It starts with a simple request to your iPhone ("Siri, add an appointment to my calendar") or a command to your new Amazon Echo ("Alexa, add toner to my shopping cart"). Before you know it, the Internet of Things has slipped straight from your smart home into life at the office. For today's tech tips, we asked Sharon Nelson, John Simek and Nora Regis how lawyers can be smart — and safe — when using connected devices at work.

Working with a virtual assistant for the first time can seem harrowing, especially when sensitive legal information and documents are involved. Here are a few tips that will help make the arrangement stress-relieving rather than stress-inducing.

This will completely frustrate you Western Civ majors, but your clients don’t care about your law firm’s history. I know it’s tempting to commemorate a big anniversary with a self-congratulatory press release, glossy collateral or detail-heavy web copy. It used to be fairly common. I once covered the 25th anniversary of a Silicon Valley firm. They ordered a giant “25” ice sculpture and the partners posed around it. Other than the debut of New Coke, I cannot remember a more ridiculous media event.

When we talk about generational issues — and we do that frequently — we tend to focus on millennials. That’s only natural because we depend on them to carry law firms into the future. But we also need to pay close attention to baby boomers, the lawyers who are in their mid-50s to early 70s. Boomers, especially older ones, created and now dominate the present legal landscape. The future also depends on them, but in a different way.

You’re at Fancy Restaurant with Super Important Client and the senior partner. There are three forks, two spoons, four glasses and a tiny little dish with a tiny little knife that you assume is for the table elf. You’re reading the menu, discreetly typing Un verre d'eau, vou singe qui n'est pas très sophistiqué! into Google Translate, when the client (the guy your boss has specifically forbid you to talk to) asks you to order the wine. Merde!

Does Facebook Live video provide value for law firms, or is it just another opportunity to lose time that could be better spent elsewhere? It depends. If harnessed correctly, Facebook Live offers a valuable platform to connect with your audience, giving an extra touch that can help convert prospects into clients. It doesn’t fit every audience, and it doesn’t fit every law firm. As with any marketing strategy, live video's effectiveness will hinge on how you use it and who you're trying to reach. Here’s what you need to know.

Lawyers have a lot of communication with their clients. But the vast majority of interaction tends to be related to specific matters — requesting some information, reporting on the status of a file, scheduling something, checking on a payment. There may be the occasional dinner or hockey game, but typically there isn’t much discussion about the client relationship itself.

I have always considered myself an introvert. I always admire those individuals who show no restraint as their laughter booms across the room, or who talk excitedly to someone they have just met. But, alas, that has never been me. As such, I struggled, particularly early on in my legal career, to connect with the colleagues and mentors all lawyers need to advance and succeed in their career. Through trial and error, I learned how to find the right ones to connect with who could mentor me, either formally or informally. To my delight, it turns out there are many ways to find mentorship and help from fellow lawyers.

How do you manage a post-speech chat with someone who chooses to tell you how the problem you spoke about affects their company, and convert it into a solid opportunity? Last month, I showed you how to greet and interact with the group of people who approach you after a speech. Your goal being to have a few words with each of them, but graciously keep them moving. More importantly, you learned how to shift that conversation to a better time and venue where you could conduct a proper sales investigation. So how do you develop those opportunities?

If you are like most lawyers, you spend more time worrying about where your next client will come from than you’d like. It’s natural. Even the busiest, most successful lawyers work hard at marketing and business development — they just make it look easy. But, back to “worrying” about it ... here are a few key ideas about business development to remember.