TechnoLawyer: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture

Coming July 13, 2006 to Answers to Questions: D. Paul Dalton contributes possibly the most comprehensive Post to date on the Word v. WordPerfect debate, Jo Ann Lovingood reviews her experience with ProLaw over the past nine years, Pam Rolph offers some advice for those considering the jump to a paperless office, Douglas Thomas shares his experience with laser printers while dispensing some purchasing wisdom, and Bonnie Sue Goodman discusses paying electronic filing fees with a trust account debit card. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 29, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Ronald Magnuson discusses the propriety of contingency fee "add-ons" in California, Paul Hager reviews RealVNC for remote access and offers up additional security advice, Brent Blanchard adds his two cents to the Word v. WordPerfect debate (and Windows v. Mac for good measure), John Coladarci shares how his firm solved two Amicus Attorney performance issues, and Jack Tubbs explains how he pays electronic filing fees with a trust account debit card. In addition, this issue features links to 8 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

You don't have time to track 100 business and technology magazines and blogs. We do. Below you'll find our latest discoveries.

Assessing the Importance of Voice Mail in Discovery

Data Mining on the Internet with Google

How Many Hours Would Elihu Root Bill?

And Your Favorite Blog Is ... Huh?

Is Your Firm Really Marketing?

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a legal accounting/billing program with powerful compensation allocation technology, an e-mail marketing tool that integrates with Outlook, and a financial news and mortgage supersite. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Kiss Your Compensation Spreadsheets Goodbye
By Jill Bauerle
Given lawyers' reputation for hating math, why do so many firms devise complex compensation formulas? Maybe lawyers actually like numbers. Whatever the case, the folks at Software Technology have addressed a long unmet need with Tabs3 Version 14, the latest version of its popular accounting/time-billing software. Specifically, Software Technology redesigned its Receipt Allocation technology, which now features powerful Compensation Rules. While these Compensation Rules enable you to allocate fees among lawyers using simple percentages, you can also use complex formulas that include multiple timekeepers, date ranges, and amount limits. And apportioned billable hours. If you can think it, Tabs3 can handle it. Once you set up your compensation rules, you can generate a Fee Compensation Rules report by client or timekeeper. And with the new Payment Allocation feature, you can review automated payments and make manual payments. Also new is improved handling of duplicate statement numbers as well as the ability to credit multiple accounts with a single journal entry (e.g., fee income, costs advanced, reimbursable expenses, etc.). Naturally, you can restrict access rights to these and other sensitive areas of the software. Tabs3 also features a number of redesigned and new reports, including Cash Receipts, Client Analysis, Receipt Allocation, Timekeeper Analysis, Timekeeper Realization, and Unallocated Payments. Apart from these new features, Tabs3 retains everything that has made it so popular — accounts payable, billing, general ledger, trust accounting, and integration with PracticeMaster (a free copy of which comes bundled with Tabs3), Palm devices, and more. Tabs3 is designed for solo to mid-sized firms. Solo pricing starts at $295. Learn more about Tabs3 Version 14.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 16, 2006 to Fat Friday: Caren Schwartz explains how to choose billing software, Nicholas Bettinger reviews several desktop search options, Kelly Lupo reviews using McAfee Anti-Virus software in conjunction with the open source ClamWin and how this combination compares to Symantec AntiVirus, Andrew Paterson reviews his experience with Dell customer service, and Kath Gilliam reviews her favorite iPod speakers (and admits to a guilty musical pleasure). Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 15, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Charles Beach offers up some Timeslips advice based on his ten years of experience with the program, Duane Murphy reviews WORLDOX and how to use it in a successful document management system, Carol Gerber discusses the potential problems in instituting automatic PDF-to-Word conversion, Barron Henley continues his Word v. WordPerfect rant, and Clint Pullin reviews the new "Send for Review" feature in Acrobat Pro 7.0. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers litigation software that enables you to review documents at warp speed, a cost recovery technology that tracks everything from photocopies to BlackBerry phone calls, and a free online content management system for creating blogs or entire sites. Don't miss the next issue.

Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:

Review 2,000 Documents/Day Without Breaking a Sweat
By Jill Bauerle
Imagine a technology that can sift through discovery documents and create a radar-like map, making it a snap to identify documents as responsive, nonresponsive, or privileged. Sound like a Star Trek episode? Actually, this technology exists today in the form of Attenex Patterns Document Mapper, which enables lawyers to analyze documents at warp speed (well, ten times faster) and with greater accuracy (2,000 document decisions per day versus 200 using traditional methods). The key lies in the "document map" Attenex Patterns Document Mapper creates of your universe of documents. The software analyzes the nouns and noun phrases and clusters like documents together to help reviewers analyze similar material, and make faster, more accurate document decisions. For example, Attenex Patterns Document Mapper can tie together related e-mail messages, identify key players and dates, and even provide an early risk assessment (especially helpful for regulatory matters). Armed with this data, you can better strategize, evaluate legal theories, and conduct a cost analysis. On a more nuts and bolts level, Attenex Patterns Document Mapper's suite of tools enables you to dynamically reorganize and categorize documents as you review them. Specifically, the "Document Viewer" enables you to review documents in their native format. You can assign up to nine configurable categories (such as responsive or privileged) to documents as you review them. You can also add annotations and perform additional document tagging (e.g., a reason for privilege). Attenex Patterns Document Mapper also features powerful search tools. Lawyers often dread reviewing documents. With Attenex Patterns Document Mapper, lawyers may soon request to be beamed up to the document review room.. Learn more about Attenex Patterns Document Mapper.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 8, 2006 to Answers to Questions: David Hudgens reviews the pro and cons of PCLaw and Time Matters, Robert Lee suggests a way to easily convert a PDF file to Word, H R Kloppenburg reviews his experience using ISYS search software, Frank Feilmeyer shares some open source options for secure instant messaging, and David Silverman suggests a few ways to improve Timeslips performance (while also declaring his love for a certain spyware utility). Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 2, 2006 to Fat Friday: Gerald McNally shares some tips for a semi-paperless office, Kurt Walberg discusses the technology tools he uses in his solo practice, Caldwell Hancock reviews his new 21" Gateway monitors while Thorne D. Harris III reviews the Samsung SyncMaster 244T monitor, and Brent Blanchard reviews the Time Matters AIC Listserver. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming June 1, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Marilyn King explains how to override PCLaw defaults to accommodate unique retainer free accounting such as that which exists in New Jersey, Britt Knuttgen compares the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Pro and Legal editions to the Preferred and Standard editions, Caren Schwartz explains how to address Timeslips performance issues, Robert Blumberg offers up a solution for printing will backers (covers), and John Feeney discusses CD printing solutions. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a weekly newsletter in which TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers (including you if you join TechnoLawyer). Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.