TechnoLawyer

One of our favorite contributors, trial consultant Lynn Packer, posted a YouTube video two days ago that showcases his DepoDisplay paperless deposition system.

Lynn has written several TechnoFeature articles for us in which he recounted his struggle to modernize courtrooms in Utah. Therefore, it's encouraging to see his vision up and running, albeit not in a courtroom, but in a forward-thinking Utah law firm.

More impressive than the courtroom gear is the DepoDisplay deposition system, which features a large screen at the foot of the deposition table for displaying exhibits and two operator-controlled cameras for capturing all the action. Watching this video is like traveling forward in time to a deposition in 2015 (click here if you can't see the video below).

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 April 3, 2008 to Answers to Questions: James Sayre discusses various ways to save Web pages for future use (plus a tip of our own), Christel Burris reviews GFI Faxmaker for Exchange, Terry Mazura provides helpful advice for those who want to use two computers with one monitor (and one keyboard, one mouse, etc.), Steven Brower shares his thoughts on adhesion contracts, and law student Barbara Durkin reviews Payne Consulting's books Word 2003 for Law Firms and Excel for Law Firms. Don't miss this issue.

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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 April 1, 2008 to TechnoFeature: Good employees are hard to find. Hiring a good bookkeeper with law firm experience is even harder. Do you know the skills required to work with sensitive and specific accounting records, only found in law firms? In this article, trainer Beatriz Milia shares ten important tips for hiring and training a competent, motivated, and trustworthy legal bookkeeper.

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.

Coming April 4, 2008 to Fat Friday: Jim Calloway takes Publisher Neil Squillante to task for his recent essay Why Email Kicks More Butt Than Ever (and Neil responds), Brent Blanchard reviews Palm Treo 680, Carol Bratt corrects a few misconceptions about Microsoft Office 2007 and reviews this new version, David Sergi explains why his law firm still advertises in the Yellow Pages, and Harold Burstyn responds to a Post about ambidextrous mousing and shares what works for him. 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.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new Web-based time and billing application (see article below), a suite of server-based PDF applications, and a hosted wiki service for collaboration and document management. Don't miss the next issue.

Pay Me More
By Neil J. Squillante

If a typical software application has 100 features, but most people use only 10 of the features, should the software company jettison the 90 features that only a minority of people use? Yes, according to the growing number of software companies creating lightweight, Web-based applications.

One such company, Logic Design, recently launched PayMo, a Web-based billing application for lawyers and others who need to track their time. PayMo doesn't do as much as its more mature competitors — by choice. Instead, the company focuses on a few core features and a lickable interface that looks like something from Apple.

To get started, you set up clients and projects (matters), and then simply track the time spent on tasks within those projects. PayMo has two types of users — managers (such as managing partners and office managers) who can see everything, and individual users who can see only their own time entries.

PayMo can track the time you spend on a task with a stopwatch and then create a time entry. You can edit time entries anytime before submitting them. The stopwatch shows you how much time you've billed for the entire day and week, not just the task at hand. If you don't like the idea of tracking your time in a browser, you can install a lightweight desktop application for Mac or Windows with much the same functionality.

Managers have access to many more functions. From a single dashboard, you can access and review everyone's time-sheets. Thanks to an array of charts, at a glance you can gauge overall performance and spot slackers. You can view time by client, employee, and project, and you can drill down further for more details. At any point, you can generate bills and send them to clients via email. You can also save bills and reports in PDF format.

PayMo is free for up to three users. Otherwise, it costs $3.99/user/month. If you have 30 or more users, you can choose to pay a flat fee of $150/month. Learn more about PayMo.

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.

You hear a lot these days about people live-blogging trade shows and other events. But with few exceptions live blogging (perhaps we lawyers should call it realtime blogging) fails because quality writing takes time. It's sort of like the speed of light or the force of gravity. There's just no getting around it.

So when we began discussing how to cover ABA TECHSHOW 2008, we nixed the idea of live-blogging this important event. Instead, we decided to publish reports as quickly as possible while maintaining high standards. Call it retrospective blogging. Or just call it good reporting.

But don't worry. We're done! Below you'll find our complete coverage of ABA TECHSHOW 2008 — 13 reports. If you're still hungry for even more coverage, you'll also find links to 33 additional reports in other publications.

Crazy Mazy ...
Trade shows are unpredictable. Whenever you bring together thousands of smart, free-thinking people, sparks will fly. So who better to cover ABA TECHSHOW than our most unpredictable TechnoLawyer correspondent and the ultimate free thinker — Mazyar Hedayat. Or as we call him, Crazy Mazy, a name inspired by Apple's famous Think Different ad campaign about free thinkers, which begins, "Here's to the the crazy ones." When he's not reporting on trade shows, Mazy practices law in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

TechnoLawyer's ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Reports ...
Mazyar Hedayat, I Attended ABA TECHSHOW 2008 and All I Got Was This Lousy Blog Post

Mazyar Hedayat, Eliminating the Paper Chase: From Boxes to Bytes (Paperless Office Track)

Mazyar Hedayat, A Real World EDD Motion Hearing (Litigation Track)

Mazyar Hedayat, The Mobile Office: Take Your Desktop in Your Pocket (Mobile Technology Track)

Mazyar Hedayat, Outlook Tips and Tricks (Roundtables Track)

Mazyar Hedayat, So You Want to Be an ABA Author? (Special Session)

Mazyar Hedayat, Beating the Startup Blues: A Tech Survival Guide (Solo/Small Firm II Track)

Mazyar Hedayat, Grand Finale: 60 Sites In 60 Minutes

Mazyar Hedayat, Crazy Mazy's Best of Show: SQ Global Solutions

Mazyar Hedayat, Crazy Mazy's Best of Show: Legal Bar by BEC Legal Systems

Mazyar Hedayat, Crazy Mazy's Best of Show: Electronic Discovery

Mazyar Hedayat, Crazy Mazy's Best of Show: Adobe Acrobat Professional

Mazyar Hedayat, A Report from the Exhibit Hall and Suggestions for TechShow 2009

Other ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Reports

Brett Burney, Tips and Tricks at the ABA TechShow 2008, Law.com

Jim Calloway, Law Practice Tips From ABA TECHSHOW 2008, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog

Jim Calloway, More Law Practice Tips From ABA TECHSHOW 2008, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog

Jim Calloway, ABA TECHSHOW 2008 Wrap Up, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog

Rob La Gatta, Brett Burney of Burney Consultants and ediscoveryinfo, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Adriana Linares of LawTech Partners, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: Jim Calloway of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: Aviva Cuyler of JD Supra, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: Ed Poll of LawBiz Management Co., Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: Laura Calloway of the Alabama State Bar, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: David Cowen of The Cowen Group, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Rob La Gatta, Live from TechShow: Brian Ritchey of LexisNexis, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Mike McBride, ABA Techshow Day 3 Session 1, The Many Faces of Mike

Mike McBride, TechShow Day 3 Session 2: Automated Documents, The Many Faces of Mike

Mike McBride, A few Final TechShow Thoughts, The Many Faces of Mike

Greg Siskind, Lawyering in the Connected World: How to Snag the Connected Client, Greg Siskind's Blog

Sharon Nelson, ABA TECHSHOW Day Two: The Most Damning Thing Is the Hole Where Evidence Used to Be, Ride the Lightning

Sharon Nelson, Bank Secrecy Act Guns Down Sheriff of Wall Street, Ride the Lightning

Dominic Jaar, Todd Flaming and Brett Burney on Small Volume E-Discovery, Wines and Information Management

JoAnna Forshee, Just in Time for ABA TechShow/LMA Annual Conference: How to Measure Trade Show Return on Investment (ROI), Inside Legal

JoAnna Forshee, ABA TechShow Wrap-Up, InsideLegal

JoAnna Forshee, ABA TechShow Media Panel Publication Profiles, InsideLegal

Jordan Furlong, Takeaways from TechShow, Law21

Ben Stevens, Reflections on TechShow 2008, The Mac Lawyer

Allison C. Shields, Making Connections at ABA TechShow 2008, Legal Ease Blog

Monica Bay, Live from Chicago: ABA TECHSHOW, The Common Scold

Dennis Kennedy, I am the Worst Liveblogger Ever: A Report from ABA TECHSHOW 2008, DennisKennedy.blog

Reid Trautz, ABA TechShow 2008 Keynote Discusses Privacy Issues, Reid My Blog

Kevin A. Thompson, TechShow 2008: In Progress Report, Cyberlaw Central

Kevin A. Thompson, TechShow 2008: Day 2: In Progress Report, Cyberlaw Central

Brian J. Ritchey, First Day at ABA TechShow, More Partner Income

Kevin O'Keefe, Back in Seattle from ABA TechShow, Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Brian J. Ritchey, For Long Term Increases To Income, Partners Must Delegate Work, More Partner Income

Photo by Adriana Linares, LawTech Partners

About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.

Presenters: Tom Mighell & Friends
Saturday, March 15 at 11:00 am

In addition to being a perennial favorite among both attendees and speakers, this TechShow staple is a great opportunity for the crowd to let its collective hair down and enjoy an often irreverent, free-form look at the Internet for lawyers.

This year was no exception as TechShow chairman Tom Mighell and colleagues took to the dais and led us all a journey of self-discovery and good fun. Of course your humble reporter was bushed by then so I just sat back and enjoyed the show.

Of the 60 sites, below you'll find my favorite 8 in no particular order plus 2 that I would have included:

1. More Partner Income

This site is largely acknowledged to be where the rubber meets the road in terms of law as a business and business as a way of life.

2. Yahoo! Mobile WiFi

Find WiFi hotspots nearby. If like me you want to be connected constantly, keep this site on your radar.

3. Acrobat for Legal Professionals

Rick Borstein's blog about all things Acrobat for the law office is a must-read.

4. Planet PDF

When just one know-it-all site isn't enough, turn to this bulletin board forum where you might find for instance that you're not the only one who thought the "tab" button on your keyboard would order you a soda ... or who had a particular PDF question. Same difference.

5. TechnoLawyer

I think it's a great resource. No bias here. Plus they get some incredible writers to contribute ...

6. Dodgeball

Dodgeball was among the poster-children of the early Web 2.0 movement. The speakers agreed this site is great for reaching people with text messages when they get near a given location.

7. Lifehacker

This site is just what you would guess: a remedy for what ails you. It also represents the pinnacle of "giving it away" when it comes to really useful information. Try to find something software-related that it doesn't address.

8. Google (including Google Docs, Google Calendar, Gmail, Goog411, etc., etc., etc.)

There is absolutely nothing I can add here that hasn't been written to death ... except maybe this:

• Nearly every aspect of the Google Office Suite is in the throes of being upgraded and improved on a constant basis.

• When I remember how Google Docs drew "oohs" and "aahs" at last year's TechShow it blows my mind to hear it tossed out in such a matter of fact manner as a viable office suite. What's the world coming to?

Not mentioned but worthy of a bookmark:

9. Skype

Need to make a call where there isn't any phone service? Skype plus your wireless modem is the answer. Case closed.

10. Twitter

Twitter asks that you answer the question "What are you doing?" Respond in 140 characters or less and you're twittering. Join thousands around the world doing the same or keep the conversation private. It's a combination SMS system, social network, and cultural phenomenon.

Update: ABA has published the official version of 2008's 60 Sites in 60 Minutes.

Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.

About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.

Back to the Future: Adobe Acrobat Still Kicks [Redacted]

Adobe's booth was one of the first on the exhibit floor, but that's not why I stopped there, tired feet notwithstanding. Nor does that explain why I anointed Acrobat 8 Professional with a Best of Show.

What did convince me to spend a moment at the Acrobat booth was that in one fell swoop I was able to chat with Adobe rock star Rick Borstein and check out the classic Lawyer's Guide to Adobe Acrobat written by TechShow stalwart David Masters.

Though no longer a spring chicken, Acrobat 8 Professional continues to rule the document world. With its commenting, communication, collaboration, Bates stamping, and redaction features, as well as its conversion and search functions, Acrobat 8 Professional isn't just good, it's crazy good.

Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.

About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.

It's a Tie: Clustify and Kroll Ontrack

It's hard to pick one Best of Show in a category like electronic discovery in which the vendors outnumber the attendees. Okay maybe that's a slight exaggeration but the number of electronic discovery vendors significantly outnumbered vendors in any other category. Among the many contenders, I tip my virtual hat to a pair of companies that represent opposite (but equally important) extremes in this space.

Hot Neuron announced the release of Clustify, which uses both concept and literal search paradigms to eliminate "near duplicates" (a hot topic nowadays) and extract meaning from reams of eDiscovery information. The resulting output is displayed in "clusters" of related documents. Pricing is flexible as well.

Clustify exemplifies the trend towards keeping applications light and simple. Hence it runs on anything from a laptop to a server without sacrificing its raison d'etre — finding and sorting information.

Kroll Ontrack has gotten eDiscovery right as well. But if Clustify demonstrates what a lightweight, focused application can do, Kroll shows us that keeping a hand in multiple areas does not doom a company's products to mediocrity.

Born out of the insurance industry, Kroll has become a major player in the eDiscovey space by combining homegrown technology with strategic acquisitions. Its lineup includes software, search, and consulting.

Honorable Mention: Discover-e's Endeavour. Look for detailed coverage of these and other eDiscovery products in TechnoLawyer NewsWire.

Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.

About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.

Microsoft Office Extenders (Cheapskate's Delight)

Legal Bar occupies a thimble of space on your hard drive, but does something every lawyer can appreciate — it puts a law-centric faceplate on two of the most ubiquitous programs in the office.

But rather than wasting space here talking about all the features you can read about at the company's Web site, let me just point out that while watching a demo I must have thought to myself "I should have thought of that" or "I've wanted to do that for years" about a dozen times. And since Legal Bar costs about $160, I'm out of reasons not to incorporate it into my practice.

Overall, Legal Bar represents a clever concept executed well and priced right. It's win-win. Legal Bar works with Office 2003 and Office 2007.

Read more firsthand reports from ABA TechShow 2008.

About TechnoLawyer Trade Show Reports
Even in today's wired world, trade shows continue to play an important role. But not everyone can attend trade shows. Hence, our trade show reports, which bring trade shows to you. You can find our trade show reports here in TechnoLawyer Blog, and also in TechnoGuide, a free newsletter that also contains exclusive content. Learn more about TechnoGuide.