Downsizing

I have downsized.

Oh, I don’t mean my paycheck, although for the time being while I’m getting my business going, that’s true too. (Just you wait . . . I’ll be back making the medium bucks again any time now!)

No, I mean I’ve downsized in terms of the size of the offices I work with, and the size of the cases I work on. It’s still a novelty!

In BigLaw in recent years, I tended to work on mega-cases. There were armies of attorneys to respond to, scads of money at stake, and boatloads of documents to manage, and filings and deadlines to track. There were always ten plates spinning at once.

Which isn’t to say I don’t have ten plates spinning at once now – often I do. But they’re my plates, not the plates spun off by the decisions of others, which I must nonetheless keep in the air somehow.

No, the offices I work with now as a virtual paralegal tend to be small. I work with solo practitioners, for the most part. They may or may not have on-site staff, and they may or may not have permanent office space.

Because my clients have smaller offices themselves, they tend to handle matters that are somewhat less document intensive than those I've handled in the past. They tend to use different technology than that which I had become accustomed to in recent years. I work more with PDF document compilations, and less with Concordance databases, for example. I prepare document productions in the hundreds (or maybe low thousands) of pages, rather than in the tens of thousands.

But these are minor differences - differences of detail rather than substance.

In fact, now more than ever I am often called upon to figure out the most efficient way to accomplish a project with available resources and my own two hands and the small-office technology at my disposal, with no Litigation Support personnel to fall back on for getting a project done. This satisfies my practical nature.

Case size and technology may have downsized, but professionalism certainly has not. With my attorney clients, the quality of the work is just as painstaking, and the expectations of excellence are just as high as they were when I worked at larger firms. This satisfies my perfectionist nature.

There is a different “office” dynamic as well. (Yes, in an odd way my attorney clients and I do make up an "office.") There are fewer layers of approval to work one’s way through than in large offices. I find that communication is more direct, and the sense of partnership I feel with my clients is more pronounced. This satisfies my collaborative nature.

So you see, in my world, downsizing has been a very good thing!

Calling the IT Department Redux! Or, lessons learned from revisiting the Dark Ages!

Yes folks, it has been a trying week here at Chez Moi, otherwise known as Sonoma Freelance.

And an illuminating one, as I've had a chance to see upclose and unpleasantly personal just how well all my business data backup efforts are working! (The answer is, pretty well, fortunately!)

In the middle of last week, I thought things were going along swimmingly. I was busily working and writing and playing away as usual (picture me skipping through meadows vineyards singing tralala) when all of a sudden I needed to reboot my laptop late in the day . . . .

And it wouldn't reboot.

Or not normally, anyway. I couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong or why, but even with my rather limited amount of Geekness, I realized I had a problem with Windows, or with my registry, or both.

[Mac users, put your hands down! Just stop it. No Gloating!!!

Do I need this????]

By morning the situation was worse, so I gathered up all my recovery disks (you do have recovery disks don't you?) and headed off to the computer repair store.

I was Laptop-less for 3 days. Three. Full. Days.

Interesting to experience just how reliant I am on my laptop not just for working, which is obvious, but for amusement. Entertainment. Use of time. I thought it was tough being without cable when I first cut it loose - that was nothing, I realize, compared to the restlessness, the fidgeting I experienced for three full days/evenings without that computer! What to do with myself????

Well, I cooked. I cleaned. I read! I got so much reading done - I mean books, not just my RSS feed and on-line newspapers! That part was cool, actually.

The short version is,  they backed up my data (onto my own external hard drive), and rebuilt Windows, and popped my backup data into a folder on my desktop, and handed a sortof unrecognizable, straight-from-the-factory laptop back to me. Which is where the real nightmare began, because I had to embark upon the mind-numbingly tedious task of reinstalling all my software, reorganizing all my files, and basically putting things back as they were - and I'm still not done.

However, I gained some insights about what works and what doesn't in this technological aspect of my personal and business life, and that's what I'll share with you here.

• The very good news is that my backup systems work! I didn't loose any important business or personal data! Most crucial files, including music and photos, were of course captured on my hard drive backup. (That not all were is an anomaly I can't explain, since I didn't perform that backup, but I'll take steps to fix that in all future backups.) And since all my work related materials back up constantly in real time to SugarSync, they were all there waiting for me when I re-synched. Yea!
• More good news is that even while my computer systems were down, I was still able to answer emails and remain connected with clients, colleagues, business contacts and friends (and even a few Tweeps!) via my phone - thank god for my trusty Droid!
• The bad news is that re-downloading large software programs took forever, and it seemed that my internet connection selected those two days to be particularly slow. Or perhaps that's just my paranoia at work. Anyway, I took the opportunity to order disks of some of that software so that if, heaven forfend, this ever happens again, I can just re-install from the disks.
• I also realized that I need to better familiarize myself with my external backup system. Restoring from SugarSync was pretty seamless - perhaps because I work with it a lot more, but restoring data from the external drive had a few kinks. Nothing devastating mind you, but just not as streamlined as I'd like, so I want to address that and establish a better protocol, so I'm armed for future tech glitches.

And of course, I'm still not back to normal. I still have software to re-install, and my music library isn't back yet, and files are still in weird places on my hard drive and I need to clean that up. But I'm functional. I did triage, and restored the systems I needed most urgently for my business, my client work and my writing projects. The rest I'll keep chipping away at.

So. How was your week?

Guest Post: 6 Ways Reading Paralegal Blogs Can Make You a Better Paralegal

Paralegals work in an environment that is constantly changing and knowledge about technology innovations, new areas of opportunity, recent cases, and paralegal industry news can help paralegals stay ahead. Blogs written by experienced paralegals can be an excellent source of useful information that can help you be more effective at your job. Here are a few reasons why reading paralegal blogs can improve your paralegal career.

Learn what is going on inside other law firms

Whether you’re looking for your first gig, a new opportunity, or career development, reading a variety of paralegal blogs can give you an inside scoop on what is going on at law firms. You can learn what skills are in high demand at law firms or what trends are changing the environment or the role of paralegals.

Stay informed with changes in the industry

The latest cases, innovative ways to use technology, or industry news are often covered by the top paralegal blogs.

Learn career enhancing tips

Paralegal blogs can share useful tips on how to become more effective and more productive. For example Practical Paralegalism has the Top 10 Tips for Brand New Paralegals.

Learn from the experiences of other paralegals

Nobody can know the ins and outs of every situation, so what could be better than to become familiar with the many experiences of many different legal professionals? Some paralegal blogs also feature interviews of experienced and successful paralegals. You can find some great paralegal interviews at The Paralegal Mentor.

Get the insights you need to move up the ladder

The ability to show deep knowledge about the inner workings of the industry will put you  ahead of others when it comes time for a promotion or a move to a bigger and better law firm.

Expand your professional network

Paralegal blogs will expand your network of professionals who you can turn to for free consultation and career advice. You can often connect with paralegal bloggers on Twitter or LinkedIn.

This article is a guest post by Charles Sipe from Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a site providing information on paralegal degrees and schools. 

Charles offers some great reasons to read paralegal blogs! I was also interested to learn that Charles lives in Seattle, where I spent ten happy years, and I've enjoyed "chatting" with him via email as we prepared this guest post!

Virtual Paralegals in Litigation Part 3: Confidentially Speaking

Can a virtual paralegal benefit a solo or small office litigation practice? Absolutely! The purpose of this series is to discuss those benefits, and answer some of the questions litigators have about working with a virtual or remote working paralegal.

In recent posts I discussed a way to think about the title "virtual paralegal," and the common, readily available technologies used in working with a virtual paralegal.

Today we discuss another area to investigate when contemplating working with a virtual paralegal:

Security and confidentiality. All attorneys have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure the security of all their clients’ confidential documents, as well as their own work product. They have a duty to strictly maintain the privileged nature of all their communications with their clients. Naturally, they are reasonably concerned that their staff – whether employees or contractors – treat all documents and communications with the same diligent care.

These concerns lead attorneys to be careful about how and with whom files and documents are shared. While attorneys, and perhaps even staff, work from home, they do so with these security and confidentiality needs in mind. Although documents are routinely exchanged with clients, experts, witnesses and co-counsel via hard copy, email, fax and other means, lawyers assure themselves that this information will be handled with appropriate confidentiality. These same concerns apply to exchange of documents and information with a virtual paralegal too.

It is incumbent upon the virtual paralegal to provide reliable evidence that she or he can maintain strict security of all paper and digital files. Any lawyer contemplating hiring a remote working paralegal will want to inquire into her business practices.

• How does the paralegal secure and store paper and electronic files? 
• How long are paper or digital copies retained, if at all? 
• What computer back-up systems are used to ensure that files are not deleted or otherwise lost? 
• What security measures are taken with computer files, on-line storage, and back-up files to prevent disclosure? 
• Does the paralegal's system have a firewall and secured WiFi? 
• Are the cloud or internet based software the paralegal uses encrypted?

Paralegals, whether employee or contractor, share with attorneys an ethical duty of confidentiality. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, state rules modeled thereon, and guidelines for paralegals adopted by state bar associations, state courts and paralegal professional organizations, all require paralegals to guard the confidentiality of all client information. This duty of confidentiality applies as firmly to paralegals working remotely as it does to a law firm's own staff.

Moreover, these issues should be addressed in the contractor agreement executed between the attorney and paralegal before any work is performed. The agreement should at a minimum state that the paralegal will not disclose, by any means, information regarding the attorney’s business processes, clients, or client information.  The agreement should also discuss the virtual paralegal’s business practices regarding document retention and security.

So you see, with a firm understanding of a virtual paralegal's business practices, and a contract in place, a litigator can have confidence in using the services of a virtual paralegal.

However, this leads to the another question to consider in hiring a remote working paralegal: Trust. Tune in next time for Part 4.

Virtual Paralegals in Litigation Part 2: You Do Have the Technology!

As noted in Part 1, many virtual paralegals encounter resistance among litigation attorneys to utilizing our services. Even though their offices might be perfectly suited to using a virtual paralegal, many litigators are most comfortable with a contractor whom they can see and hear, no matter how small their office might be.

In my last post, I discussed ways in which confusion about the title Virtual Paralegal can give rise to resistance about hiring us. Today I discuss the next roadblock:

Technology. Some attorneys believe they do not have the requisite technology for utilizing a paralegal working from a remote location. However, this is not the case. Tools employed by every office – telephone, mail, email, fax, scanning and internet access – can be used to share documents, information and projects back and forth with a remote working paralegal. In fact, these are the tools routinely used for sharing documents and data within the office, and outside it to clients, experts and the courts.

In addition, virtual paralegals are already set up to work remotely. They typically have additional tools at their disposal to work effectively and efficiently with a law firm client in any location.

There are a number of software programs available for securely sharing files back and forth between remote locations. The oldest tool is an FTP client (File Transfer Protocol), which enables both lawyer and paralegal to upload and download large files over the internet.

Other software programs provide secure on-line repositories for documents. While designed for safe on-line computer back-up, they also provide a secure means of file sharing. Using one of these programs, a remote working paralegal can create a series of folders and sub-folders for storing case documents. These files are accessible via link or password to both the lawyer and the paralegal from any computer or location. In this way, both lawyer and paralegal can store, access or revise any case related materials whenever they need to. Dropbox and SugarSync are two examples. (Note: Dropbox gets a lot of great reviews in the legal community, and for good reason - it's an excellent product. I prefer SugarSync myself. I’ll tell you why in a future post.)

Finally, there are software programs that actually create a secure collaborative project management system of sorts on line. They enable the lawyer and paralegal not only store case files and edit documents, but also to design a project, assign tasks to different team members, and track everyone's progress. Box.net and Basecamp are a couple of examples.

So you see, every lawyer has all the technology he or she really needs to work effectively with a remote working paralegal. It's much easier than you think!

However, this leads us to another roadblock to hiring virtual or remote working paralegals: Security and Confidentiality! Tune in next time for Part 3.

Blog Current: Wading Through an Endless Flow of Ideas

Why do I subscribe to blogs and news feeds?  Because subscribing is such a huge time saver, as shown in this cool little video!
 
But the prior question would be why do I read blogs at all?  Because I want to keep abreast of law practice trends.  Because I never owned a business before, and I barely know what I’m doing.  Because some days I’m scared to death!  Oh, and because it’s fun!
 
The blogs in my RSS reader fluctuate.  Being self-employed, time management is something I constantly wrestle with.  Mindful that I need to spend time on the most important things, I regularly review my subscriptions and remove blogs that I’m either – let’s face it, just not reading – or else not benefiting from any more.  But what benefits me?

Those benefits fluctuate too, as I move through different phases of my entrepreneurial pursuits, but generally, my blog subscriptions fall into three categories: law and paralegal blogs; marketing and business blogs; and what I think of as “entrepreneurial inspiration” blogs.  (There are also food/wine blogs, but that’s a topic for Sonoma Sip.)  

Here are just a few of the blogs in each category that I read regularly.
 
Legal Profession
 
LTN Law Technology News – LTN is a news feed of articles from a variety of sources focused on technology in law practice.  As technological advances have always been of great interest, but also of great importance to me as a paralegal, I find this feed extremely useful.  It also has a focus on e-discovery, which is a big interest of mine.
 
Practical Paralegalism – Lynne DeVenny is a North Carolina paralegal who writes a highly engaging blog about and for fellow paralegals.  Her posts are a mix of education, paralegal news and funny or moving anecdotes, and I always enjoy it.  Check it out!
 
Georgetown Law’s E-Discovery Law Blog - As I mentioned, I'm quite interested in e-discovery, and consequently I subscribe to a number of e-discovery blogs.  Scholarly yet very clearly written, it covers an interesting array of e-discovery related topics.
 
Marketing & Business Advice
 
Six Pixels of Separation – a marketing blog written by Mitch Joel of TwistImage.com, author of the recent book by the same name.  I enjoyed the book, and I also subscribe to Mitch’s podcast.  If there is one significant message I’ve gleaned from Six Pixels, it is to continually ask myself why.  Why should clients hire me instead of someone else, why is anyone interested in anything I have to say, why am I choosing this marketing method over another?  My strategy has to dictate my tactics; otherwise everything I do is just a distraction.(fn)   Thought-provoking stuff!
 
IttyBiz: Marketing for Businesses Without Marketing Departments – a hilariously funny yet very insightful blog written by Naomi Dunford.  I need to remember not to sip coffee or wine or any other liquid while reading Naomi’s posts lest I spew it all over my computer when I burst out laughing, and the smiles would be reason enough to read it.  But the blog is also full of marketing insights geared straight toward my very small sort of business.
 
Entrepreneurial Inspiration
 
Buon Viaggio – a blog written by Barbara Winter of JoyfullyJobless.com fame.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, her book was highly influential in my decision to start my own contract paralegal business.  Her blog continues to inspire, and encourages me to revel in the fact that despite all its challenges, becoming self-employed was the best thing I could have done in this season of my life.
 
Seth’s Blog -  I realize it’s quite unoriginal to adore Seth’s blog – it might just be the most popular blog on the planet – but I don’t care.  Seth’s posts are endlessly honest, insightful, and arresting, and I rarely if ever fail to be challenged by them.  Perhaps the two most transformative messages for me have been the importance of generosity in my life, in my relationships, in my business, and the importance of what Seth calls “shipping.”  Do it.  Get it on the market.  Start the business.  Execute the plan – not the perfect plan, just the plan I have right now.  Act, move, get it done.  I need this kick in the pants every day!
 
I could talk about many more noteworthy blogs – and perhaps I will in a follow-up post.  These blogs might not be your cup of tea – what benefits me right now might be – probably is! – different from what benefits you.  Regardless, I wholeheartedly recommend that you spend a slot of time a day or a week feeding your mind with insights from others that might hone your skills, challenge your thinking, give you new ideas, or simply provide encouragement that you’re on the right track!
 
So what are you reading?  Feel free to share it in the comments!



fn:  Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone, by Mitch Joel, at 50-51. New York: Business Plus, 2009.

Calling the IT Department! Oh Wait . . . That's Me!

As mentioned in my last post, I spent last week transitioning from my five year old PC to the new laptop I bought.  Doing this in the midst of a research and drafting project for a client posed additional challenges, but I'm happy with the result.  And it gives rise to a brief discussion of my home office, what I need and use, the software I like, etc.  So here goes.

First, a quick synopsis of the discussion I have with my Mac loving family and friends (and there are many).  The Mac lovers in my life mount compelling arguments in its favor, but in my own computer choice, the primary criterion is compatibility.  Most law offices operate on Windows PCs; hence, so will my home office.  I can’t afford to have clients complaining about my documents not working properly, and I don’t want to spend time on conversions, etc.  So it was a Windows laptop for me.

I have always been one to economize on hardware.  My family has a long tradition of handing down computers to each other, and getting by with upgrading and coddling along older hardware.  I know many will disagree with this approach, and believe it’s the best business investment to buy the very best (and consequently most expensive) hardware there is, but I believe I have a good grasp of how much computing power I need to adequately run my business, allowing for expected growth.  So, taking into consideration my still fairly meager budget, I purchased an Acer laptop (not the most expensive one), maxed out the RAM memory before taking it home, and called it good. 

Will this laptop still be serving me well five years from now?  Time will tell, but it certainly meets my needs now, and it feels light years faster than my old PC.  Moreover, when I’m working in my office, the larger LCD monitor, contoured keyboard and mouse from my old PC system are connected to it, greatly enhancing my speed and efficiency.

My laptop came loaded with Windows 7 and MS Office 2007 (a trial version, that is).  I immediately fell in love with both.  I won’t expound on all their many cool features; I just find them both very intuitive to use.

What other software do I find essential for my home office?

•    QuickBooks – I use this for all my business accounting.  It was invaluable last month when my taxes were being prepared, and I find it fairly easy to use.  I purchased this software, as the free version isn’t powerful enough for my needs.

•    Easy Time Tracking Pro – I use this for tracking my billable time.  I can create accounts for as many clients as I want, track my time for each client with a timer, and prepare detailed invoices.  There are a number of time tracking programs out there; this one meets my needs and is relatively inexpensive.  (Again, the free version isn’t powerful enough for my needs.)

•    SugarSync – I use this primarily for on-line backup of my most important data.  I have a free account, so I can’t back my entire computer onto it, but I back up everything work related.  I like the automatic nature of it.  Every time I hit “save” the document automatically backs up; there’s nothing I have to manually do.  SugarSync has file sharing capabilities, and I could in theory share documents with clients in this way, but it would require that the client have a SugarSync account as well, so I’m not using that function at this point.  (I know many people recommend DropBox for these same functions.)

•    Google Docs – I obviously didn’t have to download this, but I do use it in my business.  Google Docs allows me to set up folders through which I can share non-confidential documents with clients (I secure them so I’m not sharing them with the world), whether said clients have a Google account or not. 

•    TweetDeck – I like this platform for Twitter, and I view and respond to my LinkedIn and Facebook updates here as well.  I like the “one stop shopping” TweetDeck affords.

•    Skype – my family uses it a lot, and it is also available for use with clients if they choose.

I of course had to download and configure software and drivers for personal use as well, and transfer all my music, photos and files (Windows Easy Transfer really simplified this process, and enabled me to transfer software settings as well as documents).   All quite time consuming, but I am very close to being finished transferring my electronic life from my old PC to my new laptop.  And I managed to do so seamlessly enough that clients didn’t notice.

And now I'm looking forward to a peaceful and efficient work life in my new home office setup!

Sunday Six Word Memoir

While an interesting litigation project for a client took precedent this week, the remainder of my time was completely absorbed by a computer upgrade.  I had been intending to upgrade my computer for quite some time, as my PC was old.  However, frightening “blue screen of death” error messages – which given the age of the computer, I saw no point in trying to trouble-shoot - hastened matters.  So I took the plunge, made the purchase, and spent this week loading software, working through a few installation glitches, and getting my work space reconfigured for my new laptop. 
 
I’m a fairly proficient user of computer technology, but in the law firm, there was always an IT department to perform these kinds of set-up tasks for me.  Doing it all myself posed an interesting challenge, particularly while working to assure that no technological hang-ups prevented me from meeting my client’s deadlines.
 
So here is the next in my series of Six Word Memoirs – a memoir to encapsulate my week:
 

Add “computer geek” to job description!

Got your own Six Word Memoir?  Feel free to share it in the Comments!