Some of the legal profession’s foremost thought leaders gathered last week at the College of Law Practice Management’s 2013 Futures Conference, October 4-5, in Chicago. This year, a new format combined brief TED-style talks with longer breakout sessions on three topics: "The Market for Legal Services from the Buyer’s Point of View," "Innovation in the Law Firm" and "The Future of U.S. Law Schools." Here are some of the things I learned. ... READ MORE

"Stephanie hated me at first. She thought I was really annoying." – Chad Burton "I thought Chad was trying to pump me for free information. He was on his iPad the whole time." – Stephanie Kimbro Whatever scenario by which a small law firm is built in your dreams, it is probably not the way it plays out in reality. When Stephanie Kimbro, a solo attorney from North Carolina and 2009 winner of the American Bar Association's annual award for Excellence in eLawyering, decided to join Chad Burton’s Ohio-based Burton Law LLC, they’d only met in person one time. No matter. They had plenty of other methods to get to know each other. ... READ MORE

Virtual Law Practice. The legal industry has not experienced such a trendy concept since "per stirpes" hit the scene back in the day. The virtual concept must be doing something right, though, because it is both embraced and disliked. What is it? Over the past few years, virtual law practices have been defined on a sliding scale — from solos delivering services exclusively online, to multi-lawyer, multi-jurisdictional firms providing traditional and online services, and everything in between. READ MORE

I love my dog, Rosie. One of the benefits of having a virtual law practice is I get to work from home a lot — and that means my six-year-old basset hound is never far away. I also take her on work-related errands to dog-friendly places.

In law firms, most of us copy and paste within and between documents a lot. Especially when a well-written document crosses your desk with text you could use in a precedent – why not borrow and reshape it instead of starting from scratch? I field a lot of questions about Microsoft Word’s copy-and-paste function: "Why is the text I pasted in a different font than the document I’m working in?" "Why isn’t the paragraph formatting of the pasted material the same as the document I’m working in?"

Scientific studies show that taking a 30-second microbreak periodically during the day can reduce stress and increase productivity. One microbreak technique, in 30 seconds, will cause you to be more centered (C), aware (A) and resourceful (R). The technique involves pressing your thumb against your little finger, as if pressing a button — hence its nickname, the “CAR Button.” David King Keller's got it down to a science. READ MORE

LinkedIn has 175 million users so far. All of whom are looking to network with business professionals specifically. For an attorney, this is an untapped market for potential clients. And, of course, in terms of employment-seekers, it’s a potential opportunity to find (or become) a new hire. So, more than with other social networks, it’s important […]

Last week at the Clio Cloud Conference in Chicago, the law practice management software company gathered 200-plus faithful users for two days of programming, capped by an exuberant launch of Clio's first-ever iPhone app. (iPhone JD has reviewed it, and, yes, iPad and Android versions are coming.) "Clio University" sessions dug into features, and hands-on help was front and center, with a "Genius Bar" and the app's actual design team on hand. But sessions devoted to "Practicing in the Cloud" elevated ClioCon beyond the typical user conference, as thought leaders hammered home on issues surrounding the future of law practice and new opportunities for solo and small firm lawyers. ... READ MORE

A law firm's document management system (DMS) is fundamental. It keeps things working and should make life better. Is yours doing that? Many law firms are using "legacy" systems and don't realize just how far behind their systems are. Current DMSs come with productivity features — sophisticated searching, email management and mobile access — and are based on folder structures that drive consistency across matters, lawyers, clients and the firm. Once you decide to upgrade, you still may not know what you need. Here are questions to ask so you can compare apples to apples. ... READ MORE

There's something interesting going on out on the West Coast of the United States. It's called the Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT), and you can thank the state of Washington for taking the first step in what could turn out to be a major journey for the legal profession. In essence, it empowers someone without a law degree to provide legal services directly to clients. (That muffled cough you hear is the discomfort of the traditional bar.)