Author / Brett Burney

by Brett Burney

Document Comparison (aka redlining) on a Mac

I received a question about document comparison for the Mac by someone who came from a larger law firm where they used DeltaView. And since the topic has come up a couple of times on MILO, I wanted to provide more detail.

Microsoft Word for Mac Compare Document

I received a question about document comparison for the Mac by someone who came from a larger law firm where they used DeltaView. And since the topic has come up a couple of times on MILO, I wanted to provide more detail.

Document comparison is very important to lawyers since we’re regularly revising and exchanging drafts with colleagues and co-counsel. The task is not that essential to the rest of the world.

There are a handful of software tools developed for the legal profession to address this need. Many years ago, CompareRite was the tool of choice. Unfortunately, LexisNexis decided to “retire” the software in February 2002, although you will still find committed users of the product.

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by Brett Burney

Enterprising Lawyers Adopting the iPad

Josh Barret on his Tablet Legal blog has an excellent post on what “enterprise adoption of the iPad” means to lawyers. He digs through a recent Forrester report to glean what it means for practicing lawyers.

The iPadJosh Barret on his Tablet Legal blog has an excellent post on what “enterprise adoption of the iPad” means to lawyers. Forrester recently released a report about how the 200 companies they interviewed are adopting and adapting the iPad into their core workflows.

The report highlighted three main points about the iPad in the Enterprise:

  1. It’s “displacing” laptops
  2. It’s replacing paper
  3. It’s providing unique access to information (e.g. sales-people able to use it in the field to close calls)

And while many lawyers would appropriately distinguish their practice from the typical corporate enterprise, these studies are relevant because it portends how the iPad will develop into a better business tool. Josh does an excellent job in his post of’ describing how this recent report relates to the environment of a law practice.

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by Brett Burney

Why Go Cloud? Five Reasons Lawyers Should Adopt Cloud-Based Technology

I was honored to author a white paper sponsored by Clio entitled “Why Go Cloud? Five Reasons Lawyers Should Adopt Cloud-Based Technology” which is available free from Clio (you don’t even have to give your name and e-mail!).

Why Go Cloud? Five Reasons Why Lawyers Should Adopt Cloud-Based Technology

I was honored to author a white paper sponsored by Clio entitled “Why Go Cloud? Five Reasons Lawyers Should Adopt Cloud-Based Technology” which is available free from Clio (you don’t even have to give your name and e-mail!).

I’ve been wanting to put these thoughts down in formal fashion for a while, and I am grateful that Clio gave me the opportunity. Clio is a cloud-based practice management service, but the paper is neutral.

In fact, I concentrate on the questions that I regularly receive from clients regarding the “cloud” such as

  • Is it safe?
  • Is my confidential client information secure?
  • What happens if I can’t get on the Internet?

I spend a good amount of time covering the recent state ethics opinions on the topic from Arizona and North Carolina (proposed) and I dutifully support my points with research and citations.

After the paper went to press, I discovered that New York recently issued Ethics Opinion 842 that addresses the question if a lawyer is allowed to use an “online data storage system to store and back up client confidential information.” The conclusion was yes, as long as the lawyer “takes reasonable care to ensure the confidentiality will be maintained.”

Please read my white paper “Why Go Cloud? Five Reasons Lawyers Should Adopt Cloud-Based Technology” located at Clio and I welcome your comments.

UPDATE #1: Niki Black has more information on NY Ethics Opinion 842 in her post “NYSBA Ethics Committee Weighs in on the Cloud.” I especially appreciate her comment “absolute security is an absolute impossibility.”

UPDATE #2: Ernie Svenson (aka “Ernie the Attorney“) posted an excellent run-down of the NY Ethics Opinion 842 entitled “Ethical considerations of online file storage.” My favorite quotes:

… services such as SugarSync and DropBox have as much interest as anyone in keeping your data private. … [but t]hey will not accept liability for compromised security that results from you (1) having an inherently insecure password system, (2) giving your password to someone you shouldn’t, or (3) accessing your account from an insecure location such as a WiFi hotspot at a coffee shop, where there is limited security. These three issues are the most likely way that your client’s data would be compromised and all three of these scenarios are things that you should be responsible for.

The New York opinion could easily be interpreted to apply to client communications such as those that are hosted by web-based email providers such as Google. After all, web-based email is stored online.

by Brett Burney

Opening a File with the Return Key

On Windows, in the Explorer window, I always used my arrow keys to highlight a file, then simply tapped Return/Enter to open the file. I like to keep my fingers on the keyboard as much as possible. That doesn’t work the same way on a Mac.

Return key on a Mac keyboardOn Windows, in the Explorer window, I always used my arrow keys to highlight a file, then simply tapped Return/Enter to open the file. I like to keep my fingers on the keyboard as much as possible.

That doesn’t work the same way on a Mac. Hitting Return/Enter on a highlighted file in a Finder window makes the filename editable. To open a highlighted file in a Finder window, you’re supposed to type Command ⌘ + O (O for Open).

See Tip #36: How to Rename Files Or Folders from Cult of Mac.

Since I use LaunchBar for a lot of file-digging in Mac OS, this doesn’t bother me all that much. I’ve seen several references to ReturnOpen, a free utility for Mac that allows you to open files with Return/Enter, but I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet.

Of course, you can always use the mouse to double-click to open a file, but I’m always trying to find a keyboard shortcut if possible.

by Brett Burney

Take the “Apple in Law Firm Survey” Sponsored by Clio

Clio is sponsoring the “Apple in Law Firm Survey” and I encourage every Mac-using lawyer to respond to the handful of questions at http://macsurvey.questionpro.com. This will be one of the best gauges of how far the Mac has made in-roads into the legal profession. The survey only takes a couple of minutes and asks which cloud-based or desktop applications that you use in your practice.

Clio Apple in Law Firms Survey

Clio is sponsoring the “Apple in Law Firm Survey” and I encourage every Mac-using lawyer to respond to the handful of questions at http://macsurvey.questionpro.com.

This will be one of the best gauges of how far the Mac has made in-roads into the legal profession. The survey only takes a couple of minutes and asks which cloud-based or desktop applications that you use in your practice.

The recent ABA Legal Technology Survey reported that 4% of respondents use the Mac OS, up from 3% the year before. But the “Apple in Law Firm Survey” from Clio digs a little deeper to give us a sense of what applications are used by Mac-using lawyers.

From Clio’s blog:

The results will be shared during Clio President Jack Newton’s presentation at MILOFest, a conference designed for lawyers interested in Macs, iPhones, iPads and other Apple products in the law office. MILOFest takes place from November 11-13 this year, in Orlando, FL

By they way, Clio is giving away an iPad to a randomly selected respondent!

by Brett Burney

Don’t Miss The MILOfest Conference for Mac-Lovin’ Lawyers!

If you’re a Mac-using lawyer, it’ll be a crying shame if you miss MILOfest. MILOfest is a gathering of Mac-lovin’ lawyers sponsored by the Macs in Law Offices Google Groups that will be held Nov. 11-13, 2010 down in Orlando, FL. All of the details are on www.milofest.com.

MILOfest 2010

If you’re a Mac-using lawyer, it’ll be a crying shame if you miss MILOfest.

MILOfest is a gathering of Mac-lovin’ lawyers sponsored by the Macs in Law Offices Google Groups that will be held Nov. 11-13, 2010 down in Orlando, FL. All of the details are on www.milofest.com.

MILOfest is possible because of the generous blood, sweat and tears from Victor Medina,  the managing partner of Medina Law Group.

This is the second year of MILOfest. Last year, Victor orchestrated an incredible couple of days worth of presentations and programming that focused specifically on lawyers using Macs in their practice. Everyone walked away with more information than they could handle, and more importantly, a renewed confidence in their computer operating system of choice.

This year is bigger and better. Victor has lined up a stellar cast of speakers including THE Mac Lawyer – Ben Stevens, Finis Price, Jack Newton, Larry Port, Mark Metzger, Ron Elkins, and more. I have the honor of talking about BusyCal at MILOfest.

It’s not too late to sign up to attend, and by all means get the word out to every Mac-using lawyer that you know. I will be posting updates to this blog during the conference, but that will be a pitiful substitute for all of the knowledge that gets shared in person at the conference.

Update #1: I forgot to mention that Rocket Matter has generously sponsored CLE accreditation for 17 states at MILOfest. So if you’re hurtin’ for a few more hours before the end of the year, this would be a much-less-boring way to fill your quota.

Update #2: Posted a report on Day 1 of MILOfest on Nov. 12, 2010 at https://www.macsinlaw.com/day-1-milofest2010/

by Brett Burney

The Launch of www.macsinlaw.com

I am pleased to announce the launch of www.macsinlaw.com. The site was originally conceived as the online companion for the book of the same name that I am authoring for the ABA Law Practice Management section. As excited as I am to write the book, I realize that the print version will be out of date as soon as it’s printed. So I wanted a platform where I could provide readers with updated information as quickly as Apple releases it.

Launch of Macs in LawI am pleased to announce the launch of www.macsinlaw.com.

The site was originally conceived as the online companion for the book of the same name that I am authoring for the ABA Law Practice Management section. As excited as I am to write the book, I realize that the print version will be out of date as soon as it’s printed. So I wanted a platform where I could provide readers with updated information as quickly as Apple releases it.

Now the vision of www.macsinlaw.com has expanded beyond it’s original intention, and the goal is now to provide all Mac-using lawyers with an excellent resource for relevant news about using the Mac & iOS platforms in their practice.

I also have an active Twitter feed from @macsinlaw. You can follow the feed on the right.

Thanks for reading!

Brett Burney
Burney Consultants LLC
brett@macsinlaw.com