What’s your average billable rate? $250? $450? What if you could generate an additional two hours every week? What about five hours? Hours reclaimed with the assistance of software add up. We’re talking about a student loan payment, a vacation for your family, or even the ability to hire another staff member.
That money – those opportunities – are on the line if you forgo basic training on your software. I’m not asking you to be a computer engineer. I’m suggesting that you are missing important resources within the programs you use every day.
For instance, how quickly can you:
Remove all the unusual formatting from a document?
Convert a document to a PDF, then convert it back to Word?
Send a form letter to a client using a template and merge fields?
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A well-timed bankruptcy can be a powerful arrow in the quiver of a taxpayer with burdensome tax debt. Many lawyers and tax professionals are not aware a taxpayer’s personal liability for individual income tax debt can be discharged in bankruptcy, if the answer to each of the following five questions is YES:
Have more than three years passed since the tax return giving rise to the tax liability was due, including applicable extensions? 11 U.S.C. §507(a)(8). Individual income taxes for the period ending 12/31/13 are thus the most recent taxes that could be discharged, as of May 2017 (but not until October 2017 if the taxpayer obtained an extension of time in which to file the return). Certain taxpayer actions can toll and thus extend this three-year period. For example, a prior bankruptcy tolls this three-year period for the length of the automatic stay plus 90 days; a request for a collection due process hearing (“a CDP request”) tolls the three-year period for the time the hearing is pending during the three-year period, plus 90 days. See language immediately following 11 U.S.C. §507(a)(8)(G).
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It came to my attention recently that some of my fellow paralegals are still using the original Bates stamper.
I was told that some firms do not want to invest in the software which makes this whole Bates thing easier. If you have Adobe Professional at work, there’s already a built-in solution. If you are new to Adobe, click on “tools” on the right side of the screen and select “Bates Numbering” under “Edit Page Design.”
But, if your firm has limited means to purchase new software, here is a great option:
It is free to download and it lets you put in prefixes and suffixes for your bates numbers, as well as offsetting numbers making it easy to start at page 1,532 or whatever when more discovery documents are added. There is no malware or ads or anything like that. It’s a safe program.
Also, a little-known fact is if you have a Brother printer at work, you can download a free driver and software from Nuance PDF Reader (albeit from the Brother website). It allows you to drag multiple documents into that platform and stack them in whatever order you like. There are many other great features. It’s awesome for discovery and organizing exhibits.
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My recent contribution to Long Leaf Law about losing weight and keeping it off left one reader hungry for more:
“I just thought it could be very valuable to dig into the specifics of how you lost weight and kept it off over the long term. I presume that you have come to enjoy and value your lifestyle, and some concrete examples of what you did and the mindset that you brought to it might inspire others.”
Such kind and insightful words merit a thoughtful response. Over the years, others who have heard my story about losing 140 pounds during my senior year of college have also asked how I lost the weight and how I’ve managed to keep it off.
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Early last October, Hurricane Matthew swept across eastern North Carolina, leaving death and destruction in its path. In this state alone 26 people lost their lives in storm-related deaths. Damage estimates topped $1.6 billion.
Forty-five North Carolina counties qualified for federal assistance, including Robeson County, where the Lumber River crested at 24 feet, eclipsing the previous record by 3.5 feet.
The North Carolina Bar Association, led by its Young Lawyers Division, worked with Legal Aid of North Carolina, the American Bar Association and FEMA to provide free legal assistance to hurricane victims through the Disaster Legal Services hotline.
This is one victim’s story, as conveyed through a family member. For purposes of privacy, neither the victim nor the attorney is identified by name.
