TechnoLawyer: Automation/Document Assembly/Macros

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a browser-based document assembly system (see article below), a deposition preparation app for iPad, an iOS app for practice management and marketing, a legal research app for Android smartphones and tablets, and a WordPress hosting service. Don't miss the next issue.

Automate Contract Creation Without an Engineering Degree

Do you think it was just happenstance that Professor Kingsfield in the classic law school film The Paper Chase taught Contracts? Everyone understands the concept of a contract because everyone enters into contracts. This fact likely explains why Kingsfield taught Contracts rather than Civil Procedure. Of course, while everyone understands contracts, drafting them is a different story. A new document assembly product promises to make the process much easier, resulting not only in the ability to draft contracts faster but also create better contracts that reduce the risk of litigation. After all, you don't want one of your contracts discussed in a Contracts class a decade from now.

ContractExpress DealBuilder 4 … in One Sentence
Released this month, Business Integrity's ContractExpress DealBuilder 4 is a browser-based document assembly solution for creating contracts and legal documents.

The Killer Feature
ContractExpress DealBuilder 4 includes ContractExpress Author, a Microsoft Word-based template authoring environment that eliminates the need to learn a programming language or hire template programmers to create templates.

Instead, the "subject matter expert" (that's you the lawyer) can create document templates using Microsoft Word. You simply place square brackets around items that will change from contract to contract — ContractExpress will determine the dependencies for you. Once installed, ContractExpress Author appears on the Ribbon in Word 2007 and 2010.

Templates consist of standard Word documents, which means you can format them and create styles as you normally would, including auto-numbering of clauses. Output formats for the generated documents include DOCX, DOC, PDF, XPS, and RTF.

"ContractExpress DealBuilder revolutionized the feasibility of document assembly by eliminating the need for template programmers," Business integrity President Tim Allen told us. "Now at version 4, it remains in a league of its own."

Other Notable Features
ContractExpress DealBuilder 4 boasts a number of new features.

For example, DocumentView displays your document in real-time as you complete the template questionnaire. The ability to visually associate changes made in the questionnaire with their effects in the document aims to make the drafting of documents a more fluid and efficient process. DocumentView also simplifies training for new users and allows for greater document ownership. "With DocumentView, document assembly is no longer a mysterious black box," noted Andrew Wishart, Business Integrity's CTO.

ContractExpress Drafter enables you to reconcile manual edits made to documents with any new information added to the document as a result of re-launching the questionnaire, thus eliminating conflicting language. Other features include iPad compatibility for drafting documents on the go and in your lap, and an intelligent document assembly engine that can react to user input by dynamically changing the questionnaire based on prior input.

You can host ContractExpress DealBuilder on your intranet, extranet, or SharePoint environment. Business Integrity also offer ContractExpress as a Web-based service (SaaS).

What Else Should You Know?
ContractExpress DealBuilder is designed for use not only by private practitioners and in-house counsel, but also legal publishers that provide forms. Learn more about ContractExpress DealBuilder 4

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
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.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Geoff Ormrod, Review: Pathagoras

Danny Wash, Review: QuickFile 4Outlook and Credenza

Deepa Patel, Legal Software: Should You Stay or Should You Upgrade?

Thorne D. Harris III, The Pros and Cons of Practicing Law With a Mac

Michael O'Connor, Review: Fujitsu ScanSnap S500

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new version of a popular document assembly program (see article below), an iPad app for signing PDF documents, an Android and BlackBerry app that automates conference calls, an online time-tracking service that integrates with QuickBooks, and a thermometer and accompanying iOS app that helps you cook steaks and other meat to perfection (though it won't fetch you a beer). Don't miss the next issue.

If You Can Drive a Car, You Can Use This Software

I would bet you dollars to doughnuts that the most popular legal software of all time is … "shelfware." For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it refers to software purchased with the best of intentions but quickly abandoned or never used at all. Many software purchases end up on the shelf because lawyers find them too complex or overwhelming. To use an analogy, a lot more people drive cars than fly airplanes. It takes very little time to learn how to drive a car. Airplanes require significantly more training. A software company in Virginia has a new product that attempts to make document assembly as easy to use as driving a car, which means you might actually use it instead of placing it on your shelf alongside that model airplane.

Pathagoras 2011 … in One Sentence
Innovative Software Products of Virginia's Pathagoras 2011 is a document automation system that works within Microsoft Word.

The Killer Feature
Are you a programmer? If not, you're in luck. Pathagoras requires no programming. Instead, you create document variables by typing simple "from the keyboard" characters.

Your templates contain "variables" such as "testator." These variables enable you to quickly assemble highly personalized documents by simply replacing these variables with names and other such information.

You can save the values you assign to your variables for reuse in any number of other documents. The company refers to this method of saving and resusing variable/value pairings as an "Instant Database" because there's no setup involved.

"From the first day I began programming Pathagoras, my goal was to create a fully functional yet easy to use document assembly system," Innovative Software Products of Virginia founder Roy Lasris told us. "I knew that that more power, more functions, and complex setup don't lead to more use. So, with the KISS principle firmly in mind, I created Pathagoras to operate wholly within the host word processor using simple variables."

Other Notable Features
Pathagoras 2011 offers a number of other new features. For example, it now automatically creates data collection and interview forms so you can literally create documents in realtime with your client sitting in front of your desk.

Pathagoras' popular Drop Down Lists now support up to 10 folders located anywhere — locally, on a network drive, or on a cloud storage service. These folders store your most-frequently used variable clauses.

Before you can "assemble," you must disassemble. Thus Pathagoras enables you to deconstruct existing model documents into their component clauses, saving you time when you want to use Pathagoras to create a new document type.

Other features include administrative controls for organizing and renaming your growing collection of clauses, document management from with Microsoft Word, and a new version of Pathagoras' "Absolute Basics No-Setup Guide" for new users.

What Else Should You Know?
Pathagoras runs on Windows within Microsoft Word. The first license costs $379. Additional licenses cost $250 each. The company also offers a "3-pack" for $799. Technical support is unlimited without any annual maintenance fees. You can try it for free for 90 days. Learn more about Pathagoras 2011.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
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.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Mark Raby, Review: PaperPort, Copernic, Acrobat, and Evernote

Ken Laska, My Advice for Law Students: Look Beyond the Black Letter Law

John Courtade, Review: Kaspersky Internet Security v. Symantec/Norton v. McAfee v. AVG

Stephen Lander, Tip: How to Modify the Pencil Tool in Acrobat

Sandy Bautch, Review: Pathagoras and HotDocs for Doc Assembly

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Ed Detlie, Review: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500, CaseMap, Time Matters, and Total Practice Advantage

Thomas Stirewalt, Tip: How to Send Confidential Discovery Documents on CD/DVD

Tom Adams, Review: eCopy PaperWorks for Bates Stamping

Robert Corbett, Upgrading to Windows 7: A Word of Caution

Kerry Hubick, More Study Tips for Law Students

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Cynthia Zook, Review: ProForm for Document Automation (Real Estate)

Peter Conway, Review: Xerox DocuMate 152, PaperPort, OmniPage, ScanSnap S1500

Robin Meadow, Review: QuickJump, MessageSave, and SimplyFile

Douglas Morrison, Tip: Getting Online on Your Laptop Via Your Smartphone

Michael Clarke, Review: HP Wireless Elite Keyboard

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

This special edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire was originally published on December 15, 2010.

Ruth Edlund once described TechnoLawyer as a "collective mind" — one of my all-time favorite characterizations. TechnoLawyer is also a data-driven media property. We try to rely on data rather than anecdotal evidence whenever possible to guide our decisions. And nowhere is our reliance on data more evident than in TechnoLawyer NewsWire as we track the number of clicks on the 250 products we cover in this newsletter each year. Below you will find the 15 products you and your fellow TechnoLawyer NewsWire subscribers found most intriguing as suggested by the number of clicks they received.

1. Libretto W100

Was 2010 the year of the tablet? Yes, but not all tablets. We wrote about Toshiba's Libretto W100 (pictured above) and its two screens on August 18th. Remember, we just report on new products here (we review products in some of our other newsletters but not in this one). So how has the Libretto W100 fared? Has it sold millions of units? Not quite. The critics panned it and Toshiba quickly pulled it from the market.

2. Doxie

What can I say? TechnoLawyers love learning about scanners — even this consumer model with little hearts on the front that we covered on April 28th.

3. Snapdone Version 6

Document management is also a hot topic (download our free document management system buyer's guide if you don't have a copy yet). Snapdone, which we covered on November 17th, adds document management and document assembly functions to Microsoft Office. No wonder it ranked third.

4. TaskMerlin 3.1

This project management software, which we covered on August 25th, offers lots of customization options for those who like to tinker with their workflows. But despite its name, it cannot perform magic. You yourself must complete all the tasks you enter.

5. Square

This credit card processing company replaces all the inscrutable fees in typical merchant accounts with a single, albeit higher, discount rate. However, TechnoLawyer subscriber James McCorquodale subsequently reported that it's not a good fit for law firms. We covered Square on May 12th.

6. Pimero

We reported on this Outlook alternative on July 14th. I like that it offers true bulk mailing. There's nothing more annoying than an email amateur who uses BCC to send bulk mail.

7. Alfresco Enterprise 3.2

On March 24th, we told you about this open source document management system that can automatically archive your email. Despite being open source, Alfresco Enterprise is not free.

8. iPad

We usually report only on finished products that you can buy — but how could we have waited until April to tell you about Apple's iPad, the most anticipated gadget of the year? Instead, we covered this game-changing tablet on January 27th within hours of its announcement.

9. HotDocs 10

We reported on HotDocs 10, which makes it easier to transform your model documents into templates, on June 2nd. Six weeks later, document assembly guru Marc Lauritsen reviewed it in our TechnoFeature newsletter, awarding it a perfect TechnoScore of 5.0.

10. OnIt

On December 1st, we told you about this new online project management system that borrows from social networks like Facebook. The company seemed pretty happy with our coverage, tweeting "Thanks for the great review of Onit. Your article sent us a lot of website traffic." It wasn't a review but glad we could help all the same.

11. Law Charge

Do you sense a trend here? Yes, another credit card processing company though Law Charge, which we covered on May 5th, specializes in servicing law firms.

12. Stacks

Another Web-based task management system? Clearly, we have some busy subscribers seeking organizational nirvana. On July 28th, we reported on Stacks, which uses charts and data to help you visualize your workflow. I'm not sure if these charts will make you feel better or worse so keep some Valium handy and brace yourself.

13. Portal4Law 5.0

Portal4Law 5.0, which we covered on November 10th, offers Web-based practice management, including document management. Some legal vendors make it easy for us to cover their products and some don't. If we gave out awards for helpfulness, PortalSoft's Director of Marketing would probably win.

14. ADERANT Practice Manager

Expect to see more products like ADERANT Practice Manager in 2011 and beyond — Web-based practice management systems from established vendors. Thus far, scrappy startups have dominated the SaaS landscape, but this era won't last forever. Some of these pioneers will become major players in their own right, but others will be acquired or squashed by software companies with a large installed base of customers. We reported on ADERANT Practice Manager on October 6th.

15. Less Accounting

Last but not least (since it ranked higher than 235 other products), Less Accounting, which we covered on June 17th, is an online accounting system that imports data from QuickBooks and integrates with PayPal.

Read about the other 235 products we covered in 2010 in the TechnoLawyer Archive.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
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.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: In the old days, lawyers would do lunch. Now many lawyers feel like they are lunch thanks to convergence of a poor economy and reduced barriers to entry for providing legal services. If you're feeling the pinch, law firm management consultant Donna Seyle can help you make the leap to a modern law practice in which you become the hunter once again. In this TechnoFeature, you'll learn about new technologies that can help your firm make the challenging but not impossible transition from the uncertainty of hourly billing to alternative fixed fee arrangements.

How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of Answers to Questions contains these articles:

Christel Burris, Is Not Using Document Management Software Irresponsible?

Kevin Dunn, The Key to Negotiating Legal Fees

Breck Seiniger, Review: CaseMap and TextMap

Jeffrey Wong, Review: Sunbelt's VIPRE Antivirus and Personal Firewall Software

Stephen Seldin, Review: Parallels on a Mac

Don't miss this issue — or any future issues.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a document assembly and document management add-on for Microsoft Office (see article below), a wireless Bluetooth speaker, a screen capture utility for Macs, a mobile word processor, and a project and task management app for iPad and iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

Document Management Inside Microsoft Office

Bill Gates was raised by a lawyer, but he clearly didn't have lawyers in mind when his company created Microsoft Office. Nonetheless, this iconic software suite has become a fixture in most law firms — especially Outlook and Word. As a result, an ecosystem of legal software products has arisen around Microsoft Office, including document assembly and document management systems. One company not too far from Microsoft's campus has built these features into Microsoft Office rather than go the integrated product route.

Snapdone Version 6 … in One Sentence
Snapdone Version 6 adds document assembly and document management capabilities to Microsoft Office.

The Killer Feature
Microsoft Office excels (no pun intended) at document creation. But document automation and management? Not so much. Snapdone essentially snaps a document assembly and document management system onto Microsoft Office. The company reports that even newbies can get up and running in minutes.

The new version offers significantly enhanced document management features. When you use the Snapsave button on Microsoft Office's Ribbon, you trigger Snapdone's document management system. You can then apply identifying information about the document such as client/matter and type. Snapdone automatically names documents with a ten-digit ID code and stamps the document with this number.

Snapdone creates a customizable folder structure to best suit your firm. In addition to finding documents by browsing, you can use Snapdone's Boolean search engine. You can narrow searches by author, client, matter, document type, and more.

"Snapdone Version 6 boosts the Microsoft Office comfort-zone into a true document management system that also integrates a time-tested document creation tool-kit for small and midsized law firms," Snapdone President Scott Campbell told us. "We transformed the wish lists of long-time users into an affordable reality."

Other Notable Features
Snapdone's new document management system functionality works with Outlook, enabling you to save client-related email messages alongside your documents.

Snapdone integrates Outlook contacts with Word for document assembly purposes, eliminating having to type or even copy and paste names and addresses into letters, fax cover sheets, memos, pleadings, envelopes, labels, etc. The Caption Bank enables everyone in your firm to use pre-formatted templates and boilerplate language for these documents. For example, with Snapdone everyone at your firm can have their own personalized letterhead.

Snapdone mirrors certain functions in Microsoft Word with an emphasis on making them simpler to use. For example, Snapnumbers and SnapTOC provide legal-friendly paragraph numbering and table of contents creation respectively. Snapdone also offers a streamlined mail merge function.

What Else Should You Know?
Snapdone includes centralized administrative tools for setting it up, managing users, and adding and updating templates. Snapdone works with Microsoft Office 97 and later, including Office 2010. Snapdone costs $800 for the first computer. Each additional computer license costs $200. The license fee includes installation, customization, basic forms, and one month of free telephone support. Learn more about Snapdone Version 6.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
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.