For the next 2 1/2 days, ABA TECHSHOW will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois. This year there are sessions over 8 tracks ranging from Advanced IT to Cloud & Collaboration, e-discovery, iOS, Large Firm, Litigation, Mac, Social Media, Solo and Small Firm (I and II), Tech Grab Bag, Tablets & Smartphones and others all on the theme: “Bringing Lawyers and Technology Together”.

If you can be there, you can experience the incredible range of sessions, speakers and topics that are the hallmark of ABA TECSHOW.  Sessions such as 60 Sites in 60 Minutes and 60 Tips in 60 Minutes …

Hat tip to BLG’s Neil Guthrie for his digest titled “Submitting a fake judgment: not a good litigation strategy”. The case reference is D’Souza v Linton, 2013 ONSC 70.  The opening paragraph of this endorsement reads:

This matter came before me on July 31, 2012 as a motion to set aside an ex parte default judgment.  The judgment, dated June 19, 2012, purports to bear my signature.

It is interesting to me that the word “purports” and its variations appears in 425 decisions – so far in 2013.

On another note, this case comment came to me via Lexology…

With purses or wallets full of debit and credit cards, and all sorts of options for electronic payments and web-based banking, most of us have moved away from being reliant on cash. And most of us do all our banking at single bank or credit union.
There are some benefits to doing your banking electronically, but there are also some hazards. One of those hazards if finding yourself in a pinch if your bank or financial institution’s computer systems go down. This doesn’t happen often, but it is not unheard of. Another possible hazard is having your bank account access …

Garry Wise: Last week, my co-scribe, Mr. David Bilinsky, posed a particularly simple, yet oh-so-important question:

What do you think that lawyers can do to make theirs – their client’s and their regulator’s – life a bit easier?

It all starts with communications.

And, when it comes to communications, I think I can actually answer David’s question – or begin to – in a short, but worthy SlawTip:

Once a practice has matured, no lawyer can do it alone. The solution to the communications conundrum is probably as simple as this – develop good communications systems for …

One of my colleagues asked a great question that makes for an excellent tip:

The definitions of the Minor Injury Regulation say in (g)(ii):

any insurer made a third party to the claim by the Court under section 635(14) of the Act

But there is no s.635(14) in the current Insurance Act. There was a s.635(14) before the July 1, 2012 amendments, which was Rights of Creditors. That section is now 579, 579(15) to be exact.

The question was “What am I missing”.

The answer is “Nothing” since the correct section number that should be referenced can be identified.

Regulations …

While computer newbies may find the categorized Control Panel helpful for navigating the ever more complex configuration and appearance settings for Windows, more tech-inclined individuals may prefer the old version of Control Panel which displayed all items at once.
Getting to the old or “classic” view of Control Panel is easy. In Windows XP or Vista, open the Control Panel and select Switch to Classic View. In Windows 7, click the View by drop-down menu in the upper-right corner and select your preferred display setting.
Am noticing there are a lot more options than there used to be……

Garry Wise:  On the weekend, I had the notion that it might be interesting if David and I devoted a post or two to answering some recurring  law practice management questions we typically encounter.

My co-author, Dave Bilinsky, of course, is SlawTips’ resident guru on law practice resources. As a practice advisor and lawyer for the Law Society of British Columbia, he brings (among other elements in his broad perspective) a regulator’s vantage point to all things practice management.  I come at these questions from a different place, as a practitioner and veteran of the legal trenches, having focused …

Today’s Tip is a caution about searching for federal bill numbers.  Be careful that you understand what you are looking for.

I was asked to look for “Bill C-23”. I quickly used my bookmark for LEGISinfo, the Parialment of Canada’s research tool for finding information on legislation before Parliament, both current and historical (back to April 2006), to search by bill number for  C-23.

The FAQ page reviews how bills are numbered, but it does not tell you about bills like C-23A.

My “blink” told me that there was a 2010 Bill that dealt with …

Most of time you want automatic sync to run when you plug your iPad, iPod or iPhone into your computer. Indeed, this is the default setting in iTunes for all three devices.
However, sometimes you just don’t want to sync your iPad, iPod or iPhone when you connect it to your computer. Here is a simple trick to prevent aauto-sync from running on a one-off basis: With iTunes open, hold down Shift+Control on a PC or Command+Option on a Mac while plugging your device in. Doing this will make iTunes skip the automatic sync just once.
And note as well, …

Sounds basic but many solo and small firms do not have one.  You need one to act as a reference for both management and employees alike.  It can be your shield against discrimination, harassment and other claims.  It can save time by having answers to common questions on routine employment matters and issues and employee concerns in such areas as vacation and sick-leave policies, unpaid leave, holidays, work hours and other such details.  It can also contain forms (evaluation forms), descriptions (jobs, tasks and expectations) and procedures (fire, disaster, privacy etc).

Most office manuals today also address emerging issues …