TechnoLawyer

Coming August 7, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Ginger Rendon discusses the top ten differences between ProLaw to PracticeMaster, HR Kloppenburg explains how to name files to ensure a successful paperless office, Corey Rich reviews Mozilla Thunderbird, William Carter explains how to use Microsoft Word's Reveal Formatting feature, and Joshua Stein reviews Nuance's PaperPort. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published 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.

One year ago today we launched BlawgWorld 2007 with TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide — a free eBook.

We believe it has become the most widely reviewed legal eBook of all time, proving that everyone is indeed a critic. We have found 70 reviews to date.

So what better way to celebrate than by showcasing these reviews? Below you will find choice quotes from ten of our favorite reviews — in no particular order and not all of them favorable.

Of course, the only review that really matters is yours. So please download a copy now to see what all the fuss is about.

Everyone's a Critic: Ten of Our Favorite Reviews

Brett Burney, A Review of TechnoLawyer's Free BlawgWorld 2007 ebook, LLRX
"In their usual flair and capacity, TechnoLawyer has created a unique and interactive eBook that brilliantly takes advantage of the technology found in PDF files. BlawgWorld 2007 was designed to open in just about any PDF viewer and it worked very well in my various tests.... [B]oth ebooks are entirely free to download from the TechnoLawyer Website. You aren't even required to register, provide your name or e-mail address, or join TechnoLawyer (although you would be well served to do so) — you just simply click the link, download the book, and start reading."

Robert Ambrogi, BlawgWorld 2007: I Still Don't Get It, ALM Legal Blog Watch
"Squillante and Skiff deserve high praise for the design and format of BlawgWorld 2007. The book employs a navigation system that takes full advantage of the features of PDF. The concept is "three clicks from anywhere to anywhere." That holds true, enabling the reader to find and get to articles quickly and intuitively.... I am able to evaluate a blog only by reading several postings over a period of time. To take one self-selected post and add it to a compendium of posts from other bloggers seems to serve no practical purpose other than to stroke the egos of the bloggers who are included."

Bonnie Shucha, BlawgWorld 2007: I Finally Get It, WisBlawg
"BlawgWorld is all about educating non-blogging legal professionals about blogs. What are they? What do they have to offer? Which ones match my interests? Hopefully, then, some of these readers will be intrigued enough to venture out into the blogosphere. As a someone who has devoted a lot of effort to educating legal professionals about blogs, I feel almost embarrassed that I didn't get it before now."

Ross L. Kodner, Responding to Legal Blog Watch’s Critique of BlawgWorld 2007 E-Book, Ross Ipsa Loquitur
"What I find is that the majority of lawyers still barely know what a blog is, no less subscribe to multiple blogs and actually learn from all the valuable content that’s out there.... TechnoLawyer is providing something very valuable to the average lawyer in the trenches .... If even a handful learn something that helps them improve their lot in law practice and extends to improvement of their service to clients, then it’s a success."

Michelle Golden, BlawgWorld 2007 eBook Just Released!, Golden Practices
"The eBook is super easy to navigate as its creators boast readers are never more than three clicks from what they seek. It's a well-designed approach to eBooks and if you are thinking of developing one, this is a model you'll want to check out."

Michael Bates, Technolawyer — BlawgWorld 2007, Calgary Criminal Lawyers' Weekly
"As a lawyer who tries to keep current with the various advances in technology that can help to streamline the practice of law, I am one of numerous subscribers to the TechnoLawyer website and newsletters. I am also a contributor to TechnoLawyer's online project known as BlawgWorld ... an impressive collection of legal blogs from around the World Wide Web."

Jeremy Blachman, Blawgworld 2007, Jeremy Blachman's Weblog (Anonymous Lawyer)
"Graphically the whole thing is really impressive.... And they've packaged it with something called the TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide, which answers burning questions like, "How can I get data off a live exchange server for discovery?" and "How do you convene a mediation when the other side doesn't want to talk settlement?" I mean, irrelevant to my own life, but it actually seems like a reasonably useful resource if this is the sort of stuff you do all day."

Jim Calloway, BlawgWorld 2007 Is Published, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog
"Some will find fault with any selection of best blawgs, but this certainly should give anyone a feel for the varied and interesting content being published by the citizen journalists within the legal community.... However, there is an interesting addition this year with the inclusion of Technolawyer Problem/Solution Guide. It features 185 law office technology problems with 185 suggested solutions. It is a sponsored feature, so that means you will be getting one particular vendor's suggested solution. But it is another useful tool."

Andis Kaulins, LawPundit Judicial Clerkship Posting Published in BlawgWorld 2007 by TechnoLawyer, LawPundit
"BlawgWorld 2007 is an exceptional freely downloadable pathfinding legal e-book published today by TechnoLawyer, the leading internet law tech resource.... Compare the extensive reach and the easy availability of this avantgarde peer-reviewed e-book publication to the dwindling readership of the pay-based printed journals still being churned out in the legal field and in other academic disciplines, as if the internet did not exist."

Sheryl Sisk Schelin, BlawgWorld 2007: A Review, Blawg in a Box
"If BlawgWorld's stated goal is to introduce lawyers to new blogs in a more efficient way, I have to say I'm not convinced it's a success. But if the goal was to produce an amazing eBook — well, here, TechnoLawyer succeeded wildly." [Sadly, Blawg in a Box no longer exists so we cannot offer a link.]

What Do You Think?

We welcome your opinion on our eBook and on all other topics as well. You may not know it, but TechnoLawyer is the grandaddy of social networks in the legal profession. Each year hundreds of lawyers and law office administrators share their wisdom within our peer-written newsletters. Please sign up for one or more of these newsletters while you're here. Like our eBook, they're free.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a document management application that doesn't require a database (see article below), a business intelligence program that analyzes your firm's financial data, and litigation support software that handles discovery documents and deposition transcripts as well as trial presentations. Don't miss the next issue.

A Place For Your Stuff
By Peter R. Olson

The late comedian George Carlin had a famous routine called "A Place For Your Stuff" in which he made many keen observations about our propensity to collect "stuff." Law firms, of course, are notorious for all the "stuff" they collect. These days, much of it is electronic, but many lawyers still can't find anything. As it turns out, we don't only need a place for our stuff. We also need a better way to manage it.

Novabrain Business Explorer 4.0 ... in One Sentence
Novabrain Technologies' Novabrain Business Explorer 4.0 enables you to better organize, find, and share structured and unstructured data such as contacts, events, email, documents, and more on your own computer and across your firm.

The Killer Feature
Unlike most document management systems, Novabrain Business Explorer does not use a database to store your data. Instead, it uses XML files either on your local hard drive or a file server. As a result, you don't need a technician to get up and running.

Also, you need not upload email and documents nor must you check them out. Instead, you store everything where you normally store it, the difference being that Novabrain Business Explorer keeps track it. Think of it like iTunes for your email and documents.

Other Notable Features
Novabrain Business Explorer integrates with Microsoft Office, bringing with it a true client/matter classification system as opposed to the nested folders in Windows that many law firms use. Thus, you can save email and documents into Novabrain's index automatically by client and matter so that you can easily search for and find them later. Novabrain Business Explorer also provides version tracking so that you can access all prior versions of a document.

Novabrain Business Explorer's search goes beyond the many free desktop search tools that exist thanks to its context search capabilities. For example, instead of simply searching for a keyword, you can search for attributes such as matter and date range to improve relevancy.

What Else Should You Know?
Novabrain comes in three versions — Free, Pro, and Enterprise. The Free version is for single users. The Pro and Enterprise editions include collaboration features and the ability to search across your firm. The Enterprise edition also includes document numbering, Microsoft SharePoint integration, and centralized administration and customization. The Pro version costs $199. The price of the Enterprise version depends on various factors. Learn more about Novabrain Business Explorer 4.0.

How to Receive this Newsletter
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.

I have some great news to share with you. As you can see below, we have changed the structure of our TechnoLawyer NewsWire articles to better serve our two audiences — those who want a quick overview of new products and those who want an in-depth analysis.

Specifically, the new In One Sentence section describes the product we're reporting on in one sentence, and the new Killer Feature section describes its most important feature. Readers who want more information will find a detailed discussion of the product’s Other Notable Features as well.

Please let me know what you think, and please sign up to receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire if you have not yet done so. We publish only a few select articles here in our blog. For example, this week's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a hosted extranet for law firms, a Word add-on that enables you to manage defined terms in legal documents, and new PDF software for power users. We've placed one article below. The other two are available only to subscribers of the newsletter. — Neil J. Squillante, Publisher

Show Your Clients That You Care
By Peter R. Olson

Lawyers get in trouble when they focus on work at the expense of client communication — similar to doctors actually. While a clever cross examination or well drafted legal brief might impress your clients, they care more about the outcome and your hand-holding along the way. After all, the leading cause of disciplinary complaints is poor communication. But in this day and age, you need more than the bedside manner of Dr. Marcus Welby. You also need the technology of Dr. McCoy.

Attorney and Client ... in One Sentence
CLC Technology's Attorney and Client provides you and your clients with a collaborative online work space (extranet).

The Killer Feature
Using a Web browser, your clients can access the documents in their case file, review upcoming calendar items, and find contact information for everyone at your firm who works on their cases. Your assistant may like Attorney and Client even more than your clients do.

Other Notable Features
When you take on a new matter and enter it into Attorney and Client, your client receives a login via email (they can change the default password to make it more secure).

Attorney and Client features a dashboard that lists all recent activity. You can brand the dashboard and other pages with your logo.

A busy matter may involve dozens of documents — incoming mail and your work product. Attorney and Client enables you to upload multiple files simultaneously. You can also create and file documents into folders using drag and drop just as you would in Windows Explorer. There is no storage space limit.

In addition to the matter-specific calendar and case file, Attorney and Client also includes secure and searchable instant messaging and discussion threads. You can elect to use one or both or neither of these communication tools on a matter by matter basis.

To keep everyone in the loop, you can create email alerts for calendar items, documents, etc. For example, if a document changes, Attorney and Client can let everyone know. You can even use Attorney and Client to send bills to your clients, thus creating an archive automatically.

What Else Should You Know?
Attorney and Client costs $29.95 per month per attorney. You can try it for free for 30 days. It works in all modern Web browsers on Mac and PC. Learn more about Attorney and Client.

How to Receive this Newsletter
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 August 1, 2008 to Fat Friday: Paul Easton reviews a number of multiple calendar solutions, including Exchange, SharePoint, Google Calendar, etc., Philip Franckel discusses the risks of spam filters and reviews QuickFile4Outlook—Lawyer's Edition, Douglas Thomas adds his two cents to the software design discussion (plus he recommends a book on the subject), David Abell shares his experience as a righty mousing left-handed, and Ross Kodner writes in with his vote for the best Microsoft Word resource for lawyers. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
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.

Coming July 31, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Neil Packard shares tips for Bates stamping documents and explains which format generally works best for discovery documents, Francis Jackson compares Amicus Attorney to Prevail for practice management, Simon Berglund discusses the difference between MP3 and Digital Speech Standard (DSS) devices and how to choose between them, Kerry Hubick reviews Copernic Desktop Search, and Michael Markovitz reviews PaperPort, including how he uses it with his scanner. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published 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 July 29, 2008 to TechnoFeature: Forgetting a date usually doesn't have serious repercussions — a dentist appointment, a kid's soccer game, your anniversary ... well, maybe not that last one. But missing a court deadline can get you fired, sued, and/or disciplined by your state bar. In this article, patent attorney Norman Van Treeck reviews CompuLaw Vision for keeping track of court-imposed deadlines. Norman explains how his firm uses CompuLaw Vision and assesses the performance of the current version. If your firm has contemplated investing in technology to help with calendaring and docketing, read Norman's comprehensive review to see if CompuLaw Vision can serve your needs.

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.

Originally published on July 21, 2008 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

Last week TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante suggested mobile lawyering as a topic for my piece this month. Mobile lawyering? Did he mean turning your RV into a law office? Well, not exactly.

Microsoft recently announced plans to offer Exchange and SharePoint on a hosted basis. These two server-based applications have become mainstays of large firms, but despite being offered on a hosted basis today by many service providers they have not been embraced to the same degree by small firms. With Microsoft itself getting into the hosting game and with devices like the iPhone 3G and Treo 800 supporting Microsoft's ActiveSync technology, the situation could change.

That sounded interesting ...

But hardly novel. In fact mobile lawyering was the original legal technology buzzword and as far as I was concerned it still conjures visions of smart-ass first-year law students with sport coats and 24 pound laptops. Now that's mobile! In short, when mobile lawyering was hatched as an idea in the late 90's untethering your practice was not just impractical, it was hazardous to your chiropractic health.

Then a weird thing happened. Al Gore (with a little help from Netscape) invented the Internet.

Suddenly lawyers at large firms began buying into the promise of this wunder medium to enable them to work remotely without lugging around their whole office. And the Internet did not disappoint us for once, delivering innovations such as portals, storage and hosting, ubiquitous access to information, and of course email. The developing online scene for legal professionals was enhanced further by the advent of blogs, RSS, and wikis a couple of years later. And today the stage is set for mobile lawyering right?

Wrong.

Despite having all these resources at our disposal, we lawyers are only slightly more mobile than we were two decades ago. Don't believe me?  How comfortable are you working on a brief or pleading away from the office? How often do you work that way anyway? Is it about the technology or the attitude?

Which got me thinking ... what good would affordable, hosted versions of Exchange or SharePoint do if lawyers didn't use them?

My answer? I think lawyers will use them. It may take a while of course. But sooner or later enough of us will need access to client files, other member of our teams, and the latest research and information, and we will want it all in the same place. That's when tools like Exchange and SharePoint seem indispensable.

So maybe what Neil meant was that hosted Exchange and SharePoint will enable lawyers (whether large firm veterans, medium firm visionaries or small firm pioneers) to collaborate more effectively and take fuller advantage of the galaxy of tools already available by mashing up the familiar interfaces and paradigms of Microsoft Office with dynamic information to create unique project and case files.

After all, Exchange is about communication among members of the office or team while SharePoint is about folding information from outside the team into their environment. Together these tools could radically alter the collaboration landscape. Hell, maybe they will.

Written by Mazyar M. Hedayat of M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.

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.

In A View from the Gallery, the classic television space opera Babylon 5 took a left turn and shifted the point of view to a couple of maintenance workers. It was a refreshing change of pace.

In Role of a Paralegal, Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, a personal injury law firm in Virginia, uses the same device, showcasing two of its paralegals.

Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton has embraced videos to an extent few others have. For example, the principal partners each have a video bio on the firm's site.

Nonetheless, I found Role of a Paralegal disappointing. The concept is excellent. I think it's helpful for prospective clients to understand how a law firm works and the roles of those who work there.

The problem with this video lies in the script and production. Jackie and Roslyn, the two paralegals featured, provide a lot of helpful details about what they do, but their script meanders. It needs some editing to make it tighter.

The soundtrack needs some cleaning up (or the firm needs better microphones). Also, the b-roll that shows someone (Roslyn?) working in her office while Jackie is speaking practically defines the idiom "too little too late."

Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton has an excellent concept here. With a better script and better production values, it will have a first-rate video.

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. You can subscribe here.

Coming July 25, 2008 to Fat Friday: Robert Bass reviews Jott for BlackBerry (and we report on other Jott reviews), Director of CLE for the Nebraska State Bar Kathryn Bellman discusses the challenges CLE providers face, Ron Murphy explains why he thinks multiple calendars are a big mistake (and we explain why we agree and disagree), Jeff Wyatt reviews the Virtual Training Company's online training programs for Microsoft Word 2007, and Tom Trottier rants about Apple fanboys (and we rush to their defense). Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
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.