Author Archives

    Bryan Sims

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    Make Your Contact Information Available

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    A recent post on Business Writing caught my eye. In the post, Lynn Gaertner-Johnston relates a story about her decision not to recommend a person for a consultant job because she could not find her contact information. Gaertner-Johnston explains:

    But when I tried to track down Rita’s contact information to give to my client, I couldn’t find anything but a gmail address. An email Rita had sent me recently did not include her phone number, website URL, or any other contact information.

    Rather than give my client Rita’s name and gmail address with no other way to contact her or check her out, I recommended another consultant.

    I run into this problem all of the time. I will receive an email from someone and the email does not include any phone number or other contact information. I receive the same thing with voicemails. Someone will call and ask me to return their call. However, they either rush through their phone number, making it incomprehensible, or they don’t leave one at all.

    The reality is that if I have ever had any extended communication with you, I likely have all of your contact information in my contact database, but why make me go look for. If I have two people I need to call back and one person left me their number (either in voicemail or email) and the other did not, guess who I am calling first.

    As Gaertner-Johnston explains:

    Here’s the moral of the story: If you want work, share your contact information. Put it on everything. Include it on every message.

    Sage advice that I urge everyone to follow.

    You can find me contact info here, here, or here, or by sending a text to 50500 with the message BryanSims.

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    Don’t Let Your Software Control You

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    Every so often I read something and I say to myself, I wish I had written that. I had that experience recently when I read a post on PDF for Lawyers.

    In the post, Ernie explains:

    Remember this joke?  Guy goes into see the doctor, and the doc asks “what seems to be the problem?” The guy says “Doc, it’s my arm.  It hurts when I do this.” And then the doctor says “well, then don’t DO that!”

    I mention this joke because it’s basically what happens when people fail to make any attempt to set the preferences for their applications.  Technology trainers are constantly hearing lawyers complain that Word wants to auto-correct certain words.  In the attorneys’ view the problem is irresolvable; it’s a bug in the program that simply can’t be fixed.
    He then notes:
    Computers seem to make people dumb. Imagine picking anyone out of a crowd and telling them that they’d get to live in a mansion with a butler for a week.  The first time the butler does something that is annoying or not to their liking, do you think they’d be at a loss as to how to fix the problem?  No, they’d pipe right up and command the butler to do what they want. Even if they never had a butler before.
    But these same people when they get a new program seem to think that the designers of the program have configured it just for them.  And so therefore they should expect it to work perfectly in the way that’s most natural for them. If it doesn’t then they curse the program.

    I run into this problem all of the time. For example, I will ask someone why they didn’t use the automatic paragraph numbering feature in Word. They’re response is typically something along the lines of “I don’t like how Word does it.”

    Not liking Word’s default formating for automatically numbering paragraphs is a reasonable position to take. Rejecting automatic numbering as a result is not. If you don’t like how a program does something, change it. Don’t suffer in silence. Every program out there has some options for you to change the default settings. Most of the time you can change the program to work as you desire.

    Admittedly, there are some things that you can’t change about how a program works. If that is the case, I urge you to not simply throw up your hands in frustration and curse the programmers. If there is a feature you want, or a setting you want the ability to change, you should contact the publisher of the program. I can’t guarantee that the publisher will listen to you. However, I bet that you will find that most companies are more receptive to user suggestions than you would expect. Certainly you are more likely to get your issues addressed with a smaller company rather than a large company.

    However, if you have an issue with a piece of software, do not suffer in silence. If no on ever complains, chances are, the problem will never be fixed.

    If you are interested in learning how to customize the features in Acrobat, check out the rest of Ernie’s post. If you want to learn how to control what your information in Word looks like, check out my series of posts on formatting in Microsoft Word. If you want to control whether a PDF opens in your web browser of Acrobat, see my post here.

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    Reviews of UltraMon and Nitro PDF Pro

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    Today I had two reviews published by the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section in their Law Practice Today webzine.

    The first is a review of UltraMon, a product I have used for years. If you use multiple monitors, you definitely need to check this utility out.

    The second is a review of Nitro PDF PRo. I have use this program just during the last few months. During that time, however, I have been very impressed with the options it has to handle PDFs.

    Go here for further information on UltraMon and here for further information on NitroPDF Pro.

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    Synchronization Programs

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    For the last several years, one of my favorite programs has been Network Unplugged. Not long after I started using Network Unplugged, Mobiliti, the company that made it was acquired by Packeteer. At that time, the name was changed from Network Unplugged to Mobiliti.

    Regardless the program was still the same. The aspect of this program that I really loved was that it replicated the network folders I designated onto my local drive. Thus, when I was away from the office, I could still access my files. In addition to replicating the files, however, it also replicated the drive path. Thus, accessing a file when I am sitting on my back deck is the same as accessing one when I am in the office. When I return to the office, I simply synchronize the files and I am all set.

    Unfortunately, last year Packeteer was acquired by Blue Coat Systems. As a consequence, Mobiliti is no longer being sold. Thus, I have started looking for a possible replacement, in the event that I will have to make a switch in the future. Right now Mobiliti is still working fine for me. However, I want to be preapred in case I develop a problem with it or if it comes time to upgrade to a new computer.

    One program that I have stumbled across is BeInSync. It looks promising. However, I am curious if there is anyone who has tried it who doesn’t mind sharing their experiences. I am also open to other suggestions. The key features I am looking for are preserving the file paths and good synchronization.  I am also not interested in a solution that requires me to have an internet connection.

    Although I am connected to high speed internet much of the time, there are places I visit regularly where I have no reliable internet connection.

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    Adobe Acrobat 9 Error

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    Is anyone else having this problem? I am using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. Starting last week, Acrobat keeps crashing on me. It almost always crashed if I OCR a document and then try to save it. Also, it will crash sometimes if I open a scanned document and then try to save it.

    The error message I receive is:

    Adobe Acrobat 9.1 was encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

    When I click to get more information, I discover the following Error signature:

    AppName: acrobat.exe

    AppVer: 9.1.0.163

    ModName: ntdll.dll

    ModVer: 5.1.2600.2180

    Offset: 00018fea

    My computer is running fine, otherwise. I have tried repairing my installation of Acrobat and that was of no assistance.

    Does anyone have any suggestions?

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    Afraid by Jack Kilborn

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    Jack Kilborn is the alter ego of J.A. Konrath, the author of the Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels series of crime novels. I am a big fan of those. Thus, I was happy when I was able to snag a review copy of his new book, Afraid. With Afraid, Konrath brings us a book that is quite different from the Jack Daniels books. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who wants to add a little horror to their reading selection.

    Although Afraid does not include the amount of humor that is found in the Jack Daniels book, there is enough snark to bring just a little levity to the book. Afraid involves a helicopter crash near Safe Haven, Wisconsin. That crash releases a merciless force on the town that endangers all of the residents.

    Konrath does an excellent job of pushing a variety of psychological buttons to invoke fear in the reader. He does a particularly good job of placing people in danger and making it impossible for their loved ones to assist them. The action in this novel is virtually nonstop. There are no chapter breaks in the book. As a consequence, the scenes cut from one person in peril to the next person in peril.

    I don’t want to go into details as to what the killers are or who lives. However, I will say that the killers are quite efficient and their body count is quite impressive. Additionally, I enjoyed the variety of methods of attack (for lack of a better term) that were used by both the killers and the citizens.

    I also liked the fact that Konrath was not afraid (no pun intended) to kill citizens. I went through the entire book never knowing if the character whose viewpoint I was experiencing would be dead on the next page.

    If you like horror and don’t mind a little bloodshed in your book, then you will want to check out Afraid.

    afraid

    Also, for the month of March, Konrath has been on a blog tour to promote the release of Afraid. If you have not checked out that tour, I urge you to do so at his blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing. Konrath covers a wide variety of topics in his typical humor-filled manner. It is really engaging reading.

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    Thinking of Hanging Out Your Own Shingle? Please Join Us.

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    I am honored to have been asked to present for the Illinois State Bar Association at a seminar called Hanging Out Your Shingle (Without Hanging Yourself). The program will be presented at the Northern Illinois Conference Center at 8500 East State St., Rockford, Illinois on Friday, March 27, 2009.

    I will be speaking on setting up your operations, with a concentration on computers and other equipment. My program is described as:

    Establishing a 21st century law practice raises a variety of technology issues that every private practitioner must consider in their efforts to provide efficient and competent legal services. In this segment, the speaker will provide tips on acquiring office equipment, purchasing a computer system, filing electronically, conducting a mobile practice, and handling phone calls 24/7.

    I gave a similar presentation last June and enjoyed myself. I am looking forward to this one as well.

    The program is geared for new solo or small firm lawyers and, in addition to my subject, will also cover topics such as Getting and keeping good clients; Treating your law firm like a business; Setting up your office space; and Billing, fees, and collections.

    If you are a new solo or small firm attorney, I urge you to check out the program and join us on March 27 for a great program.

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    Link Array

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    I have way too many links about a variety of things that I planned to blog about but I realized that I never will. Thus, I decided to throw a few up as a variety of links.

    The Connectict Legislature has raided the state bar’s Client Security Fund. I have seen politicians do some pretty bad things (remember, I live in Illinois), but this has to be one of the worst things I have seen.

    Four ways to keep your public Wi-Fi connection secure. This is a security risk that most people do not even think about.

    Advanced voicemail for your cell phone.

    Software for your office. All on a  USB bdrive.

    20 pages every blog should have. I don’t agree that every blog should have every one of these pages. However, you probably should have many of these somewhere on your site.

    Creating a customized Google Map.

    How to create a “luggage tag” for your USB drive.

    I think I have linked to this before. However, it’s so important you should read it again. Secure passwords keep you safer.

    Avvo’s top 5 books featuring lawyers.

    How to geotag your photos.

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    Online Access to Case Information

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    I know that I frequently complain about the glacial pace at which Illinois courts are finally adopting the electronic filing concept. At least in this arena, however, there is some progress. For example, DuPage County has implemented a very efficient efiling system.

    However, the flip side to any good efiling system is the ability to access electronic records without visiting a courthouse to do so. Yesterday I wasted almost two hours of my time becuase I needed to review a court file. The actual review took only about five minutes. However the travel to and back from the courthouse was nothing but wasted time.

    I should have been able to access that file over the internet while sitting at my desk. After all, these are public documents that we are talking about. I don’t understand the institutional desire to deliberately make these documents hard to access.

    In a Chicago Tribune article from February 2007, the Illinois Supreme Court reiterated its opposition to making public records publicly available:

    But the Illinois Supreme Court, which sets the policy for all Illinois courts, said making records available on the Internet might make them too public, leaving litigants vulnerable to invasions of privacy. Officials cite everything from divorce records to civil complaints as problematic.

    State court documents often contain “sensitive and personal information” and allegations that “are not necessarily true,” said Joseph Tybor, spokesman for the Illinois Supreme Court.

    “The court’s concern is over a person or persons who would just sit [at a computer] for hours on end and comb court files for information,” Tybor said. “If someone has to come to the courthouse to view the file, it makes it more likely that person has a bona-fide interest in the information.”

    Critics say that’s an odd stance toward records that are, by law, public and available for anyone to view at the courthouse.

    I agree with the critics. Court records are public documents, therefore they should be publicly available. It is simply ridiculous that I can access and review court records on cases courts all over the country without leaving my desk, but if I want to view a court file in a case in DuPage County, I have to drive there.

    If a file contains sensative information, then that information can be filed under seal. Otherwise, the file should be publicly available. Illinois is not an insignificant state. We should be on the forefront of using technology to make our courts accessible to everyone. We should not be bringing up the rear with obstructionist polcies.

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    A Great Way to Share Your Contact Info

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    As usual, Ernie the Attorney has another great suggestion:

    Whenever I go to an event I usually bring business cards.  Sometimes I remember to hand them out and sometimes I don’t.  Sometimes people to ask me for them, but usually they don’t. When I’m speaking in front of a group I wouldn’t take the time to hand out my cards.  And yet that’s a moment that many people might want my contact information.

    The next time I speak or go to an event I’m going to tell people “if you want my contact info take out your cellphone and send a text message to ‘50500’; type in ‘ernieattorney’ and hit send.”  If you want to try this now you can see what those folks will receive.

    I know that I have ran into this problem before when speaking.  I think this is a great solution. I, like Ernie, set up my digital business card as well. Simply send a text to 50500, type in BryanSims, and you will get my digital business card back.

    The service is provided by Contxts. Click here to sign up.