ABA book offers guidance for attorneys considering a switch from Windows to Mac
As technological trends change and features such as usability, reliability and security become even more important, lawyers and law practices are contemplating a switch from Windows to Mac operating systems.
Macs in law is a trending topic at this week’s American Bar Association TECHSHOW 2018 in Chicago as an increasing number of attorneys use, or are curious about using, Macs. The event features a “MacTrack” with sessions dedicated to utilizing Macs in a legal setting, and exhibitors, such as Smile and WordRake, offer Mac-compatible software. The new book debuting at TECHSHOW, “Macs in Law: The Definitive Guide for the Mac-Curious, Windows-Using Attorney,” is a resource for any lawyer who wonders whether Macs might be a good fit for their legal practice. It answers specific questions about running a Mac-based law practice and offers a step-by-step action plan for switching to Macs.
Co-author Brett Burney is principal of Burney Consultants LLC in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and focuses on bridging the chasm between the legal and technology frontiers of electronic discovery. Burney is very active in the Mac-using lawyer community, working with lawyers who want to integrate Macs, iPhones and iPads into their practice. He is a frequent contributor to Legaltech News and speaks around the country on litigation support, e-discovery, Mac and iOS-related topics. Co-author Tom Lambotte is CEO of GlobalMacIT in Twinsburg, Ohio, the only company in the world that specializes in providing IT support to Mac-based law firms. His methods are based on nearly a decade of research, testing and real-world refinement of best practices. Lambotte is the author of “Hassle Free Mac IT Support for Law Firms” and “Legal Boost: Big Profits Through an IT Transformation.” He is a highly sought-after speaker at events such as the TECHSHOW and MacTrack Legal.
ABA sourcebook looks at public-private partnerships through legal, practical lens
Harnessing the power of America’s private sector in partnership with federal, state and local governmental entities has been a primary thrust of homeland security. This imperative recognizes that much of America’s critical infrastructure is privately owned. Companies have come to see business continuity and profits as requiring deeper involvement in security and resilience. Both these motivations are driving and deepening multiple forms of public-private partnerships.
“The Sourcebook of Public-Private Partnerships for Security and Resilience” lays out the statutes, executive orders, legal issues and models relating to these types of public-private partnerships. It covers the law as it relates to counterterrorism and nonproliferation, mobility and maritime security, health and special weapons, disaster preparedness and response, and protection of cyber and critical infrastructure.
Principal author Susan Ginsburg served as senior counsel on the 9/11 Commission staff and has written extensively about mobility security and homeland security. In addition to her work with the 9/11 Commission, Ginsburg worked at the Department of Treasury as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Enforcement.
New ABA book offers men advice on how to dress professionally for work
When it comes to how to dress in the office, business norms are changing: “casual Friday” has given way in many offices to the full-time casual workplace. With so many options, today’s businessman needs advice to make the appropriate choices.
“The Laws of Style: Sartorial Excellence for the Professional Gentleman,” a new American Bar Association release, is an exploration from leading fashion lawyer Douglas Hand into how to dress professionally with the goal of not only enhancing the reader’s career, but enriching his life. Witty, bright, charming and informative, the book is at the same time a striking visual resource with more than 40 illustrations created by renowned fashion illustrator Rodrigo Saldana. In addition to the author’s 54 “laws of style,” the book includes short introductions to highlighted designers relevant to each law. More than just a simple dress-for-success guide, Hand’s erudite, creative, elegant and whimsical narrative style is a fitting tribute to the laws he has created to assist readers in establishing and elevating their own style — both professional as well as personal.
Hand is one of the pre-eminent fashion lawyers in the United States. He is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards Guild, which votes on the designers to receive CFDA Awards. Hand is also on the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Couture Council. He is an adjunct professor of Fashion Law at both New York University and Cardozo School of Law. Hand has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, the ABA Journal, Women’s Wear Daily and The Business of Fashion. Before becoming a founding partner of HBA LLP in New York City, he was an M&A lawyer at Shearman & Sterling LLP.
New ABA book uses graphic novel storytelling to teach lean management methods
Lawyer Carson Wright is the hero of the narrative graphic novel featured in the American Bar Association’s new book on business processes, “The Lean Law Firm: Run Your Firm Like the World’s Most Efficient and Profitable Businesses.” This innovative book brings alive process, marketing and financial advice by telling Carson’s story as he works to save his small law firm using “lean” techniques.
Authors Dave Maxfield and Larry Port show how problems faced by law firms are not unique, but in fact are the same challenges faced by all businesses on their road to profitability. While other kinds of business have forged ahead with new techniques, law firm management has lagged far behind, until now.
Law firms, by adapting the same science of lean management that companies like Toyota pioneered over decades, can become far more efficient – and profitable. As Port writes, “Lean lawyers believe in measurement, reducing waste and producing as much value as they can for their clients.”
“The Lean Law Firm” puts into the readers’ hands everything they need to become lean and embark on their own transformation.
The website leanlawfirmbook.com contains valuable business tools and the authors’ new podcast, titled The Lean Law Firm Blog and Podcast.
Maxfield has represented thousands of individual consumers in cases against banks, credit reporting agencies and insurance companies for nearly 25 years. He is the past president of the Richland County (S.C.) Bar Association, and a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Maxfield has taught nearly 100 continuing legal education programs, and is a frequent speaker at the ABA TECHSHOW. Passionate about technology, he trains lawyers and law students on its use frequently. Articles by and about Maxfield have appeared in South Carolina Lawyer Magazine, ABA Journal and Lawyer’s Weekly.
Port has worked with thousands of law firms worldwide since 2007 when he started the first cloud-based legal practice management software company, Rocket Matter. In his role as founder and CEO of Rocket Matter, Port has become a speaker and award-winning writer at the crossroads of attorney wellness, the legal profession, cutting-edge technology and law firm marketing. He writes extensively for legal publications, including Law Technology News, Law Practice Today, ILTA Peer to Peer, FindLaw, Chicago Lawyer and Legal Productivity blog.
The ABA releases the highly anticipated 2018 edition of the ‘ABCs of Arbitrage’
The long-awaited 2018 edition of the “ABCs of Arbitrage: Tax Rules for Investment of Bond Proceeds by Municipalities,” now available, is filled with new insights and information.
The new edition of this best-seller is updated and expanded to help lawyers master both the most basic and complicated aspects of arbitrage by translating the complex issues into concise, practical language. The book covers the rules of arbitrage, the relevant International Revenue Service code sections and the regulations and technical terms used in this practice.
In addition, this book includes valuable appendices, including arbitrage sections of the Internal Revenue Code, arbitrage regulations and proposed regulations.
The book was written by two experts: Kimberly C. Betterton, whose practice focuses on federal tax laws and regulations involving tax-exempt bonds and exempt organizations; and Vicky Tsilas, the chief of the Tax-Exempt Bond Branch in the Internal Revenue Service.
Updated FCPA handbook offers new information for representing businesses doing international work
The new fifth edition of “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Handbook” is a comprehensive guide for attorneys at every level who represent companies conducting business internationally. The handbook is an acclaimed resource for general counsel, transactional lawyers and white collar criminal practitioners.
Updated and revised for 2018, “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Handbook, Fifth Edition” offers more than 50 new FCPA resolutions and includes coverage of Brazil, Mexico, Canada, China, India, Russia and UK statutes. Information on anti-bribery conventions; responsibilities of boards of directors and management; transactional issues and considerations; gifts, travel, lodging and entertainment; charitable donations and political contributions; and conducting and defending FCPA investigations is also provided. The book identifies all major FCPA risk areas and presents thoughtful and practical advice on how companies can most effectively address these risks and, where appropriate, conduct credible investigations.
Co-author Robert W. Tarun, a former executive assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago and past regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers, has counseled and conducted sensitive investigations for multinational companies in more than 60 countries. Listed in “Best Lawyers in America” (commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense) and “Chambers USA,” he was named by “Best Lawyers in America©” as White-Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year in 2017 for San Francisco. Tarun, who taught White Collar Criminal Practice as a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, is a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP in San Francisco.
Co-author Peter P. Tomczak has conducted sensitive investigations in more than 20 countries and counseled companies and their boards of directors on anti-corruption issues. After graduating first in his class from the University of Michigan Law School, he clerked for Vice Chancellor John W. Noble of the Delaware Court of Chancery. He is a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP in Chicago and serves on the steering committee of Baker & McKenzie’s North America Litigation and Government Enforcement practice group.
