Author Archives

    Bryan Sims

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    Back from ABA Techshow

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    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.

    ABA TechshowI 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.

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    Reducing Paper in Your Office

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    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.

    Chicago Bar AssociationIf 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.

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    Upcoming CLE Presentations

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    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 TechshowABA 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.

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    I Thought We Were Past This

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    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.

    iPad and Galaxy TabThe 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.

     

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    Google Magic

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    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.

     

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    The Droid Bionic: My New Favorite Phone

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    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.

    Droid BionicI 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.

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    ABA Techshow: Here I Come

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    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.

    ABA TechshowThis 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.

    The show will be March 29-31, 2012, at the Hilton Chicago.

    I will be speaking on March 30 from 2:15 to 3:15 on the topic of Cloud Tools for Solos and Firms: What’s Out There?

    Speaking with me will be Chad Burton.

    I hope you join us for the show. I think it is a great value and a great place to learn about the latest legal technology trends.

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    Jury Instructions Now Available

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    The Illinois Supreme Court just announced that the Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions will now be freely available on the Court’s website. According

    to the Court’s Press Release of December 8, 2011, (opens as a PDF):

    Effective immediately, Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, for both civil and criminal cases, will be available on the website of the Supreme Court at www.state.il.us/court. Previously, the complete instructions were available only in bulky, bound volumes and supplemental inserts through a paid subscription or through a law library.

    A new letter of agreement, between the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and Thomson Reuters, who publishes the volumes under the West Group name, made the change possible. Thomson Reuters retains an exclusive license for publication for commercial purposes.

    Juror Card PictureThis is something that should have been long ago. I have no problem with West, or any other publisher for that matter, making money by selling the jury instructions in whatever form that they wish. However, these are the instructions that attorneys are supposed to use in jury trials. As such, they should be as freely available as the statutes and case law. If a publisher can convince people to pay money for their added benefits, that is great. However, attorneys should not be forced to pay money to West to get access to basic law.

    I applaud the Supreme Court for the steps it has been taking recently. It has opened our citation system, made our jury instructions available, and appointed a committed to study the implementation of e-filing. All of these represent great steps forward in making our court system more efficient and effective to use.

    The Court’s website hosts both the civil instructions as well as the criminal instructions.

    Photo used by permission Michelle Milano/shutterstock.com

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    Speaking and the Paperless Office

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    Recently I have spoken on the topic of moving to a paperless office. This is a subject that I believe strongly in. Thus, I was quite happy to speak on this issue, with Todd Flaming, at the ISBA’s Solo and Small Firm Conference. Shortly after that, I received an invitation to speak on this topic for the Lake County Bar Association (Lake County Indiana).  I had a great time at both presentations and really enjoyed sharing my thoughts on practicing paperlessly.
     
    As I pointed out during my presentations. This does not mean that I have no paper in my office. However, it does mean that I try to minimize it as much as possible. Additionally, it means that I have electronic copies of all of my documents on all of my files. This ensures that I can practice law from wherever I choose to do so.
     
    I am sure that I will write more on this topic later. However, if this is a topic that interests your organization, please contact me and see of we can work out details for me to speak to you about moving to a paperless office.