By Sara Skiff | Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Intervals, Wrike, and OnStage — Special Online Project Management Issue
By Neil J. Squillante
Choosing an online project management system is a lot like getting married. Realizing you made a terrible mistake carries a great cost. And unlike marriage, project management systems don't offer the safety net of a prenup.
While the companies behind these services may promise that you can extract your data, you'll probably need to hire someone to use what you extract. In other words, choose your project management system even more carefully than you choose your spouse.
Previously in this newsletter, we covered the two heavyweights in this nascent category — Basecamp (see What's a Matter? in the 02-09-05 issue) and CentralDesktop (see Report to Desktop Central in the 09-18-06 issue).
Today, we cover three new contenders — Intervals, OnStage, and Wrike. What do they have that their predecessors lack? Find out in this special edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire.
INTERVALS: MEDIUM WEIGHT ONLINE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Intervals attempts to fill a void between lightweight project management applications that don't contain any analytical tools and complex applications that use Gantt charts and the like. With Intervals, you can enter predictions for the time and cost of a project, track both of these metrics, and then analyze how well your predictions fared when you complete the project.
Of importance to lawyers, the time tracking tool features timers, weekly timesheet submissions and approvals, reminders (nags) for those who do not submit their timesheets, and reports that present information in charts. You can also use Intervals to create and track bills. Intervals can even email clients automatically about overdue bills.
Intervals can track your tasks in addition to your time. You can receive email alerts every day listing what's due. If you assign tasks to someone else, you can receive an email alert when a status changes.
Most projects at law firms involve documents. Intervals offers document storage and sharing within projects. You can even associate a document with a task. Intervals supports versioning for revisions of the same document. You can share other file types as well such as photos and videos.
Intervals provides a number of useful reports that you can export in .csv format. For example, you can compare billable versus unbillable time, analyze employee productivity, compare actual hours billed versus your goals, and more.
Intervals offers four different plans that range in price from $20 to $175 per month. The difference among the plans concerns the number of projects and the amount of storage space — plus the two higher-priced plans offer encryption. A free plan also exists that limits you to one project and provides no storage space. Learn more about Intervals.
WRIKE: EMAIL'S LITTLE HELPER
According to Wrike, the world revolves around email. So rather than try to teach old dogs (you) new tricks, it has created an online project management system that integrates with plain old email.
For example, to create a task, you don't have to login. Instead, you can email Wrike directly or if you're assigning the task to someone you can email that person and cc Wrike. Wrike automatically creates a task. If you include a due date in your email message, Wrike can send a reminder to the person responsible for the task as the deadline approaches. At any time, you can log into your Wrike dashboard to see and manage all tasks.
In addition to creating tasks, Wrike transforms email messages about a topic into a Gantt timeline. It also stores your email messages so that you can easily find and search them. Wrike's "Flexible Structures" doesn't force you into the project paradigm. While you can group tasks by project, you can also group them by people, process, or any other system of your choosing — and you can apply multiple types.
Within Wrike itself, you can track time, share files, engage in threaded discussions, and view reports. The reports enable you to drill down to specific data points like a time entry.
Wrike works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari and includes free email support. Wrike costs $3.99 per user per month if you commit to the annual plan. The monthly plan costs $4.99 per user per month. Learn more about Wrike.
ONSTAGE: IT'S THE CALENDAR, STUPID
Chmura believes that project management requires a shared calendar. As a result, its OnStage online project management offering features a calendar at its heart. On the main calendar, you can create and view events, milestones, and tasks for all projects. When you enter a project, you see only the items related to that project.
In addition to the calendar, OnStage offers two other ways to view information — dashboards and reports. And within a project, you can share files, exchange messages, and create and manage contacts and tasks. File sharing includes versioning. You can assign tasks and create email alerts when the status changes. You receive messages via email, but they also remain in OnStage grouped in threads and fully searchable.
OnStage works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. The five different plans range in price from $10 to $135 per month. All of them provide SSL encryption so they differ only with regard to the number of projects and storage. A free ad-supported plan provides as many projects (20) and storage (750 MB) as the $20/month plan. Learn more about OnStage.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that briefly discusses and provides links to three hot new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 2, 2008
Coming May 9, 2008 to Fat Friday:
Verizon XV6700/6800/6900 Review; ActiveWords Review; A Modest CLE Proposal; Biglaw Salaries; Office 2007 Correction
By Debra Bruce, Christel Burris, Michael Caldwell, Wesley Y.S. Chang, & Stephen Seldin
In this issue of Fat Friday, Debra Bruce reviews the Verizon XV6700 Pocket PC (and we comment on its successors), Wesley Y.S. Chang reviews ActiveWords and explains how he uses it in his practice, Stephen Seldin discusses how the Internet has affected CLE and how a different pricing structure could help, Christel Burris discusses the method behind the madness of Microsoft's various Office 2007 suites, and Michael Caldwell responds to the continuing discussion about biglaw associate salaries.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 2, 2008
Coming May 8, 2008 to Answers to Questions:
ScanSnap S510 Review; Workers Compensation Case Management; Loislaw Review; Amicus Small Firm and Accounting Reviews; Backpack Review; Email Archiving
By David Adamski, Ed Detlie, Thomas Hutto, Harry Steinmetz, & Edward Zohn
In this issue of Answers to Questions, Ed Detlie suggests a few case management software options for a workers compensation practice plus he reviews the ScanSnap s510, David Adamski reviews Loislaw for legal research and comments on adhesion contracts, Edward Zohn explains how his firm archives its Exchange/Outlook-based email, Harry Steinmetz reviews Amicus Attorney Small Firm Edition and Amicus Accounting, and Thomas Hutto reviews Backpack and Google calendar for shared calendaring.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 25, 2008
Coming May 2, 2008 to Fat Friday:
Carbonite and WinZip Review; Hiring Small Firms; Open WP Documents in Word; Wrike Review; Treo 680 and Agendus Review
By David Giuffrida, Ido Ilan, David Long, Thomas Parker, & Hugh Roberts
In this issue of Fat Friday, David Giuffrida reviews Carbonite in conjunction with WinZip Pro for comprehensive online backup, Thomas Parker discusses where small firms fit in a general counsel's outside counsel strategy, David Long suggests a more accurate way to open WordPerfect documents in Word, Hugh Roberts reviews Wrike for email-related task management, and Ido Ilan reviews his Treo 680 and Agendus.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 18, 2008
Coming April 24, 2008 to Answers to Questions:
OpenOffice, Firefox, and Linux; Deleting Data; Passwords Plus Review; PracticeMaster Review; Wayback Machine
By Craig S. Clark, Daniel Fennick, Brad Jensen, Mark Manoukian, & Theo Yates
In this issue of Answers to Questions, Mark Manoukian discusses the benefits of open source software (and how you might use it every day and not know), Brad Jensen explores whether reformatting your hard drive provides enough protection from snoops, Craig S. Clark reviews Passwords Plus as well as the Treo 700wx, Daniel Fennick reviews his experience using PracticeMaster and Tabs3 together, and Theo Yates reviews PDF995 PDF converter plus the Wayback Machine.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 18, 2008
Coming April 25, 2008 to Fat Friday:
Treo 755p Review; Relevant CLE; Tiddlywiki Review; MozyPro Review; Airtouch Desk
By Elaine Dowling, Richard Hackerd, Meredith Hamilton, Brian Sherwood Jones, & John Starkweather
In this issue of Fat Friday, Richard Hackerd reviews his Treo 755p and its syncing abilities with Amicus Attorney, Elaine Dowling shares her thoughts on finding relevant CLE courses, Brian Sherwood Jones reviews Tiddlywiki for personal task and information management, Meredith Hamilton reviews EMC's online backup solution MozyPro, and John Starkweather points to an innovative computer desk option from Steelcase.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new business productivity suite with legal-specific features (see article below), a plug-in for Gmail and Google Apps email, and the world's most advanced keyboard. Don't miss the next issue.
Fabled Word Processor Meets PDF, Falls in Love
By Neil J. Squillante
Traditionally, the software industry presented law firms with a dilemma — single-task best-of-breed programs or easier to manage but lower quality all-in-one programs. And then came the suite, which offers best-in-class programs designed to work together.
Corel's new suite, Corel WordPerfect Office X4, seeks to take the suite where it has never ventured before with new features and programs that eliminate the need to purchase standalone programs from other companies.
At the heart of the new suite lies WordPerfect X4, which features a robust set of PDF tools. You can create, import, edit, and archive PDF files (including PDF/A). WordPerfect integrates with most scanners and now has its own OCR engine so you can convert scanned PDFs into editable text to save as WordPerfect, PDF, or Microsoft Word formats.
WordPerfect can handle just about any document format, including Microsoft Word 2007. You can also convert between formats. If you have become accustomed to Microsoft Office, you can make all of WordPerfect's keystrokes and menus mirror those of Word.
WordPerfect X4 also eliminates the need for tools for redaction, metadata, and legal utilities as it includes these functions. You can redact documents in any supported format, including Microsoft Word and PDF. You can save documents without any metadata. The Legal Toolbar enables you to create tables of authorities and tables of contents, and the Pleading Filler creates pleadings that will satisfy any court. Corporate lawyers will find redlining tools as well as the ability to publish to EDGAR.
This being a suite, Corel also includes a number of other programs, including some that are new. For example, WordPerfect Lightning is a "Web-connected digital notebook" in which you can capture your ideas and other information (text and images) as well as quickly view files in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, or PDF format. It also includes Snapshot Tool for taking screenshots, The Navigator for organizing and sharing the information you collect, and The Connector for online contact management and calendaring.
If these and Corel's other new additions to the suite aren't enough, WordPerfect Office X4 also provides many customization options. For example, you can use PerfectScript or Microsoft Visual Basic to create macros and run scripts. In addition, Corel can work with your firm to customize WordPerfect X4 and the other components of the suite for your specific needs.
Corel WordPerfect Office X4 sells for $299. Users of previous versions can upgrade for $159. Learn more about Corel WordPerfect Office X4.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that briefly discusses and provides links to three hot new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 11, 2008
Coming April 17, 2008 to Answers to Questions:
Dual Monitors With a Laptop; Fax Security; Duplicates and Near Duplicates; Amicus Accounting Versus QuickBooks; AirSet Review
By W. David Case, Aaron Craft, David Hudgens, Francis Jackson, & Leslie Shear
In this issue of Answers to Questions, David Hudgens explains how to use dual monitors with a laptop and discusses whether a bigger monitor trumps dual monitors, Leslie Shear discusses fax-to-email security, Francis Jackson shares his thoughts on de-duplication technology (or the lack thereof) and a promising vendor entering this arena, Aaron Craft reviews Amicus Attorney Small Firm Edition, Amicus Accounting, and QuickBooks, and W. David Case reviews AirSet for online calendaring.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, April 11, 2008
Coming April 18, 2008 to Fat Friday:
Are Word Processors Too Complex?; Laplink's PCmover Review; Remote Access Speeds; Treo 700p Review; Mobile Internet Tip; Much More
By James Atkins, David Estes, Barron Henley, Kerry Hubick, & Roger Jones
In this issue of Fat Friday, Barron Henley clarifies some misconceptions about lawyers and word processors, Kerry Hubick reviews Laplink's PCmover for migrating files from an old computer to a new one, James Atkins shares how he improved his remote access speeds when working at home, Roger Jones discusses the many benefits of left-hand mousing, and David Estes reviews the Treo 700p.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 28, 2008
Coming April 4, 2008 to Fat Friday:
Email Is Great? You Gotta Be Kidding; Treo 680 Review; Office 2007; Yellow Pages Advertising; Switch Mouser
By Brent Blanchard, Carol Bratt, Harold Burstyn, Jim Calloway, & David Sergi
In this issue of Fat Friday, Jim Calloway takes Publisher Neil Squillante to task for his recent essay Why Email Kicks More Butt Than Ever (and Neil responds), Brent Blanchard reviews Palm Treo 680, Carol Bratt corrects a few misconceptions about Microsoft Office 2007 and reviews this new version, David Sergi explains why his law firm still advertises in the Yellow Pages, and Harold Burstyn responds to a Post about ambidextrous mousing and shares what works for him.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 28, 2008
Coming April 3, 2008 to Answers to Questions:
Clipping Web Pages; GFI Faxmaker Review; Monitor Tips; Adhesion Contracts; Word and Excel Training Books
By Steven Brower, Christel Burris, Barbara Durkin, Terry Mazura, & James Sayre
In this issue of Answers to Questions, James Sayre discusses various ways to save Web pages for future use (plus a tip of our own), Christel Burris reviews GFI Faxmaker for Exchange, Terry Mazura provides helpful advice for those who want to use two computers with one monitor (and one keyboard, one mouse, etc.), Steven Brower shares his thoughts on adhesion contracts, and law student Barbara Durkin reviews Payne Consulting's books Word 2003 for Law Firms and Excel for Law Firms.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. You can subscribe here.
By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Congratulations to Mimosa Systems — its TechnoRelease on March 12, 2008 sparked the most interest among TechnoLawyer members for the period March 3-16, 2008. The copy from this TechnoRelease appears below:
FREE PAPERBACK BOOK: EMAIL ARCHIVING FOR DUMMIES
By Mitzi Sandman, Mimosa Systems
Last week, TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante wrote:
"Whether regulated or not, most companies nowadays want the ability to store and search their email."
Laura Dubois, IDC's Research Director of Storage Software, agrees. In her Forward in the new book, Email Archiving for Dummies, she writes:
"The phenomenal growth of email archiving applications is driven by electronic discovery, ... regulatory compliance, and the overall need for storage and email application performance optimization."
With more than 125 million Dummies books in print, we figured Wiley Publishing already had enough of your money so we propose sending you a copy at no cost — while supplies last.
ORDER YOUR FREE COPY OF EMAIL ARCHIVING FOR DUMMIES ...
Written by email archiving and electronic discovery experts Bob Spurzem and Bill Tolson, this new title in the popular Dummies series covers everything you need to know to start archiving your email or advising your corporate clients on their email retention initiatives.
For example, you'll find:
• Tips on how to create retention policies that take into account mundane daily needs as well as legal holds and discovery requests.
• A discussion of the intersection of email arching and electronic discovery — in particular, "legal holds," the latest buzzword to confront litigators.
• An overview of the major regulations governing email, including the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, Federal Acquisitions Regulations, Freedom of Information Act, and more.
• Ten questions to ask yourself before taking the plunge, and ten benefits of email archiving.
• An explanation of how the various email archiving technologies work, and how best to configure your email server, including Microsoft Exchange.
Please order your free copy of Email Archiving For Dummies today.
Please point your colleagues and clients to the above link as well — or just share your copy. Enjoy with our compliments.
Sincerely,
Mitzi Sandman
Mimosa Systems
LandingPage Interactive, an online ad agency owned by the same company that operates TechnoLawyer, created this TechnoRelease for Mimosa Systems.
About TechnoRelease
TechnoRelease is a newsletter in which legal vendors tell an ongoing story about their products and services. Every two weeks, we place the most popular TechnoRelease as measured by click-throughs here in TechnoLawyer Blog at no additional charge. Learn more about TechnoReleases and our other marketing opportunities.
By Mazyar Hedayat | Monday, March 24, 2008
Presenters: Tom Mighell & Friends
Saturday, March 15 at 11:00 am
In addition to being a perennial favorite among both attendees and speakers, this TechShow staple is a great opportunity for the crowd to let its collective hair down and enjoy an often irreverent, free-form look at the Internet for lawyers.
This year was no exception as TechShow chairman Tom Mighell and colleagues took to the dais and led us all a journey of self-discovery and good fun. Of course your humble reporter was bushed by then so I just sat back and enjoyed the show.
Of the 60 sites, below you'll find my favorite 8 in no particular order plus 2 that I would have included:
1. More Partner Income
This site is largely acknowledged to be where the rubber meets the road in terms of law as a business and business as a way of life.
2. Yahoo! Mobile WiFi
Find WiFi hotspots nearby. If like me you want to be connected constantly, keep this site on your radar.
3. Acrobat for Legal Professionals
Rick Borstein's blog about all things Acrobat for the law office is a must-read.
4. Planet PDF
When just one know-it-all site isn't enough, turn to this bulletin board forum where you might find for instance that you're not the only one who thought the "tab" button on your keyboard would order you a soda ... or who had a particular PDF question. Same difference.
5. TechnoLawyer
I think it's a great resource. No bias here. Plus they get some incredible writers to contribute ...
6. Dodgeball
Dodgeball was among the poster-children of the early Web 2.0 movement. The speakers agreed this site is great for reaching people with text messages when they get near a given location.
7. Lifehacker
This site is just what you would guess: a remedy for what ails you. It also represents the pinnacle of "giving it away" when it comes to really useful information. Try to find something software-related that it doesn't address.
8. Google (including Google Docs, Google Calendar, Gmail, Goog411, etc., etc., etc.)
There is absolutely nothing I can add here that hasn't been written to death ... except maybe this:
• Nearly every aspect of the Google Office Suite is in the throes of being upgraded and improved on a constant basis.
• When I remember how Google Docs drew "oohs" and "aahs" at last year's TechShow it blows my mind to hear it tossed out in such a matter of fact manner as a viable office suite. What's the world coming to?
Not mentioned but worthy of a bookmark:
9. Skype
Need to make a call where there isn't any phone service? Skype plus your wireless modem is the answer. Case closed.
10. Twitter
Twitter asks that you answer the question "What are you doing?" Respond in 140 characters or less and you're twittering. Join thousands around the world doing the same or keep the conversation private. It's a combination SMS system, social network, and cultural phenomenon.
Update: ABA has published the official version of 2008's 60 Sites in 60 Minutes.
Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.
About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.
By Mazyar Hedayat | Monday, March 24, 2008
Microsoft Office Extenders (Cheapskate's Delight)
Who says my Best of Show picks need to be edgy and sexy? Consider
Legal Bar, an add-on for Microsoft Word and Outlook from BEC Legal Systems.
Legal Bar occupies a thimble of space on your hard drive, but does something every lawyer can appreciate — it puts a law-centric faceplate on two of the most ubiquitous programs in the office.
But rather than wasting space here talking about all the features you can read about at the company's Web site, let me just point out that while watching a demo I must have thought to myself "I should have thought of that" or "I've wanted to do that for years" about a dozen times. And since Legal Bar costs about $160, I'm out of reasons not to incorporate it into my practice.
Overall, Legal Bar represents a clever concept executed well and priced right. It's win-win. Legal Bar works with Office 2003 and Office 2007.
Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.
About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.
By Mazyar Hedayat | Friday, March 21, 2008
Presenters: Carolyn Elefant and David Masters
Friday, March 14 at 8:30 am
A small firm or solo attorney could hardly ask for more. Before me, on the second day of what was already shaping up to be the most interesting TechShow in years, sat a pair of legends in solo practice — Carolyn Elefant and David Masters.
They needed no introduction to the standing-room-only crowd that had packed the Hilton meeting room that morning. Nor do they need an introduction to any of us who believe in the Internet as the great leveler. They were here to discuss how to make smart technology decisions as a small firm and solo practice lawyer. They wasted no time setting out the factors to consider:
• Cost
• Mobility
• Ease of Use
• Available Support
• Compatibility
• Security
With these in mind, technology decisions can be narrowed down to:
• Mac v. PC
• Laptops v. Desktops
• Multiple Monitors
• Multifunction Machines
• Handheld Computers
• Software
• Collaboration
• Adobe Acrobat
• Backup Strategies
• Communications Tools
• Email Tools
Mac v. PC
Proponents of the Mac will tell you they are more stable, virtually virus-proof, easy to use, intuitive, and have more third party applications being built for them all the time. PC people on the other hand point out that PC's have a lower overall operating cost, are slightly less expensive to acquire, have far more third party applications available, and simply represent the flagship of business computing. Since neither side has been proven 100% right or wrong yet, the speakers suggested an integration strategy. Since PCs and Macs can coexist on the same network, bi-curious practitioners should mix and match to determine which system works better for them.
[They can also co-exist in the same computer with virtualization software like Parallels and Fusion.]
Laptop v. Desktop
David was quite clear about his preference for a laptop, citing its inherent mobility, fewer moving parts to damage, synchronization with your home office, and the drop in price in recent years. Desktops on the other hand remain the champs when it comes to power, applications, and configuration options. In the end, all that extra RAM and ROM will secure the position of the desktop as ruler of the law office until laptops establish an insurmountable advantage or can't-do-without-it set of features (MacBook Air anyone?).
[While tablet PC's were not discussed, I'd bet money they will be on next year's agenda].
Note: When selecting a laptop, look for
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
• At least 1 GB of RAM
• At least 80 GB Hard Drive
• CD/RW-DVD capability
• At least a 14" screen
Multiple Monitors
Dual monitors were generally acknowledged to increase productivity and therefore ROI. In that regard the UltraMon utility was recommended by David. The point is to situate programs on the various screens (one or two per monitor) and reduce the number of clicks it takes to complete a task or switch between tasks. There was really no dispute from those present.
[Incidentally, the University of Utah just released a study finding that a 24 inch monitor is ideal for maximizing productivity. It did not study dual monitor use. See Ben Worthen, Bigger Computer Monitors = More Productivity, Wall Street Journal.]
Multifunction Machines
The topic of multifunction machines that print, scan, copy, and fax went without much fanfare. Who could object? In fact the very idea of a single-use machine seems archaic nowadays — although David expressed his wistfulness for some fine machines from his past. Added features to keep in mind include 2-sided printing and scanning, as well as faxing both in "hard copy" form and electronically (though electronic faxing is generally done from the desktop via software such as eFax and WinFax).
Handheld Computers
There was much to discuss here, with the debate centering on whether a PDA needs to be bundled with a phone and whether its true purpose is to unify communications, enhance mobility, un-tether users from the office, or act as a low-resolution laptop replacement. At this point an audience member asked whether anything inhabited the space in-between handhelds and laptops. Enter the sub-notebook. Another audience member had one to show. In the end the speakers ticked off a list of suitable units including:
• iPhone
• Palm Treo
• BlackBerry
• Sony
• Motorola Q
Software
Nowadays software is everywhere and nowhere. Lawyers can't work without good software, but often try to make their software do what it can't. Stick to the basics:
Word-Processing
The usual suspects here include Microsoft Word (2003, 2007, etc.) and of course Corel's sentimental favorite WordPerfect product. Less traditional but more interesting alternatives include OpenOffice (now NeoOffice) and Google Docs. There is an abundance of choice in this department.
Digital Dictation
Again, the standards were trotted out here including Dragon NaturallySpeaking and (surprise!) outsourcing in India or even near-sourcing in the U.S. by using a digital dictation and transcription service.
[Last year at TechShow, a company called QuickSek had a booth. This company transcribes overnight or even the same day — you can dictate by phone. No booth this year.]
Practice Management
Amicus Attorney, Time Matters, PracticeMaster, and ProLaw were mentioned by the speakers; and although Outlook 2007 appears to be creeping into the space traditionally occupied by such products, it was specifically not recommended as a practice management solution. The speakers were clear on that.
Time and Billing
In this category Timeslips, Tabs3, and PCLaw were the favorites.
[Again, Outlook was not mentioned although the Journal feature includes a timer. Also missing was new market entrant Bill4Time, a Web application.]
Collaboration
The speakers mixed things up a bit here, beginning with the more traditional concept of the Extranet and proceeding to the more exotic offerings from BaseCamp, Zoho, Google Apps, and the wonderful world of Wikis. It's no coincidence that the ABA just published an entire book on this subject. For the audience at this event however, there was no need to go into any great detail. Any of the suggested solutions was adequate for the needs of a small firm or sole-practitioner.
Adobe Acrobat
David Masters wrote the book on Adobe Acrobat for lawyers. No, really; he wrote The Lawyer's Guide to Adobe Acrobat, now in its second edition. So it was no surprise that David considers Acrobat to be the most efficient document format in the market, as well as the standard for e-filing and scanning. He recommended using a sheet-fed, flatbed scanner for best results.
Backup Strategies
Already the source of much confusion and fear, backing up is essential. With that in mind both Carolyn and David suggested:
• Daily backup is essential — develop the discipline.
• Make sure you're catching relevant files in each backup.
• Make sure you can restore reliably using this system.
• Backup off-site as well as on-site.
Communications Tools
Sure, voice over IP (VoIP) is less expensive than using traditional telephone lines and cell towers, but is it time for a small-firm or sole-practitioner to take the plunge? According to these speakers yes — the time has come. In addition, users now have an unprecedented choice of Internet-based calling, messaging, and communication options including:
• Free Conference Call
• Grand Central
Email Tools
As the price of email technology and storage has plummeted the small-firm and solo attorney has been deluged with the same range of choices as a big-firm practitioner: desk-based, Web-based, POP3, IMAP, Exchange, etc. The point is to use the safest alternative and always get a good spam filtering system.
Conclusion
At the end of presentation the audience gave the speakers a well-deserved ovation. Also, I'm guessing they left better off than they arrived. I know I did. Unfortunately however, I had to be in court by mid-day so this was the end of day two of TechShow for me. Still, if I had to pick only one session to attend this was it.
Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.
About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.
By Sara Skiff | Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an email archiving and disaster recovery solution (see article below), a turnkey hardware/software paperless office system that works with any scanner or MFP, and a new 46 inch plasma TV for movie buffs and gamers alike. Don't miss the next issue.
Hold Everything
By Neil J. Squillante
Have you ever rummaged through a shoe box of old photos trying to decide which ones to have scanned and which ones to discard only to realize making case by case decisions is incredibly slow and inefficient? Chance are you'll just send the entire shoe box off for scanning.
Email archiving is similar. While most email archiving solutions encourage you to develop policies as to what to keep and what to discard, Forensic and Compliance System takes a different approach with its Cryoserver email archiving appliance — keep everything.
As a result, the company claims that Cryoserver is the only solution that has a complete record of all your email and attachments, including metadata. And because Cryoserver consists of a software-hardware combination, the company further claims that your data is collected in a forensically-sound and tamper-proof manner. The need for a litigation hold doesn't exist in a Cryoserver world because you're always holding everything.
When you first install Cryoserver, it can transparently offload email from Microsoft Exchange servers. Because of the volume of data Cryoserver stores, it provides robust tools for finding what you need in seconds for eDiscovery purposes or simply because you mistakenly deleted a message. You can access Cryoserver through your email program or a Web browser, both of which offer a familiar interface to reduce the learning curve.
Cryoserver offers protection against disasters through it's replication technology, which requires one or more Cryoserver appliances in other locations. Also, Cryoserver can scale from just a handful of email accounts at a small firm to more than one hundred thousand accounts at large corporations. Learn more about Cryoserver.
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By Mazyar Hedayat | Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Presenters: Adriana Linares and Catherine Sanders Reach
Thursday, March 13 at 4:15 pm
Every year the LPM Section includes a series of "roundtable" sessions designed for attendees to share real-world experiences with colleagues. However, these roundtable sessions are presided over by speakers with a great deal of experience.
This session featured uber-trainer and TechShow board member Adriana Linares of LawTech Partners and Catherine Sanders Reach of the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center, both of whom shared their insights on one of the most ubiquitous and vexing of all office applications — Outlook.
The discussion/lecture covered Outlook 2003 and 2007 based on a 50/50 show of hands from the audience — meaning presumably that nobody in the audience used an older version than that, or was willing to fess up if they did. In any case I was lucky to be seated up-front because it was a packed house with the speakers and the audience engaged in a rapid-fire exchange. The allotted hour hardly seemed adequate for the number of useful tidbits flying from the speakers or the many questions lobbed from those in attendance. I've tried to capture the highlights of the discussion by topic for the benefit of our readers. Enjoy.
Searching
The principal difference between Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 when it comes to searching is that the latter has search built-in, while the former uses the anemic search utility that comes bundled with Windows. Outlook 2007 even highlights search terms automatically and with a simple right-click can accommodate some of the most common searches such as "related messages" and messages from a particular sender or conversation thread. Popular add-ons for searching in Outlook include:
• Google Desktop
• Copernic Desktop
• X1
• LookOut (Outlook 2003 only)
Another useful practice is to save and re-use effective search strings and put the results into a particular folder, such as "Today's Mail," "Messages from Mom," etc. Using pre-written searches in conjunction with follow up flags, deadlines, tasks, and labels (aka 'tags' by name, event, etc.) will provide the most effective search results.
Backup
When backing up items related to you look for your particular .pst file. You can download a Personal Folder Backup tool at the Outlook Web site that automatically backs up your .pst's. Yet another backup technique involves creating a shortcut to your .pst folders (once you find them 7 levels deep in the file hierarchy) and periodically backing up to that location. The resulting backup folder can be password protected for security and saved to a CD for permanency. The speakers suggest keeping all personal information in such folders, including not just email but calendar items, contacts, tasks, etc. so that you can restore your identity in the event of corruption, destruction, damage, etc.
Archiving
Yet another way to use .pst files is to archive and remove all messages, calendar items, tasks, and contacts related to a closed case. The speakers pointed out that archived files should be saved as searchable PDF documents rather than in native format to ensure longevity. One advantage of using PDF in such situations is that it preserves the attachments as well their host email messages. But be sure to keep it uniform — for example, Outlook 2003 saves archived items as PDF files while Outlook 2007 saves them as more complete (but space-intensive) PDF packages.
Sorting
A truly useful alternative to searching for items is to sort them to a reliable location in the first place. That's where the use of Outlook Rules comes in. Adriana Linares suggests using Rules retroactively as well to gather all like messages, contacts, calendar items, and tasks in a single place. But before you set up a gaggle of rules that could actually counter-act one another, consider this handy scenario proposed by Adriana Linares:
• Add a "To" field in your Inbox to identify items sent directly to you by name as opposed to those sent to a group of which you are a member, a discussion forum, your company, etc.
• Further categorize messages by color-coding or sorting, with only the ones sent directly to you visible up-front (or identified in an eye-catching color).
Simple but effective. Likewise, consider this tip for viewing multiple or like calendar items on the same page: hold down the Control key and select multiple items or dates with your mouse to display your schedule for all of those items on a single page (which you can print, or save as a custom calendar view).
Contacts
To take advantage of the built-in contact relationship management (CRM) feature in Outlook, drag all the items (calendar, task, etc.) related to that contact into their "notes" panel. While it is tempting to including documents related to a contact in this easy-to-use drag-and-drop area, the speakers strongly counsel against it. Once you've done this you can keep related items connected going forward by using the "related contact" field.
To speed the process further hold down Alt K and put in portion of a contact's name — Outlook finds the rest and fills it in for you. After that you can spread your own contact information by including vCards in your email messages and downloading vCard attachments from those with whom you communicate. Once a contact has been included in your system the process of connecting them to the right items and staying connected begins all over again.
Outlook as Case Management System
On this topic the ABA will soon publish a series by Ben Shore. Until then the question remains whether Outlook can be used as a kind of case-management system. According to the speakers: short answer is "no ... but" and long answer is "yes ... if." Got that?
Case Management Systems with two-way Outlook integration:
• Amicus Attorney
• Tabs 3
• ProLaw
• Time Matters
Third party plug-ins that almost make Outlook into a Case Management System:
• Anagram
• LinkedIn Toolbar
• Hiddenbcc
• SpeedFiler
• QuickFile 4Outlook - Lawyer's Edition
• GTD Plug-In for Outlook
• Payne Metadata Assistant
• Xobni (currently in beta, look for coverage in TechnoLawyer NewsWire when released)
[I myself suggest Agendus and 4Team.]
Finally, oh ye of little faith behold: Outlook now synchronizes with Google Calendar! Hallelujah! Also worth noting in this department is Plaxo, which has attempted to become your universal online calendar, contact manager, and social networking hub — and yes, it synchronizes with Outlook, Google, MSN, AOL, and the rest of the Internet alphabet soup.
Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.
About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.
By Mazyar Hedayat | Monday, March 17, 2008
Presenters: Brett Burney and Dominic Jaar
Saturday, March 15 at 8:30 am
It turns out I already knew one of the speakers at this seminar. Dominic Jaar works at Bell Canada and has been a correspondent of mine on FaceBook for a while.
Brett Burney started us off with a joke and led seamlessly into Dominic's first demonstration: sending a presentation to the projector wirelessly via his BlackBerry. That was met with a well-earned round of applause, and was a great way to demonstrate what this session was all about — remote control, mobile style.
With that, the panel launched into the meat of the presentation: an assessment of what was out there for the road warrior. The discussion focused on the most popular and powerful hand-held multi-task devices:
• BlackBerry
• Treo (and Palm)
• iPhone
BlackBerry
According to Dominic Jaar the Blackberry is the "default phone" for mobile lawyers. Device manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) provides a number of ways in which users can make BlackBerry their own and enhance productivity including:
1. Customizing the look and feel.
2. Customizing the ring tones.
3. Full suite of built-in options.
4. Gaggle of 3rd party applications.
BlackBerry presentation tools such as the one demonstrated by Dominic include:
• BBScreenStream (real-time stream and record)
• Jl_Cmder (wiping out sensitive information)
Joining a user community can also enhance and extend the BlackBerry experience. Some of Dominic's favorites include:
• PinStack
• CrackBerry
• BlackBerry Cool
• Berry Review
If you're going mobile then you've got to use digital dictation. Regardless of the system you choose the idea is to record and send wirelessly. Dominic uses a combination of RDM Plus, VR+, and Dragon NaturallySpeaking to dictate and send documents directly to his desktop for later editing or right to his secretary/assistant for real-time productivity.
Speaking of documents, BlackBerry does not use the Microsoft Office suite. Instead RIM has prompted a number of third party vendors like e-Office whose products allow you to create and even edit documents on the fly. You can send the output wirelessly to a Bluetooth enabled printer or fax machine.
In fact honest-to-goodness mobile lawyering requires Bluetooth in abundance: from phones and ear pieces to printers and computers. This means that you can skip the bulk by using peripherals wherever you are as long as you have plenty of onboard storage (such as a 2 GB memory stick) or are "tethering" — that is, constantly connected to a virtual private network (VPN) at the office. But the real advantage to tethering is when you start with an unlimited data plan then use your BlackBerry as a modem to interact with the VPN and its members. For now tethering is a large-firm technique but as costs come down its use will continue to grow.
When it comes to saving money and making the BlackBerry (or any mobile solution) affordable, it's hard to beat solutions that use voice over IP (VOIP) to replace toll-calls with calls via fixed-fee data plans (often at a fraction of regular cell service). Such applications include:
• Iskoot (best — as it uses Skype)
• Jajah
• Eqo
• Raketu
BlackBerry's email capabilities are legendary, but dealing with voluminous mail is another story. To cleanly and painlessly review reams of email (or just check your messages from a week ago), Dominic recommended:
• SmartView
• Empower
Google is Here and BlackBerry May Never Be the Same
While its suite of lightweight applications is ideal for the BlackBerry, Google was long rumored to be coming out with its own mobile "phone." That is, until it turned out that rumors of the gPhone had been greatly exaggerated and the real deal turned out to be "Android," Google's mobile platform designed to allow innovative small companies to create applications (much like RIM has done with BlackBerry itself).
Compare Apple's proprietary iPhone and its recent release of its software development kit (SDK) to developers to Google's commitment to open standards. Despite the cachet of the iPhone, Google and RIM may take the day — consider Google's current mobile platform — maps, mail, documents, calendar, RSS reader, the so-called Google Mobile Updater (really an all-in-one update), mobile search, and more.
Palm
Palm has been around the longest and is responsible for the beloved Treo line of smartphones such as:
• Treo 680
• Palm Centro [highly recommended]
One interesting note about Palm-enabled devices is that they can connect to the Internet without having to rely on WiFi by using applications such as those offered by June Networks. Both of these give you a choice of Sprint/Verizon or AT&T and, like all devices running the Palm operating system (OS), integrate with Palm Desktop as well as Outlook.
Of course Palm Desktop has become a bit of a dinosaur. It was the company's attempt to create a proprietary personal information manager (PIM) but was virtually abandoned in the shadow of Outlook. Just as well though, since it turns out that the ability to send and receive email is what really drives the popularity of mobile handsets and operating systems (hence BlackBerry's reign). In short, PIM RIP.
As for documents on Palm, users appear to be more interested in viewing them than composing them. The speaker's choice in this department was "Documents to Go" from DataViz, which opens all Microsoft Office documents including Office 2007 documents, as well as PDFs.
When it comes to email, for large firms, the name of the game is not pull but push. That is, lawyers whose home offices need to send them information want to have the right documents and messages pushed out to them (such as by means of a Microsoft Exchange client). Small-firm and solo attorneys however, generally pull messages, documents, and other information from a server using a POP3 or IMAP format. In any case, applications of note in this department include
• SnapperMail
• ChatterEmail ["pull" clients — check server]
• VersaMail by GoodLink ["push" clients — constant sync]
iPhone
Short on time, the speakers blew through this part of the presentation and had precious little to say about the iPhone as a business tool in any event, pointing out that use of Apple in the business context remained an open question. They did list the following pros and cons:
Negatives
• Cannot add memory.
• Cannot replace battery easily.
• Lack of business applications.
• Lack of third party partners.
• Must use iTunes.
• Must use AT&T.
• ATT's Internet access ("Edge") sucks.
• No copy/paste.
• No to-do list.
Positives
This section intentionally left blank ... well okay, it's really cool.
The consensus was that having an iPhone was a blast, but using it for business was a chore. Maybe the next-generation iPhone will get it right.
Download Dominic's presentation (ppt).
Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.
About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.
By Sara Skiff | Friday, March 14, 2008
Coming March 18, 2008 to TechnoFeature:
Email Etiquette, Version 2.0
By David J. Goldstone and Robert Frederickson III
With all the talk about Web 2.0, email remains the neglected black sheep of the Internet — with regard to venture capital. In all other respects, it remains the once and future killer app. Like the Web, email technology has evolved, and so has our usage. BlackBerry anyone? So the time has come for new rules! In this insightful article, litigators David J. Goldstone and Robert Frederickson III revisit the rules of email etiquette we all learned at the turn of the century, and assess which ones have stood the test of time and which ones require some rethinking. If you you have anything to add, go ahead and reply-to-all.
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