TechnoLawyer: Collaboration/Knowledge Management

BlawgWorld 2006, our popular eBook (25,000+ downloads), features 51 of the best blawg Posts from 2005.

Like all books, it captures a moment in time. In fact, BushWorld, the best-selling collection of New York Times columns, inspired us to create BlawgWorld (we didn't actually read BushWorld, we just noticed its success). Clearly, people like the convenience of such collections.

But what happens if you want to monitor a blawg or group of blawgs daily in addition to reading the best selections annually? Several options exist.

If you just want to monitor a handful of blawgs, you can use browser bookmarks and check them every day. If you use Firefox, you can open each bookmark in its own tab simultaneously. Even better, you can use Firefox's Live Bookmarks feature to alert you when these blawgs have new content.

To track a larger group of blawgs, your best bet is to use an RSS newsreader. Personally, I recommend NewsGator's solutions, all of which I consider best of breed — FeedDemon (a standalone Windows application), NetNewsWire (a standalone Mac application), NewsGator Inbox (an Outlook plugin), and NewsGator Online.

If you have a Google or Yahoo account, you may want to use their free newsreaders — Google Reader and MyYahoo. I do not recommend Bloglines, which has a confusing interface.

If instead of tracking a group of blawgs, you instead want to track what all blawgs say about a topic you care about (e.g., e-discovery), you can use blog search engines such as Google Blog Search, Yahoo Blog Search, Feedster, and Technorati. Although you can save your searches, these search engines do not send e-mail alerts. Instead, you must use a newsreader to monitor your saved searches.

Finally, if you don't have a group of favorite blawgs or don't want to deal with newsreaders, but would like to stay in the loop (and don't mind spending some money), PinHawk recently began publishing Law on the Blogs NewzDigest, a daily e-mail newsletter with headlines and links to new content from about 50 blawgs (including TechnoLawyer Blog). This service comes at a price — $199/year. You can view a sample newsletter before subscribing, and try it for free for two weeks.

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 soup-to-nuts solution for managing your litigation matters and collaborating with clients, a secure chat room service for law firms and businesses, and a new site in which anyone (including you) can become a beat reporter or columnist. Don't miss the next issue.

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

New Tool Enables Firms to Impress Their Clients
By Jill Bauerle
When it comes to client priorities, litigation takes the cake — dockets, deadlines, deliverables, depositions, and documents all add costs to their legal budget. Given the complexity of even small cases, you would think that dozens of companies would offer litigation management solutions. But that's not the case (no pun intended). Sensing a need, CaseKnowledge has launched an eponymous service in the form of a "powerful extranet platform that makes case information immediately available to your clients from any Web browser. CaseKnowledge features a powerful shared calendar and timeline with which your firm can manage all of its open cases, including court dockets, depositions, document production deadlines, and the many other events that transpire during the discovery, trial, and appeal phases. As its name implies, CaseKnowledge also stores all the accumulated knowledge for each case — the theory of the case, the litigation plan and budget, settlement exposure analysis, case resolution strategies, interrogatories, deposition transcripts, expert witness interviews, and much more — all searchable with versioning and approval workflow technology. Unlike other litigation management programs, CaseKnowledge doesn't just manage your case information, but also your client communications. Instead of emailing your clients and colleagues, you simply post a message within CaseKnowledge, which then alerts them via email. They can then reply to your post within CaseKnowledge. The result is a threaded discussion in one place that you can easily search. Speaking of email alerts, CaseKnowledge can send users email alerts for approaching deadlines. Your firm can centrally configure these alerts by case type or by client. For those in the corner office, CaseKnowledge provides a dashboard with an overview of all active cases. From the dashboard, you can pull up a variety of information and reports, including Total Case Cost, Case Status, Spend Analysis, and Exposure Analysis. Even better, you can also create dashboards for clients displaying their entire litigation portfolio. This ability to report information to your clients in a manner not likely provided by the other firms they retain could persuade them to send all their litigation to your firm. CaseKnowledge costs nothing to set up. Instead, CaseKnowledge charges a monthly fee per active case. Learn more about CaseKnowledge.

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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a new place on the Web where you can share your legal or other expertise, a service that enables you to search specific sites and save those searches, and a personalized virtual desktop accessible from any computer — all free. Don't miss the next issue.

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

Use a Lens to Improve Your Firm's Visibility
By Jill Bauerle
Wikipedia relies on many experts in a given field to cover one topic. Squidoo takes the opposite approach by inviting experts to set themselves apart rather than collaborate. If you haven't already created a free "lens" (a Web page on steroids) on Squidoo, what's stopping you? Maybe you already have a blog or an "about" column on your Web site, but one more item that increases the likelihood of prospective clients finding you through Google couldn't hurt, right? Join Martha Stewart and others on this blog-meets-wiki mashup for sharing your knowledge, increasing your profile, and pointing traffic to your Web site. Each Squidoo lens consists of "modules" — building blocks. A number of different modules exist for different types of content — text, links, tags, feeds, etc. Thus, on your Squidoo lens, you can list your latest blog posts, link to court opinions involving your firm, provide an overview of your legal expertise, and much more. Each lens you create comes equipped with an RSS feed to which people can subscribe. Squidoo ranks its lenses daily according to frequency of updates, traffic, inbound and outbound links, and user ratings. Just as fun as it is to share your skills, Squidoo also teaches you new ones. Squidoo features lenses ranging from learning Mandarin to figuring out which colors work best on the Web. Squidoo promises a new feature soon that will earn royalties for you or your favorite charity — plus frequent flyer miles and hotel points. Squidoo is free. Learn more about Squidoo.

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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covers a customizable, integrated case management program, an online project management system, and a universal word count utility. Don't miss the next issue.

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

Case Management Software that Caters to Your Every Whim
By Jill Bauerle
Imagine a world created just for you in which everything worked as you envisioned. Well, that'll probably never happen. But with Abacus Data Systems' new AbacusLaw v2006, you can at least create a practice management system to your exact specifications. With AbacusLaw v2006, not only can you customize the interface and toolbars, but you can even remove menu items and other elements that you don't use. What else is new in this major upgrade? AbacusLaw v2006 features BlackBerry synchronization, private notes and calendar events, complete drag and drop, your choice of Google, MapQuest, or Yahoo for integrated maps, zip code lookup, a mini-calendar that can display 1-12 months, an enhanced Notes editor, and the ability to email events to anyone. Abacus Data Systems also focused on improving the integrated accounting component. The "intuitive check writer" looks just like a paper check, and the "enhanced check register" enables you to quickly search for checks using any parameter. AbacusLaw now saves every bill in PDF format and links it to the corresponding matter. When working at your desk, you can easily toggle among multiple timers as you move through your to-do list — plus you can now post time entries from anywhere in AbacusLaw. With AbacusLaw's new reports, you can always get a handle on your firm's activities. For example, the Matter Synopsis Report gives you a birds-eye view of all current activities, and the Malpractice Report lists all matters without any notes or future calendar events. AbacusLaw v2006 runs on Windows XP/NT/2000. Learn more about AbacusLaw v2006.

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 February 14, 2006 to TechnoFeature: Most litigators see creating a case chronology as a cut-and-dry process — just the facts, ma'am. But litigation expert and CaseSoft CEO Greg Krehel takes a different perspective. In this article, Greg proposes that within the production process of a case chronology lies a fountain of information that could greatly contribute to more effective case analysis and trial preparation. With Greg's tips, you can transform your case chronologies from static to dynamic.

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 February 9, 2006 to Answers to Questions: Business Development Manger for Adobe Legal Rick Borstein offers up redaction solutions using Acrobat, David Wolowitz reviews CaseMap and TimeMap, George Tanguay reviews CaseMap and CaseLogistix, Christopher Palestro reviews GoToMyPC and Windows Remote Desktop, and Larry Vollintine provides step-by-step instructions for synchronizing Outlook 2002 with Outlook 2003. In addition, this issue features links to 16 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.

Coming February 2, 2006 to Answers to Questions: John Starkweather reviews Client Profiles, Jeff Lisson reviews CaseMap and how it differs from Summation, Jeffrey Franklin offers up redaction plugin resources for Acrobat and Word, Jennifer Little explains how to transfer Outlook to a new PC, and Bruce Brightwell reviews his upgrade to Time Matters 7.0. In addition, this issue features links to 17 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.

In today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, tech expert Jill Bauerle covered a free, Web-based application that enables you to collaboratively draft, edit, and compare documents, an online store (not iTunes) that sells iPod-ready videos, and a versatile iPod car connector. Don't miss the next issue.

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

Getting it Write (Free Document Comparison Tool)
By Jill Bauerle
Sometimes hitting "Save" after editing a document is the most destructive thing you can do to your work. We've all had bad writing days, but that doesn't mean you can't salvage older versions of a file, even without document comparison software. Using Writeboard, a Web-based, document revision tool, every word you've ever deleted or changed is saved and at your disposal. Perfect for collaborating on contract clauses or editing a blog post, memo, or letter, Writeboard is easy to use and, best of all, free courtesy of 37 Signals, creators of other Web-based tools (some free, some not). After signing up, your browser takes you to a clean page. Once you compose and save a document, send it to others or, if you're working solo, leave it until your next draft. You can use a simple set of codes for bold, italics, underlining, and even adding hyperlinks. Edited versions of your Writeboard save as a list of separate links on a sidebar of the home page. Invite as many people as you'd like to collaborate. Once multiple versions exist, labeled with  the name of the editor, time and date, a special function enables you to compare them side by side. In this view, WriteBoard shows you changes in gray, additions in green, and deletions using strike-throughs. Each Writeboard has its own URL for quick access from any computer. Other functions include an RSS subscription for notification each time the document changes, a "Comments" section at the bottom of the page for users to post notes, an "Export as Text" button for saving back to your hard drive, a "Send as E-Mail' Button, and a "Delete Writeboard" button when the last edits have occurred and you've breathed a sigh of relief. Learn more about Writeboard.

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 December 15, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Kristy Binmore reviews pros and cons of the Ricoh Aficio 2045e multi-function copier, Christopher Dellit reviews ProjectLounge, a little-known (among lawyers at least) online collaboration service, Robert Jay Dinerstein reviews the Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2 (and discusses the TWAIN compatibility issue), Daniel Roberts explains why he still considers partitioning your hard drive a good practice, and Stephen Nipper serves up a free solution for Mac-to-PC remote access. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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 December 12, 2005 to Answers to Questions: Nancy Cassaro reviews her firm's recent switch from Elite to a new accounting/time-billing solution, Ivan Frockt reviews his Avaratec 1000 Series laptop plus suggests some helpful tips to prevent buyer's remorse, Bobby Abrams reviews two utilities for tweaking your Windows preferences, Arthur Smith reviews Hubbard One, his firm's extranet provider, and Grace Lidia Suarez explains why she still partitions her hard drive (and our publisher explains how partitioning can protect against spyware). Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Answers to Questions is a thrice 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.