Carolyn Elefant writes: "Fellow shinglers and other hardworking readers: as you fill up your calendar with court dates and networking breakfasts and all of the other matters you have on your plate, don't forget to pencil in one of the most important dates of all: time off. As this article by Nora Lockwood Tooher from Lawyers Weekly describes, Planning Ahead is the Key To Time Off. The article reports on solo and small firm lawyers who plan so well that they can take an entire month off to rest and refuel. So if you find yourself working round the clock and putting those vacations off until next year, take the time to read this article - and take action."
Source: MyShingle, 28 July 2004
Ernie blogs: "Wi-Fi hot spots, or locations available to the public, will more than double at American airports this year to 379 from 178 in 2003." [N.Y. Times article]. Now, if we just get this trend rolling in our court system."
Source: Ernie the Attorney, 27 July 2004
From the e-newsletter: “OmniMedicalSearch offers a metasearch for medical information in two levels (professional and layman) as well as medical news search, medical image search, and other goodies. Nice. It's available at http://www.OmniMedicalSearch.com.
The query box on the front page offers a MedPro search and a basic search. The "Pro" in MedPro does not mean it costs money, it means it's professional-level medical information. The basic search is for non-professionals. A search for "histamine" got 51 results on the pro search, and 100 results on the basic search. The sources for the med searches are listed at the top of the page.
In addition to the Web search, there's also a news search (covering eight medical news sources) and an images search (covering five medical image sources). The site also offers pointers to 72 medical databases, pointers to medical journals and medical associations, and more."
Source: ResearchBuzz #294
29 July 2004
Reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz.
Copyright 2004 Tara Calishain. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: “The format of a crime and terrorism database known as Matrix is being changed to allay privacy and legal concerns that led several states to drop out of the federally funded project.
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/ht/1700/7-17-2004/20040717181501_01.html
Why We Should Fear The Matrix"
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
July 21, 2004, Issue # 195
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From Brian’s blog: “I am storing more and more reference material on my PC. Articles in my area of practice, regulations I refer to frequently, important case opinions, forms and a host of other documents.
Everyone can agree that Windows XP's ability to find files on your hard drive is abysmal. This article in the New York Times entitled "Apple Putting More Focus on Simplifying Searching" notes that both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are working on incorporating better search capabilities into their later OS releases. The next version of Windows, code-named "Longhorn" (some say "Longwait") won't be out until 2006 or 2007. I don't know about you, but I can't wait that long, so I've been test driving a few pieces of software that enable users to search their own hard drives.
Probably the best program I have used is called X1. It indexes all of your e-mails, attachments and other files in various formats (.doc, .xls., .pdf, .txt, .rtf, etc.) and allows you to very quickly find information. A preview pane shows the hits, and allows you to cycle through all of the hits without actually opening the file. Watch out, though, it opens (under default settings) all of the spam sitting in your deleted items, so you will want to cleanse your system before installing it. You can tell it which folders to scan and which to ignore. The problem with X1 is that it costs $100.
If you are looking for something free, try out the HotBot toolbar. It integrates with your browser and searches e-mails, pdfs and other files. It does not, however, show you where all of the hits are located in a preview pane like X1, but it is very fast. The price is right, too.
I have also tried ScopeWare Vision, but found it to be an incredible resource hog. It has a snazzy interface that puts your info in a 3-D card catalog type of view, but it really is too much if all you want to do is find one file or e-mail right away. Searching PDFs also requires a free, but separate, download from Adobe, which was a pain.
Rumor has it, Google is going to get into the desktop search business soon. Until the killer desktop search app shows up, X1 looks like the best solution, but man that price makes me cringe.”
Source: Brian Peterson's West Virginia Legal Weblog, 28 July 2004
From the e-newsletter: “Sheriff Thomas Hodgson took away their weights and pull-up bars and rolled their television sets out of sight. He banned smoking - and then slapped a daily $5 room-and-board fee for the 1,000-some inmates in his custody. The sheriff, whose controversial moves have made headlines before, equates himself to being "the tough-love parent." But the Bristol County House of Correction inmates and their advocates see nothing parental about it, and they've filed a class-action suit claiming that the "cost of care" charges are unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
http://news.public.findlaw.com/csmonitor/s/20040721/20040721081050.html
Inmates’ Rights Resources”
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Newsletter Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
July 22, 2004, Issue # 42
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Animal Bites and the Law
From the e-newsletter: “Every year, thousands of Americans are bitten by animals -- most often dogs. In many cases, a person bitten by an animal may have a legal right to recover damages from the animal's owner or another responsible party. Learn more.”
http://injury.findlaw.com/personal-injury/personal-injury-a-z/dog-bite.html
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Newsletter Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
July 22, 2004, Issue # 42
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: “Do you want to learn more about the naturalization process and obtaining U.S. citizenship? FindLaw’s Immigration Center provides articles, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to forms from the U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services. Click on the link below to get started:
http://public.findlaw.com/immigration/uscitizen/”
Source: FindLaw's CONSUMER LEGAL TIPS
A FindLaw Newsletter Providing Tips, News, and Resources for the Public
July 22, 2004, Issue # 42
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From Sabrina's blog: "Privacy Issues and Searching for Lawyers Online
Paid Listings Complicate Search for Quality Lawyers Online:
· "Consumers searching for a local lawyer, especially a specialist, may find little more than advertising-based listings and nothing resembling thoughtful advice online. More troubling: While some sites, like FindLaw.com, are legitimate, ad-supported directories, others – such as The BestLegalServices.com – collect personal information and fail to disclose who they are or where they're sending your data."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
28 July 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: "For the first time ever, check out the competition's litigation track record and profile in one fell swoop with the Thomson Legal Record. Find out what cases your competition has tried, in front of which judges, and how the cases resulted.
Click here to begin your competitive intelligence!"
http://legalrecords.findlaw.com/ss/search_index.jsp?ch=LP&DCMP=*;NL-LP5
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
July 28, 2004, Issue # 196
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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In the news: “Michael Jackson has one. Martha Stewart paid top dollar for hers. And the Justice Department got one as a gift in its antitrust trial against Oracle. Web-based chronicles of specific trials are ushering in a new era of client service, experts say. "Not only is it critical to know who will try your case," says Denise M. Howell, intellectual property litigator and booster of Web logs (or blogs). "It's important to consider who will 'blog' it."
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 29 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
In the news: "Do you give good face? Are you a Ben Stein stoic, or do you have a simian smile -- one that only a chimp would envy? Do your facial expressions enhance or contradict your speech? Lawyers should take the time to learn how to use their faces -- not just their words -- to carry their message. Sound a bit too much like drama class? So what? There's a bit of actor in all the best lawyers."
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 27 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the e-newsletter:
"Q. I've heard that frequently turning my computer on and off can hurt the performance of internal parts. But I don't want to leave it on all the time either and waste power. What's the best course?
A. While it once might have been true that computer hard drives or power-supply systems could be degraded over time by turning the machines on and off, there's little reason now not to go the green (and money-saving) route: Shut things completely down if you're not going to be using your PC for many hours."
Read full text
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
July 28, 2004, Issue # 196
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From the blog: "Gumshoe Librarian: "Where in the World Is..." - A Bibliography of Recommended Websites for Global Research Issues By Barbara Fullerton and Sabrina I. Pacifici."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
28 July 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From Sabrina Pacifici comes this article "which reviews some alternatives to search engine powerhouses Google and Yahoo, several of which you may have heard of and/or use now, such as clustering engine Vivisimo and Topix.net (which bills itself as "The Internet's Largest News Site). But other suggested sites may be new to you and worth a try. These include Find.com, focused on sources for business research (in beta, and offering a range of search features that include Boolean operators, stemming, proximity and grouping) and the open source engine Modex (which was unavailable at the time of this posting)."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
20 July 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: "Columbia law professor Michael Dorf explains how the U.S. Consitution, and federal statutes, would apply should a terrorist attack affect November's election. How would ballots be cast and counted? Who would decide if the election should be delayed? Dorf calls upon Congress to act to remedy the uncertainties, and add uniformity, to the current legal situation."
Read full text
Source: FindLaw's WRIT
Legal Commentary
July 19 - July 23, 2004, Issue #206
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved
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In the news: "For many law firms, this week's Democratic National Convention isn't so much about the Party as it is about the parties. That's because the real action isn't at the carefully scripted convention itself, but at the social hours. And while law firms might not bag new clients on the spot, sponsored events are a time to get their names out and show they hobnob with the powerful. "You do events to give yourself visibility," says one partner. "That's part of a branding campaign for a firm like ours."
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 26 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
I'm tired of Ohio weather and anxious to spend some quality time with my beautiful daughter, wonderful son-in-law, (for just one day before he takes off for points out west) and a myriad of dogs and birds!
We plan to try our hands (and arms) at kayaking on the Wando River and picnicking on an uninhabited island - since neither of us has ever been in a kayak this should prove to be quite an adventure.
Add running along the beach (much more attractive than my track up here!), wonderful dinners, ONE praline, soaking up the sun while Cindy's at work, and plenty of girl-talk when she isn't - that's my idea of a wonderful week!
Talk to you next week - Be Safe!!
Nancy
In the news: “Attorneys are discovering what physicians have long known: Women want to hire other women to handle women's cases. Indeed, some law firms are making women's issues their exclusive focus, as litigation accelerates on matters like hormone replacement therapy, breast cancer and birth control. The notion of excluding one-half of a potential client base can be a daunting prospect, but some attorneys are willing to risk the odds as the market for women's legal issues grows.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 20 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sabrina posts: “From today's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) press release: "The Whistleblower Program webpage...provide[s] a single source for obtaining detailed information on the laws with whistleblower protections that are administered by OSHA...The webpage includes direct links to the 14 laws with whistleblower protections administered by the agency, and lists the regulations governing the procedures for handling complaints under the various statutes."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
19 July 2004
Copyright ©2002-2004 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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From Jeff Beard: "Welcome to Trick or Treat, a new category at LawTech Guru with useful tips, tricks, and other tidbits to make our techno.lives a little easier.
If your PC is acting strange, slow, or if you're just curious as to what's running under the hood (or taken over your PC) here are a couple of easy things you can do:
1. Check your Windows Task List:
In Windows, press CTRL-AT-DEL. In Windows 9x, you'll get to the Close Program dialog. In Windows NT/2000/XP, you can then click on the Task Manager button -- you'll have separate tabs for programs, processes, and computer resources (CPU and memory utilization, etc.)
From here, you can see most items running on your PC (I say "most", because some stealthy programs are designed not to appear in these lists). IMPORTANT: End-tasking various programs and processes can sometimes help, but can also cause problems, so err on side of being extra cautious here. The main goal here is to see what's running on your PC. The problem is that it's fairly usual for programs and processes to be listed with very cryptic names and no description.
2. De-Mystifying the Task List:
This is where sites like TaskList.org come in. TaskList.org is a site which maintains a comprehensive list of processes running in your computer. At present it boasts 4276 tasks catalogued, which includes good things (normal system and program files) as well as various malware components. The tasks are indexed alphabetically and there's a search feature as well.
Also check a similarly focused resource at AnswersThatWork.com. I really like the fact this latter site has extra columns for each item, for identifying the program and manufacturer. What's more, most items include a detailed explanation of what it does, along with a recommendation for keeping or disabling it. Incredibly useful when you're trying to identify and determine whether it's a good idea to disable or remove an item on your PC.
I've often found the above provides a nudge in the right direction when you need to know what's running live on your PC, and it might help you when talking with tech support on a problem."
Source: LawTech Guru by Jeff Beard, 18 July 2004
This useful tip from Tom Mighell: “From time to time, I mention helpful keyboard shortcuts for Word, Internet Explorer and other applications. Remembering all those shortcuts is tough! Here's how you can remind yourself of those shortcuts in Microsoft Word:
-- Select Tools, then Customize, then the Options tab. Check the "Show Shortcut Keys in Screen Tips" box. Now when you move your mouse over a button, its shortcut will pop up.
-- Want a complete list of all the shortcuts Word has to offer? Select Tools, then Macros, then Macros. From the "Macros In" pull-down menu, select Word Commands, and then scroll down the list and pick ListCommands. In Word XP, select Current Menu and Keyboard Settings (In Word 2003 you'll have to click the Step Into button first), and click OK. Word will then create a document listing all the shortcuts for you.”
Source: Inter-Alia, 20 July 2004
Carolyn Elefant writes: “Like many of my solo and small firm colleague, I'm a user and fan of the excellent service - Accurint - a speedy and inexpensive online public records service which can be used to locate witnesses, track credit and perform background checks. So I was a little dismayed to read that Reed Elsevier's LexisNexis Buys Seisint (the company that owns Accurint). First, LEXIS paid $775 million for Seinsint - a price which a Reed investor is quoted as desribing as "a bit of a concern." Thus, Reed-Elsiver/LEXIS may have incentive to jack up Accurint's extremely reasonable rates (searches start at just a quarter!) to recoup a return on the purchase and satisfy investors. Second, in the name of "integration," LEXIS may decide to "bundle" Accurint into its already existing product line - and charge a higher price for the service. This would make the service inaccessible to solo and small firm users - and give larger firms another advantage over small.
As we reported in previous posts, LEXIS is gobbling up numerous law based services at an alarming pace - they've got relationship with Martindale, ownership of e-filing and electronic discovery services - and now, an easy to use online records database. And it, along with Westlaw, continues to dominate the legal research field despite upstart competitors that LEXIS is desperately trying to minimize or eradicate entirely.
I just wish that all of the lawyers who jumped on the Microsoft antitrust bandwagon and attacked its efforts to dominate the marketplace with Windows would wake up and take a look at what's going on in our own backyard. (Oh wait, that won't happen - no one wants to jeopardize the money that LEXIS pays to the bar associations or any discounts that it may give to government agencies like DOJ or the FTC) It won't be long before LEXIS will (if it hasn't already) monopolize the entire legal tech industry - from time-management systems to efile to research and background checks. They'll use the Microsoft playbook to bundle those products in the name of "customer demand" and efficiency - and raise the prices - to the point that many solos and small firms - and the clients we serve - won't be able to pay for access. It's going to happen soon, if it hasn't already. I'm just surprised that it's gone unnoticed.”
Source: MyShingle, 15 July 2004
Glenn K. Garnes posts: "Last year I wrote about a book called "Dig Your Well before You're Thirsty", by Harvey Mackay. The book is an excellent resource on the power of networking, and it had a profound impact on me, as it reminded me how much I had allowed my network to stagnate.
As I thought about how I had worked my entire career to develop business contacts that could be helpful to me and my clients, I was disappointed that I had allowed this incredible resource to wither on the vine. And, then I thought, the only thing worse than allowing my network to atrophy was not having built one at all.
Harvey Mackay makes it clear in his book that it's never too late to start building your network, and now I've found a way to automate the process, and make up for lost time."
Read more
Source: ESQlawtech, Ltd., 16 July 2004
© 2002-2003 ESQlawtech, Ltd. All rights reserved.
From the e-newsletter: "Lexis and Westlaw are wonderfully powerful services, but let's face it, they're darned expensive to use. That's why I love to hear when there's a new way to use these services in a way that won't send your clients to your front door complaining about the size of their bills. From Carole over at Internet For Lawyers comes this handy tip: rent your Shepard's Citations. For $32/day, $52/week, or $107/month, you can do all the Shepardizing you want -- and it won't cause your client a conniption."
(Lexis link)
Source: INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
Volume 5, Issue 20, July 18, 2004
Subscribe, send a blank email message to ilrw-subscribe@listbot.com.
From the e-news alert: “Kristin Armshaw, of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), explains jury service reform legislation proposed by ALEC that has now been adopted in eight states. As Armshaw notes, the legislation addresses jury no-shows, abuse of hardship excuses, and professional exemptions. She urges that more states should adopt this or similar legislation.”
Read more
Source: FindLaw's WRIT
Legal Commentary
July 12 - July 16, 2004, Issue #205
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved
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Dennis Kennedy blogs: "OK, it's the day after the second Tuesday of the month. I know that the second Tuesday of each month is now Windows critical updates day. However, I know that I am safe because I have the automatic update setting turned on.
Of course, I wasn't safe and here are ten reasons why the Windows Update process (which is very laudable) will drive even the most diligent and well-intentioned Microsft customers to hurl epithets toward Redmond.
1. The Windows Update URL Could Be Just a Little Easier to Find. I love this. Like anyone else who uses the Internet on a regular basis, I know that I should always be able to find the Windows Update (or at least be redirected to it) by typing in http://www.windows.com or http://www.microsoft.com/windows/. No one can memorize the actual URL for Windows Update. In fact, if you want to choose a strong, uncrackable password, there are few better choices that the URL for Windows Update. Put it in your Favorites? Ha-ha-ha. No website in the history of the Internet has ever changed URLs of pages more often and with fewer redirectors than Microsoft.com. Finally, how about keeping the link to Windows Update in a prominent place where I can find it instead of moving it around all the time? I know the page looked different a couple of days ago. Why not keep it like it is today?
2. How about Making "Automatic" mean Automatic? If I turn on Automatic Updates, shouldn't I be safe in assuming that when I connected to the Internet last night and this morning the updates would be loaded and installed? Here's a suggestion: make the Automatic Update at least as persistent as the damn Windows Messenger, which one again has return to haunt me after I thought I tracked it down and finally got it out of my startup menu. The Windows Messenger team might talk with the Windows Update team and share some tips.
3. Inconvenience Me for Using Good Security Settings. Ready to get started? Oops, need to give permission for an ActiveX control to run. I wouldn't have to be inconvenienced if I took a more risky approach to security. Here's an idea: inconvenience the people who don't use good security practices, not the ones who do. Suggestion: make it really easy to find and set up a setting that will permit only the Windows Update Active X controls to run without a prompt.
4. A 3.8 Megabyte Download? Does nayone really wonder why so many home users are running unpatched versions of Windows. Memo to Microsoft: either provide broadband with the purchase of Windows or make patches available in formats that are friendly to dial-up users. As many people have pointed out recently, a visit to your parents often involves installing Windows updates and other security updates. Has anyone calculated how long it takes on a dial-up line to download all Windows XP critical updates?
5. Adding Insult to Injury - the Five Minute Installation. The updates(s) are downloaded and the installation begins. All but the foolhardy wait for the installation to complete before doing anything else. I have a reasonably fast computer and the installation took roughly five minutes.
6. Don't Let Me Walk Away and Do Something Else. Three times ZoneAlarm asked permission to allow what seemed to be the same program to access the Internet, even though I checked the "remember this setting" box. Nothing more fun than walking away for a short break and then finding that the installation process has barely begun when you return because you needed to give a permission or check a box in a pop-up window.
7. Make Me Reboot. I knew it was coming, but I remained an optimist. Great choices: close up everything that I've been working on or continuing to work in an unsafe OS.
8. Make Me Feel Like You Are Punishing Me For Delaying the Reboot. I really do know that these two things are probably unrelated, but why did I lose a blog post I was working on (admittedly I should know better than this) when IE would not connect to the Internet when I tried to save the post right after I chose not to reboot immediately? Why is FireFox not the answer? 1. As best as I can tell FireFox's pop-up blocking or something else keeps me from using the formatting and URL buttons in Movable Type. 2. You can try to run Windows Update through a browser other than IE - I'll watch. In fact, I did try it and the page would not display.
9. Don't Give Me Any Reassurances. The reason I chose not to reboot was because I was afraid something wacky might have happened when I did. How about a little message that says "update successful and everything is working great" that promptly displays when I reboot?
10. Microsoft Isn't the Only One. I actually like many things Microsoft does and take some criticism because I do. My beef is that they continue to make it too difficult to be a good customer. I have a whole list of others I could pick on, but they didn't make me lose a blog post today. It's not really fair to criticize FireFox yet on "customer service" issues, but jeez Louise there is a lot of work that needs to be done before that's a 1.0 product. McAfee - thank you for setting up your updates so I can't download them directly from your site with either IE or FireFox even when I turn off pop-up blockers like you tell me. There are others - you know who you are.
Look, here's my point of view. Microsoft works hard on fixing security problems. That's a good thing. I'd like to be happy in the Microsft desktop world because, well, because that's where I happen to be. The last project I feel like taking on now is a full conversion out of the Microsoft world. I'm not sure anyone is ready yet to see how the Open Source model will work for security patches when Open Source apps come under the same intense and frequent attacks as Windows does. We got a taste of that in the past week when a security hole was identified and fixed in Mozilla/FireFox. (Note to FireFox - consider making it clear on the download site that by downloading the newest version and installing it I did in fact patch the problem).
It's hard to be careful out there. Maybe we should be working on ways to make it less difficult.
Coming soon: I question why when I set up Outlook to prompt me if someone requests a receipt that I have received his or her message that the default behavior is to turn back on automatic responses for all messages. I certainly believe that I have only authorized a response to a selected message. Could that be why I suddenly got more spam until I noticed that the default setting had been changed, primarily because I saw outgoing messages being sent when I knew that I wasn't sending any? Maybe spammers sending messages asking for receipts were getting validation that my email address was active and I inadvertently undid all the benefits of my "safe" email practices? Ironically, I noticed this after I gave a talk on spam prevention where I told people to turn the automatic response setting either to "off" or "prompt," so my audience didn't get to play "laugh at the expert."
The morale of the story: when I lost a blog post, somebody is going to get criticized and the more significant I feel the loss is, the less likely it is that I'll be criticizing myself. And, yes, not only have I heard of SharpMT, I have actually installed and used it. Unfortunately, not earlier today. Will I learn a lesson? Who knows."
Source: DennisKenndy.blog, 14 July 2004
From the e-newsletter: " ‘In 1992, FedWorld was established by The National Technical Information Service (NTIS), an agency of the U S Department of Commerce, to serve as the online locator service for a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the Federal Government.’ The site provides access to searchable databases of federal government job listings, government research and development publications, Supreme Court decisions, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and documents, science and technology resources, and government Web sites.”
http://www.fedworld.gov/
Source: LII Librarians' Index to the Internet
NEW THIS WEEK for 15 July 2004
Copyright 2004 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.
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In the news: “In a legal action that may break new ground, a reservist judge advocate general has filed a federal class action over a U.S. Army rule. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a policy that prohibits JAG corps members from engaging in the civilian practice of law. The complaint asserts that the rule fails to distinguish between active-duty and reservist JAGs and gives the Army broad power to prevent reservists' civilian practice.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 19 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tom Mighell posts: “Google has added a new feature to its toolbar that allows the user to navigate the Web by typing in a name rather than a URL. The update will be uploaded automatically to all users, but as of yesterday not everyone had been updated. Search Engine Watch has more."
Source: Inter-Alia, 16 July 2004
From the e-newsletter: "Attorney, legal marketing specialist and legal blogger, David Maizenberg discusses the recently announced Am Law 100 and why Knowledge Management is largely dependent on law firm culture."
Read more
Source: TOOLS OF THE TRADE
A FindLaw Monthly Law And Technology Resource
July 2004
Copyright © 2002 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved
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New California Marketing Laws and How They May Impact Your Business
From the e-newsletter: "Two California laws are scheduled to take effect in the coming months, one on July 1, 2004 and one on January 1, 2005, that may significantly impact your business, even if your business is not based in California. These laws govern marketing activity and the collection of information from California residents."
Read more about it
Source: TOOLS OF THE TRADE
A FindLaw Monthly Law And Technology Resource
July 2004
Copyright © 2002 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved
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From the e-newsletter: "Microsoft Corp. released a tool on Tuesday for removing a particularly pesky computer virus - but was not yet able to offer a software patch to prevent the infection from spreading. Stephen Toulouse, a security program manager with Microsoft, could not say when the patch to thwart the virus, called "download.ject," might be completed. The virus was discovered in late June and exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser."
Read the full story
Source: TOOLS OF THE TRADE
A FindLaw Monthly Law And Technology Resource
July 2004
Copyright © 2002 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved
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On the newswire: "John Rigas and his son Timothy, who were convicted of the same corporate fraud charges, both face the possibility of 30 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. But downward departures in other courts suggest that the elder Rigas, who is 79 and has bladder cancer, can hope for a significantly shorter sentence. He could be freed in a few years, while Timothy, 47, could be imprisoned until he is nearly as old as his father is now."
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 16 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Home Ownership FAQS
From the e-newsletter: "Whether you want to learn more about buying a house, selling your home, making home improvements, or filing a homeowner¹s insurance claim, FindLaw¹s Real Estate Center has answers to some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding real estate law."
http://public.findlaw.com/real_estate/homeownership/faq.html
Source: FindLaw's PUBLIC ADVISOR
A Weekly FindLaw Newsletter Providing News and Resources for the Public
15 July 2004, Issue # 41
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: "FindLaw¹s Criminal Law Center contains links to national crime prevention resources and those for your state. Click on the link below to get started:
http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/crime_prevention.html"
Source: FindLaw's PUBLIC ADVISOR
A Weekly FindLaw Newsletter Providing News and Resources for the Public
15 July 2004, Issue # 41
Copyright (c) 2004 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: “Those voluntary electronic filing programs that courts and agencies are launching will be mandatory before you know it. Is your firm ready? It should be. E-filing will affect almost all legal practices. But what exactly is it? It varies from one court or agency to the next, and that can be confusing when your staff tries to transfer its experience working with one to another. Learn from our primer.”
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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 15 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the e-newsletter: "Opera, my browser of choice for years upon years, has announced a series of one-click setups to give Opera an IE look and feel, for users who are migrating to Opera from IE. They're available at http://www.opera.com/startup/customize/.
Well, actually there are three setups here. There's one for IE/Firefox (including "skin", toolbar, menu, and keyboard shortcuts), one for Safari (including skin and toolbar) and one for Web developers (including skin, toolbar, menu, and keyboard shortcuts) along with instructions for setting them up. I installed the Web developer one and checked it out. Nice but pretty teeny icons."
Source: ResearchBuzz # 292
15 July 2004
Reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz.
Copyright 2004 Tara Calishain. All rights reserved.
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From the e-newsletter: "It's coming soon--- a new version of Windows Update that's now in beta, but that soon will replace the existing Windows Update for the general public. The new Update process (comprising the software that resides on your PC and a new Update site that coordinates with that software) has different defaults and behaves somewhat differently from the Update you're probably used to. Some changes--- such as the look and feel of the site--- are merely cosmetic, but other changes go deeper:
Take a look: The new article at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22104207 walks you through the whole new Update process, and includes screen- shots so you can see exactly what's coming. I'll lay out the benefits and drawbacks of using the new site now, in beta; and also show you what you'll get when the new site is released for real. Again, one way or another, we're going to have to deal with these changes, so you might as well get ready now! 8-)"
Source: The LangaList Standard Edition
15 July 2004
Copyright (c) 2004 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved.
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Tom Mighell posts: “If you read the newsletter, you have no doubt seen my "Help Desk" feature, where I offer tips on using your computer. I have so many tips to share with you, I won't possibly get around to mentioning them all. So today I'm debuting "Tip of the Day" -- hopefully you'll find it helpful!
Today, let's talk about printing from your browser -- did you know you can print only a portion of a web page? Just select the portion of the page you want to print, then choose File, then Print, and check the Selection radio button. This will work in both Internet Explorer and FireFox.”
Source: Inter-Alia, 15 July 2004
From the e-newsletter: "You probably already know about peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing programs like Kazaa. Now, the same folks who developed that have gone in another direction with a free tool that shares voices instead of files: It's free p2p internet telephony:
Hello again Fred, Long time subscriber (with a contribution about Auto-It) who just managed with a lot of trial and error a triple booting scenario on one of my PC's but that is not what I am emailing you about right now.
I am a little (or very :) ) surprised that you or one of the subscribers Never mentioned Skype: http://www.skype.com/
I am in no way related to the skype guys but I call myself an experienced user (more then 4 months intensive use) of this great freeware program- (at least for the time being I suppose).
It works like advertised, quality of sound is really better then that old phone.
All you need is a cable or ADSL connection and a simple mic and headphone (for no more than 15 or less dollars) and you are in business or better you are in calling mood (and of course an audio card with speakers).
The setup works like a breeze. (in little then 15 minutes you are ready to call a friend.
I tried to talk family and friends into this killer application ( it almost costs nothing to use) but it looks like Nobody seems interested in lowering their phone bills :)
Anyway : it lowered my bills significantly and a friend of mine crippled her bill in such a way that here phone company called here to ask if she was dead :) She went from 100% to a low 3% of her monthly bill. (really !)
Have a great weekend. Belgium calling :) Theo Lockefeer
Thanks, Theo. The software itself is free, and you can call other Skype users for free. If you want to reach non-Skype users--- people with ordinary phones--- a low-cost add-on service called SkypeOut lets you connect for about $0.015 (a cent and a half) a minute. (You can get the exact current rates from the site.) That's a very low cost--- much lower than most phone plans.
Skype is ad-free, and--- unlike the early Kazaa--- is apparently free from spyware, adware, and the like. Also unlike Kazaa, Skype has no legal clouds hanging over it: It's totally legit.
Skype has several competitors, and will have more in the future as some huge Telcos move in to "VoIP, or "voice over IP;" but for now the tiny http://www.freeworlddialup.com/ appears to be the closest alternative.
If you'd like more third-party info, there's a seemingly well-balanced independent review posted here (free signup required to access article): http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8357609.htm?1c"
Source: The LangaList Standard Edition
15 July 2004
Copyright (c) 2004 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved.
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From the blog: "New compilation, The electoral college, political parties, and elections 'Sites to help you with the voting process.' Compiled and written by Beth Jane Toren."
Source: The ResourceShelf, 15 July 2004
Time to Find an IE Alternative?
From the blog: "In-depth review of Opera 7.52 and Firefox 0.9.1."
Source: The ResourceShelf , 14 July 2004
Tom Mighell posts: “Any lawyers still using WordPerfect out there? Anyone? Anyone? I know several lawyers still use the Corel product, but the numbers are getting smaller. I imagine that resources for WordPerfect users must be hard to find, so that's what makes A Common Person's WordPerfect Macro Manual so great. I recently sat in an airport and talked for an hour with an opposing counsel about his huge library of WordPerfect macros, so I know this resource should come in handy for lawyers (thanks to Jim Calloway for the pointer).”
Source: Ernie the Attorney, 13 July 2004
From the site: "You could use a robust word processing program like Microsoft Word for years and still not know all the tricks to managing your documents most effectively. Even our guru, who has written 11 books on the software, finds a new feature in it almost every day. Take her advice and learn a few things about working with text, pictures, tables and more in your documents."
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Source: Law.Com, 1 July 2004
From the blog: “Matt Homann's Five by Five feature is intriguing: Ask five lawyers to share five key concepts with other lawyers. Ann M. Byrne of Quid Pro Quo had some ideas relevant to eLawyering:
2. Lawyers and the law would embrace technology and new ways of doing things. Many others have spoken far more eloquently than I could about technology and its role in the practice of law. I came to the legal profession from another career and had used computers intensively for years. I was astonished to see that only the secretaries had computers. I was amazed that the lawyers touched only the paper files and routinely misplaced their contents. I was stunned to see the index cards for checking conflicts and looking up case law. I could not understand how these people functioned. Everywhere I looked, people were drowning in paper. Things have improved some over the years I've been in practice. Yet, even today when I read the statistics on the number of lawyers who do not use any case management software, I am shocked.
Lawyers say they don't have time to learn how to use a computer, a computer program or a feature of a program. Lawyers also say that the systems they use work quite well and that they see no need to change they way they do things. I am reminded of the industries that saw no need to change how they did business and which are no longer in business today.
Lawyers have little incentive to be efficient, especially if they work on a billable hour model. Other billing models haven't convinced me, yet. Any way, very little of the practice of law is based on what makes sense or is efficient. The whole system needs to be revised and made more efficient and more modern. There are some bright spots of change on the horizon, which is encouraging.
The ability to successfully implement technology in the practice of law would, in my ideal world, be as highly valued as the ability to successfully try a case or the ability to write a cogent brief or the ability bring in clients. Lawyers and law firms would recognize that it takes many different abilities and skills to be successful in the practice of law. Each of those abilities and skills would be valued and considered when compensation and promotion decisions are made.
Thanks to Jeff Beard for the link.”
Source: eLawyerBlog, 8 July 2004
The entire essay is located on the web at:
http://www.bremernelson.com/blog/archives/000155.html
Rick Klau posts: “A number of people have asked for tips on how to get the most out of their weblogs. I’ve written on some topics before, but figured I’d gather my suggestions into one place, and post them here. Note: these tips presume a fair level of technical ability on your part. If this sounds like it’s over your head, then get one of your techie buddies to help you out — my own experience suggests that if you implement these approaches, you will see your visibility, traffic and Google PageRank go up (potentially significantly).
· Publish posts individually. Some blogs give you the option of publishing multiple posts per page (Radio, for example, defaults to publishing posts by day, so multiple posts on the same day show up on the same day’s page. Movable Type offers this as an option.) Publishing posts individually will give you more pages on your site, will make it easier to link to your posts, and will increase your page views. Google’s PageRank is influenced by the number of pages on your site, so it makes sense that the more pages on your site, the more likely that your site can see an increased PageRank. (The higher your PageRank, the more likely you are to show up high in Google search results.)
· Create a naming convention for your individual pages. It’s strange to me that Movable Type uses incremental numbers as its default file-naming convention. Who could possibly look at www.blog.com/archives/0004241.html and understand what it points to? I implemented Mark Pilgrim’s cruft-free URLs suggestions, which publishes each post to a file that uses the words from the post title (so this post is published at /archives/2004/07/09/get_more_out_of_your_blog.php). More than anything else, creating a naming convention that’s predictable will make transitioning to another weblog application painless. (Blogger has no way of knowing Movable Type’s numbering convention, but Blogger can understand publishing to a /year/month/day/name convention.) As a result, when you convert to a new weblog platform, your transition will be seamless to your visitors. (I’m on my third weblog application.)
· Use words in your page name. Google gives more weight to words in a page name than words on a page. If someone searches Google for “get more out of your blog”, the fact that this post is published to a file named “get_more_out_of_your_blog” will increase the likelihood that Google will point to my post. Reading Mark Pilgrim’s “cruft-free URLs” above will tell you how to do this in Movable Type; other systems (like TypePad and Blogger) do this by default. Not only does the increased visibility to Google help increase your site’s traffic, it will make post-publication editing much easier. (Have you ever stared at a directory with 1000 files in it and tried to figure out which file you wanted? “Hmm… is it 004257.html or 004258.html? No wait. Maybe it was 004527.html.”)
· Include comments and trackbacks on your posts. With all due respect to Dennis Kennedy, I disagree that the answer to comment spam is to turn them off. Letting people comment on my site increases the likelihood that they’ll stop by from time to time. (Not all of my readers have blogs — by a long shot, so just telling them to write their comments on their own blogs is not a good answer.) Not only does this increase your traffic, but you also share your own visibility with those who take time out to write. This is good karma, and it’s part of how the blogosphere should work.
· Publish full RSS feeds of your site. Nothing frustrates me more than a blog that doesn’t give me a full feed. I’m not as vigilant as Scoble on this point, but I’m getting there. My reasons for full RSS feeds differ a bit than Scoble’s: while I’m mildly annoyed when I can’t read the entire post in my aggregator, I’m more annoyed by the information lost in an excerpt. I can’t see who you’re linking to, I can’t see any relationships between posts among various RSS feeds. (For more on this, read my post on Threaded RSS
· and how full-text feeds dramatically increase my ability to see conversations among and across blogs. For those who are worried about the need for RSS measurement (Jeff Jarvis has long posted on this requirement), then start using FeedBurner and you’ll get everything you need.
Implementing these tips will yield some tangible results: your Google PageRank will increase, which will increase the amount of traffic to your site from Google. Overall readership will increase, as more people will subscribe to your feeds and services like Feedster and Technorati will index your content and send readers to you.
Did I miss a tip? Leave it in the comments. Good luck!"
Source: tins ::: Rick Klau's weblog, 9 July 2004
Jerry Lawson posts: “East Bay Business Times has an interesting article about lawyer use of the Internet, focusing on blawgs and Google as a research tool. Here's an excerpt that focuses on the latter:
Attorneys say Westlaw, Lexis-Nexis and other subscription databases are still the mainstays for reliable, up-to-date information. But if the first step in research doesn't appear obvious, some lawyers say Google isn't a bad place to start.
"It does become more a part of everyday use," said Walnut Creek attorney Michael Brown, who uses Google to research topics of personal and professional interest.
Brown's firm is fully immersed in the information age. Associates at Morgan Miller Blair enjoy the use of BlackBerry devices, and clients can access their cases privately via secured portals that the firm has set up on its home page. But when it comes to looking up case law or recent decisions, Google and Yahoo have their limitations, Brown said.
... Still, those who work in other law firms gush about the wealth of information and opportunities that can be found online.”
Source: NetLawBlog, 12 July 2004
Judges of the United States Courts
From the blog: "The Federal Judges Biographical Database provides information about all judges who have served on the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court and other life-tenured courts since 1789. The Federal Judges Biographical Database is updated through July 10, 2004. To view a judge's biographical entry, type in the judge's name (Last name, First name) or use the alphabetical index."
Source: The ResourceShelf, 11 July 2004
At Law.com: “Everyone in a law firm deserves respect -- even staff attorneys. And although many law firms maintain a strict pecking order, there are still ways to avoid being the resident Rodney Dangerfield. Break free of the "bullpen" of the same old faces; participate in team functions as much as possible; and, whether at a cocktail party or the firm cafeteria, don't overlook the value of socializing.”
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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire, 13 July 2004
Copyright 2004 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
From Gary Price: "A series of highly publicized security vulnerabilities found in Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser may be having an effect on the browser's market share, according to data compiled by WebSideStory, a San Diego Web metrics company. Over the last month, Internet Explorer's share of the browser market dropped by 1 percent, the first noticeable decline since WebSideStory began tracking the browser market in late 1999."
See also: Microsoft Faces Angry IE Users' Questions (internetnews.com)
Source: The ResourceShelf, 10 July 2004
Carolyn Elefant writes: "This week, the ever-maligned home office gets two votes in its favor as solo space of choice, at least when starting out. Dennis Kennedy offers his reasons here while Glenn Garnes of Lawyer' Lounge weighs in here. There's plenty more on the topic too, at our Online Guide."
Source: MyShingle, 9 July 2004