Nov. 21, 2018 – From providing tips on checking to see if your email password was in a data breach to finding information on cybersecurity and disaster planning, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Practice411™ elist offered useful practice information to its members in 2018.
Practice411 – the State Bar’s law office management assistance program available to all members as a member benefit – offers free, individualized assistance on practice management.
Practice411’s elist connects you with peers and those knowledgeable on practice management – including Christopher Shattuck, the State Bar’s law practice assistance manager. (By the way, if you aren’t a member of Practice411’s elist, it’s easy and free to sign up – visit the elist’s webpage.)
Each week, Shattuck provides tips to elist members on a variety of topics. Here’s his top 25.
Technology
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Account safety: On the website haveibeenpwned.com, you can enter your email address to see if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach. The site’s owner, Troy Hunt, created it as a free resource to help you quickly assess if your accounts are at risk (or “pwned.”)
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Artificial intelligence: The website AI vs. Lawyers hosts a 40-page study pitting 20 experienced, U.S.-trained lawyers against the LawGeex Artificial Intelligence algorithm. According to the study, the AI program bested the lawyers in spotting risks in business contracts.
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Analyze your briefs: Try EVA, a free brief analyzer from ROSS Intelligence that checks cites as well as the subsequent history of your cited cases. It can also help you find similar cases. Read a discussion about EVA on the LawSites blog.
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Lessen robocalls: Todd Haselton, in this May 2018 MSNBC article, shows you how to lessen the chance of receiving automated telephone recorded messages.
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Phone data safety: Don’t trust public phone-charging kiosks, says Brian Krebs in an article on his website. It’s called juice-jacking and is a way to steal data from your phone. The safest solution, he says, is using a regular electrical outlet or a charging battery. If you need to use a kiosk, first shut off your phone, he says.
Planning Ahead: Policies, Procedures, and Security
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A plan for data security: An effective data security strategy can lessen risk and ensure compliance with codes of conduct and other regulations. Here’s a five-point action plan from Legal IT Insider to get you started.
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Protect client information: Shattuck discusses how to manage your digital files to best protect client information in the June 2018 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer magazine.
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Responding to a cyber attack: Planning ahead is key, says Joe Kelly of Law Practice Today.
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Create your disaster plan: For where to start, take a look at the Lawyer's Guide to Disaster Planning from the American Bar Association.
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More on cybersecurity: From the basics to securing remote access, the Federal Trade Commission recently established a website Cybersecurity for Small Businesses.
Interesting Legal Developments in Technology
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Anonymous no more? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit established a new “presumption in favor of unmasking anonymous defendants when judgment has been entered for a plaintiff” in a copyright infringement case, says Socially Aware.
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Punctuation and defamation: Actor James Woods was saved by a question mark in a defamation lawsuit over a tweet, according to Hollywood Reporter.
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Facial recognition: A suspect in a crime was forced to open his iPhone X via facial recognition, says cnet.com.
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Product warranties: The FTC recently asked certain companies to review their warranty materials and remove statements or implications that warranty coverage is conditioned on the use of specific parts or services, according to FindLaw.
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Check your file before submitting: A good reminder to remove your internal comments before filing your documents with a court is an April 2018 filing by a lawyer representing Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, according to the ABA Journal.
Interactive Technology
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Technology and safety: Here’s a good lesson in reviewing the privacy settings of your fitness tracker apps from msn.com.
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Privacy and your smart speakers: An Amazon Echo sent recordings of a family’s conversation to a person in their contact list, according to the Washington Post.
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Cellphone spying: Msn.com reports on a federal study that found signs of potential surveillance of cellphone calls and texts in Washington, D.C. in 2017.
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Retargeting is a marketing technique that allows for nearly automatic placement of ads on the computers of visitors to certain websites. Find out more from Laurence Bodine in the July 2018 issue of Wisconsin Lawyer magazine.
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Your phone data: If you use Google services, your phone information can be used to identify you if you are near a crime, according to FindLaw.
Lawyer Wellness
Practice411: Solutions to Your Practice Management Challenges
Get solutions to your practice management issues, including questions on:
- Trust accounts: learn to establish and maintain them properly
- Computer hardware and office equipment: get advice on purchases
- Emerging software: sort through billing, accounting, and practice management software
- Personnel matters: gain insights on hiring and training staff
- Marketing: increase your client base with cost-effective services
For personalized practice management help, email Christopher Shattuck, the State Bar's law practice assistance manager, or give him a call at (800) 957-4670.
Join the Practice411™ Elist
On the Practice411 elist, you can share information, ask questions, learn from questions posted by list members, and connect with your peers when tackling all areas of practice management, including technology, human resources, client relations, increasing your client base, and more.
To join, visit the Practice411 elist webpage on WisBar.org.
