I Love Living in the Future

Right now I am in California (getting ready to visit the Googleplex–feel free to be jealous). Yesterday, for the first time, I flew on a flight that had in-flight Wi-Fi. The cost was reasonable ($5) and the flight was longer than I liked, so I decided to try the Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi worked fine and I had no problems using it. I love the fact that I was able to keep up with my email on the flight, so that when I landed, I didn’t have to spend the first hour after arrival playing email catch up.

While working through my email, I was able to experience the benefits first hand of going paperless and using a virtual fax service rather than an actual fax machine.

While somewhere over the great plains, I received an email from a client that I had represented two years ago. She told me that she needed me to fax something to someone related to what I had assisted her with two years ago.

Fortunately, I ran a paperless office that integrates with the cloud. This means that, from the airplane, I was able to retrive the document from Spider Oak. If I had my laptop, I would have been able to retrive it directly from my hard drive. However, I am traveling only with my iPad, therefore, I had to retrive the document from the cloud.

Finding the document was easy. Once I had the document, I had to fax it to the recipient. Because I use a virtual fax service, send this email was no different from sending an email.

Despite the fact that I was 38,000 feet in the air, in about a total of 10 minutes time, I had received the email, retrieved the requested document from a case that had been closed for two years, and had faxed it to the person my client wanted to have it.

Without technology, obviously none of this would have been possible. Because of the technology, however, I was able to handle this task quickly and efficiently, regardless of my location.

ABA Techshow App

There were lots of things that I loved about going to and speaking at ABA Techshow this year. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. I saw some great presentations and learned lots of new information.

The one thing that I got to experience that was new to me, however, was the Techshow App. It was a conference app that I was able to download to both my Android phone as well as my iPad.

The app gave me easy access to the complete schedule, speaker bios, written materials, exhibitors, etc. In short, it was a wealth of information that was easily accessible from both my phone and my tablet.

There were two features that I really liked about the app. First, I could mark certain sessions as favorites. This put those items on a separate calendar. This way I could narrow down the sessions that I wanted to attend and easily see this in simple view. I would then know where I needed to be and the time that I needed to be there.

The second feature that I really liked was the fact that I could complete the evaluation form from inside the app. There was no need to keep track of the evaluation form and turn it in. Instead, I could complete the evaluation (for both individual sessions and the conference as a whole) from within the app.

In short, I found the app very useful and easy to use and I absolutely loved the fact that I had all of the information I needed in an easily accessible format that was entirely electronic.

If you are planning a conference, I urge you to check into an app such as this. It seemed very popular at the show and I absolutely loved it.

The app was developed by Crowd Compass. I had the pleasure of meeting their General Counsel at the show. However, I fell in love with the app before I found out how cool he was.

A Podcast Interview from ABA Techshow

While I was at ABA Techshow, I had the privilege of participating in a short podcast interview with Christy Burke.

We spoke just after the conclusion of LexThink.1. As an aside, I really enjoyed the presentations this year. When the videos hit the web site, I recommend that every attorney view them.

Anyway, Christy grabbed me after the programs and we did a short interview (about 3 minutes or so). You can listen to the interview here. I stumbled a bit over the question of how long I have had my blog. On top of that, I got the answer wrong.

Looking at my posts, it appears that my first post was January 14, 2007. So to answer Christy’s question, I have been blogging here for five years. Other than that, I will stand on my other answers.

Back from ABA Techshow

I am back from ABA Techshow, where I had a great time, as usual. This was the first year I have spoken at Techshow and I was fortunate enough to be speaking with Nerino Petro and Chad Burton. Both of these gentlemen were great to work with and I look forward to (hopefully) speaking with them again.

I also had the pleasure of hosting a Taste of Techshow dinner with Chad and Stephanie Kimbro. We ended up having 13 people at our table (instead of 10), but it all worked out great and we all had a great time. Not only did I enjoy the company of Stephanie and Chad, but everyone else who had dinner with us was a true pleasure to meet and dine with.

The Expo Hall was the largest I have ever seen, with a large number of different vendors. Not only did I get to see some vendors I have know for years (such as Phil Rosenthal from Fastcase and Ken Adams from Koncision Contract Automation), I also finally got to meet Brett Owens from Chrometa in person. He was as great in person as I expected.

I also saw a couple of new products that really interested me. The first is TheFormTool. This is a reasonably priced document assembly program that looks easy to use.

The second is iTimeKeep by Bellefield. The program is designed to allow you to enter time from your iPad and it integrates with your time and billing system, so that you can do remote time entry, even is that is not otherwise available for your time and billing program. I have been looking for a program that does this. So I will definitely be checking this out further.

I have lots more to say about Techshow, including a review of the Techshow app and the keynote from Ben Stein, all of which will be coming later this week.

Reducing Paper in Your Office

I know I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to make sure that I mentioned it again.

On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at Noon, I will be presenting, with Catherine Sanders Reach, on the topic of Strategies to Reduce Paper in the Office.

If you have thought about learning to reduce the paper in your office, then this presentation is designed for you.

I have seen Catherine present several times and she always does a great job. I am thrilled to be able to present with her on this topic.

This is a topic that is close to my heart. It is my firm belief going paperless is the one single thing that you can do to most improve the efficiency in your office.

Upcoming CLE Presentations

I have several CLE presentations that are occurring in the next couple of months. If you want to get some CLE credits or just learn something, I would recommend each of the following programs (and not just because I am speaking at them).

General Practice Update 2012: Suburban Regional Event, sponsored by the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm section of the ISBA. February 9, 2012.

The title of my presentation is Update on Effective and Ethical Law Office Technology.

Legal Trends for Non-Techies: Topics, Trends, and Tips to Help your Practice, sponsored by the Standing Committee on Legal Technology of the ISBA. March 2, 2012.

I will be speaking on two topics. The first is Can You Really Run a Practice from a Table? It is described as: Whether you’re in the courtroom, in a meeting, or in transit … learn how tablets such as Apple’s iPad and Android tablets can complement your practice, including accessing email and documents, connecting with clients/staff/colleagues, accessing your office systems remotely, and more … no matter where you are!

I will be co-presenting with Deirdre A. Fox and Nerino Petro.

The second session would be 60 Tech Tips in 60 Minutes. It is described as: This fast-paced session offers dozens of practice tips and tricks for getting things done better, faster, and cheaper. Topics include everything from gadgets, to software/hardware, the Web, practice management, and more!

I will be co-presenting with Nerino Petro and Aaron Brooks.

Strategies to Reduce Paper in the Office, sponsored by the Practice Management Department of the Chicago Bar Association. March 20, 2012, 12 PM to 1:30 PM.

This session is described as: Reducing paper in your office is not just about “going green”. Reducing the reliance on paper will increase productivity, improve response times, and assist with business continuity efforts. We will explore the tools and methods you will need to digitize your office, backing up your systems, and discuss when you still might need to keep some things in print. By harnessing software, hardware, and better workflows you can provide enhanced client service and enjoy greater mobility.

I will be presenting with Catherine Sanders Reach.

ABA Techshow, March 29-31, 2012

My presentation will be on March 30, 2012 at 2:15 to 3:15. My presentation is titled Cloud Tools for Solos and Firms: What’s Out There? The description is With so many cloud options to choose from, you’ll need this session to get a realistic overview of the viable tools for your law practice. The presenters will cover cloud services for every aspect of law practice, whether you are a solo or practice in a larger firm. Explore cloud-based practice management, time tracking and accounting, document management, and several other law office productivity tools.

I will be co-presenting with Chad Burton and Nerino Petro.

I Thought We Were Past This

I saw a link in the ABA Journal Law News Now this morning that simply floored me.

The Journal article states:

A federal judge’s opinion in Apple’s patent infringement suit against Samsung Electronics was formatted in a way that exposed redacted information.

The mistaken revelation in the opinion issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh discussed Apple studies showing its customers are unlikely to switch to Samsung’s Android devices, Reuters reports. The redacted portions also included some details on Apple’s licensing deals with Nokia and IBM.

The Reuters article includes additional details about the “redacted” information. According to the news stories, it appears that the information that was supposed to have been redacted did not contain any information that was truly secret.

Whether the information should have been redacted is an interesting question. However, it is not the issue that interests me. My interest is with the inability of people to properly use their software.

In 2009, I wrote about a redaction issue involving Facebook and ConnectU. What I said then applies equally now:

The reality is that it is not too much to ask for basic technical competence from people who are publishing allegedly redacted documents. It’s one thing to not have a full understanding of all of your computer’s programs. However, if someone is going to release allegedly redacted documents on the internet, it is not unreasonable to have that person actually ensure that the documents are redacted properly. The thing that makes this worse is that the document could have been redacted in Acrobat easily and, if done with the redaction tool, none of the confidential information would remain in the document.

The software to properly redact information is readily available and easy to use. To have an error of this type is simply inexcusable.

Google Magic

I am a big fan of what Google does with its search capabilities (along with other things). I love the fact that you can use Google search to perform math, to convert between different measurements, to track your UPS packages, etc.

That features all work great , but I like it when they do something new and cool.

Today, I learned about something cool you can do with Google Image search. With Google Image search, you can now drag a picture to your search bar and Google will search for it. This is similar to the Google Goggles, app, but cooler, I think.

I tried this both with some paintings from Picasso as well as a Chicago style hot dog. Google correctly identified everything that I threw at it.

I am sure Google is using the photo’s metadata to help with the search. Regardless, I think this is pretty awesome.

Hattip to Slog for pointing this out.

The Droid Bionic: My New Favorite Phone

My philosophy is that every new cell phone that I get should be the best cell phone that I have ever owned. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case. However, it is certainly the case with my new phone the Motorola Droid Bionic.

I have the Bionic through Verizon Wireless. Verizon is not perfect, however, I have used them for several years now and, for the most part, I am pleased with the service that I receive from them.

I have had the Bionic now for a little over 2 months and I thought I would jot down my thoughts about the phone, both good and bad. On the whole, I am quite pleased with my purchase and, if I had it do to over again, I would buy the same phone.

Below are some of the things I like about my Bionic:

It’s fast. This may have more to do with my old phone, which at the end seemed to be painfully slow. Regardless, the Droid is much faster and responsive than any previous phone I have used.
4G. Yes, it is not available everywhere yet. However, when it is available, it is great.
Hotspot. I love being able to use my phone to create a wireless hot spot. It is much more convenient than my MiFi ever was, simply because I always have my phone on me. I use this feature at least twice a month.
The screen. The screen is big, beautiful, and bright.
Operating System. I still like the Android operating system. This is my second Android phone and I have no real complaints about the operating system nor have I had any problems with it.

Some of the things I don’t like about my Bionic are:

It is big. The weight is actually too bad, especially considering the size of the phone. However, this is a large phone.
The data connection. The 4G is great. The 3G is pretty good. However, if I have lost a data connection while traveling, sometimes, I have to restart the phone to get it to obtain a data connection again.
Contact Pictures. I still don’t understand the issue here. In Outlook I have pictures for a large percentage of my contacts. With my original Droid, all of those pictures synched to my phone (through Exchange Server). With the Bionic, these pictures do not sync. I know that this seems like a small thing, however, I have used these pictures in the past to identify other attorneys in court that I had not yet met.
Battery life. In general, the battery life on the phone is about what I expected. Which is not great, but I can usually make it through the day (please note, however, that I have desk chargers both at the office and at home along with a car charger, just to make sure). However, when I use the phone as a hotspot, I can practically watch the battery level drain.

I recognize that, for the most part, the battery life issue is one that most smartphones have and it is something we have to live with while we wait for battery technology to improve. I would love to see either Motorola or Verizon, or the two together do something to fix the data connectivity problems. The disconnection happens often enough that it annoys me.

Regardless, if you are looking for a new Android based smartphone, I will tell you that I am quite happy with my Droid Bionic.

ABA Techshow: Here I Come

ABA Techshow is one of my favorite events. It is a premier legal technology conference that is happens not far from where I live and work. I have attended several times and have always had a great time and learned something useful.

This year will be especially special for me, however, as I have been invited to speak at the conference. This thrills me to no end and I am very excited about this.