Some lawyer stereotypes don’t really die. One of the most enduring and dubious quirks attorneys get accused of is being stick-in-the-mud Luddites.

Like it or not, technology marches on, and attorneys must adapt. Below is a short list of tech skills that are sine qua non for any modern attorney.

2. Search Ability

As an attorney, you should be very good at searching for information. Mercifully for many, improved search algorithms have made the need for persons to be fluent in Boolean copula a thing of the past, but attorneys should still be very familiar between the nuances of and and or. If not, your problems go beyond simply being deficient in tech.

3. Learning MetaData

Meta – Greek for beyond – is a prefix that refers to something above the thing itself. In the case of metadata, it is data about the data file itself. You should at least be aware of its existence and potential influence on your practice.

4. Securing Your Documents

In the old days, security of documents was as simple as locking the door to the office. Culture surrounding document security was much more relaxed. Technology and attitudes have since shifted drastically but attorneys have predictably lagged. Unfortunately, the most basic security measures are overcome easily by skilled hackers these days – but practitioners should still configure their files so that they can only be opened with key, write-protect those documents, and learn how to convert those files from PDF to DOCX – and vice-versa.

Related Resources:

  • Technical Skills: A Prerequisite for Law Practice in the 21st Century (ContractStandardsBlog)
  • Is Copyright Law Protecting Corporate Cheaters Like Volkswagen? (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • It’s Time to Get Rid of Passwords: 5 Alternatives to Password Security (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • Does Your Firm Need Mandatory I.T. Security Training? (FindLaw’s Technologist)

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