Today’s tip is about habits. Actually, cultivating the habit of not relying too heavily on your habits when doing legal research.

Beware of the habit of always using the same sources. Though legal research is best done in a methodical manner (secondary source footnotes to noting up to following the path of case law and legislation to further secondary sources until you keep finding the same results then analysis) it is important to remember that you should not always start with your favourite resource, you should use the best resource for the task at hand.

Try a different textbook, you …

While it is intended to prevent you from accidentally deleting a file, the file delete confirmation box (the little box that pops-up when you delete a file and asks if you are sure you want to delete it) can be a tad annoying, especially if you are deleting a lot of files (say for instance when you are cleaning up your photo collection).
You can easily disable this confirmation (meaning it won’t appear every time you delete a file) by right-clicking the Recycle Bin and selecting Properties. Next, uncheck the delete confirmation box, click Apply and then OK, and you’re …

Are you making the most out of your voicemail system?

As Joe Walsh of The Eagles once sang:

So I got me an office, gold records on the wall.
Just leave a message, maybe I’ll call.
…
Life’s been good to me so far

How many times have you called someone only to be greeted by a message that says: “Hi. You have reached Joe.  I am unavailable. Please leave a message.”

What is wrong with this greeting?

First, if you don’t know Joe you have no idea if you have reached the right person or even the right organization. …

Ah policies. These documents that govern how governments, companies, and agencies conduct themselves can be very tricky to find.

The good news: the Internet, that fantastic information gathering facilitator, has made it so easy to publish, that sometimes you will find policies attached to the news releases that annouce they exist. See for instance the new Public Disclosure of Travel and Expenses Policy announced yesterday by the Alberta Government. The text of the policy is attached as a background document to the news release.

The only caveat to finding a policy in this form is that you will not likely …

These days it seems that many young people are reconsidering a decision to enter or stay in law.  The authors think that there are many reasons to still value a legal career.  But there are also some important questions to ask of yourself in considering a career in the law.

For one, a career in law offers you not just a job – it offers you much more.    Your legal career has the possibility of offering you novel and fascinating work that continually changes and brings you in touch with bright and interesting people. Your skills will be challenged at …

The Google News service just turned 10. I know, it seems like a baby, and compared to the Globe and Mail, or the Edmonton Journal, or the Guardian, it is. But, as the post on Google’s blog points out “It’s undeniable that the online news landscape has changed immensely. ”

In the last ten years, Google News has grown to 72 editions in 30 languages, and now draws from more than 50,000 news sources. The technology also powers Google’s news search. Together, they connect 1 billion unique users a week to news content.

I use Google News mostly from …

It is difficult to see trends or patterns when you are presented with a table full of rows and columns of numbers. A graph – like a picture – can be worth a thousand words when it comes to visually representing data, but creating a graph takes time.
Sparklines come to the rescue. They are a new feature in Microsoft Excel 2010.
Sparklines 101
A sparkline is nothing more than a tiny graph in a worksheet cell. With a few clicks, sparklines enable you to easily and almost instantly create visual representations of data in rows or columns of a …

Adopt dual monitors to increase satisfaction in moving to a paperless office system.

Today’s Tip is about looking at the original source of something. I had two good reminders of why this is important just this week.

1. Lancaster House Online databases are now call First Response

Somehow, in just linking to the database from the various (very well written) publications that we subscribe to, I missed the news that Lancaster House launched a new website and rebranded their online search tool. My fault entirely for not going to the source of the information to see how it was presented.

2. Law21

Jordan Furlong’s excellent Law21 blog has a nwe look and feel. Thankfully, Jordan

…

The staff and lawyers in most law offices use a fraction of the functions and features in the programs on their computers. This is because most law firms don’t follow through on the one critical step necessary for people to learn and do more with the technology on their desk: formal training.
But, while not a replacement for training, cheat sheets or quick reference guide that list features, settings and keyboard shortcuts can help people do more. These guides typically cost $10-15.
However, the people at Custom Guide Online Learning have more than 100 quick reference guides available for free …