Letters: Cloud, Paper, Servers
Illustration by Michael Morgenstern
CLOUD, PAPER, SERVERS
Regarding the feature “Net Profits,” Apri: I worked as an intern at a law office that was trying to go virtual. We had to add language to the retainer agreement letting clients know we were using the cloud with possibilities of a security breach.
We set up a portal where they could log in and check for messages and view their case, billing and documents. I received a lot of calls from clients either forgetting their login information or not being able to navigate the website.
As I was finishing my internship, we were using Dropbox and uploading files to their shared folder for them to review. This seemed to work for clients who were computer literate.
David Shelvey
Puyallup, Wash.
Another helpful technology tool that’s efficient for both lawyers and clients is an online signature service such as EchoSign from Adobe, HelloSign, etc. Clients don’t have to print, sign and scan paper documents, and the process is auditable as well.
Lisa Solomon
Ardsley, N.Y.
SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN THE LEGAL TECH SPHERE
As the director of the New York City chapter of Women in eDiscovery, a 5,000-plus-member global organization founded in 2007, I feel that while “Self-Starters,” April, accurately addressed the need for more aggressive efforts to involve women in technology and law, it missed the mark in recognizing the tremendous contributions women have made and are making.
The founders of WiE—Shawnna Childress, Lana Schell and Margaret Havinga—recognized the void and created a community in which the likes of magistrate judges, general counsel, attorneys, paralegals, technologists and industry thought leaders take time to educate one another and to foster relationships.
All around the world on a monthly basis, women convene at our meetings and CLEs to share information on the latest trends, strategies and challenges in the worlds of law and technology. We also have the support of many companies in the industry who sponsor our events. I encourage the ABA and its readers to learn more about the strides women are making by reading our blogs and other information on our website.
Zelda Owens
New York City
TRIMMING VERBIAGE
Bryan Garner’s article was especially good this time (“Learn Them and Ax Them,” April,). It’s too bad that, in the process of becoming lawyers, so many people think they must learn to misuse language.
I taught German for 10 years before going to law school, and I like to quip that my career change just involved changing the foreign language that I operated in.
Doubtless many readers will add to the “Index Expurgatorius.” My contribution is the “NOW COMES” with which many of us in Vermont still begin all pleadings and motions. Why begin with the two least important words in the whole document—and capitalize them to boot?
Herbert Ogden
Danby, Vt.
I once applied for the appointment of provisional liquidator of a company; the liquidator would be able to seize the company’s bank account and intercept its post (as we say here) which was brimful of cheques (as we also say here!) from the gullible public.
My junior colleague’s draft of an affidavit in support said that the apointment was needed to protect the position “during that period of time which must of necessity elapse after the presentation of the petition herein to this honourable court and before the same can be disposed of by the thereof.”
I suggested that we replace all that verbiage with “until the petition is heard.”
After thinking about it and scratching her head, she agreed that, yes, that would mean the same thing.
Andrew Turek
London
