Decades ago, I assumed that technology would soon advance to the point where automated document assembly would be fully incorporated in most law offices across the country. While great strides have been made in law office technology tools, and tools for automatically generating documents are much improved over what was available decades previously, many law firms still have not fully
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Jim Calloway
Providing Exceptional Customer Service
Years ago, I put together a presentation called “The Client-Centered Law Practice.” It focused on the irony that while law firms focused on serving clients and appropriately addressing their legal needs, clients sometimes had an impression that differed from that. To those (hopefully few) clients, it seemed that the law firm was busily engaged doing important work for other, very…
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ABA TECHSHOW 2024 Early Bird Deadline is this Week. I hope to see you there.
2023 cast a huge spotlight on Artificial Intelligence tools. That means it is a great year to attend ABA TECHSHOW, which will be held in Chicago February 14 – 17, 2024. But it is time to decide now! The Early Bird registration ends on Friday, January 11 and there is a price increase after that deadline.
Those who have…
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Tis the Season: Tech Toys for the Holidays 2023 Podcast
It’s that special time of year. By that I mean it is time for the Tech Toys for the Holiday episode from the Digital Edge podcast. Sharon Nelson and I both agree that it is our favorite podcast of the year and many of our listeners tell us the same thing.
This year we have a wide range of tech…
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Artificial Intelligence Tools and Tips
By Jim Calloway and Julie Bays
In August’s Law Practice Tips column, “ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence and the Lawyer,”we covered the development of AI tools and some challenges they have presented to attorneys who did not appreciate the limitations of ChatGPT. This month, we will look at more AI-powered tools and techniques for using them.
DOCUMENT AND DEPOSITION SUMMARIES
One…
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A Great Time to Get Ready to Attend ABA TECHSHOW 2024
Technology innovations and artificial intelligence tools have generated much discussion this year. There have been many truly amazing uses for AI demonstrated and many of the tools we currently use are now adding AI components. This is a perfect time to attend ABA TECHSHOW 2024, scheduled February 14-17, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The Oklahoma Bar Association Event Promoter…
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Some Specific Steps to Take If You Receive a Threat
In private practice, I was threatened several times, always related to domestic and protective order cases. I didn’t consider any of them serious and took no action. But that was decades ago. Today we need to appreciate that threats must be taken seriously. Have you had a conversation with all of the people who work with you on how to…
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Can Lawyers Legally and Ethically Record Conversations with Clients Using Artificial Intelligence – and Should They?
Technology advances change many things. A few decades ago, most lawyers would likely have rejected the idea that it would ever be a good idea to record a conversation between an attorney and a client. There would have been numerous philosophical objections and practical
objections, including the cost to transcribe the recordings. Many readers, no doubt, would still agree with…
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Passwords Are a Major Annoyance of the Digital Age. How to Cope.
“Lawyers have hated passwords since passwords first made their appearance,” some of my colleagues recently wrote. So true.
Emerging AI tools mean it is easier to crack passwords. So, the standard advice for strong passwords is now at least 15 characters, with requirements of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, symbols and maybe a drop of blood (OK, not really.) The…
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Ethics Articles in August Oklahoma Bar Journal
This month the Oklahoma Bar Association Journal has a legal ethics themed issue. We believe in sharing with others in the profession. So you can access the entire issue as a PDF or use the handy index of the Table of Contents to select the articles you wish to read online. https://www.okbar.org/barjournal/august-2023/ Two of the articles cover AI and…
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ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence and the Lawyer
In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT. ChatGPT, along with other artificial intelligence (AI) tools, has dominated the conversation about cutting-edge technology and legal technology tools during 2023. The reactions have ranged from “the most entertaining thing on the internet” to an incredible new tool that will change society in a positive way to a corporate tool that will allow companies…
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Generative AI and Copyright: Collision is Inevitable (Podcast)
Our Digital Edge podcast Generative AI and Copyright: Collision is Inevitable tracks the fact that copyright lawyers is buzzing with the rising possibilities of AI-related legal matters. Is this a major concern in our current era of blossoming AI technologies? Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome Vedia Jones-Richardson to get her expert opinion on a variety of legal questions arising…
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The Ethics of Office Sharing Arrangements
Office Sharing Arrangements with Other Lawyers was the subject of American Bar Association Formal Opinion 507, released July 12, 2023.
The opinion “addresses some minimum ethical requirements and suggested practices arising in the office sharing context, particularly in the areas of confidentiality, conflicts of interest, supervision, and communications concerning a lawyer’s services.” It notes that when lawyers in an office…
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Law Firm Staff Hiring Procedures. More Complicated Than They Used To Be
Suppose next week begins with one of your top paralegals or legal secretaries giving you two weeks’ notice. Maybe they are moving to another location or another local law firm. But now you have an opening to fill.
The first response is not about filling the position. First, you must determine if there are any matters the employee is working…
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New York Times Piece on Using AI to Study Rather Than to Cheat has Great Lessons for Lawyers
As we enter the Artificial Intelligence Age, there is a lot to think about in many aspects of law and society. I encourage you to read Brian X. Chen’s piece in the New York Times Don’t Use A.I. to Cheat in School. It’s Better for Studying. (Gift article link.) The power of the emerging AI tools cannot be denied.
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