TechnoLawyer

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Tom Stubbs offers a comparative review of Eudora and Thunderbird for email, William Tait explains how to shop for an Uninterruptible Power Supply, Matt McArthur shares how he manages scanned documents over a network using PaperPort, Katrina Hubbard discusses the benefits of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, and Ben Schorr reviews AutoHotkey for creating custom hotkeys in Windows. 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's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a network appliance that writes briefs, a Web app that recreates the document review rooms of old for eDiscovery, a specialized email filter that deletes ad hominem arguments, a tool for boosting your billable hours, and an iPhone social networking app for meeting up with people who can help you when you need a day off. Don't miss the next issue.

Briefs That Write Themselves (Associate Not Included)

Most automation tools are limited to documents such as wills that have the same basic components and structure each time. That's helpful, but many lawyers create unique documents that require analysis and creativity as opposed to just filling in the blanks — briefs, letters, memos, layoff notices, etc. These documents keep many a lawyer trapped in their office until late at night. So how about some automation technology that enables you not only to spend less time at the office but less time thinking?

BrainDump … in One Sentence
Hoodathunk's BrainDump is a network appliance that automates the drafting of briefs, obviating the need for critical thought.

The Killer Feature
BrainDump's "Brief Brief" feature ensures that you never miss a tee time (or teatime or whatever you enjoy). However, it works best when you have a junior associate at your disposal. If you don't have one, you can usually find them near fancy skyscrapers around lunchtime after the law firms in these buildings announce their latest round of layoffs.

Once you have an associate, give them an overview of your case and ask them to find supporting opinions for all the points you want to make in your brief. If your associate used to work in a large firm, give him the assignment on a Friday afternoon and ask for the research to be on your desk the next morning even though you don't plan to get back to the office until Tuesday. That way, you'll put him in his comfort zone.

When you return to the office (on Wednesday), review the headnotes of the cases. If the cases look good, simply dump them into BrainDump's 5,000-page automatic document feeder and press the "Brief Brief" button. After just a few minutes, BrainDump will print out your brief and all supporting documents, as well as email a copy to you, your client, and opposing counsel, and even file it with the court if it offers e-filing.

Other Notable Features
BrainDump can produce virtually any legal document and has 50 programmable buttons. If you run out of buttons, you can create button-pressing sequences for documents that you create less frequently. For example, while you might want to press a button only once for a nasty letter to opposing counsel, you could program BrainDump so that pressing the same button 112 times produces a friendly letter to opposing counsel.

BrainDump is not Energy Star compliant given its heavy processing requirements. However, it compensates with its built-in shredder. After scanning the raw material you feed it, BrainDump shreds it into subatomic particles. Even an electron microscope cannot detect any remnants. For this reason, Hoodathunk recommends feeding only copies to BrainDump, not originals.

While BrainDump might sound a bit dangerous, it has a highly intelligent sensor that can detect human skin. Therefore, if you accidentally insert your hand too far while feeding it some deposition transcripts, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what happens — BrainDump will trim your fingernails if needed and then turn off. The company is reportedly working on a manicure add-on by popular demand.

What Else Should You Know?
In addition to paper, BrainDump can handle CDs, DVDs, hard drives, USB drives, and your voice — just shout into the ADF. BrainDump comes in two pieces — a five pound 5 x 5 x 5 inch base and a 500 pound 5 x 5 x 5 foot ADF. Assembly requires four or five able-bodied people. Hoodathunk provides a list of CBCs (certified brawny consultants) on its site should you require assistance. The price of BrainDump depends on its opinion of your intelligence.

TLN Roundup: Pardon the Dust Plus Much More

Litinoodle's EDDWorld (Web) is a Web-based document review tool that mimics the paper-based systems of the past. The Killer Feature: You review discovery documents in a virtual document review room using an avatar. You can adjust various elements such as the amount of dust, the number of blown ballasts in the fluorescent lights, and the color of your Redwelds and Bates Stamper. The pricing of EDDWorld depends on the size of your document collection.

Redonkulous Technologies' Wordundant (Windows) is a utility that automatically deletes TechnoLawyer newsletters and other email in which someone praises or criticizes word processing software. The Killer Feature: Instead of having these newsletters deleted sight unseen, hundreds of clever animations such as "walk the plank" make it fun to delete these ad hominem arguments.

Rounding Error's Billable Bully (Web) helps persuade you to bill for time that you're unsure about. The Killer Feature: Billable Bully asks you a series of questions after which it builds a case as to why you're entitled to bill the time. In fact, lawyers who use Billable Bully end up billing twice as much time on average as what they originally enter. Billable Bully also provides lengthy descriptions for your bills. You pay Billable Bully 20% of the fees you collect on the time it persuades you to bill.

Beer Gut Software's DayOff (iPhone) is a social networking app that uses GPS to locate people nearby who have a bad cold so that you can infect yourself and get a day off. The Killer Feature: Thanks to built-in chat software, you can ask those in your vicinity about their symptoms. Thus, if you prefer sneezing to coughing, etc., you can wait until you find the perfect mix of symptoms before meeting up and shaking hands.

Publisher's Note: In case you haven't guessed by now, none of the five products described above actually exist (I hope). April Fool's! We'll resume covering real products next week.

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: Should you take on a new client? Where can you find new clients? How can you better serve existing clients? Charitable donation records can help you answer these questions. The NOZA database provides information on more than 40 million charitable gifts by individuals and companies. We asked Mike Schley, a business attorney and frequent TechnoLawyer contributor, to assess the usefulness of the NOZA database for the legal profession and rate it using our TechnoScore system. As usual, Mike delivered a comprehensive and useful 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 Fat Friday: Ross Kodner responds to some criticism stemming from his SmallLaw column, The Rise of BigSolo, Ashe Lockhart reviews SherWeb and AppRiver for hosted Exchange and BlackBerry Server; he also discusses the future of Software as a Service (SaaS), William Tait tells us how he really feels about challenge response software, Steven Schwaber explores the ethical problems with social networking for lawyers, and Stephen Silverberg shares some wise words for backups. Don't miss this issue.

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: Steven Best discusses three payroll options for law firms, Steven Kraus reviews Time Matters 9.0 Enterprise edition, Peter Conway reviews the Olympus DS-330 and how it compares to the old days of mini-cassettes, Steven McNichols reviews Nuance's tech support policies, and Tom Trottier shares a few tips for long-term data storage. 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's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new USB scanner (see article below), a new educational and networking site for small firms, an online task manager, practice management software for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile, and a new line of plasma TVs. Don't miss the next issue.

A Scanner on Every Desk

On some issues, people universally agree. The world is round. "Snoopy Come Home" is the saddest movie ever made. A paperless law office saves money and boosts productivity. Regarding the latter truism, many lawyers outfit their firms with network scanners only to find that they would prefer to handle some scanning jobs at their desk. And thus they learn another of life's lessons — you can never be too rich or too thin or have too many scanners.

ScanSnap S1500 … in One Sentence
Fujitsu's ScanSnap S1500, which replaces the popular S510, is a duplex sheet-fed USB scanner.

The Killer Feature
Paper has a lot going for it, but it has one undeniable weakness. It easily crumples and rips. Even if treated with kid gloves, paper eventually curls, yellows, and worse.

In short, scanners face a tough task as the paperless office craze gathers steam. "Well, now that I've scanned everything in my office, how about my law school class notes?"

To address these challenges, the ScanSnap S1500 features the same "Intelligent Paper Feed Detection" found in Fujitsu's pricier scanners. This technology prevents jams and lost images.

Other Notable Features
The ScanSnap S1500 measures 11.5 x 6.3 x 6.2 inches, and weighs 6.62 pounds.

It scans up to 20 pages per minute at 200 or 300 dpi with a maximum resolution of 600 dpi. The scanner automatically detects color, grayscale, and monochrome documents, page size, and orientation.

You can mix different size documents in the document feeder, which holds up to 50 sheets. A bundled carrier sheet enables you to scan photos and odd-sized documents.

The ScanSnap S1500's bundled software consists of Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard, ScanSnap organizer 4.0, CardMinder 4.0, and ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap 4.0.

What Else Should You Know?
Fujitsu sells two models — the S1500 for Windows and the S1500M for Macs. The S1500 is black and the S1500M is white. The ScanSnap S1500 fits in the ScanSnap Bag so if you upgrade from the S510 you won't have to buy a new case. Fujitsu lists the ScanSnap S1500 for $495, but you can find it for less if you shop around. Learn more about the ScanSnap S1500.

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: Have you ever made a mistake or forgotten about something? If so, it's likely that your firm's manual system for storing and retrieving documents has caused you headaches thanks to misplaced documents, missing documents, misnamed documents, and many other mis-takes so to speak. You may benefit from a document management system (aka enterprise content management system), but where do you start? Earlier this year, legal technology consultant John Heckman penned a 25 page treatise on document management systems (DMS) for law firms. We asked him to distill the key points into two TechnoFeature articles. In Part 1 last week, John discussed the problems that a DMS addresses. Today in Part 2, you'll learn how to shop for and implement a DMS.

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.

Originally published on March 16, 2009 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Yankees v. Red Sox. Montagues v. Capulets. Obi-Wan v. Darth Vader. Bitter rivalries, all of them, and all of them fought outside the confines of law firms. But what happens when turf wars take place behind the swank mahogany doors of the world's top law firms? Who's caught in the crossfire when partners duel?

A Group By Another Name That Does the Same Work

Before hiring laterals went the way of the Dodo bird, "Doug" secured an interview with a top New York law firm whose Employee Benefits practice was supposedly larger and more diverse than that of the large firm where he then worked as a fourth year associate.

When Doug logged onto the prospective firm's Web site to prepare for his interview, he found that two practice groups at the firm dealt with Employee Benefits: the Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits group handled compensation arrangements, the benefits aspect of M&A deals, and pension plans, whereas the Labor, Employment & ERISA group handled compensation arrangements, the benefits aspect of M&A deals, and pension plans. Oh, and the latter group handled labor issues, too.

Doug first assumed that the two practices were actually the same, but each had a separate Web page and listed different sets of attorneys associated with each group. He was slated to interview with attorneys from Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits only.

Confused, he emailed a friend who was an associate at the firm for clarification.

The response: "Partner Wars."

Dueling Partners, Dueling Practices

At the interview, Doug asked a senior associate, "Kara," to elaborate on the difference between the two groups and whether they worked in tandem on matters. Kara got up, shut the door to her office, and returned to her chair.

According to firm legend, she explained, there was once a single Executive Compensation/Employee Benefits/Labor/ERISA group. However, the group's two senior partners so hated each other that they split the kingdom and forged separate fiefdoms that continue to perform very similar work. So no, they didn't work in tandem. Associates work for one group or the other; dual citizenship is not permitted.

Doug then asked whether she found the dueling practice group system odd or problematic.

Kara morbidly analogized the situation to a treatment for epilepsy in which the brain tissue that connects the right and left hemispheres is severed. The Executive Comp people never know what the Labor people are working on, and vice versa. This disconnect results in the groups occasionally duplicating each others' efforts.

But duplicating efforts is the least of dueling groups' problems. Kara noted that the split becomes truly nightmarish when the general corporate associates cannot figure out which Executive Comp or Labor associate is working on which deal.

She recalled an incident in which a livid client called about poorly drafted employment agreements from a deal that closed several months prior. It turned out the corporate associates drafted the agreements themselves out of desperation, after failing to determine which Executive Comp or Labor associate was staffed on the matter. All the agreements had to be amended and re-executed. The most humiliating part of it all, said Kara, was explaining the mix-up to the client.

Law Firm Fiefdoms Are Bad for Business

Impressing potential hires may not be the primary concern of law firms, but as Doug's story demonstrates, partner turf wars can affect more than just office politics.

Firms plagued by dueling practice groups or partner grudge matches — even rifts less dramatic than the one described above — are at a significant disadvantage compared to their drama-free peers. Among the many downsides — reduced efficiency and higher bills, which may help the firm in the short run, but clients will eventually realize that they're not receiving the highest caliber at a reasonable cost.

Of course, clients aren't the only ones that suffer. Associates forced to choose sides between partners lose potential mentors and cannot benefit from the experience and expertise of the entire partnership. Associates with truncated skill sets ultimately hurt the firm.

Consequently, now, perhaps more than ever, it behooves squabbling partners to take a cue from divorced parents and put aside personal grudges for the sake of the proverbial kids. If they can't, firms that play host to these battles should consider asking one of the partners to leave.

As for the firm where Doug interviewed, Kara was resigned when she recounted the feud. "That's the firm — what can you do?" she mused.

Doug knew exactly what to do — he hustled out of the interview and kept on running.

How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw goes deep undercover inside some of the country's biggest law firms. But we don't just dish up the dirt. We also mine it for best and worst practices and other nuggets of knowledge. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Watch the Video

TechnoScore: 1.0
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score

Three things you never want to see in a law firm video:

1. The lawyer's nostrils.
2. The ceiling lights.
3. The lawyer reading from a computer screen.

Kenneth A. Vercammen of the New Jersey law firm, Kenneth A. Vercammen & Associates, creates a video that unfortunately has all three of these items.

Vercammen positioned his camera on his desk which has the effect that he is looking down at the camera and the viewer as well. It makes you feel, well, little. It's a good thing this lawyer's video is so poorly lit, otherwise you'd be able to see right into his nostrils.

The main reason the lighting is so poor is that the camera is focused on the ceiling light. The camera thinks the ceiling light is the main light source, which causes the camera to make everything else dark, including the attorney's face. The placement of the camera is a significant problem, and it's obvious that the attorney never looked to see whether he was properly positioned within the viewfinder frame.

There are so many issues with this do-it-yourself video that it just defies correction. My advice: Take the video offline and pay a professional to create a good video.

Tip #1: Calibrate the White Balance

Always calibrate the white balance before shooting your video. This takes all of 10 seconds to do. You need a white posterboard from Staples or Costco. Cost: $1.49. Place it on your chair and zoom in on it. Press the white balance button and lock it. This tells the camera that this object is really white. The camera adjusts all other colors accordingly.

If you fail to do this step, your entire video will be darkly lit and you will have wasted your entire afternoon producing an unwatchable video.

Tip #2: Place the Camera at Eye Level

If you're using a camera and do not have a tripod, get a stack of books and pile it high on your desk so the lens is at your eye level. Do not point it up toward the ceiling. Remember, nobody wants to see inside your nostrils.

Also, how do you feel when someone "talks down" to you? By putting the camera lens at eye level you create a bond that you certainly cannot obtain by looking down.

Tip #3: Don't Read From a Script

Do not read from a script or from text. I've said it repeatedly. When a client comes into your office, before you answer their question do you say "Wait! Hold on one second. I have to go grab my script before I can give you an answer."

It sounds so obvious, right? Reading from a script or text is stilted and boring. Create an outline and tell your viewer what you want them to know. Don't give them a legal citation thinking they'll go to the law library to look it up. Instead, pretend you're sitting at your kitchen table talking to your best friend. If their eyes glaze over, you can bet every viewer will feel the same way with a dry and emotionless set of legal facts that nobody wants to hear.

Conclusion

I couldn't even get through more than one minute of this 3:41 minute video. I couldn't pay attention to what this eager attorney was trying to say — something about the need for having a power of attorney for gay and lesbian partners. I learned about this topic only from his title. On his sidebar he posted what looks like a monotonous script, word for word, after which he provides a verbose resume of his career accomplishments.

The video could be so much better. Change the camera angle, set your white balance, ditch the script and be yourself. The topic is an important one. However, when you lose a viewer's attention within seconds, they will not stick around long enough to hear what you have to say.

The Back Bench

Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "This is hands-down, the worst video I have ever seen for marketing purposes. First, he is pointing the camera at himself. Second, he is reading from a screen. Thirdly, he is a horrible reader! Bottom line: This is a cheap home-made video that depicts him and his firm in the worst light ever. Putting this video out in the public domain is announcing to the world that he is a slacker! If Mr. Vercammen puts in the same effort practicing law as he does marketing, his clients are in trouble."

Lawyer, journalist, and legal media consultant Robert Ambrogi says: "There is so much wrong with this video that it is difficult to know where to start. First is the framing and perspective. It feels like he is looking down into a hole and the viewer is at the bottom looking up. Second is the lighting and focus. He is backlit and blurry. Worst of all is his presentation. He is clearly and clumsily reading a script in a monotone that makes him sound bored with his own topic. Even at just over three minutes, this video is painful to sit through."

TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "I'd prefer watching a blank screen than this painfully bad video. Kenneth Vercammen seems earnest about his subject matter, but his video proves beyond a reasonable doubt that production values matter."

About YouLaw
YouTube offers law firms a free advertising platform with tens of millions of potential clients. But a poor video can hurt more than help. In this column, lawyer and online video expert Gerry Oginski reviews and rates the latest law firm videos. A panel of fellow experts (The Back Bench) add to Gerry's reviews with pithy remarks. We link to each new YouLaw column and all other noteworthy law firm marketing articles in our weekly BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.

About Gerry Oginski
New York trial lawyer Gerry Oginski has created more than 150 informational online videos for his medical malpractice and personal injury practice. Realizing that most video producers don't have a deep understanding of the practice of law and what potential clients look for, Gerry launched The Lawyers' Video Studio, which provides free tutorials and video production services. If you need help producing a video, please contact Gerry now.

Contact Gerry:
T: (516) 487-8207
E: lawmed10@yahoo.com

Originally published on March 16, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

I've donned my kevlar and am ready to tread on sensitive ground. After slogging through the legal technology trenches for 24 years, I've developed the MDTR — the "Minimum Daily Technology Requirements" for every solo and small firm's technology needs. In today's first of three installments, I'll provide you with your MDTR for hardware.

Let's define minimum. I don't mean it in the absurd way some software publishers do when they say you could run, for example, Vista, on some 15 year old Pentium 4 when Mars and Venus are perfectly aligned. My minimums are really a reasonable balance of suitable functionality and performance for a projected four year life-cycle (or maybe five) for hardware systems. The key is neither underbuying nor overbuying — it's about "Smart Buying."

Also, I'm far less concerned with the brands and models and versions of the hardware and software tools I'm including on my list than the concepts. Technology in law practice, if intelligently viewed, shouldn't be about technology. Instead, technology should be a means to an end or multiple ends: best serving clients, generating professional work product, making a living, and frankly, even injecting some sense of fun and quality of life back into practice. That's what matters in the great scheme of things, not whether one has a Dell Optiplex 360 or 755.

MDTR: Desktop PCs

If it's a desktop, a business-class system from Dell (Optiplex business series only), HP (business series only) or Lenovo (ThinkCentre business series only). You could include Apple in this list as well, but with the limitations to consider that I discussed in my recent SmallLaw column on the subject.

Specifications should include:

Processor: Intel or AMD Dual Core processor (e.g., Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or better, or AMD equivalent).

RAM: 2-3 GB.

Operating System: Windows XP Pro until Windows 7 is available, proven, and stable. No Vista permitted! Or Mac OS X Leopard with Windows XP Pro running via either Bootcamp, Parallels Desktop 4 with its jaw-dropping "coherence mode," or VMWare Fusion 2.

Hard Drive: 7200 or preferably 10,000 rpm SATA drive — at least 250 GB, but 500+ is better. A RAID Level 1 mirrored pair isn't a bad idea if it's your only PC and your budget permits (use an inexpensive SATA RAID controller from companies like Promise Technology).

Optical Drive: DVD-R.

Networking: Gigabit Ethernet, possibly Bluetooth to sync with your smartphone (which you do have, right?), WiFi (if you're not close enough, practically speaking, to a wired connection to your Internet connection; otherwise, wired connections to your router are always better). Use proper CAT 5e or CAT 6 cables (cheap and reliable for data cabling, not the local rip-off Worst Buy or other Big Box retailers that will charge you $30 for a $3 cable.

Video: Dual-display capable with 256 MB of RAM, preferably with dual VGA connectors with dual DVI adapters for maximum connection flexibility.

Displays: Two 19" at least or preferably larger 22" LCD widescreen displays (don't pay more than $200 each for 22" displays — shop smart via Price Grabber, Shopper.com, and Google Product Search). You might consider one traditional landscape mode display and make the other a pivoting display you can keep in portrait mode for the most efficient document viewing/proofing (with pivoting offerings at about a $50-$100 premium over landscape mode display).

Keyboard/Mouse: You need to be comfortable with your choice. I'm particularly partial to Microsoft's Elite series with the padded palm rests — they're built like tanks. Aficionados of the original IBM TrackPoint and even earlier series keyboards can have their long-deprived fingerlust sated at PC Keyboards and Clicky Keyboards).

Bundled Software: Microsoft Office 2007 (Small Business or Standard edition for most people, Basic if you never need to use PowerPoint), and ideally Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard edition (for most people, but Pro is better with its legal-friendly features. If you need WordPerfect, the latest Office X4 is available at moderate prices.

Warranty: 4 years with at least next business day response time, or if it's your only system, upgrade to same day. Plus plan for the support you'll need related to your software.

MDTR: Laptops

For a laptop that serves as your primary PC, purchase a business-class system from Dell (Latitude business series only), HP (business series only) or Lenovo (Thinkpad business series only). You could include Apple's MacBook or MacBook Pro in this list as well, but with the limitations mentioned above.

Specifications to target should include:

Processor, RAM, OS, Optical, Networking, External Keyboard/Mouse, Bundled Software: Same as above though WiFi is a must, not optional.

Hard Drive: 7200 rpm SATA drive ideally versus more commonly available slower 5400 rpm drives — at least 250 GB, but 320 GB and 500 GB drives are now available.

Video: "Discrete" video is preferred with 128 MB or 256 MB RAM as opposed to "integrated" video.

Displays: For internal displays, 13" and above for regular daily use with either WXGA or higher resolution (1280 x800, 1440 x 900, or 1680 x 1050). Remember the higher the laptop resolution, the smaller the characters.

If you want to connect two displays externally, some laptop docking stations allow this, such as the Thinkpad Advanced Port Replicator with both DVI and VGA ports. Otherwise, use a Matrox DualHead2Go, which runs two external displays (a "TripleHead2Go" model can run three displays).

Docking: Business-class laptops have available docking capability via $100-$200 port replicators. These make lots of sense versus having to plug and unplug half a dozen or more cables every time you get the call on the Bat phone and need to hit the road.

Keyboard/Mouse: There is universal sentiment that on the PC side of the coin, Lenovo's Thinkpad keyboards, born of IBM technology and tradition, are still, bar none, the best-feeling laptop keyboards ever made. On the Mac side, the keyboards on the new unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro systems are a joy to use. I know — I have both.

Warranty: 3 years since you'll wear out and likely keep laptops for a shorter period, with at least next business day response time, or again, if it's your only system, upgrade to same day, more rapid guaranteed response time.

MDTR: Printers

A color or black & white multifunction laser printer can make a great deal of sense, with the key being having enough paper trays. Think about how much time is wasted having to feed envelopes or bond paper into a printer that only has a single paper tray?

With inkjet cartridges costing more than virtually any other liquid on the planet (many times the cost of human blood — that's just plain wrong), avoid them except for special purposes such as dedicated photo printing.

If you email more than print, you can get away with less printing ability. On the other hand, the long term value of a black and white multifunction laser model like the 35 page per minute, heavy duty LaserJet 3035M can prove quite economical in the long run since it may easily last a decade. For smaller volume situations, the HP 2727M comes in at 27 ppm and around $650 with two paper trays (but no digital sending).

For occasional networkable color printing, you could add an HP Color LaserJet CP2020 series printer with a couple of paper trays for about $600 to complement the primary black and white workhorse. And having a "spare" backup printer is always sensible.

The HP theme should be apparent — why? Because HP makes better printers? Not necessarily — it's all about the practical issue of fast and local toner availability. Dimes to donuts you'll find HP toner in stock even at a local 24-hour FedEx, but certainly a local Staples, Office Depot/Max, etc. Other brands might find you one toner cartridge short and out of luck when the printing chips are down to make that court filing deadline.

Finally, add a Dymo Labelwriter Twin Turbo 400 (yes, it sounds more like an exotic sports car than a label printer). These invaluable printing dynamos will pay for themselves rapidly in reduced label consumable costs versus traditional Avery label sheets for your laser printer. Use them to print mailing labels, file labels, shipping labels and even your postage. You'll later email me to tell me it was the best money you've ever spent on a printer.

MDTR Scanners

Aside from the scanning ability in your multifunction device, above, it may make sense to have a desktop-connected Fujitsu ScanSnap (S510 or S510M). Long my favorite Paper LESS Office desktop scanner, these little scanning wonders have become the darling of the "build complete electronic case files set."

With good reason — netting about $350 after rebates, the ScanSnaps earn their deserved fame for solid, reasonably quick 18 pages/per minute duplex scanning (both sides at the same time), and the famous "Big Green Button" to initiate scans in a newbie-proof manner. Plus the bundled Adobe Acrobat Standard edition PDF license.

MDTR: Backup System

Read my recent SmallLaw column on the ultimate data backup regimen for small firms and heed all the advice.

For the solo standalone system, add at least three 500 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB USB 2.0 external drives. Use actual data backup software — Acronis True Image Home in the current edition — for your primary full, nightly automated drive backups, alternating media daily, taking it off-site anywhere daily, and performing at least weekly "mini test restores."

For your secondary layer of protection, use an online backup service such as CoreVault, SugarSync or MozyHome / MozyPro to backup your DATA folders.

Then consider a third layer — real-time data folder backup to an always-connected external 750 GB or 1 TB drive using a program like Second Copy to protect you against downtime. Second Copy will make copies of your data files, as you work on them. If your hard drive fails and you have to wait for repair/replacement/restoration, you can take your Second Copied backup drive to any other PC and work on the files while you're waiting.

And use Windows "System Restore" function to create "Restore Points" before installing any new software, enabling you to roll back in time to your PC's state just before you loaded the "program from hell" that ate your Registry and killed your machine.

Mac users should think about using OS X's wonderful and impressive Time Machine function, whether to external USB drives or to an Apple Time Capsule, wirelessly across their network.

… to be continued.

Written by Ross Kodner of MicroLaw.

How to Receive SmallLaw
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