The Immigration Law Firm Management Blog

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2010-04-23T15:56:00.001-04:00

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LENOVO MORPHS NOTEBOOK AND TABLET

2010-01-11T12:29:00.003-05:00

This was one of the cooler gadgets on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Lenovo has a notebook (the IdeaPad U1) that runs Windows 7. The screen can detach and the computer turns in to a tablet that then independently runs a Linux-based operating system. When re-attached, the devices sync up. CNET recognized the product in its Best Of awards from CES.

HOW TO "HACK" MORE SCREENS FOR YOUR IPHONE APPS

2010-01-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'll admit that I comb the iTunes app store for cheap apps for my iPhone. I'm an addict. There, I said it. And an addict needs his regular fix. So I was deeply disappointed to learn that the iPhone has a limit of 11 screens with 16 apps per screen. OR SO I THOUGHT!

A clever web developer named Daynah has figured a way to force the iPhone to let free some more real estate for your apps without doing anything more than moving around some of your icons. It was a little tricky - some reboots were necessary, specific apps had to be moved to specific locations, etc. But I can attest that it works as I have just created a 12th page on my iPhone.

TAKE HANDWRITTEN NOTES ON YOUR IPHONE

2010-01-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

Rick Boida's Business Hacks blog (which I recommend highly) has a link to an iPhone app that makes it easy to take handwritten notes on an iPhone instead of having to type.

STOP REBOOTS AFTER AUTOMATIC UPDATES

2010-01-04T10:59:00.003-05:00

I found this helpful and simple tip in Rick Broida's column in PC World Magazine. If you've ever had Windows automatically download updates and reboot, thus causing you to lose unsaved work (I have), then you'll recognize the benefit of this information. Here's what you do -

1. In Vista, click Start and type Windows Update and then hit Enter. In XP, you have to go to Control Panel and go to Automatic Update from the options menu.

2. In Vista, click Change Settings. Skip to the next step for XP.

3. In Vista, there is a drop down option that you click that says "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them." In XP, it is similar, but refers to letting you choose when to install updates.

4. Click OK and you're done.

WORKSNUG FINDS THE BEST PLACE TO GET WORK DONE

2009-12-02T11:35:00.002-05:00

This iPhone app caught my interest because I travel frequently and I'm often having to find a place to work that is quiet, has wi-fi, power outlets, etc. And that's not always easy. Right now, this is only available to iPhone 3GS users and only in London, but they're expanding to the US soon and hopefully it will catch on.

GOOGLE TAKES ON LEXIS AND WESTLAW

2009-11-18T19:14:00.002-05:00

A very interesting development. From Google:

As many of us recall from our civics lessons in school, the United States is a common law country. That means when judges issue opinions in legal cases, they often establish precedents that will guide the rulings of other judges in similar cases and jurisdictions. Over time, these legal opinions build, refine and clarify the laws that govern our land. For average citizens, however, it can be difficult to find or even read these landmark opinions. We think that's a problem: Laws that you don't know about, you can't follow — or make effective arguments to change.

Starting today, we're enabling people everywhere to find and read full text legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, appellate and supreme courts using Google Scholar. You can find these opinions by searching for cases (like Planned Parenthood v. Casey), or by topics (like desegregation) or other queries that you are interested in. For example, go to Google Scholar, click on the "Legal opinions and journals" radio button, and try the query separate but equal. Your search results will include links to cases familiar to many of us in the U.S. such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education, which explore the acceptablity of "separate but equal" facilities for citizens at two different points in the history of the U.S. But your results will also include opinions from cases that you might be less familiar with, but which have played an important role.

We think this addition to Google Scholar will empower the average citizen by helping everyone learn more about the laws that govern us all. To understand how an opinion has influenced other decisions, you can explore citing and related cases using the Cited by and Related articles links on search result pages. As you read an opinion, you can follow citations to the opinions to which it refers. You can also see how individual cases have been quoted or discussed in other opinions and in articles from law journals. Browse these by clicking on the "How Cited" link next to the case title. See, for example, the frequent citations for Roe v. Wade, for Miranda v. Arizona (the source of the famous Miranda warning) or for Terry v. Ohio (a case which helped to establish acceptable grounds for an investigative stop by a police officer).

As we worked to build this feature, we were struck by how readable and accessible these opinions are. Court opinions don't just describe a decision but also present the reasons that support the decision. In doing so, they explain the intricacies of law in the context of real-life situations. And they often do it in language that is surprisingly straightforward, even for those of us outside the legal profession. In many cases, judges have gone quite a bit out of their way to make complex legal issues easy to follow. For example, in Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court justices present a fascinating and easy-to-follow debate on the legality of internment of natural born citizens based on their ancestry. And in United States v. Ramirez-Lopez, Judge Kozinski, in his dissent, illustrates the key issue of the case using an imagined good-news/bad-news dialogue between the defendant and his attorney.

COOL GADGET WATCH - MOGO IPHONE BLUETOOTH

2009-11-09T19:50:00.002-05:00

Mogo has a reputation for producing accessories that neatly fit in other gadgets. A few years back I had a Mogo mouse that fit in the PC card slot on my laptop computer and charged while it was tucked away. Mogo has now figured a way to make a bluetooth earpiece fit in to an iPhone case so you never have to worry about losing it. Just don't lose your iPhone.

SPRINT'S MIFI 2200 ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN HOTSPOT

2009-10-26T09:22:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was traveling with my wife and kids and we were paying for Internet access in our hotel room. We all had our own laptops, iPod touches, etc. that we wanted to check from time to time, but because of the way our Internet connection was set up, we had to use just one computer and wait our turn. If we had the Sprint MiFi 2200, that might not have been an issue. The little gadget has the dimensions of about three stacked credit cards and uses Sprint's broadband mobile wi-fi service. Up to five users at a time can access the Internet through the device. I do have a few concerns about it such as

- how slow will the connection be if a few people are accessing it at the same time. Sprint's broadband access is not as fast as cable or DLS wi-fi and dividing up the bandwidth further could be noticeable.

- the price of $300 is a lot for the device and you're stuck with a two-year contract

- the monthly price of $60 is not cheap and you're limited to 5 gigabytes of bandwidth, something that can easily be reached if you want to use the gadget to watch television or movies on your computer.

Still, if devices like this become more commonplace, business travelers should be happy.

TIME TO BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE?

2009-09-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

PriceWaterhouseCoopers says the worst of the recession is over for law firms.

ARE LAWYERS SHACKLED BY ANTIQUATED ETHICS RULES?

2009-09-08T23:23:00.002-04:00

My friend Micah Buchdahl writes in the National Law Journal that it's time to revisit the arcane rules that govern the legal profession. He concludes

What exactly am I advocating here? Let ambulance-chasing lawyers run amok? Isn't that the real image and concern behind these arcane rules? Open the floodgates with distasteful and unprofessional billboards, Web sites and commercials? No — just let law firms market the way nearly every other business does. There are state and federal regulations that address consumer fraud and misleading claims. Let them deal with it. Many lawyers and law firms are trying to survive and prosper. The very people who should be helping them should start thinking about not being obstacles to their ability to earn a living. (Some) people are smart. They know the difference between a commercial and the news. I think they can figure it out.

CONTROLLING YOUR SMARTPHONE BY VOICE

2009-08-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

My friend Mark Tamminga has a great article in the latest issue of Law Practice, the magazine of the ABA's Law Practice Management Section. The article talks about a product called iLane which links via bluetooth with your Blackberry or iPhone and reads your emails to you when you're driving. It also allows you to reply to your messages via voice and it reads your calendar reminds aloud as well so you don't accidentally miss something important. The price is still too steep for most - more than $500, but the technology is cool and will probably prevent some accidents.

2009 INNOVACTION AWARDS ANNOUNCED

2009-08-06T22:48:00.002-04:00

I had the honor of serving on the judges' panel for this year's College of Law Practice Management Innovaction Awards. The winner was announced today and I think you'll agree that the honoree really is deserving. Here are the details from the COLPM web site:

Israeli legal organization, New Family is the 2009 recipient of the coveted InnovAction Awards from the College of Law Practice Management while New York-based legal services provider Practical Law Company, Inc. received the first-ever InnovAction Honorable Mention Award.

For the fifth year, the InnovAction Awards have recognized outstanding innovation in the delivery of legal services, demonstrating to the legal community what can happen when passionate professionals, with big ideas and strong convictions, resolve to create effective change.

Meet our 2009 InnovAction winner!

New Family Organization
Family, Justice and Law initiative

Irit Rosenblum broke fresh ground defending a universal right to family as intrinsic to the practice of law. Rosenblum pioneered a new sphere of legal rights surrounding the family based on the conviction that the rights to marry, divorce, have children, bequeath and inherit assets, and conduct family life are human rights and must be attainable to all regardless of faith, nationality, sexual orientation or status. She founded New Family to fill a critical gap in the practice of law in Israel: to attain the right of every individual to establish a family and to exercise equal rights within it. For the 2 million people in Israel who are subject to discrimination due to family status, New Family’s achievements have been invaluable.

In addition, for the first time, the InnovAction Awards offered Honorable Mentions to entries that have taken an existing innovation in the practice of law, transformed it in a unique and valuable way, and made it better than before.

Here is our very first InnovAction Honorable Mention:

Practical Law Company, Inc.
Creating Efficiency for business lawyers

Practical Law Company (PLC) is changing the way business lawyers work. It employ attorneys with significant experience practicing with the world’s leading law firms and legal departments (e.g. Davis Polk, Skadden, Pfizer, Sullivan & Cromwell) to provide practical, up-to-date resources that help business lawyers practice more efficiently and provide greater value to clients. PLC provides the practical, generic level of information needed by all business lawyers that allows them to get up to speed quickly, stop reinventing the wheel and focus on client and firm specific work. It launched its first US services in December 2008 to wide market acceptance. PLC began in the UK in 1990.

The five InnovAction judges were greatly impressed by the groundbreaking ideas in the submissions from law firms and companies in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East", said Jordan Furlong, editor of the Canadian Bar Association's National magazine and chair of the 2009 awards program.
The 2009 InnovAction Awards will be presented on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at a special session during the 2009 Futures Confernce held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the College of Law Practice Management in Denver, CO. Please visit www.innovactionaward.com for more information.

REDUCING THE SIZE OF SCANNED PDF DOCUMENTS

2009-08-04T22:29:00.002-04:00

Adobe's Rick Borstein, the company's legal market guru, has a blog on using Adobe Acrobat that is geared toward lawyers and is well worth adding to your RSS feed if you rely on the product.

Rick's got a good post up right now on reducing PDF's to more manageable sizes. If you rely on your scanner like I do, this is not an inconsequential issue.

MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010

2009-07-15T00:17:00.003-04:00

I've been selected to test an early version of Microsoft 2010! Will the new version run faster and have new features that make the product even better? I'll let you know what I think after having a chance to play around with the software for a few days.

OUTSOURCE THE SCANNING OF YOUR MAIL

2009-07-13T14:37:00.002-04:00

We've been moving in the direction of a paperLESS law firm and one of the next items on our list of tasks is to have our receptionist scan all of our daily mail and enter the scanned documents in to our case management system.

I read with interest an article in today's New York Times that might offer a way to outsource some of that function if it turns out to be too much for our receptionist. The article discusses the services of a company called Earth Class Mail that receives your mail and scans it for you. Here's how it works -

1. You choose one of Earth Class Mail's addresses and then notify your mailers.
2. Earth Class Mail receives your mail, scans the envelope and emails you the scan.
3. You then tell ECM to a) scan the contents and email to you, b) shred and/or recycle the letter and c) forward the mail on to you.

The company represents that it has security controls to ensure confidentiality.

I do see some problems with this system. For one, notifying everyone of the change in address would be a pain. And if you don't like the company, you're going to have to notify everyone again of a new address. Also, if you need a hard copy of the letter right away, you're looking at a delay because the letter needs to be remailed. And, of course, you need to determine if the costs are worth it or if you can do the job in house.

Still, the idea here is intriguing and worth consideration.

Incidentally, paperLESS is a term coined by my friend Ross Kodner who is the ultimate guru for law offices moving in this direction. Ross recommended the Fujitsu ScanSnap printers which we're using (and loving) in our office.

MARKETING TIP: GET YOUR LOGO ONLINE

2009-07-08T09:23:00.002-04:00

Need a quality logo in a hurry and don't want to spend a lot of money? I've recently discovered the site Logotournament.com. Here's the concept - offer a prize of at least $250 and complete a short questionnaire describing your firm or other organization seeking a logo. Logotournament then guarantees you'll get at least 30 submissions from graphic artists. You rank the artists and give feedback and then choose a winner at the end and download your new logo. I've got a firm logo already, but needed a logo for a 5-K race my daughter is organizing for a charity. So I tried the site out late last night and already have some very nice contenders.

TIP: MAKE YOUR GOOGLE RESULTS DISPLAY DATES PUBLISHED

2009-07-06T23:24:00.002-04:00

I use Google for both factual and legal research, but one of the shortcomings of the way Google displays search results is the lack of date listings. Or so I thought. It IS possible to show dates next to your search results by posting a short code at the end of the URL for the search results.

For example, suppose you're looking for information on Postville, the site of a major immigration raid last year. You want to see if there are recent developments in the various prosecutions related to the raid.

The Google search results for "Postville" and "raid" can be found at

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=Postville+raid&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g2&fp=9H_fFVtkJ-U

Add the code "&as_qdr=y15" and you'll see the dates the various pages were updated.

So the URL you'll want to plug in to your browser would be

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=Postville+raid&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g2&fp=9H_fFVtkJ-U &as_qdr=y15

For more information, check out this article.

WIKIPEDIA MOBILE LAUNCHES

2009-07-06T21:02:00.003-04:00

Another major web site has launched a mobile version easily readable on iPhones, Blackberries and other portable devices. Wikipedia Mobile has now left beta testing and in its first few days has already had 18,000,000 hits. You don't need to remember the address (mobile.wikipedia.com) if you just go to Wikipedia's site on a browser on your PDA. Wikipedia will automatically detect your browser and direct you to the mobile site which is designed to load quickly and is formatted in a manner easy to read on a small screen.

LAWYERS IN A HURRY

2009-04-02T09:32:00.002-04:00

Daydreaming about good economic times down the road? Maybe all of the work that would come in if immigration reform actually passed? But wait, how would you handle all of that work in your little practice? At least one new company has a solution. Law Clerk Connection has set up a web site where you can list projects and lawyers and law clerks actually bid to handle the work.

HEY! PASTE IT

2009-03-17T00:53:00.004-04:00

Here's a web app that you would never think of on your own, but when you hear what it does, you realize that you probably can use it. If you are working on one computer and want to cut and paste something to view later on another computer, usually you'll try and email yourself or put the text on a USB flash drive and move between computers. With Hey! Paste It, you cut and paste on their web site and you're given a unique web address where you can later find it. Thanks go to my friend Ross Kodner for this tip.

WIKI WIKI

2009-03-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

You know Wikipedia so you get the concept - collaborating on work projects via a web site that allows multiple people to contribute and edit. New wiki applications are now available which make it possible to create your own wiki for your collaborative writing projects. One example can be found at PBwiki which is targeting the legal community.

BEST OF CES: TELEPHONE AND PDA DEVICES

2009-02-22T13:53:00.004-05:00

There were several new telephone products at CES that brought new and innovative features to the marketplace.

The Panasonic KX-TH1212 phone system could be a good solution for a small office practitioner looking to save money on paying for a cell phone and an office landline. The system is an expandable bluetooth phone system that sends your cell phone call to a phone system with multiple handsets. You don't need to bother connecting the cell phone each time because the bluetooth signal automatically is picked up the phone system. This is also an obvious solution for saving the cost of a landline at home as well. And at a retaile price well under $100, the price is right.

If you are in your car a lot and agree that handling a cell phone is annoying and dangerous (and even illegal in some places), you might want to get a bluetooth car kit which acts as a speaker phone wirelessly connecting to your cell phone. I've had one of these gadgets for over a year, but the products have been rapidly improving. LG's HFB-500 is very small, is powered by solar energy and has 16 hours of talk time and an amazing 1,100 hours of standby time between charges. The street price on the HFB-500 is around $75.

One of the first gadgets I bought for myself after seeing something at CES is Plantronics' Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece. I've avoided using the clunky, ugly bluetooth earpieces I've seen on the market, but this vframe design caught my attention and it is small and comfortable. And at about $75, it is also reasonably priced.

BEST OF CES: CAMERAS

2009-02-21T21:10:00.004-05:00

I had the chance to get to the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show this year and saw lots of great products that will soon be making their way to law offices around the country. Here are the products that made my favorites' list.

Let's start with cameras.

Samsung had a number of fabulous new products, one of which is its new SSD camcorder. The camera has an internal 64 gigabyte, 4.7 megapixel flash drive that films in 1080p high definition. Because it is using a solid state drive rather than a regular hard drive, it has a longer battery life and also can withstand shocks and vibrations better.

Sony had several innovative new products that are worth a mention.

The Sony Cybershot T500 is a pocket-sized 10 megapixel camera. That's a nice number of megapixels, but what makes this camera unique is that it is also a high definition movie camera that can record video in 720p clarity.

Sony's done the reverse with its HDR-CX12 video camera. The high definition camera also is a camera for photos. But it has a very interesting feature. It's the first camcorder with Smile Shutter technology allowing for automatic photo capture when the person in the frame smiles. So you can be recording a video and the camera is also recording still photos every time it catches a person smiling.

The Alpha DLSR-A900 Digital Camera really packs a remarkable punch. The A900 has the distinction of being the world's highest resolution digital SLR camera - 24.6 megapixels! That's mammoth.

Finally, the Sony Cybershot T700 is another 10 megapixel camera, but this one comes with 4 gigabytes of internal memory which means you can store up to 40,000 photos on the camera without having to worry about inserting a memory card.

Sony wasn't the only winner in the camera category. And if you haven't heard the name Polaroid in a while, the company has a new camera that modernizes their famous concept. Snap a picture with their little pocket PoGo digital camera and it pops out print photos instantly.

And one camera that is going to be hard to claim is a business necessity, but is cool nonetheless is Liquid Image's scuba/swim mask with a built in camera. The model 310 films video and also snaps pictures with 5.0 megapixels of memory.

SENDING BIG FILES

2009-02-02T00:51:00.002-05:00

Ever been frustrated when you were not able to email a file to someone because it was big and the recipient's email server wouldn't accept it? You might consider various free file storage service like Drop.io, GigaSize.com, Yousendit.com or Sendspace.com. You can upload files to those services without loading any software and then the recipient of your choice can download the document by following the link in an email that the service sends. Yousendit.com has a nice extra service. You can install an Outlook plug-in which allows you to hit a button that says "attach by YouSendIt" and a file that is attached to the email will instead route through YouSendIt.

NY TIMES: IS THE BILLABLE HOUR DYING?

2009-01-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

I've been active in law practice management organizations for years and for all those years, the gurus have been preaching the gospel of flat and alternative billing over charging by the hour. A lawyer may be as honest as the day is long, but with hourly billing, there is no incentive to quickly and efficiently solve problems. Even when the fee is completely fair, the client is naturally suspicious. And it's human nature to hate surprises, particularly when it involves money. If you want to see your business increase and your collections rise, charge for the job and not by the hour. This has largely been the rule for many years in the immigration bar, but I'm always surprised at how many lawyers still charge by the hour (particularly at the big firms).

The NY Times has a front page article this morning on the subject. I suspect the piece by Jonathan Glater will be talked about in firms all over the country today.

TECH: TRACK TRAVEL PLANS WITH TRIPIT

2009-01-06T10:57:00.002-05:00

Most of us travel out of town with scraps of paper, print outs of reservations, and miscellaneous notes about our hotel, car, air and dining arrangements. TripIt is a free online service that helps you organize your travel plans. You can manually enter your information. But what makes the service unique is that you can email your travel receipts to TripIt and it will automatically enter them in to your itinerary.

EDUCATION: USE THE WEB TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

2009-01-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

Always wanted to learn French but don't have the time to go take a class after work? Check out Mango, an interactive online language system that focuses on conversation skills.

FINANCE: SHOEBOXED.COM SCANS YOUR RECEIPTS

2008-12-15T01:32:00.002-05:00

Shoeboxed.com outsources some of the more time consuming, mundane tasks in the day to day management of your office. The company will take your receipts, scan them and sort the data into a database you can see online. You can then edit as necessary and export the data in to a file that will make life easier for your bookkeeping folks. Shoeboxed.com has just started a similar service for business cards.

MARKETING: GET A LOGO

2008-12-15T01:01:00.002-05:00

And I'm not talking about a Statue of Liberty or American flag like some of the weaker immigration firm ads and letterhead I've seen over the years. If you can't afford a graphic artist to help you, try out some of the free logo design web sites like Logo Ease or LogoMaker.

POSTAGE AND SHIPPING - TRACKMYSHIPMENTS

2008-12-15T00:16:00.002-05:00

If you make purchases over the Internet or via telephone, when you get a shipping notification email, forward it to track@trackmyshipments.com and it will monitor the progress of the delivery of your shipment. Go to Trackmyshipments.com for a free account.

TECH - A VERY SMART PEN

2008-12-14T23:51:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago I bought one of the first digital pens. It wrote like a regular pen, but put it in its dock and everything I wrote magically appeared on the screen in my exact handwriting. Now a new digital pen from Livescribe takes it a step further. The pen can record sound while it also records your writing. Later on you can tap your pen at different points on your note paper or click the mouse on the screen at a place in your notes and you'll hear precisely what was said at the time you wrote the note.

TECH - THE AGE OF THE HANDHELD PROJECTOR IS HERE

2008-12-14T23:40:00.002-05:00

It's not nearly as powerful as the larger projectors, but still..

Plug your laptop or cell phone in to the little 5.4 ounce MPro110 from 3M and it will beam a 50 inch image (in a dark room) or 10 inch image (in bright light). By next year, 3M plans to build the technology directly into cell phones and other handheld gadgets.

ABA TECHSHOW PREVIEW

2008-02-22T10:11:00.002-05:00

My friends Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway have a nifty new law office technology podcast show hosted by the ABA Law Practice Management Section. Check out there latest podcast previewing the ABA Techshow next month. I'll be there and look forward to seeing many of you.

THE WORLD OF THE FUTURE: 1999

2007-12-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

Conan O'Brien's humorous running gag "In the year 2000" makes fun of the future promised us in The Jetsons. Where are the flying cars? The robotic maids?

This little video from 1967, however, does an astoundingly good job of predicting the future of home computing.

HOW TO DISPOSE OF AN OLD CELL PHONE

2007-12-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

The ABA Legal Technology Resource Center has a good article posted on how to get rid of that old mobile phone. It's not just disposing of the phone that's an issue. You'll also need to purge all personal and financial data to protect yourself as well as any information that may be considered confidential client communications.

VOLTAIC BACKPACK : YOUR BAG BECOMES YOUR POWER SOURCE

2007-11-24T02:08:00.000-05:00

The Voltaic backpack has solar panels built in to the fabric that can turn the bag in to a battery to recharge cell phones, iPods and PDAs. The $250 price tag is a bit steep, but this could be a great accessory for people who travel a lot.

AMLAW TECHNOLOGY MARKETING SLIDES

2007-11-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

Here are the slides from my presentation today at the AMLAW COO/CMO conference in New York.

| View | Upload your own

GLIFFY OFFERS ONLINE FLOWCHART SOFTWARE

2007-11-06T09:46:00.000-05:00

Gliffy is a new Web 2.0 application that will offer Microsoft's Viseo some competition in the market. There's a free version, but the software's $20 per year price tag makes the premium version very affordable.

FILES ANYWHERE - NEW WEB 2.0 FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

2007-10-27T15:31:00.000-04:00

Found some great tips at Ross Kodner's site today.

Here's an interesting online document management system that is reasonable and offers numerous solutions for law offices. FileAnywhere allows for users to store documents online, have a check in/check out system for firms to build document libraries and a file share system that links in Outlook to bypass limits on sending large files.

VANCOUVER TO HOST PACIFIC LEGAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

2007-10-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

If you can make it to Vancouver next week, there's a legal technology conference with great sponsors and an all-star list of speakers. I know some of the organizers and know that they will be putting on a high quality event.

MICROSOFT OFFERS ONLINE DOCUMENT SHARING AND STORAGE

2007-10-01T11:51:00.000-04:00

Microsoft continues chasing Google. This is not quite as good as having online versions of its Microsoft Office products, but it's still welcome news. The program won't go live until later in the year, but you can sign up here.

KENSINGTON ROLLS OUT ULTRA-LIGHT PORTABLE POWER PACK

2007-09-21T00:27:00.000-04:00

The Kensington Portable Power Pack can recharge your phone, PDA, iPod or other small device. It's just 3.5 ounces and has an LED display showing how much battery time is left. You can recharge via USB on your computer or by plugging it in to the wall.

NEW FUJITSU LIFEBOOK - IS IT A LAPTOP OR A PDA?

2007-09-20T23:21:00.000-04:00

This new gadget from Fujitsu is a mini-tablet just a little bigger than your typical PDA. It will run you about $1000, but you'll get a fully functional PC in exchange. Laptop Magazine has the review.

GPS THUMB DRIVES

2007-09-20T22:57:00.000-04:00

You can make your laptop GPS-enabled with this interesting little gadget from I-O Data. It will set you back about $200.

CELL PHONE PROJECTORS ON THE WAY

2007-09-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

Holy Moley! That's cool.

GOOGLE DOCS ADDS PRESENTATIONS

2007-09-20T01:08:00.000-04:00

Google Docs has added presentation software to its online word processing and spreadsheet applications. If you know how to use PowerPoint, you'll be able to figure this software out pretty quickly. Like other Google Docs files, you store them online, can collaborate with others and also publish the slideshow online for anyone to see.

MANAGE ALL TRAVEL ITINERARY WITH TRIPIT

2007-09-20T00:47:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty clever Web 2.0 application. You know all those email receipts you get when you book flights, cars, hotels, etc. online? If you forward the emails to an email address belonging to TripIt, the web site will mine the key data from the emails and build an itinerary. TripIt also allows you to add maps, a travel guide for your destination, see the weather in your destination and show your itinerary to your friends.

SEND LARGE FILES TOO BIG FOR EMAIL

2007-09-16T10:19:00.000-04:00

Ever try and send a file to a client and then the email bounced because the attachment was too large? Then try YouSendIt. The file delivery service allows you to send large files via YouSendIt's online email template and your recipient can then log in and download the file from YouSendIt's server. Setting up an account was a snap and sending a file was as easy as logging in to YouSendIt's web page with your user name and password, typing in the recipient's email address and browsing to the file you are sending on your computer. If you can send an email attachment in your email program, you already have the skills necessary to use this "Software as a Service" program. You can even download a free plug-in for Microsoft Outlook 2003 that allows you to

YouSendIt has a free service and then premium services that may make sense if you are a heavy user of the program, want tech support or you want to avoid seeing ads in the notification emails, you might want to sign up for a paid account. Subscription fees run from about $10 a month on up.

POWER YOUR GADGETS FROM AIRPLANE HEADPHONE JACK

2007-09-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

Turn any airplane headphone jack into an outlet for your gadgets with this new device. It won't power a notebook, but you can certainly run your iPod or PDA with it.

PHRASEEXPRESS: AUTOCORRECT ON SPEED

2007-09-07T01:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a handy free tool from Bartels Media. Turn off AutoCorrect in Word and let PhraseExpress store your stock phrases and addresses and have them pop up whenever you type pre-set hotkeys and codewords.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR LIBRARY

2007-09-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

I've found a nice tool that allows you to easily keep track of all the books in your law library or in your home if you're a book collector. Collectorz.com allows you to type an ISBN number or a title and then searches Amazon.com and the Library of Congress and downloads the information including the book's cover art and a quick plot summary. You can then add your own comments on the book. The free version of the software allows adding up to 100 books. For $40, you can get the unlimited version allowing for as many downloads as you want.

BEYOND BEST BUY

2007-09-06T12:12:00.000-04:00

If you are so ahead of the curve that you need to get gadgets not yet available in the US, check out dynamism.com. They specialize in finding cool products not available at home, they translate manuals in to English and install US versions of the pre-loaded software when available.

32 GB SD CARDS COMING

2007-09-06T00:38:00.000-04:00

Toshiba has these babies coming in January. They'll be pricey, but, wow, you can get the equivalent of an entire iPod's memory on a tiny SD card. It's enough space to effectively back up your entire computer.

REMOVE VOCALS FROM MP3 SONGS

2007-09-05T13:16:00.000-04:00

Want to turn any song into an instrumental for use as a ring tone or a karaoke song? If you use the free Audacity program (I use it for recording podcasts), you're in business. Here's a helpful video showing you what to do.

CORSAIR THUMB DRIVES COME WITH A VIRTUAL PADLOCK

2007-08-31T11:57:00.001-04:00

Thumb drives are great, but they're also easy to lose since they're so small. Corsair has a clever design that secures those gadgets. The little drives have buttons that allow you to store a PIN code to unlock the device.

AUTOMATE YOUR SCHEDULING

2007-08-31T11:30:00.000-04:00

Having difficulty getting everyone lined up for a conference call? Want to block off hours for clients to speak with you and not have to play phone tag getting it all set up? Try iPolipo.com, the online scheduling service that integrates with your Outlook and then allows people to see blocks of time on your calendar that are free. They won't see your private information - just the blocks of time you are available. Your contact will select a time that is adjusted for their time zone and then send an appointment request. You can then accept or reject. Pretty simple.

CUT DOWN ON YOUR CABLES

2007-08-26T00:22:00.000-04:00

Just spotted this clever idea - a double AC charger that allows you to charge two devices at once. I have a Dell Axim, a Samsung phone and an iPod with me when I travel. And that means three separate wall chargers. The Gomadic charger allows you to pick the tips to go with most of the devices out there. All three of my gadgets were available and the price for the whole set up is less than $50.

HANDS=FREE SPEAKER PHONE FOR YOUR CAR

2007-07-29T17:25:00.000-04:00

These devices have been around for a couple of years, but the prices are coming down and the product quality seems to be improving. Here's one from BlueAnt that received a nice review in the latest issue of Smartphone & PocketPC.

LAPTOP ALTERNATIVE: THE HTC X7501

2007-07-29T16:57:00.001-04:00

This new gadget from HTC might be just what you're looking for if you want a device that gives you don't want to lug a laptop around, but need something with a lot more oomph than an iPhone or Treo. Its a Windows Mobile device, but sports an internal hard drive allowing you to store lots of files like documents, video and music. It has built in GPS so you can use it to assist you when traveling. It has wi-fi, bluetooth and 3G phone capabilities so you'll have lots of ways to access the Internet. And it has a nice 5" screen that is ideal for reading. It also has a fast 624 MHz Intel processor.

INNOVACTION AWARDS

2007-07-10T01:58:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of serving as a judge for the College of Law Practice Management's InnovAction Awards. These awards recognize law firms that have embarked on truly pioneering law practice management projects. The nominations were really impressive and it was hard narrowing the field. But I think you'll agree that the winners all are truly remarkable.

AILA ORLANDO CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

2007-06-26T01:07:00.000-04:00

Reid, Stu and I got a lot of nice feedback for our program. Here are our slides in case you didn't write fast enough.

FOR THE TRULY GEEKY

2007-06-26T00:35:00.000-04:00

The Keyboard Waffle Iron. Need I say more?

IS THE IPHONE READY FOR THE TECHNOSAVVY LAWYER?

2007-06-24T15:24:00.000-04:00

Boy those commercials are enticing. But Apple lost me when they partnered with Cingular. The network being used for Internet access on the phones is slow, slow, slow. Right now only Sprint and Verizon offer EVDO high speed phones and if you're serious about using your phone for Internet or as a wireless or wired modem, that's the technology you want.

Apparently, the phone is not as easy to do work on either as Futurelawyer reports.

COLLEGE OF LAW PRACTICE MANAGEMENT INNOVACTION AWARDS

2007-05-14T01:34:00.000-04:00

I'll be one of the judges of the College of Law Practice Management's Innnovations Awards. We'll be looking at

* Absence of precedent (never been done or done quite this way before)
* Evidence of action (the innovative idea was transformed into action and not merely reflective of best intentions)
* Effectiveness of innovation (there is some measurable outcome that indicates the innovation is accomplishing what it was intended to do)
* Action must have taken place within no more than three years prior to this entry.

For information on the awards, you can go to http://www.innovactionaward.com/.

YOUR NOTEBOOK COMPUTER COULD BE A PORTABLE BATTERY AS WELL

2007-04-29T22:35:00.000-04:00

Gizmodo is reporting that Intel is debuting the Metro Notebook, a one-inch thick laptop computer that doubles as a portable battery. You place a wireless portable charging bad on top of the computer which then just place your phone, iPod or other device on the pad.

MY ARTICLE IN THE ABA'S LAW PRACTICE MAGAZINE

2007-04-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

The ABA has an excerpt from the third edition of the ABA Internet marketing book I co-write. Hopefully, the book will be released later this year.

WUFOO MAKES IT EASY TO BUILD WEB FORMS

2007-03-31T09:40:00.000-04:00

I build web forms from time to time and it's a major pain in the neck. The forms are used for things like registering newsletter readers, seminar registration sign ups, setting up a consultation, etc. Wufoo is a web-based application that makes creating forms super easy. It's free to use for a couple of forms and the prices are reasonable as you start using it for more projects. Wufoo also generates reports on the data collected in your forms. I'm working on a new client satisfaction survey form I intend to use to make it easier to get feedback on what clients like and dislike about their experience using our firm.

RICK KLAU'S SLIDES FROM OUR MARKETING PROGRAM AT ABA TECHSHOW

2007-03-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

RICK KLAU'S SLIDES FROM TECHSHOW

2007-03-27T14:22:00.000-04:00

Rick Klau, my co-author on The Lawyers Guide to Marketing on the Internet, presented on the marketing panel with me at ABA Techshow.

Rick has uploaded his slides to Slidesshare for your viewing pleasure.

SLIDES FROM MY E-LAWYERING TALK AT TECHSHOW

2007-03-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

SLIDES FROM MY MARKETING TALK AT THE 2007 ABA TECHSHOW

2007-03-22T16:01:00.000-04:00

BLOGGING FROM ABA TECHSHOW

2007-03-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hi folks. This is a blog posting from the dais at my talk at the ABA Techshow. Check it out here.

WHAT STARBUCKS COULD LEARN FROM THE MOVIE PALACE

2007-03-05T08:12:00.000-05:00

The New York Times Sunday opinion section had an interesting piece comparing the offering of free wi-fi at retail establishments to the days when air conditioning was first offered by movie theaters. Here in the South, movie theaters were for a long time the only places in most towns that had air conditioning. While it was extremely expensive for them to purchase air conditioning equipment at the time, it was good business. The article criticizes Starbucks for making their wi-fi service an extra expense.

I put airports in that same category. I find it extremely annoying that some cities like Dallas and Las Vegas manage to offer the service for free and others (including my own Memphis International Airport) charge an arm and a leg. The ones that make it free are sending the message that their city is pro-business.

And speaking of free wi-fi, are your law offices wireless hotspots that your clients can use when they need to? Ask your IT professional about helping with this if you don't have it. Odds are you have high speed Internet access in your office so adding this capability in your office would probably cost you less than $100.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #15

2007-03-02T01:38:00.000-05:00

The Motorola SBV5400 is a cable modem that has digital phone service built in and an integrated cordless phone system.

CES FAVORITE GADGET #14

2007-03-01T23:20:00.000-05:00

Fastap has developed a new approach to phone keypads that could make phones much more useful for typing. It's technology uses raised and lowered keys to allow up to three times as many keys in the same area as a standard numeric keypad. One of the first phones to feature the technology is the LG AX490 which is being offered for Alltel phone subscribers.

CES FAVORITE GADETS #13

2007-03-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

Sandisk demonstrated a new pocket-sized gadget to promote USBTV, a new industry-wide initiative to help cover the 'last ten feet' of content portability. Downloading videos has been promoted to consumers, but most people still prefer to watch on television. There are wireless sharing products coming, but many will prefer the Sandisk approach of downloading onto a flash drive and then plugging the drive into the television itself. One advantage will be the simplicity of this solution since no configuring of a wireless network will be necessary. According to Sandisk, the devices will be able to playback content on virtually any television without the need to for any changes to the television set. LG, Mitsubishi and Pioneer are already incorportating USBTV ports on their sets.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #12

2007-03-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sandisk made an exciting announcement at CES that largely got lost in all the coverage of the event. The California company has introduced a 32-gigabyte, 1.8 inch solid state drive (SSD) as a drop-in replacement to the mechanical hard disk drive in notebook computers. Why should you care? Well, the Sandisk drive is a flash drive which means that there are no moving parts . This results in two serious advantages:

It's blazing fast - more than 100 times faster than most hard disk drives. Windows Visa, for example, boots up in just 35 seconds.
It's extremely energy efficient using just 40% of the energy of a standard hard disk. This results in a substantial improvement in battery life for laptops.

Sandisk is initially marketing the flash drives to original equipment manufacturers so you'll need to wait a bit to start seeing the new drives hit the street.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #11

2007-02-28T01:33:00.000-05:00

Netgear has a new combo cordless landline phone/Internet phone using Skype. I saw several companies roll out cordless phones that can either run via your landline or via the Internet using Skype. People want to use real phones to make phone calls and not be stuck plugged in to their computer in order to make calls. This product and its competitors help.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #10

2007-02-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

A-DATA has produced the world's first USB Flash Drive that uses solar energy to show the remaining capacity. Cool.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #9

2007-02-28T00:58:00.000-05:00

Not a glamour gadget, but useful nonetheless. The Belkin Compact Surge Protector is desgined to be able to fit a lot of plugs in a small space and in a way that lets you put those big brick plugs as needed.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #8

2007-02-28T00:51:00.000-05:00

USB hubs are not new. Basically, you plug multiple USB devices into one gadget which then plugs into your USB port. What makes Belkin's new USB 2.0 7-Port Hub interesting is its ability to be stacked one on top of another to save space and the mess of wires that come with having multiple hubs. Retail price: $49.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #7

2007-02-28T00:38:00.000-05:00

HP's popular iPaq PDA has a new version - the rx5915 that could prove interesting for the road warrior lawyer. This version is a combination global satellite system along with a Windows Mobile device. It's designed to be used in your car as your GPS system and then can pop out and be your handheld computer.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #6

2007-02-28T00:21:00.000-05:00

Logitech's MX Revolution cordless mouse brings a new and interesting feature to this product category. The MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel is the unique feature here. According to Logitech the wheel has these features:

Free-spin mode for hyper-fast, nearly frictionless scrolling. With a single flick, the machined alloy wheel spins for up to seven seconds, scrolling hundreds of pages or thousands of rows. Fly through long documents, and instantly stop wherever you want.

Click-to-click mode for detailed navigation. An ultra-precise ratchet-scrolling mechanism allows users to move line-by-line through complex spreadsheets, step through slideshows, or travel small vertical distances in documents or Web pages.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #5

2007-02-27T23:55:00.000-05:00

Kye Systems SlimStar 820 keyboard is a wireless keyboard with a rather unique feature - instead of relying on batteries, the keyboard has a build in solar charger. It can use a cable or batteries if the solar power runs out. Retail price: $129.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #4

2007-02-27T00:26:00.000-05:00

Digitrex Digital Media Adapter/STB-100 allows you to wirelessly stream anything from your computer to a television. For example, you can download a movie on iTunes and watch it on your megaplasma. Price: $299.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #3

2007-02-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

The Samsung CLS-3160FN is one of the smallest all-in-one color laser printers and fax machines. It also has a USB port where you can stick a thumb drive and scan directly to USB memory. Price: $539

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #2

2007-02-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

One of the items that's a splurge, but worth it if you speak a log, is owning your own projector for presentations. Casio's new SJ-S35 Super Slim Projector is small enough and lite enough to thtow in your laptop bag or briefcase. Price: $1899.

WILL SALARY WARS CRIPPLE BIG FIRM IMMIGRATION PRACTICES?

2007-02-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

Law.com is reporting on firms in major cities like New York and Washington raising first year associate salaries to a mind boggling $160,000 per year. The article notes that clients are likely to bear the costs of this wage inflation. That works in markets where clients are willing to pay ever increasing billable hour rates. But immigration lawyers typically bill on a flat fee basis and the market is dominated by boutique firms. Huge associate salaries could blow the overhead of large firm immigration practices sky high and accelerate a trend we've been seeing for years - the departure of entire immigration practices from large law firms.

CES FAVORITE GADGETS #1

2007-02-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

OK, I didn't deliver on getting all of my faves from the Consumer Electronics Show blogged last month even though I got a lot of floor time in Las Vegas. Our Fashion, Arts and Sports Immigration Portal took precedent. Now that we're running on that section of the web site, back to the fun stuff.

Now I'm trying to make amends and will catch up. I'm starting with a gadget many of you can probably use that finally gives you a reason to submit an iPod in your expense reports. TuneTalk, a new gadget from Belkin attaches to your iPod and turns it into a dictaphone so you can record hours and hours of audio. I actually saw this product in use when I was interviewed by a reporter just before CES.

GOOGLE PREPPING FREE POWERPOINT RIVAL

2007-02-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

Google has recently launched Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets, two programs that give the masses a free (and surprisingly robust) alternative to Microsoft's Word and Excel products. They're now about to take on Powerpoint with another free web-based product. I've been using the spreadsheet product because I actually find it easier to use than Excel's 2003 version. But I got a sneak peak at Microsoft Office 2007 at the Consumer Electronics Show and have to say that the new versions of Microsoft's core products are really intriguing. More to report on that soon since I intend to upgrade shortly.

IS WIKIPEDIA A LEGITIMATE SOURCE TO CITE IN IMMIGRATION LAW

2007-02-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

Caught this interesting blog post discussing the increasing number of citations to Wikipediapopping up in case law.

I did a quick perusal of Wikipedia and was surprised just how much information was available on US immigration law topics. Check out the descriptions of various visa categories at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Visas as an example.

And some of the information is pretty timely. Take the discussion of the SKIL Bill as an example. The article discusses a very new and hot topic in US immigration legislative efforts. The article, like many on controversial topics, includes discussions of both sides and plenty of links to organizations advocating on both sides of the SKIL Bill.

By the way, any of us can contribute to Wikipedia. And any of us can challenge material on Wikipedia that we know to be incorrect.

CES: APPLE'S PHONE ANNOUNCEMENT OVERSHADOWS CES

2007-01-14T07:09:00.000-05:00

The most talked about technology announcement last week didn't even come from CES. Apple announced its new phone at the MacWorld conference in California. The new iPhone sure looks snazzy. But it took me all of about five minutes before I realized I won't be getting one. First, it will be a pretty weak PDA compared to what's available in the Windows arena. Few applications will work on the iPhone and the web runs over the very slow Cingular EDGE network. Second, I've gone back to two devices after years of having a PDA phone simply because I like my phone small and compact and I like my PDA to have a good sized screen. I don't like holding a big screen up to my cheek when I speak and I don't want to always have to have a bluetooth headset on me either. I'm sticking to my Samsung A920 lightning fast EVDO phone from Sprint combined with my Dell Axim x51v. I get high speed Internet via a wireless bluetooth connection between the Samsung and the Dell and the Dell is just a sensational PDA. The Samsung also happens to be an excellent phone.

CES HIGHLIGHTS: UNLIMITED BATTERY LIFE ON YOUR PHONES AND PDAS?

2007-01-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

Powercast, a Pennsylvania startup company, announced at CES a rather amazing new technology. Using a small RF transmitter to emit a radio wave, small devices like cell phones with a fingernail-sized Powercast receiver will be able to get "trickle" re-charging without being plugged in to a charger. The company will also use its technology for wireless keyboards and mice so that those devices need never be plugged in for recharging.

USCIS ANNOUNCES AR-11 ADDRESS CHANGE FORM TO GO WEB-BASED

2007-01-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, this is actually a for real good piece of news and long overdue. No more mailing in the AR-11 form every time you move and then having USCIS bury the forms in a vault never to actually be entered into a database.

According to USCIS,

USCIS processes more than one million change of address requests each year. The new online service will reduce processing time and improve customer service by providing immediate confirmation that USCIS has received the updated address information. Overall, test users found the new online form convenient and simple to use.

USCIS also reports that address change reporting for naturalization applications will also soon go online.

The new web service can be found at http://www.uscis.gov/AR-11.

FIRST REACTIONS TO CES

2007-01-11T01:12:00.000-05:00

I have now spent two days at the Consumer Electronics Show and, as in every year, seen amazing technology, one gadget more stunning than the next. Perhaps the most important development that will affect you, my colleagues, is the upcoming roll out of the new Microsoft Vista operating system and the new Microsoft Office 2007. My first reaction - I was stunned by how much of an improvement both products are over their current versions (Microsoft XP an Microsoft Office 2003). I also saw numerous other must have products and plenty that you definitely can't claim to need, but are certainly cool (do I really NEED a 104 inch plasma television?).

Over the next few days, I'll be blogging about some of the best of the best. I also am planning on writing an article on the new Microsoft products. Now I'm so tired that I am falling asleep at my keyboard and need to turn in. Nighty night!

BYPASSING PHONE TREE HELL

2007-01-09T01:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks Nolan Rappaport for pointing out Gethuman.com, a web site that gives you instructions for bypassing those annoying prompts when you call company telephone systems. They've got 500 of the most common on their web site.

SHOCKING (NOT!) DHS REPORT CRITICIZES IT MODERNIZATION EFFORTS AT USCIS

2007-01-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General has issued a new report that largely slams USCIS for it's inability to successfully modernize its technology infrastructure. I've been highly critical of the disastrous USCIS web site upgrade that recently took place with virtually no customer input.

Now the OIG report indicates that USCIS' IT folks have a serious institutional problem of not getting feedback from the agency's customers. Is this any surprise from this most Soviet of US government agencies?

USCIS expects that its plans for increasing user involvement in transformation activities will reverse problems with limited awareness and commitment to transformation objectives.

Without adequate input or participation from a range of users, USCIS may develop transformation solutions that may not meet user needs.

As a result of its lack of participation, OCIO [Office of the Chief Information Officer] awareness and commitment to business transformation has waned. The OCIO has not been consistently involved over the past year as the initial IT modernization program shifted to a more business-driven effort. The prior CIO who began the previous IT modernization was not involved in business transformation. OCIO has had only one full-time representative involved in transformation activities: A detailee from a field location, assigned to the Technology Solution Team. This team had limited involvement in transformation from the outset, as the requirements it needed to support its systems design activities had not been gathered. The team ultimately lost resources and discontinued its work due to funding cuts. Additional OCIO involvement in transformation generally has been limited to IT project managers working on related efforts, such as infrastructure upgrades and data integration. Since joining USCIS in June 2006, the new CIO has taken steps to assist with transformation activities, such as enterprise architecture planning and technical systems design; however, the role that this official ultimately will play in transformation has not been determined.

This recommendation will remain open until USCIS makes additional progress in ensuring representation and participation of users at various levels.

BLOGGING FROM CES

2007-01-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

I'll be in Las Vegas this coming week visiting with clients, but it's no coincidence that I've scheduled this week for that trip. As a technology writer for the ABA and for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, I attend the Consumer Electronics Show each year to cover the latest gadgetry that can be used in your law office, home or car. In past years, I stuck to writing magazine articles, but this year I'll also be blogging from the show and letting readers know right away about the coolest discoveries I make. So be sure to check this blog over the next week.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR THE IMMIGRATION HR PROFESSIONAL

2007-01-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

Just saw at HR Management Magazine's web site this useful article for human resource professionals on managing the immigration process at a company or organization. While the article is geared to in house people, the tips translate well for lawyers in private practice. Among the topics discussed -

1. Put Your Immigration Policies in Writing
2. Get Your Message Out and Never Stop
3. Invest in Training for Your Immigration Management Staff
4. Partner with other Stakeholders in Your Organization
5. Create an Immigration Intranet
6. Make Case Status Information Available Online
7. Automate Every Manual Task You Can