Law Practice Tips

During the Pandemic, successful practices are adopting new technologies, changing practice areas, and monitoring health and safety. To thrive during and after the Pandemic, read articles about marketing , recession proofing ,  strategies , technology , and trends .  Also read the ABA Report on Pandemic Survey Of Law Firns  and browse Coronavirus resources available at websites created by the ABA ,  AICPA ,  HBR , and State Bar Associations . For in-depth study of emerging trends, read the ABA's new book about  Ethics and Technology in an Evolving World .

Slow Internet speeds can cause timeouts, delay downloads, interrupt video, and garble conference calls.  Start the troubleshooting process by contacting your cable provider to request help with speed problems and connection issues. Consider connecting your devices to the Internet using Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi. Improve Wi-Fi performance by upgrading routers, changing channels, moving to higher frequencies, and using a Wi-Fi extender or mesh device. Read home networking articles about design , improvements , mesh systems , rebooting ,  routers , speed , and security . For in-depth study read books like Wiley’s Guide to Networking and  ABA’s  Cybersecurity Guide .  Get assistance from the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center and your state bar's technology assistance service .    H

Improve the audiovisual quality of your conference calls by using a webcam or microphone. Enhance your appearance by using an expensive spotlight  to illuminate your face.  And free up your laptop by putting your smartphone on a tripod  for video calls. For more tech tips, read articles about video calling ,   best gear for online meetings ,  mastering virtual meetings . And see Doug McHomey’s video about working about best video calling equipment for working from home. 

Surveys  show that a significant number of lawyers and their firms are using Twitter.  Lawyers mostly use Twitter for following news, marketing, and establishing reputations. See samples using a  Directory of Legal Twitterers , a  List of Lawyers to Follow , or a  Table of Top Law Feeds .  Learn more by reading articles about the benefits of Twitter , creating an account , ethical issues , getting followers , marketing with social media ,  starting up , and user tips .   Also see O'Reilly's  Twitter Book  and the ABA's   Guide to Legal Ethics and Social Media.

Signature technology can be used on business, government, and personal documents.  Popular software programs with electronic signature capability include Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word .  Digital signature software programs like Docusign  provides encryption in addition to electronic signatures. Learn more by reading articles about paperless signing , notarizing e-documents ,  document management ,  legal requirements , and when and  how to use signature technology .  Also see reviews of software for  digital signatures  and  document management.