Author archives

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, intuitive web-based law practice management software for the modern law firm. She is also the author of the ABA book Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors the ABA book Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York, a West-Thomson treatise. She is the founder of lawtechTalk.com and speaks regularly at conferences regarding the intersection of law and technology. She publishes four legal blogs and can be reached at [email protected].

Webinar Recap: How to Safeguard Your Law Firm Against Future Disruption

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in various parts of the country, you’re no doubt facing uncertainties on how and when to reopen your law firm. You’re also likely wondering about the future of your law firm and its book of business. One way to directly address these concerns is to prioritize preparing your firm for whatever may come. Whether it’s a pandemic or economic downturn, pre-emptive protocols and a strong technology foundation will help you maintain business continuity in the event of future disruption. Is your firm ready? If not, there’s no better time to ensure that you’re protected, and this free webinar and accompanying transcript by Nicole L. Black are excellent resources to help you mitigate an over abundance of challenges.

Subjects: Case Management, Conferencing Software, Disaster Planning, Health, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession, Legal Technology, Management

Reopening Your Law Firm: Your Clients

Nicole L. Black has published a series of articles focused on helping your firm work remotely and effectively throughout the pandemic. As many firms throughout the country are planning and executing phased re-openings, Nicole identifies issues and actions to assess and implement to permit your firm to open its doors to clients safely, with their best interests in mind.

Subjects: Communications, Economy, Healthcare, KM, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession

Re-Opening Your Law Firm: There’s a Bar Association Guide for That!

After months of business closures, many states are beginning to slowly allow more essential businesses to open their doors. In most states, law firms will be among the first wave of businesses that are permitted to resume providing services to the public. This is a welcome development for lawyers, but one that comes hand in hand with uncertainty. After all, resuming business in the midst of a pandemic is uncharted territory, and opening your firm doesn’t mean you’ll be returning to business as usual. Attorney Nicole L. Black identifies the host of issues that must be considered when re-opening, not the least of which is to ensure that the health of both law firm employees and clients is protected.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Health, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Marketing, Management, Meetings, Technology Trends, Telecommuting

Emergency SBA Relief Loans: Which Are Best For Your Law Firm?

Nicole L. Black addresses the issue of how and when solo and small law firms can take advantage of newly enacted relief loans. Black identifies how to choose to apply for Paycheck Protection Plan loans and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Emergency Advance that make the most sense for your law firm, and options that will help you make the right choices for the future of your business.

Subjects: Congress, Disaster Planning, Government Resources, Healthcare, KM, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Research, Legislative, Management

Securely Collaborate and Communicate Remotely: A How-To for Lawyers

Attorney and Legal Technology Evangelist Nicole L. Black delves into how collaborating effectively and confidentially has always been an important part of practicing law. The COIVD-19 pandemic has significantly increased the focus on identifying and implementing tools and techniques that enable secure communications and remote collaboration with team members and clients alike. Black recommends online portals as the perfect solution to this challenge.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Communications, KM, Law Firm Marketing, Law Firm Security, Legal Ethics, Legal Marketing, Legal Technology, Privacy, Technology Trends

Who Stole My Face? The Risks Of Law Enforcement Use Of Facial Recognition Software

Lawyer and Legal Technology Evangelist Nicole L. Black discusses the “reckless social experiment” that facial surveillance represents across all aspects of life in America. It is the norm on social media, in air travel, as a mechanism for state, local and federal governments to identify location and means of travel (car, train, bus), in banking and financial transactions (smile next time you use your ATM), and as a security feature to unlock your phone, to name but some of its applications. You cannot opt-out of the use of your data nor the multifaceted ways that it impacts your diminishing privacy and civil liberties.

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Congress, Cyberlaw, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

The How and the Why of Law Blogs

Legal technology evangelist, author and blogger Nicole L. Black recommends that a legal blog is one of the best ways to create a memorable and search-engine-friendly online presence. Simply put, blogs are a great way for lawyers to showcase legal expertise while increasing their firms’ search engine optimization—all while helping them to stay on top of changes in their areas of practice by writing about them on their firm’s blog.

Subjects: Blogs, Communication Skills, KM, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession, Social Media, Technology Trends