Coming today to TechnoFeature: Did you know that recipients of your PDF files can insert comments even if they don't have a copy of Acrobat? In this article, attorney and Acrobat enthusiast Roy Greenberg shares this and nine other helpful tips for Acrobat 9 Professional. From bookmarking to redaction to document comparison to online collaboration, Roy's favorite tips will quickly become favorites of yours as well.
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TechnoScore: 3.5
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
In the first half of this video, Law Office of Leonard Weitzman, Family Law, Bridgewater, NJ, I was impressed with how confident, natural, and poised Weitzman was during his one man show. Yet, when he started talking about himself during the second half, I struggled not to jump to the next video.
Weitzman uses a very effective and subtle technique when talking about what you should look for when deciding on an attorney. Specifically, he mentions the need to see and hear a confident, able and presentable lawyer. He gives you this information while sounding confident, able, and totally presentable.
A potential client watching him will recognize that each of those elements are reflected in Weitzman's brief video. This technique was also used effectively when Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 was 73 years old while debating Walter Mondale, said "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." Get it? He never had to come right out and say that his advanced age was a benefit instead of a liability. Rather, he just raised it in a statement.
Attorney Weitzman had everything going for him in the first sixty seconds. He lost a full point for talking about himself during the next 60 seconds. I always advocate that rather than talk about how wonderful you are, have your associate, partner, or former client do it for you. Listen to what he says: "I'm a certified civil trial lawyer," "I'm rated by Martindale-Hubble with the highest ranking..." "When I walk into a courtroom with my client, I believe my client has the utmost confidence in my ability and my skills..." Stop saying "Me, me, me." Instead, let your satisfied client tell the viewers for you.
Video Techniques
Attorney Weitzman stands throughout the video. Not a bad idea, but he moves around a lot, which is distracting. There are also a few b-roll shots of him moving around his office and sitting in front of his desk.
Lighting: Barely adequate. The background is poorly lit and he is standing in front of a greenish/brown wall which never makes anyone look good.
Sound: Adequate
Set: A wall in his office.
Practice tip: If video taping in an area that does not have natural lighting, make sure a light is pointed behind you toward the wall to illuminate the background. This way you'll look better, and there will be more contrast between you and the wall. To create even more contrast, have a light from behind you point to your back.
Length: 2:06 minutes. Ditch the self-lauding, or include a client testimonial within your video and you'll gain back that one full point for a TechnoScore of 4.5 instead of 3.5.
Script: Appears well rehearsed. Not scripted, at least not that I could tell.
Performance: His performance was excellent. From this video, I have no doubt that Weitzman is knowledgeable, able, confident and knows what to do in a courtroom.
Practice tip: Don't make a sales pitch. Weitzman tells viewers to "Please contact my office for an appointment. I continue to offer most consultations for no charge." However, he does not explain why they should call for an appointment.
In the initial segment of his video, he does a great job explaining what to look for in an attorney. However, the call to action for an attorney video is to provide viewers with more information. That's the carrot that will entice them to pick up the phone and call. Simply telling them to call, without telling them why misses the key reason to make the video in the first place.
Sidebar: The copy in the sidebar contains two paragraphs about his philosophy of the practice of law and the areas of his practice. OK. I get it, but there's no phone number anywhere in the text. If you tell viewers to call you in the video, why make them search for your Web site url, then have to click on it, and then scour your site for your contact information? A better practice is simply to list your phone number in your copy. Weitzman lost half a point for this mistake.
Conclusion
Weitzman makes a compelling argument for what type of attorney to look for when searching for a family lawyer online. His appearance and demeanor speak well for his legal abilities. My advice: Tweak the video, improve the lighting, incorporate a client testimonial, add your phone number to the sidebar copy, and give the viewer a real reason to call you. Then you'll have an excellent attorney video.
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "Leonard is very charismatic, and the video clearly conveys that. He is articulate and personable. Nice touch on using clients in the video. I would cut the length of the video about one minute, but otherwise, very nicely done."
Lawyer, journalist, and legal media consultant Robert Ambrogi says: "This well-done ad demonstrates the power of video is to personalize its subject in a way that no static Web site or brochure ever could. The lawyer's demeanor -- at once confident and modest -- is enhanced through artful editing and transitions."
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "After a strong opening argument, Weitzman fails to prove his case (why you should hire him)."
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.
Do you Twitter? FriendFeed? If not, you are among the 98% of the legal profession that neither knows nor cares about the Web 2.0 flavor of the month. But this edition of SmallLaw is not about a fad or Johnny-Come-Lately development. Twitter, Friendfeed, and a variety of similar services are here now and offer a world of possibilities — no technical knowledge required.
Of course it's one thing to say these services can change the way we practice, but something else to explain how, or why we should bother. What is the justification, the use case as they say, for change? Let's start by looking at what these systems do and how you can put them to work.
Microblogging: Like Blogging But Much Easier
In 2004, a featureless text protocol called short-message-service (SMS) was poised to take over the world. While it certainly made a dent, costs prevented it from world domination.
Around this time, a plucky little company called Twitter stepped in to provide its own brand of instantaneous asynchronous one-way communication arranged in a chronological list: the microblog.
Today Twitter is bigger than ever, and its appeal keeps growing. Need I mention it's free. Its popularity has given rise to such me-too services as Jaiku, Pownce, and Yammer. Instead of trying to understand all the nuances of Twitter, let's see how you could use it in your law firm.
Use Case: Always in the Know
Imagine what would happen if you and your colleagues continually added comments, documents, pictures, etc. into one long, self-updating list that every contributor could see. The result, it turns out, is like being in 10 places at once. You can get the scoop from the office, the courthouse, the meeting, etc. all at once or categorized by sender, location, subject, etc.
Lifestreaming (Casestreaming)
In 2005 a Web site called Dandelife enabled users to enter information as if they were blogging, and at the click of a mouse switch to a timeline view. Early adopters consisted of self-absorbed Gen-Ys to discuss their life stories — hence "Lifestreaming."
But a funny thing happened in 2008 when a company called FriendFeed focused on combining multiple information streams about each user and presenting them as one master stream. This version of "Lifestreaming" was completely different and had vastly different ramifications.
Use Case: The Closing
Lifestreaming (let's call it Casestreaming for our purposes) obviously has a number of uses ranging from turning case information into an instant, scalable timeline, to viewing the interplay among parties, employees, judicial opinions, statutory developments, etc. in juxtaposition to one another in real time, and even for billing and time-tracking. An example might look like this:
1:00 PM Lawyer: Mr. Client can I see documents from your closing?
1:20 PM Client: Uploads 3 pictures and 10 documents from closing.
1:40 PM Lawyer: Here is the timeline of events leading up to closing.
1:50 PM Auto-Confirm: Timeline sent to client and wiki page for case.
2:00 PM Paralegal: Mr. Lawyer, the file will be ready for 3 PM meeting.
I could write more about these tools but why? All you really need to know is that microblogging and casestreaming are in their infancy, nobody has all the answers, and there are as many use cases to be made as there are lawyers willing to put these tools to work. Which is definitely how it should be. I invite you to take a look at your own small firm and figure out a use case of your own. I guarantee you'll find at least one. Then drop me a line and let me know what you've found. You can find me on Twitter.
How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
Coming today to Answers to Questions: Roger Mullins reviews his firm's experience using Nuance's Dictaphone system and provides a few tips for those looking into digital dictation, Kevin Giberson reviews the BlackBerry Storm from a Treo user's perspective, Theodore Stein discusses why reformatting a hard drive won't protect you, David Caracappa reviews the ScrapBook Firefox extension, and Jon Manchester shares his thoughts on Reveal Codes and deleting text in Word and WordPerfect. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a 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 today to TechnoFeature: With the recent state of the economy, many companies are tightening their belt — and law firms are no exception. But sometimes you have to spend money to make money. According to legal technology consultant Seth Rowland, now is the time to redouble legal document automation initiatives. In this comprehensive two-part series, Seth explores document automation, first from a technology perspective, and then from a business case perspective. This week, Seth explains how to get started, constructing a bridge between mere templates to a full automation system.
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Coming November 21, 2008 to Fat Friday: STI President Dan Berlin responds to a recent Post about importing historial data from one billing system to another, Sagi Shaked provides four helpful tips for lawyers looking to share office space, John Heckman explains why document management is indeed the "killer app," Ronald Cappuccio shares his thoughts on state regulation of CLE, and Daryl Martin spots another flaw in one of our law firm video reviews. Don't miss this issue.
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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.
Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a mobile Web portal for Time Matters (see article below), an online backup solution, a tool for creating Web forms, a utility for saving YouTube videos, and a freeform database for the iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.
Take Time Matters Everywhere You Go
By Neil J. Squillante
It's nice to squeeze your own orange juice or brew your own coffee, but you don't always have time. Similarly, you may not always have time to synchronize Time Matters with your smartphone. And depending on which smartphone you use, you may not be able to sync all your Time Matters data, just the portions that Outlook understands.
MobileTM ... in One Sentence
Developed by Data Equity and sold by OTB Consulting, MobileTM is a Web portal that enables you to access your Time Matters data in real-time on any Web-enabled smartphone.
The Killer Feature
The smartphone revolution presents Time Matters users with a problem. For example, although you can use Outlook as a conduit for synchronization, it doesn't support many of the data types in Time Matters. Furthermore, wireless synchronization requires an investment in software such as BlackBerry Enterprise Server or Microsoft Exchange.
MobileTM addresses this problem by focusing on Web services. You don't install any software on your smartphone nor do you need to sync. Instead, MobileTM makes your Time Matters data available securely over the Internet. You simply access it from your mobile Web browser. As an added benefit, your firm need not standardize on one smartphone.
"A firm that uses Time Matters cannot afford to be without MobileTM," OTB Consulting Managing Partner Tom Rowe told us. "Real-time access to data is essential in today's on-demand world."
Other Notable Features
MobileTM resides at your firm, and does not require Microsoft Exchange or any software or hardware other than your existing Time Matters installation.
MobileTM is compatible with the major Web-enabled smartphone platforms, including BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.
You can choose up to 16 record types to make available to your mobile users, including user-defined records in Time Matters 9. You can also customize the manner in which the information is displayed.
MobileTM supports both quick searches and full-text searches. It will begin presenting a list of hits as you type. If you pull up a contact or matter, you can see all related records such as events, notes, phone calls, and todos. You can also dial phone numbers directly from MobileTM.
What Else Should You Know?
MobileTM costs $300 per year for the server and administration tools plus $100 per user per year. You need not purchase a license for every Time Matters user in your firm, only those who need mobile access. For example, five MobileTM users works out to $160 per user per year. Learn more about MobileTM.
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Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.
Coming November 20, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Scott Bassett reviews the Asus Eee mini-notebook pre-installed with Linux and all the apps therein, Kristin LaMont shares the two reasons why her firm still uses QuickBooks, Lee Samis reviews his firm's move to Time Matters, Thomas F. McDow explains how to generate tables of authorities and contents in WordPerfect, and Daniel Fennick reviews syncing his BlackJack II smartphone with Outlook and PracticeMaster. Don't miss this issue.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a 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 November 18, 2008 to TechnoFeature: Imagine the excitement of sitting inside a high performance car — the rich texture of the finishes, the high-tech gadgetry and electronics that scream performance and speed. What if your law office could evoke the same feelings? In this article, law firm planner and architectural designer Richey Madison explores how to put together an optimal audio/visual technology plan to shape the future of your firm, and what mistakes to avoid. With the right process, people, and good planning, Richey shows you how the latest and greatest in audio/visual equipment can improve your effectiveness with clients, thus increasing your bottom line.
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.
When companies like Dell buy hard drives, they buy them by the thousands. The drives don't come individually packaged as they do at your local superstore (just imagine the outcry from environmental activists if they did). Instead, they come in volume packaging.
Nowadays, anyone can buy OEM drives from online retailers. But few of us can buy enough of them to receive the original crate from the factory as Dell does. Instead, retailers uncrate these hard drives and resell them individually using their own packaging. The risk of physical damage significantly increases as a result.
We lucked out earlier this year. All the drives worked so this issue didn't even cross my mind.
When I recently bought a new home computer, I ordered three more of these OEM drives. The price had dropped to just $133 each.
This time I was not so lucky. None of the drives worked. One had obvious physical damage.
Unlike OEM drives, these drives were each boxed in protective retail packaging. At $190 each, they cost considerably more than the OEM version. But I considered the premium for the packaging an insurance policy. Sure enough, all three drives worked well.
If you need an internal hard drive, buy the retail version versus the OEM version unless you have more time than money. Incidentally, you can buy the retail version online — from companies that operate brick and mortar stores — such as Best Buy and J&R Computer World.
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. Please subscribe now.
