TechnoLawyer

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online practice management system (see article below), eDiscovery software with a new feature that makes document collections more portable, and an iPad text editor. Don't miss the next issue.

Stay in Sync

Online applications (or software as a service — SaaS) have forever changed the lives of lawyers, enabling them to work from absolutely anywhere — at the courthouse or poolside. But all this game-changing mobility would become meaningless if you could not trust that you have the most current data and all of it. This problem becomes compounded as you increase the number of online applications with overlapping services. Fortunately for law firms, one company is hard at work to ensure you stay in sync.

Clio … in One Sentence
Themis Solutions' Clio is a Web-based (SaaS) practice management system designed for sole practitioners and small firms.

The Killer Feature
Business Insider recently reported that Google's suite of online office applications, Google Apps, attracts one million new users per month. Many small law firms rely heavily on Google Apps for email, but also for its Calendar and Contacts now that so many smartphones offer Google Apps integration.

An increasing number of small law firms also use Clio, one of the pioneers of Web-based practice management, which we first covered in this newsletter nearly two years ago. Clio also handles your calendar and contacts, tying them to your clients and matters, which Google Apps cannot do since the tools are not designed for law firms.

The use of two online applications creates a classic technology problem — duplicate data, or worse, scattered data. Released today, Clio Sync for Google Apps solves this problem by synchronizing your Clio data with your Google Calendar and Contacts. Enter a meeting in Clio and it'll also appear in your Google Calendar and vice versa. Clio is the first Web-based practice management system to integrate with these Google Apps.

"Synchronization is crucial to efficient workflow — especially for mobile lawyers," Clio President Jack Newton told us. "Many of our solo and small firm customers rely on Google Apps in addition to Clio to power their practices. An integration between the two cloud-based products was a natural fit, and an important step in helping to ensure Clio continues to provide value and boost practice efficiency for all subscribers."

Other Notable Features
Clio Sync for Google joins Clio Sync for Outlook, which Clio added one year ago. Clio Sync for Outlook enables you to access your Clio calendar, contacts, and tasks online or offline in Outlook, re-syncing any changes you make offline the next time you're online.

Clio has added a number of other features since our initial coverage. For example, an email "dropbox" enables you to enter a special email address into the BCC field of an email message to automatically file that message and any attachments in Clio under the corresponding client and matter. This technology works with any email program such as Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and Thunderbird.

Other new features include multiple calendars (including a firmwide calendar that everyone can access), support for drag and drop within the calendar, professionally-designed billing templates for creating customized branded invoices, mobile browser support on the iPhone, Palm Pre, and most Android-based and BlackBerry smartphones, and the Clio Status Dashboard to keep you apprised of the status of Clio's growing number of services.

What Else Should You Know?
A Clio subscription costs $49 per lawyer and $25 per non-attorney support user. The monthly subscription includes the new Clio Sync feature and other all other new features that Clio regularly adds. Learn more about Clio.

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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.