Category: Law+Tech

Law and Tech section articles

#TechTuesday | Setting Default Font and Paragraph Spacing in Microsoft Word (Video)

It’s #TechTuesday! Today we are sharing another video tip in our new series titled “Tech Tip in a Tenth“. These are short, targeted, and practical videos approximately 6 minutes in length, because, as Technology Committee Member, David Majchrzak said, “Who can’t spare a point one!?” Read More

2019 Law + Technology Summit – the eDiscovery Recap

By Sheila A. Grela and June Hunter

For the second year, SDCBA Law + Technology Summit has provided stellar speakers addressing a wide-range of legal technologies.  The summit provided details regarding necessary tools, skills and knowledge to help legal professionals from sole practitioners to those working in big law, to effectively incorporate legal technology into their workflow.  Adriana Linares, Member Technology Officer for SDCB Read More

TechTip in a Tenth: Cropping PDF Files in Adobe Acrobat

By Adriana Linares

It’s TechTuesday! Today we are sharing the 3rd of our new series titled “Tech Tip in a Tenth”. These are short, targeted, and practical video’s approximately 6 minutes in length, because, as Technology Committee Member, David Majchrzak said, “Who can’t spare a point one!?” First, a list of more more resources on the topic followed by today’s Tech Tip in a Tenth!

Read More

TechTip in a Tenth: Remove File Properties (Metadata) from Word Documents

By Adriana Linares

It’s TechTuesday! Today we are sharing the first of our new series titled “Tech Tip in a Tenth”. These are short, targeted, and practical video’s approximately 6 minutes in length, because, as Technology Committee Member, David Majchrzak said, “Who can’t spare a point one!?” First, a list of more more resources on the topic followed by today’s Tech Tip in a Tenth!

Read More

The Discovery Rules

By James D. Crosby

I prefer getting documents and taking depositions as the principal means of discovery in most any case. If done right, the documents-then-depositions, with limited written discovery, approach is more cost-efficient and effective than any written discovery. Litigators, myself at times included, spend far too much time fighting over written discovery. We get locked in these little battles, these time-consuming discovery sideshows, driven by competitive instincts, by ego, by a desire to make the other side spend money, or even, at times, regretfully, by client animus towards the other side. These battles take on a life of their own, where just winning the battle, and not getting the discovery we think we want, becomes the all-consuming reason for the battle. This is not always the case, but if we are honest about it, we must admit that many written discovery disputes are more about the battle than they are about the discovery. Written discovery surely has its place in modern litigation and, at times, is well worth the fight to get it. But, a great deal of the time, it is not. With those comments as the backdrop, I offer up some suggested prescriptions for the ills that often infect our written discovery efforts – the Discovery Rules!

Rule 1:

Before proceeding with written discovery, simply and seriously consider whether it is worth the effort. Read More

Mac Productivity Tip: Sign PDF Documents using Trackpad

If you’re a Mac user, you are likely familiar with Preview – the handy, built-in image and PDF viewer of the macOS operating system. Like so many of our day to day programs, it has more tricks up its sleeve than you may know. It is an unpretentious application that can perform the tasks of multiple standalone utilities. Apart from quickly converting files formats, opening documents and images, and allowing for basic image editing, it also has a cool signature function that you can use to sign PDF files with a Trackpad. Here’s how:

  • With your PDF file open in Preview, look for the Markup button (a pen tip inside a circle) then look for the Signature button (a horizontal line with a small “x” and initials).
  • You will be presented with a window to create a signature. Click on Create Signature > Click Here to Begin.
    1. If you have a trackpad, sign your name with your finger. Click any key when finished signing.
    2. Alternatively, with your Mac’s built-in camera, you can sign your name on white paper and hold it up to  the camera. Preview will draw a virtual signature.
    3. Read More

  • Nebraska Becomes First State to Issue Ethics Opinion on Cryptocurrency

    Nebraska lawyers can now accept cryptocurrency as payment, according to an advisory opinion published by their Lawyers’ Advisory Committee – an ethics committee appointed by the state’s supreme court. Apparently, eastern Nebraska is a rapidly growing center for payment processing and financial technology.
    Litigators now have an additional option to offer clients paying for their legal services. Bitcoin, a digital currency sometimes referred to as “cryptocurrency,” transfers value—or “bitcoins”—anywhere in the world. The Nebraska Ethics Advisory Board has 

    approved Read More

    Podcast: How Aggressive Should We Get in Pleadings?

    Pleadings can often be overlooked but are an essential part of the trial process. In this report from On The Road at ABA Annual Meeting 2018, host Rocky Dhir talks to Michael Panter, Matthew Moeller, David Pardue, and Michael Weber about the purpose of pleadings and how to craft them successfully. They discuss how pleadings reflects a lawyer’s competency and professionality and why attorneys should aim for clean-cut pleadings.

      Read More