Encryption Options for Lawyers
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- Encryption Options for Lawyers
- Truecrypt has been a friend of mine for a while now. As a library director, you often have access to information - personnel, financial, strategic - that may not be appropriate to disclose publicly. If you lose your laptop or USB flash drive or memory chip, you can have lost a significant amount of data. I started using encryption to try to minimize any damage my forgetfulness might cause. So I was pleased when the opportunity to write about encryption for portable devices came up at Law Technology News.
- Read more: Encryption Options for Lawyers
- Managing Information Overload
- Here is my Powerpoint slide deck from a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar I participated in, on the topic of managing information overload. The three of us, all librarians at the Great Library, gave tips and ideas on how to use information better, from being selective about which sites you rely on, to being more creative in controlling e-mail and RSS. This was an interesting experience in two ways. First, half of our audience connected in remotely over webinar technology, so we had to keep in mind that, although our physical audience was there, the cameras for our remote audience were above us. Second, our audience was mostly solos and small firm lawyers with an interest in information management (CLE isn't required in Ontario, so there was no compulsory element!) and how to be more efficient. It can be hard to translate librarian concepts, otherwise portable to law practice, into relevant examples for lawyers.
- Read more: Managing Information Overload
- Talk Talk Talk
- I've enjoyed writing for Law Technology News and my latest article on RSS for lawyers is in the December 2007 issue. But there's a twist this month. Monica Bay, the editor of Law Technology News, has kicked off a monthly podcast related to the magazine's contents. As part of the Legal Talk Network, you can catch Monica interviewing me about RSS in the inaugural podcast.
- Read more: Talk Talk Talk
- Do More Virtually
- I enjoyed giving this presentation - three times! - to the members of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers who came out on a Saturday morning in Las Vegas last month. They were an interesting assortment of lawyers, from solos to firm lawyers, some dedicated solely to criminal work and others doing it as part of their overall practice. Similarly, their use of technology ran the gamut and my presentation zigged and zagged through a variety of Internet-based topics.
- Read more: Do More Virtually
- Internet Research Tips
- The Cincinnati Bar Association held a law practice management and technology seminar geared to solos and small firms in September. It was a great opportunity to share some Internet research tips with CBA members and learn from colleagues who presented on a variety of topics including e-discovery and mobile technology.
- Read more: Internet Research Tips
- Off to the Great Library!
- I've been off line for a week as my family and I have emigrated from the US to Canada to enable me to join the Law Society of Upper Canada in Toronto. I've joined the Great Library in Osgoode Hall as the chief librarian, although my position is Manager, Legal Information.
- Read more: Off to the Great Library!
- Internet Legal Research Manual Published
- The Ohio State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) has published my Internet legal research manual! You know you've arrived as a librarian when you have an authority record in catalogs as an author. This is the culmination of a CLE course I developed for the lawyers at our county law library.
- Read more: Internet Legal Research Manual Published
- Virtual Migration: Moving to a Web Based ILS
- Despite the shrieks that the "catalog is dead", long live the catalog! I was fortunate to be part of a panel of librarians at a workshop designed for those contemplating a move to a Web-based Integrated Library System. The session was a special program put on by the SLA Legal Division as part of the Denver annual meeting.
- Read more: Virtual Migration: Moving to a Web Based ILS
- Rains, Pours: Web Dev Course
- June has become a very busy month, for a number of reasons. One was a late May request to step in and teach a course on Web Development for a library school summer program. I enjoy teaching online courses - there's nothing like the flexibility of kicking back in a chat room as opposed to having physical office hours!!
- Read more: Rains, Pours: Web Dev Course
- Criminal Lawyer Legal Tech
- I'm excited to join the faculty of the 11th Annual DWI Seminar held by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). I'll be joining the conference attendees to give a presentation and set of workshops on law practice technology topics.
- Read more: Criminal Lawyer Legal Tech
- Tips for Solo Law Librarians
- I enjoyed giving my presentation - of tips for solo law librarians - at the SEAALL 2007 Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge last week. Not being a solo law librarian, I was a bit concerned about how the presentation would go over but since most of the audience also weren't solo librarians, it worked out all right. At the end of the day, a solo law librarian is really more like a law library director without anyone to whom to delegate, than anything else.
- Read more: Tips for Solo Law Librarians
- Putting the Squeeze on Your Technology
- We all use technology in our daily work, whether we're legal researchers, lawyers, or anyone dealing with current information. I wrote an article for the Cincinnati Bar Association's monthly magazine on how to get more out of the technology we're using.
- Read more: Putting the Squeeze on Your Technology
- ABA Techshow: Networking, Upgrades
- The American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section has just wrapped up the 2007 ABA Techshow, one of the best legal technology conferences in the country. I participated on panels with Brett Burney discussing networking and Ben Schorr on upgrading systems as part of the Basic IT track.
- Read more: ABA Techshow: Networking, Upgrades
- Small Firm Buying Blunders
- A short article I wrote on small law firm buying practices was published in this month's Law Technology News and appears on Law.com. It outlines a few basic guidelines for small firms considering upgrades to their technology.
- Read more: Small Firm Buying Blunders
- SLA Legal Division Program Accepted
- Web-based integrated library systems (ILS) are fundamental in the modern library. While many systems remain mixed, with a Web-based online public access catalog (OPAC) and a proprietary internal database frontend, more and more systems are available written entirely for Web. A program was proposed for next year's Special Library Association meeting in Denver, and I'll be on the panel!
- Read more: SLA Legal Division Program Accepted
- LTN Awards Panelist 2007
- I've been invited back to join Andy Adkins and Fred Lederer as the panelists for the annual Law Technology News Law Firm awards. The awards will be given during the 2007 Legaltech New York show in January 2007.
- Read more: LTN Awards Panelist 2007
- Library Tech Sampler Platter
- I was fortunate to be invited to speak at the Texas Library Association annual meeting in April 2006. It was pretty nice in Houston, especially compared to the hot summer we've had since then. I spoke for 2.5 hours on emerging library technologies, giving an overview of many of the systems and technologies that seem to be impacting libraries.
- Read more: Library Tech Sampler Platter
- Law Tech News: Opinions Online
- It was a busy late spring/early summer, as I took advantage of Oliver's arrival (and my paternity leave and sleepless nights) to do a bit of extra professional writing. This article was published in Law Tech News in July.
- Read more: Law Tech News: Opinions Online
- Ohio Task Force on Law Library Associations
- The Ohio General Assembly created a Task Force on Law Library Associations as part of the sausage grinding known as the biennial budget bill. I have been appointed by the Ohio Judicial Conference to the task force as one of the 2 law librarian representatives on the 13 person group. The Conference has named 2 judges as well, and the Ohio State Bar Association and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio are each naming three representatives. We are charged with looking at the funding and organization of county law libraries, to make recommendations by fall 2006.
- Read more: Ohio Task Force on Law Library Associations
- Blend Your Legal Research
- This article appeared in the July 2005 issue of Law Technology News, as part of a law library showcase. The article focused on products - like Fastcase, Loislaw, and Versuslaw - that were less expensive than Westlaw or LexisNexis and were an alternative to paying such stiff fees for legal research. But it also noted that, while paying less, you also receive less access.
- Read more: Blend Your Legal Research
Memory Lapse: USB on Ubuntu, Flaky Digital Camera
LegalTech New York 2009