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As of March 2024 we have renamed Apexchat to Blazeo. We are excited to share the next part of our journey with our customers and partners.
The name ApexChat implies that we are primarily a chat company, which is no longer true. Now we have many offerings, such as call center services, AI, Appointment setting, SMS Enablement, Market Automation, and Sales acceleration (Q2 2024), that go beyond chat. The new name will not only allow us to convey the breadth of our offering but will also better convey our company’s mission and values.
Blazeo, which is derived from the word Blaze, evokes a sense of passion, speed, and energy. A “Blaze” is captivating, illuminates, and represents explosive growth. Blazeo encapsulates our mission to ignite such growth for our customers and partners by delivering innovation with passion, speed, and energy.
6 min read
Virtual meeting tools offer lots of potential for lawyers to conduct client meetings, lawyer conferences, and out-of-town depositions.
Nowadays, lawyers have a plethora of options when it comes to virtual meetings. These range from free tools to more costly, but still affordable choices that include a vast array of features designed to streamline the virtual meeting experience.
Virtual meetings are partially or fully cloud-based tools, which means data will be processed by or stored on software housed on servers owned by a third party.
It’s important to consider which platforms you’ll entrust with your law firm’s data. You have an ethical obligation to thoroughly vet the technology provider that will be hosting and storing your data.
With this in mind, the nature of the information you’ll share via these virtual meeting tools dictates the levels of security you will need.
For ethical guidance on these issues, you can review the ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 477, which was published in May 2017 and provides advice on secure client communication.
In Opinion 477, the Ethics Committee concluded that unencrypted communications may not always be sufficient for client communications. The committee did determine that lawyers must do two things:
It should go without saying that client information should always be considered when choosing which virtual meeting platforms to work on.
In order to ensure secure voice communication, online lawyers should use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), which is the underlying technology for most virtual meeting tools.
There are two types of encryption to be aware of when choosing your virtual meeting tools.
The most common encryption methods used in computer networks are based on three algorithms: SSL, TLS, and HTTPS. Transport encryption is typically used in tools like Skype or Google Hangouts that prevents eavesdroppers from listening to your meeting.
A properly designed transport protocol can ensure that data, key handshaking, and data integrity verification are encrypted using secure transport protocols such as TLS and SSL.
End-to-end encryption prevents all types of eavesdropping from outside parties. In general, most lawyers will likely conclude that end-to-end encryption is not needed for most of their communications between colleagues or clients.
However, if you happen to be handling a case that involves particularly sensitive information or believe that there’s a risk that a governmental agency might attempt to obtain access to your communications, then end-to-end encryption might be necessary.
For more information on encryption check out the post linked here.
For many lawyers, the transport encryption method will be sufficient.
You may already have access to virtual meeting tools without knowing it, like the tools built into Gmail. With Gmail, you’re able to conduct virtual meetings with up to 10 other Gmail users using Google Hangouts. There’s no cost to download this email plugin, and it allows you to launch virtual meetings right from your Gmail account on your computer or mobile device.
An alternative service to consider for internal communications is Slack, as it also includes free, built-in video conferencing capabilities.
If end-to-end encryption is necessary for a single matter or for all of your firm’s virtual meetings, then you have a few options to try.
There are plenty of options including two of the most well-known enterprise virtual meeting tools: WebEx and GoToMeeting.
GoToMeeting is a virtual meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software package that enables the user to meet with other computer users, customers, clients, or colleagues via the Internet in real-time.
The platform already has end-to-end encryption built-in from the get-go and has a starting price of $14/month (billed annually)
Webex is one of the leading solutions for video conferencing, virtual meetings, screen share, and webinars. With Webex, the site administrator must enable end-to-end encryption. Webex plans start at $13.50/month.
Both options provide a number of different pricing levels depending on your firm’s needs and offer end-to-end encryption.
Another popular option for firms who use Outlook for email via Office 365 for Business Professionals is Skype for Business, which is included at no additional cost. Skype for Business allows virtual meetings with up to 250 people, and meetings can be recorded.
Skype does offer end-to-end encryption, but you need to enable it at the start of each video call as explained here.
Zoom has quickly become one of the most popular virtual meeting tools on the market, and for good reason. They offers end-to-end encryption as a default option and is a great tool for lawyers who want to set up virtual meetings, host webinars, or share their screens with clients during calls.
The platform is free for up to 100 participants but also offers robust features for more users starting at $14.99/month/host.
While Zoom has had some negative press since it’s meteoric rise, including Google banning Zoom software from employee laptops it’s still rated highly for it’s ease of use. For Mac users, there was a security loophole that was exposed in early July, but according to Zoom, the vulnerability has been fixed.
Signal is a cross-platform encrypted messaging service that uses the Internet to send one-to-one and group messages, which can include files, voice notes, images, and videos. They are also free to use, and is available as a desktop app and offers a mobile app for iOS or Android devices.
Because it’s a free tool there are sometimes connectivity issues for video conferencing, so be wary of your internet connection before hosting.
WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP service owned by Facebook, Inc. It allows users to send text messages and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other media.
Note that just last month, WhatsApp revealed that it had fixed a vulnerability in its app that could have allowed hackers to implant malicious code on users’ phones.
This news is a perfect example of why it’s so important to research providers before choosing any technology tool for your law firm.
Legaler, a company based in the U.K., offers a free option that permits mult-party virtual meetings.
Their free starter plan includes meeting message history (10,000 words), multi-party meetings, screen sharing, collaborative notes & agenda, 1GB file storage, encrypted Meetings, and vote based scheduling. Legaler’s prices start at $19/month.
No matter your firm’s needs are, there’s sure to be a virtual meeting option that fits the bill. The most important part of choosing your virtual meeting tools are considering the level of encryption you need to interact with clients and co-workers on a daily basis.
Ensure that you fully understand the features, encryption method(s) and pricing schemes. You’ll be well on your way to hosting face-to-face video meetings and conferences
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