TechnoLawyer

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, lawyer and legal technology legend Dennis Kennedy covers an online alternative to Microsoft Office, a free service for tracking your wealth (and comparing it to that of your peers), and an Outlook add-in that enables you to organize and archive your e-mail by client and matter. Don't miss the next issue.

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

An Office Without the Overhead
By Dennis Kennedy
In this new Web 2.0 world, expensive desktop applications may end up going the way of the dodo thanks to simple Webified versions — word processors, spreadsheets, and the like. These low-priced or free tools can serve as economical alternatives to programs such as Microsoft Office in certain settings.

Silveroffice offers up such a tool with gOFFICE, an online office suite that enables you to quickly create documents using just your Web browser. gOffice has four modules — word processing, desktop publishing, presentations, and spreadsheets. You create all four types of documents in your Web browser.

Each module features many templates. For example, the word processing module features more than 1,000 letter templates, making it easy to create a professional-looking letter. When you complete a document, you can export it to PDF format. gOffice handles the conversion so you do not need a copy of Adobe Acrobat. You can also email and fax documents directly from gOffice (faxing is limited to the United States).

You can use gOffice from any computer with an Internet connection, and you can store your files online or locally. Alternatively, you can host gOffice on your own server at your firm. gOffice works in Firefox (Mac and Windows) and Internet Explorer (Windows).

Like other Web 2.0 tools, gOffice offers limited functionality and customization compared with desktop applications. But because gOFFICE makes it easy to produce nice-looking documents, you may find it an acceptable trade-off. gOFFICE costs 99 cents per month. Learn more about gOFFICE.

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 5, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Do you have a To Do list so long that you don't know where to begin? Do you dread facing yet another day in the courtroom? In this article, legal consultant Allison Shields offers up 10 tips every lawyer can use to get motivated and get work done. Got a brief to write, a meeting with a client, research to do — but can't get going? Allison will show you how to go from uninspired to unstoppable in no time.

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 8, 2006 to Fat Friday: Barron Henley strikes back on the issue of word processing training in law firms, Ron Kahn shares how he uses Time Matters and Zetafax in his paperless workflow, Philip Rhodes discusses cell phone etiquette, and Lawrence King criticizes the pricing of the TechnoLawyer Archive (and we respond). Plus, this issue features links to 5 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. 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 7, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Rob Fox explains how his firm achieved a paperless workflow, Steven Schwaber reviews his experience with Timeslips, Sarah Laracy discusses a cheap and easy way to archive Outlook e-mail by case, Deana Spencer weighs in on the open WiFi debate, and Matthew Brown, a Workshare employee, discusses the difference between Workshare Professional and Acrobat Professional regarding sending a document for review. Plus, this issue features links to 5 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. 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.

Lots of people claim that they can help your site achieve a high rank in Google. The search engine optimization (SEO) industry has grown rapidly over the years. However, because SEO requires knowledge more than any particular skill (unlike, say graphic design), you could do it yourself if you have the time and inclination (as we have done at TechnoLawyer).

To get started, go to the source. Read Google's article entitled Webmaster Guidelines.

Then, subscribe to the High Rankings newsletter.

Finally, consider adding a blog to your site (at your domain name). A blog is the cheapest available content management system, which will enable you to add content without programming. Blogs have a reputation as highly-personal soapboxes. But group blogs that cover news and information can perform just as well in Google. This type of blog would replace the pages on your traditional site for articles and firm news. Actually, you could keep those pages as well and have them dynamically update as you add material to your blog.

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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, lawyer and legal technology legend Dennis Kennedy covers a hosted e-mail service for small and mid-sized law firms, a new expert witness online research service, and a free Firefox plug-in that enhances Google. Don't miss the next issue.

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

Got E-mail? Get Archived.
By Dennis Kennedy
Still managing your own e-mail server? Or perhaps you host your firm's e-mail at an ISP. If so, your e-mail may lack advanced applications such as BlackBerry support and archival and search capabilities.

Here to help small and mid-sized law firms and legal departments is NTT America, a division of NTT, the world's largest telecommunications company (more than $100 billion in revenue).

NTT America's new service, Email Archiving Solution, aims to provide law firms with peace of mind with regard to all aspects of e-mail infrastructure. In addition to providing traditional POP and MAPI e-mail, Email Archiving Solution coupled with hosted Microsoft Exchange also provides for wireless e-mail via RIM's BlackBerry and Microsoft's ActiveSync (Treo and other Windows Mobile smartphones).

You also get the benefit of the latest in anti-spam and anti-virus protection (say goodbye to the deeply flawed Bayesian filters and highly annoying challenge response technologies of yesteryear).

Living up to its name, Email Archiving Solution also provides you with advanced archiving capabilities, which you can configure by mailbox (both incoming and outgoing messages). NTT America claims that this service can meet any regulatory or internal compliance requirements.

Even if you have no compliance needs, this archiving technology has other benefits. For example, a powerful search engine enables administrators to search for and retrieve lost messages and entire mailboxes — much faster and with more certainty than restoring a backup.

Email Archiving Solution also addresses another problem with traditional e-mail systems — storage costs. Thanks to some nifty technology, NTT America has figured out how to reduce such costs and pass along the savings to law firms. For example, its "single-instance" technology means that it stores just one copy of an identical message (such as those group messages sent to everyone in your firm).

NTT America's service level agreement (so-called "SLA") guarantees a 99.9% uptime thanks to its secure and highly redundant data centers. When you do need help, you can get it 24/7. Email Archiving Solution does not require any software, licensing, or maintenance fees, IT staff, or on-site servers. Instead, you just pay a low monthly subscription. Learn more about Email Archiving Solution.

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.

TechnoLawyer member and law firm business coach extraordinaire Ed Poll has published not one, not two, but three new books.

Like any business, law firms need capital to grow, but law firms cannot sell equity so they often seek loans instead. In The Banker Lawyer Relationship, Poll explains how to develop a winning relationship with a commercial bank. Learn more.

Everyone likes a secret as long as they're among those in the know. In More Secrets of the Business of Law, Poll covers everything from raising your rates to exceeding your clients' expectations — and much more. Learn more.

Today, we all suffer from a shortening attention span. Well, either that or we're devoting more of our attention to silly videos on YouTube. Whatever the cause, Poll meets you halfway with Business Competency for Lawyers, a 30-minute read free of technical jargon that covers everything you need to know about running a law firm. Learn more.

Finally, TechnoLawyer member and legal technology uber-consultant (God?) Ross Kodner has launched a startup company called Factum, which will provide online legal technology CLE programs. In his press release, Ross promises that Factum's "programs are radically different from the mainstream put-you-to-sleep, raw-presenter-staring-at-a-camera typical online CLE presentations." Factum launches next month.

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 August 25, 2006 to Fat Friday: Kurt Schoettler, a technology trainer, adds his two cents to the software training debate, Jerry Sullenberger discusses the risks of solely relying on RAID technology as a backup solution, and Robert Browning explains how his unique eyesight works with multiple monitors. 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 August 24, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Jason Havens reviews Windows Desktop Search and the improvements he'd like to see in later versions, Jeffrey Schoen reviews his experience with Symantec products, Jay Solomon explains how to create case-specific e-mail archives with Acrobat 7 Pro, Steven Schwaber joins the open WiFi ethics debate, and Richard Hutchins reviews his recent Amicus Attorney purchase. 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 August 22, 2006 to TechnoFeature: You may claim to be a PowerPoint know-it-all. But do you know how to control the speed of animated objects or instantly blank the screen during a presentation? In this article, veteran trial presentation consultant Timothy Piganelli shares his top ten favorite little-known features of PowerPoint.

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.