Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers new practice management software (see article below), a Web application for time tracking and billing, inexpensive OCR software for law firms with modest needs, secure instant messaging software, and a time-billing application for Macs. Don't miss the next issue.
Your Practice, Your Way
By Neil J. Squillante
Having information at your fingertips won't do you much good if there's too much of it to thumb through. Nowadays, you don't just need access to information. You need intelligent access. This need is particularly acute within the context of practice management software because that's what you use to run your firm. Fortunately, help is at hand.
Amicus Attorney 2009 Premium Edition and Amicus Attorney 2009 Small Firm Edition … in One Sentence
Gavel & Gown Software's Amicus Attorney 2009 Premium Edition and Amicus Attorney 2009 Small Firm Edition (collectively, Amicus Attorney 2009) enables small firms and larger firms respectively to manage their practice, including calendars, contacts, document creation, email, tasks, and more.
The Killer Feature
As intimated above, sometimes you need to see the forest and sometimes you need to see the trees. The new Dashboard in Amicus Attorney 2009 offers the best of both worlds.
You can decide exactly what you want to see thanks to completely customizable screens. Also, you can create as many Dashboards as you want.
In addition to viewing data from within Amicus Attorney 2009, you can also view external information such as file servers (including specific folders and files) and Web sites.
"Amicus 2009 lets you do it your way," said Ron Collins, President of Gavel & Gown Software. "With over 24,000 law firms using our software, we've learned that no two law firms work the same way."
Other Notable Features
Among the other new features, the File Intake Form standardizes the creation of new accounts and matters, ensuring that you capture all the information you need at the outset. You can design your own templates and designate mandatory fields or use the included Client Matter Intake Form.
Of course, before you set up a new client, you'll want to take advantage of the improved conflict searching. You can designate which areas of Amicus Attorney 2009 to search, including custom fields, notes, and even time entries. You can run a conflict search for multiple names simultaneously. The report generated lists the names searched, the criteria you selected, the person who ran the search, the results, and any comments entered by the searcher.
Also new is the Communications Preview Pane, which enables you to preview email, phone calls, and phone messages at the bottom of your screen.
What Else Should You Know?
Last year saw the release of Amicus Mobile for the Windows Mobile platform. With the 2009 release, the company has created a version for BlackBerrys. Amicus Mobile 2009 works exclusively with Amicus Attorney 2009 Premium Edition.
Pricing for Amicus Attorney 2009 Premium Edition starts at $699 while pricing starts at $349 for Amicus Attorney 2009 Small Firm Edition. The company offers a free trial so that you can kick the tires. Learn more about Amicus Attorney 2009 Premium Edition and Amicus Attorney 2009 Small Firm Edition.
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