.  http://manuals.makeuseof.com.s3.amazonaws.com/gmail-guide.pdf

PMA Tip of the Week(07/27/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Information Overload Help

If “information overload” or “information disorganization” is driving you nuts, check out Evernote http://www.evernote.com/ .  The free version is amazing, and the purchased version at $5/month is even more powerful.  This application works on practically every platform, integrates across devices, and is so easy to use; it is almost guaranteed to be a major contributor to your sanity. 

A very comprehensive review of Evernote is available from:
http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100120/evernote-review/ .    This is
the introductory paragraph: “What if you could collect, in one well-organized, searchable, private digital repository, all the notes you create, clips from Web pages and emails you want to recall, dictated audio memos, photos, key documents, and more? And what if that repository was constantly synchronized, so it was accessible through a Web browser and through apps on your various computers and smart phones?”

The  Evernote review at
http://thebloggingacademy.com/evernote-review-10-reasons-why-you-should-download-and-try-evernote/
 includes “10 Reasons Why You Should Download and Try Evernote.” 

Read these reviews and see if this tool might be a valuable addition to your arsenal of information management solutions. Try the free version and upgrade to the paid version if you determine you need the additional features.  The comparison chart is available at:
http://www.evernote.com/about/premium/

PMA Tip of the Week(07/14/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Check for Plagiarism

Think someone might be plagiarizing your work?  Did you know that you can cut and paste an entire block of text into Google and search the internet to see if your words appear elsewhere?  You can also use this trick to check if something someone has presented to you as their own work really is.  Just cut the questionable text and paste it into the Google search box.  Make sure you put the material in quotation marks and search.  If someone has copied something word for word, it won't take long to find them out.

PMA Tip of the Week(05/25/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Create a Photo Book Using “Blurb”
http://www.blurb.com/

Blurb is free book creation software which can be downloaded to your PC or Mac.  The software premise is centered on a photo rich book creation. The application can be used to create wonderful memory books of your vacation adventures, cookbooks, family histories or a book to place in the reception area of your firm.   The firm book could be a variation of your web page information.

Blurb makes money by publishing/printing your books at fairly reasonable prices.  Your books can also be made available for sale on the Blurb website.  Publication takes around two weeks from ordering to delivery. 

The application is very well designed, facilitating quick integration of photos and text in a wide variety of formats.  The 37 minute Introductory Tutorial is excellent.  Watching it will have you creating your first book in no time.  Viewing the Intermediate tutorial (26 minutes) will have your inner Rembrandt in high gear with creative projects that benefit friends, family and maybe even your practice!

PMA Tip of the Week(05/04/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Your Elevator Speech

The State Bar of Arizona has posted a 6 minute video discussing how to create your elevator speech.  The presenter is a marketing expert who makes some excellent points and delivers some relevant examples.  If you don’t have your quick self introduction down pat, take a few minutes and gather some ideas from this presentation.
http://lit.myazbar.org/VideoResources/ElevatorSpeech/tabid/128/Default.aspx

PMA Tip of the Week(04/27/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Limit a Web Search to a Single Domain

Have you ever hit a website that doesn’t have built in search capabilities?  The absence of that little search box can result in too much time spent clicking links looking for that item or person you know is on the site.

This challenge can be solved by limiting the search to a domain.  Two solutions follow:

The first requires entering the search term, followed by site: followed by the domain name in the search box.  (In Mozilla Firefox you can make this entry directly into the URL box and it works.)

Example:
green resources site:michbar.org

The same results can be achieved without having to remember how to format the search by using the Google Advanced Search link. Start at a Google search window, click Advanced Search. In the first box (All these words) enter the search term ‘green resources.’  In the last box (Search within a site or domain) enter “michbar.org.’ Hit the enter key or the grey Advanced Search button and the search is executed on only the website designated in the search parameters.

PMA Tip of the Week(04/21/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Capture online video - FREE!

Have you ever needed to show online video when you had no access to the Internet?  Here are two free applications that allow you to convert online video into a MPEG, AVI, WMV or a host of other formats. 
Zamzar, an online service at: http://www.zamzar.com Vdowloader, an app you download and install at:
http://www.vdownloader.com

I have tested Zamzar and was impressed.  Using some of the older capture applications, the process was long, convoluted and generally painful.  Zamzar made it a snap.  Zamzar captured a two minute video from You Tube in no time then sent an email with a link to the file which I then downloaded. The quality in the resulting WMV file was as good as the You Tube version and it played flawlessly. 
 
These files can then be used in any venue with no anxiety about the Internet accessibility, speed or buffering.  The caveat of course is the copyright.  Be careful what you copy and how you use it!

PMA Tip of the Week(04/13/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
iPhone J.D. and 60 Apps in 60 Minutes

If you are an attorney and you use an iPhone, you need this blog – iPhone J.D.
http://www.iphonejd.com/iphone_jd/2010/03/60-apps-in-60-minutes.html. 
Jeff Richardson, a Louisiana attorney blawgs as iPhone J.D.  His March 30, 2010 post lists all the applications that Jeff and Reid Trautz presented at ABA TECHSHOW this year in their session “60 Apps in 60 Minutes.” 
iPhone J.D. has an Index located directly above the ABA Blaw logo.
Using the index you can find reviews of many of the apps listed.  If you are dedicated to your iPhone don’t forget to use the RSS feed so you never miss a post from iPhone J.D.

PMA Tip of the Week(04/06/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
60 Sites in 60 Minutes

One of the most popular sessions at the ABA TECHSHOW is 60 Sites in 60 Minutes.  It is traditionally the last session of the event because it is so good attendees actually hang around to attend the session! This year the presenters included Toby Brown, Debbie Foster, Adriana Linares, and Ernest Svenson.  The rapid fire presentation of 60 resources that are practice related, informative or sometimes just fun is the grand finale to the conference.  The following link has a listing of all 60 sites including a brief synopsis of each site.  Check it out at:  http://new.abanet.org/calendar/TECHSHOW/Pages/60Sitesin60Minutes2010.aspx

PMA Tip of the Week(3/17/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Cell Phone Data

If your cell phone has a major failure, the equivalent of a hard drive crash, can you recover all the data that was on the phone? You can do an Internet search for “cell phone backup software” to see the many options available to backup this data.  Your cell phone provider may have a product designed to work specifically with their line of phones.
There are even free applications. OxyBook Free 1.1.0 is one example of a free application http://3d2f.com/programs/4-682-oxybook-free-download.shtml . As with many products there are upgrades available for a charge. 

We are not recommending a specific product, but recommend that you think about the possibility of losing all the data that is currently stored on your cell phone. Can you afford the time to try and recover all of the data?  Do you have documents stored on the phone that are at risk? Have you added a memory card? Is it encrypted?

Do you have any security set on your phone?  Do you have a PIN code programmed into your phone with a short timeout set before you have to reenter the code? If your phone is stolen, is there confidential client data on the device?  If there is data, and it is lost, what are the ethical implications? Using a PIN on your phone is a pain!  Using the full capabilities of the phone can be a great time saver. Weigh the options and make the decisions that protect you and your clients.

PMA Tip of the Week(2/23/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Plain English vs. Legalese

I recently saw the following quote by Mark Cooney, Associate Professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School discussing the use of plain English in the legal environment. When you start using big words and long sentences in your writing, remember Professor Cooney's advice.

"The utilization of inflated language characterized by exceptional verbosity is not the most efficacious methodology for accomplishing the communication of sophisticated ideas. To sound smart, make it simple".

PMA Tip of the Week(2/16/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Favorite Windows Key Shortcuts

Could it be that the older you are the more likely you are to use keyboard shortcuts? If you started using a computer before the advent of the mouse the keyboard shortcut may be second nature to you. Whether you are an old hand at shortcuts or a newbie, try a couple from this very short list of favorite Windows Key shortcuts. They are easy to remember and very efficient. Add a couple to your repertoire this week and a few more next week. You may be surprised how powerful they make you feel and how much time they save!

WINKEY Opens “Start”
(Then use arrow keys to move to your selection and hit the enter key to select)
WINKEY + D - - Brings the desktop to the top
WINKEY + M - - Minimizes all windows – (great escape)
WINKEY + SHIFT + M - - Undo either of the previous shortcuts
WINKEY + E - - Open Microsoft Explorer (My Computer)
WINKEY + L - - Lock the computer (Windows XP and above)

PMA Tip of the Week(1/26/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Facebook Settings You Need to Check Now!

If you have a FaceBook account this New York Times article ‘The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now’ is a must read http://tinyurl.com/y9s38ol.

Failure to correct settings in Facebook may make public all of your pictures, status updates, personal information and what information is being indexed by search engines.

Negatively interpreted information about your personal life could have a huge negative impact on your professional success so don’t delay - make these changes today!

PMA Tip of the Week(1/12/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
The Oyez Project
If you are interested in what is happening or has happened at the Supreme Court go to www.oyez.org.

“The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. The Project also provides authoritative information on all justices and offers a virtual reality 'tour' of portions of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of some of the justices.” (from www.oyez.com/about )

You can browse for cases by issue, court term or view recently updated cases. The court calendar shows the docket at a glance. The “Browse the Justices” section provides biographical information and financial disclosure reports for the justices.

The impressive and fast audio accessibility to the oral arguments is worth a look and listen! Bookmark this valuable well designed site!

PMA Tip of the Week(1/05/10): (This tip is from the LPM Practice Management Advisors Task Force)
Eliminate Long URLs

Use www.tinyurl.com to make long URLs short!  This following URL has 337 characters in it.   Perhaps the most valuable use of TinyURL is when it is necessary to put a URL in a printed document.  No one would want to type this address.
http://wildfire.gigya.com/wildfire/WidgetPreview.aspx?ut=dBFII5RbVxUc8nBdc3bMDT7hmmrIvgen1w
CG_dxqadJhAAWkNZSIhV-1DGKZvwZ0-DQUg5JS8Y61ukrjwOp8p81S9pP6R_BhovjemyHtbA0dAsx-PMuL2zIosIacrUvj3lTh1WL6rg0IY1bFO3pdiq0GQ8TwM6enbZKtH_hLTWs8vQjDY3Qox9rE89GXwqHo
K35zq9_BP6E6bvaCn4ajfIfeSuRXr50TKatcgwkOXkkTLHfn4lq_6Ok69RVgFUSohI1MWSdqhNKzWUS2SszLQ..
Using www.tinyurl.com the link can be transformed into www.tinyurl.com/yzndtwa which was created automatically by allowing TinyURL to determine the new URL. Alternatively,   by using the option to name the URL yourself www.tinyurl.com/doghouseChristmas was created.  “Doghouse” was taken but the addition of Christmas created a unique URL.  Once created the new URL stays active indefinitely.  An additional option is to create a URL using the preview feature.  This will allow you to see where the TinyURL is going before actually going to the site. 

Check out the additional features available at the TinyURL site and add it to your favorites or links toolbar.