TechnoLawyer

Coming April 29, 2005 to Fat Friday: David Umbaugh reflects on how technology has enabled him to reduce his staff by nearly 50% over the past three years, Richard Siferd serves up three tips for buying legal software that will surely generate some controversy, Spencer Rhodes explores the shortcomings of the two leading image formats (PDF and TIFF), and Derek Stolp adds his two cents to the recent debate over using cheap PCs in a law firm. Lastly, Steven Finell responds to my comment about last year's presidential election with an essay that belongs in the Washington Post though we're happy to have it in Fat Friday. 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 April 28, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Ron Fox reviews the Xerox WorkCentre M35 (which scans/prints/copies at 35 pages per minute), Jim Garrison reviews FileCenter (a document management solution), Britt Knuttgen reviews Canon's ImageRUNNER and discusses its integration with Worldox (another document management solution), Pamela Coleman reviews Microsoft Word's Reveal Formatting feature, and Claude Morgan discusses a common Internet Explorer annoyance. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice 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 25, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Byron Lane reviews the equipment and software he uses for the virtual private network (VPN) between his office and his home office, Charles Rathburn reviews a new sub-$1,000 scanner that he claims puts the popular Fujitsu ScanSnap to shame, William Brown reviews ProLaw in a firm with 11 lawyers and two offices, Frank Feilmeyer discusses a free PDF search tool for advanced Acrobat users, and Sean Fosmire reviews an online service (that we have not previously covered) for securely sending large files. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a twice 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 26, 2005 to TechnoFeature: During the Robert Blake murder trial, M. Gerald Schwartzbach and his defense team called upon trial and technology consultant Ted Brooks to assist with the trial presentation. In this article, Ted shares his perspective, and provides a behind-the-scenes look at this widely-followed celebrity trial. In particular, he contrasts the trial presentation methods used by the defense and prosecution.

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 25, 2005 to IP Memes: You'll discover what the Federal Circuit thinks about Smuckers' patent for crustless peanut butter and jelly, learn about a new controversial bill that would drastically change U.S. patent law, and expose yourself to some alternative viewpoints on the pending Family and Entertainment Copyright Act of 2005 (currently awaiting President Bush's signature). All that plus the IP Memes IP Blog of the Week.

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.

Firefox has become a popular topic of discussion in Fat Friday — 100 million downloads will do that. Adding to the frenzy, TechnoLawyer member John Davidson writes in with this tip: "Firefox's best feature is that it can be tweaked to work even faster." Great tip because my only complaint about Firefox concerns its slow speed.

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.

In Answers to Questions, several TechnoLawyer members have tried to guide Robert Rowlett on his quest for time-billing software that will work with whatever case management solution he buys down the road. TechnoLawyer member and Timeslips consultant Caren Schwartz adds this Quip: "If you want a time billing solution that will give you flexibility in choosing a practice/case management solution, I would recommend Timeslips. Most other solutions that I would recommend are tied into the case management package. You might want to think about both parts at once, even if you implement the billing first, it will be easier if you know your ultimate goal."

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Improve Your Outlook
By Brett Burney
Lots of lawyers use Outlook, but so do lots of nonlawyers. As a result, Microsoft usually doesn't place lawyer feature requests high on its to-do list. That's okay because You Software does. The company recently released You Perform, a set of "15 indispensable Outlook add-ins" designed to improve the efficiency of lawyers and other knowledge workers. Among its most lawyer-friendly features, the "Reply to All Monitor" prevents you from inadvertently sending a private message to a group, and also removes your address from such replies to help eliminate inbox clutter. The "Save Attachments" add-in provides for a rules-based system through which you can automatically or manually move attachments from your e-mail messages into designated client/matter folders for safekeeping. The original message provides a link to the saved file. If you eventually delete the original message, You Perform asks if you also wish to delete the accompanying file. Mobile lawyers will appreciate "Add Appointments by Email," which enables you to create new appointments via e-mail from your cell phone or PDA. On the other hand, deskbound lawyers will like "Quick Text Hotkeys," which enables you to assign frequently-used text to hotkeys. Other You Perform add-ins can eliminate duplicate messages, contacts, and events, prevent you from mistakenly omitting attachments, hide fax numbers when you compose messages, and transform e-mail addresses into contacts. You Perform works with Outlook 2000 or later, and sells for $49.95. You can download a 15-day free trial. Learn more about You Perform.

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.

Recently, in Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members debated the wisdom of using a Mac in a law practice. Martin Pagel, realizing that most lawyers have no choice in the matter, points to Sharp's new Actius MC24 notebook, which looks like an Apple iBook but weighs 0.5 pounds less. It sells for $999 directly from Sharp; less elsewhere. Among its specs: Mobile AMD Athlon XP-M Processor 2400+, 512MB of DDR SDRAM (upgradable to 768MB), 12.1-inch XGA TFT LCD, 40GB hard drive, 802.11g WiFi, 4 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a PCMCIA Type II card slot, and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive.

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.

I serve as a Senior Contributor for MarketingProfs.com, an excellent marketing Webzine. Recently, MarketingProfs.com published an article entitled Services Marketing Is Moving Online — Are You? Towards the end of the article, the author, Mike Schultz, does a nice job explaining how online marketing actually works when well-executed — read at least this section if you don't have time to read the entire article.

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.