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Category Archives: Miscellaneous

A Tribute to My Friend, Finis Price

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous 2 Comments
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Today’s the day. Four years. 1,460 days. 35,040 hours. Each painful and filled with an overwhelming sense of loss. I have written an memorial and tribute to my fallen friend each yar since his passing, and today will be no different, though it may be a little more personal (and a little longer). I hope that you’ll continue reading, but if you don’t it’s ok. This is being written for him, not for any of us anyway.

They say that time heals all wounds, but I beg to differ. I remember like it was yesterday, sitting in mediation and receiving the news that the worst had happened and Finis was gone. I am thankful that I had not one but two seasoned co-counsel to take handle the case, because I certainly couldn’t at that point. The next twenty-four hours were a blur – trying to process the shock, the long drive to Louisville, and trying to find words to say after I arrived.

How could this even be possible? I had just spoken to him a few short hours before, and his last words “Thanks buddy, you’re the best” were still echoing in my ears. I would never hear “Benny boy!!!” – though I never quite figured out why he called me that, as no one else has before or since. Never again would I hear it. Never again could I call my “lifeline of tech knowledge” to give me the answer in about 2 seconds that I have been struggling hours to figure out. If I had any idea that was going to be it, I would have moved heaven and earth for it not to be.

We all have them.  Those friends who we know are always there, even if we don’t talk for periods of time. Finis was like that. A few weeks might pass, but when we spoke it was if no time had passed at all. Those are your true friends, the special ones, and they are rare. Most of us have very few to begin with, which makes having one snatched unexpectedly even more cruel and harder to deal with.

Some people say “just get over it” – and I can’t repeat here what I want to say back to them because it’s not something that’s said in polite custody. Until you’ve walked in those shoes (which is something I truly wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy or even Satan himself), you don’t even have an inkling of how it feels or how to begin to process the multitude of emotions that are can be completely overwhelming at times.

Every year that passes, I hope and pray that Finis’ passing will somehow be easier to deal with… that the pain will hurt just a little bit less… that some random thought won’t trigger misty eyes and the blues… that maybe something will provide some peace and understanding. However, that’s not yet been the case, and February 16th is a day that I dread and, if I’m being truly honest, hate. Billy Joel was right when he said “only the good die young” because there’s not shortage of people who are much worse and who should have gone long before Finis, myself included.

There used to be this mythical, unicorn-like podcast called “MILOchat Weekly” that was hosted (at various times) by Victor Medina, Grant Griffiths, Finis Price, Randy Juip, and me. Our sponsor was our buddy, Larry Port of Rocket Matter. Though we never ever put out anything “weekly”, we had a blast doing it, and those were great times. It’s probably alive somewhere on the Internet if you’re interested, though I can’t bring myself to listen. I emailed some of them yesterday to ask them to share their recollections of Finis, and they were gracious enough to respond as follows:

Victor Medina:

Anyone who met Finis understood three things about him within minutes of meeting him. First, he loves to help people. Second, he loves to laugh. And third, he loves tech (specifically Apple). There was no way to avoid learning this about Finis.

The first time I met Finis in person was in Grapevine Texas at an Apple conference for lawyers. (Check). The room has having trouble logging into the Wi-Fi (back in the day where Wi-Fi or even cellular data wasn’t ubiquitous). Finis took it upon himself to literally hack the router so that everyone in the room got Wi-Fi immediately. (Check).  And, nothing was more fun than having breakfast with him the next morning (and Ben) doing nothing but laughing — I barely to finish my food.

I miss Finis a ton. The world is so much lonelier with him gone.

Grant Griffiths:

I had the privilege of getting to know Finis not just as another Mac user. But as a friend. There was never a time Finis didn’t have the time to help or answer questions. 

Usually we would end up just visiting about “whatever”.  I do miss those calls. 

Randy Juip:

Finis was amazing, in every meaning and sense of the word. I recall one time – shortly after I had met him – I posted to MILO about a problem that I was having converting a video file. This was at 4:30am the morning before I was set to give opening statements. Finis not only replied – in minutes – but called me and personally walked me through what I needed to do to fix my issue. At that time, I was dumbfounded by his knowledge and generosity. To this day, I am continually dumbfounded by the fact that everyone seems to have a similar Finis story – a memory of Finis going the extra mile to help others.

Larry Port: 

In the early Rocket Matter days, I informed my wife that I was driving down to Fort Lauderdale to meet a man I met on the Internet. It sounds much worse than it was. Finis Price and I connected over Twitter and the MILO group, and we became really good friends.

I think about him a lot.  His presence is never far.  His portrait gazes out over the Rocket Matter ping-pong table. Finis would have been super-jealous of the iPad Pro I just got, complete with Apple Pencil and Keyboard.  He would be disgusted with me for also trying out the Microsoft Surface. Years working as a sys admin in college in the Windows 95 an XP days left him with a lingering dread of anything from Redmond.

Finis knew more things about more things than anyone I’ve encountered.  He thought I was cool because I was a software architect.  I thought he was cool because he was a lawyer AND a technologist and loved to read.  I would call him and talk about books, although he was a much better reader than I was.  We had similar tastes (we both couldn’t stand Atlas Shrugged).  He was way more into sci-fi than I was, partial to Philip K. Dick.  In fact, the last book he recommended to me, the day before he passed away, was A Scanner Darkly.

Finis was great.  Loved that guy.  And I miss him very much.

Those of you who had the privilege to meet Finis understand how true the above statements are. For those who did not, the world is a worse place without him. Finis was one of a kind, and I miss him daily. I grieve for him and I pray especially today for Ray, Heather, and the many, many others that love him. The law is a difficult profession, and many of us have wrestled with that bear. It won in that case, and I hate it for that. Too many of our colleagues have left us far too soon. Hug those you love and tell them how much they mean to you, because it just might be your last opportunity to do so – you never know. I know that my last call with him would have lasted longer than a few minutes if I had any idea. The photo below was taken in November 2013, which was the last time that we saw each other. Rest in peace, buddy. You were loved and you are missed.

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Ben Stevens Wins Prestigious Fastcase 50 Award

Posted on July 21, 2015 by The Stevens Firm, P.A. Posted in Miscellaneous 1 Comment
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Ben StevensEvery year, legal publisher Fastcase publishes the company’s annual list of “Fastcase 50” Award winners. Each year, this list recognizes 50 of “the smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders in the law.” The Stevens Firm is thrilled to announce that our Senior Partner, Ben Stevens, was chosen as a member of the Fastcase 50 Class of 2015. In presenting this award, Fastcase cited “Ben’s acumen in the Apple ecosystem has made him a sought-after speaker nationwide, and his blog is a definitive resource for the growing number of lawyers using Apple products in their law offices.”

While Ben may be known to lawyers in Spartanburg, SC as the founding member of a successful family law practice specializing in complex cases, Fastcase pointed out that “to the rest of the world, Ben is The Mac Lawyer. Not ‘a’ Mac lawyer. Capital T, capital M, capital L: The Mac Lawyer.” Ben has become a popular nationwide speaker at both family law and legal technology conferences, and he always finds a way to educate his audiences of the latest and greatest uses for building successful legal careers by implementing Mac and Apple devices into their practices at every level.

Ben was chosen for his courageous and innovative reinventing of his family law firm in 2005, long before it was cool to do so, by ditching the PC platform entirely and moving his entire law practice to Mac-based systems, computers, and devices. Further, to both document his process and to create an online reference point for lawyers who wanted to follow in his footsteps, he created The Mac Lawyer blog in 2006, and it has remained one of the top, go-to legal technology blogs ever since. 

FC50 Badge-01_2015Fastcase received a record number of nominees this year, and Ben is proud to be included the recipients chosen for this tremendous honor. When notified of this honor, Ben said “Since its inception, the ‘Fastcase 50’ has been widely regarded as the ‘Who’s Who’ of legal technology illuminati. To even be mentioned in the same sentence as the current and past recipients is an honor that is difficult to put into words. It includes friends, colleagues, and many others whom I have admired for years. I sincerely appreciate Fastcase including me amongst such an esteemed group.”

Other members of the Fastcase 50 Class of 2015 include Donald Verrilli, Jr. (Solicitor General of the United States); William C. Hubbard (President, American Bar Association); David Sparks (a/k/a MacSparky.com); Hon. Goodwin Liu (Associate Justice, California Supreme Court); John Suh (CEO of Legal Zoom); and David Mao (Law Librarian, Library of Congress). You can read more about Ben’s award and the 49 other recipients here.

The Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2015

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous, Technology Leave a comment
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techshowABA TECHSHOW, the world’s leading legal technology conference, is presented annually by the ABA Law Practice Division. This year was my third year attending with my husband/law partner, Ben Stevens, who has been a presenter at ABA TECHSHOW for the last 8 years (and, hopefully, many more to come). This year, our new associate, Jonathan W. Lounsberry also joined us. You see, ABA TECHSHOW is one of those events that needs to be “conquered” and the only way to truly to do is with a team of folks who can divvy up the massive session schedule and attend as much as possible every hour of the day.

As always, I knew we would gain more knowledge in three days about legal technology than we could almost take in, but I am always surprised by the sheer volume of “freebies” or “swag” available from the plethora of legal technology vendors and service providers who exhibit every year. With another wonderful experience at ABA TECHSHOW behind me, I find myself not only reviewing pages of notes on new apps, software, products and techniques for using the products and apps I already own, I am also surveying the landscape of swag which surrounds me.

So without any further adieu, here’s the third annual installment of the Top 10 Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2015:

1. Cell Phone Card Holders from Practical Law, LogRhythm, and Summary Judgment

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Mobile Office by MindShift

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Konica Minolta mini 4-Port USB Hub

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Midco Systems pocket nail files

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Comcast Business Insulated Travel Coffee Mug

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Legaler iDevice stand

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. CDW Mini Power Charger

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Smokeball Self-Laminating Business Card Luggage Tag & Logo Hot Wheels Car

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Thompson Reuters USB Tree

9

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. LexisNexis Portable Stylus

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable Non-Expo Floor Mention:

Hon Mention

The Rocket Matter Chattering Teeth were, by far, the most unique toy found off the Expo Hall floor. The ABA Law Practice Division was also giving away free selfie sticks at the Concierge Desk this year, though I wasn’t lucky enough to snag one, you can still check out all the “selfie fun” that was had by searching #ABATECHSHOW on Twitter. ABA TECHSHOW Board member Randy Juip was donned the “Selfie King of 2015” within .2534 seconds of his acquiring said item.

How to Find Your Free Copy of U2’s Songs of Innocence

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous 1 Comment
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songs of innocenceYou probably know by now that U2 released it’s new album, Songs of Innocence, at Apple’s big event earlier this week and that Apple has made it available as a free download to iTunes users until October 13th.

However, you may be wondering just how in the heck can you get it. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it should be, and trust me, it’s well worth it (as this disc is awesome).

Follow these simple steps to get your copy:

  1. Launch iTunes.
  2. Select the submenu item Store > Home.
  3. Under Quick Links on the right side of the page, click Purchased.
  4. On the Purchased page, make sure that the following tabs are all selected: Music, Albums, and Not in My Library.
  5. Click the U2 album’s iCloud download symbol (in the upper right of the album art).
  6. Enjoy the free musical goodness.

If you want more detailed instructions, check out “How to Get Your Free U2 Album” by Josh Centers, published at Tidbits.

The Best Swag from ABA TECHSHOW 2014

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous, Technology 1 Comment
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ABA TECHSHOW is the world’s leading legal technology conference, which is presented annually by the ABA Law Practice Division. Last year was my first time attending with my husband/law partner, Ben Stevens, who has been a presenter at TECHSHOW for the last 7 years (and, hopefully, many more to come).

While I knew I would gain more knowledge in three days about legal technology than I could ever imagine, I was not prepared for the sheer volume of “freebies” or “swag” one could also gain from the plethora of legal technology vendors and service providers who exhibit every year, also. When I came home last year, Ben asked me to pen a quick blog post about a First Time Attendee’s Experience, which included a section on my favorite swag.

With another wonderful experience at TECHSHOW behind me, I find myself not only reviewing pages of notes on new apps, software, products and techniques for using the products and apps I already own, I am also surveying the landscape of swag which surrounds me. As I was exploring the Expo Hall this year, I thought originally I could narrow down my favorites to the Top 5, but it’s just not possible with all the wonderful treats from this year’s conference, so I’ve listed my Top 10 below:

1. Mini Leatherman Tool from Viivo

Viivo Swag

2. Car Dash Phone Holder from UberConference

UberConference Swag

3. Back Massager from SurePayroll

SurePayroll Swag

4. Portable Power Bank from ABA Law Practice Division

LPD Swag

5. iPhone Amplifier from eDepoze

eDepoze Swag

6. Water Bottle & Retractible Multi-Charger from MyCase

MyCase Swag

7. Clock Man Card/Note Holder from MindShift

MindShift Swag

8. Wireless Mouse from CDW

CDW Swag

9. Coffee Cup from Accellis

Accellis Swag

10. New “retro-style” T-Shirt & “Heroic Lawyering” Book from RocketMatter

RM Swag

How to Clean Your (Disgusting) Cell Phones and Tablets

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Jenny Stevens Posted in How Do I ...?, iPad, iPhone, Miscellaneous 1 Comment
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cleaningWe have all come to rely on our various cell phones and tablets for everything from staying in touch with those we love to giving us directions and keeping track of our grocery lists, not to mention the occasional games we play. Therefore, it’s no wonder that recent studies have shown our devices are well… disgusting!

One study found that at least 23% of viruses are transferred between tablet devices and our hands while another found that one in six cell phones carried traces of – wait for it – fecal matter. Maybe ‘disgusting’ isn’t a strong enough word. So, for all of our fellow germophobes, here are some quick tips for cleaning all of your tablets and smartphones:

Tablets:

  • Do NOT use regular glass cleaner, as it will destroy the protective coating necessary to keep your tablet working properly.
  • Also (and equally important), regular glass cleaner does not disinfect the screen to get rid of the germs.
  • Instead, clean thoroughly on a weekly basis with a specialized screen cleaner, such as the new AM Mist or the Sanus Elements Screen Care Kit.

Cell Phones:

  • The first rule for keeping your cell phone free of germs is STOP using your phone in the bathroom. Studies have shown that every time a toilet is flushed, it sends thousands of polluted droplets into the air. If your phone is exposed during this process, guess where they land – yes, on your phone, which then goes right next to your face when you take that next call.
  • Second, due to the special coatings on the various smartphone screens, you need to be extra careful about using cleaning solutions which will damage the phone and its components. Most manufacturers, including Apple, recommend using a soft, slightly damp (with only water), lint-free cloth to wipe down the entire device.
  • For the true germophobe, you may consider using a UV sanitizer such as one made by VioLight. While a little pricier than cleaning wipes or sprays, it will eliminate the liquid element which is most likely to cause damage to your device. It can also be used on accessories like earbuds and fitness bracelets.
  • Clean your cell phone every 2 to 3 days for best results.

In Memoriam…

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous Leave a comment
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finis priceIt has been two years since my buddy Finis Price passed away. Much has happened since then, and life goes on, but the void he left still remains.

Rarely a day goes by that I don’t think about my buddy, and today I think especially about his dad, his wife, his friends, and other loved ones who still grieve him.

If you never had the privilege of meeting Finis, you can learn a little about him in the post I wrote back then. You’re gone, but you’ll never be forgotten. Rest in peace, my friend.

Happy Birthday to Mac – 30 Years and Looking Great

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous Leave a comment
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The Macintosh (Mac) computer was first released to great fanfare on January 24, 1984. The folks at 9to5 Mac created this infographic to highlight Mac’s major milestones since that time. Happy birthday, friend. You’re looking great and doing well at 30. I look forward to seeing what you have for us in the years to come. You can click here to learn how Apple marked and celebrated this milestone.

30 years of mac

The Mac Lawyer at the South Carolina Bar Convention

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous Leave a comment
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ben stevens the mac lawyerBen Stevens is attending the 2014 South Carolina Bar Convention this weekend in beautiful Kiawah Island, SC. This annual conference is a combination of talking with judges, catching up with friends and colleagues, and various meetings.

Among the many highlights of this conference will be the law office technology, featuring Sharon Nelson and John Simek, who will present three sessions: (1) electronic evidence in family law, (2) information security for law firms, and (3) digital forensics. Sharon and John have both been regular presenters at ABA TECHSHOW for many years, and their sessions are always interesting and informative.

Thanks to the superb staff at the South Carolina Bar for consistently planning and sponsoring such great continuing legal education conferences. If any of my readers are attending the convention, please stop me and say hello to The Mac Lawyer.

Happy New Year from The Mac Lawyer

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Ben Stevens Posted in Miscellaneous Leave a comment
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Happy New Year 2014I hope that 2014 is a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year for each of you. I appreciate the friendships that have developed through this blog.

I have some great plans for The Mac Lawyer in the coming year, and I look forward to sharing them with each of you. Stay tuned…

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