Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online collaboration suite for law firms (see article below), an online legal research and practice management application, a 27 inch LCD widescreen monitor, a Windows utility for inventorying PCs, and a GPS-based navigation app for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Don't miss the next issue.
Collaborate Online Just Like the Big Boys
In most industries, prices increase over time thanks to inflation and product improvements, cars being a prime example. But this law doesn't apply to technology. Prices tend to decrease even as functionality increases. As a result, large firms no longer have a monopoly on client-pleasing technologies — like online collaboration tools.
PBworks Legal Edition … in One Sentence
PBworks Legal Edition is an online collaboration suite for case management, client extranets, deal rooms, legal knowledgebases, and intranets.
The Killer Feature
You have probably experienced a visit from a consultant or sales representative who tries to persuade you to re-organize your firm's workflow to fit their product. While many law firms could benefit from fine-tuning, flexibility should go both ways.
While PBworks Legal Edition provides a general framework for online collaboration, the tools enable you to create your own custom workflows.
For example, suppose you store all of your notes and research in Microsoft Word files. PBworks Legal Edition enables you to import Word files into the Legal Knowledgebase. Once there, anyone in your firm can search them. On the other hand, if you prefer, you can place this information directly into the Legal Knowledgebase's wiki, which is also searchable.
PBworks Legal Edition also offers customizable templates. You can use these templates to ensure that everyone in your firm handles specific matters in a uniform manner. You can also create client-specific templates.
"Our goal for our legal customers is to help them get their work done more efficiently and effectively," PBworks CEO Jim Groff told us. "Enabling law firms to customize and standardize how they collaborate puts the focus on the work, rather than the technology."
Other Notable Features
The five components of PBworks Legal Edition — Legal Knowledgebase, Case Management, Client Extranet, Legal Intranet, and Electronic Deal Room — interconnect with one another when appropriate and offer full-text searching. Because PBworks Legal Edition resides on the Web, you use it within your Web browser and need not install software or buy servers.
As noted above, the Legal Knowledgebase offers a place to capture research. You can organize this information by client/matter if applicable. When you do so, you can access it from the Case Management component, which records all information related to a particular matter. This component also offers a Case Chronology, Tasks and Milestones, and automated email notifications for approaching deadlines.
The Legal Intranet serves as a storehouse for all internal records such as human resources. Similarly, the Client Extranet enables your clients to access key files and final deliverables. PBworks provides "enterprise-grade" security with the ability to restrict access to individual pages or files. You can also automatically remind clients of important dates such as depositions.
For matters that require collaboration with several parties, you can create an Electronic Deal Room, which differs from the Client Extranet by providing an Audit Log of all activity and even more granular control over who can access what.
What Else Should You Know?
You can use PBworks Legal Edition on a Mac or PC and also on a BlackBerry or iPhone. PBworks Legal Edition costs $50 per attorney per month with no minimum requirement (i.e., a solo would pay just $50 per month). Your assistants, paralegals, and other non-lawyer staff can use it for free. Learn more about PBworks Legal Edition.
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So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
