Coming August 17, 2007 to Fat Friday: Paul Easton provides some helpful Firefox tips and add-ons for bloggers, David Caracappa reviews CryptInfo for password management as well as the Firefox extension PasswordMaker, Michael Schwartz reviews Time Matters 8, Martin Dean provides a behind-the-scenes look at his dealings with the makers of brainstorming tool allCLEAR, and Steven Schwaber tells us how he really feels about Dell's warranty policy. Don't miss this issue.
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BlawgWorld 2007 with TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide is a free eBook. Actually, it's two eBooks in one PDF file.
BlawgWorld 2007 is the best way to explore and discover legal blogs (blawgs). It features 77 remarkable essays from 77 of the most influential blawgs. Each blogger handpicked their best essay of the year for inclusion in the eBook.
The 2007 TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide is a revolutionary new way to find Solutions to Problems your law firm is experiencing. Specifically, it contains 185 Problems and corresponding Solutions.
Each Problem is written in the form of a question from the point of view of a law firm and organized by topic. Topics include case management, depositions, discovery, document management, legal research, time-billing, and many more — 58 topics in all.
Download Our eBook Now Our eBook is truly free. You click the link and it downloads. No registration hassles.
In this special issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, lawyer and legal technology legend Dennis Kennedy covers three personal knowledge management tools — two for Windows PCs and one for Macs. Don't miss the next issue.
Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:
Become a Wiz Kid
By Dennis Kennedy
The typical Microsoft Word user sees a screen with hundred of icons spread out over several toolbars and menus. Often, lawyers simply want to jot down some notes or organize their thoughts in an outline. For such tasks Microsoft Word is both overkill and inefficient.
AvniTech Solutions' WhizFolders Organizer focuses solely on notes and outlines, with the goal of making it easy to create, manage, and connect your ideas. This focus eliminates the clutter and difficulty of word processing and other programs for note-taking and gives you a great platform for working with your notes and great flexibility in using notes and outlines.
WhizFolders Organizer gives you fast access to all of your notes. The program features a two-pane list/edit interface so you can see the hierarchal list of your notes and outlines as you work. You can rearrange your lists by dragging and dropping, or even use duplicate names. It is this listing technology that gives the program its power and usefulness. You might also use the full screen edit mode, vertical panes, multiple windows, or other flexible approaches to best match the way you work.
You can enter your notes in a variety of ways and in a variety of formats. You can drag and drop text, insert pictures, links, and objects, and even insert links to other notes, documents, and files. You can merge groups of individual notes into larger documents.
WhizFolders Organizer uses lists to help you categorize, sequence, and organize your notes. You can then move them around, color or highlight items, and define a tree structure that works best for you. The ability to drop in links to other notes turns WhizFolders Organizer into a personal wiki. WhizFolders Organizer also prints out a convenient table of contents with your notes.
WhizFolders Organizer offers Boolean search tools and the ability to export your notes in RTF and HTML formats. There is a free viewer you can use for distributing your notes. Sensitive notes can be password protected.
WhizFolders Organizer comes in two versions — Pro and Deluxe. The latter version features tables, keyword tagging, and templates. It sells for $80. The Pro version sells for $39. Learn more about WhizFolders Organizer.
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Coming May 8, 2007 to TechnoFeature: Simple ideas and processes are usually simple to explain. Complex ones — well, that's when a flowchart comes in handy. In this article, technology consultant Seth Rowland reviews allCLEAR's FlowCharter (for building complex process diagrams with a simple text editor) and Analyzer (for adding data to that diagram and evaluating multiple paths in the process to determine the optimal one). Seth explains how it all works, and shares what he likes, dislikes, and wants to see in future versions. How does allCLEAR's suite stack up? Read on to find out.
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Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.
Coming May 1, 2007 to TechnoFeature: You have a lot of research to do — and little time. What you need is an effective and efficient way to sift through material to determine what you need and what you don't. In this article, paralegal Kim Plonsky reviews a new suite of products by Cirilab that aims to do just that. Kim discusses how the products work, how well they work, and what needs improvement. Has Cirilab created the Microsoft Office of legal research? Read Kim's review to find out.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.
Coming April 10, 2007 to TechnoFeature: You've used text-processing tools (like Word and WordPerfect), search engines (like LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Loislaw) and litigation support databases — but have you worked with a brainstorming tool? In this article, technology consultant Seth Rowland reviews MindManager, evaluating how well it can help lawyers identify connections and reach conclusions within information by creating idea maps that link issues, facts, documents, and solutions in a multi-branching tree. What does Seth think of MindManager and how high a TechnoScore did it earn? Read his review to find out.
How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.
As you know, we often point to and analyze YouTube videos related to law practice. That's because we believe YouTube provides law firms with an unprecedented marketing opportunity — the ability to reach millions of consumers without having to pay an advertising fee. You do, of course, have to create a video and promote it, but that's a small expense by comparison. In fact, promoting a video might entail emailing the link to your clients and asking them to pass it along (you should also email us as our coverage often causes significant spikes in viewership).
Now, I'll readily admit that most law firms have never dabbled in video — except perhaps depositions. However, every law firm has considerable expertise in another medium — the written word.
For this reason, newly launched Scribd might prove even more powerful and far cheaper than YouTube.
Scribd is YouTube for documents. You simply upload a document in one of the supported formats after which Scribd indexes it and makes it available in several versions — PDF, Word, Plain Text, Flashpaper (for browser viewing) and MP3 (for listening).
Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way first in case it's not so obvious:
• You can use Scribd as a free document conversion tool, albeit with a limited number of file formats right now.
• You can use Scribd to convert documents into MP3 files that you can listen to while commuting, which means you can drive and bill. Ka-ching!
• You can use Scribd as a quick and dirty extranet for clients.
• Someday, I suspect Scribd will also perform free OCR.
That's all great and yes you can keep your documents private, thus using Scribd solely as a technology tool.
But I think Scribd might even have greater utility as a marketing tool — both for you personally and your firm.
Scribd probably already has a larger audience than your Web site does, and that gulf will no doubt widen now that Scribd has taken its first dose of venture capital.
Why not try uploading an article you've written to see what happens? For maximum impact, place it on your firm's letterhead and create a complete Scribd profile including a link to your firm's site. Also, don't forget to tag it with keywords that people will likely use in their searches.
To get started, allow Dennis Kennedy to lead the way as he often does. Check out Dennis' first Scribd upload — a collection of seven of his articles on e-discovery.
Also, I've also uploaded an essay I wrote in July 2002 entitled Jar Jar's Law. It compares the technology in Star Wars to that of our own world.
Tip: Upload your documents in PDF format for best results in Flashpaper (the browser viewer).
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, lawyer and legal technology legend Dennis Kennedy covers the latest version of a popular litigation support solution, a Web conferencing service that works with Macs and PCs, and a Web-based contact manager. Don't miss the next issue.
Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:
Litigate. Integrate. And Disintegrate the Competition.
By Dennis Kennedy
Litigators today face a bewildering set of choices among hundreds of litigation software packages and electronic discovery tools. At the very least, you want programs that link to and work well with your other programs. Even better, you'd like to find a home base, starting point, or "dashboard" for all of your litigation work.
LexisNexis CaseMap has released the newest version of CaseMap, its popular case analysis tool. CaseMap 7 focuses on integration and clearly embraces the concept of a litigation dashboard.
Since its introduction, CaseMap has made it easy for litigators, paralegals, and even expert witnesses to organize, analyze and take control of their cases. Each new version has added new features attuned to the needs of litigation teams, and the new CaseMap 7 continues that tradition. Both new users and existing users will find much to recommend in CaseMap 7.
Not surprisingly, CaseMap 7 features tighter integration with LexisNexis' growing collection of litigation tools, especially LexisNexis Total Litigator. This particular integration enables you to work with the facts in your case in new, helpful ways.
For example, you can select a fact like a company name in CaseMap and send it to Total Litigator to find background information, similar cases, and relevant business intelligence about opposing counsel or the judge handling your case. Equally helpful, right-click a case citation to get a copy of the case or Shepardize it. For those who use CourtLink, CaseMap 7 makes it easy to work with pleadings and docket information. CaseMap 7 also offers an integrated menu that enables you to use other LexisNexis litigation tools.
CaseMap 7 doesn't just integrate with LexisNexis products. It has also taken its Adobe Acrobat integration even further. Enhancements in Adobe Acrobat 8 are compatible with CaseMap 7. For example, CaseMap's Acrobat PLUS plug-in facilitates the use of Acrobat 8's new Bates Stamps tool.
Litigators can't get enough of Bates stamping so CaseMap 7 features improvements to its own PDF Bates stamping capabilities with a new set of power tools, including analysis, finding and filtering, and synchronization. The Bates Analyzer looks at your Bates numbers and checks for inconsistencies, duplicates, and anomalies. The Bates Find and Filter utility helps you find and view only the documents you need. The Bates End/Pages Synchronization tool can adjust your Bates numbers during the production process, keeping everything synchronized.
CaseMap's "Send to" feature has become a popular way to get information to and from other litigation programs. In CaseMap 7, this tool has become more powerful with a bulk send capability, complete with a wizard to help you define what you want to send.
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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 February 20, 2007 to TechnoFeature: You may have heard of Wikipedia — an attempt to catalog all human knowledge in an enormous online encyclopedia, similar to the Galactic Encyclopedia in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. But you may not realize that the true excitement lies not just in the information itself, but in how it is collected and validated. In this article, technology consultant Seth Rowland discusses the power of wikis (both public and private) and the many ways they can serve the legal community. Wiki's aren't just for geeks and academics — they can provide a vital tool for lawyers to capture and organize knowledge. Read on to find out how.
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Published on Tuesdays, TechnoFeature is a weekly newsletter that contains in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.
In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, lawyer and legal technology legend Dennis Kennedy covers an online file sharing and backup service, a new cost recovery tool for legal research, and an online task manager. Don't miss the next issue.
Below you'll find one of the three articles from today's edition:
No Problem, It's On My Other Drive
By Dennis Kennedy
The world has moved from file-storing to file-sharing. Even
novice computer users have files on several computers, hard
drives, USB drives, and, increasingly, online storage sites.
Accessing, moving, and managing all of our files can become
quite a chore. Plus we often want to send files too large
for email inboxes. And let's not forget the importance of
backing up all our files. What's a busy lawyer to do?
MyOtherDrive.com offers a suite of online file storage and
sharing tools. It's a online storage site with a familiar
Explorer-style interface, and a set of useful tools. If you
have access to the Internet, you will have access to your
files. Best of all, especially for lawyers, you can control
who accesses your files — from the public to specific
individuals.
MyOtherDrive.com began as a photo-sharing site, and offers a
full set of photo-sharing tools. However, it handles all
types of files — documents, PDFs, audio, and video. Simply
join the service and upload your files. The site's viewers
also let you preview files without downloading them.
MyOtherDrive.com sets itself apart from similar services in
the ways you specify who can access your files. You can make
files fully public or accessible only by you for backup
purposes. You can share with specific individuals or groups,
such as family, friends, colleagues, or clients. As you
invite people to access your files, MyOtherDrive.com helps
you build a "social network" with other members of
MyOtherDrive.com. You can email hyperlinks to non-members so
they can access your files.
The free version gives you 5GB of storage and 10GB/month of
bandwidth. The "Pro" versions offer unlimited bandwidth and
from 25GB to 200GB of storage at annual costs ranging from
$19.99 to $99.99. Learn more about MyOtherDrive.
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.
