Archive for the “Technology” Category

The National Association for Court Management 2010 Annual Conference is in New Orleans next week and I’m excited about the program and activities I have planned there. The conference theme is Wisdom in Action: Proven Court Practices and the week is jam packed with terrific content.

Let’s start with the governance issues with a NACM Board Meeting on July 19 and joint FACT Steering Committee and Joint Technology Committee meeting on July 20. There are a load of administrative issues that deserve attention and it’s a pleasure to be part of the policy solutions. Follow that with education events interspersed throughout the week, an ICM Fellows’ reception* on July 21, vendor show on July 22 and hosting duties for one of the education sessions. Cap off the week with me serving as faculty for a Best of Court Websites course that is repeated on July 23.

*Last year I was honored to be feted with the ICM Fellow STAR Award at a reception held in Boston at the 2009 NACM Annual Conference, so I plan to be front and center when this year’s recipient is named.

In between there is a lot of catching up, social events, business networking and marketing opportunities. I also plan to enjoy the wonderful city, its food and entertainment.

I admit that I’m not looking forward to the July heat and humidity in New Orleans, but I am looking forward to showing my support for the Gulf Coast in what seems to be a series of unfortunate setbacks that should in no way reflect poorly on the spirit and perspicacity of the local denizens.

Oh yeah, and in case you are tracking this blog so you know when to burglarize my house, I left a huge, hungry dog inside so back off !! Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez … Let the Good Times Roll !!

Photo credit = Tales from an Open Book blog

We’ve known for a long time that computer hard drives hold a treasure trove of information and need to be scrubbed clean before recycling or donation lest they divulge valuable information to the wrong people. With the omnipresence of “smart” devices nowadays, this exposure also applies to cell phones, answering machines and even copy machines.

An April 15, 2010 segment of the CBS Evening News featured “Digital Photocopiers Loaded With Secrets,” exposing scary scenarios about tons of information available for the picking in used copy machine warehouses. As the story notes, nearly every digital copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive - like the one on your personal computer - storing an image of every document copied, scanned, or emailed by the machine. YIKES !!

Can you imagine the range of information these hard drives hold? Personally, I also use mine as a heavy duty printer, which means that every file I printed off my computer is also captured in the bowels of the beast. DOUBLE YIKES !!

My God, think of all those hormone-crazed office workers who at one time or another dropped their trousers and photocopied their rear ends. Oh, the humanity !!

So what can be done? For starters, these manufacturers should do a better job of advising purchasers of the risks and take the next step of offering remedies. Sharp offers such a package for what may seem like a steep price of $500, but when one considers the cost of identity theft and liability it no longer seems so high. There are other commercial packages and services on the market that offer preventative solutions and pre-disposal disk scrubbing

You can watch the 5 minute CBS Evening News on their website, or on YouTube.

It’s shocking, but worth the time if it shocks you into taking remedial action when the time comes to dump your current copier.

Life is indeed becoming more complicated.

Photo credit = Tutoorials.com

On this the first day of summer, what better time to celebrate our freedom and our yearning for vacation to get away from it all? What’s keeping us? Our Crackberries, of course! Those little balls-and-chains that tether us to work, email, text messages, reminders and to-do lists. As court managers, we never seem to escape, but thank goodness that judges haven’t fallen prey to this madness … or have they?

According to the distinguished Herbert B. Dixon Jr., judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court, judges are indeed Blackberry power users as covered in his excellent piece entitled Developing an Addiction to Your BlackBerry in 13 Easy Steps published in the American Bar Association The Judges’ Journal, Volume 49, Number 2, Spring 2010.

But does the good judge advise restraint? Does he caution against the temptation to stay connected and extol the virtues of living a balanced life of work and play? Hell no … he trots out a series of power user tips that will turn our species into giant thumbed creatures who sleep at our desks.

I have opined early and often warning of this ailment. Despite my own best efforts to avoid it, I turned on the email feature on my Crackberry and now have to struggle to keep from regularly checking the status of incoming messages. I have even succumbed to the dreaded texting monster, though I keep a rubber band around my wrist and snap it every time I send a message, just to keep from overusing it.

What I haven’t been able to do is completely unplug. I can’t seem to go on vacation or even enjoy a weekend or holiday without that blasted gizmo implanted in my hip.

So save yourselves … it’s too late for me. Eschew the beast, live a more simple life. At least then you’ll have the luxury of assimilating information before responding. Of deciding whether to call someone back after a relaxing day with your family.

You’ll be glad you did.

Photo credit = Associated Press photo by Richard Drew in a San Francisco Chronicle article on a Blackberry legal ruling

OK, I admit it. I am a dyed-in-the-wool Mac-head who started with a Mac SE/30 (at court, no less) and tried my level best to live peaceably in a Windows-dominated work world. In 1998, I was forced to pull the plug on Apple computing and fell asleep next to the Microsoft pod in order to be effective in managing and consulting in court technology. Just when I am officially over the break-up, along comes the iPad. GAD !!

I looked, I touched and I played around with it … this can be nearly fatal in the Mac world because this technology is soooo freaking cool. Then I remembered why we broke up. The costs were too high compared to the competition, the choices of software were extremely limited, files tended to be proprietary rendering sharing almost impossible, collaborating with non-Mac colleagues became a nightmare, and if you got stuck somewhere remote (especially internationally) you were screwed.

The single biggest reason I decided not to take the plunge again is the lack of versatility in this particular tool. It became clear that I couldn’t leave my laptop behind if I needed to actually compute or make a Powerpoint presentation, so what’s the point of carrying two or more tech devices around with you? That’s why I dumped my MP3 player after I picked up a Crackberry, which also enabled me to drop a separate PDA.

So here’s the question … is there a legitimate role for the ultra-cool iPad in the court technology world? I posted this inquiry on the LinkedIn FACT forum and David Slayton, the ubiquitous court administrator from Lubbock posted a similar inquiry on the Court2Court listserv. Here is an excerpted summary of the replies:

From OREGON: As an administrator I have been using a Fujitsu Lifebook for the last three years and along with One Note can be a great organizational tool to almost rid yourself of legal pads. Standard tablets are definitely a production/working tool and Lenovo is coming out with one that will allow you to detach the screen to make it iPad like. However, I’d be wary of the iPad at this point as a production tool. I think the learning curve to make it work properly could be an issue.

From FLORIDA: We’re looking at the possibility of iPads or other netbooks, notebooks, and tablet PC’S as one element of a three-pronged project to improve the judiciary’s ability to perform work with electronic records in chambers, courtroom and from home. The current focus is on how to make the case file images easily available, how to “group” commonly used images in each case for easier access, and allowing multiple documents in singles cases as well as multiple documents in multiple cases to be open at once.  The challenge that has been issued is to make the electronic files as easy to use as paper, if not easier.  We are experimenting with touch screens for use in chambers and courtrooms, and the iPads would be used for travel and home use if a home desktop PC is not desired by the judge.  The project is in its infancy and no actual demonstration of iPad use has been accomplished yet.

From CANADA (1): While I generally support the use of most technology in a courtroom or by judges generally, I must say I am not a fan of iPads. Tablets have existed for years and I militated for their adoption by judges. However, I can’t be supportive of a tablet with no power nor USB connection. Notwithstanding its low price the iPad will only add to the armada of poorly integrated technologies the judiciary needs to deal with. Judges will still need a computer, a cellphone, etc. I think real tablet PCs are still the way to go, no matter the hype around Apple’s new toy.

From Canada (2): The value will only be if applications utilized in the eTrials are able to run on the technologies.  Many of the Judges I work with are still coming to terms with technologies generally.  There is still a limited understanding of the difference between true electronic courtbooks and those simply mirroring a case management solution through simple VGA technologies with limited workflow, in saying this it does work it is just more costly and less efficient, particularly when it comes to true court management ie exhibit management and integration.

From CALIFORNIA: I am told that legal services and self-help staff in California are very pleased with iPads, using them for real time legal research and for searching websites for information and forms.  I would think that judges would find them equally useful for legal research.  Do your judges, however, need to have portable access to legal research or are they always going to be in their offices or on the bench when they are querying a legal information site?  If they are at home preparing for calendars, they would probably find it very handy to have instantaneous access using an iPad.

From SOUTH DAKOTA: We had an iPad problem arise here just last week.  It’s our standard practice to collect jurors’ cell phones when they go into deliberations.  A bailiff guards the pile of phones on a table outside the deliberation room door. We also place trial exhibits on the table in the deliberation room for the jurors.  A police video DVD had been entered into evidence in a trial last week.  At one point the jury wanted to (re)view the video. Normally a bailiff would get a DVD player on a rolling cart for them, but instead a juror just pulled an iPad from her large purse and they played it for themselves.  Not a big deal in itself, we would have displayed it for them anyway, but that iPad could have easily accessed the open, public WiFi signal we have in the courthouse (or the WiFi signal from the big hotel across the street for that matter).  Luckily the jury did no “surfing” and the trial was not disturbed in any away, but now we’re having a discussion here about whether to collect “any internet-accessible device” along with the cell phones from the jurors, or maybe address this with a standard jury instruction as a number of courts already do, or both.

From OHIO: We’re considering the viewing of case filing images assembled into eBooks, and iPad is a possibility for this.

So there you have it … we report and you decide !!

Photo credit = Apple iPad gallery

I previously mentioned that Karl Heckart and I are presenting a session at both East and West coast eCourts conferences this year. The name of the session is Technology trends, cool and edgy, which leaves a pretty wide open canvas upon which to paint.

Thus far, we have agreed upon this session description:

How can we best align court service delivery with the technology tools and toys, as well as the increasingly sophisticated expectations of court users? This session will offer mini-presentations on tech topics, including wireless applications, e-signage, e-forms, e-signature pads, applications for Personal Digital Assistants, e-readers, cloud computing, IT consolidation, social media.

Challenging enough? Hardly !! Add to the breadth and depth of the subject matter these two little twists … the sessions are only 30 minutes and they end the 2nd day of each conference, after which is a reception. Hah !!

We have yet to put the finishing touches on the content, but we have agreed roughly to have a lot of fast paced music and streaming video, but at some point ask the question, what are courts doing to prepare to serve the needs of increasingly tech-savvy consumers who are used to receiving information and services in altogether different delivery methods?

ANY (and I do mean ANY) help, advice, references to media clips and/or spiritual guidance are welcome. What would YOU like to see in this session?

Photo credit = Dali at Mr Moif’s MySpace page

It’s hard to escape the social media madness. I have acquaintances wanting to “friend” me, I get barraged with updates from LinkedIn, and my court administration trade news is clogged with stories about jurors-gone-wild Googling research during trials. So please allow me a quick rundown on some quick solutions and encapsulated news on the topic.

JURIES

I’ve blogged on this before and there are plenty of news stories relating the extent of jury tainting through Internet access, mobile computing devices and social media. One answer is relatively simple, as covered by retired Orange County (FL) Judge Steven Wallace in the January/February 2010 edition of the Judicature magazine published by the American Judicature Society … craft a jury instruction that is explicit and goes into the reasons why jurors must be isolated from undue influence while hearing trial evidence and testimony. According to Judge Stevens, some courts now even require that jurors sign a declaration pledging to refrain from this activity.

IT DEPARTMENT

While some court IT departments are shutting down network access to social media for reasons of lost worker productivity, inappropriate “socializing,” and just plain bandwidth conservation, TechRepublic’s CIO Jury advises against it. Even though 7% or so of Internet traffic is attributable to Facebook and 87% of the users of this service admit that there is no business purpose for doing so, a majority (but by no means universal) opinion of these CIOs choose selected access by targeting those who may have a legitimate reason to surf these sites, rather than barring them outright.

COURT P.I.O.s

The Conference of Court Public Information Officers is hip deep in this controversy through its New Media Project with the stated aims to:

1. Clearly define the current new media technology.
2. Systematically examine the ways that courts are using new media
3. Empirically measure the perceptions and approaches of judges and top court administrators toward the technology
4. Collect and analyze the literature on new media, public perceptions of the judiciary and court public outreach programs
5. Offer a framework and analysis for judges and court administrators to utilize when making decisions about the appropriate use of new media.

As for me, I use LinkedIn as a business-related communications and networking tool and dabble in Twitter only because I was shamed into it. Now that Twitter is connected through LinkedIn, I use it a little more frequently to tout these blog postings. Although I doubt that my new following of predominantly women who have no followers or tweets of their own but seem content following others like me, find my postings to be of particular interest. I know there must be something unsavory about it, but I can yet figure it out. Perhaps there is a fledgling, would-be court management career effort brewing in Eastern Europe, or wherever these folks originate.

Meanwhile, I am content avoiding Facebook just to be another face in the crowd of even more people looking for social interaction. I have enough time bandits in my life already.

Photo credit = Winderblog (Real Estate)

For those of us in the trade, it’s important to track legal news sources so we can stay in the loop about emerging trends. As an associate member of the American Bar Association, I subscribe to the ABA Journal, which admittedly is a snore-fest most of the time. However, the April 2010 edition has several interesting and/or amusing stories worth recounting …

Blog spam

First, we have accusations that the granddaddy of legal web portals, Findlaw.com, launched what was supposed to be 15 hyperlocal, news-based blogs that look more like infomercials for the website’s premium advertisers. For what it may be worth, I used to frequent Findlaw in the early days of the Internet because it was as close to a one-stop-shopping experience for legal news and resources as one could find back then. Now, they no longer occupy space in my bookmark file because they are more hype than content. It looks like I’m not alone in this assessment.

I don’t gotta show you staff or papers

This juicy bit comes from the United Kingdom where a law firm is offering “City”-quality advice based on a “no-staff, paperless office model.” English translation? The “City” in question is London and the take away is that you save money by procuring legal services that deliver largely though telecommunications, yet have that uptown quality. Does this mean that lawyers do their own filing, clerical chores, typing, etc? Sure thing, mate!

We the pooped-out

Let’s all doff our caps in mourning for that feisty, legal self-help service called We the People that is now bankrupt. Say what you will about these guys, I liked the concept of private sector, low cost, self-help coaches conveniently located near major court locations to shepherd clients through the confusing maze of legal forms and processes, so they could pursue their legal remedies pro se. Although the nay-sayers warn that online self help providers may be next to walk the plank, somehow I think that Nolo Press is safe from financial ruin.

Now I can toss my hard copy version of the ABA Journal that I planned to read on my trip to Washington DC this weekend and watch the in-flight movie instead.

Photo credit = Whacky Packages

This is my first foray into critiquing the US Supreme Court, so please forgive me if I do not rise to the standard of the famous SCOTUS blog that tracks the activities of that august body. This posting deals with a less-than-flattering encounter in oral arguments concerning the privacy of a police officer’s personal text messages to and from a city-owned pager, as reported by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

OK, let’s start with the fact that US Supreme Court justices are not typically young (John Paul Stevens just celebrated his 90th birthday), and individuals in these positions often lead sheltered lives for reasons of privacy and security. Let’s add that some reports of totally sheltered politicians are untrue, such as the urban myth that George H.W. Bush lost his re-election bid in 1992 partly because it was reported he was unaware of grocery store check-out scanners that had been in use since the mid 1970’s.

Even so, the oral arguments in this case yielded some DUE (dumb-end-user) questions from various justices, including Chief Justice Roberts who asked about the difference between an email and a pager (huh?). The True/Slant blog even chided some of the DUE arguments of defense counsel in saying that text delivery is like the US Mail in that the government has no right to intercept and read it.

In an editorial entitled Dial-Up Law in a Broadband World, the New York Times opined that (the Electronic Communications Privacy Act) is a 20th-century relic. Adopted in 1986, it has had trouble keeping up with technological advances and is now badly out of date. However, this opinion only addresses the need for Congress to get its act together in regards to the legal implications of technology. The missing piece to this public discourse is what the courts are doing to improve the quality of judicial decisions related to technical and science-based issues.

The National Center for State Courts has a terrific CourTopics index of issues that includes a specific page on Science, Technology, and the Law, but even this resource concentrates on science and the court-management aspects of technology as opposed to preparing the courts to improve decision-making for technology-related issues that come before our trial and appellate courts. A quick review of available courses at the National Judicial College shows a similar paucity of related resources.

As society continues to dump its problems at the courthouse steps, it is incumbent on us as court professionals to ensure that we have the wherewithal to deal effectively with the technical issues that these disputes entail. Education is key, as is the recognition that this is a growing problem and we need to do something about it.

My thanks to a colleague from the Midwest for passing along this juicy item … while my twisted mind is a rich source for continuing topics on this blog, I am always grateful for tips and I openly invite guest postings that you think would be of interest to the judicial administration profession. If it includes a bit of sardonic humor, all the better !!

Photo credit = Microsoft clip art

My favorite tech e-publication, TechRepublic.com, had a great article on how consultants can become better organized. I think it has application across professions and offer a summary here, along with some tips of my own.

STRUCTURE YOUR TIME

Set aside blocks of time that stagger small, manageable project work with larger more daunting tasks. It’s the mixture that will keep you fresh and give you a sense of accomplishment.

DRIVE TIME

Try to limit drive time, which is wasted time unless you harness it some other way. When I was a court administrator attending loads of meetings throughout sprawling Los Angeles County, I had a car phone (quite a brick in those days), learned the art of dictation and subscribed to monthly management books on tape. I still got stuck in traffic hell, but most often used the time for some productive purpose.

PAPER AND PEN

Although I am a dedicated fan of technology, sometimes nothing beats having a paper and pen handy to write down notes as things occur during the work day, and for me at least, at night when I’m trying to sleep. I will readily admit that my memory has not improved with age, so referring to notes can keep you on top of ideas and reminders. Of course, I augment the paper by putting tasks into Outlook with reminders for the important ones.

TAME YOUR PASSWORDS

The TechRepublic article recommends using a password management program, but I prefer a system of using tight words combining letters and numbers that are tiered according to security level. For instance, I use a single password for low security needs, another for medium needs and a more robust password for high security. When I change one every few months, I usually change them all.

ORGANIZE YOUR FILES

I use color file folders and keep the current ones within handy reach. I am also a huge fan of Microsoft OneNote to consolidate emails, electronic documents, pictures, etc according to each project and subject.

USE A SMART PHONE

I resisted this for a long time because I didn’t want to get chained to my email, but I have since learned that it is an indispensable organization tool with a calendar, address list, task list and notes synchronized with my desktop Outlook program. I try to use the email and texting sparingly, so I don’t grow vestigial enormous thumbs.

MAKE GOOD ORGANIZATION A HABIT

I can only do this by being aware of these tips and tricks, and using them deliberately and faithfully.

Like you, I have a ton of commitments from work to family to community. In order to balance these demands with the need for quality down time, good organization skills are not optional.

Do you have anything to add to the list?

Photo credit = Microsoft clip art

In the court technology world there are two major events that occur in alternating years. In odd numbered years, it’s the Court Technology Conference (CTC) and in even years it’s the e-Courts Conference, which is usually staged in Las Vegas. In 2010, we get a double treat … TWO e-Courts conferences !!

The East Coast version will be held September 13-15, 2010 at the Marriott Waterside Hotel in Tampa, Florida. The West Coast version will be back in Las Vegas at the Red Rock Casino and Resort on December 13-15, 2010.

According to the National Center for State Courts, the conferences will feature similar educational content and will provide ideas for courts facing challenging budgetary times on how to use technology to maintain their productivity, quality of justice, and customer service. The conferences features our smaller, more personal vendor exhibit and vendor showcase sessions.

So, which one will I attend? Easy … BOTH !! I am privileged to be a presenter at two sessions for both conferences, each occurring on the last session at the end of days one and two, as follows:

Day one, 3:50-4:50pm: Selling E-Filing – How to speed up acceptance, Success of e-filing is dependent upon acceptance and use by several distinct user groups, including judges, court staff, attorneys and pro se litigants. The panel will provide insight into increasing adoption by these various user groups. Robin Gibson serves as the moderator and I am a panelist representing the Forum on the Advancement of Court Technology along with a rotating cast of panelists at each conference.

Day two, 4:30-5pm: Technology Trends: cool and edgy, Brief presentations on tech topics, including e-signage, wireless networking, e-forms, video conferencing, bandwidth control through packet shaping, PDAs and mobile devices. The presenters are the inestimable Karl Heckert, CIO for the Arizona courts, and me.

Remember, technology is one of the key ingredients that will help courts to make it through this tough economic climate. The e-Courts Conference is a terrific way to learn how others are coping by attending the education sessions, and touch and feel the technology in the exhibit hall.

My tail is wagging already and I hope to see you at one of these must-see events. For more information or to register online, visit www.e-courts.org

Photo credit = Ecourts Conferences