TechnoLawyer: Legal Research

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online tax research services (see article below), virtual PBX iPhone app, a store for BlackBerry apps, an online service to help you get agreements digitally signed by the parties, and an online Bluebook citation tool. Don't miss the next issue.

Tax Facts at Your Fingertips

The flat tax is a great idea, but law firms that handle tax-related issues need not worry. Too many special interests have their hand in the tax code for that too happen. In fact, the tax code will likely grow more complex, not less. As a result, you'll need better research tools.

IntelliConnect … in One Sentence
Wolters Kluwer's IntelliConnect is a tax-oriented online research service that combines the previously separate services, Tax Research NetWork and Internet Research NetWork.

The Killer Feature
When you consider that we all used tabs in our trapper keepers in grade school, why exactly did it take so long for Web browsers to have tabs? Who knows but we all use them now that we have them.

Wolters Kluwer understands the popularity of tabbed browsing and has taken it several steps further.

IntelliConnect enables you to maintain up to five searches at once using its search tabs. In addition, each search result has a checkbox. If you check it, IntelliConnect saves the accompanying document in the Document Tray. IntelliConnect also keeps track of your search history much as Web browsers keep track of the Web sites you visit.

Other Notable Features
You can conduct research by browsing or searching. If your searches pull up too much information, you can apply filters such as document type (explanations, laws, regulations, etc.), practice tools, jurisdiction, state tax type, and more. You can also search within a search and save searches.

IntelliConnect's tri-screen display enables you to view your search results and specific documents simultaneously. It works like an email preview pane with your search results on top and the specific document you've selected below. When you find a relevant document, you can print it or save it in PDF or text format. You can email documents too.

What Else Should You Know?
IntelliConnect also includes CCH's Tracker News, which enables you to receive alerts about important developments via email or RSS feed. Pricing depends on which libraries you need to access and other factors. Learn more about IntelliConnect.

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 TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers document automation software (see article below), a flat fee legal research service, a secure communications and file exchange service, a utility that facilitates pen-based input into PDF files, and an iPhone app for controlling PowerPoint presentations. Don't miss the next issue.

Document Automation Comes of Age
By Neil J. Squillante

Someday, computers will learn how to think, which means they'll learn how to draft legal documents. Relax. You'll have long since retired by then. For the time being, computers remain faithful servants, not threats. So why not use them to their fullest potential? When it comes to producing agreements and other legal documents, you should do the thinking but let your computer do the formatting and other grunt work. So-called document automation technology has come of age. Have you?

iCreate 7.0 … in One Sentence
Esquire Innovations' iCreate 7.0 enables you to automate the creation of routine documents in Microsoft Word without any specialized programming knowledge.

The Killer Feature
The first rule of medicine is do no harm. Esquire Innovations has embraced a similar rule for iCreate 7.0 — make it look like it's part of Word to reduce the learning curve, integrate existing Word features that work well, fix broken Word features, automate slow processes, etc.

Called "Enhanced Native Architecture," this philosophy has resulted in new features such as the iHyperstyles Toolbar, which appears within Word like any other toolbar.

With the iHyperstyles Toolbar, you can create and save numbering systems for documents that your firm routinely creates, create and apply Styles using your keyboard, create a table of contents and authorities, and much more.

Other Notable Features
In addition to the iHyperstyles Toolbar, everyone in your firm can immediately benefit from the templates included in iCreate such as letters, memos, fax cover sheet, pleadings, expense report, check request, and more.

But the real power lies in creating your own customized templates, which you can do without heavy duty programming languages such as Visual Basic. Instead, iCreate uses XML-based open standards.

Once you create a template, everyone in your firm can access it from the Template Launcher (see above screenshot). Additionally, iCreate integrates with popular document management systems.

Also new is QuickMerge, which can dynamically place information from your firm's contact management system into documents. When the information changes, you can have the document update automatically.

What Else Should You Know?
iCreate works with Microsoft Office 2002 (XP), 2003, and 2007. QuickMerge works with Outlook, InterAction, GroupWise, and Lotus Notes. You can try iCreate for free for three months. Learn more about iCreate 7.0.

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 today to Fat Friday: Jonathon Wescott reviews HP's Tablet PC tx1 and tx2 series, Dixon Robertson reviews PCLaw tech support, Kenneth Flaxman shares some tips for buying enterprise quality hard drives, Michael Caldwell shares his concerns about Loislaw's public search records, and Zale Dowlen reviews Dimdim for online meetings and Webinars. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive Fat Friday
Our most serendipitous offering, Fat Friday consists of unsolicited contributions by TechnoLawyer members. You'll no doubt enjoy it because of its mix of interesting topics and genuinely useful knowledge, including brutally honest product reviews and informative how-tos. The Fat Friday newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Roger Mullins reviews the pros and cons of using Zotero for archiving legal research and other Web pages, Ralph Stoker clarifies some misconceptions about the security of reformatting a hard drive, Morris Tabush discusses the BlackBerry Storm, Barron Henley reviews OmniPage Standard versus Pro as well as Nuance tech support, and Jonathan Warshay reviews STRIP for password management. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on 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.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online court rules service for small law firms (see article below), an application for reviewing discovery documents, a 24 inch monitor, a financial calculator for iPhone, and an information service for BlackBerrys. Don't miss the next issue.

If You Know the Rules, You Won't Lose Your Cool (or Clients)
By Neil J. Squillante

In a perfect world, courts and legislators would work together to create a simple set of procedural rules so that lawyers could spend more time on the key issues in their cases and less time worrying about arcane requirements. Here's a news flash — we don't live in a perfect world. That's why we have technology. When it works, it can simplify complex data sets such as court rules.

SmartRules.com ... in One Sentence
Practice Technologies' SmartRules.com provides step-by-step instructions for handling procedures in state and federal courts throughout the country.

The Killer Feature
Figuring out which rules apply to a given scenario such as filing a motion to dismiss often requires consulting multiple sources — civil procedure, rules of evidence, standing orders, local rules, etc. — some of which may conflict with each other or be out of date.

SmartRules.com eliminates the need to make sense of all these rules sources individually. Instead, just enter your jurisdiction and select your task. SmartRules.com then provides you with a SmartRules Guide — a step-by-step checklist for that particular task, including up-to-date drafting and filing requirements from all applicable rules sources.

Other Notable Features
SmartRules.com is not a 1.0 product. For the past six years, over 50 of the largest law firms in the country have used SmartRules firm-wide to manage their litigation portfolio. What's new is a Web version for small firms and sole practitioners.

SmartRules.com covers all courts in the country (state, federal, trial and appellate), with premium SmartRules Guides available for California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia and Federal District Courts.

Two forms of membership exist — Basic and Premium.

The Basic Membership gives you access to all the applicable codes, courts, and forms for every civil trial and appellate court in the United States. It also provides you with subpoena guides for most states as well as SmartRules Alerts to warn you in advance about rule changes.

The Premium Membership gives you access to SmartRules Guides for thousands of topics, which obviates the need for you to research the various rules.

What Else Should You Know?
The SmartRules.com Basic Membership is free. Premium Membership is sold on a subscription basis based on jurisdiction. A Daypass is available too for one-time needs. Learn more about SmartRules.com.

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 October 30, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Carolyn Thornlow explains how to use the Calendar Plan Template in PracticeMaster, Jonathan Steen reviews the Philips Digital Pocket Memo 9360 (now 9370), Brant Gluth shares a method for creating strong but easy to memorize passwords, Edward Zohn discusses free online calendars versus Microsoft Exchange, and Ed Walters reviews the Public Library of Law. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on 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 October 16, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Gray Strickland provides a comprehensive guide to digital dictation, David Crump reviews Loislaw for legal research, John Heckman discusses three considerations when choosing between Time Matters and PCLaw plus shares his thoughts on the CIC Consultants Forum, Morris Tabush reviews IBackup and MozyPro, and Rob Howard reviews Amicus Attorney 2008 and its integration with WordPerfect and Windows XP. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on 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 today to Answers to Questions: David Stuckel reviews the Philips Pocket Memo 9360, Ann Donovan reviews Fastcase for legal research, Richard Hackerd discusses the expectations of law firms within the context of Amicus Attorney, Julian Garcia discusses KVM switches and reviews LogMeIn, and Jim Uschold shares his two main complaints about WordPerfect after 20 years of daily use. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on 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 June 19, 2008 to Answers to Questions: G. Blair McCune reviews Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred and Professional (and explains the difference between the two), Edward Zohn explains how he uses QuickBooks to handle trust accounts (without setting up a separate set of books), Peter Pike reviews OmniPage Pro for OCR and its Word/WordPerfect integration, Ed Walters shares his favorite way to copy and paste from Word to WordPerfect, and Brent Blanchard discusses legal research pricing and adhesion contracts. 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 June 12, 2008 to Answers to Questions: Robert Rice reviews Amicus Attorney's conflicts checking abilities, Philip Franckel shares his thoughts on adhesion contracts and reviews Loislaw, Robert Fleming discusses Time Matters' stability, 30-year word processing veteran Stephen Silverberg compares Word to WordPerfect, and Deb Hoffmann reviews Google's Grand Central. 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.