Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel!” This is one of my favorite posts of the year because every summer for the past nine years or so, I have written about “cool tech” for in-house lawyers – and this year is no exception. If you would like to see past editions of the “cool tech” edition, check out footnote 1 below.[1] As always, I have been scanning the technology horizon like Captain Ahab, searching for the most elusive prize of all – useful technology that will make in-house lawyers more productive (in addition to making work easier and – hopefully – more fun and interesting). In my new book on productivity for in-house lawyers, I have chapters on technology generally and ChatGPT specifically. And if you have been reading my other books, this blog, or my LinkedIn posts over the years, you know that I am a big fan of technology, especially technology that enhances the productivity of the legal department and its value to the business.
As always, I like to find and highlight technology that is easy to use and low cost – delivering big value with little effort or expense (though occasionally – like today – I will highlight something that is a bigger lift cost-wise but likely to pay big dividends). As usual, I make no promises or warranties of any kind, implied or express (got to cover my ass when I can) and I can also assure you that I get nothing for recommending the technology below. I just think these are all useful tools and worth your time checking them out. Ready to get into it? Great, here we go with my “Ten Things” cool tech 2024 edition:
1. Slido. I do a lot of presentations and webinars. And I love including interactive polling so the audience can participate and weigh in on key questions. It makes for a more engaging experience and more fun for me. Several years ago, I mentioned Poll Everywhere as a “cool tech” winner. It’s still a good tool for live polling. My experience recently, however, is that it is glitchy and sometimes just doesn’t work at all – which can suck the air out of the room during the live presentation or webinar.[2] Then I found Slido. It is easy to use, and it works every time. It takes seconds to load and then you can create super slick “live polls, Q&A, quizzes and word clouds whether you meet in the office, online or in-between.” I highly recommend this product.
2. WordTemplates.org. I love, love, love templates. They speed up work and keep you from reinventing the wheel or spaghetti or whatever (… sorry, not sure where I was going with that sentence). I also love “free.” So, a site that provides free Word templates? Yes, I will have some, please! And you can too by going to WordTemplates.org. Pretty simple premise here – dozens and dozens of free Word templates covering meetings, reports, project management, and many other business documents. Each template gives you a description and image and an easy download button. You don’t have to set up an account or sift through paid templates – everything is free! If you are looking for more than Word templates, try OfficeTemplatesOnline for a host of free templates for Word, Excel, and other Office products.
3. Tubi. I am a Boomer. I say that not as a pejorative or as the opening sentence of a 12-step program meeting, but to let everyone know that I love watching television. And man have I watched a lot of TV, starting as a kid back in York, Nebraska. And it did not rot my brain, make me prone to violence, or fat and lazy. Well, maybe not fat. Regardless, if you like television and are tired which has, of whatever they are serving up these days, e.g., “The Real Housewives of [Insert Generic City Name Here]” or “(Not) Finding Bigfoot” then I have the perfect solution for you… Tubi! Tubi is a TV and movie streaming service with over 200,000 movies and TV episodes. It has live TV (featuring recent and classic shows and tons of movies) and on-demand as well, all contained within a super easy-to-navigate user interface. Best of all, it’s free! You can watch it anywhere you have access to the internet.[3] I watch Tubi quite a bit (especially when I am on the road) and can always find something I am interested in (unlike the 500+ channels DirectTV is serving up to me for big bucks).[4] I also like PlutoTV which I highlighted a couple of years ago. It’s similar to Tubi and worth checking out as well.
4. Ninite. The internet is a scary place – like Jeffrey Dahmer’s basement was scary. It seems everywhere you go online, someone is trying to trick you into clicking on something that launches malware ransomware or underwear, or some other type of “ware” that will result in bad things for you, your computer, and your employer. This is especially true when you want to download or update programs, apps, or software on your computer. The best place to go is the software company’s website. But, if you have a lot of different programs to update or manage then that can be a real pain in the ass. The solution? Ninite! Ninite is a single source of truth for internet downloads, where you can access hundreds of programs and updates in one location. I don’t think I can describe it better than Ninite does on the site:
Ninite will
- start working as soon as you run it
- not bother you with any choices or options
- install apps in their default location
- say no to toolbars or extra junk
- install 64-bit apps on 64-bit machines
- install apps in your PC’s language or one you choose
- do all its work in the background
- install the latest stable version of an app
- skip up-to-date apps
- skip any reboot requests from installers
- use your proxy settings from Internet Explorer
- download apps from each publisher’s official site
- verify digital signatures or hashes before running anything
- work best if you turn off any web filters or firewalls
- save you a lot of time!
All true. All awesome. And all for free!
5. Visme Timeline Maker. As someone who came up on the litigation side of the in-house world, I can vouch for the power of a simple timeline. Not only are they critical in litigation, especially with the judge or jury, but they can also make complex business discussions, updates, and presentations clear and understandable. That’s why I love the Visme Timeline Marker. It’s free and easy to use. And it makes killer timelines using a vast array of professionally designed templates. Did I mention it’s free? If you think about it, most legal department presentations, updates, or discussions for the business (litigation-related or not) can benefit from a timeline of key events or key steps. Visme provides mix-and-match colors and fonts, hundreds of thousands of icons and photos, and easy drag-and-drop tools. Need a timeline? Get Visme.
6. The “Travel Pack.” Okay, this is really not one product, but I was looking around my office and realized that I have a lot of pieces of cool tech that I take with me whenever I travel – which is often. So, what I am going to do, is put all of that under what I will call the “travel pack” and you can decide for yourself if any of it is interesting to you:
- EDC mini-pocket flashlight: a flashlight is a necessity when you travel. You never know when the power will go out or when you may get stuck deep in a creepy cavern with no lights because you trusted the bargain basement tour guide to buy some decent Energizer batteries for the flashlights.[5] The EDC flashlight can save the day. It has multiple modes, a hands-free headband, and a motion detector. I bought one for my wife and daughters given how much they travel too. Currently, only $9.00 on Amazon.
- Rolling Square inCharge 6: Sometimes you forget to pack the right cables for all of your gear. If so, given the lack of uniformity in charger cable tips, you are screwed. The inCharge 6 is a tiny (keychain size) multi-prong charger device. It allows you to connect any portable device to any power source for charging: USB to USB-C, USB to Lightning, USB to Micro USB, USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, and USB-C to Micro USB. It has saved me more than once in 2024. $20.00 on Amazon.
- oneFire Travel Lamp: Apparently, some hotel rooms were designed by Mr. Magoo & Associates, i.e., without any thought to lighting. You walk in and realize that the lamp on the desk (if there is a lamp) is way underpowered or has a weird shade that you cannot remove yet directs all of the light into a 3-inch circle on the desk. Or the lamp is on the other side of the room bolted into the floor with industrial-strength titanium rivets. Given I can’t see worth a shit in the dark, either situation is a problem. The solution? A portable travel lamp! The oneFire Travel Lamp solves all of these problems. It’s rechargeable, compact, folds up nicely, and throws off a supernova level of LED light (though you can adjust the brightness and the color). If you put a cutout bat on it, you may be able to call the Caped Crusader and Robin the Boy Wonder. $14.00 on Amazon.
- Koonie Portable Desk Fan: Guess what else can be a surprise in a hotel room? Yep, airflow! There is little worse than being stuck in a warm hotel room or any place with little ventilation or low-powered air conditioning (including on an airplane, in July, at DFW). The Koonie Portable Desk Fan has been my salvation. It’s around 5 inches tall, has three speeds, is pretty quiet, and has a rechargeable battery that lasts about 10 hours. Stop sweating. Get a Koonie. $13.00 on Amazon.
- Anker 20W USB C Power Strip: Well, obviously I have had some bad hotel room experiences while traveling because this next piece of cool tech has saved me numerous times when there is a lack of power outlets in the room or anywhere near the desk/table. The 5-foot Anker power strip has 3 AC outlets, 2 USB-A ports, and 1 USB-C port and powers everything on your desk from a single compact power cube. It is small and portable, roughly the size of a tennis ball, and fits easily into your luggage or backpack. It is also very handy on an airplane where trying to access a power outlet can escalate to a “Lord of the Flies” type of situation pretty quickly.[6] Plug this bad boy in and everyone in your row has access to power. They may even buy you a drink! $15.00 on Amazon.
The great news about all five of these is that they are inexpensive, truly compact, and easy to pack and tote along on your next business trip.