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Why should you attend ABA TECHSHOW 2011?

The countdown to ABA TECHSHOW 2011 is on! 

If you are unsure if ABA TECHSHOW is for you, download the conference brochure to see everything that is taking place or watch a video explaining why you can't afford to miss ABA TECHSHOW. It has something for attorneys in all practice settings and all level of technical skills. Most of all, it is presented by attorneys for attorneys (and their staff) to become more effective, efficient, and profitable.

ABA TECHSHOW is excited to welcome keynote speaker: Professor Larry Lessig. Professor Lessig is the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Don't miss his highly-anticipated presentation titled, Code Is Law.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

• Registration — the early bird deadline is February 25, 2011 and is the best deal going. Click here to see the rates and register!

• Housing — the hotel reservation deadline is March 10, 2011. Make your reservation before all the rooms at the landmark Chicago Hilton are gone!

• Airfare — Book early for best pricing. I like Kayak.com to find and track the best prices. Don't forget Southwest Airlines for low prices. SWA doesn't participate on airfare aggragation sites, but often has great on-line deals.

Technology changes fast — it's important for attorneys to know the best technology applications and trends that will help them practice better — and that's why ABA TECHSHOW exists!

Get Success with Free Shipping!

The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Success is now available with free shipping from the ABA Bookstore. In addition, our book is available for 30% off when ordered  through the ABA. That’s cheaper than Amazon, and less than half off the cover price for ABA Law Practice Management Section members. Enter Promo Code: PEPØEBLG at checkout! Hurry! Offer ends December 31.

Make Plans for ABA TECHSHOW 2010 in Chicago

The 24th edition of ABA TECHSHOW promises to be the best yet when it opens at the Chicago Hilton on March 25, 2010.  The world of legal technology is changing rapidly, and all lawyers need to understand the changes to help them more effectively and efficiently help their clients.

ABA TECHSHOW is never the same twice, mainly because technology is always changing. This year is no exception. The rise of social media as a marketing and information tool for lawyers will be front and center at the 3-day conference, including the keynote address by noted lawyer and marketing strategist, Ari Kaplan. 

In addition, one day-long track will be devoted to "cloud" computing which is taking the world--and the legal community--by storm.  Lawyers need to know and understand cloud computing because it covers a wide spectrum of possibilities for law firms from new desktop tools to new ways to offer (and deliver) legal services over the Internet. And, unlike any other generic technology conference, ABA TECHSHOW focuses the program on what lawyers need to know about the topics, including the ethical ramifications.

ABA TECHSHOW is a multi-track conference over 2 1/2 days produced by the ABA Law Practice Management Section. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of the nine volunteer members of the ABA TECHSHOW Planning Board.) Make your plans now to attend this conference: Block out the days on your calendar before they get filled and then register ASAP to get the best conference rate. Finally, use your favorite travel site, but I like Kayak to find the best deals to get to Chicago for this fun and educational event.

SuperSaver Tips to Lower Shipping Costs

I almost passed over this article from PCWorld with tips to save on shipping costs. But with the economy what it is and Christmas just around the corner, I thought I would sneak a peak. Sure enough, the article has several easy and quick ideas to save money on your business and holiday shipping. ShippingSidekick includes a number of useful tools, including deeply discounted shipping options. The article also links to useful tips, such as free shipping envelopes from the US Postal Service.

Speaking of Christmas, look for my holiday gift guide coming in the next few weeks!

Must-Read Essay on Our Changing Profession

I encourage every lawyer—especially young lawyers—to read this outstanding article about the evolution of law practice over the past fifty plus years.  Author Abe Krash, a 50-year veteran of the legal profession, does a terrific job of recounting the changes he has witnessed—both good and bad--from his vantage point in what is now a large D.C.-based law firm, Arnold & Porter.  His comprehensive article avoids many of the typical war stories, and focuses on the evolution of the profession by addressing topics such as specialization, billable hours, technology, multi-office law firms, ethics, demographics, and money.

Beware; the article is long, but worth every minute of your valuable time to obtain such insight. Often, looking back in time can help us gain perspective to create our own preferred future.

I only know Abe Krash by his stellar reputation in the DC Bar; after reading his article, maybe I’ll call him to see if he’d like to have lunch. Despite the long article, I'd like to learn more.

Travel Intelligence for Busy Lawyers

PCWorld, known best as a technology publication, sometimes ventures out of that sphere, as in this article about the best hotels for business travelers.  It references recent surveys by JD Power & Associates and Consumer Reports to gauge overall satisfaction with dozens of hotel chains, from budget chains to luxury "collections". The overall winners? Ritz-Carlton in the Luxury category (no surprise), Homewood Suites in the Extended Stay category (great for out of town trials), Renaissance and Embassy Suites in the Upscale category.  I like Renaissance hotels, but prefer Westins when possible.  (Love that Heavenly Bed!)

I must admit I gladly trade free in-room wireless for my Heavenly Bed. Most upscale and luxury hotels (except Omni Hotels) charge $12-15 a day for acccess, while most mid-scale and budget hotels include it for free. So when I can't get the bed I want, my next criteria for selecting a hotel is free WiFi. HotelChatter has the Best WiFi Hotel list to help make the right choice.

Booking hotels through travel sites is quick, but surprisingly don't always offer the best deals. I use travel sites to find good deals, but then call my selected hotel directly to inquire about local or unadvertised deals. Sometimes that simple phone call pays off: Not long ago I called the Omni Parker House in Boston and was quoted a rate for a standard room. I asked if they had larger rooms for families. Yes they did, came the reply. They had deluxe rooms that were twice as large, but the same rate as the standard room. If the phone inquiry doesn't yield a bargain, I book through the website. I seem to trust websites more these days to get it right!

The PCWorld article also referenced my favorite travel website, TripAdvisor. This site has saved me from disasters several times, including a time I was booked into the Beverly Hilton. I learned from recent traveler posts on TripAdvisor that the hotel was being renovated, so I called in advance and requested a room away from the construction. Other people at the hotel complained all week about the noise and debris, while I was in a quiet, newly-renovated room. The site is also great for getting restaurtant recommendations, although I prefer Chowhound too.

Finally, my brother-in-law introduced me to the best rental car website called RentalCarMomma.com. Not only is it a great name, but they often have the best prices from major brands across the country.

I will close this post and resist the temptation to complain about the quality of air travel today. As my mother taught me, "if you don't have anything nice to say about a person or airline industry, then don't say anything!"

Happy trails!

Best of the ABA in San Francisco

I just returned from the 2007 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, so thought I'd share a few thoughts, comments, and new ideas:

I had the pleasure of presenting Technology for the Rest of Us with the incomparable Tom O'Connor of the Legal Electronic Document Institute. We had a great audience, with whom we shared information and gained new knowledge, such as:

• Dual LCD monitors are now becoming standard issue on busy lawyer desktops. One screen can be used for doing work one documents, etc., and the other for managing your calendar, clients, tasks,and email. Combined, they take less space than the old CRT monitors.
• Remote back-up for all computer files is also quickly becoming the new standard in protection for law firms. Due diligence is needed when selecting a vendor to keep these files confidential.
• Adobe Acrobat Professional 8.0 continues to impress every lawyer who sees it in action, especially as to creating searchable text PDFs, redacting, and e-mail features with Outlook.
• Smaller firms have yet to feel the impending impact of EDD.  Many big firms have head-on experience with EDD, but it doesn't seem to have affected many smaller litigation firms--yet.
• More of our audience--from across the spectrum of firm sizes--were interested in document management technology than case management software. This confirms a trend I've been seeing for some time.

I also had the pleasure of meeting solo lawyer, Brian Hermanson from Ponca City, Oklahoma, and serving with him on a panel for the National Conference of Bar Presidents Metropolitan Bar Caucus.  The panel discussed innovative ways metro bar associations can serve their solo and small firm members. Our suggestions included:

• Delivering CLE across numerous platforms, including podcasting (some bars are doing this already).
• Conducting surveys to gather market intelligence on staff salaries, hourly rates, and marketing trends for smaller law firms.
• Entering into co-branding agreements with the ABA and other bars to distribute their books, articles, and content to their members.

It is clear that many bars want to do more to assist solo and small firm practitioners to improve their practices and the delivery of service to their clients.

From a terrific panel of firm financial managers moderated by Ed Poll, comes these interesting ideas:

• Firms are taking advantage of the new check scanners offered by some banks to more quickly and securely deposit client checks.
• More firms are closing their billing on the 25th day of each month to get their bills into the "first of the month" billing cycle of clients--both businesses and individuals.
• Law firms are putting more pressure on partners to collect bills sooner (nothing new there!), but they are using automated e-mail and other added technology features now available in many time & billing programs to keep the pressure on, well, automatically!
• Larger firms are doing more to ensure that each new client matter has a signed representation letter or agreement before starting any work. This is a smart practice, and is just one area where large firms tend to lag behind smaller firms.   

And finally, I was able to enjoy a bit of San Francisco hospitality with friends, Jim Calloway, Sharon Nelson, John Simek, the aforementioned Tom O'Connor, and others, but I made a late night solo trek to one of my favorite restaurants, Brandy Ho's in Chinatown for their amazing Smoked Duck Hunanese. It isn't the fanciest restaurant in San Francisco, but it is where I left my heart!

BlawgWorld 2007 eBook is eAwesome

Technolawyer publisher, Neil Squillante has hit a homerun with the launch of his latest eBook, BlawgWorld 2007. This free downloadable book is a hand-selected collection of 77 essays from around the world of legal blawging, including a post from yours truly.  While I am humbled to be a part of this landmark publication, I am more excited that I can finally sit down and read the best of the best bloggers all in one place. I am just a fraction of the way through the 77 essays, but they are extremely insightful and full of interesting and valuable opinions, ideas, and innovations. 

What may be even more helpful to many readers is the companion 2007 TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide that accompanies the download. This guide is in a unique question and answer format that provides guidance and a link to vendors and consultants who can help solve the technoIssues that impact most law firm in the US and Canada. 

Congratulations to Neil, editor Sara Skiff, and to all the essayists included in the eBook.

Levitt & Rosch Launch New Internet Newsletter for Lawyers

Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch, authors of The Lawyer's Guide to Fact-Finding on the Internet, have launched a newsletter to help lawyers locate information integral to their client's cases. Like the book, the semi-monthly publication includes web sites that are useful for investigations, depositions, and trial preparation, as well as company and medical research, gathering competitive intelligence, finding expert witnesses, and fact checking of all kinds. As an added bonus, the four-color newsletter also will include legal technology Web sites, legal research Web sites, search engines, public records, and various tech tips, according to publisher, ALI-ABA.

I not only have the last two editions of their book, but I just received the first issue of their terrific newsletter. I still don't know where they find all this good stuff! I could spend hours searching Google or Vivisimo and still not locate the free and low-cost information that Carole and Mark find.  That's why they are so good at their jobs, and why the newsletter is worth every cent of the subscription price!

Thoughtful Legal Management

Congratulations to David Bilinsky for launching his blawg, Thoughtful Legal Management. I've known David for many years, and find his financial management and technology articles, presentations, and musings, to be exceptional. In fact, his recent article co-authored with Dan Pinnington is a must-read. I am pleased to add Dave's blawg to my blogroll and my iGoogle page for regular reading.