Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online court rules service for small law firms (see article below), an application for reviewing discovery documents, a 24 inch monitor, a financial calculator for iPhone, and an information service for BlackBerrys. Don't miss the next issue.
If You Know the Rules, You Won't Lose Your Cool (or Clients)
By Neil J. Squillante
In a perfect world, courts and legislators would work together to create a simple set of procedural rules so that lawyers could spend more time on the key issues in their cases and less time worrying about arcane requirements. Here's a news flash — we don't live in a perfect world. That's why we have technology. When it works, it can simplify complex data sets such as court rules.
SmartRules.com ... in One Sentence
Practice Technologies' SmartRules.com provides step-by-step instructions for handling procedures in state and federal courts throughout the country.
The Killer Feature
Figuring out which rules apply to a given scenario such as filing a motion to dismiss often requires consulting multiple sources — civil procedure, rules of evidence, standing orders, local rules, etc. — some of which may conflict with each other or be out of date.
SmartRules.com eliminates the need to make sense of all these rules sources individually. Instead, just enter your jurisdiction and select your task. SmartRules.com then provides you with a SmartRules Guide — a step-by-step checklist for that particular task, including up-to-date drafting and filing requirements from all applicable rules sources.
Other Notable Features
SmartRules.com is not a 1.0 product. For the past six years, over 50 of the largest law firms in the country have used SmartRules firm-wide to manage their litigation portfolio. What's new is a Web version for small firms and sole practitioners.
SmartRules.com covers all courts in the country (state, federal, trial and appellate), with premium SmartRules Guides available for California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia and Federal District Courts.
Two forms of membership exist — Basic and Premium.
The Basic Membership gives you access to all the applicable codes, courts, and forms for every civil trial and appellate court in the United States. It also provides you with subpoena guides for most states as well as SmartRules Alerts to warn you in advance about rule changes.
The Premium Membership gives you access to SmartRules Guides for thousands of topics, which obviates the need for you to research the various rules.
What Else Should You Know?
The SmartRules.com Basic Membership is free. Premium Membership is sold on a subscription basis based on jurisdiction. A Daypass is available too for one-time needs. Learn more about SmartRules.com.
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