The 2015 Pacific Legal Technology Conference held recently in Vancouver, British Columbia covered a host of big picture topics essential to everyone in today’s legal profession. Presenters and exhibitors discussed practice management tools, technology in court, and the strategic reinvention of the law firm. And of course the big concern of the day, security, was the subject of keynote speaker Lincoln Mead, of the Utah State Bar.
Much has been written about “disruptive innovations” and their implications for law firms. How to integrate today’s technology into your practice is a serious matter that requires a strategic and businesslike approach.
However, it’s also important to narrow down the focus to the smaller tools that are available now. There is so much out there and it’s sometimes hard to figure out which is the most useful and where to get it.
Fortunately, the conference wrapped up with an entertaining, informative, and fast-paced session to help. In just 60 minutes, four legal tech enthusiasts each introduced their favorite gadgets. Here are a few of their recommendations to help you work better, faster, and safer.
1. Browse securely (https://www.eff.org/HTTPS-everywhere)
You can reduce the threat of identity theft by ensuring that your browser looks for and uses “https” rather than “http”. When you add the HTTPS Everywhere plugin to your browser, you can encrypt your communications with many major websites. The plugin is available for all major browsers.
2. Print only what you want (http://www.printfriendly.com/)
Many webpages are cluttered with ads, navigation bars or other content that you don’t want necessarily want to print. PrintFriendly analyzes the page, eliminates the clutter, and pulls just the primary content to print. You can add the button to your browser or your website or simply enter the url of the page you want to print. It’s free, easy to use, and will save paper and ink. You can also store or convert the content to PDF.
3. Scan and save
The CamScanner app uses your mobile device’s camera to capture an image of a document and convert it to a standard or custom sized PDF that you can then save or email. You can add notes or tag your documents; copy and move them to other locations, including cloud storage; email them; easily search for them; set up passwords; print or fax the documents; or merge them.
4. Find your files (MohioMap.com)
It’s not unusual to have an account with more than one type of cloud storage service. Many people have files on GoogleDrive, Evernote, and Dropbox. But it can be a trick sometimes trying to keep track of what is where. The free version of MohioMap.com will search through these different services and help you find your files. However, the $5 a month service will not only help you find the information, it will help you navigate through your data and allow you to cross-reference and group connected data across the accounts by dragging and dropping tags, creating a mindmap, adding notes, and accessing an analytics dashboard.
5. Open your stuff (https://cloudconvert.com/)
Information can be stored in many different formats, and many of those formats are now obsolete. When you come across a file that you don’t have the software to open, you can upload the file from your device or from your cloud account to CloudConvert. This online tool will open more than 200 file types, without requiring you to install any software.
6. Don’t leave a trace (http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/)
When your data is not in the cloud, but rather on a thumbdrive, use one that has strong encryption, such as IronKey. IronKey provides military grade encryption, as well as a special version of FireFox to allow you to browse securely without leaving a trace of your activities on the host computer.
7. Meet safely online (Zoom.us)
There are many video conferencing and online meeting services available, but not all of them take security to heart. For this reason, several law firms use Zoom.us, an easy-to-use platform that includes encryption for screensharing and in-platform communications.
8. Monitor yourself (www.HaveIBeenPwned.com)
Despite all your best efforts to use the Internet securely, you can still be affected by a data breach and not even know it. Fortunately, a kind-hearted software developer has developed a free website that allows people to check if any account associated with their email address has been compromised (think the Ashley Madison breach). Enter your email address at HaveIBeenPwned.com.
