Links to two of my recent articles written for lawyers:
Law Blogs 101, The Idaho Law Report, January 19, 2010.
Social Media Opens Up a Variety of New Professional Connections, The Advocate (Official Publication of the Idaho State Bar), vol. 53, no. 1, p. 35-36 (2010).
RULE 2.1: ADVISOR
In representing a client, a lawyer shall exercise independent professional judgment and render candid advice. In rendering advice, a lawyer may refer not only to law but to other considerations such as moral, economic, social and political factors, that may be relevant to the client’s situation.
Rule 2.1 does not say you need to [...]
The best book I read in 2009 was Seth Godin’s “The Dip.” If you haven’t read it, DO.
In “The Dip,” Godin mentions the following passage from the Declaration of Independence:
…all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they [...]
I was shocked to find out this morning that this blog won (along with Patrick Lamb’s In Search of Perfect Client Service blog) one of Dennis Kennedy’s 2009 Law-related Blogging Awards (“The Blawggies”), namely “The Marty Schwimmer Best Practice-Specific Blog.”
As Dennis describes it:
I named this award for Marty Schwimmer’s lifetime achievement with The Trademark Blog in setting [...]
One blog I stumbled on recently that is a great resource for learning how to answer those “miscellaneous” questions patent practitioners get from prospective clients is Nolo’s “Dear Rich” blog (written by attorney Richard Stim).
Example posts/questions:
Can I use a legal trial transcript in a play?
Can we name our band after a character in a movie?
Can [...]
If your office uses GoogleApps, one slick $20 device that would make it considerably easier to efficiently use Gmail would be Gboard.
Gboard is a USB number pad configured for linking directly to the keyboard shortcuts (forward, reply to all, etc.) that Gmail allows you to use.
Want more information? Read Mashable’s review.
I rarely use Westlaw/Lexis, but the CiteGenie FireFox extension could be really useful for those of you whom do.
As their website points out:
Cutting and pasting when doing legal research using your browser is simple. But having to construct the citation for what you pasted is not so simple. This is especially true with legal citations [...]
Some useful articles/posts on wikis and law firms:
Law Practice Today :: Using Wiki Technology to Streamline Information Sharing and Document Management Tasks
Slaw: Wikis and KM at Law Firms
CNNMoney.com::Boosting teamwork with wikis
Wikis in Knowledge Management at Law Firms – Part One: ThoughtFarmer Example
Wikis in Knowledge Management at Law Firms – Part Two: Sharepoint Example
Wikis for the [...]
Here’s a link to my law practice management article in the November/December issue of The Advocate (the official publication of the Idaho State Bar) on “Technology Tips from the Idaho Practical Skills Seminar.”
As science majors, patent attorneys/agents aren’t typically thought of as being masters of the English language, particularly with respect to using correct grammar. Solution: start taking short grammar lessons by listening to the Grammar Girl podcast (subtitled “Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing”). Plus, it is highly entertaining.
A couple of episodes my readers would [...]
