From Alex Payne’s “rules for computing happiness,” here are two that every lawyer should consider when selecting office software:

• Use software that does one thing well.
• Do not use software that does many things poorly.

There are plenty more, and while you may disagree, they provide good food for thought.

I agree with most, although I think a Linux or Windows PC is perfectly fine for home computing. Windows is especially great if you enjoy a bloated operating system bogged down by anti-virus software.

al3x’s rules for computing happiness | al3x (Thanks Dave!)

Every Friday for the last few weeks I have posted interviews with solo and small firm attorneys who talked to me about their marketing strategies, online and offline, high tech and old school. Today’s (belatedly posted) interview with Tom Tuft is the last interview.

My last interviewee is Tom Tuft, of Tuft & Arnold Law Office, PLLC. We actually collaborated on a CLE for the Ramsey County Bar Association this winter, which was well-attended and well-reviewed. Like me, Tuft is interested in technology, although he is a gadget man (he carried a Fujitsu ScanSnap in his briefcase), while I prefer one gadget—my laptop.

The Tuft & Arnold website is a good example of a clean, nice-looking, and effective website. It has a lot of information about the firm, its practice areas, and some “handouts” for prospective clients.

Like my own practice, Tuft’s clients tend to hire him only once. This kind of practice requires a fundamentally different marketing approach from a practice with clients who have ongoing legal needs. Instead of cultivating current contacts, one must constantly try to reach new people and new markets.

Keep reading for the full interview.

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On April 4, 2007, over the noon hour, I will be presenting at MCLE’s Tech Tuesday. The topic is “Simplify your life with technology (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love my computer).” I will be presenting a three-step process for using technology in your law practice:

• Eliminate (almost all) paper
• Streamline your digital life
• Fun and profit

I will be going over hardware, software, and most importantly, using both, in order to get your technological life in order and simplify your law practice.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CDT
Live via the Internet (www.MinnCLE.org)

I wonder this quite a bit. Technology is one of the greatest tools available to the modern solo practitioner, and a great leveler. It gives one person the same capabilities as a huge law firm. And even aside from the advantages for productivity and efficiency, technology allows anyone to market effectively and directly to a target audience.

And yet few solo practitioners seem to think it is worth it to invest any time in technology.

A few reasons you should pay attention to technology:

• Cost savings. Going paperless saves me hundreds of dollars a month in office supplies, an extra fax line, etc. Plus, I don’t have boxes of files littering my office and I can work anywhere, any time.
• Marketing. My blog, Caveat Emptor draws hundreds of visitors a day, nearly all of whom are potential clients for my consumer law practice. It has been a lot of hard work, but it has paid off in spades. I don’t spend anything but the $8/month to host my website (including e-mail).
• Mobility. I have all my client files, archived files, and more, with me at all times. I can spend my day at a coffee shop, in my back yard, or at my office, and be equally productive in each place. At most, I just need to visit a printer and a mailbox at some point during the day.
• Conflicts. Every law firm needs to check conflicts. A well-maintained and categorized contacts database is crucial to ensuring that you don’t end up with conflicts.

There are a lot more reasons. Why aren’t you more involved in technology (or is that a stupid question to ask, given my likely reader base?)