Tag Archives: VPN

How to Work Remotely

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For those of you struggling to figure out how your business can adapt to the age of COVID-19, here’s the good news: it can be done!

The keys, according to Washington Lawyer Jordan L. Couch, are:

  • Setting up a VPN & Remote Desktop
  • Grabbing What You Need from the Office
  • Taking Online Signatures
  • Using Cloud Storage
  • Scheduling Video Conferences and Investing in VoIP

Read more at the link below.

via How to Work Remotely as a Lawyer: An Innovator’s Guide to Law in the Time of Coronavirus — NWSidebar.

My two cents?

VPN and Remote Desktop

Remote access allows you to get to all your office files from home. Learn more by reading this post.

Grabbing What You Need at the Office

Plan before you go. If you have staff, ask for input then make a list. Find a cardboard box, sacks, or anything you can use to carry office supplies and the like – ideally virus-free and ready to go. If you’re not sure whether the carriers you’re using to bring stuff home are good to go, then disinfect. Be prepared to do it again or to “quarantine” carriers when you return home.

  • If you were last in the office four or more days ago – everything you bring home is virus-free. This assumes no one else has been in your space and had access to files or items in your workspace.
  • If you were in the office more recently, prepare to disinfect what you bring home or quarantine it for three days. The virus lives on plastic for three days and plastic is EVERYWHERE in our offices – keyboards, mice, phones, etc. Read more here.
  • Protect yourself. If you are in a firm, office share, rent space, or pay for custodial services, assume someone has been in your space and protect yourself according to CDC guidelines.

Digital Signatures

I first wrote about digital signatures in 2012. I’m a big fan. See the heading Digital Signing Apps in this post for recommendations.

Cloud Storage

If you already have Microsoft Office 365, use OneDrive. If you have Google Apps, use Google Drive. Mac user? Why iCloud of course. Otherwise, think about Box or Dropbox Business.

Phone conferencing

VOiP isn’t essential. If you use your cell phone for business, you’re already set. If you rely on an office landline, contact your provider about call forwarding. Minimally change your outgoing message so clients know you’ll be monitoring and returning calls remotely.

Video conferencing

I love Zoom for video conferencing! All my webinars are conducted through Zoom.

All Rights Reserved 2020 Beverly Michaelis

Best of Mobile Apps – 2017 ABA TECHSHOW

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This year’s TECHSHOW did not disappoint.  The Best in Mobile Apps for IOS and Android included great suggestions for scanning, scheduling, managing projects, reading PDFs, aggregating email, stopping spam, encrypting data, investigating metadata, using VPNs, sharing files, tracking deliveries, creating personal emojis, messaging, depositing checks, processing credit cards, client billing & more!

For a recap, click here or on the image below.

 

 

All the Tech Tips You’ll Ever Need

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Well… that may be a bit of a stretch, but this is still a goodie.

If you enjoy the ABA TECHSHOW format of 60 TechTips in 60 Minutes, you will certainly appreciate the lead-off presentation from this year’s inaugural Oregon State Bar Solo & Small Firm Conference.

Featuring Paul Unger and Barron Henley, “60 Legal Tech Tips, Gadgets, Apps and Websites” was a technology whirlwind.  I can honestly say I’ve saved the best post for last.  [If you missed out on prior posts, just time travel back to July 13 to see the beginning and work your way forward.]

Here are a few of the jewels Paul and Barron shared:

For the complete compilation, see this post on Storify.

All Rights Reserved 2016 Beverly Michaelis

Postscript

Also see the related story featuring Barron’s tips on “Superior Methods for Drafting Complex Legal Documents.”

2016 ABA TECHSHOW Takeaways: 10 Security Steps to Take Now!

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The incomparable Tim Baran from Legal Productivity has done it again. His post, 10 Actionable Privacy, Security & Encryption Takeaways From #ABATECHSHOW is a must-read for all lawyers.  (Important enough that I bumped the post I was planning to publish today.)

Included in Tim’s roundup:

  • Password managers
  • Secure web browsing with HTTPS Everywhere
  • No-track search engines
  • Using false answers to security questions to foil ne’er-do-wells
  • Encrypted telephone conversations and text messages
  • Encrypted files in the cloud
  • Protecting your smartphone camera
  • Using multi-factor authentication
  • Turning on automatic updates
  • Communicating over VPNs in lieu of insecure public WiFi

This is the best of the best.  Take two minutes from your day and read Tim’s post!  While you’re at it, consider subscribing to the Legal Productivity RSS feed for great practice tips on technology, mobile lawyering, marketing, organization, making money, and wellness.