The Legal Toolkit

In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, Jared Correia interviews lawyer and legal technology expert Nicole Black about how and why lawyers adopt mobile and wearable technology, how they are using tablets, smartphones, and smart watches in their practice, the role of cloud computing, and what to watch for in the legal ethics of wearables. Black discusses how the spread of cloud computing has made mob...

In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, Heidi Alexander interviews Alison Monahan and Lee Burgess, founders of the online resource Trebuchet Legal, about the steps to creating an alternative legal career path and what students should be doing in law school to prepare for the future. Monahan and Burgess each discuss their beginnings in big law firms and why they decided to seek out paths of advising...

In this episode of The Legal Toolkit, Jared Correia interviews data analytics specialists Patrick Fuller and Bill Sowinski about the analysis of current trends in the legal field, why and how a law firm should implement analytics, and the recommended technologies and processes for big and small law firms. Fuller discusses current trends in the Am Law 200, the Top 200 U.S.-based law firms ranked by...

Apple products are gaining traction in the legal field, particularly among solo and small firm lawyers. As more software and apps are being created for Apple computers and law firms are working in the cloud, using Macs in your legal practice is becoming a better option for many attorneys. But often, it can be intimidating or seem challenging to make the switch to a new computer. Changing operating...

Lawyers all know they should be networking, and most of them are, but there is an important distinction between the quantity and quality of your connections. Many lawyers are more comfortable networking with other lawyers and find themselves at the same conferences every year. But in order to be truly successful, a rainmaker, lawyers must become power connectors and apply strategic thinking and hi...

Whether it is from a coffee shop, home office, or library, more people than ever are working remotely. This includes employees at a law firm or business, but many of the principles could be applied to a solo lawyer working at home. The benefits of working from a remote office include shorter commutes, potentially flexible work hours, saving money on office space, and having the best employees for...

There has recently been an increase in virtualization of law practices and the rate at which firms are beginning to adopt internet-based technology solutions. There are significant advantages attached to those programs including mobility, flexibility, ease of installation and management, and decreased setup cost. But most lawyers don't know what a virtual office entails, are wary of trusting a rem...

New applications and accessories for the iPhone and iPad consistently promise to improve the professional and personal lives of lawyers. However, with limited time and so many options, it is difficult for busy lawyers to keep up with trends and make educated decisions about which products will make their practice more efficient and which might be distracting or impractical. Tech junkies and new iP...

In this increasingly saturated market, being a successful lawyer means standing out from the crowd and becoming the expert in a specific field. Due to economic pressures, it is now necessary for a lawyer to develop a powerful brand in order to make a good living. This means going above and beyond being a hard worker and a self-aware lawyer. Additional research in the field, networking, and self-pr...

It is important for lawyers to keep up with the newest pieces of technology. Software and products are constantly improving and it can be incredibly beneficial for a firm to switch to a new system. These new software packages can save time for lawyers who are then able to focus on new clients or marketing rather than busywork that can be automated. TechnoLawyer is a network of free legal newslette...

Many large law firms are embracing modern marketing strategies to be more competitive. Although some of the options are out of budget for smaller firms, there are many within reach. On this episode of Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia interviews Jennifer O'Leary Cathell from Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP. Together, they discuss what marketing paradigms and strategies small firms can adopt from the bi...

Many attorneys believe email is the most effective form of marketing communication because of list segmentation, custom content ability, and reach into mobile devices. On this episode Legal Toolkit, host Heidi Alexander is joined by email marketing expert Heather Jackson from Constant Contact. Together, they discuss the advantages of using email for marketing as well as the do's and don'ts associa...

When overwhelmed with work, some firms hire freelance attorneys to fill the gap between client demand and firm capacity. Whether it's niche expertise, transactional labor, or long-term temp. assignments, these contract attorneys are well-equipped to support the unique interests of their hiring firms. On this episode of Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia interviews talent placement experts Leila Kan...

Many people know Evernote as Cloud based storage for documents, but some might be surprised that it can be used in collaborative environments as well. With its advanced search functions, storage options, share features, and OCR ability, Evernote is becoming a friend to law offices everywhere. On this episode of Legal Toolkit, host Heidi Alexander is joined by tech expert Katie Floyd. Together, the...

How much time does your law firm or practice spend producing documents? Automated Document Generation can dramatically reduce that time while improving work product quality. Large firms have been doing this for many years but did you know there is a solution for small and mid-size firms? In this edition of Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia discusses the benefits of Automated Document Generation wi...

In this edition of Legal Toolkit, co-hosts Jared Correia and Heidi Alexander invite members of the LexisNexis team to discuss their latest report, Enterprise Legal Management Trend Reports, 2013 Mid-Year Edition: The Rise of “Large-Enough” Law Firms. The report concluded that the nation’s largest law firms are losing the market share to smaller rivals, referred to as the “large-enough” law firms....

MILO, short for Macs in the Law Office, started as a listserv for attorneys using Apple products in their law practices. Since it’s inception, the interest has increased to support MILOfest: a conference centered around how to use Apple products to benefit law practice. In this edition of Legal Toolkit, host Heidi Alexander invites the founder of MILOfest, Victor Medina, to discuss the goals and b...

Social media data presents significant challenges for lawyers when it comes to issues of investigation, preservation and discovery. Nonsense words, arcane acronyms and unexpected abbreviations are just some of the things that attorneys need to look for in order to effectively discover evidence via social media. In this edition of The Legal Toolkit, your host, Jared Correia, invites Trent Livingsto...

Office space is becoming less common as lawyers and entrepreneurs experiment with communal work spaces and home offices. “It comes down to time, money, and family,” Kelli Proia, aka the Stay@Home Attorney, said. When she began her practice, she was working part time and raising a family, and renting office space wasn’t practical. Now that she has mastered the ways of a stay at home attorney, she w...

On this episode of The Legal Toolkit, your host, Jared Correia, invites Jordan Furlong to discuss how the legal marketplace is changing and how law firms can react. “In the short term,” Furlong begins, “we’re going to see a lot more regulatory reform ending in a small set of really advanced legal services, exclusive to lawyers.” Jordan goes on to prognosticate respecting the specific effects that...

Adam Ziegler was a practicing attorney for ten years when he decided to leave his partnership at a Boston litigation boutique and become an entrepreneur. He is now co-founder and CEO of Mootus, a platform for open, online-legal argument. Lawyers and law students can open up legal discussion questions to their peers, who must provide the sources they use to validate their responses. “I always wante...

On this edition of The Legal Toolkit, host Jared Correia talks with Chad Burton about how to use virtual staff in your law practice. Burton’s law firm employs virtual staffing services to manage its phones, accounting, documents and secure email. Chad covers the use of virtual staff to assist in other areas, as well, including: managing social media channels, making travel arrangements, creating p...

Clients have an abundance of options when hiring an attorney. Often, it is a firm’s website that determines who they ultimately hire. On this episode of The Legal Toolkit, hosts Jared Correia and Heidi Alexander talk to Jeff Lantz about building an Internet brand and website that differentiates you from your competitors and attracts clients. Jeff Lantz is the founder and CEO of Esquire Interactive...

Desktop as a service, commonly known as DaaS, is a relatively new service which provides users access to their desktops from any computer via the cloud. Your hosts Jared Correia and Heidi Alexander invited Tom Rowe to talk about DaaS for lawyers. Rowe is a 4th generation attorney with an undergraduate degree in computer science and business administration. He now works as a technology consultant f...

Wondering where The Legal Toolkit has been for the past six months? Never fear, Jared Correia, your host and a Senior Law Practice Advisor with Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program ( Mass. LOMAP), is back. In this month’s episode meet the new co-host Heidi Alexander, also a Law Practice Advisor with Mass. LOMAP, who will be the newest addition to The Legal Toolkit team. Before jo...