Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Technology

How to Create Your Own Teleprompter
Lesha Van Der Bij

A few years ago, I stopped using paper notes when giving presentations. Instead, I began using my iPad for speaking notes. It seemed easier (and less distracting) to scroll through a single page than flipping through paper notes. …

Research & Writing

Due to
Neil Guthrie

Riders of the subway in Toronto will be familiar with announcements along . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Practice

It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Say It: Using Typefaces to Write More Persuasively
Shawn Erker

When drafting documents, the voluminous typeface options at our disposal may sometimes leave us overwhelmed and relying on the safety of default options, such as Calibri in the case of Microsoft’s Office Suite, or Arial for Google’s suite of cloud-based applications. But venturing beyond the confines of the defaults can . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Technology

Easy Automated Workflows
Lesha Van Der Bij

As a solo entrepreneur, I need to automate numerous tasks. Zapier – an online tool which enables you to build connections (or “zaps”) between two apps – makes the automation process super easy….

Research & Writing

Ministry of Labour Employment Standards Act 2000 Policy and Interpretation Manual Update
Martha Murphy

We have good news for those of you who use the . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Practice

A “Business Coaching for Lawyers” Explainer
Sandra Bekhor

Have you ever had a conversation with someone – a spouse, a colleague, an advisor – that shifted things for you? You somehow felt just a little less burdened or constrained after the fact? More hopeful even? They asked the right questions. …

Research & Writing

More on Verbs From Nouns
Neil Guthrie

In a previous post, we covered the . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Technology

Using Advanced Search on Twitter
Lesha Van Der Bij

A few months ago, I was trying to find an article on AI that I had remembered tweeting. So, I started scrolling through my list of tweets. Even though I am not the most prolific tweeter, it was soon apparent that this was a futile approach. But searching “AI” wasn’t particularly helpful either. …

Research & Writing

Open Access . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Flab
Neil Guthrie

Your prose should be tight, toned and vigorous if you want to engage rather than repel your reader. …

Technology

Consider Client Confidentiality–Disable Message Previews
Emma Durand-Wood

Today’s tip is to consider whether reminders or message previews on any of your devices could compromise client confidentiality. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Technology

Outlook Mail – What Happens When I Click on the Question Mark?
Lesha Van Der Bij

You may or may not have noticed that there is a question mark on the top right-hand corner of your Outlook mail application. If you have noticed, chances are you have never clicked on it, assuming that it would bring up a list of unhelpful FAQs or, even worse, the old “Clippy” . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Plain-Language Info on Canadian Copyright Law
Lesley Ellen Harris

Do you sometimes feel that there’s too much information out there? Do you wish there were a list of the top 5 to 10 online articles you need to read to get from point A to point B? These posts on Canadian copyright law provide a basic understanding of a variety of topics. …

Technology

Screenshot Entire . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Miscellaneous Misuses
Neil Guthrie

Shut down, shutdown: Don’t confuse these. You shut down your computer in anticipation of the firmwide shutdown by the IT department. On a similar footing, log in and login. Surveil: This is like the awful liaise. Surveil is a misguided back-formation from surveillance, but an ugly and unnecessary one; just say watch or follow. …

Technology

Finding RSS Feeds for Podcasts and . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

That Awful Extra ‘of’
Neil Guthrie

You’ve already been advised in a previous post not to say outside of or inside of. The of is both unnecessary and incorrect in each case. Of creeps in elsewhere, where it should not. As in the shudder-inducing off of, Please, just off. Or perhaps from (I got it from the internet, not off of). …

Technology

Restore Support for . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Henry VIII Clauses
Susannah Tredwell

The general rule of thumb is that acts are amended (or repealed) by acts and regulations are amended (or repealed) by regulations. Some acts do explicitly state that they can be amended by regulation, although what can be amended is usually minor (e.g. making changes to a schedule to an act). …

Technology

Upgrade Your Device Charge Cables
Emma Durand-Wood

I . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

So Basic
Neil Guthrie

Basis is, basically, bad. Why, you ask? It’s one of those words that lawyers love to use, but one that renders their prose flabby and verbose. Instead of on a temporary/permanent/daily/whatever basis, just write temporarily, permanently, daily etc. While adverbs are not a hallmark of vigorous prose, a single word is better than four. …

Practice

Plug Into Law Podcasts
Emma Durand-Wood . . . [more]