TechnoLawyer

Some of you probably didn't even bother reading my recent iPhone review because you're a litigator who practices in courts that ban camera phones.

No one has covered the ban on camera phones in courts more extensively than we have (thanks to your firsthand reports) so you didn't think we'd leave you hanging, did you?

ResQ Systems, a computer repair company, has begun offering a new iPhone camera removal service. For $99, the company will provide you with an "iBox" for your iPhone and pay for overnight shipping both ways. In other words, you should only have to part with your iPhone for one day.

Now that Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone by $200, even after paying for this service you'll still be able to thumb your nose at people like me who paid the iPhone early adopter tax.

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.

Other than your home page, the other Web addresses on your site have suffixes like .htm or perhaps .asp. These are no big deal when you email someone a link, but what about when you're on the phone or at a cocktail party or placing a yellow pages ad, etc. and want to direct someone to a specific landing page instead of your home page? Dot what?

What you need is a vanity Web address — like www.yourfirm.com/trademarks. Fortunately, you can easily create such pages in three steps:

1. Log into your Web server (typically via FTP if hosted by an ISP).

2. Create a folder (directory) at the root level of your Web server and name it with the word you want to use in your vanity Web address after the slash (e.g., "trademarks").

3. Name the Web page that you want people to see at that address "index.htm" and place it inside the folder. (If it's an ASP page, name it index.asp, if it's a PHP page, name it index.php, etc.)

You can create an unlimited number of vanity Web addresses in this manner. As you can see, these pages bear the same name as your home page (index.htm), the only difference being that they reside one level deep in their own folder.

Photo by Trevor DeVincenzi.

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 September 18, 2007 to TechnoFeature: Document Comparison. Document Security. Years ago, these terms didn't exist. However, today if you don't have a solution for these issues, you're likely collaborating on documents inefficiently and needlessly exposing some secrets. In this article, document assembly expert Marc Lauritsen takes a look at the latest version of Workshare Professional and its place in the bustling ecosystem of document technologies. Before you save one more Word document or create one more PDF file, read Marc's review to see if Workshare Professional 5 could benefit your firm. As an added bonus, Workshare weighs in on Marc's review.

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 September 21, 2007 to Fat Friday: Mark Klarich shares his thoughts on the current state of CLE and how to improve it, Philip Franckel provides some Yellow Pages adverting tips, Andrew Weltchek reviews several Outlook add-ins and general productivity-boosting utilities, Harold Goldner reviews Qipit for mobile scanning, and John Winkelman recounts his first experience with Dell's laptop repair services. 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 September 20, 2007 to Answers to Questions: Kurt Schoettler discusses the Windows XP versus Vista issue, Andrea Cannavina reviews Express Scribe and Winscribe, Alvin Thomas explains the ins and outs of buying Tabs3 from a reseller, Martin Dean explains how to convert PDF files to Word format and add text to PDF files, and Cynthia Zook shares her low-tech password management solution. 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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, technology journalist and freelance writer Taeho Lim covers a comprehensive online service for litigators, and a "back office" accounting and time-billing program and "front office" case management program that integrate with each other. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Empower Your Front Office
By Taeho Lim

What's in your front office? A receptionist, comfy leather sofa, and a coffee table with some magazines and newspapers? Nice. But I wasn't asking about that front office. I mean your digital front office — the one you use for interacting with your clients and managing your calendar and matters.

What's that? You don't want to show it to me? Sure, I understand. You may want to take a look at the just-released Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0.

Understanding that email remains the killer app, LexisNexis has reengineered Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0 integration not just with Outlook, but Microsoft Exchange Server. So if you want to migrate to Windows Vista and Exchange 2007 or add a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, go right ahead.

Come to think of it, better managing your matters so that you can stop and smell a few roses before you push up the daisies is also a killer app. The new "Task Panel" enables you to find what you need quickly. Similarly, enhanced "Triggers" should also make life easier. For example, when you change a contact from "prospect" to "client," Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0 can send an alert to your assistant to begin the client intake process.

Also new in Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0 is the ability to create five user-defined record types. Thus, in addition to creating contacts, appointments, tasks, matters, etc., you can create anything else your firm needs to track such as assets, damages collected, etc. LexisNexis has also beefed up the number of colleagues you can associate with a matter, event, etc. — it's now 100, up from 6.

Other new features include a more powerful search tool for conflict checking and other searches, a customizable personal journal for reviewing your matters, events, tasks, etc., auto-completion when searching for contacts and matters, an improved and updated CaseMap link, and smart archiving that warns you about incomplete items.

Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0 is easier to set up than ever before, thanks to seven new wizards and five default security profiles (you can create more if needed). It integrates tightly with new Lexis Back Office powered by Billing Matters 9.0 or Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9. Learn more about Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0.

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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, technology journalist and freelance writer Taeho Lim covers a comprehensive online service for litigators, and a "back office" accounting and time-billing program and "front office" case management program that integrate with each other. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

The Bigger the Better When It Comes to Integration
By Taeho Lim

When you're big, it's easier to find partners that want to team up with you. No, this statement does not mean that heavy or tall people have an easier time starting law firms. We're talking strategic alliances between large companies.

Take LexisNexis, for example. Its Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 has a bevy of new features, many of them linked to key alliances with other industry leaders. For example, want to process credit card payments within Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9? No problem, thanks to integrated credit card processing powered by PPI.

Want integrated payroll as well? LexisNexis has partnered with ADP for that service. When you run payroll, ADP automatically generates all the appropriate entries in Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9. You can either print payroll checks or take advantage of direct deposit. This integration also enables you to print W-2s and 1099s, and file federal and state tax returns electronically or via mail (your choice).

LexisNexis also seems to have emphasized ease of use in the latest version. The new "BillFlow Manager" provides a centralized tool for all client billing activities, enabling you to more accurately and quickly generate and send out bills.

Of course, to generate bills, you must track your progress on work. Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 can track any portion of an hour and provides automatic timers. You can synchronize a timer to track the time you spend in applications such as Microsoft(R) Word, Outlook(R), LexisNexis Total Practice Advantage, and more. Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 also provides tools for task-based billing. No matter how you bill, entering a matter number automatically retrieves lawyer and billing rate information.

For those of you in the corner office, Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 features beefed up reporting, including new sorting and filtering options that can identify your most profitable clients, staff and practice areas.

Also, if trust accounting requirements keep you up at night, Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 should provide some relief with its built-in safeguards to prevent overdrafts, as well as reports that provide an audit trail for all transactions.

Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9 tightly integrates with Lexis Front Office powered by Time Matters 9.0 and LexisNexis Total Practice Advantage. Prices start at $400 per user. Learn more about Lexis Back Office powered by PCLaw 9.

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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, technology journalist and freelance writer Taeho Lim covers a comprehensive online service for litigators, and a "back office" accounting and time-billing program and "front office" case management program that integrate with each other. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Soup-to-Nuts Litigation Software and Services
By Taeho Lim

What's worse than multiple logins? Not much, that's for sure. LexisNexis Total Litigator provides an "end to end" litigation solution that directs you to the appropriate legal resources and tools for each step in your case. By tying together virtually all of LexisNexis' research and litigation services, you'll only have to login once no matter what you need to do.

When you log into your account using any Web browser, LexisNexis Total Litigator organizes the home page based on the typical steps in litigation: Early Case Assessment, Draft/File/Serve, Discovery, Research, Gather Intelligence, and Trial Preparation.

Below each step, you can access corresponding tools and resources. In "Early Case Assessment," you can research companies, witnesses, judges, arbitrators, lawyers, jury instructions, demographics, jury verdicts, and dockets. Total Litigator also points to software tools like LexisNexis CaseMap, TimeMap, and NoteMap that may come in handy at this stage.

"Draft/File/Serve" enables you to download forms, search for briefs, pleadings, and motions, retrieve court documents via CourtLink, serve process, file documents electronically via LexisNexis File & Serve, and verify citations and automate brief drafting with Shepard's Link, StyleCheck, BriefCheck, and Full Authority.

"Discovery" provides similar forms and research services focused on discovery issues. You can also sign up to receive free case summary alerts so that you can stay on top of this rapidly changing field. If you use Applied Discovery, you can access your account through Total Litigator by linking the two services. This step also points to software programs like Concordance.

"Research" provides access to LexisNexis' bread and butter — its vast legal research services, including cases, statutes, agencies, court rules, news sources, and of course Shepard's. You can also enter a citation to quickly find a court opinion, statute, etc. "Gather Intelligence" enables you to find experts, public records, copyrights, trademarks, patents, and much more. Trial Preparation provides access to LexisNexis resources such as Matthew Bender's collection of opening and closing statements.

LexisNexis Total Litigator also provides email alerts to keep you updated on docket activity, relevant changes in the law, and important facts pertaining to your case. In addition, you can conduct freeform searches in which you can combine sources. Learn more about LexisNexis Total Litigator.

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 September 14, 2007 to Fat Friday: Stephen Seldin continues the Word v. WordPerfect debate comparing cost, metadata issues, formatting, and more, Michelle Niemeyer takes on law firm age discrimination, Greg Goodrich explains why he (probably) won't switch from his Treo 650 to an iPhone (and our publisher updates his iPhone review), Diane Hopkins describes her "Backups3" method and how it can save your firm from disaster, and Sanjay Singh explains why lawyers need to worry about more than just size limitations when it comes to Rules in Outlook. 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 September 13, 2007 to Answers to Questions: Carlton Barnes reviews Copernic Desktop Search 1.7 and 2.0, Adam Drennen reviews StartStop dictation software with the Olympus DS-2300 digital recorder, Edward Poll reviews his Lenovo ThinkPad X60 and shares his thoughts on PDAs, Kermit Lowery, VP & Lead Customer Solutions Counsel at LexisNexis, responds to a recent Post about LexisNexis' terms of service, and Jill McLean provides a quick workaround for PDF printing problems. 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.