The Legal Hokey-Pokey

My SmartPhone Timeline – From BlackBerry 7100 to iPhone 4S and Everything in Between!

Richard Wood — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:50:35 +0000

Yes, it has happened! Over the past two years I’ve converted to a completely Mac household. In March 2010 I bought my 17″ MacBook Pro. In March I bought my iPad2 (followed up by another iPad 2 purchase after leaving first one on an airplane in August). And most recently, October 16 I made that leap I said I would NEVER make. Yes, the iPhone now resides in my pocket, [...]

Lucy: the SUPER dog at Summit

Richard Wood — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:47:20 +0000

Here are my own rules I've applied to allow my experience as a pet owner to be as freeing and joyful as possible

Non-Lawyers Tweeting on Behalf Firms &/or Lawyers – CAUTION!

Richard Wood — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:43:16 +0000

One of my wonderful lawyers here at Summit Law Group, Ms. Sofia Mabee (Labor & Employment Lawyer Extraordinaire), found this article on the WSBA website recently and pointed it out to me after my grumbling about being asked to run my @SummitLaw tweets and Facebook posts by one of our lawyers. Lawyers Tweeting, Blogging, and IMing — Oh My! The first part of the article is pretty dry (for me) [...]

My favorite 19 HTC EVO apps

Richard Wood — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:29:39 +0000

My EVO apps: Advanced Task Manager (gives ability to kill apps that give you problems) Amazon Shopping App Amazon Kindle for Android Astro File Manager (like Explorer on a PC, lets you file through the file system) Audible (audio books) Batteryminder (I like that this shows me the percentage of battery remaining and gives me warnings if I’m getting low, also tracks what is using batter) Barcode Scanner (Google Goggles [...]

My upcoming series of blog posts… CHOICES

Richard Wood — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:40:19 +0000

So, I’m going to do a series of blog posts in the coming weeks about making choices regarding your needs for a lawyer, legal services and powerful ways to avoid pitfalls during that process. Buying legal services can be quite similar to buying any other product or service. You have choices. Choices about personality and relationships; choices about pricing; choices about extra charges; choices about payment plans; choices about billing [...]

Meet Alfred, My 2010 Lexus HS 250h

Richard Wood — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:20:57 +0000

(From my Flickr Album) Awww… ain’t she a beauty? Well, my ex got the “nice Lexus” (2002 LS 430), admittedly a very nice car and I got the… 1992 LS 400. Yes, she was a marvel in her day, but her day has LONG since past! At first I was really MAD to have him “dump” the old clunker on me, but then I decided to turn this into a [...]

“Permanence” of Social Media an Excuse for Refusal to Adopt?

Richard Wood — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:09:26 +0000

Just when I thought the Social Media “revolution” was actually revolutionizing the legal industry, we now have more and more people expressing their refusal to adopt due to the “permanence” of posts. Two different occurrences recently reminded me that I needed to expand thought into this realm. Occurrence 1: a legal administration group I’m involved in started “cautioning” its members (member to member forum, NOT the organization speaking) on the [...]

Day 10 with my New HTC EVO by Sprint

Richard Wood — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:18:54 +0000

WOW… what a week! I’ve had such an intensely busy schedule that I actually thought I wouldn’t have time to write this entry. First off, yes the device is AMAZING! I read a TON of articles and reviews before getting it, including many about what apps I should download to start off since I’ve never owned an Android phone. I’m going to address a couple of the “concerns” I read [...]

Summit Law Group Guide – Legal Ramifications of Social Media

Richard Wood — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:15:12 +0000

Recently, attorneys Kristin Anger and Sofia Mabee from my firm, Summit Law Group, did a presentation here in Washington about the “Legal Ramifications of Social Media”. Much of this information stemmed from a presentation by another Summit Law Group attorney, Bruce Schroeder, at a public employer conference in New Orleans, LA in April 2010. DISCLAIMER: This document is intended to be a general guide of employment issues and risks for [...]

Couple of points of interest about the AZ Immigration fiasco…

Richard Wood — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:26:17 +0000

I’ve had a few interactions with friends recently about the Arizona Immigration Laws and thought I’d publicly share my thoughts. Three things of interest to me that I haven’t seen being said is: Employers have a significant responsibility in enforcing immigration status. And if employers can’t do it, I’m not sure how local police forces can be expected to do any better. I’ve heard of the fake birth certificates and [...]

BlackBerry Abandonment?

Richard Wood — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:27:47 +0000

I love my BlackBerry. It does (most) everything I want. With that said, I get technology envy. It’s not a healthy condition to have, but like alcoholism and bulimia it’s something that requires professional help to overcome. I’m about to give in to my technology envy after having my BlackBerry Storm2 for only 6 months. My Storm2 is wonderful! Best BlackBerry I’ve ever owned! With that said, BlackBerry is quickly [...]

MacBook Pro – Day #….. Ummmm….. A couple weeks later!

Richard Wood — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:53:10 +0000

So, since my last MacBook Pro update, I’ve overcome some major obstacles and have created a few. However, I’m surviving… although not yet thriving. I pledge that a month from now, I’ll be LOVING this little piece of beautiful aluminum (pronounce that however you like). So, what do I love? Well, I’ve learned to love VM Fusion! Saves my butt a few times a week when I have to login [...]

Make your Social Media personal!

Richard Wood — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:20:45 +0000

Most of the top line social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter) all have a very easy way to display a customized URL to go directly to your page without having all the weird characters that you normally see. As for Twitter, the URL is automatically shortened and customized. So, mine for example is http://twitter.com/RL_Wood. My pointers with Twitter are: Make your user as SHORT as possible. Although “TheRampantTechnologyGroup” might best [...]

MacBook Pro – Day #1

Richard Wood — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:17:35 +0000

Yup, you read it right. I bought a MacBook Pro. As a matter of fact the MacBook Pro 17″ with the i7 processor and anti-glare screen! Here are my stats, share yours if you get the chance 500GB Hard Drive 4gigs RAM A nice shoulder bag case Software Add-on: Parallels 5 (for running Windows INSIDE the Mac OS) One year One to One “training/support” program (Haven’t decided on the 3 [...]

From Certifiable to Certified: The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat

Richard Wood — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:27:36 +0000

It’s been a conscious decision from the day I started working at Summit Law Group (August 29, 2005, but who’s counting) that I would become Summit’s second CLM. Knowing very well, that it would take me another 3.5 years to qualify as a “Functional Specialist” (someone who works in a specific function at a law firm, in my case I am the Accounting Manager having only oversight of the firm’s [...]

CareerExcuse.com??? WOW! Taking lying to a whole to level

Richard Wood — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:20:06 +0000

Thanks to my dear friend Evelyn for sharing this with me yesterday: This internet business was featured in a television news story yesterday evening. It is quite frightening for those of us who assume that resumes would actually reflect the true history and qualifications of the applicant: http://careerexcuse.com/ Our employment verification process takes the frustration out of your job search and eliminates annoying blots on your resume. We realize the [...]

Smokin Fast Internet… via USB dongle??? Sprint 4G

Richard Wood — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:30:13 +0000

On December 8th I went to the Social Media Club Seattle event on the Microsoft campus. Well, there was an "after party" sponsored by Spring 4G. I've never been much of a Sprint guy, but though I'd go and check it out anyway. I've heard some good things about 4G WiMax and really wanted to see what it was really like. Well, that evening they had a 6 computer work station setup with Sprint U300 4G dongles (aircards that plug into your USB port) and I could not believe it when I did a speed test (the first and only thing I went directly to do) and saw it clock at 3.2 Mbps. At the time I was told that was "a bit slow" by the Sprint rep, since apparently "good" signal strength can yeild around 7-9 Mbps!! That's INSANE! That's 2x-3x faster than my home cable internet service... and it's over the air!! So, fascinated by the speed I experienced, I introduced myself to Jon (District Sales Manager) (@WSthHouse)and David (Store Manager at Northgate Way) (@Bonjour206). These two are amazing guys. Very nice, very straight shooting all around fun to hang out with.

Thank you Stephen Colbert – Your Wit Is Much Appreciated!

Richard Wood — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:22:31 +0000

Just in case you haven’t seen the Stephen Colbert “The Word – Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Very funny! The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c The Word – Don’t Ask Don’t Tell www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Religion

Top 10 Twitter Tips for Getting a Jump on the Madness…

Richard Wood — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:18:39 +0000

I’m often asked how I could POSSIBLY manage to keep up with the constant stream of tweets from SO many followers (I don’t have nearly as many followers as many of my friends, but compared to others, 2700 is a lot). Here’s my top 10 list of actions, applications and websites that will help you be more productive and keep on top of the Madness. TweetDeck – You have to [...]

Review: “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies”

Richard Wood — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:11:32 +0000

First off, I believe this book is well intentioned for corporate folks who have large organizations begging them to understand what this “whole social media thing” is all about. It’s very appealing to this audience for a few reasons. 1) The methodical approach to much of the first 2/3 of the book are getting folks to understand the statistical value of target markets relating to technology, referred to as “Technographics”. [...]

Review: “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust”

Richard Wood — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:15:30 +0000

Trust Agents is written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith First off, this was the first book I read “cover to cover” on my Kindle 1 (Kindle gifted to me by my good friend Devri Owen). As for my Kindle experience, I think more time should have been spent by the publisher to ensure proper formatting of the Kindle version. It appeared that much of the book was “centered” with [...]

Kevin O’Keefe tackles Blocking Social Media

Richard Wood — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:31:11 +0000

Today Doctor of Blogging for Lawyers Kevin O’Keefe posts his newest blog entry “Companies and law firms blocking use of social media : Insanity is rampant“. And even though the author of the statistics posts a correction to Kevin’s blog, the results are quite amazing! You have to take a look!

WARNING: Civil Rights Statement to Follow! “Please Approve Ref. 71″

Richard Wood — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:08:35 +0000

Was that title confusing? At first I wrote “Political Statement to Follow”, but then decided political statements generally DO require apologies on blogs where they are COMPLETELY off topic, but I think every blog should dedicate a bit of space to human rights, feeding hungry children, fighting world malaria, and LOTS more worthy causes. So, I’m gay. I’m pretty sure I’ve covered this in previous posts. My partner and I [...]

To Avvo or Not to Avvo…

Richard Wood — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:46:50 +0000

In the not so distant past we've all heard LOTS of controversy about the Lawyer Rating website called Avvo. I had a wonderful and unique chance to sit and chat with Avvo Founder & CEO, Mark Britton, tonight at the Seattle Legal Bloggers & Twits Tweetup. Regardless of how your initial reaction is to Avvo, you really can't help but like Mark. He's a brilliant guy with a very impressive history of formulaic innovation. I just want to spend a couple lines to tell you some of the highlights of what I learned about Avvo tonight. If you're a lawyer please take this advice directly to www.avvo.com and update your profile!

In-House or Out-House: Who handles your social media strategy?

Richard Wood — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:38:00 +0000

I feel pretty well connected into Social Media, but that doesn't mean I'm an expert... by anyone's imagination! However, I was talking with my good friends up a DerekMedia today, Derek Johnson & Andrew Dumont, about further developing Summit Law Group's social media presence. This is a really tough topic for me since I've been doing it all up til now and I was curious about what an outside company might be able to offer insofar as changing up my own approach and "strategy" (if that's what you can call my shot gun approach). Are there better and more practical methods that I'm not employing? LIKELY!

The Peter Principle meets Murphy’s Law – A Cautionary Tale

Richard Wood — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:20:00 +0000

This lovely story was just circulated by one of Summit’s lawyers who recently joined the firm. Enjoy! This morning, unable to print a document on the 10th floor color copier, I decided to follow the Summit Law model of “take care of it yourself” and fix the problem. The “System Monitor” told me to replace the waste toner cartridge (a/k/a “Bottle, Waste Toner”). I am proud to say I found [...]

Cautions for Fixed Fee billing?

Richard Wood — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I love how much is being discussed in regard to "Alternative Billing" in the legal community right now. However, for most folks "Alternative Billing" just means Fixed Fee or Flat Fee Project billing. There ARE alternatives to these "alternatives"!

Video: Intro to TweetDeck

Richard Wood — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:09:00 +0000

This is my first attempt at a video blog! Hope you like it. I know I likely missed a lot of TweetDeck hot items, but I think this video shows some nice basic uses. (The advertisement at the beginning is out of my control. It’s like 30 seconds.)

"Twitter Succss"… a success!

Richard Wood — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:56:00 +0000

We’ve gotten some amazing feedback from the Twitter Success webcast held on June 23! We had 265 RSVPs!!!! Here’s the demographics for the RSVPs. Below you’ll also find the recorded webcast. PLEASE fast forward to minute 25 for the “show” to begin! The first 25 minutes was just the recorded “count-down” timer. Sorry about that!

HTML Option on BES BlackBerry Problem…

Richard Wood — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:43:00 +0000

So, here's the story, I have two computers. My work desktop, my home laptop. At work, I plug my BlackBerry into my machine and it connects to Desktop Manager, thus synchronizing settings each time. I do a similar thing at home with my laptop, except it just requires me to connect via VPN first, then I can open Desktop Manager and connect to the email server, again, synchronizing settings each time.