Non Traditional Law Student » Technology

FreshBooks Is Worth A Look

Non Traditional Law Student — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:51:08 +0000

I was surfing my usual suspects and happened upon an intriguing site. FreshBooks is an affordable online billing system that looks very promising. Here are some of the features you can expect.

Easily create, send and manage invoices
Track time and expenses (for you and staff)Send invoices by snail mail or email
Accept payment with PayPal, Authorize.Net, & more
Automatically send invoices & late payment notices
Create robust reports and import/export your data

There are also several pricing models to suit every size practice. For all you law school students out there thinking about going solo after graduation, FreshBooks is definitely worth a look. God bless and have a great day.

Lawyers In The Age Of Technology

Non Traditional Law Student — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:01:02 +0000

It will come as no surprise that if lawyers are to succeed in this day and age they must be familiar with technology. As law students it would behoove us to become technologically saavy now, before we become lawyers. Gone are the days when people look in the yellow pages to find a lawyer. The internet is now the predominent medium for finding information about lawyers (and anything else for that matter).

If you do not have an online presence you should seriously consider establishing one now. It is not costly, and it is relatively easy if you take the time to familiarize yourself with it a little bit. Don’t wait until the last minute to get on board. For some helpful tips and advice you should check out This Article at Blawgit.com. God bless and have a great day.

Handy Law Student Tools

Non Traditional Law Student — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:54:26 +0000

If you are like me then you utilize the internet a lot. Law is a field that is becoming increasingly more saturated with technology, and the wise law student will keep informed. While I was browsing some of my favorite blawg sites I happened on this article from ResIpsaBlog.com.

I am a huge fan of open source software and the firefox web browser. Read this article to find some very useful extensions for firefox. These extensions are geared toward helping people with researching, which is something that should not be unfamiliar to a law student. As a non traditional law student we should be looking for any advantage we can get. I actually read this article and added on 5 of the extensions to my personal browser. I hope you find the information useful. God bless and have a great day.

Law Students, Are You Headed Toward A Solo Practice?

Non Traditional Law Student — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:03:54 +0000

Build a Solo Practice, LLC, along with a host of collaborators, has embarked on what could possibly become one of the most valuable resources a new lawyer could have. If you are currently a law student really interested in going solo after graduation you should check out the project, Solo Practice University. There are lifetime scholarships available for the first 100 law students who offer to beta test the new project. The last time I checked there were only 24 spots still available, so hurry. This will be a valuable resource for networking as well as learning. God bless and have a great day.

Laptop Exam Taking

Non Traditional Law Student — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:48:34 +0000

Well, it finally happened to me. I have never taken a “bluebook” exam before. I have always taken them on my laptop. Today, however, I went to start up my exam software and it failed the security check! Yikes! My first reaction was that this was a mistake and I must have hit a wrong key. I rebooted and still nothing. I disabled almost all running programs I could think of and still nothing. Time is wasting.

I finally gave up and took a bluebook and hand-wrote my exam. I think I did pretty well and I was able to finish well before the time limit, but the stress of finding out at the last minute that my software did not work was a little unsettling.

After I got home I called the support line and found out what the problem was and corrected it. The moral of the story is that you should always be prepared for the “unthinkable” to happen during exam time. Don’t stress about it, just be prepared in case something happens. And always check, double check, and triple check your software! God bless and have a great day.

Be An Original Thinker.

Non Traditional Law Student — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:53:38 +0000

We have all heard the term “think outside the box”. I actually hate that term; it has been so overused that it has lost its “oomph” power to motivate people. While I do not disagree with the idea of the phrase, I believe there are many ways to think inside the box and still make a bold statement. How do you do this you ask? Simple, rather than thinking “outside” the box just create a new box.

When you eventually begin thinking hard about that future job and potential employer you will no doubt try to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd, especially if you are a non-traditional student who was unable to take advantage of many of the opportunities other students may have had. One way you can set yourself apart is to turn the common into the uncommon. There is no need to always reinvent the wheel, but sometimes the wheel may need a little tweaking.

Consider the basic task of sending out resumes and cover letters. These are rock-solid, must-have pieces of information for any employer. But who says you are limited to the pen and paper? While I would not dispense with the traditional cover letter and resume I might also add a cd or dvd in the envelope. Perhaps on this dvd I would put copies of my resume, cover letter, letters of recommendations, and a personal video taped introduction statement. You may even want to add some footage of others (friends, professors, coworkers, etc…) lauding your skills and personality. In this example the “box” is the basic resume and cover letter. By adding a little flair you are not abandoning these vital pieces of information in lieu of something new, you are simply revising (or improving) the way in which they are presented.

I am sure there are many more examples you can think of. The main point, however, is that you can be an original thinker without straining to pull out new ideas from the fourth dimension. Try taking some existing ideas and just simply making them better, or (as some of my children might say) making them “pop”. God Bless and have a great day.

Keeping Abreast Of Legal Activity

Non Traditional Law Student — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:44:31 +0000

This is no doubt the age of the computer. For the non-traditional law student this can be a great benefit. One thing I would suggest doing is signing up for email alerts or RSS feeds from your state’s legislature. Here is the link for Michigan’s legislative RSS feed. I find it very useful to see how the concepts and legal issues I am currently studying are applied and proposed in real-life situations. A great news reader (in my opinion) is RSS Owl.

You may also want to subscribe to some of the blogroll links on this website. There is a wealth of information out there just waiting to be tapped into. I have also signed up to receive email alerts whenever my district representative votes on an issue. A good lawyer needs to be aware of what is happening in the legislature of his or her state and keep abreast of laws that may affect clients. While we are not lawyers yet, it is good to get into the practice of keeping informed. Many of these services are free as well. God Bless and have a great day.

Discover The Wonders Of Open Source Office Suites.

Non Traditional Law Student — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:26:31 +0000

I am a BIG fan of open source software. As an avid (albeit armature) programmer I thrive on the idea of software for the public at no charge. A few years ago I came across a great office suit that rivals – indeed surpasses in my opinion – the Microsoft Office Suit. It is all I use on my laptop for law school. If you would like a copy of one of the greatest and FREE office suites around consider giving Open Office a try. You will be glad you did.

Utilize Technology In Your Legal Studies.

Non Traditional Law Student — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:38:26 +0000

The non-traditional law student arguably has much less time than does the traditional law student to research and study in “traditional” ways. Your school’s law library is a wonderful source for legal authority, and I personally prefer utilizing “hard copies” in my reading and research. However, you probably don’t have enough time to spend hours a week at the library.

Legal-research technology is out there so you may as well utilize it. WestlLaw and LexisNexis are great resources for delving into legal topics in depth. But there are many other sources as well. Google a legal term and see what you come up with. While there is no substitute for “hitting the books”, online research and study aids can be very helpful.

A warning though. Do Not become reliant on technology to do your work for you. Brief your own cases, read the material, and study in your own style. When law school is over and you are sitting for the Bar Exam it will be your knowledge that is tested; not that of others you have read about online.

Have a great day and hang in there.