Welcome to Week 3 – Timesaving Tech Tips. ISBA's tech gurus,Tim and Brandt, are back on the clock providing you with five free tech tools today and five more tomorrow.

Lazarus (Chrome | Firefox): Never lose anything you type into a web form again! Lazarus autosaves everything you type so you can easily recover from form-killing timeouts, crashes and network errors.

Google Dictionary for Chrome: View definitions easily as you browse the web. Just highlight a word in chrome to see the definition in a balloon tip pop-up.

AdBlock: Blocks ads all over the web. There is a version for every major web browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera & Firefox).

AdBlock for YouTube (Chrome | Firefox): Removes the video ads from YouTube.

Do you have the skills you need to handle evidence issues in a litigation case? Don’t miss this half-day seminar in Chicago on May 25, 2017 that examines a myriad of litigation matters, including the latest developments from the appellate courts. Experienced trial attorneys involved primarily in litigation who attend this seminar will better understand: how to draft, present, and argue motions in limine; how to successfully object during a deposition, jury selection and/or opening statement; laying foundations for medical records/bills, tape recordings, photographs, and more; how to use and introduce medical literature and exclude evidence of informed consent as a defense; the standard objections that are frequently raised during trial; how to preserve the record for appeal, including voir dire examination of witnesses; how to handle lien issues; the controversy regarding applicability of Medicare Set-Asides; and the ethical issues to consider when submitting evidence.

The program is presented by the ISBA Tort Law Section and qualifies for 4.25 hours MCLE credit, including 0.50 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

Please enjoy this gift from our malpractice insurance partner, ISBA Mutual!

Despite our staid reputation, change has long been occurring in the legal profession.

• Technology continues to expand and evolve across law firms
• Internet technologies have empowered consumers, and are changing how legal services are delivered
• Hourly rates are giving way to flat fees in some practice areas
• Mobile devices and pervasive connectivity are changing clients' expectations of communication with their lawyers
• Non-lawyers are providing some legal services online, even across state lines that traditionally limit lawyers
• State bars and courts are exploring the licensing of non-lawyer alternatives to provide legal services

At ISBA Mutual - your success is ours - and we're recognizing that fact throughout ISBA Member Appreciation Month. To help you build upon your present success and flourish in an uncertain future, we are providing this complimentary download of our e-book normally available exclusively to lawyers and law firms insured by ISBA Mutual.

We're ending our D4S Week 2 — Polish Your Professional Presence — in style. Literally. Your challenge is to evaluate the image you're projecting with your wardrobe and if it's working for you.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. - Will Rogers

You are more than your clothes. You are more than your job. But there's also no harm in wanting to make a great impression on clients and colleagues, and having a good sense of style will help you do that. Whether you're into creating a capsule wardrobe or have a closet that Carrie Bradshaw would envy, there's a style for every lawyer that will make you feel both comfortable and commanding.  

We contacted a few ISBA members who are well-known for their stylish ensembles to get their advice and insight on power dressing for lawyers. 

Meet Our Style Mavens. All four interviewees are active members in the ISBA — which is how we knew they were so stylish! — and come from a variety of backgrounds and practices. Meet Natali, Rory, Carol and Cory (kind of has a jingle to it, no?)...

Jonathan Chatham, with consulting firm Network It Easy, Inc., talks about Microsoft Office 365, the collaboration and productivity software suite from Microsoft. 

If you have a subscription to Veranda magazine...or home-design-related boards on Pinterest...or love watching HGTV — today is your (D4S) day — because today, we're talking office style.

Congratulations to Steven Pietrick, who was selected at random to win $250 after filling out our usability survey. We asked members to complete a usability survey, the results of which will help us as we work to redesign the ISBA website. Thank you to the more than 400 members who participated in the survey. 

Asked and Answered

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

Q. I am the managing partner of a 12-attorney firm in Toledo, Ohio. Our firm is evaluating new billing software and we are looking into some of the cloud-based solutions. We are currently using a desktop program that we have been using for 15 years. The program handles our billing as well as our accounting. We have kept up with the updates to the program and the software has worked well for us. Several of our younger attorneys have used a couple of cloud-based billing programs in other firms and are trying to convince the firm to change over to one of these programs. They believe it is easier to enter time sheets and the software is easier to work with. What are your thoughts?

A. I agree that the subscription cloud-based billing programs are easier to learn and use. In part this is due to limited function and capabilities. However, user simplicity is only part of the equation. The bigger question is whether the software will meet your needs. Many of the cloud-based programs were designed for solo practitioners or very small firms with limited reporting requirements. While these programs are getting better and inheriting more features they are still not up to par with the older desktop programs. Limitations include:

Congratulations to Joy Gossman for winning a set of Marie Kondo's books, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Life-Changing Maging: A Journal, and a Royal 1600mx paper shredder in ISBA's #deskie challenge on Instagram!

On the first day of Member Appreciation Month, we tackled de-cluttering Marie Kondo-style and asked readers to share a photo of their decluttered desks or the item that sparks the most joy.We loved seeing your photos of our tips being put to good use in your offices and what brings our members joy during the workday! 

Don't forget to check out our Membership Appreciation Month site for upcoming promotions.

There's probably no better way to project a polished professional presence than having a good brand. Today we're looking at what that means exactly, and exploring ways to improve yours.

Your Brand Is Your Promise to Your Client. If you Google 'branding' you'll find many different descriptions of what it means. But at the heart of it, your brand is how others see you based on how you present yourself and the characteristics that define you. This is your personal brand.

Your professional brand adds the context of your work to that equation, defining your unique value proposition in the marketplace.

And your firm brand is about the reputation and value proposition of your firm as a whole, not just you (unless you are a solo lawyer).

"Knowing who you are, what you stand for, your professional strengths and what clients can expect when they hire you - as well as being able to communicate this clearly and effectively - will be key to your success both in terms of becoming better known internally (within your law firm) and externally (with your clients)." - The Importance of Personal Branding for Lawyers, Stephanie Solakian Goldstein