Category / Mac Tips

by Brett Burney

Mac Training from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

If you’re an ABA member and you’re not taking advantage of the Legal Technology Resource Center (easy to remember at www.lawtechnology.org), you’re missing a lot. I’ve long been a fan of the Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC).

ABA Legal Technology Resource Center for Mac Training Session

If you’re an ABA member and you’re not taking advantage of the Legal Technology Resource Center (easy to remember at www.lawtechnology.org), you’re missing a lot.

I’ve long been a fan of the Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC), even when David Whelan was at the helm. Catherine Sanders Reach took over from David several years ago and the Center has continued to produce top-notch articles & blogs & webinars & surveys (see the just released 2010 Legal Technology Survey Report).

And it keeps getting better. Catherine’s staff amazes me with the amount of helpful information they consistently pump out, all on top of being an “on-call” resource for any ABA member that has tech questions.

ABA Legal Technology Resource Center TechEZ Training Library for Mac SessionsOne of their many resources is the TechEZ Training Library where the LTRC posts recordings of their live training events. A lot of the sessions on their page are applicable to both Windows and Mac users, but they actually offer two sessions (so far) that are specifically geared to Mac users.

LTRC staff member Josh Poje is a Mac-fan and has recorded the two Mac-focused sessions entitled:

Mac Users: Boost Productivity with Spaces (10mins)

Mac: Introducing Mac OS X’s Built-In PDF Tools (13mins)

You need to be an ABA member to access this fantastic resource, but it’s worth it.

The LTRC just recently released two more training sessions entitled “Trust Accounting Simplified with Clio” (hosted by Clio co-founder Jack Newton) and “Gathering information online with Google Docs Forms.” Both of these recordings are absolutely applicable to Mac users, and they’re great.

I highly recommend you check out the LTRC’s website and definitely take the few minutes required to view their TechEZ Training Library.

by Brett Burney

9 Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm’s Productivity

TechnoLawyer published my TechnoFeature “Nine Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm’s Productivity” yesterday (Nov. 23, 2010). I’ll post a link to the full article when I receive my reprint, but if you’re not subscribing to the FREE TechnoLawyer newsletters, you’re missing a LOT.

Nine Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm's Productivity

TechnoLawyer published my TechnoFeature entitled “Nine Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm’s Productivity” yesterday (Nov. 23, 2010). I’ll post a link to the full article when I receive my reprint, but if you’re not subscribing to the FREE TechnoLawyer newsletters, you’re missing a LOT.

I’ve been following TechnoLawyer for many years and have always enjoyed the news, information and free exchange of legal-tech-tips. And while the majority of information is Windows-focused, TechnoLawyer has never hesitated to cover Macs, iPhone, and iPads in the practice of law. TechnoLawyer offers a variety of e-mail newsletters that you can subscribe to from www.technolawyer.com.

UPDATE: You still need to subscribe to the FREE TechnoLawyer newsletters (including the TechnoFeature), but I’m providing a PDF reprint of my Mac Utilities TechnoFeature here for your convenience. I have plans to record some short screencasts on the products I cover in this article so stay tuned!


TechnoFeature-Nine Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm’s Productivity –

by Brett Burney

Handy Keyboard Shortcuts You Didn’t Know…

Lifehacker posted an excellent tip yesterday about holding down the Command (⌘) key when you click an item in the Dock, which will open a Finder window and highlight the item that was clicked in the Dock.

Mac keyboard shortcuts command keyMac #1: Command (⌘)-Click an item in the Dock

Lifehacker posted an excellent tip yesterday about holding down the Command (⌘) key when you click an item in the Dock, which will open a Finder window and highlight the item that was clicked in the Dock.

Honestly, I don’t use the Dock much anymore since I have the fabulous LaunchBar, but the Lifehacker tip is wonderful when I need to drill down to the Applications folder or to a folder that’s docked in the Dock. It even works if you expand a Folder or Stack and Command (⌘)-click and item inside the Folder or Stack – you’ll be taken to a Finder window with the file highlited.

For example, if I download a file from the Web and the little Downloads folder on the Dock does the bouncy-bouncy dance, i can do a regular click to open the Stack, then Command (⌘)-click the item icon to go straight to a Finder window with the file highlighted.

Continue reading →

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.