TechnoLawyer: Email/Messaging/Telephony

Coming May 09, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Ever wonder how some law practices run so smoothly? In this article, attorney and legal technology enthusiast Bryan Sims discusses the technology he finds invaluable in his litigation practice. From hardware to software, Bryan covers it all. Find out how one lawyer increased his productivity by stepping up his tech savvy — and how you can too.

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Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming May 5, 2006 to Fat Friday: James Sayre shares his thoughts on software training (plus a rebuttal by our publisher), Abe Arceo reviews two earphones for your iPod, Gil Marquez reviews Darik's Boot and Nuke for destroying data, Thomas McDow explains why he doesn't like bluetooth headsets, and Chris Albert offers his two cents on why law firms won't embrace online or mobile video. Don't miss this issue.

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. Please subscribe now.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a security utility that will nuke files for good, a discrete wireless Bluetooth headset, and a free tool for storing and sharing your bookmarks, Web clippings, and other information. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Hasta La Vista, You've Been Erased
By Jill Bauerle
Gone but not forgotten, remnants of old files can remain on your hard drive long after you've moved them to the recycle bin. The next time you have confidential documents to delete, try Eraser 5.8 from Heidi Computers. An advanced security utility, Eraser "shreds" magnetic remnants embedded in your hard drive by overwriting it numerous times in different patterns using Peter Gutmann's method. Without such a tool, deleted files sit on your hard drive until written over. Even then, forensic experts can reconstruct them, making you and your confidential files vulnerable. Eraser not only scrubs existing or "deleted" files and folders individually, it erases entire hard drives using the software's "Boot and Nuke" feature, and prevents file recovery applications from functioning. Eraser can also eradicate indexed, encrypted and compressed files, caches, cookies, Norton Unerase files, and more. If you're in a hurry, you can instead erase the first and last 2KB of a file, rendering it unusable. Once you download the freeware, Eraser's simple interface enables you to pick and choose your action on the spot or set up a schedule. Eraser is free and supports Windows 95 and higher as well as DOS. Learn more about Eraser.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a free online task management tool, voicemail software for Skype, and a multifaceted instant messaging client. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Better than a String Around Your Finger
By Jill Bauerle
Lost your to-do list? Overwhelmed by the number of task management tools out there? Take a deep breath and log onto Remember the Milk. A Web-based, user-friendly tool, Remember the Milk helps you visualize your most important tasks without getting lost in sub-menus and multiple screens. The "Overview" page lets you see what's due today and tomorrow, what's overdue, and what the week ahead looks like. The "task cloud" literally puts all of your task headings like "bills" and "calls" in a bubble and sizes each them according to how task-heavy they are. So if you have to make five phone calls and pay one bill, "calls" will loom menacingly in the task cloud, eclipsing "bills." Different lists for work, personal, etc. help you to separate the various facets of your life and prioritize accordingly. A special feature of Remember the Milk enables you to keep track of time the way that we humans typically conceive it — today, tomorrow, a week from now — and change a due date from "tomorrow" to "1 week from tomorrow" in one click. Reminders come in many forms, including e-mail, instant messages, and SMS. You can e-mail tasks to your Remember the Milk account and automatically create a new list using your subject line. Other highlights of this program include "smart lists" that help you prioritize tasks, a contact list of other Remember the Milk users to whom you can send reminders, list sharing and public lists, iCal synchronization, an "undo" button, recurring tasks, keyboard shortcuts, and an archive for old lists that you're not ready to delete. Once you get a taste of Remember the Milk, you could became as zen about your work load as the smiling cow on the corner of the screen. Remember the Milk is free. Learn more about Remember the Milk.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Davis Foster, Review: QuickFlash for Secure Intraoffice Instant Messaging

TechnoLawyer member David Waddle asks:
"Okay, I know I may be a little late to the party but I have just discovered Instant Messaging. I use Yahoo Messenger and I am going to look at MSN Messenger; this is because different friends use one of the two types. I wondered why companies do not use these IM services for informal internal communication — or do they? Am I just out of step with the rest of the world? Or is there a major drawback that I am unaware of? I realize that IM does not replace e-mail but it does cut down on some needless e- mails and phone calls."

Manuel A. Quilichini responded:
"IM has become a very valuable tool, and I convinced the company to adopt it for higher management and some mid- level managers.  After some resistance, Microsoft's Messenger was deployed, and it has been a success.... My experience with IM is that I could not operate without it, so I recommend you give it a try. You can always deactivate this feature if you feel it does not meet your expectations."

Kurt L. Schoettler wrote:
"There are some companies that do provide messaging software that can be installed and run on a network for internal communications.  However, keep in mind if you are using programs like Yahoo, AIM, MSN Messenger or similar public IM software these conversations are going outside your firm (unlike an internal e-mail that stays on your internal servers). Would you want — or better yet can you afford — the potential of someone eavesdropping or the service provider having access to what could be considered confidential communications?..."

At this 5 person office we use a program called QuickFlash by Arm.  This provides an internal alternative to IM services, along with some other functionalities (Do Not Disturb, as an example).  I have used this software for well over 5 years.  A check of the task manager shows that it uses 1,304 kb of RAM, so has no real impact on the available RAM.  I have always been pleased with its features, and simplicity, and like the idea of keeping the communications in house.

Davis Foster

About Answers to Questions
Posts like the one above appear exclusively in Answers to Questions, 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.

Coming April 11, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Face it — technology is not just for work. The more comfortable you become with technology, the higher your productivity level, right? So why not have some fun? In this article, technology consultant Seth Rowland reviews today's best gadgets, toys, and entertainment software designed to appeal to the kid in us all. Be warned — you may soon have to record some unbillable time!

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers fax server software that enables you to send a fax as easily as an e-mail, an appliance that will protect your e-mail from enemy #1 — spam, and a hardware/software suite that integrates with your firm's copiers and scanners to bring you closer to a paperless office. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Bridging the Gap Between E-mail and Faxes
By Jill Bauerle
A fax consists of an image whereas e-mail consists of text. So, they're vastly different, right? Wrong. They both consist of bits. Bits are bits are bits. So then shouldn't faxes behave more like e-mail? That's the thinking behind Zetafax 2006, the new version of Equisys' popular fax server. Zetafax 2006 integrates with Exchange, which means you can send and receive faxes securely within Outlook. Faxes arrive in your choice of PDF or JPEG format. If you don't use Outlook, fear not — Zetafax 2006 works with virtually all other e-mail programs thanks to its SMTP Gateway. Alternatively, you can use the Zetafax 2006 client or a Web browser. Among its other e-mail-like features, Zetafax 2006 features a junk fax filter that can block faxes from designated telephone numbers. You can set up a firm-wide junk fax filter, and also give users the ability to set up their own personal filters. With e-mail, you can preview your message before sending. Equisys brings this same ability to Zetafax 2006 thanks to its "what you see is what you fax" technology. With e-mail, you can easily annotate and edit messages before forwarding them. Zetafax 2006 gives you the same power over faxes that you wish to send to someone else. E-mail's greatest strength lies in its distribution costs — none. Faxes still require telephone calls, but Zetafax 2006 enables you to distribute faxes via IP T.38 (fax over IP) or V.34 to reduce costs. You can even configure Zetafax 2006 to send non-urgent faxes and large distributions at night to take advantage of off-peak rates. Zetafax 2006 runs on Windows 2000 or later, and works with most class 1/class 2 fax modems as well intelligent fax boards by Brooktrout, Eicon, and Intel Dialogic. A Zetafax 2006 5-user, 2-line starter system sells for about $510. Learn more about Zetafax 2006.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming March 30, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Barron Henley revisits the debate on the economics of switching from WordPerfect to Word, Norman Van Treeck offers some helpful suggestions for setting up a training room, Mark Sargis reviews his experience with the HP LaserJet 4345xmfp, Kelly Lupo reviews a free Outlook reader to help with e-discovery, and Gerry Trottier explains the secret to a robust VPN. In addition, this issue features links to 10 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

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. Please subscribe now.

Coming April 7, 2006 to Fat Friday: S.L. Polsky discusses her experience searching for a laptop bag for professional women, Roy Greenberg explores the benefits of speech recognition software, William Hinkle shares his biggest legal vendor Web site gripe, Ronald Cappuccio reviews Phoneslips for case management and e-mail, and Grace Fuentes reviews AOL Radio, which now includes some XM channels. In addition, this issue features links to 7 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

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. Please subscribe now.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a soup-to-nuts solution for managing your litigation matters and collaborating with clients, a secure chat room service for law firms and businesses, and a new site in which anyone (including you) can become a beat reporter or columnist. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

New Tool Enables Firms to Impress Their Clients
By Jill Bauerle
When it comes to client priorities, litigation takes the cake — dockets, deadlines, deliverables, depositions, and documents all add costs to their legal budget. Given the complexity of even small cases, you would think that dozens of companies would offer litigation management solutions. But that's not the case (no pun intended). Sensing a need, CaseKnowledge has launched an eponymous service in the form of a "powerful extranet platform that makes case information immediately available to your clients from any Web browser. CaseKnowledge features a powerful shared calendar and timeline with which your firm can manage all of its open cases, including court dockets, depositions, document production deadlines, and the many other events that transpire during the discovery, trial, and appeal phases. As its name implies, CaseKnowledge also stores all the accumulated knowledge for each case — the theory of the case, the litigation plan and budget, settlement exposure analysis, case resolution strategies, interrogatories, deposition transcripts, expert witness interviews, and much more — all searchable with versioning and approval workflow technology. Unlike other litigation management programs, CaseKnowledge doesn't just manage your case information, but also your client communications. Instead of emailing your clients and colleagues, you simply post a message within CaseKnowledge, which then alerts them via email. They can then reply to your post within CaseKnowledge. The result is a threaded discussion in one place that you can easily search. Speaking of email alerts, CaseKnowledge can send users email alerts for approaching deadlines. Your firm can centrally configure these alerts by case type or by client. For those in the corner office, CaseKnowledge provides a dashboard with an overview of all active cases. From the dashboard, you can pull up a variety of information and reports, including Total Case Cost, Case Status, Spend Analysis, and Exposure Analysis. Even better, you can also create dashboards for clients displaying their entire litigation portfolio. This ability to report information to your clients in a manner not likely provided by the other firms they retain could persuade them to send all their litigation to your firm. CaseKnowledge costs nothing to set up. Instead, CaseKnowledge charges a monthly fee per active case. Learn more about CaseKnowledge.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.