Survey results are converging in my world as useful sources of information. In looking at some information for an upcoming presentation, Google informed me about some published surveys that contained excellent background information.  For an example of survey results that you might find interesting, check out Green Target’s 2012 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey.

Survey data can tell you what people in groups think or believe. Survey results can be qualitative or quantitative. Survey results can help to illustrate themes. Survey data can provide a benchmark.

Survey questions can give you ideas as well. The Canadian Association of …

Take a moment to consider the many ways we use the internet and other telecommunications tools in our daily work as legal professionals. Phone calls, scheduling and calendaring, legal research, online filings, our omnipresent emails, and more generically, “Googling” for everything from court addresses to legislation to the phone number of that pizza place that feeds us on a late night deadline-driven drafting marathon.

We’ve all read articles (and perhaps even attended at conferences) focusing on security in the cloud.  We’ve all been warned about the perils of the guy who might be peering over your shoulder or …

A couple of years ago I shared a tip for putting the Rules of Court on a mobile device. A couple of days ago there was a notice about an amendment to the Alberta Rules of Court – the rules linked in the example post.

Thanks to persistent URLs, the links in my 2011 post are still relevant. Because adding content to mobile devices is usually managed by an individual, I am using Today’s Tip to remind you that legislation (including Rules – which are really regulations) changes.

Archive or delete that old copy and update the legislation on …

Jack Welch has been often quoted in terms of leadership and management for good reason.

“Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.” Jack Welch 

How many of us work in environments where instilling self-confidence in others is seen by some managers as threatening?

Management at times and in certain people’s eyes,  is seen to be equivalent to control.  Perhaps in some organizations and in some situations this is necessary.  But I think that in the vast majority of institutions, and I count law firms and other professional service …

The best legal research output comments on how to apply the law to the facts and reaches a conclusion on how the client should be advised to move forward. Today’s Tip is a reminder to read about clients in order to wrap your legal research in the context of the present day story.

Events that require intervention by lawyers do not take place in a vacuum. They are point in time, point in history, point in geography, point in life issues. Better advice is provided with context.  Where can you find this context?

• A client’s social media channels
• Industry news

There are loads of photo sharing and collection sites on the web. One can spend many hours wondering around looking for great pictures. One site worth a visit is WhereCoolThingsHappen.com. It has collections of photos of “cool” places, stays, art, photos, gadgets, transport, outdoor advertisements, food and architecture. If you need a bit of a break, stop by WhereCoolThingsHappen.com for some great pictures of cool things. It is updated daily and bloggers note – WhereCoolThingsHappen.com encourages other bloggers to use its photos.…

Do law firms need leadership and teams?  The author would state that at no other time in the past has the legal profession needed leadership as they need it at the present.  The legal profession is facing unprecedented pressures from all corners.  In the author’s view, if we fail to respond to these pressures in a timely and appropriate manner, then the failure is due to the lack of leadership within the profession.

We need to learn how to build teams in law firms. We need to learn how to respond to competitive pressures by building teams that can respond …

I had the pleasure of attending the American Association of Law Libraries conference this week. Despite having 20 years invested in my profession, I was a first time attendee. One of my key take aways from attending this conference is that I should have done it sooner.

Meeting colleagues from AALL has given me new connections to reach out to in the USA, validated that issues facing the legal industry and law libraries are universal, reinforced that my methods of practice are sound (and sometimes innovative which was great news), and expanded the number of people in the universe who …

There are loads of music streaming sites on the web. One of the best is Songza.com. It suggests different playlists for the mood you are in and it has playlists for every conceivable music type.
There is a Music Concierge that will give you options like Brand New Music, Working to a Beat, Working (no lyrics), Boosting your Energy, Basking in the Sun, Cooking, Unwinding and many more. There are Popular playlists, including Today’s Pop Hits, Today’s Upbeat Country Hits, Hot 100, Today’s Dance Club hits and so on. You can browse lists by Genre, Activities, Moods, Decades and …

We tend to focus on topics of how to increase effectiveness and efficiency in this column as well as how to strive for heightened performance.

This one will be completely different.

Today we are going to highlight the benefits of getting away from it all and taking a vacation.

Why focus on taking a vacation?

According to advantagebehavioral.org there are at least 5 benefits to taking a vacation. These are:

Vitamin D is free
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones and keeping the immune systems and nervous system functioning normally. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin made by