TechnoLawyer: Law Office Management

Coming May 13, 2005 to Fat Friday: Jason Havens discusses a foolproof way to ensure virus-free e-mail, James Slaughter points to an open source software project that may ultimately lead to a "killer legal scheduling and document management program," Rosanne Estrella shares some common sense tips for implementing legal software, Cheryl Burgess discusses her firm's experience implementing Amicus Attorney, and Susan Fernandes provides a buyer's guide to USB flash drives, including security considerations. 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.

Coming May 11, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Clint Pullin explains how to quickly compile an electronic case file (ECF) and its PDF attachments into a single PDF file that you can easily store for later retrieval, and Steven Parsons reviews the Olympus DS330 used in conjunction with an outsourced transcription service. In addition, Jennifer Little, James Marrs, and William Shilling debate whether Macs have earned a role in law firms as serious legal tools. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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 May 9, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Frank Lanigan reviews the Olympus D-S330 digital recorder, Scott Bassett explains why savvy dictation users in law firms may prefer the Olympus DS-4000 instead of the Olympus DS-330, Maggie Fisher explains how she manages electronic case file (ECF) e-mail messages and their attached PDF files, Paul McCarthy explores whether unshielded ethernet cables can cause network problems, and Dan Pinnington provides a sample Internet and Email Use Policy for law firms. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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 May 6, 2005 to Fat Friday: David Hirsch and Patti Wall respond to recent reviews of DepPrep (David created DepPrep, and also co-authors the ABA Journal's In Re Technology column). Also in this issue, Terry Goss, Robert Hughes, and Douglas Herdman offer their two cents on the brewing controversy over the ease of use of legal software, and the importance of training. 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.

Coming May 3, 2005 to TechnoFeature: In this article Clint Pullin offers seven invaluable tips to improve the functionality of Microsoft Office in your law firm. For example, one of his tips explains how to use dialog boxes to increase your earnings. Another tip explains how to create chronological document indexes. In providing these tips, Clint hopes to encourage you to think specifically about your needs for legal data management using software you currently own. With Clint's tips, you can design a legal data management system that fits the personality of your law firm, reduces job stress, and enhances your professional success.

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.

TechnoLawyer member Arnie Herz has a number of upcoming seminars, including two at the Rhode Island Bar Annual Meeting on June 10th.

Arnie, quite the legal renaissance man, keeps busy as "a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author, and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution, client counseling, and improving the quality of life for attorneys."

At the Rhode Island Bar Annual Meeting, he will present Legal Sanity: Don't Be a Victim of Your Own Career and Lawyering in Balance: Rethinking Service Delivery to Optimize Your Career. You can find a complete list of Arnie's upcoming seminars for lawyers on his site. Make sure you also check out his blog, Legal Sanity.

About Member News
TechnoLawyer members are among the most gifted and prominent in the legal profession. In the Member News section of TechnoLawyer Blog, we report on their latest accomplishments and success stories — everything from court victories to articles and books to new partner announcements — and much more. If you're a newsmaker, but not yet a member, join TechnoLawyer now. .

Coming April 29, 2005 to Fat Friday: David Umbaugh reflects on how technology has enabled him to reduce his staff by nearly 50% over the past three years, Richard Siferd serves up three tips for buying legal software that will surely generate some controversy, Spencer Rhodes explores the shortcomings of the two leading image formats (PDF and TIFF), and Derek Stolp adds his two cents to the recent debate over using cheap PCs in a law firm. Lastly, Steven Finell responds to my comment about last year's presidential election with an essay that belongs in the Washington Post though we're happy to have it in Fat Friday. 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.

I serve as a Senior Contributor for MarketingProfs.com, an excellent marketing Webzine. Recently, MarketingProfs.com published an article entitled Services Marketing Is Moving Online — Are You? Towards the end of the article, the author, Mike Schultz, does a nice job explaining how online marketing actually works when well-executed — read at least this section if you don't have time to read the entire article.

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

At LegalTech New York, my colleague Sara and I sat through a demonstration of a new service — LexisNexis Marketing Intelligence. With this tool, you can analyze litigation and other public data to figure out where to focus your marketing efforts. For example, you may notice that a competitor of yours has experienced decline in intellectual property business in recent years, which may provide you with an opportunity to swoop in and pick off its clients. You may not find this type of marketing hardball palatable, but it merits your consideration by virtue of the growing demand for such "business intelligence" and "data mining" tools. Leigh Jones recently explored this phenomenon in the National Law Journal. Eat or be eaten.

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Coming April 22, 2005 to Fat Friday: Rory Sanchez explores whether cheap PCs make sense for law firms, explains "TOC" in plain English, and recommends the ultimate monitor setup for lawyers. Additionally, Nathaniel Barber reviews the Hummingbird DM document management system in a public law office setting, while Steven Schwaber and Gil Aguiles weigh in with their respective advice on low-end PCs and monitors. If you're in the market for a PC, monitor, or document management system, don't miss this edition. 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.