Legal Technology in Law Schools: 2009 CALI Conference
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The Problem with E-mail Discussion Lists
Interesting piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education on scholarly e-mail lists and the changes they have undergone as academics become more comfortable with technology and as new technologies emerge that enhance collaboration. I used to be an avid e-mail discussion list follower but have trimmed back my own subscriptions to the point where I heavily filter (straight into trash) most of the lists I am on because the content value is so low. » Read More…
Firefox 3.5, Don't TEMPT Me
Most lawyers use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers, of some version number. The more moribund, larger firms and reluctant small firms will be on version 6, with others on 7 and 8. Mozilla's Firefox is a superior Web browser for researchers, from its base feature set to the extensions that you can layer on top to make it more powerful. I have been experimenting with using Microsoft Internet Explorer as my only browser, and trying to determine what its limitations were based on what I knew I could in Firefox. But now the siren song of a new Firefox version is testing my strength, luring me from my self-imposed exile to try some of the newer features. Do I go back? » Read More…
What Would Pa Do?
This would be my riff on the Christian "What Would Jesus Do" (WWJD)! Anyone who has read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books will be familiar with the strong character of Charles Ingalls, and who could want a better moral compass? So I was tickled to see a blog discussing Pa's place as "Pioneer GeekDad"! » Read More…
Adventures with Internet Explorer 8
When Microsoft released its first tabbed browser, I was ready to take a look at Internet Explorer once again. Version 6 was a ridiculous product when compared to Mozilla's Firefox, and version 7 finally started to even out the playing field a bit. The continuing problem with Microsoft's Web browser is that you can rarely extend it in a meaningful way, as you can with Firefox. And yet it is the browser most commonly in use by lawyers, the community I most often work for, and so I felt that I should get more accustomed to what Internet Explorer, now in version 8, could do and what it couldn't. It is still not as good a research tool as the Firefox browser, but it has some positives and, for the legal researcher, there are some nice features and tweaks that can make the experience positive. » Read More…
Legal Technology in Law Schools: 2009 CALI Conference
I'm just flying back to Toronto after a great visit to Boulder, Colorado, home of this year's CALI Law School Technology conference. For anyone who hasn't attended a CALI conference, it is the best place to find out about what you can do with technology in a legal information environment with limited resources. Many of the presentations at the conference dealt with significant applications, complicated systems, and innovative ideas that could put corporate IT departments to shame considering the number of staff and dollars most law schools have for technology. I spoke on a panel with Wayne Miller and Ken Hirsh on the opportunities for teaching law students about legal technology before they enter the profession. » Read More…
Productivity Tips for Lawyers
I spoke on a panel with Carolyn Wilson and John Starzynski about lawyer productivity and having a balanced life. Carolyn told a great story of adapting to life changes while practicing, and some of the tools she uses. John talked about some of the challenges that lawyers face - alcohol, depression, etc. - and some of the "simple" things that can help minimize some of these problems. My piece was focused on tips for better productivity, and I had initially thought I would be the techie on the panel. As it turned out, my tips tended towards a variety of low tech concepts as well. » Read More…
The Problem with E-mail Discussion Lists
AALL 2009 Annual Meeting