TechnoLawyer

Maurice Turner, Review: GotToMyPC v. Windows Remote Desktop

TechnoLawyer member Edward F. Harney, Jr. asks:
"I am somewhat baffled at why folks would want to use GoToMyPC.com, especially in a small firm setting. We used PCAnywhere for years but switched to the Remote Desktop Connection application that comes free with Windows XP. It is incredibly quick and can be used on any machine that has XP. You just type in your static IP address and it is like you are sitting at your desk almost. Graphics take a bit of time to transmit but everything else is virtually seamless. With respect to GoToMyPC.com, is there something I am missing here? Is there a reason to use GoToMyPC.com instead of RDP with XP?"

The short answer: simplicity. Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) built into Windows XP requires a static IP address. If you are at all concerned about security or you work in an environment with more than one computer a static IP address exposed to the Internet is rare and considered a major security risk. Firewalls and routers need to be configured so that ports are unblocked and are allowed to forward requests and transmissions in order for RDP to function properly. Clients for other platforms, such as PocketPC and Mac OS X, are also available for free.

The GoToMyPC.com service acts as an intermediary by keeping track of the dynamic IP address of the computer that you are trying to connect to so that you don't have to. To do this it does require that you install the small GoToMyPC.com application on each computer that intends to remotely access.

Maurice Turner

About Answers to Questions
Posts like the one above appear exclusively in Answers to Questions, 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. You can subscribe here.

Clint Pullin, Tips for Using Acrobat to Comment on Draft Documents

TechnoLawyer member Austin Barsalou asks:
"Hi, I have a question. The Property Owners Committee of the Texas Bar Association Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section is working on a draft of a uniform law for property owners associations and needs a way for a variety of interest groups to review and comment on our working draft of the Texas Uniform Planned Community Act ("TUPCA"). Are you aware of a reasonably priced software solution to deal with this type of application? Thank you for your assistance."

Adobe Acrobat Pro 7.0 allows you to send out documents for comment by the public by way of e-mail or by using an Adobe owned server for browser based review and commenting. The process resembles the track changes feature of MS Word, but appears more robust to me. It has check off functions to show that a comment has been reviewed, accepted, rejected, etc. You can color code comments by different people. For example, commercial building owners could be assigned one color while apartment owners or industrial property owners could have different colors assigned. Public comments can be made by people who have Adobe Reader 7.0. Adobe Reader is freeware, and a link to a download can easily be made in the document or e-mail.

R. Clint Pullin
Legal Assistant
Legal Division
Department of Insurance

About Answers to Questions
Posts like the one above appear exclusively in Answers to Questions, 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. You can subscribe here.

Coming June 20, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Workshare Professional 4.5 works in conjunction with Microsoft Word to help lawyers manage their document workflow and collaborative activities. For example, it features tools for document comparison, metadata removal, PDF conversion, and more. For this review, we interviewed three Workshare Professional users — two lawyers and a law firm IT manager — who rated it and discussed its use at their respective firms as well as its pros and cons. What did our reviewers think of Workshare Professional 4.5? Read this TechnoFeature to find out.

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 June 19, 2006 to IP Memes: Steve, Doug, and Matt cover the following memes: a possible copyright lawsuit involving two rock n' roll heavyweights, the potential repercussions of the Patent and Trademark Office's tremendous application backlog, and some of the most interesting IP cases filed in the last few weeks. Plus, a new installment of IP Memes Theater — eBay v. MercExchange from an Infringer's Perspective.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Mondays, IP Memes is a biweekly newsletter that explores emerging technology-related intellectual property issues — or "memes" as we call them. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 23, 2006 to Fat Friday: Hanneke Smulders discusses desktop search tools and potential security concerns (plus we found an incredible comparative review of all the major desktop search tools), Richard Schafer reviews a password management utility, and Sean Tierney reviews his iPod must-haves for business and pleasure. 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 June 22, 2006 to Answers to Questions: David Ventker reviews WORLDOX and its role in his firm's paperless office, Brad Jensen reviews his experience using Skype in a business setting, Alan Kassan reviews Copernic Desktop Search while offering up some PDF searching tips, Kurt Schoettler responds to the open WiFi network debate, and Frank Brancato dispels a common WordPerfect myth. 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.

TechnoLawyer, the world's leading legal technology newsletter network, and Dennis Kennedy, the world's leading legal technology ...

Oops, sorry about that boring press release introduction — totally out of character. Here's what I meant to say:

Dennis Kennedy + TechnoLawyer NewsWire = Best coverage of new and little-known products and services for legal professionals.

Dennis is a legal technology legend with whom we have often worked. Dennis was one of a handful of experts who helped put our TechnoFeature newsletter on the map way back when. It remains our most popular newsletter. Dennis also helped us launch our IP Memes newsletter in late 2002. Most recently, he authored the TechnoLawyer E-Discovery Cheat Sheet that we gave to those who voted in the TechnoLawyer @ Awards. Speaking of which, Dennis has won more @ Awards than I could possibly list here.

Dennis, of course, has a rich life outside of TechnoLawyer. He writes a popular eponymous blog, co-founded LexThink, which runs innovative "unconferences," and is a much in-demand speaker at legal technology events around the country. Perhaps most importantly, he remains a practicing lawyer focusing in information technology and intellectual property transactional law.

TL NewsWire began its life covering a mix of technology news. In 2000, we began covering new and little-known products and services exclusively. We also began writing the articles in a highly-stylized fashion with clever titles and pop culture references. Notwithstanding this eye candy, our TL NewsWire articles are renowned for their level of detail.

Today's announcement represents a new direction for TL NewsWire. Don't worry — the style and in-depth reporting will remain the same as ever. However, with Dennis at the helm, you can expect more coverage of legal-specific products and services. As both a lawyer and top legal technologist, Dennis will cover these products and services as no one else can.

So please give Dennis a warm welcome, and look for his first issue of TL NewsWire on June 21, 2006. Feel free to send him interesting products and services you come across. You can contact Dennis at

Incidentally, if you do not currently subscribe to TL NewsWire, you can do so here.

You don't have time to track 100 business and technology magazines and blogs. We do. Below you'll find our latest discoveries.

Assessing the Importance of Voice Mail in Discovery

Data Mining on the Internet with Google

How Many Hours Would Elihu Root Bill?

And Your Favorite Blog Is ... Huh?

Is Your Firm Really Marketing?

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, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a legal accounting/billing program with powerful compensation allocation technology, an e-mail marketing tool that integrates with Outlook, and a financial news and mortgage supersite. Don't miss the next issue.

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

Kiss Your Compensation Spreadsheets Goodbye
By Jill Bauerle
Given lawyers' reputation for hating math, why do so many firms devise complex compensation formulas? Maybe lawyers actually like numbers. Whatever the case, the folks at Software Technology have addressed a long unmet need with Tabs3 Version 14, the latest version of its popular accounting/time-billing software. Specifically, Software Technology redesigned its Receipt Allocation technology, which now features powerful Compensation Rules. While these Compensation Rules enable you to allocate fees among lawyers using simple percentages, you can also use complex formulas that include multiple timekeepers, date ranges, and amount limits. And apportioned billable hours. If you can think it, Tabs3 can handle it. Once you set up your compensation rules, you can generate a Fee Compensation Rules report by client or timekeeper. And with the new Payment Allocation feature, you can review automated payments and make manual payments. Also new is improved handling of duplicate statement numbers as well as the ability to credit multiple accounts with a single journal entry (e.g., fee income, costs advanced, reimbursable expenses, etc.). Naturally, you can restrict access rights to these and other sensitive areas of the software. Tabs3 also features a number of redesigned and new reports, including Cash Receipts, Client Analysis, Receipt Allocation, Timekeeper Analysis, Timekeeper Realization, and Unallocated Payments. Apart from these new features, Tabs3 retains everything that has made it so popular — accounts payable, billing, general ledger, trust accounting, and integration with PracticeMaster (a free copy of which comes bundled with Tabs3), Palm devices, and more. Tabs3 is designed for solo to mid-sized firms. Solo pricing starts at $295. Learn more about Tabs3 Version 14.

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.

Lawyers like words, but words don't make for memorable PowerPoint presentations. In fact, nothing turns off an audience more than reading from a slide. Your slides should not mimic what you say, but should instead support what you say. After all, the audience came to see you, not a screen.

The next time you prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a beauty contest, CLE seminar, or other purpose, consider doing what I do — skimp on the words and pump up the visuals. If your slides cannot stand on their own as a handout, you'll know you've succeeded. Yes, succeeded! Hand out your business card rather than the presentation — or create a video version with you speaking over each slide, and make it available for download from your site.

Most of the slides I create limit the use of words to the title and subtitle. The rest of the slide typically features photos and/or charts. Also, forget about using the stock photos that ship with PowerPoint. Nowadays, you can purchase professional photographs for as little as $1 each from sites like iStockPhoto, BigStockPhoto, and Fotolia.

When I do need to use words, I use bullet points, and limit each bullet to 3-5 words (one line, no wrapping). These rules prevent me from writing my speech on the slide, and also enable me to use a larger font size, making it easier for my audience to read.

To make my bullets more interesting, I often associate each one with a different image. You can accomplish this effect by using "builds," which enable you to control the placement and timing of elements on a slide. Take a look at this quick example I mocked up (QuickTime format).

If you use the above tips, I guarantee your presentations will make more of an impact and outshine your competition.

Do you have any PowerPoint tips of your own to share?

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.