Law Practice Tips

Below are tips for using video conferencing apps and links to articles and books for more help. Video calling has become popular for a variety of uses including one-on-one calls, meetings, and presentations. A number of free and inexpensive services are available for making video calls, including Adobe Connect, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.  Improve your appearance and professionalism by mastering the conferencing apps used by organizations and clients. Tips Use a Virtual Background Make Yourself More Attractive Be Prepared to Mute a Participant's Mic  Use Gallery View to See all Participants Use Screen Sharing to Show Slides Turn Off Mic Before Meeting Record Meetings for Replay Articles Managing Videoconferencing Videoconferencing Tips Zoom Tips and Tricks Guide to Video Calling Services Books Google Meets Made Easy Harnessing the Benefits of Video Conferencing Using Zoom Microsoft Teams for Dummies

During virtual depositions , witnesses, lawyers, and court reporters participate online from different locations. To improve video and sound quality, consider purchasing a webcam or headset.  To prepare in advance, test your equipment and Internet connection. To avoid distractions, turn off noise makers and post a do not disturb sign on your door. During the deposition, speak up if your connection freezes and do not speak over others. Remember to mute your microphone during breaks.  For more tips, read articles about building a case virtually , discovery tips , discoverability of virtual meetings ,  mastering virtual depositions , software for e-discovery , and trends in e-discovery . Also see John McIntyre's article about Virtual Discovery .

Virtual assistants are live people that work remotely to help with administrative tasks, marketing, researching, and writing. They can be hired part-time or full-time depending on your needs. Learn more by reading articles about benefits ,  choosing , ethics ,  using , recruiting , and supervising virtual assistants.  Also see a related post about using automated digital assistants  for calendaring, communicating, dictating, and note-taking .   

Smart speakers with video displays can improve your productivity . Popular devices include Amazon's Echo Show, Google's Nest Hub, and Lenovo's Smart Display. Apple fans can use their iPads or iPhones. Use them with digital assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google's Assistant for calendars, calls, clocks, email, reminders, and retrieving information. Learn more by reading articles about  digital assistants , home devices ,  smart displays ,  productivity tips , and  product reviews .

The roll-out of 5G cellular service has started in cities across the USA. Higher  5G speeds will be noticeable when downloading large files, streaming videos, and playing games. In addition to  purchasing a smartphone with 5G capability, you can speed up phones by clearing cache, deleting emails, and removing unused apps. Read  articles about apps ,  speed , security and  tips  for using smartphones.  Click here  for a 5-minute video about the evolution of cellular technology from 1G (slower than a telephone modem) to 5G (comparable to speeds of home networks).

Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite have become ubiquitous at law firms. They provide tools for calendaring, collaborating, communicating, and creating. To choose the best one for your firm, read comparisons prepared by  ComputerWorld and ZDNet . Also see comparisons of Google and Microsoft apps for email and productivity . Get tips for using the apps by reading articles prepared by Microsoft and Google . Read books about  Microsoft Office  and  Google Apps for comprehensive guidance. Get inspired by listening to a podcast about Microsoft features that lawyer love . Remember to secure your data and documents with tips from Google and Microsoft .

Popular digital assistants include Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana.  They use artificial intelligence to converse with users. The Assistants can be used for calendaring, communicating, and controlling devices.  They are useful in both homes and offices.  Below are tips, reviews, and user guides to help you put digital assistants to work in your home and office.  Tips Backup - remember to backup data. Privacy -  adjusting settings to protect privacy and confidential information  Transcription - send texts, take dictation, and transcribe messages .  Uses -  control devices, create appointments, make phone calls, play music, and research.  Articles Artificial Intelligence Ethical Considerations Law Office Applications Privacy   Productivity Smart Devices Using Digital Assistants  Reviews Tech Radar Wall Street Journal Washington Post User Guides Alexa Cortana Google Siri

Texting has become an increasingly popular form of communication. Lawyers are using texts to communicate with clients, co-workers, and opposing counsel. Texting can  schedule meetings, send links, and give status updates. Improve your texting with the following tips, articles, and books.    Texting Tips Applications - Communicate with clients, family and friends using personal messaging apps like  WhatsApp, Signal, SnapChat, Telegram and iMessage. Collaboration  -  Collaborate with others  in your firm  by  using Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams,  and Slack.  Distractions - avoid distraction by d isabling notifications ,  filtering texts  from unknown senders, and  blocking spammers .  Filtering - use the filtering button to view messages in categories like know sender, unread message, etc. Marking  - mark important texts as unread or add a star to avoid forgetting them. Privacy - protect privacy by hiding messages from your lock screen and turning off sound.  Scam  - block texts from

Email etiquette establishes your credibility and helps communicate your message. Etiquette is essential whether your email is a short message or a complex legal analysis. Below are emailing tips and links to articles and books for further study.  Tips Abbreviations - avoid abbreviations Addressing - use bcc instead of cc for long distribution lists.   Brevity  - keep messages short Caps - don't use all caps  Calling - substitute calls with meetings to avoid misunderstanding or controversy Subject  - use appropriate subject lines Articles Avoiding Email Mistakes Best practices Getting past spam filters Things to consider Sending Emails When to Use Email Writing Emails Books Digital Manners Business Etiquette Online Etiquette Email Risk Legal Ethics .  

Many lawyers are overwhelmed by the volume of incoming emails and texts. Below are tips for managing email and articles for implementing them. Tips Avoid stress by turning off notifications and alerts Create a burner address to use for sign-ins Determine client preference for email and texts Secure communications using apps, encryption, portals, and restricted access Label messages and organize into folders Prioritize emails for response  Use electronic email to send reminders and marketing communications Articles Comparing Apps Electroninc Communications Eliminating Mess and Stress Managing Email Sending Reminders Books Digital Manners Online Etiquette Email Risks Legal Ethics Microsoft Outlook Time Management

Lawyers are vulnerable to hackers who seek access to emails that contain information about cases and clients.  Protect yourself and your clients by encrypting your emails, creating passwords for attacments, and connecting to virtual private networks. When away from your office, use your cellular provider to connect to the Internet (instead of public WiFi). See the articles for more information. Articles   Anti-phishing Tools and Services Encryption and Client Portals Click Protecting Email Privacy and Security Safely Using Email Books Cybersecurity for Dummies Lawyers Handbook on Cybersecurity  

The ABA has several resources to help lawyers secure their computers, communications, and data.  Start by reading the ABA’s  Roadmap for Cybersecurity  and then learn how to be cybersecure with t he ABA’s guide to Cybersecurity for the Home and Office . For additional resources, visit the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center  for free access to practical articles and free consultation with a technology specialist.

Be proactive to avoid hackers that steal contacts, data, email, photos, and texts. Do not click on links or download documents when using a smartphone. Be safe by installing updates, limiting the number of apps, and using an authenticator on your phone. Enable filtering so that texts from unknown senders are segregated from other senders. Use your phone's hotspot (instead of public Wi-Fi networks) to connect laptops and tablets to the Internet. Click here to learn more about protecting yourself and your phone. And click here for a slideshow about smartphone security.

The ABA recently published  9 articles summarizing the results of its 2022 Annual Survey of Law Firm Technology.  One of the articles is devoted to trends for solos and small. Firms. The other articles cover trends in Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Firm Culture, Management, Marketing, Training, Websites and Well-Being. Click here  for a page with links to the articles.

Technology is increasingly used by lawyers to automate legal tasks, improve client relations, and manage law practices. Recent Innovations have made devices and systems more affordable and easier to adopt.  Click here for an article about affordable technologies for lawyers and resources for implementing them at your firm.  And click her e for an article about technology trends. Also read about the ethical obligation of technological competence .