Recent Articles

PC vs. Mac: Let's talk about functionality

Ben Cowgill
February 28, 2007 04:29

So let's talk about functionality, Grant. In other words, let's talk about software.My friend Grant Griffiths has now responded to my opening salvo in our PC vs. Mac online debate.  So let's see where we stand: I stated that functionality would be the "core value" of my...

PC vs. Mac: Let's get started

Ben Cowgill
February 19, 2007 23:56

Where business computing is concerned, my primary "core value" is functionality -- that is, "getting work done." A lot of things flow from that, but I'm not going to lay them all out just yet (after all, I've learned from my son that the real purpose of a "core value" is to set a trap, not to state...

PC vs. Mac: A challenge to my fellow solo Grant Griffiths

Ben Cowgill
February 18, 2007 22:49

I am writing this post as an open letter to Grant Griffiths of Home Office Lawyer, encouraging him to join me in a friendly but earnest online discussion about the relative benefits and shortcomings of PCs and Macs as hardware platforms for solo practitioners. He's been advancing the "Mac side" of...

Blog design tip: Snap.com now offers enhanced options for preview balloons

Ben Cowgill
February 18, 2007 22:04

My fellow bloggers may be interested to know that Snap.com now permits you to customize the "preview balloons" for links on your blogs. To customize (or add) preview balloons with the new optional features, select "Get Started Now" on the Snap Preview Anywhere page of Snap.com's website.My fellow...

From "row office" to "ROWE" office: the benefits and challenges of a results-only work environment

Ben Cowgill
February 18, 2007 21:10

Corporate America has become fascinated with the concept of a "results-only work environment." It means a workplace where your performance is measured almost entirely by the results achieved, not when you arrive at your desk, how many hours you're at the office each week, or whether you even come...

These are a few of my favorite (software) things

Ben Cowgill
February 18, 2007 20:40

My last article discussed the hardware side of a technology-leveraged solo practice. In the weeks ahead, I will post a series of articles about software -- specifically, the software that I have found to be most helpful to me in practicing law without any full-time support staff. ... Here, in...

A solo attorney's complete computer array: desktop, tablet, ultra-light and pocket pc

Ben Cowgill
January 09, 2007 21:12

A new subscriber has asked me to describe the hardware platform of my solo practice. ... I have found that using four different types of computers -- a desktop, a tablet, an ultra-light and a pocket pc -- makes sense and works well on a number of levels A new subscriber has asked me to...

A different reason to have two monitors on the same computer

Ben Cowgill
January 09, 2007 19:29

I've noticed that some of my fellow "tech-lawyers" have been extolling the virtues of using two side-by-side monitors connected to the same computer. ... I use two monitors on one computer in a different way, for different reasons.I've noticed that some of my fellow "tech-lawyers" have...

'The Successful Lawyer' is a great example of 'virtual mentoring' available to all lawyers

Ben Cowgill
May 05, 2006 20:04

It is now possible for any lawyer in any practice setting to obtain "virtual mentoring" of the highest quality from books, audio CDs and on-line resources -- including, in particular, the many fine publications of the ABA Law Practice Management Section. That's a wonderful thing for lawyers in...

In praise of law-related podcasts: this is not your teenager's iPod

Ben Cowgill
April 21, 2006 20:08

While riding the Blue Line into downtown Chicago this morning, I listened to the March 28 oral argument to the United States Supreme Court in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the case that questions the legality of the Guantanamo military commissions While riding the Blue Line into downtown Chicago this...