Tidbits and Bytes
By Pat Yevics

Note: Below are Tidbits and Bytes of interesting information that comes from the many publications that I receive and eventually read. Rather than keep all of that valuable information to myself (where it gets jumbled up with less useful information) I share it here in Tidbits and Bytes. Much of the information comes from other sources and those publications are cited when appropriate. For more information on the articles or publications listed, please contact me at (410) 685-7878 or (800) 492-1964, ext 243, or e-mail pyevics@msba.org.

Videotapes of “Bits and Bytes: Technology for the Solo Practitioner” Available for Rent

If you missed the excellent program that was held in March on Technology for the Solo and Small Firm Practitioner, the videotape is available to be rented. The six-hour tape features speaker Ross Kodner discussing such topics as:

• The Paper LESS Office™: “Myth v. Reality: Taming the Paper Monster”

• How NOT to Commit Malpractice with your Computer

• Gadgets to Make Your Practice Hum

• Practicing Safe Computing: Protecting Your System from Techno Gremlins (Data Backup, Electrical Protection, Dealing with Viruses, Internet and E-Mail Security and Disaster Planning)

The cost to rent the tape for five business days is $50 (which includes shipping and materials). The fee must be paid in advance. For more information, go to www.msba.org or contact Pat Yevics at pyevics@msba.org.

How Smart Firms Implement Case Management Systems

Now that I have your attention, I want to recommend an excellent article from the Law Practice Management Section of the ABA. In the May/June 2003 issue of Law Practice Management (www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/articles/v29is4an10.shtml), Ross Kodner gives a detailed discussion on the steps needed to get a case management system working effectively in your office.

Say What?

When you send an e-mail message to anyone for any reason, make it a rule to be as descriptive as possible in the subject line. With so much spam being sent, you want to be certain that your message is not mistaken for spam. I often delete messages that do not have any text in the subject box.

Be as specific as possible and avoid using expressions like “Here is the information you requested.” 

Know Your Online Rights

A joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and University of Maine law school clinics, www.chillingeffects.org aims to help people understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws afford online activities.

It is 11:00 pm: Do You Know Where Your Laptop Is?

Did you know:

• Over 2,000 computers are stolen every day?

• A computer is reported stolen every 43 seconds?

• One out of 14 laptops is lost or stolen?

• Fifty-seven percent of corporate crime is linked to stolen laptops?

Two sites (www.computersecurity.com and www.worldsecuritycorp.com) give you a variety of options to help minimize your chances of having your laptop stolen. Some are very low-tech – steel cable locks which are great if you want to leave your laptop out while in a hotel room. One method, the Stealth Signal, allows you to download a chip for the laptop so that it can be traced electronically when connected to the Internet.

World Security Corp. features stories of stolen computers that will give you a chill – just reading them should convince you that you need to protect your laptop.

DSL Reviews

For forums and reviews by customers on ISP’s and DSL providers, visit www.dslreports.com. You can enter your zip code to get information about DSL providers in your area. (Note: You need to be careful when using some of these forums. While they can prove a good resource about service of various companies, keep in mind that these are just customer opinions.)

Domain Name Registry

There are many sites where you can register your domain name as well as see what other derivations of the name there may be. At www.nameboy.com, when you give a domain name, it will show a long list of other names which are similar. A domain alert at www.godaddy.com will let you know when a name that is already registered expires.

What Did He Say?

Language barrier?  Text and websites can be translated at www.babelfish.altavista.com  The site will translate to or from English to over 20 other languages.

Google will also allow you to have text and websites translated in over 40 languages, including Elmer Fudd, Klingon and Pig Latin. Go to www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en.

Way Back When?

With all the information that is on the Internet, finding old information can be impossible. One site, www.waybackmachine.org, is attempting to archive old versions of websites and Internet information. It is a powerful tool for searching out old sites and information.

International Cell Phones

Although most of us use cell phones when traveling within the US, most phones that we use here will not work in Europe or overseas. You can rent a cell phone for a reasonable cost if you need to be connected whether for business or pleasure.

You can find rates for both the cost of renting the phone and the charge for the air time at www.planetfone.com (another site is www.rentcell.com). Rates vary by country and whether it is for incoming or outgoing calls, but it is worth considering. It is always a good idea to check for additional charges and compare prices.

Strength in Numbers

For the past few years, a number of Maryland, DC and Virginia practitioners who have been active on the ABA SoloSez listserve have been getting together monthly for lunch in the Bethesda area. The purpose is for solos to get together to discuss similar management and technology issues and share ideas.

Terry Berger, a solo practitioner from Westminster, has been coordinating these luncheons. He has been asked to try to start a Baltimore luncheon and has agreed to do so. The first meeting was held on Friday, August 8. Future meetings will be held at noon on the second Friday of each month at the San Marcos Restaurant in the Pikesville Hilton (Exit 20 on the Baltimore Beltway). The restaurant has agreed to provide separate checks and a private area. The only cost is for your lunch (there is no additional cost). If you are interested in attending the September luncheon on Friday, September 12, please contact Terry at TerryBerger@ResidentAgentInfo.com.

Cleaning Up Your Information

If you send or share documents electronically, then you probably have heard about metadata (encoded information pertaining to the document) and some of the difficulties that can result from sending documents which might contain data that you did not intend to send. It is not possible to completely remove all metadata without specific software. Two applications [Metadata Assistant from Payne Consulting (www.payneconsulting.com) and Workshare Metawall from Workshare (www.workshare.com)] are reviewed in the June/July issue of Law Office Computing. Both are similar in cleaning Word documents of all metadata. [“Disappearing Data”, Law Office Computing, June/July, 2003, pp 41-43; see also an article on this at www.abanet.org/genpractice/magazine/june2003/protect.html]

Solos, Security and Ethics

The June 2003 issue of ABA GPSolo, is devoted to security and ethics for solo and small firm practitioners. The issue can be found at www.abanet.org/genpractice/magazine/june2003/june2003toc.html

There is an interesting Point and CounterPoint type article on the ethical and liability risks to not using technology. Although it is not specific to Maryland, there are some interesting issues to consider. 

Other Solos as Resources

There are many ways that other solo practitioners can serve as resources. One of the best ways is through listserves. Another way is through some excellent websites designed specifically for solo and small firm practitioners. One of those sites, www.myshingle.com, is done by MSBA member Carolyn Elefant. Another site, www.sohoattorney.com, focuses on attorneys who practice in small offices or from home offices. Check out these sites.

Finding the Needle in the Information Haystack

A blawg is a law-related weblog and there are more and more of them on the Internet. Searching for information on these blawgs is not easy and at times impossible. Blawg Search (http://blawgs.detod.com) will help you search blawgs exclusively for information.

Another way to get a review of daily headlines from legal related sites is to go to www.dailywhirl.com. You can choose from a long site of news stories and you can also customize your choices. [From Law Technology News, June 2003, www.ltn.com]

previous	next
Publications : Bar Bulletin: August, 2003