TechnoLawyer

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a practice management app store (see article below), a secure cloud storage service for iPad and iPhone, a secure mobile office suite, a document assembly add-on for Microsoft Word, and a social media management and marketing application. Don't miss the next issue.

The World's First Practice Management App Store

Lawyers often complain about the complexity of practice management systems. Ironically, this problem stems from software companies eager to accommodate requests from their customers. Accordingly, each new version of their software contains new features that only a few law firms want. With each new feature, the clutter increases and the learning curve steepens, resulting in complaints. A more modern approach to pleasing customers without this downside is to focus on core features that all law firms need, and build a platform on which other companies can offer optional specialized solutions — or "apps" as we now call them.

Total Attorneys App Store … in One Sentence
Launching today, Total Attorneys App Store enables you to add first- and third-party apps to Total Attorneys (a cloud practice management system), thus enhancing its functionality to suit your needs

The Killer Feature
Earlier this year we reported on Total Attorneys, which costs just $1 per user per month. This price point created quite a stir. Today, the company has dropped another disruptive shoe on the practice management world.

At launch, Total Attorneys App Store features a number of third-party apps with more en route. For example, you can set up a Fastcase account for legal research ($95 per month). Capital Payments enables your clients to pay you via ACH, check, or credit card. You can also schedule automatic recurring payments. All transactions occur through Total Attorneys' client portal.

Also available is LegalEase for outsourcing work to contract lawyers ($350 for 10 hours) and paralegals ($150 for 10 hours), Legal Web Experts for marketing services such as web site creation and search engine optimization, LawQA for client development (respond to inquiries from consumers seeking legal help), and Google Calendar Sync.

"We have worked very hard building the most comprehensive web-based practice management platform for small and solo firms," founder and chairman Ed Scanlan told us. "Total Apps Store is a huge step in accomplishing our goal of simplifying law practice management so that law firms can better serve their clients and achieve greater financial success."

Other Notable Features
Total Attorneys App Store contains first-party apps as well (apps created by Total Attorneys). Live Virtual Receptionist combines technology with a human touch. A live operator answers your phone, eliminating the need to add a receptionist to your payroll. Messages appear in your Total Attorneys account plus you can receive email alerts.

Legal Leads helps you grow your clientele. You receive your first 10 leads for free. When a lead becomes a client, you convert the lead into a client file in Total Attorneys.

What Else Should You Know?
Earlier this month, Total Attorneys released free iPad and iPhone apps. On other platforms, you access Total Attorneys from any web browser. The base price for the core practice management system remains $1 per user per month. Apps vary in price. Learn more about Total Attorneys App Store.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL Answers contains these articles:

Anthony Campbell, Review of GroupWise Migrator Plus Tips on Moving to Exchange

Alexander Lopez, Three Options for Ensuring a Permanent Fax Number

Brooks Duncan, Review: FileCenter

Willis Blacknall, Review: UltraMon

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

How to Receive TL Answers
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In TL Answers, 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 TL Answers newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Read our latest coverage of CaseMap here.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a case management program (see article below), an email app for iPad and iPhone, a mobile scanner, a legal hold cloud application, and a personal finance app. Don't miss the next issue.

Leave No Stone Unconnected in Your Cases

In the old days of legal technology (before my time mind you), lawyers and vendors alike used the term "case management" to refer to software for managing a law firm (contacts, calendar, matters, etc.). We now use the term "practice management" for these products. Why the semantic change? Because two trial consultants created a software program that helps litigators manage the issues and facts associated with their cases. Accordingly, "case management" now refers to software of this ilk. The two founders retired, but not their software. A new version recently shipped.

CaseMap 10 … in One Sentence
LexisNexis' CaseMap 10 enables you to analyze and manage the issues, facts, and related information associated with a lawsuit.

The Killer Feature
Many litigators have an aversion to math so it's something of a miracle that a program with a spreadsheet-like interface became so popular. Of course, CaseMap crunches facts, issues, questions, research, and objects rather than numbers.

Objects? An object is a key item in the case that doesn't fall into the other categories — documents, events, locales, etc. Previous versions of CaseMap offered a default list of objects based on customer feedback.

However, litigation is simply too complex for a finite list. Thus, CaseMap 10 enables you to create custom object spreadsheets for items not among the defaults. Now you can track just about any aspect of a case no matter how obscure or unusual.

Other Notable Features
When you seek to manage the information associated with a lawsuit, you need all the data entry help you can get. CaseMap now integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Word 2007 and 2010, enabling you to send email messages and documents to CaseMap with one click on the Ribbon.

CaseMap's developers realized the importance of such linking long ago. In another enhancement, the the new DocManager technology enables you to view any linked file even if you don't have the software that created it. Also, CaseMap can now convert linked scanned documents into searchable text thanks to its built-in OCR technology. Perhaps most helpful, you can bulk import files into a spreadsheet.

CaseMap 10 has also beefed up its search functions with full-text searching, and the ability to save searches and restrict searches to specific spreadsheets. Other new features include batch printing of linked files, reports that include embedded files, and a streamlined interface designed to make CaseMap easier to use, especially for those new to the software.

What Else Should You Know?
CaseMap runs on Windows. You can try it free for 30 days. Learn more about CaseMap 10.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 102 articles from the past week worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week.

Using Evernote as a Practice Management System

Choosing Flights With WiFi

Law Firm Offers Free Legal Forms to Tech Startups

Law Firms Start Using Social Media to Connect With Clients

Congratulations to Jeffrey Schoenberger of Macs in Law on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: Online Security So Simple Even Lawyers Can Use It

Today's issue also contains links to every article in the March 2012 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss today's issue or any future issues of BlawgWorld.

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. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy articles (and podcasts) published online without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. The BlawgWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:

Stephen Hayes, Review: iPhone 4S (Former BlackBerry User)

Lynda Batchelor Barker, Making the Record: Tips From the Trenches of Court Reporting

Fred Hopengarten, Another Tip for Finding an Email Address

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 TL Answers contains these articles:

Ron Fox, Review: Getting Things Done Outlook Add-On

Rush Wells, Our Law Firm's Protocol For Naming Files

Andrew Weltchek, Three Tips For Users Of Two Monitors

Lewis Siegel, Review: BKMailing.com For Bankruptcy Mailings

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

How to Receive TL Answers
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In TL Answers, 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 TL Answers newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to LitigationWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 97 articles from the past two weeks worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week.

A First Look at the New Casemaker

Pretrial and Trial Agreements Made Easy

Hash: It's Not Just for Twitter (Or Smoking)

Deloitte Loses Discovery Battle Over Business Software

Congratulations to Daniel Fisher of Forbes on winning our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week award: Lawyer Earns Big Bucks by Reducing Litigation Costs

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. You'll also receive in-depth litigation product reviews as well as links to the most noteworthy articles in other online litigation publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 103 articles from the past week worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week.

Should Lawyers Automatically Track Their Computer Use?

You Can Use Your iPad/iPhone With a Clear Conscience

What if Law Firms Priced Like Apple?

Is Another Lawyer Using Your Name to Get Clients?

Congratulations to Pete Summerill of MacLitigator on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: First Lawyer to Review the New iPad Dictates His Review

Today's issue also contains links to every article in the March/April 2012 issue of Law Practice. Don't miss today's issue or any future issues of BlawgWorld.

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. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy articles (and podcasts) published online without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. The BlawgWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers multiuser discovery software (see article below), a document management system, a service for scheduling meetings, an Android-based watch, and a law firm video directory. Don't miss the next issue.

Turning the Ediscovery Challenge Into an Opportunity

Litigators view ediscovery as a black box — an expensive one that's not going away. Now that state courts have begun creating ediscovery rules, even those of you who don't practice in federal court need to get up to speed. But fear not. You've gone down this road before. Back in the days of paper, a managing partner somewhere must have received a bill for photocopying and thought, "We should buy our own copiers!" And voila — a new source of law firm revenue was born. Similarly, a growing number of law firms see ediscovery as challenge they can transform into a business opportunity — with the help of some software.

Digital WarRoom WorkGroup … in One Sentence
GGO's Digital WarRoom WorkGroup (DWR WorkGroup) is a multiuser ediscovery application that enables you to process and index collected data, and then analyze, review, annotate, and produce it.

The Killer Feature
Most litigation teams don't see discovery documents until after a service provider has processed them. Processing software typically requires specialized training. DWR WorkGroup eliminates the need for such training.

You'll still want an expert to collect data from hard drives to prevent spoliation. Once you have the data, however, you can process it yourself by literally dragging the collected files into your case database in DWR WorkGroup.

DWR WorkGroup automatically extracts email messages and documents, removes system files (de-NISTing), removes duplicates (de-duplication), and indexes the content to make it searchable. The software recognizes more than 500 file formats. The built-in OCR technology even enables you to search text extracted from image files.

"High quality ediscovery solutions have traditionally been too expensive for all but the larger, complex matters," GGO managing director Bill Gallivan told us. "We created DWR WorkGroup to give law firms an affordable, easy-to-use ediscovery system for all their cases. Ediscovery is becoming a profitable practice area for enterprising law firms."

Other Notable Features
Once you finish processing, you can start analyzing and reviewing. Regarding the former, DWR WorkGroup includes a number of early case assessment technologies. For example, "Who to Whom" and other graphical views of the document set reveal patterns of conversation, relationships, and events that can inform case strategy.

For document review, you'll find Boolean, keyword, and fuzzy search, as well as filtering by file type, mark, issue codes, and metadata fields. Conversation threads and date histograms also facilitate finding relevant and privileged documents. You can annotate and redact documents, and automatically generate a privilege log.

DWR WorkGroup captures everyone's activity in a control log that, along with a number of other reports, enables you to monitor progress and defend your review if challenged by opposing counsel.

Case data is portable in several senses. DWR WorkGroup offers review features as noted above, but if you prefer you can review the documents you process in Summation. Or you can move your case database from DWR WorkGroup to GGO's hosted platform if you need assistance from the company's consultants. When your team completes its review, you can create load files in many formats (e.g., Concordance, Summation, iPRO) if requested by opposing counsel.

What Else Should You Know?
DWR WorkGroup costs $3,895 for a perpetual server software license, and $600 per reviewer per year. Installation and one day of training, which is optional, costs $1,600. Learn more about Digital WarRoom WorkGroup.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL Answers contains these articles:

Janis Cross, What We Learned From Creating Our Law Firm Web Site

Jeff Stouse, My Three Monitor Setup: Equipment, Reflections, And Regrets

Anthony White, Review Of DataPrompter For Document Assembly

Dave Culbertson, Review: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500

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

How to Receive TL Answers
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In TL Answers, 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 TL Answers newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.