Umhofer, Mitchell & King LLP

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"What makes a great picture? Light.” Today, #UMKLaw went beyond the lens with friend-of-the-firm and photographer Van Urfalian. Van brought a wide array of cameras to demonstrate and pass around our group. These were accompanied by stories about his personal and professional experiences as a person who finds joy in capturing all moments–even those as small as taking a picture to remember what brand of soap to buy at the store. Check out umklaw.com to see Van’s shots of our firm in action :)

AI is Transforming the Legal Industry – Are You Ready? AI isn't just a buzzword anymore—it's revolutionizing the way we practice law. Imagine being able to review thousands of legal documents in minutes or predict case outcomes with data-driven precision. That's not the future—that's happening right now. Here’s how AI is making a difference in the legal field: --- Contract & Document Review: AI can comb through huge volumes of documents, flagging important info in a fraction of the time. Faster, more accurate, and with fewer mistakes. --- Smarter Legal Research: AI can quickly pull up relevant case law, statutes, and regulations, ensuring nothing is missed—giving lawyers a sharper edge in court. While AI offers incredible efficiency and accuracy, there are concerns around: --- AI Algorithms: AI learns from historical data, which means it can unintentionally perpetuate biases present in the legal system, affecting outcomes in unexpected ways. --- Data Privacy & Security: With sensitive client data being processed by AI tools, how do we ensure that this information remains protected? AI isn’t here to replace lawyers, but to enhance their capabilities. However, understanding its limitations is just as important as leveraging its strengths. So, what do you think? Is AI helping or hurting the legal field? - Written by ChatGPT, revised by humans :)

DignityMoves was at the League of California Cities this week sharing our vision for addressing unsheltered homelessness with hundreds of mayors and elected officials. Today I moderated a vibrant discussion with Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, Former mayor of CITY OF BELLFLOWER Juan Garza, and Elizabeth Mitchell, the brilliant legal mind behind the The LA Alliance for Human Rights lawsuits and settlements with the City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles on how cities can end unsheltered homelessness. One of the biggest hurdles preventing us from ending unsheltered homelessness is we don't believe it's possible to end. This panel shared strategies from both small and big cities who have done, or are doing just that. I am proud to be a part of sharing can-do, practical solutions. We need to catalyze a DignityMovement!

Fun Fact: #UMKLaw Partner Matthew Umhofer is not only an attorney… He is also an electric performer. Matt, the first inductee into the Law Rocks Hall of Fame, has performed at Law Rocks in support of Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) since 2010, and raised more than $100,000 for charity. If you didn’t know about his alter ego before now, you likely did not realize you could watch him rap for 38 straight seconds on YouTube. Luckily, we have the link! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gs2sdXF7

I know I already humble-bragged about making this list, but someone just sent me a hard copy, and damn, there are some real lawyers in here! Psyched to be alongside these friends, colleagues, and legends.

“The city and the county have been saying for decades they’re trying really hard on homelessness, but we have to see results. An audit like this is a tool that helps us try and figure this out, but at the end of the day we need more beds… we need more services. If the city and county don’t know where the documentation is that shows beds and services are being provided, we have a massive problem.” - #UMKLaw Partner Matthew Umhofer, via https://lnkd.in/ghK2dzZJ

How to Effectively Utilize Shortcuts in your Legal Career – #UMKLaw Lunch and Learn Today, UMK attorneys and support staff gathered in the office for our weekly family lunch. After much commotion (and one missing burrito), The team collectively presented their favorite daily #shortcuts, educating the team on some time-saving tips and tricks. The sky was the limit–some people chose to discuss #Excelhacks, some reviewed their favorite keyboard commands, and some showed us how to navigate Google a bit more effectively. Below are a few of our favorite shortcuts… and rest assured, the missing burrito was successfully located. Keyboard command “Windows key + v” Opens up clipboard history, so you can see what you copied in the past. It also lets you access symbols and GIFs iPhone shortcut Settings-General-Keyboards-Text Replacement for frequently emailed things Ex. input the numbers in your address (Ex. 111) to auto-populate your full address for future messages (“111 S Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90011” will appear) GeniusScan A free app for your smartphone that functions like a portable PDF scanner The notes app also allows you to digitally scan documents Excel Keyboard command Alt-H-O-I Auto fits Column width

Meet Maria Pena, #UMKLaw's Office Manager, and Matthew Umhofer's Executive Legal Assistant. We are so lucky to have had Maria with us for the past year! How did you decide to pursue your current career? My father owned his own business. When I was about 5-6 yrs old, I use to go to his office often and would play “office”. I would write pretend checks, make imaginary phone calls to my friends, and added up imaginary receipts on his giant adding machine. I just loved it. When I got my first job, which started as a volunteer position in Pasadena, I knew working in an office was what I wanted to do. It was later that I decided I wanted to be in the legal field because I found it interesting.    What’s one piece of advice you would give to professional office managers and executive assistants? One?! LOL! For office managers, I would say be organized and know your business inside and out, always be open to learning, new processes, new programs, etc. For Executive Assistants, I would say listen carefully about tasks that are assigned to you, don’t be afraid to make suggestions about doing things better or faster and always pay attention to details, even the smallest detail can make a difference.  What do you enjoy most about working at UMK? This will sound corny, but the people (and the dogs, but mostly the people 😉). We have such a unique staff and everyone genuinely likes each other. There is no animosity, no bureaucracy, everyone listens to each other, and is open and kind to each other. It also helps that we are all dog lovers and frequently have 4 legged visitors in our office, that makes the office fun. Learn more about Maria at: https://lnkd.in/g56xnKxD

For more information on how to provide pro bono legal services to assist North Carolina hurricane victims, go to: https://lnkd.in/e2CWUde7