Sometimes lawyers are ahead of the techonology adoption curve. We have a higher percentage of smart phones than the general public, for example. But other times, not so much. So, I bet many of you are reading this post in Internet Explorer for simple reasons like it is familiar and already installed on your computer when you get it.

Your attention is directed to Customizing Chrome by Erik Mazzone, the director of Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar. In it he details his 11 favorite customizations for Google Chrome. Just reading of all of those customizations may make you more likely to try Chrome because these tools are really cool. Thanks for sharing a few of your favorite Chrome things, Erik.

Here are my 11 favorite customizations for Google Chrome. You can get these extensions through the Chrome store, and most, if not all, are available for Mozilla Firefox, if that is the browser you prefer.

1. AdBlock. It’s been so long since I’ve seen ads on the Web, I’ve more or less forgotten how annoying they are. In Gmail, on the New York Times site, on Facebook, in Google search results, AdBlock quietly erases all of these ads without me ever having to hit a button.
2. Evernote Clearly and Evernote Web Clipper. I’m an Evernote junkie. I stash all kinds of stuff in my Evernote notebooks, much of it captured from when I’m in my browser. The Evernote Web Clipper extension helps me cut just the pieces I want out of Web pages and get them filed away in the right notebook and with the right title. Evernote Clearly not only helps me clip articles, it also reformats them elegantly and removes all the extraneous material so they can be read as clearly as a page in a book.
3. Add to Wunderlist. Wunderlist is my to-do list manager of choice. It is elegant and works on every platform I work on—Mac, PC, iOS and Android. The Add to Wunderlist extension creates a single click button on several key websites to make it simple to add new items to my to-do list, e.g., books to read from Amazon, movies to watch from IMDB.com and so on.
4. LastPass. LastPass is a password manager. Think of it as a safe deposit box for all your passwords. It not only stores them safely, it also autocreates new, long, random passwords, fills forms and launches websites by filling in your username and password all with the click of a button.
5. Pocket. Sometimes on the Web you come across something you really want to read but you just don’t have the time right then. Pocket is my favorite of the read-it-later apps. The Pocket extension makes it simple to save an article to read later by just clicking a button. Then you can read it in your browser or on your mobile device or tablet when it’s convenient.
6. Buffer. I tend to read through my favorite blogs in bursts, and those blogs produce a lot of articles that I send out on Twitter. It can be annoying to your followers though, if you tweet 25 times in 25 minutes. Buffer allows you to easily space out your tweets even if you queue them up all at once. The Buffer extension makes it simple and quick.
7. Feedbin.me. After the demise of Google Reader, Feedbin became my new feed reader. The Feedbin.me extension allows me to add new feeds to Feedbin when I happen to surf across a new law practice management blog that I really like.
8. Tweet this page. Just like it sounds, Tweet this page is a simple and easy way to tweet out the Web page or article you are currently reading.
9. Hover Zoom. This is one of those extensions that does only one thing but does it exceedingly well. Hover Zoom allows you to hover your mouse or trackpad over any image you encounter on the Web and it autozooms the image to a larger size. It’s incredibly useful for when you encounter small photos you don’t want to click through.
10. Gmail Attachments to Drive. This extension puts a new Send Attachment to Drive button in your Gmail. Anytime you receive an email with an attachment, you can click the button and the attachment will automatically be saved in your Google Drive account.
11. Hipmunk. Hipmunk is hands down the easiest way to find the best flights and book them. The Chrome app works beautifully and saves me time from ever having to go to the website.

Related Posts

7 Useful Google Chrome Tips
March 31, 2013

I’ve forsaken Firefox, my longtime favorite browser, for Chrome. Firefox became too frustratingly bloated and slow, even...