Popular Articles from the CPM ICYMI Newsletter (February 2023 – April 2023)
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. The following are a few popular links from the past issues of the newsletter.
Google Is Rolling Out Passkeys, the Password-Killing Tech, to All Accounts 5/5
The promise of the FIDO standard was the eventual death of the password, given a unique key. Google is ready to roll and invites you along. This article has everything you need to know to start a password free life with Google.
Make A Better PDF From Microsoft Word Using the Hidden Options 4/28
You can save a Word document to PDF natively from inside the Microsoft application, but to create bookmarks from styles, select specific pages, create a PDF/A, and add password security you may have thought you would have to use Adobe Acrobat or competing product. Turns out you do not, as long as you continue clicking the Options buttons.
7 Ways to Turn a Toxic Co-Worker into an Ally 4/21
Most everyone in the workforce has had to deal with someone who is difficult. The person may be argumentative, unpleasant, or unnecessarily critical of you. This article points out some realizations and tactics to make working with this person less challenging.
4 In-House Pet Peeves of Outside Counsel 4/14
Whether your client is in-house or a small business owner or an individual, these pet peeves of clients may cause you to lose business. Of the four, the most egregious may be talking down to the client.
The Power of Hybridizing Your Flat Fee 4/14
If your flat fees do not really cover the work done due to variables, consider a hybrid model. Author and immigration attorney Anuj Shah details what this might look like, and he stresses the need for clarity in the engagement agreement. By adopting a hybrid model that defines the scope and extent of work for a flat fee and an addendum for anything outside of that you can respect the clients’ needs and the work you do for them.
Find More and Faster in Word Using These Tricks 3/31
Advanced Find in Microsoft Word is more advanced now. You can find more word variations instead of a very literal search. You can use wild cards, ‘sounds like’, past/present/future tenses, ignore punctuation, and much more. These options appear in the search bar and, possibly more useful, in the Find/Replace function.
Gmail Tricks You Can Use 3/24
Gmail is a popular and powerful program. Like MS Outlook there are many not-entirely-obvious tools and shortcuts that can help you manage your email and speed up communications. Read on for a few helpful tips for managing your Gmail.
Free and Cheap Technology for Thrifty Lawyers 3/17
During the program “Weathering the Storm: Managing Your Firm Through an Economic Downturn” Erik Mazzone and Catherine Sanders Reach presented “Free and Cheap Technology for Thrifty Lawyers “. The initial presentation exceeded the allotted hour so this post includes a video for part 2, plus some annotations to the slide deck.
Warning: Don’t Let Google Manage Your Passwords 3/10
Microsoft Lists comes with the Microsoft 365 subscription for business. It is a hybrid spreadsheet/database. Unlike Excel, Lists is designed to manage data. Need a ticketing system to track inbound calls? Conflicts checking that is customizable and more robust than Outlook contacts or a spreadsheet? Tracking a probate matter? Microsoft Lists offers templates, customization, and is easy to use. You get automation, collaboration, and integration!
New Features in MS Word for 365 Subscribers 2/24
Microsoft 365 subscribers enjoy new features constantly appearing in the Office applications. Through the subscription, Microsoft Word has downloaded and installed software for Mac and Windows, as well as a browser version. Each version is a little different. New features frequently appear in the browser version before the installed software. Here are some new features and functions that have recently appeared in Microsoft Word.