Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week related to law practice management, law technology, and legal marketing. Enjoy!
Legal Tech Tips: Best Gmail features: Unsubscribe button added at last
Earlier this year we heard rumblings that Google was planning to add a killer new feature to Gmail: An “unsubscribe” button at the top of every promotional email that would make it vastly easier for you to get rid of annoying promotions once and for all. Months later, it looks like Google is finally ready to take the wraps off the feature, which it touted on Wednesday in a new post on Gmail’s Google+ page. Read more here…
App of the Week: Pushbullet- Share Anything Instantly Between Your Electronic Devices (Looks like a game changer!)
In June’s WWDC Keynote, Apple introduced their new iOS for mobile devices as well as Yosemite, their new Mac operating system (both of which are due sometime in the fall). One of the most talked about features is the way it will connect your computer and mobile devices. Phone calls and SMS can be pushed to your computer, and with the new “handoff” feature you can pass whatever you’re doing from one device to another.
If you don’t own a mac, or you’re just tired of being left of of the Apple loop and would still like to have similar functionality on your devices, download the free Pushbullet app today. Read more here…
Legal Practice Tips: Review: Presentations by David Sparks — Keynote manual and speaking tips
Most lawyers that I know give presentations from time to time, whether they be formal opening statements or closing arguments to a jury, teaching a CLE, client presentations or even just running a small meeting. Considering this, you would think that most lawyers should be pretty good at it. But I am amazed at the number of presentations I see in which lawyers use PowerPoint slides with almost every word of the presentation typed, typically in a small font to fit all of those words on the slide (so the audience can barely read them anyway), and then the presentation consists of little more than reading those slides. Read more here…
Law Practice Tips: Lawyer mindfulness, best meditation apps for iPhone
Looking for the best iPhone apps to help you relax, track, and make the most out of your meditation time? Sometimes the stresses of our everyday lives can make mental health more important than ever. Even if it’s only for 30 minutes, being able to disconnect from our devices and the outside world can help eliminate stress and clear your mind. The App Store is full of apps to help you make the most of every meditation session, but which meditation apps for iPhone are the absolute best?
Read more here…
Legal Tech Tips: What is So Awesome About Dropbox?
Dropbox is awesome. I love Dropbox. What’s cool about it is that you can save things on your computer and access it from anywhere at any time.
So the way it works is that you have an agent on your computer that synchronizes with Dropbox in the cloud. So the files are stored both locally on your computer and in Dropbox. You update any of your files, it automatically gets synchronizes with the cloud, and it’s instantaneous.
Now, imagine this. You can go to another computer and install Dropbox on that, and if you log in with the same credentials, your files are instantly replicated onto that other computer. It’s really amazing because it allows you to work with other people and have a completely synchronized file system.
Furthermore, you can access it from your mobile devices. So if you’re on the road and you need access to a document that’s on your computer, you can get to it.
Read more here…
Legal Practice Tips: The Best Subject Line to Get Your Email Opened
Believe it or not, the best subject lines start with “Re:” “RE: Follow Up” “Re: update” “Re: Introduction” and “Re: Checking in”. Read more here…
Law Practice Management: Monetizing your time for solo success
As I approach my 10th year of practice, I have fine-tuned various systems that have allowed me to stay in business this long. Let’s face it, being a solo-practitioner is difficult when you have to wear many hats to do it profitably.
As solos, we have to be responsible for business development, accounting, delivery of legal work, customer service, social media and many other roles. The reality is that we have too many demands to meet in a 40-hour workweek. Read more here…
Legal Marketing Tips: Should Law Firms Focus on Social Media or Search Engine Marketing?
It is difficult to respond to legal marketing questions with a simple answer. For instance, what source of referral traffic should you care about most, social media or search engines? Read more here…
Law Practice Management Ideas: Size Matters – downsizing for retirement.
The most common exit strategies for retiring solo practitioners and small law firm owners typically include recruiting a successor, merging with another law firm, or selling the practice. All of these options have advantages and disadvantages.
However, there’s one strategy that is rarely considered, though it may make the most sense in terms of the retiring lawyer’s financial and personal well-being. That strategy is downsizing.
It’s a rather simple concept, and works well for both solo practitioners and small law firm owners. In a nutshell, the attorney takes fewer cases and works less while reducing overhead expenses. Read more here…
Legal Tech Tips: An Android App – Tasker review: The thing you need to do all the things
Android is an enigmatic and wondrous ecosystem in which many, many things are possible. Unfortunately, many of those things aren’t possible out of the box. That’s where automation apps like Tasker come in.
Tasker helps our supposedly smart smartphones do more for themselves, and do more for us. Tasker is the duct tape that many of us use to bind apps and sensors together into many wacky inventions. Like duct tape it cannot fix everything, nor is it the easiest substance to work with, but almost every house has duct tape, and almost every serious Android user should have Tasker in their back pocket — or wherever they keep their phone. Let’s take a deeper dive into Tasker. Read more here…
Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Law Practice Tips!
