Episode 79: Handling Medical Information on The Internet With Leah Bucholz

Our next guest is Leah Bucholz, the founder and leader of Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting. PVMC is a veteran-owned family company dedicated to serving those who have served. Specializing in Independent Medical Opinions, commonly known as "Nexus Letters," the firm delves into the intricacies of injuries and illnesses stemming from military service. Moreover, Leah is a U.S. Army veteran, medical expert, and former C & P examiner.

Join Leah and me as we discuss the significance of robust security measures and policy enforcement to ensure HIPAA compliance and protect patient privacy. She shares practical advice on maintaining documents electronically, managing passwords securely, and utilizing PDF readers for sensitive data handling. We also discuss legal tech tools for efficient document review and management. Overall, our discussion emphasizes the critical role of technology in safeguarding confidential information, complying with regulations, and enhancing productivity in professional settings.

Join Leah and me as we discuss the following three questions and more!

1. What are the top three tips for maintaining HIPAA compliance of documents online electronically?

2. What are the top three tips for maintaining many documents online electronically?

3. What are the top three secret tips for using your favorite PDF reader?

In our conversation, we cover the following:

[01:13] Building a Secure Remote Tech Ecosystem: Exploring Cloud-Based Tools, Compliance, and Backup Strategies

[12:48] Mastering HIPAA Compliance: Essential Tips for Maintaining Document Security Online

[26:17] Top Tips for Managing a Large Volume Online

[35:52] Unlocking PDF Reader Magic: Expert Tips for Efficiency and Effectiveness

[28:45] Connect with Leah

Resources:

Connect with Leah:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leahbucholz/

Website: prestigeveteranmctx.com/

YouTube: youtube.com/@prestigeveteranmedical

Email: mailto:leah@prestigeveteranmctx.com/

Hardware mentioned in the conversation:

Internet connection provided by AT&T: att.com/internet/fiber/

Software & Cloud Services mentioned in the conversation:

Backupify: backupify.com/

JotForm: jotform.com/

Spanning: spanning.com/

Speedtest.net: speedtest.net/

Zapier: zapier.com/

Zoho Vault: zoho.com/vault/

Zoho: zoho.com/

There is an App for That! From Home or Office to Gate to Destination and Back, there is an App to make your airline travel is Holiday easier!

In today's fast-paced post-COVID world, air travel has increasingly become an integral part of our lives. Whether for business or pleasure, we all rely on technology to enhance our travel experiences. From booking flights and travel accommodations to navigating new destinations, travel tech has revolutionized how we explore the world. One of the most significant advancements in travel tech is mobile applications (apps). These apps have streamlined every aspect of traveling, making it easier than ever before. As we approach the holiday travel season, let's look at some handy mobile apps before you jet off! ✈️

Car apps can make it easier to get to the airport or get around at your destination.
tip - don’t sit in the car like the young lady on right!

Car Travel 🚗 to and from the Airport:  You may want to take a taxi to and from your home or office. But taking a taxi can seem so last millennium. 🙄 Uber and Lyft are ridesharing services that have apps to allow you to plan ahead and schedule your car pickup or request a pickup when you are ready (depending on availability). They can be cheaper and more convenient than a traditional taxi service. You can pay through your app (with a credit card), easily split the cost with other riders, and monitor your ride's progress. But before you leave for your trip, check and make sure your flight is still on time, and when you call for a ride from the airport that you have your luggage, know your airport's ride-sharing pickup spots! 🚔

Airline mobile appls can offer powerful travel information in real time to its customers!
Copyright © 2024 United Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

You should be using Airline Mobile Apps before, during, and after your flight:  The airline you are traveling on should have its own mobile app. American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and United Airlines, to name a few. Those that have mobile applications not only allow you to book your flight, pick your seat, check-in online 24 hours in advance, buy your luggage tickets, track your luggage, and provide you with a mobile passenger ticket but also allow you to check the status of your flight and receive alerts if there are going to be delays – some airlines have smartwatch apps that sync with your phone. These smartwatch apps allow you to pull up some of your air travel itineraries and even check in at the gate! Upon landing, you can check your app for the gate of your connecting flight, or, if you've reached the end of your air travels, find what carousel your luggage is located. The airline apps may also have maps of the airports you're traveling through!

DOwnload MYTSA App to help you move through airports with ease!

Government Applications:  Most airports should also have mobile apps where you can find airport maps and lists of services at the airport (pre- or post- Transportation Security Administration check-in). The MYTSA App provides helpful information, including standard wait times for security checkpoints and identifying which lanes are open. For those traveling in the United States, check the Federal Aviation Administration website to check for airport status and delays and see what is happening in the region and across the country.

My wife and I were flying back from a vacation in Canada when we were on the plane at the gate for what I thought was a little too long. I looked at my FAA app and discovered that the region we were flying through had been closed due to fog. I knew before the airline "made the announcement" that we were going nowhere. Once I knew for sure our situation, I used a hotel app (below) to book a hotel room and a car-service app (as discussed above) to get us to our hotel and settle us in for a couple of days– we ended up having a fun mini-vacation in Toronto! 🍁

Hotel and Car Rental Apps. Most major hotels, regardless of pricing and size, have mobile apps that allow you to reserve your room, check-in, and even serve as your room key through wireless access. Likewise, most major car rental services have apps that allow you to book, check in, and update car reservations – suddenly stuck at your departing or transfer airport, arriving late, or even if your flight is canceled, you can instantly update your hotel and car rental reservations.

Tripit’s free version offers powerful tools to aggregate your various trip criteria like car rental, air line and train tickets, and hotel reservations

Travel Itinerary Apps. Switching from one app to another to keep track of your trip itinerary can be confusing. This is where a travel aggregator mobile app comes in handy. I use the free version of TripIt. TripIt's free version has both a mobile and desktop app. I can send travel receipts to it, and the app will automatically organize everything into the different trip itineraries I set up. I can send my travel itinerary to let others know my travel details. And I can review all the necessary travel information in one handy spot! There is a TripIt Pro version if you want a little more from the app -- I've been quite happy with the free version over the years. 🤗

Embracing these mobile applications can save you time, money, and stress during your holiday travels.

Happy Lawyering!!!

 🛫 🛬 Happy Travels! 🛫 🛬 • 🕎 🎅🏻 Happy Holidays! 🎄☃️ • Happy Lawyering! 👩‍⚖️👨‍⚖️ •

 🛫 🛬 Happy Travels! 🛫 🛬 • 🕎 🎅🏻 Happy Holidays! 🎄☃️ • Happy Lawyering! 👩‍⚖️👨‍⚖️ •

Monday Morning Humor: The End of the Year 🥳 Brings of Memories of Y2k! 🤪

Remember when everyone freaked out almost 24 years ago over Y2K?! 🤯

As we prepare to bid adieu to this year and gear up for the next, let's take a whimsical stroll down memory lane to the infamous Y2K bug - a digital doomsday that was more fizzle than sizzle.

First, let's set the scene. It's the late 1990s. Everyone's wearing baggy jeans, the internet is still a squeaky dial-up symphony, and somewhere, a panicked IT professional is screaming, "We've only used two digits for the year!" Ah, the sweet sound of impending doom.

The Y2K bug was like the tech world's version of Cinderella's midnight crisis, except instead of a pumpkin carriage, we had computers potentially turning into useless metal boxes at the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2000. Why? In a cost-saving move, programmers used two digits to represent the year in dates. '98, '99, and then... uh-oh, '00. Was that 1900 or 2000? Computers were about to have a major identity crisis.

As the millennium approached, predictions ranged from "slightly inconvenient" to "apocalyptic techno-chaos." Planes falling from the sky, nuclear missiles launching by mistake, toasters rebelling against their human overlords – you name it, someone somewhere probably feared it.

Remember the impending panic of y2k? 😬
Image created with DALL*E

Companies spent billions upgrading systems, while others hoarded canned food and built bunkers, preparing for a computer glitch to catapult us back into the Stone Age. Remember, when in doubt, always prepare for a time travel adventure.

Then, the big moment arrived. The world held its breath as clocks ticked toward midnight. And then… well, not much happened. The most dramatic event in my neighborhood was … well … nothing. The computers, having been updated or just being naturally underwhelmed by the date change, ticked over to the year 2000 without a hiccup.

In retrospect, Y2K was a bit like throwing a surprise party where the guest of honor doesn't show up. There we were, ready with our bug fixes and emergency protocols, and the Y2K bug decided to ghost humanity.

But let's give credit where it's due. The non-event of Y2K was largely thanks to the tireless efforts of IT professionals worldwide who worked to avert potential issues. They're the unsung heroes who saved us from, at the very least, a massive collective computer headache.

ring in a happy new year as y2k goes further into our past!

In the end, Y2K taught us some valuable lessons. For starters, always plan for the future - especially if you're a programmer. It also showed us the power of collective action in the face of a global challenge. And most importantly, it reminded us that sometimes, the biggest scares can turn into the best stories for future generations.

So, as we approach the end of another year, let's raise our glasses (or our ergonomic keyboard rests) to Y2K – the apocalypse that wasn't. Here's to more anticlimactic millennium bugs in the future. May they all be as uneventful as Y2K, leaving us with nothing more than amusing anecdotes and a renewed appreciation for the heroes behind the screens.

Happy New Year and Happy Lawyering!!!

Podcast Episode #78: Tech Innovations in Legal Practice: Interview with Karen McDonald from Wise Owls

Karen McDonald is a seasoned office automation expert, assisting busy law firms, attorneys, and lawyers in streamlining the administrative aspects of their business operations. With over a decade of experience, Karen has been dedicated to supporting attorneys in implementing efficient systems to automate their legal practices. She is the founder & creator of Owlwise Legal Practice Management Software, which is tailored for legal professionals to streamline essential tasks such as legal trust accounting, time tracking, billing, and centralized management of matters and contacts. Moreover, designed to meet the needs of today's lawyers, this versatile cloud-based solution ensures your law firm remains agile and prepared for the future across multiple platforms.

Join Karen and me as we discuss the following three questions and more!

1. What are the top three tech tools that attorneys underutilize besides CRMs in their law practice?

2. What are the top three things attorneys should look for in an online CRM?

3. What are the top three tech shortcuts lawyers still need to know at any level of experience?

In our conversation, we cover the following:

[01:32] Tech Talk: Karen's Current Tech Setup

[08:46] The Top Three Tech Tools Lawyers Should Utilize More

[17:16] Backup Strategies: Ensuring Data Security in Business

[22:40] Key Considerations for Choosing an Online CRM: Flexibility, Dependability, and Support

[30:05] Tech Shortcuts Every Lawyer Should Master

[39:13] Uncommon Keystroke Hacks in Microsoft Word

[40:37] Connect with Karen

Resources:

Connect with Karen:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wisekarenmcdonald/

Website: wiseowllegal.com.au/

Hardware mentioned in the conversation:

•  Bose Speakers: bose.com/c/speakers

•  Fitbit: fitbit.com

• Jabra Headset: jabra.com/

• Curved 27-inch ViewSonic Monitor: viewsonic.com/global/products/lcd/VX2718-PC-mhd

Software & Cloud Services mentioned in the conversation:

• Bitwarden: bitwarden.com/

• Wise Owl Legal: wiseowllegal.com

• Backblaze: backblaze.com

• WordPerfect: wordperfect.com

• TextExpander: textexpander.com

A Humorous BOLO: Windows update renames ALL printers "HP LaserJet"!

What a world we live in when our computers cannot recognize the printers they are connected to!

According to PCWorld, a recent Windows update has left users bewildered as every printer, regardless of brand, transformed into an "HP LaserJet M101-M106". Whether you have an old Canon or the latest Epson, they all proudly bare the HP LaserJet label. This quirky bug, while not causing major technical issues, certainly led to some head-scratching and chuckles. 🤪

It's a reminder that in the digital world, even printers can have an identity crisis!

My Two Cents: Lawyers! Watch Out For Scammers On Amazon/Online When Buying Electronics, As You May Get Something Else!!!

be careful - DIGITAL SCAMMERS WILL TRY TO RUIN YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING!

During the Holiday Season in today's digital age, online shopping for lawyers has become a convenient and popular way to purchase various products, including electronics. However, with the rise in popularity of online marketplaces like Amazon, scammers have also found new avenues to exploit unsuspecting buyers. As a result, it is crucial for lawyers to stay vigilant and protect themselves from falling victim to these fraudulent schemes: it is essential to exercise caution and adopt certain preventive measures.

Scammers often employ deceptive tactics such as selling counterfeit or misrepresented electronic devices. They may advertise high-end gadgets at unbelievably low prices or use persuasive techniques to mislead customers into making hasty purchases. Once the purchase is made, customers receive a completely different or counterfeit product instead.

ALWAYS USE SECURE PAYMENT METHODS WHEN PURCHASING PRODUCTS ONLINE!

Another common scam involves sellers who disappear after receiving payment. These fraudsters often create fake profiles and offer attractive deals on high-demand electronics. Once payment is made, they vanish without delivering the purchased item or providing any means of contact.

Some scammers exploit unsuspecting buyers by selling stolen or refurbished goods as brand-new products. These items may come with hidden defects or missing accessories, which significantly diminish their value. Worse yet, you may hear from the authorities about stolen goods you unwittingly purchased. 

Always use secure payment methods like credit cards or PayPal.

😀 ☃️ 🚨

Always use secure payment methods like credit cards or PayPal. 😀 ☃️ 🚨

Always utilize secure payment methods such as credit cards or trusted third-party services like PayPal.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE DEALING WITH A REPUTABLE SELLER BEFORE MAKING ANY ONLINE PURCHASE!

It is always best to buy from reputable sellers or authorized dealers.  Do your due diligence and check the seller's reputation. If there are discrepancies between what is advertised and what is described in reviews or customer feedback, exercise caution before making a purchase. If any information appears vague or inconsistent, consider reaching out to the seller for clarification before making a purchase. Trust your instincts. If something feels off about a seller or listing, it's better to err on the side of caution and choose another reputable source for your electronic needs, even if you are paying more than the questionable “deal.”

Nominations are open for the James I. Keane Memorial Award for Excellence in eLawyering!

Do you know an innovative legal services provider — Consider nominating them for the Keane Award.

ABA Law Division James I Keane memorial award nominations are open!
© AMerican bar association

“This Award is named for James I. Keane, the founding Chair of the Law Practice Management Section eLawyering Task Force. The Task Force was created in 2000, when ABA President William G. Paul, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, took the unusual and creative step of asking a Section to assume responsibility for an initiative to examine ways that lawyers could use the Internet and other electronic resources to deliver legal services to people of moderate means, more efficiently and effectively.

”ELawyering is doing legal work – not just marketing – over the Web. Pioneering practitioners have found dramatic new ways to communicate and collaborate with clients and other lawyers, produce documents, settle disputes, interact with courts, and manage legal knowledge. ELawyering encompasses all the ways in which lawyers can do their work using the Web and associated technologies. For most lawyering “verbs” – interview, investigate, counsel, draft, advocate, analyze, negotiate, manage, etc. – there are corresponding internet-based tools and technologies.

”ELawyering and its lawyer-less analogs present fundamental challenges for our profession. There are great dangers but also great opportunities for attorneys. To be successful in the coming era, lawyers will need to know how to practice over the Web, manage client relationships in cyberspace, and ethically offer “unbundled” services.

”The purpose of this Award is to give recognition to law offices that have developed legal service innovations that are delivered over the Internet. The focus of the Award is on the innovative delivery of personal legal services, with special attention given to firms and entities that serve both moderate-income individuals and the broad middle class.

Eligibility

Nominees may be any individual lawyer, law firm or other deliverer of legal services to individuals within the United States. The nominee can be a large or small law firm, public or private, or a legal services agency. More than one entry may be submitted, and self-nomination is encouraged.

Additional consideration will be given to projects that focus on the delivery of legal services to individuals of moderate means.

Absence of precedent - The legal service or innovative idea has never been offered before or has not been done quite this way before.

Evidence of action - The innovative idea was transformed into action and not merely reflective of best intentions. The nominee should be prepared to provide evaluation data that document the effectiveness of the legal service in terms of client satisfaction, revenue enhancement, and/or law productivity. The nomination must provide an analysis of the measures used to define success.

Effectiveness of innovation - There is some measurable outcome that would indicate that the innovation is accomplishing what it was intended to do.

Additional Requirements:

1. The project must demonstrate the use of the Internet to deliver legal services.

2. Action must have taken place no more than three years prior to this entry, and the legal service must be operating for at least one year prior to the submission of the Application.

3. Additional consideration will be given to projects that focus on the delivery of legal services to individuals of moderate means.

4. The nomination should describe how the service was developed, how it is managed, and how it has been evaluated.

5. The nomination should describe how the service can be replicated by other law firms in terms of development costs, required technology, people requirements, and ongoing maintenance costs.

Nomination deadline is December 15 and can be made following this link.

Good Luck!

Word of the Week: Hallucinations (in the context of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing)?

The term "hallucination" refers to a phenomenon where an AI model generates or interprets information not grounded in its input data. Simply put, the AI is making stuff up. This can occur in various forms across different AI applications:

Remember just like you can’t complain to the judge when your clerk makes a factual or legal error in your brief, you can’t blame ai for its errors and hallucinations! 😮

Text Generation: In NLP, hallucination is often observed in language models like ChatGPT. Here, the model might generate coherent and fluent text, but this text is factually incorrect or unrelated to the input prompt. For instance, if asked about historical events, the model might 'hallucinate' plausible but untrue details. Another example is when attorneys rely on ChatGTP to draft pleadings only to learn the hard way that its cited cases do not exist. (Remember, always check your work!)

Image and Speech Recognition: In these areas, AI hallucination can occur when a model recognizes objects, shapes, or words in data where they do not actually exist. For example, an image recognition system might incorrectly identify an object in a blurry image, or a speech recognition system might transcribe words that were not actually spoken.

I’ll spare you a deep, complex discussion of the problems with AI in this context.  But the three takeaways for attorneys are: 1. The programming for AI is not ready to write briefs for you without review, 2. Attorneys are not being replaced by attorneys (but attorneys who do not know how to use AI in their practice correctly will be replaced), and 3. Always check your work!

Happy Lawyering!

Podcast Episode #77: CLIO Con 2023: Third-Party Apps, CLIO and More, with Shubham Datta

Our next guest is Shubham Datta, the Vice President of Corporate Development at CLIO. As a key figure in overseeing the development and execution of CLIO's strategic growth strategy through acquisitions and investments, Shubham brings forth a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the intricacies of how CLIO collaborates with third-party integrations and more. Shubham is a seasoned Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) professional driving innovation in the legal tech space. With an extensive background in both buy-side and sell-side M&A, he spearheads efforts to align CLIO's product roadmap with cutting-edge companies.

Join Shubham and me as we discuss the following three questions and more!

1. What are the top three criteria to prioritize when evaluating third-party application integrations?

2. How to determine what might be considered unnecessary or incompatible with CLIO platform, possibly without the requirement for specific categories?

3. In what aspects should legal professionals focus on when assessing new third-party applications for use in CLIO or when comparing them to competitors?

In our conversation, we cover the following:

[01:44] The Three Pillars of Effective Third-Party Integration in CLIO's Legal Tech Ecosystem

[05:13] Core Legal Workflows in CLIO's Ecosystem

[06:55] App Adoption and Integration Challenges in Legal Tech

[09:00] Empowering Legal Innovation: Nuanced Challenges in App Integration

[10:42] A Guide for Lawyers in Choosing Third-Party Apps for CLIO and Beyond

[11:25] Future-Forward Legal Tech

[13:12] AI Innovations to Elevate Legal Practice

[14:58] CLIO: Redefining Legal Practice Management

Resources:

Connect with Shubham:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shubhamdatta/

Software mentioned in the conversation:

CLIO: CLIO.com/

Monday Morning Humor: Remember the First Wireless Remote TV Channel Changer!

I guess child labor laws were different from what I remember?

Do you remember the 1970s, a time when bell-bottoms were the height of fashion, disco ruled the airwaves, and children had the distinguished role of being the family's TV remote control. Yes, fellow lawyers, before the era of smart devices and voice-activated assistants, the most advanced technology in the living room was a youngster with quick reflexes. "Change the channel, would you?" was a common request, met with a groan but executed with the speed of a courtroom stenographer. It's a far cry from today's tech-savvy legal world, where we navigate complex software with ease. But let's not forget our roots — a time when channel surfing required actual surfing across the living room carpet! So next time your legal software takes a few extra seconds to load, remember the good ol' days of manual channel changing. It's all about perspective!

Happy Lawyering!