The Oklahoma Bar Journal December 2022

this list. But now, the dictation feature built into Microsoft Word in Microsoft 365 means you probably will not have to use a different tool. CONCLUSION I hope this overview has been useful to readers. Certainly, these tools are not limited to solo and small firm operations. You can contact the attorneys at the OBA Management Assistance Program if you have further inquiries about software or any other aspect of law office management. Mr. Calloway is OBA Management Assistance Program director. Need a quick answer to a tech problem or help solving a management dilemma? Contact them at 405-416-7008, 800-522-8060 or jimc@okbar.org. It’s a free member benefit.

You can contact OBA Practice Management Advisor Julie Bays with questions about practice management software or to set up a demo of PMS for you and your staff. OTHER SOFTWARE TOOLS There are many other software tools and services that may be useful for the new solo and small firm lawyer – from customer relationship managers (CRMs) to document management systems (DMSs). But starting with the tools we have discussed here and mastering them gets you started on a firm foundation. Practice-specific tools are also important. I simply cannot imagine preparing a bankruptcy petition and schedules without using software to keep everything organized. Many will benefit from form and auto mated document assembly services like www.oklahomaforms.com.

Our biggest security threats today often appear in our inboxes. Most malware and ransomware attacks begin with someone in your organization clicking on an email attachment or a bad link in an email. Often, these attacks result in the criminal interloper gaining access to usernames and passwords. A password manager allows you to use long, complex passwords and different passwords for every site or service you log in to. Two-factor or multifactor authentication tools mean that even if your username and password are obtained by a criminal, they still won’t be able to log in to your account because they won’t have access to your cell phone to receive a text or another alternate authentication method. Anti-virus, firewalls and other security tools are also important. Several years ago, I would have added speech recognition tools to

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL