TechnoLawyer: Litigation/Discovery/Trials

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers PDF software (see article below), a service for parking and forwarding unused telephone numbers, two online review tools for discovery documents, and a credit card processing service that includes a free iPhone credit card reader. Don't miss the next issue.

Affordable PDF Software: No Longer an Oxymoron

Is it possible to practice law without PDF software? Almost anything's possible, but not always feasible. For example, you could commute to work on foot, but if you live 12 miles from your office that's six hours of walking per day. You'll be in great shape, but will your practice? With documents at the heart of every law firm and PDF the lingua franca of documents in virtually all practice areas, it's not advisable to practice without PDF software. But that doesn't mean you need to pay hundreds of dollars per license.

Workshare PDF Professional … in One Sentence
Workshare PDF Professional is a reasonably-priced yet full-featured program for legal professionals who need to create, annotate, edit, and otherwise work with PDF files.

The Killer Feature
Although the market for PDF software continues to grow, the price of Adobe Acrobat has not dropped. As a result, many law firms don't furnish every employee with Acrobat.

Workshare hopes to solve this access problem with Workshare PDF Professional, which starts at $79 per license and gets cheaper with volume purchases. Workshare PDF Professional provides many of the same tools as Acrobat as well as a few tools that Acrobat lacks at a much lower cost.

"The creation and editing of PDF files has become commonplace for legal professionals exchanging documents," Workshare CEO Scott Smull told us. "We have put together a PDF software solution to deliver increased productivity — with the added benefit of being surprisingly affordable."

Other Notable Features
Workshare PDF Professional enables you to create PDF or PDF/A documents from any application. You can combine PDF files, move pages around within a PDF file, apply Bates stamps, create dynamic forms, and add annotations such as arrows, comments, and highlighting. Workshare PDF Professional enables you to not only edit and touch up PDF files, but convert them into DOC or RTF format for more significant editing and formatting.

You can apply security settings to PDF files as well as redact sensitive material. Workshare PDF Professional supports both passwords and digital certificates for securing documents.

Other features include PDF Portfolios for creating PDF files that include a variety of document and image formats (perfect for deal books), batch processing, bookmarks and automated table of contents creation, customizable headers and footers, document comparison, digital signatures, and barcode and javascript support for advanced forms.

What Else Should You Know?
Workshare PDF Professional runs on Windows XP and later, and integrates with Microsoft Office XP, 2003, 2007, and 2010. As noted above, pricing starts at $79 with volume discounts available. Learn more about Workshare PDF Professional.

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.

Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:

Yvonne Renfrew, The Truth About ScanSnap Scanners, Acrobat, PaperPort, and OmniPage

Bobby Abrams, Review: 1099-Etc for Payroll Processing; Pensoft Payroll

Hugh Cox, Review: Best Authority Citation Software

Question of the Week: How Does Your Law Firm Obtain New Clients?

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

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.

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Denis Jodis discusses the prickly issue of suing a client for non-payment, Mary Grace Hune shares a tip on enforcing your fee retainer policy, Jason Anderman discusses new state bar ethics opinions cloud computing and client confidentiality, Douglas Shachtman reviews LexisNexis' CaseMap, NoteMap, and TimeMap, and Sandy Hagman reviews GoToMeeting, WebEx, and Dim Dim. 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.

Today we launch our ninth email newsletter — LitigationWorld!

What Will Each Issue of LitigationWorld Cover?

Many of the best litigation tips are buried in lengthy articles, or worse, inside the minds of top litigators and consultants who share them only with paying clients.

LitigationWorld will unearth these tips. Every Monday, you'll receive a brief but useful tip relating to electronic discovery, litigation strategy, or litigation technology.

In addition, each issue will contain links to the most important litigation articles published on the Web during the previous week so that you won't miss anything important.

Who Is LitigationWorld's Editor?

Kimberlee (Kim) L. Gunning serves as the editor of LitigationWorld. She is a member of Terrell Marshall & Daudt PLLC in Seattle, Washington.

Kim concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation and appeals, with a focus on consumer class actions, employment law, business torts and commercial litigation. She has a special interest in the emerging law of eDiscovery and is a self-confessed civil procedure geek.

Who Should Subscribe to LitigationWorld?

Corporate counsel who manage litigation matters, litigators, paralegals, litigation support managers, litigation consultants, and others in the litigation field. Like all of our newsletters, LitigationWorld is free. Please subscribe to LitigationWorld now.

Not a litigator? Check our our eight other newsletters.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers litigation management software (see article below), a label printer, remote control software for iPad and iPhone, an Outlook add-on for importing telephone calls and text messages, and customer relationship management software. Don't miss the next issue.

Litigation Collaboration Anytime, Anywhere

Successful litigation takes a team. Especially complex cases involving testimony from multiple witnesses and a lot of accompanying documents. While a one person show might suffice if a lawsuit ends up in the Supreme Court on a narrow issue of law, the beginning stages of litigation involve too much work for one person. So it makes sense for you and your team to use litigation management software designed from the ground up for collaboration across multiple offices and individuals.

LexisNexis CaseMap 9 SQL … in One Sentence
LexisNexis CaseMap 9 SQL enables litigation teams to capture, organize, and share case facts, research, and documents over local (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN).

The Killer Feature
Clear, consistent, effective communication separates successful litigators from unsuccessful litigators. LexisNexis built CaseMap 9 SQL atop Microsoft's enterprise-class SQL Database Server. As a result, CaseMap 9 SQL facilitates the simultaneous sharing of information among multiple offices and individuals. The robust administrative tools enable you to centrally configure end user permissions.

CaseMap 9 SQL enables you to manage all the information in your cases in one place, providing visibility into relationships between disparate pieces of information. The SQL database facilitates re-use of information without re-entry.

When asked about this new release, Kevin Stehr, Esq., LexisNexis Vice President of Litigation Sales, told us: "CaseMap 9 SQL demonstrates the commitment to continually improve our litigation portfolio. Additionally, this release offers litigation teams even greater flexibility as they collaborate and manage case strategy resulting in increased efficiency and strategic clarity as cases are developed."

Other Notable Features
CaseMap pioneered case assessment in the late 1990s. This latest version continues to add to CaseMap's core strength in this regard, enabling you to see the strengths and weaknesses of your case from the get go. For example, with CaseMap 9 SQL you can tag, sort, and filter facts and case law — enabling you to generate reports about a given issue. On matters of pure law, you can create a Summary Judgment report.

CaseMap 9 SQL can import from many popular file formats such as PDF as well as widely-used applications such as Lexis.com, Concordance, Interwoven, and Worldox.

What Else Should You Know?
For cases in which the timeline is critical, you can visualize the chronology of events by sending facts to TimeMap, which integrates with CaseMap. CaseMap 9 SQL runs on Windows. You can try it for free. Learn more about CaseMap 9 SQL.

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.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Christel Burris, Is Not Using Document Management Software Irresponsible?

Kevin Dunn, The Key to Negotiating Legal Fees

Breck Seiniger, Review: CaseMap and TextMap

Jeffrey Wong, Review: Sunbelt's VIPRE Antivirus and Personal Firewall Software

Stephen Seldin, Review: Parallels on a Mac

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

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.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: How would you like a Tim Ferriss-style four hour work week? Impossible you say? Not with legal process outsourcing. Just send that multi-state research memo to India and your eDiscovery review to the Philippines. Why hire overpriced American associates when you can outsource to cheap, English-speaking lawyers overseas? Although tempting, legal process outsourcing has a dark side that threatens the American legal industry. In this TechnoFeature, document and workflow automation expert and technology consultant Seth Rowland identifies the major LPO players, explains what they offer, and then lays out an alternative strategy that American law firms can employ to reduce costs and compete globally while avoiding the fate of American manufacturing companies that outsourced themselves into extinction.

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.

Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:

David O'Connell, The Glass Ceiling of Legal Technology

John Plater, Review: PCLaw's Smartphone Integration and Technical Support

Vivian Manning, Tip: Microsoft Word 2010 and Adobe PDFMaker

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

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.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Fred Pharis, Review: Express Dictate and Express Scribe

Arthur Smith, Document Management Software Versus a Well-Trained Staff

Deepa Patel, Word v. WordPerfect: Our Conversion Experience

Theodore Borrego, The Security of SaaS

Michael Vranicar, Review: Adobe Premiere Elements for Video Editing

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

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.

Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:

Kevin Grierson, Mobile Practice Management: The Superiority of Native Apps Over Web Apps

John Campbell, Review: Adobe Acrobat Pro

Stephen Chakwin, Review: BeeDocs Timeline for Mac

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

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.