TechnoLawyer

This Thursday's edition of Answers to Questions contains a detailed review of PCLaw used in conjunction with Time Matters and the Treo 600. In the meantime, TechnoLawyer member Peter Conway offers this Quip on the same topic: "I have been using PC Law for a number of years and a Treo 180 and now Treo 600 for the past few years. I had PCLaw help me set up the synchronization link and it has worked just fine. I only enter a handful of timeslips into the Treo each month (generally when I am in court)."

About Quips
A Quip is a brief member contribution for which we don't have room in our Answers to Questions or Fat Friday newsletters. Instead, Quips appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Because it has generated so much controversy, we have posted in full Joe Hartley's critique of legal blogs. This article ran earlier last week in our TechnoFeature newsletter.

Synopsis
Legal blogs have become the latest rage, but are they worth all the time and effort? In this article, Joe Hartley explores the role of blogs in a law firm's business plan — especially as compared to a traditional Web site. The results of his investigation, which consisted of a review of dozens of blogs and interviews with several legal bloggers, may surprise you.

On June 21st, we published a TechnoFeature by Joe Hartley that questioned the use of blogs as a legal marketing tool. As you might expect, several legal bloggers responded. The always insightful Bob Ambrogi penned the most detailed and fair-minded response in his article, Blogging's Contrarians.

My quick take on legal blogs as a marketing tool is that they can drive traffic to your site. In this respect, they can serve as a "search engine optimization" tool. But while you can pretty much get indexed in all the major blog search engines overnight, it will take some work to get indexed in the search engines that most people use to find lawyers — Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc. Once your blog gets indexed by the major search engines, you'll need to figure out how to convert that traffic into "qualified leads." In short, blogs can work, but they require work (both pre- and post-launch).

I personally think blogs work better for publicity than for generating leads. In my experience (thus far), an online ad campaign with optimized landing pages performs much better at delivering qualified leads. Yes, ad campaigns cost money, but well-designed ad campaigns usually pay off — and, unlike writing a blog, law firms can outsource an ad campaign. As I've said many times, today's world requires a multi-channel approach to marketing — you cannot rely on just one marketing channel to grow your law firm's business.

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.

You've all heard about the incredible broadband Internet access in countries like Japan and South Korea — half the price we pay and up to 25 times faster. But you probably haven't heard about Mauritius, a tiny island nation off the the coast of Africa that plans to become the first nation with coast-to-coast WiFi. Meanwhile, here in the United States, Philadelphia seeks to become the first large American city with universal WiFi, but as usual, special interests are working hard to derail this plan. If I had to bet, I'd put my money on Mauritius over Philadelphia. The United States invented and then popularized the Internet, yet we are losing the broadband battle — badly. Just as I was sick and tired of dial-up speeds at the end of 1999 when I switched to DSL (I now use cable), I'm now sick and tired of what we call broadband in this country, which is not true broadband. Using the SpeedTest at BroadBandReports.com, my home download speed is 4.724 Mbps and my upload speed is 468 Kbps. Pathetic. Read about Mauritius. Read about Philadelphia. Test your broadband speed.

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 June 29, 2005 to TechnoLawyer NewsWire: In this issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about the new version of a popular document management and scanning solution, a slim and trim 5 megapixel digital camera that comes in white, orange, or gray as opposed to the usual silver, the equivalent of sunglasses for your laptop, the latest and greatest KVM switch, and stereo and home theater speakers that will knock you — but not your bank account — out.

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 June 30, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Tom Pavone reviews his firm's use of PCLaw, Time Matters, and the Treo 600, Steven Pena reviews a clever telephone messaging service that enables you to avoid wasting time talking to lookyloos and telemarketers, Sean Tierny reports in with important news about a mouse for lawyers and others with hand tremors, Brian Garves provides tips on keeping scanned PDF files small, and Donna Johnson discusses how to use Summation's CopyCase feature. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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 June 29, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Jason Havens compares AbacusLaw to Amicus Attorney for case management, Scott Bassett reviews PCLaw's Palm OS integration, Michael Schley discusses why he considers the Fujitsu ScanSnap a "jewel of a scanner," Jesse Farr reviews Time & Chaos as a case management substitute, and Bryan Morin provides WordPerfect printing tips. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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 June 28, 2005 to TechnoFeature: Who wants to rifle through thousands of pieces of paper when you can just point and click?  Enter digital briefs.  In this article, lawyer and digital briefs pioneer Deborah Ausburn discusses several basic principles lawyers need to follow to ensure that they get the most out of this increasingly popular litigation technology.

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.

Family Law News, the official publication of the State Bar of California Family Law Section has published family law specialist and TechnoLawyer member John Harding's article entitled The Next Generation in Family Law Practice. 

The article, which appears in Volume 27, Issue 1, Fall 2005, deals with the implementation and use of practice management software systems in family law practice.

John is a certified family law specialist who has maintained a successful family law practice, Harding & Associates, in Northern California since 1989.

According to John, his firm "pioneered the use of legal software and other technology in family law." John and his staff "use cutting edge computer technology to manage cases, conduct legal research, and demonstrate facts and present evidence in court."

About Member News
TechnoLawyer members are among the most gifted and prominent in the legal profession. In the Member News section of TechnoLawyer Blog, we report on their latest accomplishments and success stories — everything from court victories to articles and books to new partner announcements — and much more. If you're a newsmaker, but not yet a member, join TechnoLawyer now. .

Below you'll find the official results and complete list of winners and finalists for the 2005 TechnoLawyer @ Awards. Congratulations to all!  And thank you for voting!

The One @ Award that We Chose ...

You voted for 24 of the 25 @ Awards, so there is one you don't know about.

We have selected Bryan Sims as TechnoLawyer of the Year! Every year, we bestow this @ Award on a practicing lawyer who makes extensive use of technology in their practice, and who shares their expertise with the legal community at large. Bryan perfectly fits this description.

Bryan practices civil and appellate litigation at James, Gustafson and Thompson in Chicago. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and of course TechnoLawyer.

Since 1998, Bryan has contributed 26 Posts to TechnoLawyer, including classics such as "The Power of a Wireless Telephone in Modern Litigation Practice," "How I Communicate v. How I Want to Communicate," "How Lawyers Find Local Counsel in 2004," and just last week "Getting the Most Out of Stamps.com." Keep an eye out for Bryan's future Posts — they are always informative and well-written.

Congratulations Bryan!

The @ Awards that You Chose ...

If you think you already know the results thanks to our interim raw vote counts, guess again. Thanks to a ton of votes the last few days, several upsets occurred.

In reviewing the results below, please keep in mind that the TechnoLawyer @ Awards is not a popularity contest. It does not necessarily reflect market share or readership. Instead, the @ Awards reflects loyalty — people, products, services, blogs, and Web sites that have a very loyal following. Loyalty typically stems from excellence, which explains why so many law firms use the TechnoLawyer @ Awards as a buying guide.

2005 TECHNOLAWYER @ AWARDS: FINAL RESULTS

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of the 2005 TechnoLawyer @ Awards.

1. TechnoLawyer of the Year

Winner:
Bryan Sims, James, Gustafson and Thompson

Finalists:
There are no finalists for this @ Award.

2. Favorite TechnoLawyer Contributor

Winner:
Ross L. Kodner, MicroLaw, Inc.

Finalists:
David Moon, Lan-Tech
T. Jason Smith, Huron Consulting Group

3. Legal Technology Consultant of the Year

Winner:
David Moon, Lan-Tech

Finalists:
There are no finalists for this @ Award.

4. Favorite Legal Web Site

Winner:
Software Technology, Inc.

Finalists:
Law.com
LexisNexis

5. Favorite Practice Management Blog

Winner:
Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog

Finalists:
Adam Smith, Esq.
DennisKennedy.Blog

6. Favorite Practice Area Blog

Winner:
Patently-O: Patent Law Blog

Finalists:
beSpacific
The CorporateCounsel.net Blog

7. Favorite Accounting Solution

Winner:
Tabs3

Finalists:
PCLaw/PCLawPro
QuickBooks

8. Favorite Case/Practice Management Solution

Winner:
Time Matters

Finalists:
Amicus Attorney
PracticeMaster

9. Favorite Document Assembly/Automation Solution

Winner:
PracticeMaster

Finalists:
Amicus Assembly
HotDocs

10. Favorite Document Management Solution

Winner:
PracticeMaster

Finalists:
Time Matters
WORLDOX

11. Favorite Electronic Discovery Solution

Winner:
Applied Discovery

Finalists:
Concordance
Summation Blaze/iBlaze

12. Favorite Legal Forms Solution

Winner:
LexisNexis Automated Forms

Finalists:
US Court Forms
Westlaw

13. Favorite Legal Knowledge Management Solution

Winner:
CaseMap

Finalists:
PracticeMaster
Time Matters

14. Favorite Legal Research Tool

Winner:
LexisNexis

Finalists:
CaseMaker
Westlaw

15. Favorite Legal-Specific Tech Support

Winner:
CaseSoft

Finalists:
Software Technology, Inc.
Time Matters Software

16. Favorite Litigation ASP

Winner:
CaseVault

Finalists:
Infodox
Applied Discovery

17. Favorite Litigation Support Solution

Winner:
CaseMap

Finalists:
Summation Blaze/iBlaze
TrialDirector

18. Favorite Online CLE Provider

Winner:
West LegalEdcenter

Finalists:
Law.com CLE Center
LegalSpan

19. Favorite Practice Area Solution

Winner:
CaseMap

Finalists:
Best Case Bankruptcy
Cowles Trusts Plus
PracticeMaster
Practice Templates

20. Favorite Print Legal Technology Publication

Winner:
Law Technology News

Finalists:
Law Office Computing
LJN Legal Tech Newsletter

21. Favorite Time-Billing Solution

Winner:
Tabs3

Finalists:
Billing Matters
Timeslips

22. Favorite Transcript Management Solution

Winner:
TextMap

Finalists:
Summation Blaze/iBlaze
Visionary

23. Favorite Trial Presentation Solution

Winner:
TimeMap

Finalists:
Sanction
TrialDirector

24. Favorite New Legal Product of 2004

Winner:
CaseMap 5

Finalists:
Amicus Attorney V+
LexisNexis Total Search

25. Favorite TechnoReleases

Winner:
CaseSoft

Finalists:
Software Technology, Inc.
Time Matters

ABOUT TECHNOLAWYER @ AWARDS

The most comprehensive set of awards in the legal market, the TechnoLawyer @ Awards recognize customer loyalty. Every year, TechnoLawyer members vote for their favorite blogs, products, services, and Web sites in a variety of categories. In addition, three @ Awards pay tribute to individuals — Favorite TechnoLawyer Contributor, Legal Technology Consultant of the Year, and Blawgger of the Year.

"TechnoLawyer @ Awards" and its accompanying slogan are registered trademarks of PeerViews Inc. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners.