Category Archives: Online Resources

If you are like me, you try to avoid typing documents from scratch if possible. I see no need to waste time “reinventing the wheel” if there is a template I can work from and modify as needed. With that in mind, I have just learned that there are over 250 free MS Office templates available on Microsoft’s website.

While not law office specific, these templates include many that are useful to attorneys, including:

• Financial Analysis Worksheets
• Application for Employment
• Balance Sheets and Ledgers
• Bylaws, Policies, and Rules
• Various Calculators
• Flowcharts and Family Trees
• Note / Message Forms
• Survey Forms
• Wills
• Various Announcements

Source: “250 Free Office Templates and Documents” published at the Dumb Little Man blog. Thanks also to LifeHacker for its post on this topic.

Legal information powerhouse, Justia, has introduced BlawgSearch, a combination legal blog search engine and directory. The directory is organized by category/topic, state, and country. I am pleased to have both of my blogs, The Mac Lawyer and South Carolina Family Law Blog, included in their directory. If you are interested in an effective legal blog search engine or a directory, check out BlawgSearch.

Mac Talk is a new print magazine that contains articles about running and using your Mac and the associated tasks you do with it. Its inaugural edition contains many helpful items, including tutorials and product selection advice. The first issue has the following articles which are particularly of interest:

• Why I Am A Mac User :: first-person Mac testimonial
• Podcasting In The Real World :: step-by-step guide to creating your own podcast
• External Storage Devices :: review of usb drives and external hard drive options
• Review of Senuti :: program to help move songs from iPod to computer
• War of the Computer Worlds :: observations on the Mac vs. PC debate

This magazine is produced by folks down in Australia, but don’t let that discourage you from giving it a look. Oh, did I mention that it can be downloaded online for free? You can download the first issue by clicking HERE.

Thanks to the Silver Mac blog for its post about this new magazine.

Google announced earlier this week that it has formed a Mac Engineering Team and started the Google Mac Blog. In its first post, that blog states its aim

It means making products that everyone can use – including Mac users. We want to provide great products and services to the tens of millions of Mac users around the world, because it’s the right thing to do, and because Mac users inside and outside Google demand it.

Google also has made the following available at www.google.com/mac:

• Dashboard widgets for checking Gmail, posting to your blog, and checking your search history
• Google Notifier that alerts you to new Gmail messages and (a Mac-only feature) upcoming Google Calendar events
• Safari support for Google Calendar
• Mac support for Google Video
• Mac version of Google Earth

Internet search maestro Google has many services and software available for Macs, including the following which I believe may be useful to attorneys:

• Mac-Only Search :: allows you to search for Apple/Macintosh-related sites using Google
• Google Notifier :: shows alerts in your menu bar so you can see when you have new Gmail messages or upcoming Google Calendar events without having to open a web browser
• Google Earth :: view maps and locations using satellite technology, now in 3-D
• Search History Widget :: keeps a log of your search history and allows you to search it as well
• Google Toolbar for Firefox :: gives you many useful functions, including a Google Suggest powered search box, Gmail integration, phishing protection, translation, spell check, form auto-fill features, and a lot more
• Google Send to Phone :: allows you to send text messages to any mobile phone

Source: “Everything Google for the Mac” by Devanshu Mehta published at the AppleMatters blog.

Would you like to have the ability to turn a web page or a text file into an eBook to use on your iPod? The iPod Notes Packager will handle this transformation for you quickly, easily, and free. You can choose any website or any text file, upload it to this site, and within a few seconds have your very own eBook.

This site could be used for Court rules, statutes, legal outlines, “to do” lists, client names and addresses, or many other uses for attorneys. Even better, it can serve as a legitimate reason to justify purchasing an iPod through your firm. And did I mention that it’s free? You can check out The iPod Notes Packager website by clicking HERE.

Source: “Make eBooks for Your iPod” published at LifeHacker.com