The Connected Lawyer

Leveraging Technology to Practice Law More Effectively

Saving Time by Going Paperless

As usual, Ernie the Attorney has it exactly right:

The advantages of being paperless are many, but it’s hard to appreciate them until you stop storing information in paper and learn to be comfortable with digital information.  Once you do, you’d never go back to dealing with paper.

This is the problem that I run into all of the time. People I talk to seem to understand the advantages of going paperless. They seem to accept the fact that having immediate access to a document is an advantage over keeping the paper document in a file somewhere. However, I think this knowledge is theoretical only. It’s as if the attorneys I speak to recognize the benefits of going paperless, they just don’t believe that it is something they can achieve.

Both Ernie and I, as well as many others can tell you that you can go paperless. If going paperless is something you are considering, accept the fact that it is possible. Plunge in and make the change. You will never regret it.

Some Great Web Site Advice

Amber Sparks provides some great website advice. In a recent post, she said:

I tell anyone I meet—are you selling something? Then get a goddamn website. It’s not hard to do. In fact, it can be free. And yes, if you are a writer you’re selling something. Even if it’s just an image. Even if it’s just access to your work. Even it’s just you. Please get a website, writers. It’s so sad when you don’t have a web presence. You’re not a mystery. You’re just… not there.

Although she was speaking mostly to writers, I think the advice applies equally well to attorneys.

I am constantly amazed at the number of attorneys I run into who have no web presence. My philosophy with respect to them is the same as my philosophy about attorneys who do not accept credit cards. Feel free to continue your ways. I will be more than happy to service your clients.

Hat tip to Evan Schaeffer at Beyond the Underground for tipping me off to Amber’s post.

Legal Technology for Non-Techies

On April 16, 2010, from 1 to 5:15 pm I will be one of the speakers at a CLE on Legal Technology for Non-Techies. The CLE is through the Illinois State Bar Association and is sponsored by the Standing Committee on Legal Technology and the Senior Lawyers Section. The topics covered include using practice management software, Creating a paperless environment, managing metadata and redaction, and paperless communication with clients.

If you practice in federal court, the information relating to redaction should be especially relevant to you. In the Northern District of Illinois, when you log into the CM/ECF system, you are greeted with the following:

Redaction Notice Northern District Illinois

If you don’t understand how to properly redact your documents, you run the risk of running afoul of these rules. If you are not sure about your redaction knowledge, I urge you to attend our presentation.