The Mac Lawyer

Former PC Lawyers Discuss Their Switch to Macs

2008-05-12T00:01:00-05:00

Luigi Benetton published an interesting article in the April/May 2008 edition of The Canadian Bar Association's National magazine, which discussed the "Mac conversion" experiences of several former PC-using attorneys and firms. Some of their reasons given by these professionals are:

Rob Hyndman :: After the latest in a string of what he calls “Windows catastrophes” and the 24 hours of work it took him to restore his system afterwards, Hyndman made a technological u-turn and migrated to the Mac.
Damien Fox :: “You want something that just works for you,” he says.
Jennifer Gabriel :: Since there is so little actual internal IT support needed, she spends more time spearheading new IT initiatives and staffing reception.

The article also discusses some of the hurdles that Mac-using attorneys must deal with in their practices, including the fact that there are fewer Mac-specific software options from which to choose. If you are considering making the switch, you should read the entire article at the link provided below.

Source: "Making The Switch to Mac" by Luigi Benetton, published in the National.

Article Discusses Increased Mac Use by Businesses

2008-05-05T00:01:00-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an article about IBM allowing some of its employees to begin using Macs. Last week, BusinessWeek published an article about how other businesses are beginning to move to Macs. The companies mentioned in the article include not only IBM, but also Google and Cisco.

The author mentions that Apple really doesn't make an effort to target businesses, choosing instead to focus on consumers and schools. Instead, it is the employees themselves that are clamoring for the ability to use Macs at work, just as they use Macs at home and iPods and iPhones everywhere. One CIO said "Steve Jobs doesn't need a sales force because he already has one: employees like the ones in my company."

The article is an interesting read, and it''s great to see other businesses realizing (just like many attorneys) the many benefits that Macs offer. There is also an accompanying podcast by John Byrne that takes a look inside the making of this story. You can access the podcast by clicking HERE.

Source: "The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit" by Peter Burrows, published at BusinessWeek.

Information About Rocket Matter

2008-05-01T00:01:00-05:00

The Connected Lawyer published an informative interview with Larry Port from Rocket Matter, which is a web-based practice management and time and billing solution. Since I am a big fan of Rocket Matter, I have published excerpts / highlights from that interview below for my readers. However, I urge you to click the link below to read the entire interview for yourself.

What is Rocket Matter?

Rocket Matter is an easy-to-use web-based legal practice management and time and billing solution. It’s designed from the ground up to facilitate the practice of law in small and solo firms. Rocket Matter allows law firms to manage calendars, to-do lists, contacts, matters, and time and billing in one integrated and simple solution.

We created a technology we call “Bill as you Work”, which traps billable time as lawyers and paralegals go about their day. The net result is a product that allows firms to operate more efficiently and reduces the amount of time that gets lost for invoicing. Since we host Rocket Matter on our servers and it’s accessed via the Internet, users have ubiquitous access to their information while never having to spend money or time on software installations or upgrades.

Tell me more about Bill as you Work. How does it work? What does it capture?

The whole idea behind “Bill as you Work” is to capture time as you go about your day to day activities, so that at the end of the month when it comes time to bill you don’t end up losing all of your precious hours. For example, when you schedule a deposition in your calendar, you can choose to bill for the time spent when you create the appointment. Likewise, your to-do items can be instantly converted from simple reminders into billable items that can end up on your invoice. The application also contains its own stopwatch, so you can time any activity you work on and funnel that directly into billing.

What size of firm is your product ideal for?

Our ideal firm is small, consisting of 1 to 25 total employees. We can scale our application to much larger firms, but we want to focus on the solo and small firm segment of the market, which has been under-served for too long.

What type of security do you use to make sure that the information remains secure?

The security measures we included in Rocket Matter are comprehensive. Every request is encrypted with 128-bit secure SSL, the same encryption used by many major banks and financial institutions. Passwords are hashed (stored in an encrypted format) and known only by you. Threat Modeling, which is the practice of identifying and countering attacks, is a fundamental part of our development process. There are a host of other security measures we have taken to lock down and isolate a firms data, and we’ll be conducting ongoing audits with independent security specialist firms.

What type of computer system do I need to access my data?

Rocket Matter runs in an Internet browser, freeing you from the constraints of any particular operating system. Macs, PC’s, and Linux systems can all be used, as long as they have a modern browser (Firefox, IE 6 or above, and Safari). Now that full-fledged mobile browsers have been introduced, iPhones and Pocket PC’s with SkyFire can be used to access Rocket Matter.

Can I access my data in any way if I cannot reach your servers, (e.g., I can’t get to the internet)?

Currently, access to Rocket Matter requires an Internet connection. Of course, if you need to access some piece of crucial information and you find yourself without access, you can always call our customer support line.

What happens to my data if I chose to stop using your service?

In the sad circumstance that we part ways, Rocket Matter will offer you a full copy of your data at no charge. Your contacts and calendar data will be exported to industry standard formats, such as vCard and iCalendar, which can be read by applications such as Outlook, iCal, and Address Book. Your matter and time and billing information will be exported to a navigable HTML format, so that you can view and make sense of your information.

Can I backup my data from your servers to a local hard drive?

Rocket Matter is developing an enhanced service plan, in which customers can obtain regular backups of their information. Users participating in this plan will have the option of downloading their data or having it sent to them on a DVD.

Do your offer training with your product? If so, what kind?

Rocket Matter users enjoy free training called CRE, or Continuing Rocket Education. These are live webinars hosted every week, open to all Rocket Matter customers at no additional cost. Furthermore, we offer Online CRE courses, which allow users at any time to watch guided instructional videos on the various features of the program.

What is the pricing for Rocket Matter?

During our Pilot Program, we are charging $50 USD per attorney per month and $15 USD per support staff per month. Customer support is included for Pilot Program participants. Phone support is available from 9am to 6pm EST. Phone support is handled in the United States and conducted by a native English speaker.

What makes Rocket Matter different from other similar programs?

Rocket Matter’s big differentiator is the simple yet comprehensive nature of its features. Simplicity, paired with great customer support and training, will enable our customers to actually use our product and enjoy doing so.

Compared to traditional legal practice management tools, Rocket Matter is a leap forward in ease-of-use. We eliminated the confusing “bloatware”, or features people don’t require. We’ve taken the elements that most firms need: calendaring, contact management, matter management, and invoicing, and rolled them into one integrated product.

By creating a web-based solution, we have created another differentiator with existing legal products: there is no need to purchase additional hardware, and no IT consultant required for an install or upgrade. We handle backups, security, and all of the other technical issues so that attorneys and their staffs can focus on the practice of law.

Source: "An Interview with Larry Port from Rocket Matter" by Bryan Sims, published at The Connected Lawyer.

Office Suite Smackdown :: PowerPoint 2008 vs. Keynote '08

2008-04-30T00:01:00-05:00

This is the final installment about Macworld's recent series of articles comparing Apple's iWork '08 and Microsoft Office 2008 to determine which is superior. Here, we will take a look at Keynote '08 and PowerPoint 2008, as reviewed by Franklin Tessler.

Mr. Tessler found that Keynote’s workflow and overall feature set remain superior to PowerPoint. However, he did note that PowerPoint has caught up to Keynote in many areas and surpassed it in some. Personally, I have used both and I believe that Keynote is one of those programs that makes it worth getting a Mac to be able to use.

Source: "PowerPoint 2008 vs. Keynote '08" by Franklin N. Tessler, published at Macworld.

Apple Updates iMacs

2008-04-29T00:01:00-05:00

Apple introduced its updated iMac yesterday. The new version offers the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. The ultimate all-in-one desktop computer includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache, a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. The 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options. The updated iMacs are available immediately, and they are priced starting at $1,199.

Office Suite Smackdown :: Excel 2008 vs. Numbers '08

2008-04-28T00:02:00-05:00

This is the second article about Macworld's series of articles that comparing Apple's iWork '08 programs with their Microsoft Office 2008 programs to determine which is better. Rob Griffiths conducted this analysis of Numbers '08 versus Excel 2008.

Mr. Griffiths concluded that while Numbers can create a prettier spreadsheet, Excel is simpler to use. Specifically, he found that Excel offers more formulas, features, and tools to help with actually building the spreadsheet.

He specifically cited the following concerns about Numbers: its inability to simply show a formula’s variables as you enter it; its lack of keyboard support in selecting ranges when you’re entering formulas; its lack of custom number and date formats; and its limited conditional formatting abilities.

Source: "Excel 2008 vs. Numbers '08" by Rob Griffiths, published at Macworld.

Office Suite Smackdown :: Word 2008 vs. Pages '08

2008-04-24T21:54:27-05:00

Macworld recently published a series of articles that compared Apple's iWork '08 products with their Microsoft Office 2008 counterparts to determine which was better. In the word processing segment, it was Jeffrey Battersby's analysis of Pages vs. Word.

Mr. Battersby concluded that unless you are changing the way a text document looks (where Word’s document themes offer a distinct advantage), Pages is equal to or better than Word for everything from basic word processing files to sophisticated page layouts.

Source: "Word 2008 vs. Pages '08" by Jeffrey Battersby, published at Macworld.

The Mac Lawyer Featured in 60 Sites in 60 Minutes

2008-04-21T00:01:00-05:00

So I'm reading the April/May 2008 issue of the ABA's Law Practice magazine over the weekend, and what do I see on page 21 but the following:

TheMacLawyer.com is a must-read blog for anyone using a Mac in the legal environment. It's written by ABA TechShow speaker Ben Stevens.

As it turns out, this blog was featured as one of this year's 60 Sites in 60 Minutes at TechShow. As you probably know, this session by Craig Ball, Tom Mighell, and Reid Trautz is always one of the best and most anticipated sessions each year. I attended this year's version in Chicago, but I missed the first few minutes when my blog was mentioned. I am flattered to have been mentioned, even though I am just now finding out!

Popular Mechanics Rates Macs as Superior to PCs

2008-04-18T00:01:00-05:00

It's becoming somewhat "old news" nowadays. Objective testing by yet another highly respected magazine has concluded that Macs are better than PCs -- in both desktop and laptop versions.

This time, it was Popular Mechanics recently ran two comparison tests in its May 2008 edition. The desktop competition featured the iMac vs. Gateway One, and the notebook version featured the MacBook vs. Asus M51SR. You can read the full article HERE, but a summary is listed below, in Popular Mechanics' own words:

In both the laptop and desktop showdowns, Apple’s computers were the winners. Oddly, the big difference didn’t come in our user ratings, where we expected the famously friendly Mac interface to shine. Our respondents liked the look and feel of both operating systems but had a slight preference toward OS X. In our speed trials, however, Leopard OS trounced Vista in all-important tasks such as boot-up, shutdown and program-launch times. We even tested Vista on the Macs using Apple’s platform-switching Boot Camp software—and found that both Apple computers ran Vista faster than our PCs did.

Source: "Mac vs. PC: The Ultimate Lab Test for New Desktops & Laptops" by Glenn Derene, published in Popular Mechanics.

Could "Big Blue" Become a Mac Shop?

2008-04-17T00:01:00-05:00

According to an article published yesterday by Roughly Drafted, IBM's Research Information Services division is investigating the possibility of moving a significant numbers of its employees to Macs. I believe that this information should make a bold statement to attorneys and law firms (particularly larger ones) considering the move to Macs. The reasons IBM gave for this move are:

Macs are less prone to security issues.
Macs are widely used in the academic world with which IBM Research has close ties.
Many new company hires have said they're more comfortable with Macs and would prefer to use them than their ThinkPads.

Initially, twenty-four MacBook Pros were distributed to researchers between October 2007 and January 2008 for use as their primary notebook, with the employees' existing ThinkPads acting as backups if needed. Check out the following (not surprising) statistics:

86% of pilot users requested to keep using their Macs.
18 of 22 users said that the Mac offered a “better or best experience” compared to their existing computer, one rated it “equal or good,” and three said the Mac offered a “worse experience.”
Seven reported having no or marginal prior knowledge of using Macs, while 15 reported having moderate or expert knowledge of the platform.

The source articles referenced below include many comments from the pilot program participants. Many of these statements are similar to the ones that are made by attorneys who have "seen the light" and made the switch themselves. Consider the following comments:

"I commend IBM on taking this bold step in providing an alternative to Windows. It will definitely allow us to think different."
"I have been a true PC stalwart for 2+ decades, but after trying Vista, I’m ready for a change."
When presenting at customer or external meetings, I have been greeted with the 'wow factor.' 'Where's the ThinkPad, IBM uses Apples now?'"
"This can free us from the Windows stranglehold."
"It has been easier learning the Mac than learning Vista."
"The ability to run Windows XP in a VM under Parallels is a great feature."

Sources: "IBM Launches Pilot Program for Migrating to Macs" by Daniel Eran Dilger, published at Roughly Drafted Magazine; "IBM Launches Internal Pilot Program to Test Migration to Macs" by Katie Marsal, published at AppleInsider; "IBM Division Investigates Corporate Mac Migration Feasibility" by Jeff Longo, published at MacRumors.