Backstory Perma.cc, an online linking tool, reliably avoids the “link rot” perils that often frustrate future citation readers who “click” to non-operable or modified webpages. Perma.cc smartly generates moment-in-time permanent links (Pema Links) to cited webpages. These Perma Links and the captured content remain—even when the original cited webpages are later modified or deleted. There…
Otter.ai announced its collaboration with Zoom and the launch of an “Otter Live Video Meeting Notes” feature. You can be part of an online Zoom meeting and Otter.ai can generate real-time notes. With so many trial and appellate courts now using Zoom to live-stream their hearings during this historic pandemic, I wondered if this partnership…
I own many physical books but they’re usually not convenient for when I need to consult them. Sometimes, I may be too lazy to pull one or two off the shelf and start flipping through the pages (Black’s Law Dictionary weighs a ton; The Bluebook invites many rabbit holes when time is short). And on…
— not confuse. Every organization and each person has their own “system” for naming the electronic files they save on their own drives. This post is not about that. (Though I am available for organizational consultations.) This is an invitation to think about how you should go about naming digital files intended for the public…
Hyperlink with care. When writing a brief, opinion, report, or other type of permanent document, including hyperlinks to online sources requires thoughtfulness and an eye toward future years. As a default best practice, writers should use perma.cc to create preserved and short links. Why? Think back to why you want to add the link. Hyperlinks…
No one is perfect and mistakes happen. This space included. But typing errors are often avoidable if we strive to use the already-available tools. I need to be reminded of this just as much as the next person. The reminder to use my word processor’s spell check—or at least be sensitive to the squiggly red…
You want your readers to see your bookmarks if you are in the elite 21% who made the effort to create them. (And there is no excuse to not create bookmarks!)
Modern legal persuasion is no longer limited to finely tuned written words, “incorporated by reference” throwaways to a mountain of non-text-indexed “attached” exhibits, or tightly framed arguments. There’s more. “Packaging” matters in the digital world. Even your “paper” letter or brief can (and more likely will) become digital within moments. [Example: a letter written and…