Category Archives: Lit Support

Create a Signed pdf/a Without Scanning the Entire Document

Posted on March 12, 2019 by excelesquire

Today, a quick non-Excel tip that may help preserve your sanity when it comes time to e-file a large brief. Here in New York, and in other jurisdictions as well, briefs must be filed in pdf/a format. Among other things, this ensures that the document … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Everybody, Lit Support, Practice Management | 2 Comments

September Event with PLTG – New Charts in Excel 2016

Posted on August 31, 2018 by excelesquire

Professional Legal Trainers Group (PLTG) is a group of (mostly) New York law firm software trainers, which meets regularly to exchange ideas about supporting the legal training community. They’ve invited me to their September 14th event called Effective Data Visualization: … Continue reading →

Posted in eDiscovery, Everybody, law firm training, Lit Support, Practice Management, trial graphics | Leave a comment

Upcoming CLE Event for Chicago Bar Association – Advanced Excel for Litigators

Posted on March 23, 2018 by excelesquire

The CBA is hosting an exciting new Excel Esquire program called Advanced Excel for Litigators at the historic Chicago Bar Association Building from 12-3 pm on April 20th. This will be a small, interactive program with plenty of opportunity for … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Lit Support, Native File Review, Practice Management | Tagged Chicago, CLE, Excel for attorneys, Excel for lawyers, technology competence | Leave a comment

Pseudo-Scientific Notation, or The Mysterious Case of the Middle E

Posted on February 5, 2018 by excelesquire

Typing a part number like 32E50 into an Excel spreadsheet can give you fits. Excel thinks you are using shorthand for scientific notation, and converts this string into the number 3.20E+51 (or 32 with 50 zeroes) – Ugh! The way to overcome … Continue reading →

Posted in Everybody, formulas, Lit Support | Tagged bombogenesis, eDiscovery, Excel, Punxsutawney Phil, scientific notation, Tide Pods | 1 Comment

Finding and Reviewing Comment Boxes in Excel Files

Posted on January 25, 2018 by excelesquire

Following the Wells Fargo inadvertent disclosure episode, I wrote a blog post describing several ways to find hidden content in Excel files. In this post I discuss another feature of Excel that all lawyers, but especially legal document reviewers, should know about: the comment box. … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Lit Support, Native File Review | Tagged CLE, document review, Duty of Technology Competence, eDiscovery, Excel, Relativity, Wells Fargo | 2 Comments

Avoiding Inadvertent Productions and Other Excel Blunders: New CLE via Wolters Kluwer/myLawCLE

Posted on October 9, 2017 by excelesquire

Wolters Kluwer/myLawCLE will webcast my exciting new CLE presentation from 2-4 pm on October 16th. I will use real Excel files to explain tricky features of Excel that attorneys must be aware of, such as hidden content, filters, comment boxes, … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Lit Support, Native File Review, Practice Management | Tagged Don't be a statistic, eDiscovery, inadvertent disclosure, inadvertent production, managed document review, Native Excel review | Leave a comment

Digital Detectives Podcast Interview with Excel Esquire’s Ben Kusmin – Spreadsheets as Evidence

Posted on September 20, 2017 by excelesquire

Sharon Nelson and John Simek from the Legal Talk Network’s Digital Detectives podcast recently interviewed Excel Esquire’s Ben Kusmin about the pitfalls (and opportunities) faced by lawyers when handling their clients’ Excel spreadsheets. Among other things, we discussed native review of … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Lit Support, Native File Review, Practice Management | Tagged Duty of Technology Competence, eDiscovery, Excel CLE, legal document review, managed review, Relativity, Wells Fargo | Leave a comment

Scared Straight? Reviewing Excel Files in the Wake of Wells Fargo

Posted on August 21, 2017 by excelesquire

The Wells Fargo inadvertent disclosure episode provides a high-profile reminder that attorneys who are responsible for reviewing and producing client documents must thoroughly understand those documents. There were several process breakdowns that led to the inadvertent disclosure of thousands of confidential records, … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, formulas, Lit Support, Native File Review, Practice Management | 5 Comments

Excel Filters and the Duty of Technology Competence

Posted on July 25, 2017 by excelesquire

The Harris County Law Library in Houston, Texas recently hosted my presentation “Excel Essentials for the Practice of Law.” Among other topics, I explained how filters work in Excel, and how they present pitfalls for the unwary lawyer. When lawyers … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Lit Support, Native File Review, Practice Management | Leave a comment

Upcoming CLE Event in Houston, TX (with livestream)

Posted on June 16, 2017 by excelesquire

On July 13th, I will give a presentation called “Excel Essentials for the Practice of Law” at the Harris County Law Library in Houston. The presentation is designed for lawyers, paralegals, and other legal professionals. Participants will learn how to … Continue reading →

Posted in CLE, eDiscovery, Everybody, formulas, Lit Support, Practice Management | 1 Comment