TechnoLawyer: Document Management

Read our latest coverage of Search Advantage here

Today's TL NewsWire Hot Product is knowledge management software that enables you to mine your firm's own work product and the SEC's EDGAR database for model clauses and precedents using classification technology pioneered by Intelligize (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to many previous TL NewsWire Hot Products, including a popular document assembly product rewritten with more accessible authoring tools embedded in Microsoft Word and a modern browser-based experience for end users. Don't miss the next issue of TL NewsWire.

When a law firm grows to a certain size, you become unaware of most of the work product being produced in your own practice group. Over the years, you can even forget about your own work product. Accordingly, being able to find and reuse past work product has become an essential productivity tool in corporate practice.

Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional Powered by Intelligize in One Sentence

Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional Powered by Intelligize (Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional), which integrates with your firm's document management system to better classify your firm's work product, incorporates the search technology of Intelligize for more precise and expansive search results.

The Killer Feature

Intelligize revolutionized SEC EDGAR searches — so much so that LexisNexis acquired the company in 2016. As a result, Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional is built on Intelligize, enabling you to search both your firm's work product and EDGAR using a similar interface.

The Intelligize integration brings more than 300 classifications to your firm's documents with a 90% confidence level. For example, document types include Articles of Merger, Asset Purchase Agreement, Stock Purchase Agreement, Underwriting Agreement, etc.

Not all helpful work product resides within your firm. With one click, you can transfer your Lexis Search Advantage search to Intelligize to find similar documents among all SEC filings. Another click takes you back to Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional.

"Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional Powered by Intelligize is one example of how we put the power of data-driven law in our customers' hands," says Jeff Pfeifer, Vice President of Product Management, LexisNexis. "This new tool in the Lexis Analytics suite sits behind a firm's firewall and helps attorneys mine enriched internal documents while searching precedent agreements filed with the SEC to deliver better client value."

Other Notable Features

Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional has a two-paned interface with your search criteria on the left and the search results on the right. In addition to entering keywords, you can also choose from several filters, including the new Intelligize document types noted above as well as specific deal points (e.g., gold in the backyard and sandbagging in merger agreements). Other search filters include document title, clause title, parties involved, attorneys, firms, companies, governing law, jurisdictions, and date range. Your firm can customize these search fields when you implement Lexis Search Advantage| Transactional.

The new tabbed interface for search results enables you to toggle back and forth among searches. Icons next to each item in the search results indicate document format (Word, PDF, etc.). A new "tags" feature draws your attention to a document's significant attributes. A designated team at your firm can define all the "public tags" for consistency. You can supplement these with your own personal tags (called "My Tags") that only you can see. You can use both types of tags to narrow your search results.

Each document that your searches reveal contains a rich set of metadata for quick exploration, including definitions, reps and warranties, covenants, conditions, and remedies and indemnification. Click a covenant such as "gold in the backyard" for example and Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional displays that provision in a snippet. You can export multiple snippets and compare them side by side in an Excel document.

What Else Should You Know?

Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional integrates with popular document management systems such as NetDocuments, iManage, and eDOCS. All security settings in your document management system, including ethical walls, are inherited by Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional. Explore Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional Powered by Intelligize and bookmark the website.

About TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. Each week, TL NewsWire reports on the hottest new products for lawyers and law office administrators. The innovative structure of TL NewsWire articles enable you to quickly understand each product's value proposition, and then zero in on its killer feature and other notable attributes. In each issue, you can easily revisit our back catalog of articles and the most recent TL NewsWire Top 25 Products Awards. Subscribe to TL NewsWire.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers OCR software that automatically finds unsearchable documents in your document management system, Windows PCs, and cloud storage services, and makes them searchable (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of software for managing deal closings, including creating signature packets, tracking who has and hasn't signed, and generating PDF closing binders, cloud real estate closing document automation software for CD and HUD transactions that handles all calculations and tax filings, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

It's frustrating when you can't find a document that you know exists. But even worse is being unaware that an important document exists even when your search terms should pull it up. For example, failing to find a relevant document during a conflict search or when responding to a subpoena can expose your firm to liability. Law firms should not have any unsearchable documents.

Symphony OCR … in One Sentence

Trumpet's Symphony OCR automatically finds unsearchable documents wherever you store them, enabling you to discover them with keyword content searches.

The Killer Feature

"Law firms don't know what they don't know," says Trumpet CEO Kevin Day. No matter which document management system a law firm uses, typically 30% of the documents are unsearchable.

This happens for a variety of reasons. Some of your colleagues may skip OCR when scanning documents to get the job done faster. Documents that arrive as email attachments from clients and opposing counsel are often unsearchable. Etc.

Symphony OCR uses a two-step process to address this problem. First, it analyzes your firm's documents and flags those that cannot undergo OCR such as encrypted files. This report gives you deep insight into your firm's documents at any given time.

Next, Symphony OCR begins converting documents starting with the newest and working backwards. A histogram shows the progress. After the initial run, Symphony OCR will identify and convert new documents in minutes. In fact, you can specify how often Symphony OCR scans for new documents and which repositories to prioritize.

Other Notable Features

Symphony OCR offers higher precision than competing products because it analyzes each page instead of the document as a whole. Thus, Symphony OCR will find a 150-page document with only one page that needs OCR.

"Symphony OCR analyzes every single document, page by page, to identify image-based content and convert it to digitized, searchable text," says Day. "This ensures that when a firm conducts a search for conflict checks, responses to subpoenas, or other compliance-related searches, 100% of their files can be found based on their content."

Symphony OCR is non-invasive so it does not alter document content. It places the searchable text in an invisible layer over the document image. You can use the Rollback button to restore the document to its original state. Alternatively, you can save the OCR version of the document as a new version and either keep or discard the original.

It can take as little as 45 minutes to set up Symphony OCR. It integrates with popular document and practice management systems such as NetDocuments, ShareFile, SharePoint, Worldox, PracticeMaster, and Time Matters. You can also point it to any document repository such as a Windows or Dropbox folder.

"Things are going great with Symphony OCR," says Valerie Colbert, Office Manager at Duncan, Bressler & Liu Inc. "We love it. Everyone benefits because once the items are saved in Worldox we don't have to worry about them anymore. Before Symphony OCR, we would have to take the time to OCR each and every document. With Symphony, it's done every night savings us a lot of time. This was a program that was worth purchasing."

What Else Should You Know?

Symphony OCR can run on any Windows server in your firm (it does not need a dedicated server). If you prefer, you can host Symphony OCR in the cloud. Learn more about Symphony OCR.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a Mac document management system that combines the familiarity of the Finder with legal-specific tools such as automated email capture (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a legal payments platform that enables your firm to accept payment by e-check or credit card without having to change your billing process, document assembly software that you can use within other applications such as your document or practice management system, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

Given that tens of millions of people use Macs, Apple does not focus on the needs of law firms when it creates new versions of macOS. As a result, law firms grow increasingly frustrated with the rudimentary document management tools in the Finder as they amass more documents and client-related email.

DocMoto v4 … in One Sentence

CHL Software's DocMoto v4 is a Mac document management system with a new Finder-like interface that offers organizational and sharing tools for documents and email.

The Killer Feature

"DocMoto version 4 merges the latest thinking from Apple along with our own designs and customer feedback to produce a DMS that better serves the way lawyers really work," says Director of CHL Software Neil Cameron.

DocMoto looks like a Finder window. You'll immediately notice a side panel with three sections — DocMoto, Favorites, and Recent Documents. The DocMoto section gives you access to all documents via the nested folders your firm uses, your own private documents, and documents you've trashed. You can save frequently-used folders as Favorites for faster access, and open documents you're working on with one-click in the Recent Documents section.

You can open any folder in a new tab. "This tabs layout allows attorneys to keep multiple matters open simultaneously all in the one interface," says Cameron. Searches also open in a new tab so that you won't lose your place. Save any search as a Shared View, which updates in realtime as new documents are created that match your search criteria. Rounding out the new interface, a customizable toolbar enables you check documents in/out, list all versions of document, and much more.

Other Notable Features

Document management without email is incomplete so DocMoto now connects to email accounts such as Exchange, Office 365, and Gmail, and offers several tools to automate the capture of client-related email. One tool — Mailbox Rules — consists of customizable filters. For example, a rule could capture all email to or from a client. An administrator can maintain a set of standard rules for all users. Advanced users can create their own rules, including exclusionary rules to ignore personal email.

Mailbox Patterns give users more control of what email to store in DocMoto but still offer automation. Once created, Mailbox Patterns watch folders in connected email accounts, and copy messages and attachments that match to the correct location in DocMoto. Like the previous version, DocMoto also offers manual import of email via drag and drop.

When you open a document or email message in DocMoto, a three-pane display shows you the document's location, metadata such as who last edited it, and a thumbnail. From here you can view or edit the document, the latter of which checks it out and creates a new version.

"When we moved our documents to DocMoto, it was great to have access to all documents without syncing to a computer and eating up hard drive space," says Kelley McFarland, Lead Litigation Paralegal at Brown Law LLP. "Our colleagues quickly realized how easy it was to share documents with people inside and outside the firm by creating shared links to folders rather than putting documents on a USB drive."

What Else Should You Know?

The new version of DocMoto also features beefed up security, including a setting to throttle the number of documents users can download to prevent internal sabotage or theft. Learn more about DocMoto v4.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TL Serendipity contains these articles:

Neil Squillante, An Important Feature Missing From All Practice Management Software

Michael Caccavo, Review of Time Matters AMP

Harry Steinmetz, PCs Don't Have an Advantage Over Macs Anymore in Law Practice

Courtney Schael, Macs Are Better Than Windows PC in Desktop Search

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

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Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a corporate messaging service that automatically saves discussions and shared documents to NetDocuments (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a Microsoft Word add-in that scores your briefs and offers a spellchecker-like tool which suggests corrections and stylistic improvements, cloud software for paperless deposition exhibits that gives you precise control over what the deponent sees and which can generate a hyperlinked report of all marked exhibits, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

Email makes a lot of sense for communicating with clients thanks to its interoperability across organizations. But internal email is a different story. The sheer volume can bury important client messages and prevent them from being filed or shared. Since you're all in the same organization, corporate messaging offers a better alternative — except that it usually creates another location to manage.

NetDocuments ndThread … in One Sentence

Just launched, NetDocuments' ndThread is a secure messaging service embedded within NetDocuments' cloud platform with apps for Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, and Android.

The Killer Feature

ndThread builds on the recent launch of ndMail (for storing email and attachments) to ensure that you'll find all information related to a matter in one location in NetDocuments. This also guarantees a unified platform for communication and collaboration while incorporating NetDocuments global search functionality.

ndThread came to NetDocuments via its acquisition of ThreadKM late last year. Dan Hauck, former CEO of ThreadKM and current VP of Product and User Experience at NetDocuments, spearheaded the project to incorporate ndThread into the NetDocuments platform for matter and topic-based messaging.

ndThread offers a zero-configuration experience on several fronts. For example, there's no initial setup because everyone in your firm can use their NetDocuments identity to login and use ndThread. Furthermore, there's no concern about threaded discussions becoming information silos because ndThread automatically saves and categorizes conversations in the correct matter within NetDocuments' matter, client, or topic-based workspaces.

"NetDocuments' ability to quickly incorporate the ThreadKM technology into its global cloud service speaks to its incredible power and efficiency," says Hauck. "The same encryption, security, compliance, indexing, and search functionality of NetDocuments' robust service now extends to all aspects of ndThread, reducing the need for law firms to rely on outside technologies to quickly and effectively communicate."

Other Notable Features

ndThread offers two ways to communicate with colleagues — direct messages and workspace discussions. Direct messages work like text messages except that you don't need to maintain an address book. Workspaces in ndThread mirror workspaces in NetDocuments and facilitate a conversation among members of a client team, practice group, committee, etc. Notification icons inform you of unread messages (you can also receive email or push notifications).

Workspaces can contain multiple private or open "threads" alongside other matter-related documents and email (e.g., a partners-only discussion). When a new team member joins a workspace, they gain access to all past discussions and documents, helping them get up to speed.

Most of the time, you'll reference documents already stored in NetDocuments. If you add a new document from elsewhere, ndThread asks you to fill out a profile and saves it into the same workspace in NetDocuments. Once a document resides in ndThread, you can use annotation tools to collaborate on it. These annotations reside in a nondestructive layer on top of the document. Collaborating in this fashion brings everyone to the same file, eliminating the drudgery of merging competing redlines or commentary sent in email messages or attachments.

What Else Should You Know?

"We started looking at ThreadKM as an innovative alternative to traditional email communication before the NetDocuments acquisition," says David Pray, Chief Transformation Officer at Bailey & Glasser LLP. "Now having ndThread as part of the NetDocuments platform presents a win-win scenario. We look forward to immediately leveraging ndThread as part of our NetDocuments platform investment." Learn more about ndThread.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected the 55 best legal technology articles, podcasts, and videos from the past week. Below you'll find a sampling from today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week. BlawgWorld is free so don't miss the next issue — sign up now.

Congratulations to John Heckman of Does It Compute? on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: NetDocs vs. Worldox

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Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of both legal technology and mainstream technology of interest to the legal profession. But not the only coverage. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy legal and mainstream technology articles (and podcasts and videos) published elsewhere without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. Subscribe now for free.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a Microsoft Outlook add-in that predicts where to file your email and even lets you know when a colleague has beat you to it and already filed the same message (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a cloud practice management system that has added financial and trust accounting to complement its billing features, obviating third-party software such as QuickBooks, an online video tutorial service to help lawyers prepare clients for depositions, mediations, and trials, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

Over the years, document management systems have adapted to include email. The companies behind these products have developed all sorts of tools for saving email messages and attachments so that everyone working on a matter can access them. However, solutions to date require too much manual labor, and don't take into account multiple recipients of the same message to prevent duplicates.

ndMail … in One Sentence

Recently launched, NetDocuments' ndMail is a Microsoft Outlook add-in that uses artificial intelligence to make saving client-related email in the correct location faster and more accurate.

The Killer Feature

NetDocuments pioneered cloud document management nearly 20 years ago. In recent years, the company modernized NetDocuments to pave the way for companion products like ndMail.

Once installed, ndMail monitors your inbox to identify where in NetDocuments you likely want to file each new message. Select a message to view these recommended locations. Check a box if you agree with a prediction and the message is stored in that NetDocuments folder, inheriting the corresponding client, matter, and other associated metadata. You can file email in multiple folders. If you're unsure about a recommendation, right-click to open that location in NetDocuments for more context.

ndMail uses the sender, recipients, subject line, attachments, etc. to make its predictions. A Signal Strength Indicator to the left of each recommendation indicates the confidence level of ndMail's Predictive Email Filing technology. If none of the recommendations is a good fit, you can search or browse NetDocuments to find the correct folder, or create a new folder (e.g., new matter). ndMail learns from your behavior to improve its future recommendations.

"ndMail is unlike other email management solutions," says NetDocuments Sr. Product Manager of ndMail Bradlee Duncan. "It comes pre-loaded with accurate filing predictions, leveraging AI technology based on existing matter content and filing behaviors. This eliminates the need for complex deployment or pre-trained models to generate its predictions. The value is immediate in time saved, helping new employees get up to speed, and preventing errors."

Other Notable Features

NetDocuments realizes you're part of a law firm, and that colleagues often receive the same email messages. Therefore, ndMail includes a Global Filing Indicator in the form of a NetDocuments column in Outlook. If a colleague has already filed a message, the Global Filing Indicator in this column lets you know before you open the message. This prevents the storage of duplicate email messages in the same NetDocuments folder.

When composing an email message, ndMail works similarly, predicting where you likely want to file the message after sending it. If a recipient works in your law firm, they will see the Global Filing Indicator in Outlook to let them know you have already filed the message in NetDocuments.

If you communicate frequently on one matter, you can use ndMail's Folder Mapping as an alternative way to save messages in NetDocuments. Folder Mapping enables you to list NetDocuments folders within Outlook's navigation panel. Drag and drop multiple messages into a mapped folder to store them in NetDocuments.

What Else Should You Know?

You can deploy ndMail centrally. Some firms create a rule in Microsoft Exchange to remove filed messages from user inboxes after a specified period of time. Alternatively, you can give users the ability to keep or delete email in Outlook after filing it in NetDocuments. Learn more about ndMail.

How to Receive TL NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TL NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The newsletter's innovative articles enable lawyers and law office administrators to quickly understand the function of a product, and zero in on its most important features. The TL NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected the 51 best legal technology articles, podcasts, and videos from the past week. Below you'll find a sampling from today's issue, including our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week. BlawgWorld is free so don't miss the next issue — sign up now.

Congratulations to John Heckman of Does It Compute? on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: "Modern" Document Management — What's That?

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The Last Scan

How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of both legal technology and mainstream technology of interest to the legal profession. But not the only coverage. BlawgWorld enables you to stay on top of all the noteworthy legal and mainstream technology articles (and podcasts and videos) published elsewhere without having to hire a research assistant. Even when you're busy, you won't want to miss each issue's Pick of the Week. Subscribe now for free.

Coming today to SmallLaw: What will happen in 2018? No one knows, which means all those prediction articles circulating this time of year are fan fiction. In typical SmallLaw style, this last issue of 2017 eschews the fanciful for the practical -- a Micro-Symposium in which SmallLaw contributors tell you about the most helpful technology products they started using in 2017. You'll find nine recommended products in all that will improve your productivity in 2018. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for your foolproof 2018 law firm marketing plan.

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 ensures that you won't miss anything published elsewhere by linking to helpful articles (and podcasts and videos) about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to SmallLaw: Immigration law firm Siskind Susser decided to go paperless all the way back to its founding in 1994. Easier said than done as closed files comprised 823 boxes of paper. In this issue of SmallLaw, the firm's innovation director Josh Waddell who spearheaded the project takes you inside each decision, including whether to outsource, the biggest snag, integrity and proofreading procedures, what to do with the paper after digitization, rules for new cases, and more. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for advice on interviewing job candidates.

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 ensures that you won't miss anything published elsewhere by linking to helpful articles (and podcasts and videos) about solo practices and small law firms. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.