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
Continue Reading Some Specific Steps to Take If You Receive a Threat
Latest from Law Practice Tips - Page 2
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
Continue Reading Can Lawyers Legally and Ethically Record Conversations with Clients Using Artificial Intelligence – and Should They?
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.)
Continue Reading Passwords Are a Major Annoyance of the Digital Age. How to Cope.
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
Continue Reading Ethics Articles in August Oklahoma Bar Journal
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
Continue Reading ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence and the Lawyer
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
Continue Reading Generative AI and Copyright: Collision is Inevitable (Podcast)
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
Continue Reading The Ethics of Office Sharing Arrangements
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
Continue Reading Law Firm Staff Hiring Procedures. More Complicated Than They Used To Be
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.
Continue Reading New York Times Piece on Using AI to Study Rather Than to Cheat has Great Lessons for Lawyers
A Non-Hysterical Guide to ChatGPT for Lawyers
Attorneys need to know about ChatGPT and other AI tools because your clients will use them and at some point there will be a legal issue. So it’s important to understand the basics.
Some lawyers tell me they have never heard of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool from OpenAI, released late last year. I read dozens of posts and articles
Some lawyers tell me they have never heard of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence tool from OpenAI, released late last year. I read dozens of posts and articles
Continue Reading A Non-Hysterical Guide to ChatGPT for Lawyers
What’s the Best Legal Pad for You?
I must confess that, although the Attorney at Work website is one of my top resources, some posts there by Analog Attorney. Call it “digital bias” if you will. But sometimes the pieces seem to strain to do something the traditional way, even when digital methods are preferable.
That is noted because I want to encourage you to read “
Continue Reading What’s the Best Legal Pad for You?
Thoughts on Availability Retainers and Subscription Legal Services After ABA Formal Opinion 505
Prepaid legal fees and refundability of those fees was the subject of American Bar Association Formal Opinion 505. Yesterday I did a blog post about that and noted it tracked the opinion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court released in Oklahoma Bar Association v Weigel, 2014 OK 4 (2014).
This is probably a good time to note that this
Continue Reading Thoughts on Availability Retainers and Subscription Legal Services After ABA Formal Opinion 505
Retainers, Advances or Deposits? ABA Ethics Panel Says the Label Doesn’t Matter Because All Must be Held in Trust
Prepaid legal fees and refundability of those fees was the subject of American Bar Association Formal Opinion 505. The recently released opinion states that under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, a fee paid to a lawyer in advance for services to be rendered in the future must be placed in a client trust account and may be withdrawn
Continue Reading Retainers, Advances or Deposits? ABA Ethics Panel Says the Label Doesn’t Matter Because All Must be Held in Trust
Tech for the Ideal Home Office — LTRC Roundtable
This month”s LTRC Roundtable focuses on Tech for the Ideal Home Office. I joined five others to discuss what are the best and sometimes the worst about our home office tools. There are several great home office topics covered in this brief piece. It is striking how Work From Home has so well established itself. Heard a NYC office
Continue Reading Tech for the Ideal Home Office — LTRC Roundtable
Law Firm Staff Hiring Procedures. Something Else More Complicated Than It 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
Continue Reading Law Firm Staff Hiring Procedures. Something Else More Complicated Than It Used To Be.
What do you print on the back of your business card?
I’m certain the majority of lawyers would say they don’t print anything on the back of their business cards. That is fine.
A lawyer from southeastern Oklahoma showed me what she prints on the back of her business cards. This is another instance of where people law practice has different approaches than corporate law. People law involves court hearings where
Continue Reading What do you print on the back of your business card?