Tips from the CPM ICYMI Newsletter (August – September 2021)
Every week subscribers receive the ICYMI enewsletter from the NCBA Center for Practice Management. The newsletter highlights tips, tools, trends, and techniques to help your law practice. Following are a few popular links from the past issues of the newsletter.
Technology Competence for Every Lawyer (October 01, 2021)
Jim Calloway points out that the comment to Rule 1.1 regarding technology competency applies specifically to technology as it pertains to the practice and business of practicing law. So, don’t fret it you don’t “get” Twitter – unless it is important for your firm’s ethical compliance or to competently represent your client. Follow the link to his article on essential tech skills all lawyers should have to be competent.
40 One-Sentence Email Tips (September 24, 2021)
Many of these are reminders (and this article uses some, er, spicy language) but many of these tips are on point for helping you manage your inbox.
Staying Up to Speed on Security (September 17, 2021)
In the September/October 2021 issue of Law Practice Magazine, Lucian Pera suggests lawyers have an ethical duty to read the news. Why? Because in order to maintain competency in technology, lawyers need to keep up to date with the latest security threats and breaches, be aware of when your firm needs to patch or protect a vulnerability and understand best practices for cybersecurity. Following are some great resources to subscribe to or follow to keep up to date with the constantly shifting sands of cybersecurity.
Design Thinking | A More Constructive Way to Think About Retirement (September 10, 2021)
If you are thinking about retiring (eventually) this article is a great resource to think about retirement as a positive step towards the new you. The interesting aspect of the article is to apply design thinking to the new path to help approach it with fluidity and constant reassessment.
How to Create a Drop-Down List in Microsoft Word (September 3, 2021)
While you can turn Word documents into fillable forms, you may just want to add a few drop-down menu options for readers. This post takes you through the process step by step.
Don’t Eschew the Comma! (August 27, 2021)
Laura Graham, Professor of Legal Writing at Wake Forest University School of Law, reveals that her students often avoid the comma. She outlines five key rules of comma usage, including the oft maligned serial comma. Remember – “Let’s eat Grandma!” or “Let’s eat, Grandma!”. Punctuation saves lives.
Question: Can I Tell My Friends I Represent [REDACTED]? (August 20, 2021)
The duty of confidentiality under Model Rule 1.6 is very broad. How broad? According to author Whitney Dunn “everything about the representation is confidential, even the fact of the representation itself”. There are, of course, some exceptions. This is all especially important to remember in your advertising, marketing, and blogging copy.
4 ‘Unproductive’ Habits That Make You More Productive (August 13, 2021)
Sometime being more productive means taking a break. This article reminds us that all work and no play makes Jack a (burned out and) dull boy.
How to Quickly Clean Up Your Microsoft Outlook Inbox (August 6, 2021)
If you are a MS Outlook user you may have noticed the Cleanup button (in the Home tab, Delete group). Perhaps you have ignored it because you were unsure what it does or were wary of automated deletion. This article explains what the Conversation Clean Up tool does and shows you how to customize where the cleaned emails go so you can change the default from the deleted folder for peace of mind.
Each week the ICYMI newsletter from the Center for Practice Management provides the latest practice management news in a digestible format. We do the curating, so you don’t have to! Missed an issue or want to see past issues? Visit the archives.