The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies : Smart Ways to Work Together, Work from Home Edition / Dennis M. Kennedy and Thomas L. Mighell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kennedy, Dennis M., 1958- author.

Mighell, Tom, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Law offices--United States--Automation.

Law offices.

Practice of law--Technological innovations--United States.

Practice of law.

Teams in the workplace--United States.

Teams in the workplace.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (191 pages)

Edition:

;2023-03.

Place of Publication:

Cleveland : American Bar Association, 2022.

Chicago, Illinois : American Bar Association, [2022]

Summary:

Written using the very tools that are discussed, this updated edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technology is a comprehensive guide covering: Best practices for working from home The distinction between collaborating within vs. outside your firm Collaborating on documents online and off Practical ways to manage cases and transactions Simple collaboration tools to use with clients, colleagues, and others Commonly used collaboration platforms Developing a collaboration strategy for your firm Practical issues, tips, and techniques

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I GETTING STARTED

Chapter 1 Collaboration and the Duty of Technology Competence

Chapter 2 Collaboration at the Crossroads-Rethinking Collaboration in a Time of Pandemic

A Few Thoughts about Practice Areas

At the Crossroads

Chapter 3 The Benefits of Collaboration in Lawsuits and Transactions

Break Down the Barriers of Time and Space

Improve Client Service and Access

Get More Eyes and Heads into the Process

Make Electronic Discovery a Team Effort

Make Due Diligence a Team Effort

Keep Everything Together

Stop Reinventing the Wheel

Improve Training

Improve Accountability

Close Projects Efficiently

Chapter 4 First Steps

Step 1: The Collaboration Audit-The Processes

Step 2: The Collaboration Audit-The Tools

Step 3: The Collaboration Audit-Painting a Picture of Where You Are

Step 4: Brainstorming Where You Want to Be

Step 5: The Client Survey

Step 6: Define Your Point B

Step 7: Determine What Your Existing Tools Can Do

Step 8: Research and Become Familiar with the Current Landscape for Collaboration Tools

Step 9: Set Some Priorities

Step 10: Get Buy-in

Step 11: Consider Your Culture

Step 12: Treat This as a Process

Chapter 5 How WFH Changed Lawyer Collaboration

Chapter 6 Future-Proofing Your Collaboration Strategy

The Cloud Is No Longer an Option

Platforms Offer Consistency

Agility

Standardizing Internal and External Collaboration

Routinely Communicating

Delegating Work

Managing Workflow

Drafting, Reviewing, and Producing Documents

Scheduling

Receiving News and Updates

Friendly Territory and Unfriendly Territory

"Good-Enough" Future-Proofing

PART II RECOMMENDED COLLABORATION TOOLS.

Chapter 7 Meetings, Part 1: Videoconferencing

Choosing a Videoconferencing Service

Our Top Videoconferencing Choices

Videoconferencing Etiquette

Lights!

Camera!

Audio!

Action!

Make Privacy a Priority

Advanced Web Conferencing

Chapter 8 Meetings, Part 2: Meetings+

Meeting Support

Events

Virtual Office

Chapter 9 Writing, Part 1

Basic Collaboration on Documents

Everything Old Is New Again-Marking Up Your Electronic Documents with

Redlining Tools-Benefits and Limitations

Drafting a Document Online-The Major Players

Microsoft 365

Google Docs

Other Office Suites and Applications

Chapter 10 Writing, Part 2: Creating, Sharing, and Storing Online Documents

Creating a Document with Google Docs

Sharing Documents with Others

Messaging within Docs

Creating a Document with Microsoft 365

Creating a New Word Document

Collaborating on a Document-Word or Google

Collaborating on Documents Using Adobe Acrobat

Review, Comment, and Edit

Sending a Document Out for Review

Document Storage

OneDrive, Box, and Dropbox

SharePoint

File Sharing

The Future of "Documents"

Chapter 11 Communicate, Part 1: Messaging Tools

Communications "Platforms"

Teams

How You Might Use a Communications Platform

Litigation

Transactions

Law Firm Back-Office Management

How Tom and Dennis Use Teams

Instant Messaging

Where Did All the IM Tools Go?

Chapter 12 Communicate, Part 2: Client Portals and Intranets

Client Portal Features

Using a Portal in Your Law Practice

Types of Portals/Extranets

Intranets

Chapter 13 Communicate, Part 3: Email as a Collaboration Platform

The Problems with Email as a Collaboration Medium

You May Experience Technical Difficulties

Email Is Not a Document Manager.

Managing Drafts by Email Is Challenging

It Is Easy to Make Mistakes

It Is Difficult to Add New People

Conversation Flow Can Be Confusing

Information Will Be Decentralized

Email May Not Be Secure

Email Makes Us Lazy

Making Better Use of Email

Tips for Email Productivity

Face Up to the Email Volume Problem

Perform Email Triage . . .

. . . Or Get Things Done . . .

. . . But Only a Few Times a Day

Stop Intrusive Notifications

Create a Folder System (or, Be a Filer, Not a Piler)

Use Rules and Other Automated Tools

Take Advantage of Your Mobile Email Apps

Stay Near Zero

Chapter 14 Projects and Tasks

Project Management

Must-Have Project Management Features

Recommended Project Management Tools

Task Management

Chapter 15 Other Simple Yet Surprisingly Useful Collaboration Tools

The Share Function

Online Calendaring

Mind Mapping and Whiteboarding

Bookmarks

Wikis

Social Networking and Social Media

. . . And Other Collaboration Tools

Chapter 16 Collaboration Tools for Personal Tasks

Shared Calendars

Shared To-Do and Other Lists

Shared Document Storage

Shared Project Planning

Shared Notes

Shared Resources

Shared Passwords

Shared "Vaults"

Chapter 17 Your WFH Tech Stack-Recommended Hardware

The Right Space

Desk

Desk Chair

Keyboard

Mouse

Monitor

Docking Station

Camera

Headset

Lighting

PART III DEVELOPING YOUR COLLABORATION STRATEGY

Chapter 18 Cybersecurity and Other Risks

Security Requirements for You and Your Firm

Cloud Security

Security and WFH

Other Risks

Chapter 19 Must-Have Features for Your Collaboration Tools

No-or Very Small-Barriers to Entry

Reducing-or Not Increasing-the Silo Factor

Common and Popular Platforms

Leveraging What You Already Have.

Integration with Your Existing Tools

Accessibility and Portability

Easy to Learn and Easy to Use

Sensitivity to Legal Issues and Law

What Your Collaborators Are Using

Built for the Long Haul

Free vs. Paid

Pulling It All Together

Chapter 20 Ownership, Control, and Other Legal Issues

Control

Ownership

Licensing

Moving toward Different Models of Delivering Legal Services

Chapter 21 Your Collaboration Strategy Must Be Collaborative

Understanding Client-Driven Technology

Determine Your Clients' Needs

Determining Which Factors Will Drive Your Strategic Planning

Locating Point A and Point B

Existing Platforms

Make a Plan

Client and Other Collaborator Needs

Cultural Issues

Budget

SWOT and Other Strategic Approaches

The Portfolio Approach

The 80/20 Rule

A Written Plan

Security and Special Concerns

Return on Investment

Chapter 22 Preparing for the Future

Chapter 23 Building a Culture of Collaboration

Law Firm Culture and Collaboration

A Simple 15-Minute Exercise

Collaboration: Addressing Cultural Issues

Know Thyself

Know Thy Collaborators

Stay Out of People's Way While They Are Working

Understand Top-Down versus Bottom-Up

Build on What Works

Achieve Critical Mass

Invest in Team Building

Learn about Collaboration

Consider Using Incentives or Penalties

Remember that Culture Is a Moving Target

PART IV CONCLUSION

Chapter 24 Better Ways to Work Together

Appendix A Collaboration Tools by Category

Communications Platforms

Decision Making

File Sharing and Online Storage

Meeting Scheduling and Booking

Metadata Removal

Mind Mapping

Online Office Tools-Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

PDF Creation and Management

Portals and Extranets.

Project Management

Redlining

Screen Sharing

Videoconferencing

Virtual (and Hybrid) Events

Virtual Offices

Whiteboards

Appendix B Sample Client Collaboration Technology Survey

Client Technology Survey for [Your Firm]

Survey Questions

Part 1: Help Us Work with Your Technology-General

Part 2: Help Us Work with Your Technology-Collaboration

Part 3: Help Us Work with Your Technology-Moving Forward

Index.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Kennedy, Dennis M. The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies

ISBN:

1-63905-143-0