By Neil Squillante | Monday, June 29, 2009
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 51 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
New Acrobat Training Movies: Search, Touchup Text, and More
Change and Reinvention Are Altering the Legal Profession
Legal Marketing Blawg Update on Email Marketing
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 | Thursday, June 25, 2009
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers PDF software (see article below), an ergonomic office chair, intranet and collaboration software, an outsourced help desk service, and a time and expense tracking app for BlackBerrys. Don't miss the next issue.
Recession-Friendly PDF Software
Some lawyers wonder in bemusement when they run across fellow lawyers who cannot create PDF files. These lawyers invariably work in smaller firms. Contemplating one or two copies of Adobe Acrobat Professional at $350 each is no big deal, but multiply it by 10, 100, or 1,000 times even after accounting for volume discounts and you're talking some serious money. But ultimately, these critics are correct because many less expensive alternatives exist and the PDF format has essentially become a standard for document exchange among lawyers.
NitroPDF Professional 6.0 … in One Sentence
NitroPDF Professional 6 is an Adobe Acrobat Professional alternative at a lower price point.
The Killer Feature
Lawyers love complaining about working in a "sweat shop" and their lack of a work/life balance. Of course, people who work in real sweat shops would think they had died and gone to heaven if they could trade places with a typical "overworked" lawyer.
But there is a grain of truth in the term "sweat shop" since law firms are essentially document factories. As a result, many law firms use document management systems.
Recognizing this fact, the new version of NitroPDF Professional now integrates with Hummingbird, Documentum, and SharePoint. It also comes equipped with new deployment tools for centrally installing and configuring it throughout your firm.
Other Notable Features
Other new features include a 50% speed boost for PDF creation and batch processing, support for the PDF/A format, higher-quality conversions, and interface improvements.
You can use NitroPDF Professional to review documents thanks to markup tools such as commenting, highlighting, crossing out, replacing text, and more. Other legal-friendly features include Bates stamping, form creation and submission, the ability to shrink the size of PDF files, and automatic creation of bookmarks based on document formatting and headings.
NitroPDF Professional offers 128-bit security with the usual restrictions on alterations, copies, printing, etc. It also supports digital signatures.
What Else Should You Know?
NitroPDF Professional costs $99 for a single-user license. You'll pay less beginning at 11 licenses thanks to the corporate purchasing program. NitroPDF Professional runs on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, including 64-bit versions. Learn more about NitroPDF Professional 6.0.
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 | Thursday, June 25, 2009
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Kenneth G. Miller reviews using Amicus Attorney on his iPhone, Channing Strother shares his latest struggles with Nuance software and support, Lee D. Cumbie shares some Bates stamping shortcuts, Julian Garcia explains how to switch word processors, and Wandal Winn reviews magicJack. Don't miss this issue.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Need to create your own forms? Microsoft Word expert Carol Bratt has written a clear and concise Microsoft Word tutorial that will have you creating fill-in forms in no time flat. This tutorial unravels the mystery behind merging cells, and creating drop-down boxes, text boxes, check box field forms, spacing, borders, and even form security. This particular tutorial explains how to create a round trip form that your clients receive via email and return to you complete with data.
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 Neil Squillante | Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a PDF conversion program (see article below), knowledge management software, a Web browser, an online billing application for corporate legal departments, and a task manager for iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.
King of All Documents
The PDF format reigns as the king of document sharing, but Microsoft Word has a lock on document creation. Because Adobe and Microsoft get along about as well as Oliver and Barbara did in "War of the Roses," don't expect them to work together anytime soon. You need to find another way to bridge these two formats not to mention other document formats you may encounter such as WordPerfect.
PDF Transformer 3.0 … in One Sentence
ABBYY's PDF Transformer 3.0 creates PDF files from Microsoft Office and other applications, and also converts PDF files into Microsoft Office and other document formats.
The Killer Feature
The more things change, the more they stay the same — albeit with a few new twists. ABBYY made its name with its OCR software, which can convert scanned paper documents into editable Word and Excel files with the original layout preserved.
Nowadays, lawyers are just as likely to receive a PDF file as a paper document. Maybe more likely. While you can search PDF files and make small changes, you cannot engage in significant editing.
The new version of PDF Transformer doesn't just convert PDF files into an editable Word or Excel file, but it retains all the formatting as well thanks to ABBYY's Adaptive Document Recognition Technology, which it initially developed for its OCR software. This technology preserves footnotes, tables, fonts, headers, footers, page numbers, and more.
Other Notable Features
PDF Transformer now features batch processing for converting multiple PDF files simultaneously. On the flip side, PDF Transformer also features new tools for managing PDF files. For example, you can combine multiple PDF files into one PDF file, and add PDF files to an existing PDF file.
Litigators will welcome the new redaction, stamping, and Bates stamping tools. As an added bonus, if you convert a PDF file with redactions into Word format, PDF Transformer omits the redacted information from the Word file. Thus, you can create a clean PDF file by redacting, converting to Word, and then converting back to PDF.
Other new features include support for the latest document formats such as DOCX and PDF/A, a customizable interface, improved tools for navigating long PDF files, improved compression for creating smaller PDF files, and support for 184 languages.
What Else Should You Know?
As always, PDF Transformer adds a Create PDF button to Microsoft Office and a Print to PDF function to all other applications. It requires Windows XP, Vista, or Server 2003/2008. It costs $49.99 with volume licenses available. Learn more about PDF Transformer 3.0.
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 | Friday, May 29, 2009
Coming today to Fat Friday: Douglas Simpson offers advice on phone systems for law firms, Lincoln Miller takes Ross Kodner to task again for his SmallLaw column promoting netbooks, Robert Rice reviews IBM's Omnifind Yahoo! Edition, Tom Trottier discusses fire resistant safes and CDs/DVDs, and Carolyn Elefant responds to Ross' SmallLaw article on BigSolos. Don't miss this issue.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Thursday, May 28, 2009
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Miriam Jacobson shares her firm's paperless office secrets, Joanne Frasca reviews ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4, Douglas Folk reviews Trend Micro's OfficeScan, Ronald Cappuccio reviews Phoneslips, and Kathleen Hunt reviews Timeslips Remote. Don't miss this issue.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Thursday, May 21, 2009
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Bill Baldwin compares Copernic Desktop Search to Windows Search and Google Desktop, Maxine Aaronson reviews MozyPro, and Andrew Feldstein shares some tips for pasting unformatted text in Word.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 15, 2009
Coming today to Fat Friday: Bob Walsh explains the importance of filing email by case plus he reviews FileCenter and MozyPro, Elaine Dowling describes her backup routine and how it has improved her practice, former large firm lawyer Robert Brouillette offers advice to other "large firm refugees" going out on their own, Edward Zohn reviews Western Digital enterprise-grade hard drives, and Tom Trottier shares his take on the world's first laptop. Don't miss this issue.
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.
By Sara Skiff | Thursday, May 14, 2009
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Erin Baldwin reviews Stamps.com, Richard Keyt calls for an end to the Word/WordPerfect debate and suggests more productive topics of discussion, Paul Purdue explains discusses Tabs3 for time-billing, Stephen Seldin reviews CrossEyes for revealing formatting code in Word, and Perry Bulwer reviews the Samsung SyncMaster 226BW 22' monitor and WinTV. Don't miss this issue.
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.
