I often get asked by lawyers: what legal tech should I purchase and, relatedly, how in the hell can I know what I need to know about tech and keep up with it. It’s an ongoing source of frustration: lawyers constantly hear they need to be tech savvy but are clueless how to get there.

That’s why I really like a new book by Sharon Nelson, John Simek and Michael Maschke entitled Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide. I’ve known Sharon and John for several years through the ABA’s Law Practice Division and admire and respect their knowledge about legal tech and process, so I was excited to see that they put their knowledge on paper for all to access.

In a nutshell, the book is consistent and reasonably well written. It’s divided into topical standalone chapters so if you’re interested in, say, cloud computing products, you can read that chapter and get a good idea of what’s available without having to read other chapters that you might not be interested in.

The book is pretty comprehensive with respect to legal tech needs of lawyers

The book is pretty comprehensive with respect to legal tech needs of lawyers, and includes sections on operating systems, printers and scanners, servers, hardware, security, case management, time and billing software, document management and remote access, among others. It even has suggestions for what a tech savvy lawyer should take on the road and where LegalTech may be going in the future.

As to the writing itself, the writing style is informal which is perfect for making a technical topic directed to a non-technical both readable and understandable. The authors share some good and pertinent stories which add to their explanations in a non-obtrusive and helpful way.  There are a few spots where the cutting and pasting between the 3 writers is evident. Also, when read sequentially, there is some repetition. However, both are understandable since the authors were obviously focusing on making each chapter a standalone chapter that people could use as a resource. In any event, the writing style is not particularly distracting given the overall mission of the book.

Sharon, John, and Michael aren’t shy about offering recommendations of vendors and products

A couple of things I really like about the book. First, Sharon, John, and Michael aren’t shy about offering recommendations of vendors and products. This is refreshing since so often legal tech writers tend to provide a list of providers but stop short of telling you which ones they like. Of course, the authors are quick to point out that different products might suit different needs. But for the ones they recommend, they do a good job of telling you why and showing what situations in which their recommendations might not be suitable. Secondly, they successfully walk the thin line between being too techy and nerdy and being too simplistic and condescending. Many efforts in this area fall too far on either side of this line but the authors manage to hit the right balance in my mind.

Sharon and John (and presumably Michael) are known for being blunt: I particularly liked how they took vendors who try to hide their prices till you get the proverbial sales call to task. The practice is like those restaurants that try to hide the price of their take-out menu just to entice you to buy. The authors also have some choice words for lawyers who won’t put their smartphone down (at one point they say about smartphones: “they have become a kind of crack, with many lawyers seriously addicted to them and unable to disengage…risking their health and relationships”.)

The book also comes replete with plenty of security precautions for lawyers all in an understandable format (“Bottom line…don’t share your iCloud account credentials” and “Do not use WEP!”)).

The book has lots of  ethical advice relating to technology. (About Windows XP, they note “legal ethicists regard its continued use an ethical violation since it is no longer receiving security updates and places client data at risk”), practical advice (“ we encourage our readers to seek input from lawyers who actually use the products you are considering”) and even practice tips (“Make no mistake about it, studies have shown over and over that manual {time tracking} results in a lot of lost time and expense”).

If the book saves you from paying for just one hour of consultant time to help you set up your technology, it has more than paid for itself several times over

What’s not to like? The price. If you buy the book through the ABA (the only way you can get it) it will cost you $89. For a book that’s about 180 pages long, on its face that’s a pretty hefty price. But on the other hand, if the book saves you from paying for just one hour of consultant time to help you set up your technology, it has more than paid for itself several times over. By the way, the price for Law Practice Division members is a little less ($64); there is an eBook option, but it appears to be the same price.

The book serves as a good counterpoint to a recent post by in the Artificial Lawyer by Matthew Kellet of EY Legal entitled, Law Tech: Is It Worth the Risk? Kellet concludes that for a whole host of reasons the chances of buying the wrong tech are quite high and would be catastrophic. He seems to imply that making good tech choices just aren’t possible with the plethora of products and claims available and information out there.

I asked Nelson about this point. She said, “There is a right way and wrong way to go about vetting tech to enhance your chances for success-a guide like our book is one of them.” So, while it’s a fair point that getting good info and recommendations sometimes takes some doing, Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide belies the notion that making smart decisions is not possible.

The  book is worth the price. Even if the authors do recommend android phones over my precious iPhone. I mean, really Sharon, how could you?😉

And finally, while the book is styled as a guide for solos and small firms, it has a lot of good information for all lawyers interested in technology and learning about how some of the tech tools their firms are using actually work. It also has tips for making that tech work better.

So, if you’re interested in legal technology, need help with your tech decisions or just want more information, buy the book: it’s worth it. Even if the authors do recommend android phones over my precious iPhone. I mean, really Sharon, how could you?😉