Coming today to TechnoFeature: With all the focus on ediscovery, many legal vendors seem to have forgotten that there's more to litigation than document review. But not Thomson Reuters. The company's Westlaw Litigator suite of products focuses on ediscovery as well as all the other aspects of litigation. In this TechnoFeature article, independent ediscovery consultant Brett Burney reviews West Case Notebook, one of the products in this suite. West Case Notebook enables you to organize the key facts and issues in your cases — characters, legal research, transcripts, exhibits, etc. — to help you develop insights and prepare for depositions, settlement conferences, and even a trial if necessary. As always, Brett has written a comprehensive review that will help you make a decision.
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.
On August 25, 2011, I wrote a special edition of TL NewsWire entitled TechnoLawyer Exists Because of Steve Jobs. Several people have asked me to publish it on the Web, but it's a personal essay about my childhood and entrepreneurial idol that I wanted to share only with TechnoLawyer subscribers (I'd be happy to send Steve Jobs a copy).
In this more public article, I'd like to comment on Apple's succession plan even though it's not a typical TechnoLawyer topic because to my knowledge no one has yet discussed it beyond the immediate future. It's an important topic because Apple has become an important company not just to me, but to the entire legal profession.
As any Apple watcher knows, the company thinks about 5-10 years out when planning its product roadmap (for example, it recently pivoted from the digital hub to iCloud after a 10 or so year run by the former). I suspect the same is true of its succession plan.
In January 2011, Robert X. Cringely published No White Smoke Yet in Cupertino in which he wrote: "It is my guess the next Apple CEO won't be Tim Cook, not because Tim isn't a good executive but because he isn't Steve's creation."
Oops. Cringely erred because he failed to think 5-10 years out like Apple. However, he's correct about Tim Cook not being Steve Jobs' creation.
With Apple's roadmap set for at least five years, the company doesn't need another Steve Jobs at the helm for a while. Instead, Apple needs a Steve Jobs waiting in the wings for its next pivot when it redefines computing … again.
Apple's recent award to new CEO Tim Cook of one million shares of restricted stock, half of which vests in five years and the other half in 10 years, has set the stage for a new Apple CEO in 5-10 years.
Talk about burying the lede. Okay, so who will take over from Tim Cook? Obviously, it's impossible to predict the future, but if I had to make a wager I'd bet on Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall.
Forstall is a Steve Jobs creation — perhaps more so than anyone else at Apple (whom we know about). He's also young. Shortly after graduating from Stanford in the early 1990s, he worked at NeXT, one of the two companies Jobs ran while exiled from Apple. When Apple acquired NeXT, Forstall followed Jobs to Apple.
Simply put, Forstall hit the jackpot, having had Jobs as his mentor for virtually his entire career. Not only has he reported directly to Jobs for several years, but Jobs bestowed upon him the stewardship of Apple's crown jewel — iOS.
Watch Forstall introduce iOS 5's Newsstand app (which I'm excited about) in the short video clip above (click here if you don't see it above). Does he have Steve Jobs' charisma and leadership skills? Perhaps not yet, but give him 10 years.
In 2021 when Tim Cook becomes Chairman and Scott Forstall becomes CEO, remember you heard it here first.
How to Receive TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to lawyers, law office administrators, and others in the legal profession. We link to each new TechnoEditorial and dozens of other articles on the legal Web each week in our BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to TL Research: After more than 6,200 downloads of the first edition, document management expert John Heckman has updated his massively popular TL Research report. In the new second edition of this buyer's guide, you'll learn how to identify, shop for, and implement a true document management system — including five must-have features, nine nice-to-have features, and the major players in the legal industry. And yes, it now discusses which document management systems offer a native iPad app (the first iPad had not yet shipped when we published the first edition). Download your free copy of TL Research Guide to Document Management Systems for Law Firms (Second Edition) now.
How to Receive TL Research
Our flagship newsletter offers in-depth buyer's guides and other helpful reports for everyone in the legal profession. Many reports about the legal industry use flawed data and are therefore unreliable. By contrast, TL Research reports provide you with insightful information on which you can rely by combining sound statistical techniques with exhaustive research and analysis. Just as importantly, the experts who write TL Research reports use jargon-free plain English, and often include benchmarks, charts, and other comparative tools and visuals. The TL Research newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Today's issue of Fat Friday contains these articles:
Andrew Weltchek, Why I Bought An IPad 2 Instead Of A Laptop Plus My Favorite Apps
Steven Schwaber, Windows 7 Rebuttal: The Redmond Emperor Has No Clothes
Joseph Marquette, Why Annual Maintenance Plans Are No Longer Optional
Leslie Shear, The Benefits Of Reading Literature In Law School
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.
Steven Hardy, How To Use Outlook As A Practice Management System
Fred Kruck, How To Wrap Your Head Around Two Monitors
Traci Hinden, eFax And MyFax: Number Portability And Customer Service
Kerry Hubick, More Document Naming Best Practices
Donald Cothern, Hard Drive Security: The Sledgehammer And Blowtorch Method
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 TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new desktop USB scanner (see article below), unique stands for the iPad and laptops respectively, an iPad flowchart creation app, and a private group messaging app. Don't miss the next issue.
Desktop Scanning Goes Vertical
Lawyers on the bleeding edge of technology admonish newbies to buy a scanner and go paperless. Ironic or just realistic? The latter it would seem. The need for a scanner in every law firm underscores the enduring role paper continues to play in law practice. Even if your firm manages to never print another document ever again, you can't control the outside world. Which means you'll continue to receive paper. Hence, the need for a scanner. That said, just because you need a scanner doesn't mean it should dominate valuable desktop space.
imageFORMULA DR-C125 … in One Sentence
Released two weeks ago, Canon's imageFORMULA DR-C125 is a USB desktop document scanner.
The Killer Feature
Making products smaller isn't merely a matter of shrinking components, but also industrial design. The DR-C125 uses a top-loading vertical design to minimize its footprint.
Weighing just 5.7 pounds, it consumes a little less space than a sheet of letter size paper — even when it's scanning your documents. That's because it not only has a vertical feeder but a vertical output tray as well. Canon refers to this unique design as a "U-turn paper path."
For non-standard items such as fragile documents or plastic ID cards, the DR-C125 also features a more traditional straight paper path.
Other Notable Features
The DR-C125 works with both Macs and Windows PCs. It scans duplex at speeds up to 25 pages (50 images) per minute. It can detect double feeds, and handles documents up to 118 inches long with it's Folio Scanning mode. The feeder holds 30 sheets of paper. Resolution settings range from 150 to 600 dpi.
Auto Resolution and Page Size Detection technologies enable you to scan multiple document types and sizes simultaneously. Shadow Cropping, Deskew, and other technologies improve image quality.
Canon's CaptureOnTouch software enables you to create Scan-to-Job buttons, including the ability to scan to Evernote (included) and Microsoft SharePoint. Windows users also receive Nuance's eCopy PDF ProOffice, PaperPort, and OmniPage as well as Presto BizCard. Mac users will find PageManager and BizCard. The DR-C125 supports both the ISIS and TWAIN scanning standards for integrating with legal-specific and other software.
What Else Should You Know?
The DR-C125 is rated at 1,500 scans per day. It has an MSRP of $495, but you can find it for less, including in Canon's online store. Learn more about the imageFORMULA DR-C125.
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.
Coming today to TechnoFeature: Technologically, you can sum up this century with one word — mobile. While you can't quite carry a copy machine in your pocket, thanks to Canon you can carry one in your laptop case. We reported on the imageFORMULA P-150 "Scan-tini" portable scanner when Canon first released it. Today, lawyer, paperless law office guru, and law practice advisor Jared Correia reports on how well this tiny USB scanner works. Jared tested just about every feature of the P-150 (he even weighed it to verify Canon's specifications). If you need a portable scanner, you need to read Jared's comprehensive review.
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.
Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 93 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:
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. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.
Sam Woodruff, Review: Fujitsu ScanSnap S500 (and S1500)
Pam Rolph, Review: VueScan Universal Driver
Denis Jodis, Yes, There's Something Worse Than A Legal Malpractice Claim
Rick Borstein, Tip Acrobat X Actions For Automating OCR And Other Tasks
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.
John Matthias, Review: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium Edition
Joel Frockt, Review: HTC Evo Shift 4G; Call Log Calendar
Mazyar Hedayat, Review: Google Docs Plus Your Scanner; Worldox
Bryan Sims, Tips For Using Multiple Monitors
Patrick Russell, Review: Pathagoras
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.
