TechnoLawyer: Business Productivity/Word Processing

Originally published in the August 21, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Google's Chrome recently became the world's most popular web browser. Law practice advisor Erik Mazzone is such a big fan, he even uses it on his iPad and iPhone instead of Safari. In this issue of SmallLaw, Erik shares four useful Chrome features and four must-have Chrome extensions, all of which will save you time and one of which will save you money. Increased web browser productivity here you come. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for questions to ask before you fire an underperforming employee.

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Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the August 3, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Life in prison? More like death in prison. Welcome to another installment of "A Lawyer's Life," our ongoing series in SmallLaw in which Gadsden, Alabama lawyer Clark Stewart reflects on ups and downs of his solo practice. In this installment, Clark discusses the downsides of sharing office space with other lawyers, an uplifting story involving his church that brought him a client, and how he helped a client avoid death in prison — plus a review of Notability for voice-tagged note-taking on the iPad. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for Lee Rosen's advice on which type of online marketing works best for small law firms.

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Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the July 31, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: In TL NewsWire in January 2012, we were the first to report on a new document assembly add-on for Microsoft Word called TheFormTool PRO. Since then, the company has shipped a new version. In this issue of SmallLaw, Microsoft Office expert Jeanette Otis, who works for a Bloomington, Illinois personal injury lawyer, reviews TheFormTool PRO. Jeannette used it for several months on real documents to find out if it's a worthwhile investment for a small law practice. In her review, Jeannette walks you through the installation, basic features, and advanced features — and also bestows a TechnoScore. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for good advice about how to escape a trap in which many managing partners find themselves.

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Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the July 24, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: The legal pad started dying long before the iPad arrived. But the iPad may kill what killed legal pads — letter size paper and laptops. In this issue of SmallLaw, legal technology consultant and iPad trainer Brett Burney reviews three iPad apps that enable you to take notes and automatically record audio and sync it to your notes. This way, you can play back what someone said when you jotted something down. For the first time in this series, Brett issues a split opinion in his iVerdict with two winners depending on your needs. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for a review of Kensington's new Virtuoso Pro Fine Tip Stylus, which you can use with the notetaking apps Brett reviews.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the July 10, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: We know you want to view your Google Calendar through your Google Glasses so we'll update today's SmallLaw article with that tenth tip in the future. In the meantime, law practice advisor advisor Erik Mazzone has nine Google Calendar tips you can use immediately. If you don't currently use Google Calendar, you may want to start after learning about its capabilities, especially since you can sync it with your existing calendar in Outlook, some practice management systems, and/or Apple's iCal. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for Lee Rosen's advice on when it's time to open a second office for your practice (which we have dubbed the 30% Rule).

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the May 29, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Given the prevalence of PDF forms, it's a shame that so many lawyers still print them out whether for the signature or even the entire form. After all, you're not always in your office. And if it's your client who needs to fill out the form, you don't want them sitting in front of your computer. But it would be cool to hand your client an iPad. In this issue of SmallLaw, legal technology consultant and iPad expert Brett Burney evaluates three iPad apps for filling in PDF forms and chooses a winner. He also explains how to create your own PDF forms so that you can make even greater use of these apps. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for a comparative review of four iPad styli.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the May 25, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Maybe it's still spring where you work, but Gadsden, Alabama lawyer Clark Stewart already feels the summer heat so he has decamped to his lake house with his family for some fishing and 7 and 7s. Unfortunately, emergencies are inevitable for criminal defense lawyers like Clark. Instead of using his Windows laptop to handle the paperwork that arises, Clark would prefer to use his iPad. So we sent him the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and Clark download the new CloudOn app, which provides iPad users with Microsoft Office. Can this combination replace your Windows laptop? Read Clark's review in this issue of SmallLaw to find out. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for an overview of Microsoft's Office 365 by SmallLaw columnist Ben Schorr.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the May 25, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Maybe it's still spring where you work, but Gadsden, Alabama lawyer Clark Stewart already feels the summer heat so he has decamped to his lake house with his family for some fishing and 7 and 7s. Unfortunately, emergencies are inevitable for criminal defense lawyers like Clark. Instead of using his Windows laptop to handle the paperwork that arises, Clark would prefer to use his iPad. So we sent him the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and Clark download the new CloudOn app, which provides iPad users with Microsoft Office. Can this combination replace your Windows laptop? Read Clark's review in this issue of SmallLaw to find out. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for an overview of Microsoft's Office 365 by SmallLaw columnist Ben Schorr.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the October 25, 2012 issue of LitigationWorld: In brief writing, small mistakes such as failing to define an abbreviation, inconsistent capitalization, etc. inevitably occur. Intelligent Editing's PerfectIt Pro 2.0 combs through your Word documents to help you find and correct these and other errors. We asked Charlotte real estate lawyer Richard Belthoff Jr. to test PerfectIt Pro for this issue of LitigationWorld, figuring that if it can handle his 35,000 word commercial leases it can handle anything in the litigation realm. Read his review to find out how well PerfectIt Pro performed. Also, don't miss the LitigationWorld Pick of the Week for tips on creating supplemental juror questionnaires.

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All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. LitigationWorld also features in-depth litigation product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings, as well as links to the most noteworthy litigation articles in other publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published in the May 23, 2012 issue of SmallLaw: Raise your hand if you have never sent an email message you regretted a few minutes later. Just as I suspected, I see no hands raised. Welcome to the club. In this issue of SmallLaw, law firm technology consultant and Microsoft Office expert Ben Schorr explains how to eliminate email mishaps from this point forward — or as Ben charactrizes it, unring the email bell. Just follow Ben's advice for Outlook, which takes just a few minutes minutes to implement, and you'll gain the ability to recall any email message you send (other email programs may offer a similar feature). Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for a review of WordPerfect Office X6.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Written by practicing lawyers who manage successful small firms and legal technology and practice management experts who have achieved rock star status, SmallLaw provides practical advice on management, marketing, and technology issues in small law firms, as well as comprehensive legal product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings. SmallLaw also links to helpful articles in other publications about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.