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With Memorial Day weekend coming up, it's time to think about treating yourself and your family to a much-needed vacation. It's difficult to leave a busy practice behind for some lawyers, but it is really important to de-stress once in a while. You will feel rested and refreshed when you return to the office in a couple weeks.

It used to be we would have to notify everyone of our absence and clear our schedule. Now, tech and vacations can work together. If you don't actually have to be somewhere, as the Lawyerist reminds us, technology can free us to get out of town and not look back. Well, not look back too much.

Here are five ways you can take a tech-sponsored vacation without your clients or opposing counsel making you regret it:

Lawyers make up terrible passwords. You know, like “password.” Or “12345!”

But it’s not as though we have lots of confidential, important information trapped in the hardware or software or clouds that we’re password protecting.

Oh wait, we do.

Before there was DropBox or MEGA, there was Box.net, now known simply as Box. It is, much like its aforementioned competitors, an online cloud storage solution. It also has a few other features, like Google Docs integration, an auto-syncing tool that works with Microsoft Office, and BoxSync, which syncs a folder on your computer with your Box Drive.

Do the plethora of features make it worth switching if you are a DropBox lover? Personally, we’re far too noncommittal to use one or the other - each has its own strengths and weaknesses. But if you are the commitment type, here are the features and factors to consider:

We're big fans of DropBox around here. It auto-syncs files to the cloud, which allows us, and our coworkers, to access our files from anywhere, on nearly any device. However, unless you want to pay a monthly fee, storage space is limited. There have been security breaches in the past, which would give us pause to store clients' files on their servers long-term.

Being the geeks that we are, we're always curious when a new (free!) provider emerges, especially when that provider gives you 50 gigabytes of storage and state-of-the-art encryption.

These darn youngins with all their fancy new lingo. What in tarnation are they talkin' about?

We get it. It seems every day there is some new amorphous concept bandied about as the future of technology and the future of law firms. If you took the time to learn every one, you'd be a tech blogger instead of a real lawyer. Who would want that, right?

We're going to do the work for you. This is all about the cloud and how it will shape the future of how law firms are run. Our future "and Why Lawyers Should Give a Damn" columns will address other important tech issues that will affect your practice.

With Windows 8's release looming ever closer, Microsoft appears poised to take on Apple and Google head on. However, it's sea change may be Windows Phone. But should lawyers make the switch?

It might seem far-fetched, but the proposed changes Microsoft's planning might very well be the streamlining attorneys need. Microsoft wants to make Windows 8 a truly integrated operating system, one that works across platforms. At the forefront will be Windows Phone.

For lawyers, this might make handling life in and out of the office a lot faster and easier than what iOS and Android currently offer.

A new year means a new slew of cool new tech devices. For many attorneys, though, new legal gadgets usually amount to larger binder clips and a photocopier/fax combo.

But fear not tech-savvy lawyers, FindLaw is here to help.

Legal gadgets need not be boring. These days there are all kinds of tech goodies that can make reaching your billable hours a little easier to endure.

So if you're in the market for some new tech, you can't go wrong with the following five must-have legal gadgets.

Do IT workers deserve overtime pay? The answer to that question may vary depending on if you're an employee -- or the employer.

And it's an issue that has worked its way into legislation. A new bill seeks to eliminate certain IT workers' ability to earn overtime.

It's not too surprising that certain high tech firms support the recently-introduced bill. These companies include heavyweights such as IBM and Intel. They believe that the statutory update is necessary in order to keep jobs stateside.

There's a new free cloud service out there, and it's perfect for attorneys who are addicted to their smartphones.

Pogoplug Cloud is providing 5 GB of free cloud storage, which can be tied to your mobile phone.

The company is heading into a market that is already inundated with cloud storage options. There's Apple's iCloud, then Amazon's cloud service, Dropbox, Box, and more. But Pogoplug is a reputable company according to MSNBC - so this latest cloud storage option may be something worth your consideration. There's nothing wrong with getting more free storage space.

What can Apple's iCloud do for attorneys?

That's the question on the mind of technology-savvy attorneys everywhere - especially those with several Apple devices.

And, with the iPad, iPhone, MacBook, iMac and iPhone all popular tech products, many attorneys are mini Apple-aficionados. The iCloud can integrate all of an attorney's Apple iOS products together, leading to a more organized and streamlined life. Theoretically, at least.