How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Clear Your Mind in the Cloud
See that pile of paper on your desk? No, that one behind the other three. You can't continue to manage your cases like that. Don't feel bad. You're not the only lawyer who needs professional help. Seeking assistance does not suggest weakness. Think of it as the first step to a better you. Will it cost money? Of course, but it'll make you more money … or at least bring you some peace of mind. In the meantime, you may want to hide those piles. Your client just arrived for his meeting.
WizeHive … in One Sentence
PivotPoint Software's WizeHive is an online collaboration and organizational application.
The Killer Feature
Have you noticed how social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook rely heavily on email? They know that if something isn't in your inbox, it's invisible.
Recognizing that online life revolves around email, WizeHive integrates with any email program using a special address and a notation system. By sending a message to this address with the name of the workspace (see below) in the subject you can create new notes or tasks without having to use the Web interface.
Similarly, you can receive WizeHive communications from your colleagues via email. So why not just use email? Because WizeHive organizes everything for you with threaded messaging, search, large file sharing, and more.
Other Notable Features
WizeHive organizes your information into workspaces. You'll probably want to create a workspace for every client. Within a workspace you'll find sections for people, tasks, data, files, notes, and questions. You can further organize a workspace with pages, which you might create for each matter.
Through the Activity window, you can track all communications across all workspaces and pages that apply to you. Other system-wide views enable you to manage Tasks, People, and Files across all workspaces. The Tasks view offers filtering. For example, you can view tasks assigned to you or to others. Regarding file management, you can edit Word and Excel files within WizeHive without downloading and re-uploading them.
WizeHive also includes an iCal-compatible calendar that displays all date-specific tasks. You can also schedule meetings and events on the calendar.
What Else Should You Know?
You can customize WizeHive with your firm's logo and preferred colors. Another setting enables you to receive all email alerts in a single daily digest. You can choose from five versions of WizeHive — Free, Basic ($9/month), Plus ($24/month), Premium ($39/month), and Enterprise. The versions differ with regard to workspaces, pages, storage, and features such as a vanity URL. Learn more about WizeHive.
How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Originally published on October 26, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
When I'm on the road speaking, people most often ask me about practice (case) management systems. Practice management systems focus on tying everything together. In doing so, they integrate with various other programs on the typical law practice computer system: billing systems, word processors, document managers, email accounts, and more.
As we approach the end of the first decade of this century, a growing number of law practices can finally achieve the "holy grail" of practice management systems — a single point of entry for all client and case file information. Below you'll find some of my favorite tips (or "hacks" in the SmallLaw vernacular) for pushing the practice management usage and integration envelope.
1. Does It All Connect?
Check all your key software systems for the ability to integrate with your practice management system. Most practice management systems tightly integrate with Microsoft Outlook, enabling you to tie email messages sent and received (and attachments) directly to client files. Most can also integrate with document management systems like Worldox, enabling you to connect every document created, received, scanned, etc. to client files.
Also, before you sign your life away on a new smartphone contract, make sure you understand how it will sync with the software you currently have or plan to implement. It does you no good at all to buy a shiny new BlackBerry Storm only to find that syncing requires two steps using Microsoft Outlook via some version of BlackBerry Professional or Enterprise Server. Or that your new iPhone can only sync in real-time with your practice management system via Outlook's ActiveSync system, which requires a Microsoft Exchange Server.
Regularly check the practice management program vendor's Web site for any updates and patches. Staying up to date will keep the links to all the integrated software you use in good working order.
2. Automate Your Time Entry
Enter all your time and your to-dos in your practice management system. Not only will you stay on top of all aspects of your open files, but it will also make it more likely you'll bill all your time, rather than have those little "tenth-ers" dribble away. Many practice management systems can then either automatically (or semi-automatically) convert to-dos, calendar entries, and case notes into time entries — automatic is good!
3. Save and Make Money With Your Smartphone
Most professional liability insurance companies still require duplicate calendars. Check with your carrier to see if using a smartphone's calendar that syncs to your practice management system will count as calendar number two.
And since you'll always have your smartphone with you, enter time on the road. Many legal billing systems offer handheld time entry capability directly or through add-on services like MonetaSuite, AirTime Manager, or Proximiti WorkTRAKR.
4. The Backup of Last Resort
Do you have my ultimate backup plan in place? If not, your smartphone may save you more than money. Using a smartphone or synced laptop/netbook is also a mini "better than nothing" backup for your practice management program. Keep your device with you and not at the office to safeguard your data.
5. Get the Right Training
Learn how to actually use your practice management and billing programs, the links between them, and how they interact with your portable tools: smartphones, laptops, netbooks, etc.
You could read the manuals yourself, but consider professional training as an alternative. Be very picky and selective about who trains you.
If you were accused of a serious crime, would you hire a first year wet behind the years criminal law rookie to defend you? Of course not — you'd hire the best criminal defense lawyer you could afford. Why wouldn't you take the same approach in finding and hiring a practice management system consultant/trainer?
Your practice management system will interweave itself into the very fabric of your practice. Allow plenty of time for implementation, training and learning. It won't happen overnight but is well worth the time invested.
Any practice management system, properly selected, and well implemented, will give any firm a sizable return on investment. But the converse is also true however — a poorly selected, badly implemented practice management system will become a sinkhole into which you pour otherwise billable time. So get it right!
Written by Ross Kodner of MicroLaw.
How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Originally published on October 26, 2009 in our free BigLaw newsletter.
Traditionally, there exist but two options for lawyers who want to work in the private sector: law firms or in-house. But modern times call for alternative careers. Fortunately, the Internet can lend a helping hand. Online legal publishers offer a career path especially suited to those attorneys who want to use their JDs but get out of the rat race.
Sharon Makower is one such attorney. She spent three years at Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a securities and M&A associate, racking up more and more billables and seeing less and less daylight. She left Willkie for Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel where she eventually transitioned to part-time to take care of her children.
However, Sharon found that fast-paced deal work did not lend itself to her reduced schedule, so after nine years she departed for Cablevision's legal department. As associate general counsel at Cablevision, she thought she would enjoy those mythic in-house perks: challenging work with a 9 to 5 schedule. Reality set in when Sharon discovered that her in-house job was full-time plus an hour commute each way.
"Cablevision was a terrific place to work, but I still didn't have a work-life balance," says Sharon. "At the time, I thought my only options for a flexible schedule were staying at Cablevision and seeing what happened, or going back to a smaller firm."
A Practical Alternative Surfaces
In 2007, Sharon's options broadened when a recruiter told her about an open editorial position at Practical Law Company, an online legal publisher that creates practical guidance for transactional attorneys. The job involved Sharon's areas of expertise — capital markets, corporate governance, and public company regulations. Sharon agonized over whether to take it.
"I was very much on the traditional path, and leaving an established legal employer for a job in a relatively young industry — that was scary," she recalls.
Ultimately, PLC's lifestyle and mission won Sharon over. Sharon now writes how-to guides, practice notes and model documents for PLC four days a week, and retains the flexibility to work from home as needed.
"I very much enjoyed practicing law, but I easily got over the 'thrill' of getting a call on Friday for a deal signing Monday. If I can distill my experience into something straightforward that lawyers can use, that's pretty rewarding."
Benefits and Compensation Aplenty
Legal publishing jobs, of course, don't pay salaries commensurate with those of large firms, but the money is nothing to sneeze at. Publishers such as PLC, Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg recognize that to attract and retain top talent, they must approximate, in some way, law firm compensation. Salaries for editorial/analyst attorneys at LexisNexis and Westlaw reportedly start around $70,000 and up, depending on job function and seniority. Roles that require more significant practice experience can pay much more.
Despite the flexible schedule and competitive pay, online legal publishing is not right for every attorney. Those who live for the "thrill of the deal" will miss the adrenaline rush of day-to-day practice, and junior attorneys may not have enough practice experience to inform their work. Applicants for editorial/analyst positions also require an especially rare talent among attorneys — plain English writing skills.
"Legal drafting is a different skill than regular writing, and my job involves both," says Sharon. "For lawyers, it can be tough to break the 'why use three words when ten will do' habit, but it is a necessary skill if you're going to succeed at this job."
And if Sharon hadn't discovered online legal publishing, where would she be now? "Probably at Cablevision. I guess I would still be trying to find something that worked for me within the traditional legal model. I'm not sure it exists, though."
How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw goes deep undercover inside some of the country's biggest law firms. But we don't just dish up the dirt. We also mine it for best and worst practices and other nuggets of knowledge. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Review: PersonalBrain Screencast
Review: My New iPhone (Beginner Book for the iPhone)
The ACC Value Index: We're Not Worthy!
Flashy Ads Draw Clients to Florida Law Firm
This issue also contains links to every article in the November 2009 issue of Law Technology News. Don't miss this issue or future issues.
How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
A Port of Call for Your Law Firm's Piles of Paper
Most people who buy iPods use the earbuds that come with it. But a sizable minority have more discerning tastes, and pony up for earphones that cost as much as an iPod. If the music matters, the money is well spent. A similar situation exists with scanners. Most people use the bundled software, but many law firms find this software insufficient for their document management needs. So they pony up for a more robust solution.
PaperPort Professional 12 … in One Sentence
Nuance's PaperPort Professional 12 integrates with many scanners, and helps you organize and share your scanned files.
The Killer Feature
Some PDF software makers try to make a quick buck in the legal market only to learn that lawyers are a tough crowd with lofty expectations. For example, if your PDF software doesn't handle forms, don't even bother.
Nuance got the memo. PaperPort Professional 12 includes FormTyper, which recognizes the fillable elements in scanned forms, enabling you to fill them out on your PC. You can also create your own forms.
Other Notable Features
The new version of PaperPort Professional also offers improved handling of PDF files. Nuance even claims they will look better. You'll also find improved annotation and stamping tools. You can create PDF files from any application using any PDF protocol through 1.7. PaperPort Professional also creates PDF Packages.
In a nod to law firms, PaperPort Professional integrates with Microsoft SharePoint 2003 and 2007. You can send a document from PaperPort to SharePoint or scan directly into SharePoint with the PDF conversion handled by PaperPort.
Nuance also made some under the hood improvements, boosting OCR accuracy by 42% and PaperPort Professional's overall speed by 500%. Other new features include a new tabbed ribbon interface, a "Scan Now" button for one-click scanning, a customizable Quick Access Toolbar, support for documents photographed by digital cameras, and how-to-guides for common tasks.
What Else Should You Know?
PaperPort Professional runs on Windows XP, Vista, or 7. It costs $199.99. Existing customers can upgrade for $149.99. Nuance also sells PaperPort 12 ($99.99), which has fewer features, and PaperPort Enterprise 12 for large firms. Learn more about PaperPort Professional 12.
How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.