Facebook is very complicated and can be confusing to use and configure. Many people are not using Facebook to its full potential.
Do you want to do more with Facebook? Look to Mashable’s Facebook Guide Book, a complete collection of resources that will help you do more with Facebook. It has “Facebook 101” content for people that are new to Facebook, directions on doing more with Facebook apps, practical advice on using Facebook for promoting a business, and more advanced information for those that want to take Facebook to a higher level. You can find Mashable’s Facebook Guide Book…

Many firms are coming up to a decision point.  Windows XP will no longer be supported after .  Accordingly firms are looking at replacing their desktop or laptop XP machines with Windows 7 (or perhaps Windows 8) PCs.  Or are they?  There has been a considerable growth in BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) to work.  iPads and other tablets have made considerable inroads.  Many lawyers now operate using an iPhone, Android or Blackberry  or indeed a lightweight Mac Air – and don’t relish the idea of lugging a PC laptop around.  So what is a firm to do?

Before they …

A frequent question in legal research is “what do judges say about [insert phrase here]”

Fortunately there are many excellent sources for answering this question, both with print tools and their electronic equivalents.

Some examples noted by Slaw include these posts:

• Words and Phrases Compared by Gary Rodrigues, November 3, 2008
• Are Words and Prhases Judicial Definition Sources Still Required by Shaunna Mireau, September 17, 2009

And for a great example of judicial definition in a case quote see:

• Barratry, Champetry, Maintenance, Oh My! by Simon Fodden, September 20, 2011

Today’s tip: If you are searching (electronically) for the distinction …

We all like to be on the same wavelength with people we work closely with, but this tendency to select others like us can be a problem when seeking out a new support staff hire for your law practice.  For example, if you’re a sole practitioner with a keyboard speed of 90 words per minute or skilled in the operation of voice recognition software, a speed typist may not be the best use of use of your hiring dollar.

Before you hire, think about the tasks that require a law license. Unless you’re considering hiring an associate, you are going …

As I was driving behind someone chucking garbage out their car window this morning I considered how little I know about the concept of citizen’s arrest. Here in Alberta, drivers who suspect that another vehicle is being operated by someone who is impaired may call 9-1-1, but I was pretty sure that the RCMP – I was driving on a highway at the time – would frown on 9-1-1 calls for littering.

The Tip part of this post is: sometimes Google is the fast path to a legal research question.

Back at my desk (not in the car where I …

Unless you went to school in a one room prairie school house (or were home schooled), you were probably put into a class with other people your exact age, and have been hanging out with people who are approximately the same age that you are ever since. To effectively market your law practice, break out of this mold and consciously make an effort to network with attorneys and other potential sources of referrals who are much older and younger.

Everyone wants to be with the “movers and shakers,” who are usually a little more advanced in their careers and, hence, …

Ah science. It is pretty difficult in today’s world to have even a basic knowledge of what is happening outside your discipline given all the current awareness reading required just to stay on top of what is going on within your legal specialty.

Still, it is pretty important to try and keep up. World and current events are usually available with mainstream media. Legal information via Slaw.ca and current awareness services via your favourite law librarian. For scientific information, I recommend the Technology Review published by MIT. There are RSS feeds, mobile apps, and my preferred method of review – …

At long last we come to the end of our top 10 Cash Flow Reports Tips with our final entry, Client Trust Balances.

Institute a procedure to ensure regular review of the trust account balance for each clients.  You want to determine whether there are funds in trust that can be applied against unbilled time or disbursements and whether there are clients or matters that are approaching the exhaustion of their retainers or cost deposits.  Keeping on top of this information will go a long way toward making sure that you are not placed in a position of having  to …

A post by Library Boy reminded me to look to the Library of Parliament for their excellent publications.

The Library of Parliament offers a wide range of research publications that provide analysis to parliamentarians, parliamentary committees and parliamentary associations on current and emerging key issues, legislation and major public policy topics. The publications provide non-partisan, reliable and timely information on subjects that are relevant to parliamentary and constituency work.

Hat Tip to Library Boy.…

Daily time summaries by lawyer are also an important part of cash flow reporting.  To make this analysis accurate, all lawyers in the firm should be accounting for all of their time every day – billable, firm administration or management, marketing, mentoring, continuing education, pro bono, vacation, etc.  Doing so will allow firm management to look for aberrations or time summaries that don’t make sense or indicate poor time management or failure to meet minimum billable time requirements.

But once you start accounting for all your time, how do you know how you stack up?  Here’s a quick way to …