♫ He’s got this dream about buyin’ some land
He’s gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he’ll settle down, in some quiet little town
And forget about everything…♫

Lyrics, Music and recorded by Gerry Rafferty.

New Year’s Resolutions?  Phfft.  Been there, Done That, Got that T-Shirt.

We all resolve to get fit, lose weight and spend more time out of the office etc etc etc.  Speaking personally I have had my fill of resolutions that are born from the best of intentions but then die a cold …

Time to bare the soul time. There are days when all of us…and here I speak of no other than myself –  get ground down by the daily grind: days where the simple acts of life seem to be oppressive and it is difficult to see the joy in life given all that you have to do. But all of us know that you can’t let this get you down. Silly really, given that we all live in a continent that brims with wealth and opportunity. We all know that you have to get up and set your eyes …

As we sign off on our Practice Tips for 2013, here’s a thought – if you have a bit of spare time on your hands over the break, why not complete a self audit of your firm – Aussie-style.

Australia’s Legal Services Commission makes it easy (and mandatory) with its online self-assessment audit form.

Addressing firm risk-management in areas including competency, communications, timeliness and delay, cost-disclosure, billing practices and termination of retainers, conflicts of interest, records management, undertakings, supervision of staff and practice, and trust fund handling, the Australian self-audit could afford you with a new window on the …

“ This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure. ”

To continue our quest to inbox zero, here are further tips to attaining Maslow’s self-actualization by reaching the seemingly stratospheric and elusive high-ground of Inbox Zero:

• Make the most of your time: OK, so you are standing in a lineup at the checkstand (typical with Christmas shopping at this time of year).  Open your Smartphone and start zapping emails…
• Get creative with Labels.  Create folders with names that are relevant to you such as “travel”  or “family” or

For lawyers interested in practice-building, there are few methods more proven than law blogging (or blawging, if you prefer) and getting social via social media online.

As I wrote in a recent paper, Social Media, A Vital Tool for the Modern Family Law Practice, delivered at an Ontario Bar Association CPD programme for family law lawyers last month:

Increasingly, the sophisticated shopper for legal services is looking online for the legal professionals he or she will hire. A strong social media footprint will help these shoppers to find you. Quality content, branded and delivered authentically and professionally, will help

Where do all these email alerts, newsletters, updates, sales pitches and unrequested announcements come from?

Inspired by my co-Tipster David Bilinsky’s recent posts on the elusive quest for Inbox Zero, I’ve been in a mood to purge all those unwanted or redundant messages that clutter up  my own, perpetual Inbox Five Hundred.  

In the last few days alone, I’ve hit unsubscribe and said goodbye forever to emails from REM, Quora, Legendary Motor Cars, Carswell (I know, sacrilege), ManChef, Houzz, Cater Trends, Joel from Buffer, Go Daddy, Facebook, CPD On Time, Digg, NY Times, York University, LawCrossing, Sky Auction and …

♫  Nothing, now you live with zero, nothing nada
Now you live with zero
Now you live with zero…♫

Music and lyrics by Keyshia Cole, Vidal Davis, Tyler Williams, Guordan Banks, Jessyca Wilson, Robert Williams, recorded by Keyshia Cole.

This post continues our journey towards achieving ‘inbox zero’.  This time we are delving into more shall we say, ‘drastic’ ways of dealing with the email avalanche.

• Step 1: Admit it.  You are not going to get to those emails that are 2 years old and still sitting in your inbox.  In fact if you are facing brass

  I want to tell her that I love her but the point is prob’ly moot..♫

Lyrics, Music and recorded by Rick Springfield.

West Coast Environmental Law is inviting law students from across Canada to participate in a unique Canadian social media competition!

The “Twitter Moot” will be held on Friday, February 28th, 2014, at 10am PST.  This event, now into its third year, will see teams from Law Schools from all across Canada participate in a mock court hearing over the Twitter social media platform, arguing an appeal to the Supreme Twitter Court of Canada. Students are invited to …

♫  I’ll tell you simply I’m fallin’ for you;
I’ve never felt this way before…♫

Lyrics, music and recorded by Sara Hickman.

(click image to enlarge)

Continuing our discussion of getting to ‘Inbox Zero’ this second post in the series of posts dealing with email is about SimplyFile – an intelligent add-on to Microsoft Outlook (2007 or 2010).  Of all the ‘tips’ that I put forward doing “60 Tips in 60 Minutes” type presentations, this is the one tip for which I receive the most feedback.  I use it all the time on my PC and I didn’t realize …

Ah, it’s that hallowed eve when the law goblins come out to play, wreaking  havoc and terror wherever they go.  

They may keep us up at night.  They can even cause our insurers to quaver. 

There are many nightmares you could encounter when you visit The Haunted House of Legal Horrors.  

So beware the darkness, my friends.  

Don’t say we never warned you – one of these things happened to a friend of a friend of mine….  

• Remember that guy who called you once in 2010, but hung up on you before you got his name? Well his Statement of