“Acrobat for Legal Professionals” Blog by Rick Borstein
Rick Borstein’s blog “Acrobat for Legal Professionals” is a resource legal professionals should have feeding their iGoogle page, RSS feed or email. Subscribe from http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw/ . His most recent post “Add a Flatten Document Menu Item to Acrobat” is available here http://tinyurl.com/FlattenSig . This blog consistently provides valuable tips and tools specifically designed for the legal environment.
Rick and Mark Middleton also do a series of great free webinars. Scroll down Rick’s blog to the January 28th posting for a list with descriptions of each session or register directly from http://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=ADOB19E&OID=130
The sessions are free, one hour long and the only requirement is pre-registration. The next two in the series are:
April 2 - Acrobat 9 and Microsoft Office
Extend the functionality of Microsoft Office and your other applications with Adobe Acrobat, the essential complement
April 16 - Acrobat 9 Tips & Tricks
Learn how to set preferences to streamline workflow, reduce the size of PDF documents, create a full-text index for faster search, use batch processing to save time, create a custom stamp, place an image in a PDF, add a “Print” button and more
Plain English vs. Legalese
I recently saw the following quote by Mark Cooney, Associate Professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School discussing the use of plain English in the legal environment. When you start using big words and long sentences in your writing, remember Professor Cooney’s advice.
“The utilization of inflated language characterized by exceptional verbosity is not the most efficacious methodology for accomplishing the communication of sophisticated ideas. To sound smart, make it simple”.
Favorite Windows Key Shortcuts
Could it be that the older you are the more likely you are to use keyboard shortcuts? If you started using a computer before the advent of the mouse the keyboard shortcut may be second nature to you. Whether you are an old hand at shortcuts or a newbie, try a couple from this very short list of favorite Windows Key shortcuts. They are easy to remember and very efficient. Add a couple to your repertoire this week and a few more next week. You may be surprised how powerful they make you feel and how much time they save!
WINKEY Opens “Start”
(Then use arrow keys to move to your selection and hit the enter key to select)
WINKEY + D Brings the desktop to the top
WINKEY + M Minimizes all windows – (great escape)
WINKEY + SHIFT + M Undo either of the previous shortcuts
WINKEY + E Open Microsoft Explorer (My Computer)
WINKEY + L Lock the computer (Windows XP and above)
“Holy Credenza, Batman!”
If you are a solo or small firm and you haven’t found a practice management software application to meet your needs and your budget, check out Credenza at http://www.credenzasoft.com . This new application developed by Gavel & Gown Software, Inc. has been developed as an Outlook add-in and quite frankly, it is pretty amazing! Granted, it is not a full blown, all encompassing practice management application but it can do a lot.
Credenza will allow you to create a matter and link all documents, email, appointments, notes, phone call records to the matter. From the matter tab you can view a chronological list of all of the items associated with the matter. When you install Credenza, it adds time tracking capabilities. Time entries can be electronically posted to your accounting system. The application also allows collaboration between 3 users. Credenza can produce reports, check conflicts, calculate dates, and more.
This is not a SaaS application. It is software which is downloaded and installed on your computer. The download and install process took less than 5 minutes. There is a 15 day free trial available and the ongoing cost is $9.95 per month. You may cancel your subscription at any time.
If you are searching for a management tool and use Outlook for your email, this product is worth a visit to their website. The site is excellent, providing explanatory videos, FAQ’s and concise descriptions of Credenza’s capabilities. As Robin would say, “Holy Credenza, Batman!”
Facebook Settings You Need to Check Now! - 01/26/10
0 Comments Published January 26th, 2010 in PMA TipFacebook Settings You Need to Check Now!
If you have a FaceBook account this New York Times article ‘The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now’ is a must read http://tinyurl.com/y9s38ol.
Failure to correct settings in Facebook may make public all of your pictures, status updates, personal information and what information is being indexed by search engines.
Negatively interpreted information about your personal life could have a huge negative impact on your professional success so don’t delay – make these changes today!
Heads Up!! Put Down Your Cell Phone.
I had the day off yesterday and I admit it – I watched Oprah. The TV was supposed to be keeping me company while I completed an onerous household task. Instead I was gut punched by the program. The show’s topic brought home in graphic terms the impact of distracted driving. The statistics are terrifying. According to http://www.distraction.gov/ , a driver is four times more likely to be in an accident while talking on a cell phone. That is the same risk as driving with a .08 blood alcohol concentration. Using a hands free phone does not change the statistics. You are eight times more likely to be in an accident if you are texting and driving.
This point is the most sobering. There is a 37 percent reduction of brain activity associated with driving when you are talking on your phone. Read that again. That means you are driving using only 63% of your attention, acuity, reflex time…..who would do that? Among many others, busy, stressed, time crunched lawyers do this and more. Do you talk on the phone, dictate and work on your laptop while driving? I know several people who get in the car, hook the seat belt, start the engine and hit the speed dial on their phone. Is that person you?
Review the statistics at http://www.distraction.gov/ . Then, for those you love and those who love you, and everyone else on the road, reevaluate your priorities. If you have children who drive talk to them.
If you are driving – drive. Don’t do anything else.
The Oyez Project - www.oyez.org
If you are interested in what is happening or has happened at the Supreme Court go to www.oyez.org .
“The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. The Project also provides authoritative information on all justices and offers a virtual reality ‘tour’ of portions of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of some of the justices.” (from www.oyez.com/about )
You can browse for cases by issue, court term or view recently updated cases. The court calendar shows the docket at a glance. The “Browse the Justices” section provides biographical information and financial disclosure reports for the justices.
The impressive and fast audio accessibility to the oral arguments is worth a look and listen! Bookmark this valuable well designed site!
New FTC Regulations Impact Advertising
There is a large and successful PI firm in Michigan that has always advertised heavily on TV using satisfied client testimonials. Over the weekend their advertisements changed and there are no longer testimonials telling the viewers how much money was received in settlements. This style of advertisement has long been the standard for the firm and I have been wondering what prompted the change. This morning the pieces fell neatly into place when I viewed an advertisement for an ABA CLE class Counseling Clients on the New FTC Regulations Regarding the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements . These changes clearly have implications for attorney advertising. The new rules are far reaching and impact not only TV and web advertising but also blogging. Learn more at: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising or by signing up for the ABA class. The FTC link offers more resources including video explanations of the rules at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm.
Check out the new regulations and be sure your firm’s advertising and blogging are not in violation.
Eliminate Long URLs
Use www.tinyurl.com to make long URLs short! This following URL has 337 characters in it. Perhaps the most valuable use of TinyURL is when it is necessary to put a URL in a printed document. No one would want to type this address.
Using www.tinyurl.com the link can be transformed into www.tinyurl.com/yzndtwa which was created automatically by allowing TinyURL to determine the new URL. Alternatively, by using the option to name the URL yourself www.tinyurl.com/doghouseChristmas was created. “Doghouse” was taken but the addition of Christmas created a unique URL. Once created the new URL stays active indefinitely. An additional option is to create a URL using the preview feature. This will allow you to see where the TinyURL is going before actually going to the site.
Check out the additional features available at the TinyURL site and add it to your favorites or links toolbar.
SnagIt for Screen Capture!
If you ever have the need to capture the image on your computer screen, check out SnagIt. This application has been around for several years and it just keeps getting better. SnagIt lets you capture exactly the portion of your screen you want. It can capture a scrolling web page, the links, the video or the activity on your desk top in addition to a static shot of any portion of your screen. Narration can be added to a video capture allowing creation of tutorials. There are also annotation tools and other features that make this powerful software worth every penny of its $49.95 price tag. A free 30 day download is available for PC users and a new Beta version is available for Macs users to test.