By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Clients giveth and your employees and the government taketh away every payroll. And that's assuming you can figure out how to run a payroll. After all, you have a JD, not a CPA. In this TechnoFeature article, Technolawyer of the Year Bryan Sims reviews Pensoft Payroll 2010 Professional Edition, Windows software for handling this necessary chore. Bryan started with the free trial, moved to the Lite edition, and then to the Professional edition. Given Bryan's extensive experience with the product, who better to tell you about its pros and cons. Don't miss Bryan's review of Pensoft Payroll 2010 Professional Edition.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Monday, August 30, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 98 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Tip: Outlook 2007 and 2010 Reminders
Review: Samsung EPIC 4G
How Much Revenue Should Your Firm Generate Before Hiring
Does Your Website Cater to Your Clients or Your Peers?
This issue also contains links to every article in the August 2010 issue of GP Solo. 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.
By Lee Rosen | Monday, August 30, 2010
Originally published on August 23, 2010 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
The success of your practice depends on a core of solid, reliable referral sources. You count on these people to send you business in good times and in bad. They know you, like you, and trust you. You can't live without them. You've got to create and nurture these relationships, or you're dead. In this column, you'll learn how to do so and have fun at the same time — nine tips in all.
The Secret to Lawyer Referral Relationships
How do you feel about your next referral source meeting? Are you excited, or are you dreading it?
You won't develop referral source relationships if you don't enjoy the process. You're a lawyer, and one thing I've learned about lawyers is that they won't do anything they don't want to do.
You've got to have fun building referral source relationships, or you're going to put them on the back burner. That's a fact I've learned to accept. If you aren't having fun, you're going to find a way to skip out on this essential part of building your practice.
1. Like Them or Ditch Them
Don't get involved with referral sources you don't like. When you meet a contact for the first time, make a decision. If you don't like your contact, then scratch him or her from the list. Cut the meeting short and go back to work. Only keep people you like on the list. If you can't get jazzed about seeing a person again, leave him or her for someone else to cultivate.
2. Find an Activity in Common
As you get to know your contact, listen for activities you have in common. As soon as you find something you both enjoy, get off the coffee/lunch train and do the activity. Take your contact to a baseball game, play golf, bowl, or enjoy the ballet together. You already enjoy the activity — now you're sharing it with your new friend. As a bonus, most activities are better for your waistline than eating and drinking.
3. Bring Them Home For Dinner
Dinner at your house is more fun than a business lunch. You'll all relax, have some wine, and get to know your spouses, significant others, and possibly children. A home visit takes your relationship to the next level and gives you both insight into the other person's life. Of course, dinner at your house leads to dinner at your contact's house. The relationship becomes closer and closer.
4. Learn From Them
Figure out what your referral sources know — their expertise. Ask for help and advice. Get engaged in the subject matter of their expertise. Is he a motorcycle restoration expert? Do you have some interest? Ask to help so you can see how that vintage Harley works firsthand. Does she speak Spanish? Would you like some help learning conversational aspects of the language? Ask.
5. Help Them in Business
Don't miss a chance to help your contacts with their business. Refer business to them, but go further and do more. Offer your vendors if they might be of assistance. Look for products they might find useful. Keep their needs top of mind as you move through the day, and you'll find ways you can help. Helping others feels good.
6. Ask for Advice
Ask for advice and you'll receive some good ideas and, better yet, foster a positive feeling in your referral source. Everyone likes being asked for and giving advice. It makes us feel special, and we get that same good feeling you get from helping others.
7. Be a Friend
Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. When your referral source encounters a problem, make yourself available to help. It might be covering childcare when a medical problem arises. It could be transportation for a child when a schedule conflict pops up or helping out at an event your contact is hosting. Be there when the need surfaces, and you'll cement the relationship.
8. Shop for Them
Keep your referral sources top of mind when you're out and about. Buy them a gift while you're visiting an exotic vacation destination. Pick up a pie for them while you're at the farmers' market. If you truly know your referral sources, you'll know when you've stumbled across the perfect gift. It feels better to give than to receive, right?
9. Friend Them
Be sure to friend or follow your referral sources on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Plaxo. Talk to them about any other networks they're involved in and join them. Share your interests and life via the Internet. Post pictures on Facebook, post business developments on LinkedIn, and tweet to your heart's content on Twitter.
Conclusion
These nine actions can have unexpected results. The next thing you know, you're having fun with your referral sources. Your relationship becomes economically beneficial and enhances your life. Don't hold back with your referral sources. Go all the way and you'll build a practice that supports you financially and emotionally for years.
Written by Lee Rosen of Divorce Discourse.
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.
By Eliza Sarasohn | Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a task management program (see article below), new practice management software for small firms, two new eDiscovery management applications, and court docketing software. Don't miss the next issue.
The Wizard of Workflow
No matter your preferred working style, you probably rely on some type of task management strategy. From old-fashioned pen-and-paper lists to modern iPhone apps, task management systems remain a perennial imperative for lawyers. Over the years, you've probably sampled several programs and scrutinized this newsletter hoping to find a task management talisman to whip your workflow into shape. Do you believe in magic?
TaskMerlin 3.1 … in One Sentence
Interfathom's TaskMerlin 3.1 is project management application.
The Killer Feature
Do you ever wish your task management software was as flexible as those etherial gymnasts in Cirque du Soleil shows? Unlike some project management tools that lock you into a fixed format, TaskMerlin 3.1 adapts to your organizational style, enabling you to customize the software as you see fit.
You can use it to manage and schedule simple projects that you perform on your own as well as as complex, long-term ongoing projects involving large teams comprised of colleagues and clients. Among the customization options, you can configure columns, create task filters, create task types, and change the look and feel of the home screen.
Other Notable Features
TaskMerlin 3.1 supports David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) task management system. Devotees of the organizational guru's workflow method can use the TaskMerlin inbox as a filter to sort tasks in accordance with GTD principals.
Interfathom designed TaskMerlin 3.1 with an eye for efficiency, speed, and ease of use, enabling you to drag-and-drop tasks into project folders, edit multiple tasks at once, create or complete tasks with a single click, and modify tasks without opening additional windows or navigating drop-down menus. Version 3.1 adds an Outlook-style calendar and customizable toolbars.
What Else Should You Know?
TaskMerlin 3.1 runs on most versions of Windows. You can try it for free, and choose from two editions if you buy it — Personal ($49) or Professional ($99). The latter offers multiuser functions. Learn more about TaskMerlin.
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.
By Yvonne Renfrew | Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Originally published on August 16, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
The FCC defines Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as "a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line." I define it as a way for small law firms like ours to reduce our telephone costs. In this issue of
SmallLaw, I'll tell you everything you need to know about making the switch to VoIP.
GETTING UP AND RUNNING
I use multiple flavors of VoIP, but let's speak in terms of some of the more standard services such as
Vonage, which you may find less daunting for your initial entry into the world of VoIP.
Think of Vonage as a replacement for your "regular" phone company. You sign up with Vonage (while leaving some overlap with your regular old phone service — often referred to as POTS for "Plain Old Telephone Service") just to be on the safe side until everything is up and running well.
Vonage will give you a new number, which can be either a regular or "toll free" number. However, you can transfer your existing telephone number to Vonage. It may take a few days to accomplish, but from a practical standpoint you can make it appear to work immediately by "forwarding" calls to your temporarily-still-in-existence POTS line to your new Vonage number until the change-over is complete. Note also that there are cheaper and perhaps more satisfactory alternatives to obtaining an 800 number from Vonage that you can use while still using Vonage as your carrier.
Vonage will provide you with a small adapter (perhaps the size of two cigarette packages, if any of you remember those) that you plug into your Internet modem or switch. This equipment must remain on all the time for your phones to work, but individual computers on your network may be turned off. Also, most standard VoIP services (such as Vonage) provide voicemail so you can receive message in the event your Internet modem is inadvertently (or even intentionally) disconnected.
VOICE, FAX, AND COSTS
Once you have connected the adapter provided to you by Vonage to your Internet connection, you can plug any old phone or phone system into that adapter, just as you would previously have plugged such a phone or phone system into your POTS line. You could (but almost certainly should not) use an old fashioned regular "desk phone," which you could use only that one single location. More likely, you will want to plug into the adapter the "base" unit of a multiple handset phone system (the very same kind you would install in your home or small office if you wanted a multiple handset system, and plugged the "base" unit into a POTS line).
You then proceed precisely as if the base unit were plugged into a POTS line instead of into a VoIP line. If the telephone system you plug in would require you to go through some routine for the handsets to locate and recognize the base unit if plugged in to a POTS line, you do exactly the same if the base unit is plugged into a VoIP line.
Vonage will also supply you also with a fax line. Frankly, you would probably have reasonable success using a Vonage voice line for faxing, but Vonage says their lines intended especially for "faxing" are far better and more reliable for that purpose. With some Vonage plans, a fax line is a "free" included extra. With other plans, it costs an extra $10 or so per month.
VoIP is typically far less expensive that traditional POTS service. The basic monthly fee often covers unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, and Europe — with calls outside those areas at a very low rate. Furthermore, if you want to travel with your small adapter, you can hook it up anywhere in the world and incur no charges beyond your monthly flat fee, and anyone can call you as though you were at home. If you get stuck, you will find that Vonage customer service and support will help you out.
AUTO ATTENDANT AND CALL HANDLING
Once everything is set up as aforesaid, using your telephone is, at least in theory, indistinguishable from using a "regular" telephone. In fact it may be even better. Some VoIP services function like a PBX service. You can set up an auto-attendant to answer, saying "Thanks for calling, press 1 to speak with Joe Lawyer, press 2 for directions to our office," etc.
There are many options for call handling, and these may be adjusted by time of day (business v. off hours), or even by individual Caller ID (send that pesky stalker straight to voice mail, or better yet, give him a message saying the phone has been disconnected and there is no new number). One of the very nice perks is that you can for a modest fee add "virtual numbers" anywhere so that residents there can call you for the same price to them as making a local call, and it will ring on your regular VoIP number. Good for Mom residing back East, or for distant business contacts for whom you would like to create the feel of a presence in their locale.
VOIP ISN'T PERFECT PLUS A FEW CAVEATS
You can experience variances in quality, dropped calls, etc., but such problems no longer occur as frequently as in the early days. They are not so significant as to prevent many businesses from exclusively using VoIP. However, VoIP is put completely out by the very rare Internet outage. Most VoIP services (including Vonage) however, will obtain from you an alternate number (e.g. cell phone) to use in the event of such an outage.
All in all, a VoIP system is pretty easy to get up and running, and once you have done so, the user experience is pretty indistinguishable from POTS (although you should bear in mind that some of the other services dependent upon the use of computers directly, rather than just a connection to the Internet — e.g.
Skype — are quite different from what is discussed above.
I use Skype, and have heard good things about the usefulness of
magicJack. But I would not consider using either as my primary business telephone service provider. You need to give consideration to your professional image and to the impression created in the minds of potential and existing clients, as well as other counsel and court personnel, when they attempt to communicate with you by telephone.
WHAT'S NEXT?
You will soon be able to (and to some extent and in some circumstances with some carriers already can) use VoIP services to carry on conversations over your cell phone. The upshot is that you can use the data capabilities from your cell provider for your calls, instead of using up (and paying for) cell voice minutes. Alas, having seen the future, many carriers have begun putting an end to unlimited data plans.
Written by Yvonne M. Renfrew.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Juries and judges render their decisions primarily based on what they see and hear. As a litigator, it's your job to make sure they see and hear what you want them to see and hear. Trial presentation software can help with this essential task. In this TechnoFeature, trial presentation consultant Timothy Piganelli reviews TrialDirector 6, the new version of inData's popular trial presentation software. In Tim's review, you'll learn about all the new features, how well they work, and whether or not your firm should purchase TrialDirector 6.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Monday, August 23, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 90 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
Microsoft's Legal Cloud Computing Strategy
Review iPhone 4 and AbacusLaw
Why the 40 Hour Work Week Is a Non Starter
Why Facebook Places matters to Your Law Practice
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.
By Neil Squillante | Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new tablet computer with two screens (see article below), a fireproof and waterproof external hard drive, an Outlook plug-in, an email archiving and monitoring tool, and an iOS text editor. Don't miss the next issue.
The Next Small Thing in Tablets
Two is often better than one. It takes two to kiss. The two car garage has practically become a birthright. Many lawyers love having a partner and could not imagine practicing solo. TechnoLawyer subscribers have waxed poetic about two monitors. And many of the latest smartphones have two cameras. What next for duality? Toshiba claims to have the answer.
Libretto W100 … in One Sentence
Released this week, Toshiba's Libretto W100 is a Windows 7 tablet with two screens.
The Killer Feature
What's the use case for two screens on a tablet? The same as for dual monitors — write a document while monitoring email, watch a movie in a hotel room while monitoring your nannycam, etc.
The Libretto's two screens measure 7 inches diagonally and close against each other in clamshell fashion. Both screens offer a 1024x600 pixel resolution and feature multitouch technology and a virtual keyboard. An accompanying virtual trackpad enables you to move and position the cursor. The screens toggle between landscape and portrait depending on how you hold the Libretto.
Other Notable Features
The Libretto W100 weighs 1.8 pounds. You'll find an array of wireless technologies, including 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. It also includes a Webcam, USB port, and memory card reader. It comes equipped with a 62 GB solid state drive for storage and 2 GB of RAM.
What Else Should You Know?
The Libretto W100 is powered by a Pentium U5400 processor and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. Toshiba has not released specifications for the removable battery yet. Pricing starts at $1,099. Learn more about the Libretto W100.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Coming today to TechnoFeature: When you walk into a car dealership, the car that catches your fancy may seem like a good deal. But then the salesperson starts talking about all the extras you can add, many of which sound compelling. Before you know it, the price has ballooned. Fortunately, you can customize your shiny new copy of Microsoft Word 2010 without spending a dime. In this TechnoFeature article, Microsoft Word expert and trainer Jan Berinstein offers ten customization tips guaranteed to boost productivity in your law firm. Ranging from fonts to quick parts to styles to toolbars to the ribbon and more, Jan will have you driving your copy of Word 2010 in the fast lane.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 94 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
The Ultimate Guide to Gmail (PDF)
Eversheds Eschews BlackBerry in Favor of iPad
The BigLaw Bucket List
Brace Yourself for Social Media Marketing Backlash
This issue also contains links to every article in the August 2010 issue of Law Practice Today. 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.
