How Lawyers Work: Scott Bassett, Virtual Lawyer and Tech Enthusiast

In this week’s edition of How Lawyers Work, we talked to Scott Bassett. Scott is a lawyer, professor, musician, and tech enthusiast. He is in his 36th year of practicing law, the last 15 as a virtual lawyer handling Michigan family law appeals while residing in Florida. 

You can follow Scott on Twitter and LinkedIn.

What apps or tools are essential to your daily workflow?

Gmail and Google Calendar in the Chrome Browser, Microsoft Word (with WordRake, Best Authority, and PerfectIt add-ins), and PCLaw.

What does your workspace look like?

I have a rather low-end Dell Inspiron Core i5 desktop computer feeding three monitors (two 27″ monitors and one 25″ monitor). I love having a ton of screen space. I use a Corsair K60 mechanical keyboard handed down from my “gamer” son and a Logitech Performance MX mouse recommended by Barron Henley.

On the road, I use my Microsoft Surface Book and I use often use my iPad, the detached screen of my Surface Book, or my Sony Digital Paper device when in court arguing appeals. I recently purchased a cheap Chuwi Hi13 Windows 10 tablet ($400 including keyboard and stylus) that uses the same magnificent display the $1800 Surface Book uses. Pretty impressive so far.

How do you keep track of your calendars/deadlines?

I use Google Calendar in the Chrome browser synced to my iPhone 7 Plus which in turn syncs to my Samsung Gear S2 smart watch.

What’s your coffee service setup? (Other beverages are fine, of course, but you should really be serving coffee!)

Either my wife or I will grind coffee the night before to put into our inexpensive but highly-rated Hamilton Beach drip coffee maker. The timer is set to start brewing at 5:30 a.m., which is when I get up every morning. We prefer a 50/50 mix of Eight O’Clock Regular and Decaf.

What is one thing that you listen to/read/watch that everyone should?

I love listening to podcasts on my iPhone 7 Plus using the Pocket Casts app. In addition to the Lawyerist podcast, I really like all of the This Week in Tech network tech podcasts co-hosted by podcasting great Leo Laporte. Of course, I am also partial to my own podcast, Guys with Mics, that I do with lawyer John Ceci.

What’s your favorite local place to network or work solo?

I work over 1000 miles from my clients and law colleagues, so I do most of my networking on-line or over the phone. But I do like working at one of our local Starbucks. The location I prefer makes a great London Fog Tea Latte.

What are three things you do without fail every day?

Feed our four cats and one dog each morning and take my dog down to Tampa Bay for a swim.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Debbie Foster, Managing Partner at Affinity Consulting Group. OK, she is not a lawyer, but she knows more about how law firms operate than any lawyer I’ve ever known. Her company operates almost exactly like a law firm. And she will be chairing ABA TECHSHOW for the second time (this time co-chairing with Tom Mighell).

How Lawyers Work: Scott Bassett, Virtual Lawyer and Tech Enthusiast was originally published on Lawyerist.com.