We have many acronyms in the software business, but my favorite relates to a process, not a techno-flavor of the month. It’s the DRY principal, and it stands for Don’t Repeat Yourself.

Legal form creation is one area that’s completely ripe for the DRY principal, and until now, there hasn’t been a good option for firms on a limited tech budget, Macintosh using attorneys, or those favoring cloud software. Today however, Rocket Matter, the sponsor of this blog, rolled out Document Assembly as part of their 2.0 release.

Consequently, document assembly technology, typically affordable only to firms with large budgets and/or Windows-based systems, is now available to the rest of the world. The long, cruel nightmare is over.

Embracing automatic document generation has many advantages, but here are the top five: (more…)

I’ve never been a fan of clutter – something nags me about it on a subconscious level – and it turns out my vibes were right.

I didn’t know this until recently, but having too much stuff lying around can cause all sorts of problems, including increased time lost, lack of freedom of thought, feelings of oppression and lack of control, and diminishment of willpower.

All from a messy countertop or closet – go figure.

It seems simple, but the truths are pretty deep. When people eliminate their clutter, they gain a feeling of control (versus lack of control) over their lives, which is a reason in and of itself to attack your overstuffed inbox. And then there’s the story of less time wasted: some estimates put the amount of housework eliminated at 40% when clutter is ki-boshed.

Two recent books espouse the virtues of a clutter free environment: The Joy of Less and The Happiness Project, both of which were published in 2010.

In the Joy of Less, Francine Jay points out that clutter impairs freedom of thought and creativity: when you have empty spaces, not filled ones, more things are possible. A vessel has value when it’s empty, not when it’s full. She writes:

We reclaim our space, and restore function and potential to our homes.

And when you have to choose between five different pairs of pants versus two, you’re using up your precious decision muscles, leaving you prone at every turn to “decision fatigue” and the resulting decrease of willpower.

As Gretchen Rubin says in The Happiness Project:

I felt happier choosing between two pairs of black pants that I liked rather than among five pairs of black pants.

Here’s another thing: I’ve studied a lot of different productivity/personal improvement systems, and universal truths pop out. It kind of reminds me of Joseph Campbell’s commentary on the commonalities of the world’s religions. Again and again, you see the suggestion to eliminate clutter. David Allen’s “Dumpster Day” in the GTD system is another example.

So do yourself a favor during your holiday downtime, schedule a work and personal dumpster day, and eliminate clutter!

Halloween is a time of fright! And there’s scary stuff out there in cyberspace. Let’s find out – are you a security-savvy lawyer?

When: Thursday, October 27th, 2011 at 12PM EST
CLE: PENDING
Speaker: Tim Baran of Rocket Matter

Description:

Solo attorneys and small firm lawyers need to market their practice. They also need to earn mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) credits. Find out how you can do both at the same time with speaking engagements.

Topics we’ll cover include:

• How to get live, in-person speaking engagements
• Working with online CLE providers
• Using social networks
• How to get your webinars and recorded presentations accredited

Click here to register for Use Speaking Engagements to Earn CLE and Market Your Practice

I love a good psychology article, especially when it absolves me of accountability in some way. So last month when I read a fascinating piece in the New York Times about Decision Fatigue, I was thrilled to understand why I take shortcuts in the afternoon and eat ice cream on the couch at night.

The article opens with a story from the legal profession, describing abnormalities in the parole decisions of a judge.

As the story put it, “the probability of being paroled fluctuated wildly throughout the day. Prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 70 percent of the time, while those who appeared late in the day were paroled less than 10 percent of the time.”

And it wasn’t that the type of cases varied from morning to afternoon either. Rather, psychologists are beginning to understand that we only have a finite capacity to make decisions and exercise willpower during the day. This phenomenon is known by psychologists by the very cool name “ego depletion”. As the day wears on, our mental muscles weaken and we get lazy: (more…)

When: Tuesday, October 4th at 12PM EST
CLE: PENDING
Speaker: Larry Port of Rocket Matter

Description:

So you’ve finally got a handle on what to do and what not to do on your desktop and laptop, but what about your smartphone? Can viruses and malware compromise your iPhone or Droid, putting your confidential information at risk?

Security for mobile devices is the next battleground for hackers and cyber-warriors. Learn what to do and what not to do in our age of ultimate data portability, and see firsthand what data can be extracted for use in litigation.

Click here to register for Smartphone Security for Lawyers

Many lawyers think sending confidential client documents over email is secure, without risk. But did you know you might as well post that information on a billboard?

When you email a document, your message gets routed without encryption through multiple servers before it ends up in your recipient’s mailbox. (more…)

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This image via Wunderground.com.

As I write this, I’m watching an incredibly scary, strengthening Hurricane Irene making her way closer to the mainland while at the same time my iPhone is being flooded with texts from friends in New York (both sides of the state – Buffalo and NYC), telling me they were all just rattled by an earthquake.

Evidently another one preceded it near Colorado a short time earlier.   All the while, there is evidently total chaos in the Middle East.    What next?!

We, along with our readers, wish the very best for those directly affected by any of these horrible events.   We hope and pray for everyone’s safety and well-being.    It’s a sad fact that those who already have it the worst often get hit the hardest by these events; let’s hope they in particular get by and that we can all do something to help.     As for Irene, we’re rooting for her to take a one-way ticket out to sea, and hopefully that the earthquake will prove to be just a one-time passing scare. (more…)

If you’re a lawyer thinking about using cloud computing for your law firm practice, the good news is that the ABA, Alabama, California, and other states have issued ethics opinions (or proposals) on the subject giving you a thumbs up, provided you know who you’re dealing with.

However, the news on this front from North Carolina is not so good.

Legal Productivity’s sponsor company, Rocket Matter, is a founding member of the Legal Cloud Computing Association, or LCCA. We advocate and educate on behalf of the online software providers servicing attorneys.

For the most part, we’re seeing flexible ethics opinions allowing the use of web-based legal software, as long as attorneys exercise due diligence about the provider. In fact, the ABA’s recent proposal to modify the rules of professional conduct illuminate a clear and sensible path for attorneys to incorporate cloud computing into their practice while minimizing risk to confidentiality. The LCCA fully supports the ABA’s approach and their efforts.

North Carolina’s bar is another story. (more…)

Is your technology interfering with your life? Please join us by registering for this free webinar!

When: Thursday, July 14th at 12PM EST
Speaker: Larry Port of Rocket Matter

Description:

Lawyers in the 21st century need to be connected. Clients demand quick turnaround on issues, social media is essential for marketing, colleagues collaborate online, and news and events are disseminated rapidly through the Internet.

However, we’re starting to see the risks of 24-7 Internet usage, including distracted driving, constant intrusion of personal time, confidentiality risk, and even fundamental changes to the way our brains work. This completely original session, created for MILOFest 2010, explores the hazards of constant connectedness and what attorneys can do to manage their risks.

Please join us for Responsible Connectivity – How Not to Be Consumed by Technology.