Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a practice management system (see article below), a miniature Linux-based server, OCR software, an eBook reader and bookstore, and an iPhone app for streaming television shows. Don't miss the next issue.
Need to Manage Your Practice? There's an App for That.
The practice management software market has seen its share of ambitious products over the years, many of which don't survive beyond version 1 or 2 thanks to a misreading of the market, inadequate capital, poor management, version inflation (too many upgrades), or all of the above. Interestingly, several of the companies that gave birth to this market have survived and remain independent thanks to their customer focus. We've been remiss in covering one such product.
Needles Case Management Software Version 4.8 … in One Sentence
Needles Case Management Software Version 4.8 (Needles) is a practice management system designed to help law firms optimize their workflow and reduce errors.
The Killer Feature
When software like Needles first cropped up in the early days of the PC, the ability to generate mailing labels was a revelation.
But thanks to the business intelligence movement, law firms want to slice and dice their data in ways never before imagined. To meet this demand, Needles now provides more than 85 standard reports, and an overhauled Report Writer to make it easier to create your own custom reports. You can base a report on virtually any standard or custom fields, and sort the data as you see fit.
Other Notable Features
Needles has a wide array of features, including calendar, contacts, email, internal messaging, conflict checking, statute tracking, checklists, document management, case status, cost tracking, litigation management, and much more.
Opening Needles displays the Needles Today screen — a dashboard that lists upcoming calendar items, email and internal messages, and a checklist of tasks related to your matters. Needles' internal messaging system enables you to view a communication related to a case. In version 4.8, you can elect to have these messages sent to your email address so you can access them when you're not logged into Needles (e.g., on your smartphone).
Also new is a redesigned interface that enables you to view more information on Needles' case status screens, which provide a snapshot of a particular matter. You can export a status screen in HTML format and upload it to your extranet for client viewing.
Over the years, Needles has added the ability to integrate with accounting and billing programs such as QuickBooks, Tabs3, and Timeslips. Version 4.8 adds integration with Juris.
What Else Should You Know?
To make it easier to get started, Needles includes Case Types — templates for practice areas ranging from bankruptcy to insurance defense to personal injury that include everything from client intake to legal research to statutory deadlines. You can customize these templates further to suit your specific workflow. Needles costs $1,000 per user for up to nine users. The price per user drops incrementally at 10 users, 20 users, etc. Learn more about Needles.
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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.
