Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a Web-based litigation planning application (see article below), a site for sharing PowerPoint presentations, software that connects Microsoft Exchange and Interwoven WorkSite, an eDiscovery network appliance for collection and review, and a mobile discovery application for BlackBerry and iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.
Plan Early and Often and Win More Cases
By Neil J. Squillante
Alan Lakein once quipped, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Litigators who fail to plan often find themselves reacting to their opponent (playing defense) rather than dictating the course of events (playing offense). But is failing to plan the fault of litigators? Not entirely. Despite the increasing complexity of litigation (eDiscovery anyone?), most project management systems focus on disciplines such as architecture, software development, etc. One company is determined to bridge this gap.
TrialSchedule ... in One Sentence
TrialSchedule is a Web-based application that provides litigation teams with a visual Gantt view of the deadlines and tasks associated with their cases.
The Killer Feature
Whether you use Outlook or a practice management application, your calendar does an excellent job of informing you about your daily activities. But what about long-range planning? Not so much.
TrialSchedule features a patented Gantt view that displays all the events associated with your cases visually on one screen. At a glance, you can see the phase of each case and important todos and milestones.
Other Notable Features
TrialSchedule provides two main screens. In addition to the Gantt chart and accompanying todos noted above, it also displays your personal todos plotted on a graph by deadline and importance so you can prioritize.
You can focus on a particular case, a particular phase of several cases, etc. by using the sorting tool. You can also print any chart, email it in PDF format, or download the data in Excel format.
TrialSchedule has a number of enhancements that further add value to the core features. For example, you can set up email triggers to remind you of todos, alert you about deadlines, and keep you apprised of work performed by colleagues.
You can also append notes and attach documents to any entry in TrialSchedule. For example, you could add the contact information for a court reporter to a deposition, or attach a court's rules on motions to a deadline for a motion.
Perhaps most importantly, you can create Phase Templates if you often handle cases in the same court. These templates incorporate the court's rules so that with one click you can set up a new case in that court with all the correct deadlines.
What Else Should You Know?
TrialSchedule works in all major browsers on Macs and PCs. Pricing starts at $57/month for up to 5 users. Every plan includes telephone support, unlimited email alerts, and all new features — plus there's no software to install. Learn more about TrialSchedule.
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