Futurelawyer

Amicus Attorney - Upgrade to 2008 - Practice Management Software

Link: Amicus Attorney - Upgrade to 2008 - Practice Management Software. I just received, and installed, the upgrade to Amicus Attorney V+ Client Server. The upgrade is Amicus Attorney 2008, and it rocks. The interface is cleaner, and the software loads and runs much faster. Everything looks and works better, and the upgrade to Amicus Attorney 2008 is highly recommended. This is, by far, the most elegant and best case management software available. I use it for telephone message support, case management, and I use ProDoc's SOS system for time and billing. FutureLawyer recommended.

Web-Tones: It's the Apps Stupid

Link: Web-Tones: It's the Apps Stupid. I love this post from WebTones today. Applications drive the market. Web Applications drive the Internet. Legal applications drive the law practice. What part of this do lawyers not understand? Big Law tends to focus on infrastructure, and skimp on software and training and implementation. You can't just write a big check for new state of the art computers for every desk in the firm, write a check for a huge server architecture, write a check to put a BlackBerry or Smartphone in the hands of every lawyer in the firm, and expect the firm to become immediately more productive. Applications, applications, applications. Training, training, training. When I was doing law firm consulting, I got a chuckle out of the partners who were too "busy" to sit in on software training, or who fancied themselves as experts who didn't need me to tell them about the software, or who "knew this stuff" better than I did.

ProDoc Small Office Suite (SOS) Practice Management System

Link: ProDoc Small Office Suite (SOS) Practice Management System. I have been using ProDoc's excellent small firm case management and billing system for a couple of months now, and I find I can't live without it. I still use Amicus Attorney for primary case management, but the time and billing and trust accounting functions in SOS are easy to use, simple, complete, and a wonderful bargain. The software is subscription model based, and only costs around $25 a month. That is less than I spend on lunch with the kids at McDonald's. The upgrades are current, and automatic, and you won't have to pay several hundred dollars a seat. While the link to ProDoc's excellent forms sets for Texas and Florida aren't available for other states, SOS can be used stand-alone anywhere.

Amicus Small Firm - Practice Management & Accounting Software

Link: Amicus Small Firm - Practice Management & Accounting Software. I have been using Amicus Attorney software for case management functions for a long time. In my opinion, it is the easiest to use, and the most functional, of all the practice management systems out there for lawyers. This article from Gavel and Gown, the publishers of Amicus Attorney, highlights the program's functions, and introduces you to the elegant desktop interface.

ProDoc Small Office Suite (SOS) Practice Management System

Link: ProDoc Small Office Suite (SOS) Practice Management System. I have been living with the Billing features of ProDoc Small Office Suite for a month now, and, although it doesn't yet integrate with Amicus Attorney, it has greatly simplified my time and billing. I don't need a full accounting solution, as my solo practice is ably handled by my accountant. I hate accounting anyway. SOS keeps track of my time and billing, and I am transferring my trust accounting to it as well. While ProDoc is designed for Florida and Texas lawyers, with form sets for automated drafting, SOS would work for any small law office, and is especially well suited to solo practitioners. While I do my calendaring, contact management and case management in Amicus, SOS will also function well in those areas. It is simple to set up and use, and I think I am hooked.

Google Code - Google's Developer Network

Link: Google Code - Google's Developer Network. Do you fancy yourself a programmer? Do you want to create Web 2.0 applications for your specific law practice needs, or for other lawyers? Then, Google Code page is for you. This beta will be allowing home brew developers to use Google's tools to create mash-ups on the fly. Just as the Web has made content publishers of us all, the future Web will allow us to create our own applications. Brave new world.

Visual Strategist - Master Your Information

Link: Visual Strategist Home. I met Kyle McFarlin at LexThink's BlawgWorld conference in 2005. At the conference, he was demonstrating a new class of knowledge management software: MindJet, and his company's add-on, Gyronix Results Manager. Kyle is now training companies and users all over the place in the use of this intriguing new way of managing the thought process. I admit that I have been slow to adopt the computer-generated thought outlines created by MindJet and Results Manager. However, I can see that, if you get into the habit of using them, you will become more organized in the thinking process, and more productive. So, Kyle, I need some training. Help me.

Professional quality legal and law enforcement graphics.

Link: Professional quality legal and law enforcement graphics

Recently, I was given a review copy of SmartDraw Legal Edition. After using it for a while, it is my opinion that any technically literate lawyer can create graphics for litigation and other legal related purposes, that rival those created professionally for many hundreds of dollars. The legal edition is replete with templates and images that effectively permit the reconstruction of any scene, table, or chart. It will create timelines, accident reconstruction diagrams, estate planning diagrams and just about any other legal purpose one could name. A free trial is available, and the per user cost of the software is under $300 until January 27th. After that, it will cost you $449 per seat. The legal edition contains over 50,000 graphics, thousands of medical diagrams, and over 800 templates. All in all, you can now take control of your graphic exhibit creation for a very small cost. What's not to like?

ProDoc - document assembly software, automated legal document for attorneys

Link: ProDoc - document assembly software, automated legal document for attorneys. The new version of ProDoc is out, and, if you are in Florida, California or Texas, the smooth new interface, and improved operation, is something to smile about. If, like me, you spend half of your time producing documents, you have got to take a look at this software. If you are in another State, try to find a company that is doing the same thing. I am anxiously awaiting the new Litigation form bank, and I use the Will drafting portion of the program all the time. Just another way that technology has made lawyers more productive.

CaseSoft | DepPrep

Link: CaseSoft | Case Analysis Made Easy. CaseSoft made knowledge management an essential part of litigation preparation. One of its tools is DEPPREP, a handy little software program that helps litigators prepare witnesses for depositions. It is a slide show format, and touches all the bases. You can leave your client alone with the program, and let them educate themselves (if you trust them alone with your computer). It is inexpensive ($99 when I last looked), and might even jog your memory about stuff you need to know when asking the questions. You can download a free trial. I have blogged about it before, but it deserves a second mention.

Legal Technology - Can St. Georges Slay the Dragon?

Link: Legal Technology - Can St. Georges Slay the Dragon?. As regular readers of this blog know, I have had some difficulty finding a voice recognition system that works for me. Part of the problem is my affinity for the keyboard, having been brought up in a world of typewriters. However, this space in the software world has always been occupied by less than satisfactory software, and my recent experience trying to install and use Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 was a disaster. Well, this column chronicles my ultimate success, and, if you are contemplating installing and using Dragon, is worth a read. You need more than the minimum processor Nuance recommends, and don't expect them to help you out if you get into trouble. The software is worth it, once it is installed, however, and, if you like to dictate, this is the way to go. Now, go out and kill that dragon.

ProDoc 5.0 Coming in Later 2006

Link: ProDoc 5.0 Coming in Later 2006. My favorite document assembly software is getting an overhaul. It is tough to imagine how this wonderful tool could get better. I have posted about its benefits before. The only disadvantage is that it is only available to Florida and California and Texas lawyers. The new software is promised to be streamlined, have a new look and feel, and further simplify the document creation process. While I don't use all of the forms in all areas of law, ProDoc makes me feel comfortable that I have available current forms for just about any legal problem that comes into the office. You risk nothing by trying it out, and you can cancel the monthly subscription anytime you want. I know that you have heard pie in the sky about legal software before. This software will truly make your lawyering easier and better.

Amicus Accounting - Overview - Time, Billing & Accounting Software

Link: Amicus Accounting - Overview - Time, Billing & Accounting Software. Well, I have completed the conversion from PcLaw to Amicus Accounting. This software is, like Amicus Attorney, elegantly easy to use, attractive, works spendidly with Amicus Attorney, and creates a great alternative to PcLaw. I have never been able to get PcLaw to properly synchronize with Amicus Attorney; not surprising when the two companies are separate entities. And, when Gavel and Gown announced that it was going to create its own financial accounting package, I was cautiously optimistic. Ron Collins, Amicus President, doesn't release software until he believes it will work in the real world. Bug fixes are quick, and response to users is immediate. Since I have been using Amicus Attorney for many years now, the database experienced some hiccups in porting to Amicus Accounting. However, after a couple of tries, and some manual editing, the databases were integrated, and data exchange now occurs in real time. Amicus Accounting can be run as a stand alone product, or in sync with Amicus Attorney Case Management, which is my preferred usage. Thanks to Gavel and Gown for another stellar product.

Express Dictate Professional Dictation Software

Link: Express Dictate Professional Dictation Software. I haven't thought about digital dictation for some time. Then, I realized that one of the handful of essential software tools that I use every day sits patiently on my Task Bar, ready to go to work any time. I have posted before about this wonderful tool. It will send your dictation across the network, or across the world; just tell it where. The transcription client, Express Transcribe, is free, and Express Dictate costs $77 U.S. The Australian company that developed and sells it, NCH Swift Sound, has wonderful tech support. Its companion client, PocketPC, loads on the Treo, and enables me to annoy my secretary with dictation from anywhere in the world. Ah, Nirvana. The boss who never goes away!

Amicus Accounting Released

Link: Amicus Accounting Press Release. Finally, Gavel & Gown Software has released its long-awaited Accounting software for law firms, and it looks like an instant success. I will be installing and using it in the very near future, and will report back my results. I have used Amicus Attorney for many years, and have been an Amicus Consultant as well. It will be nice to have the elegant Amicus user interface and ease of use attributes in a time and billing and financial accounting solution. The big test will be the integration of data between the two software packages.

PCLaw / PCLawPro PCLaw Version 8

Link: PCLaw / PCLawPro PCLaw Version 8. Well, I suppose it was just a matter of time. After LexisNexis acquired PcLaw, I had a feeling that the free upgrades of the software would end. Now, I am sure. I just received an email telling me that only subscribers to the "Customer Support Plan" would receive free upgrades. That costs around $240 a year for the first user and around $45 a year for additional users. I have been anxiously awaiting Amicus Attorney's Billing software to switch. Large Corporations didn't get large by their generosity towards their customers. I will be switching to Amicus as soon as its software is available.

Legal Technology - Saint Georges and the Dragon

Link: Legal Technology - Saint Georges and the Dragon. In this month's Law.Com Legal Technology column, I do battle with the Dragon, and lose. (Dragon Naturally Speaking from Nuance). Ah, well, you can't win them all. Do we really want to talk to the computer anyway? The Zen of tapping keys, and the quiet hum of the air conditioner are much more appealing than the drone of the aging voice. You can check out the full column for yourself, at the link, but don't expect a review of Dragon 9; I never got the thing to install, and that got me thinking about whether I really needed to talk to the computer after all.

ProDoc Automated Document Assembly Systems for Florida

Link: ProDoc Automated Document Assembly Systems for Florida. My favorite document assembly software, ProDoc, is improving again. Version 5.0 promises more and updated forms, and continues the best tech support in the business. While limited to several States at the current time, if you are in Texas or Florida, this software is a no-brainer. You always know that any ProDoc form is compliant with current law, and the ProDoc team of editors is constantly working to ensure that they are. I use this software all the time, and, even in the areas of law in which I don't practice, I am always finding something new. I am an Amicus and PcLaw user for case management and time and billing, so I haven't used the SOS small office system module. However, once it provides for telephone message tracking, I am going to give it a try. Give it a try yourself. You don't have to sign a contract, and you can cancel your subscription whenever you want. Like an addict, however, once you generate some forms with ProDoc, you won't ever want to stop.

Technology Helps Lawyers Spend Less Time on Documents, More Time on the Case

Link: Technology Helps Lawyers Spend Less Time on Documents, More Time on the Case. The PR guys for WinScribe, a digital dictation solution (the FutureLawyer uses Express Dictate, from Australia) have posted this missive about the 10 to 15 hours a month the lawyers at Charleston based Bowles Rice are saving by using their software. The big firm spokesperson says that saves "billable" hours, implying that the saved hours will, or should be, used for billable tasks. These big firms need a life balance checkup. I have been an interested reader of the posts about Denise Howell's departure from her large firm, and was glad that I am a solo practitioner. I started using technology to give myself more time to walk the dog, read entertaining books, swim in the pool, lie down in the grass, play video games, play golf at least once a year (the trees thank me), and go to the movies, among other things. How about a new title for the PR piece: "Technology Helps Lawyers Spend Less Time on Documents, More Time on the Course!" Being a more efficient lawyer through the use of technology gives us time to have a life. So, to the Bowles Rice PR firm, you should be selling this product differently. Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Missoula Attorney uses only Open Source Free Software for Law Office

Link: The Independent Online - News. Do you need to spend a lot of money on software to run an effective law office? Missoula, Montana attorney Monte Jewell has proven the answer is no. Using ony open source free software, he is running Montana Legal Services, and is working on other free software alternatives to providing open databases to his clients, and is building Open Missoula , a website to bring free software and tech support to low-income legal advocates who are looking for similar alternatives. Not surprisingly, he is offering the information free, under a Creative Commons not-for-profit copyright. Kudos, Monte. Who needs Microsoft anyway?

OpenOffice.org: Home

Link: OpenOffice.org: Home. Okay, I admit it. I know WordPerfect. I love WordPerfect. WordPerfect is a friend of mine. Microsoft Word is NO WordPerfect. I will cling to my WordPerfect software with my cold, dead hands. I like, no, I must have, software for word processing that allows me to get under the hood and change things. "Reveal Codes" in WordPerfect lets me change the styles, fonts, look and feel of the document in a way not possible with Microsoft Word. However, all my friends and colleagues have been stupefied by the fact that all their friends and colleagues, ad infinitum, ad nauseam, are using Word. I wish I had a nickel for every email I have received telling me to send back documents in Word format. Ouch. Well, I have a solution. Go to OpenOffice.Org and download version 2 of this wonderful, free, open source software. The Word fanatics will never know, and you can keep WordPerfect in your private domain. Enjoy.

Casesoft Swallowed by Lexis-Nexis?

The Common Scold . Monica Bay reports that Lexis-Nexis, not sated with its acquisition of my favorite Time, Billing and Accounting software, PcLaw, has its large belly focused on another of my favorite companies, CaseSoft. You probably have heard of, or used, their quality knowledge management programs, CaseMap, TimeMap, and NoteMap. I have blogged often about them, and I use TimeMap to create graphical chronologies. This trend is disturbing, as the behemoth Lexis-Nexis, having eaten document assembly program, HotDocs, now owns the franchise on some pretty great software. If they spoil them, I will be very unhappy. I like small, lean operations; they tend to be more customer-centric. Let's hope that Lexis-Nexis respects that. Of course, all of this might be rendered moot by the move to Web 2.0 applications that are website based, and use free and ad-supported resources. Amicus has gone to the web, and will be adding billing and accounting soon. Thomson is bringing Elite to the Web for billing. It will be fun to watch.

Software Audits - Do you know where your Software has been?

Link: Law.com - Understanding, Averting and Surviving the Software Audit. Well, it's that time of year again, and the popular media is full of stories about the IRS and taxes and other stuff designed to scare the American public into paying its taxes. Tax time got me thinking about an area of law firm management most of you pay little attention to, software licensing. Do you know how many licenses your firm owns for the software you use? Do you know what software your employees have on their systems. If not, you need to find out. There are many competent software programs that will run on your employees' systems, and will report what software is installed, and will give you information you can use to determine whether the software is legally licensed. This article from Law.Com is a good primer about the organizations that conduct software audits for the industry, and what to do if you get a letter threatening litigation if you don't submit to an audit. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Take a look at your systems. Do you know where your software has been lately?

Amicus Attorney - Practice Management Software

Link: Amicus Attorney - Practice Management Software. Today is the launch of the new Amicus Attorney 7, a major upgrade of the case management software the FutureLawyer has been using for some years. I am anxiously awaiting the launch of Amicus Accounting, so that I can combine all the law office functions in one program, but this looks to be a big step forward. Gavel and Gown is notoriously careful about new launches, testing assiduously to make certain that new releases are great out of the box. I will let you know how the changeover goes.

Legal Technology - Beware of the License Police

Link: Legal Technology - Beware of the License Police. Do you know where your software has been? One of the good things about solo practice is that I know every program that has been installed on my computer. I have the purchase receipts in one place (okay, in a big cardboard folder behind my chair), and if it is on my computer, I put it there. Also, I generally only need licenses for two people, myself and my secretary. However, those of you in medium to large law firms need to know what your employees are putting on their computers. Just because you authorized a purchase of software two years ago doesn't mean you have enough licenses from the software publisher to justify the number of systems running it in your office. This article gives some practical tips about responding to a software audit. It is far better to do this audit internally, and to purchase enough licenses BEFORE the license police come calling. Are those sirens I hear outside your office?

Web-Tones: eDiscovery

Link: Web-Tones: eDiscovery. Carlos Leyva, from the vantage point of a couple of decades of experience in the computer and tech industry, reminds us that every new product touting benefits for lawyers faced with EDD (Electronic Discovery) questions is probably not the Holy Grail of litigation information gathering. Many of us lose objectivity in the face of a slick sales pitch. Understand legal software before you buy. Watch for software that promises more than it delivers. You don't want to be the lawyer with an empty gun barrel surrounded by bows and arrows.

Legal Technology - Downloads

Link: Legal Technology - Downloads. I would like this page, even if I weren't an affiliate blogger for Law.Com. There are many links to legal specific software downloads, to demos and free software useful to the practicing lawyer here. Great way to spend a couple of hours on a holiday; browsing for useful software tools. Highly recommended.

Visionary Case Management

Link: Visionary Case Management.(Download Visionary Link) . I am a believer in the "less is more" concept for technology in the courtroom. I generally use PaperPort to scan documents, and show them to Judge and Jury on a screen. Simple, effective. However, for integrated trial and litigation support and presentation, especially for more complex matters, an integrated trial presentation solution is necessary. I have posted before about the industry leader, Summation. For a few hundred dollars a year, Summation is wonderful software. However, Visionary 7, by Visionary Legal Technologies, is a FREE complete case management and trial presentation system that works well, and combines video, exhibits, trial and deposition transcripts, all in one easy to use package. It has excellent search capabilities, and allows for a smooth presentation to the Judge and Jury. The Company says that it makes money from ancillary services, such as trial consulting, video-to-text synchronization, document imaging and coding, etc. In other words, Visionary follows the Adobe model. Make your software free, and sell the ancillary services. Pretty cool idea. Did I mention that it is FREE?

OneNote 2003 Trial Software

Link: OneNote 2003 Trial Software. Are you still getting out the old legal pad when a new client walks in the door? Most of us are still married to a ball point pen and a yellow or white legal pad. I have switched to the 8 1/2 by 11 version. Most Courts now require short filing paper, for storage reasons, and most lawyers have switched. Why we still do some stuff on long paper, I don't know. Habit, maybe. That is the same excuse I have always given myself for my antiquated note-taking habits. Well, now there is no reason to do so anymore, if there ever was. We do so much with computers; why not take notes with them? I really hate to recommend a Microsoft product; it is kind of like taking Darth Vader to a dance. However, OneNote is really cool. You can take notes with the keyboard, but so much more can be accomplished. You can index and search your notes. You can record audio and video and attach it to a OneNote file. You can import text and graphics from a Web page. I am getting into the habit of keeping a OneNote file for each case. Now, I don't have to paw through legal pad hand-written notes in my files when I want to find something. These OneNote files are perfect source documents for creating CaseMap or TimeMap chronologies, or for creating graphic outlines with MindManager and ResultsManager. Those of you using Outlook will find the import and export functions handy. You can download a free trial. Microsoft sells this software for $99. What has the world come to? I am recommending a Microsoft product. I feel so used.

PCLaw v750 New Feature List

Link: PCLaw v750 New Feature List. I am trying to decide how I feel about the acquisition of two of my favorite legal software packages: HotDocs and PcLaw, by LexisNexis, the behemoth legal publishing company. HotDocs always was the document creation equalizer for the solo practitioner or small firm lawyer. PcLaw was the first competent Windows based billing automation system, and permitted solo and small firm lawyers to compete with much larger law firms. LexisNexis is touting the new release of Version 7.5 of PcLaw as combining HotDocs and PcLaw so that data can be shared, and product quality enhanced. I will be looking at the marriage, and writing about it, in future posts. In the meantime, the concept of both programs working together and sharing client data seems like a good idea. We shall see.

Bringing consumer fraud, class action and whistleblower cases nationwide from its Tampa, Florida headquarters - James, Hoyer, Newcomer & Smiljanich PA

Link: Bringing consumer fraud, class action and whistleblower cases nationwide from its Tampa, Florida headquarters - James, Hoyer, Newcomer & Smiljanich PA. I just spent a great lunch hour looking at the home-grown paperless office and law firm management system at James Hoyer in Tampa. John Newcomer showed the system to me, and it is wonderful. Every document coming in to the firm is scanned into the database, and every phone message, pleading, email and time slip is accessible from a web based intranet, using the Novell Groupwise browser interface. It also works in Microsoft Outlook. They call it Flat Rock, and are planning to bring it to market in the future. Lawyers designing software for lawyers - what a concept!

Gyronix - Turning ideas into action

Link: Gyronix - Turning ideas into action. Well, the recent Blawgthink conference I attended was very productive. One of the tools used at the conference was the add-on for MindManager by MindJet, ResultsManager, by Gyronix. I consider MindManager a knowledge analysis tool, and ResultsManager allows the combination of projects, analyses and brainstorms about a problem or task. While CaseMap, TimeMap, and similar software helps manage and present current knowledge about a case, ResultsManager streamlines and makes graphic the idea and thinking processes that get us to conclusions about tasks or problems. It is easily suited to thinking about a case, but can be used for any problem. Think of it as organizing your thought processes into graphic flowcharts. The FutureLawyer remains unconvinced, but I haven't spent a lot of time with the software yet. Most lawyers make lists: laundry lists, task lists, things to do in a case; but, we seldom create relationships between lists. ResultsManager takes all the flotsam and jetsam from our brains, and attempts to organize it so that we think about those relationships. At least , that is what I think it does. I will keep you posted. Right now, I have to make a list of things to do today. Let's see, eat leftover turkey, relax, watch football, eat turkey...

Mindjet: Software for Visualizing and Managing Information

Link: Mindjet: Software for Visualizing and Managing Information. Okay, so it is not just for legal minds, but MindJet can change the way you think about your cases. Knowledge management software is a growing part of the trial lawyer's arsenal. We need to keep track of so many facts and people. We need to create relationships in our heads, and then use those relationships to persuade and to understand. MindJet is more than an outlining tool, and I really don't know how to describe how it works. It is being used at BlawgThink to present ideas about blogging. I used it this morning to create an outline for a presentation about blogging basics that I will be giving back home. Later, I will be talking about a MindJet add-on from Gyronix that uses MindJet Maps, as they are called, to create relationships between everything in your personal and business life. Very cool new way of thinking. You owe to yourself to download a free trial, and to try it out.

CaseSoft | Time Map 4 - Chronologies Made Easy

Link: CaseSoft |Time Map 4 - Chronologies Made Easy. Today's post on litigation support software and its lack of use by attorneys, as shown in the latest ABA study, got me thinking. Why aren't lawyers using this stuff? Well, how about taking baby steps. TimeMap4, by CaseSoft, is the newest version of a wonderful program that creates timelines and viewable charts, merely by inserting facts and dates. It is so easy, anyone can do it. Why are you paying graphics companies big bucks to create trial exhibits, when you can do it instantly, and project the results, and print them? TimeMap will create chronologies of any set of facts, and it can be used to create charts that can be used in briefs, at mediations, and a host of other uses. Start with TimeMap, and you will be defying the experts immediately.

Law Technology News - Litigation Support: Fear Factor

Link: Law Technology News - Litigation Support: Fear Factor. Monica Bay, who publishes the wonderful blog referred to here recently, The Common Scold, is also the Editor of Law Technology News, the paper and web leader in legal tech publications. This article chronicles some of the more surprising conclusions of the latest ABA Tech Survey, which found that very low numbers of attorneys own, or use, litigation support software, such as Summation, also recently commented on in this space. Are lawyers afraid of technology? Are they too busy to learn how to buy it and use it? Some of the people interviewed by Monica for the article think it may be malpractice not to use it. I remember postulating many years ago that not using electronic legal research could be malpractice, since it fast became the most effiicient method of case-finding. If you missed a case that turned your litigation around, and you could have found it with a computer search engine, could you be liable? Probably yes. On the other hand,  I think it stretches the point that a lawyer would be required to use litigation support software to fashion an in-court presentation. However, it certainly makes it much easier and faster to find the right document at the right time, and makes a bigger impact on a jury. What do you think?

Legal Technology - The Devil Is in the Details: Managing Technology in the Courtroom

Link: Legal Technology - The Devil Is in the Details: Managing Technology in the Courtroom. Jon Trembath, a litigator from Colorado, has written a wonderful article about the pitfalls of using technology inthe courtroom. It is embarassing when computers and technology fail during public presentations. It happens to me all the time. However, there is a difference when the presentation technology is used in a courtroom, in front of a jury. While tech can make or break a case, generally, less is more. Often, a computer and a projector, with a screen visible to the jury, is all that is desired, and even those can fail, as Mr. Trembath shows.

Nuance - Lousy Customer Support - No Nuance Necessary

Link: Nuance -
I don't know why ScanSoft changed its name to Nuance, but its customer service is still lousy. The FutureLawyer just spent an unpleasant 30 minutes on the phone with a barely English-speaking tech support rep, after spending 10 minutes getting through the answering machine minefield. I recently upgraded to PaperPort 10, which is still a wonderful program for organizing scanned images and files. However, it refused to recognize my venerable sheet-fed scanner , the  Visioneer Strobe Pro, which I have been using for several years with several incarnations of PaperPort. After being told, several times, that I got one phone call ( I felt like I was in jail), I got through to Ms. Tech Support from Hell, who calmly informed me that she could not answer my question until I gave her my serial number. Of course, it would be too easy for the Serial Number to be accessible from the software. Oh, no, I had to dig back through the email confirmation to get it. Then, after 20 minutes of questions to verify my ownership, I was told that the new version of the software (for which I paid $95) did not support the Strobe. Now they tell me. I asked why that fact was not prominently displayed when I gave them my money. I was then told that I could get a refund, but that required a call to another department. Unbelievable. These companies need to understand that they can change their name all they want, but, until they start giving quality customer service, they will alienate the very people they want to attract. My modest proposal is that Nuance change its name back to ScanSoft, and get a new ad agency. Why do I feel like Dennis Miller on a rant?

Treo 650 and RIM Blackberry - A Marriage made in Heaven?

Research in Motion (RIM) , the Toronto maker of Blackberry devices, and the operator of the giant Blackberry network, has announced a partnership with Palm to provided Blackberry Connect software for Treo 650 devices, due early next year. Not only will this enable Blackberry addicts to get their fix with a competent smartphone, rather than get stuck with their brain dead blackberry devices, but it gives the FutureLawyer an excuse to buy one of the new smartphones, like the Motorola Q, because his Blackberry-using wife can now use the Treo 650. Whatever keeps the spouse happy, makes me happy. :-)

Law.com - New Law Raises Stakes for Debtors' Attorneys

Link: law.com - New Law Raises Stakes for Debtors' Attorneys. If you are a bankruptcy practitioner, you likely use bankruptcy software to prepare your Petitions and Schedules. The new bankruptcy law, as you know, makes you personally responsible for the errors in a filing, among other Draconian things. This highlights a risk of high-tech law practice that the FutureLawyer is just as likely to be a victim of as non-techie lawyers. I call it computer malpractice. Often, we become enamored of our software, and neglect to examine the content of computer production carefully enough. Computers and software are tools, not lawyers. Resolve to read carefully every document prepared by you using a computer. Also, check with the provider of your bankruptcy software to check if they are updating it to handle the new disclosure requirements. Remember, be careful out there.

ZipForms - How Old is your Oldest Software?

The question for today is: "What is the oldest running software on your computer that you use every day?" For the FutureLawyer it is a 1994 program called ZipForms. This ancient, simple DOS program is one that I use every day. I became frustrated, early on, with the printing of envelopes at my desk. It is easy to create your own correspondence using modern word processors, but envelope printing is still problematic. I solved this problem 10 years ago with a small program, ZipForms, that I still use every day. It permits the creation of forms that insert the mailing and return addresses, with automated logo printing, and which perform routing cover letter tasks. It will print for window envelopes or standard letter format, and has standard forms for court filings, court dates, from the desk of, and is customizable to create great, fast little fax cover sheets. It is the best $15 I ever spent on a computer program, and I don't know if it is even still available. The publisher is still apparently in business,the Charleston Press, (its current address is: 4911 S Sherwood Forest Blvd, Baton Rouge, 70816  - (225) 293-9472).

Dictation Software - How do you talk to your associates?

Sometimes, serendipity occurs. When looking for a mobile dictation system for the Treo 650 smartphone, the FutureLawyer discovered a wonderful Windows application, that also has a companion Palm and PocketPC version for use on handhelds. NCH SwiftSound Express Dictate , by a wonderful Australian company, allows digital dictation to the computer or smartphone, and transfers the dictation over the office network, or by email from the smartphone from anywhere you can access wireless email. Like most of us, I used to use small tape recorders for dictation. They transmit the dictation via cassette tape, or over a wired line to the assistant's desk , where a machine sent the dictation to a headset, with a foot pedal. Some of you may still be using this archaic technique. NCH permits you to load a software program on your computer (under $80), and a companion program on the Treo 650 or other smartphone (also under $80), and transfer the dictation, in digital form, directly to the assistant's computer over the office network or by email. The transcription software client that resides on the assistant's computer is free. My legal assistant loves the fact that I can now bombard her with dictation from anywhere in the world, 24-7. No more messy tapes. No more analog hisses. No escape from the boss. Doesn't your legal assistant or secretary deserve this wonderful new technology? :-))

CaseSoft | TimeMap4 - Facts Graphing Made Easy

Link: CaseSoft | Case Analysis Made Easy. The CaseSoft team has done it again. With Version 4 of TimeMap (free trial download available)  the Company has made fact chronologies graphable, and "picture-perfect". Like any great software, it is easy to use for basic timeline graphs, but the deeper you delve into it, the more complex and feature-rich it becomes. The FutureLawyer has found himself using it for beginning interviews, and it is amazing how a case takes on a personality as the facts are chronologically mapped before your eyes. Try it out this weekend. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

E-Transcripts and Real Time Court Reporting

 Are you still getting paper transcripts of your depositions? If you are, you are missing one of the best new tools that tech can bring you as a practicing lawyer or paralegal. You may have received, as a complement to a paper transcript, an electronic file on disk containing the transcript in digital form. However, modern technology permits the delivery of the electronic transcript in computer searchable form, and litigation support systems such as Summation I-Blaze, reviewed in a prior post, can take electronic text and index it for later search. The most-used software in this area is RealLegal's E-Transcript. A free viewer is available for download at RealLegal's website-  RealLegal .  RealLegal, a division of LiveNote, Inc., focuses on providing litigation and transcript management tools to law firms, courts and court reporting firms. Next time you take a deposition, ask for an E-transcript file, and see how effective computer-based searching of transcripts can be. A newer technology, real-time transcription, allows the lawyer to see the questions and answers as they occur, and can be fed, with the right equipment, to remote locations so that you or other lawyer's in your firm can view and comment on the performance of another lawyer in the firm. Some Court Reporters are also now able to provide video depositions with synchronized text transcripts side by side. Taking clips from such a deposition, and showing it to a Judge or Jury can be powerful persuasive tools in litigation. If your case is important enough to file, and to win, it is important enough to spend some money on the tools that technology can provide. It's your move.

Word, Excel & PowerPoint files on your smartphone or handheld

Link: Word, Excel & PowerPoint files on your smartphone or handheld. Documents to Go 7, at $40 street, is a wonderful addition to the Treo 650 Palm arsenal. It reads and displays plain text, PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files, and , while editing on the tiny keyboard can be a pain, is a wonderful way to have all of your documents in the palm of your hand, wherever you go. It is a document reader, and you can load any text file on the Treo 650's SD card, for future reference. The FutureLawyer has a copy of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, among many other files, available for instant reference anywhere. Naturally, a notebook computer with a full-size keyboard is preferable; but, when it is impossible or inconvenient to pull out the notebook, the Palm Treo 650 is a serviceable way to have documents available for use. DataViz even provides a free utility that loads most of the hefty little program on the SD card, preserving 3 megabytes of the precious on-board memory of the Treo 650. (It has 32 megs). Now that PDF files have become the standard document format for web transmitted documents, Documents to Go 7 is a great way to store and view them on the Treo 650, the best smart-phone in the universe. It will synchronize with any folder on your computer or laptop, and I use it to store many of my more commonly used legal forms. It is great to have these documents available in or out of court.  There are a lot of free ebook readers out there, and they are fine for reading ebooks on the fly. However, if you need to read AND edit, Documents to Go 7 is the way to go. Enjoy.
Rick

Summation IBlaze - Litigation Support

Litigation support software is a wonderful addition to any trial lawyer's arsenal. When the FutureLawyer was young (many moons ago, grasshopper), a trial notebook was the lawyer's litigation support system. If you wanted to find a particular quote from a deposition during cross, you leafed through the deposition transcripts in the deposition folder. If you needed one of the pleadings, you picked up the pleading folder and leafed through it. If you were really organized, you had the pleadings tab indexed with little sticky tabs, and a paper index at the front. Well, Dorothy, we aren't in Kansas anymore. Today, software exists that integrates transcript and document on the computer, and indexes the contents so that a search engine instantly locates any document or part of a document and any transcript or part of a transcript. Once in the computer, any exhibit or pleading can be projected on to a screen for viewing by the whole courtroom. The best software for this purpose is Summation IBlaze, by Summation Legal Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of CT Corporation. The software contains realtime transcript support, full text imaging and OCR capabilities, electronic evidence features, production tools and more. Check it out at the Summation website Summation . While the FutureLawyer has used PaperPort to project scanned documents and exhibits in the past, Summation brings real power to the trial presentation. The coolest thing is the search capability, enabling the trial lawyer to find, for examples, all instances of a particular word or phrase in all of the transcripts , documents, and other materials. Power to the people, you have to check this out if you do any trial work.

Witness Preparation - DepPrep

Okay, it's time to tell your dirty little secret. You don't spend enough time preparing your witnesses for deposition and trial, do you? In the rush to do all of the things demanded in the time before trial, witness preparation is too often the poor runner-up in the competition for an attorney's time and attention. Enter the makers of the wonderful knowledge management software discussed in a previous post, CaseMap by CaseSoft .   DepPrep is an electronic slide show that the site claims "makes it easy to groom witnesses for their depositions."  The FutureLawyer uses it as a visual aid during witness preparation conferences, and it takes the viewer through everything a deponent needs to know about testifying, from demeanor to types of questions. I think it serves as well to prepare witnesses for trial. A free trial download at the CaseSoft site is available. It is highly recommended. I wouldn't prep a witness without it.
DepPrep is the result of a collaboration between CaseSoft and  attorney David A. Hirsch, co-author of the monthly Tech Audit column in the ABA Journal, and the trial download can be found at DepPrep Download .

 

Backup, Backup, Backup

Hurricane Katrina has everyone thinking about disaster lately, and preparedness. In this age of computer data, every lawyer needs to be thinking about the essential data about the firm and its clients that resides on hard drives of its computers. As I write this, I am backing up my files to a tiny external hard drive built by SmartDisk, the FireLite, and am using Norton Ghost back-up software, by Symantec. SmartDisk   and Norton combine to give data security in a very small package, and the USB interface is plug and play. 60 Gigabytes of space in a pocket sized drive costs about $150 street, and Norton Ghost makes a mirror image backup of any drive without any interruption of the Windows operating system or running programs. It runs in the background, and, so far, is bulletproof. I prefer external backup drives, since they can be stored in a separate location. If you are in a larger firm, do you personally supervise the back-up process, or have you delegated it to someone else? Do you know where your backups are? Are you certain? Remember the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared". Don't tell yourself you will get around to it. Do it now.

Amicus Attorney adds Time and Billing

In news from the frozen North, Toronto's Gavel and Gown Software announced yesterday the addition of Amicus Accounting, a time and billing and accounting addition to their leading Case Management software for attorneys, Amicus Attorney. Readers know that the FutureLawyer swears by Amicus Attorney, and it has run my professional life for some years now. The acquisition of PcLaw by Lexis Nexis, the behemoth legal publications and research firm, causes this lawyer to want to see what Gavel and Gown has to offer, although I have been happy with PcLaw for some years as well. Amicus Attorney will still exchange information with the leading time and billing programs, but the integration of Amicus data with an in house time and billing solution sounds interesting. It is scheduled for release in 2006, and the FutureLawyer will be standing in line to be one of the first to try it out. Amicus Attorney is the first software I load in the morning, and, since I sync it to my Treo 650, its calendar, to do, and contacts data is with me always. I can't wait to add the time and billing functionality to the mix. To Gavel and Gown, "it's about time, guys!"
Rick

ProDoc - Document Assembly

It has been some time since I looked at ProDoc document assembly software. Over the years, I have accumulated many forms that I have automated using WordPerfect and HotDocs,(HotDocs.Com) ; and they have served my needs well. Recently, I purchased a monthly subscription to the automated Florida forms volumes, as ProDoc  (ProDoc.Com) has moved into the Florida market in a big way, and the practice packages are designed for Florida lawyers. ProDoc has owned the Texas document assembly market for years, and now has a complete set of practice libraries for Florida. The Florida forms volumes cover thirteen areas of law. Two of the volumes contain integrated special-purpose software programs called “add-ins.” The Family Law volume contains Financial Affidavits and Child Support Guidelines Calculator add-ins. The Probate volume contains a Probate Inventory, Probate Accounting and Probate Management System add-ins. In effect, you receive a complete Florida library of forms systems for a monthly fee of $85. It requires no down payment, and the service can be cancelled at any time. My bet is that, once a lawyer becomes hooked on the time saving characteristics of automated document assembly, there will be few cancellations. Save some time today. Give ProDoc a try.
Rick