Technology applications that can be useful tools for lawyers were highlighted Tuesday during a presentation at The John Marshall Law School by Catherine Sanders Reach, Chicago Bar Association’s director of Law Practice Management and Technology.
Reach made the presentation as part of the law school’s Library Week events.
Her tips ranged from the useful but relatively low-tech suggestions on how best to craft an email to better ensure a timely response (offer options, keep it brief with main points near the beginning and use links for background info) to the latest hi-tech tools for protecting client confidentiality (email encryption options and programs that would destroy data remotely on stolen devices.
Here are five tech tips she offered:
- Some free or inexpensive apps (CamScanner and JotNot Scanner Pro) can improve scans taken with your smartphone or tablet device into readable-sized scans that let you adjust file size and resolution and save or share with other applications.
- You can protect client confidentiality on stolen mobile devices including laptops with Absolute Software LoJack for Laptops, which tracks down and disables computer data for a $40 annual fee.
- Because computer keyboards are among the most germ-filled items in any office, devices that can be washed in soap and water in a sink—including the Logitech Washable Keyboard—can help maintain a healthy environment for your office.
- Useful for attorneys wanting to present videos in court, snipreel.com allows users to capture only the portion of the video that is needed, rather than showing a longer clip or fast-forwarding to the relevant material.
- Harvard Business School has a free online “elevator pitch” builder that is useful for marketing your practice or for new lawyers looking for jobs. The website is https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/