TechnoLawyer: Online/Cloud

Originally published on July 20, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

If you hung out a shingle at a leisurely pace with cash reserves, strong credit, a book of business, and no regrets, dust off a copy of How to Start and Build a Law Practice by Jay Foonberg. The rest of you might want to keep reading, however. This installment of SmallLaw addresses the swelling ranks of the newly unemployed (law firm layoffs) and involuntarily self-employed (178 law schools, 40,000 graduates) who thanks to this year of breathtaking economic free-fall have decided to go solo.

Top 10 Solo Traps to Avoid …

As you read through the list below, keep these common traps in mind, as they represent the most palpable and often the most fatal blows to would-be sole practitioners:

10. Isolation, insecurity, fear.
9. High-maintenance clients.
8. Unrelenting competition.
7. Technology whiplash.
6. Employee nightmares.
5. Nowhere to turn for advice.
4. Underestimating costs (software and services).
3. Ethical quagmires.
2. Notoriously uneven cash-flow.
1. Deadbeat clients.

The Envelope Please …

By and large I've organized these tools based on cost, coverage, and effectiveness. I encourage you to try as many as you can and share your experience with your fellow solos. So let's get started.

Web Sites

The .com revolution ended over 10 years ago, so why is Web site development and hosting still a mystery? Explore free and low cost Web site resources before you agree to pay (and pay, and pay, and pay) for a site.

My Recommendations: Avvo, Justia, Template Monster.

Social Networks

When it comes to reaching prospects and other lawyers on social networks, I've lectured, written, and given presentations until I was blue in the face and worked up a whopping case of carpel-tunnel. So I guess one more mentioning won't hurt.

My Recommendations: Avvo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, JD Supra.

Blogs

Blogs developed from outlets for pure self-expression into "premium" services run by "legal blogging experts" (whatever that means). Frankly, I'm not convinced, so I split my vote between free and paid services. You be the judge.

My Recommendations: Blogger, TypePad, WordPress, LexBlog, Justia.

Software as a Service

Today you can manage complex recordkeeping, file management, billing, calendaring, task management, communications, and a dozen other vital functions on your iPhone. Ten years ago they said it would never happen, but we proved them wrong! Thanks, Google.

My Recommendations: Google Apps, Basecamp, Zoho, Clio, Rocket Matter, OpenOffice. (Bonus: Microsoft Office 2010 online next year).

Custom SaaS

In a perfect world you would only use tools suited to your practice. But the world isn't perfect. Luckily, customizable SaaS enables you to add, subtract, and modulate applications so that you don't have to pay for features you never use (Are you reading this Microsoft?).

My Recommendations: Google Apps, Basecamp, Advologix/Salesforce.com, Zimbra.

Research

Remember when the price of gas went down last summer? Remember when the cost of legal research subscriptions went down? Me neither. Even the Saudis get it so how come it costs more to review a Supreme Court decision today than it did 10 years ago?

My Recommendations: My Findlaw, Lexbe, LII (Cornell), Fastcase.

Communications

From email to instant messaging, conference calls to faxing, message management to call routing, the telecommunications market has proven to be almost as stubborn as the legal market when it comes to change. But change it has, and there are now more choices than ever.

My Recommendations: eFax, Google Voice, Free Conference Call, GoToMeeting.

Prospecting

Lawyer marketing often offends older lawyers used to a more genteel approach. Of course they didn't have to compete with 30,000 other unemployed graduates. Since you do, check out these sites designed to help you get a jump on the competition.

My Recommendations: LawFiles, Avvo, LegalMatch, Twitter (yes, Twitter).

Billing

Sure it takes money to make money. But why so much? Since the days of Red Gorilla (bonus if you remember that .com darling), Web-based billing has been the fevered dream of a madman. Or at least it was until a surge of do-it-yourself timers and time-keeping services hit the market.

My Recommendations: Tempo, Clio, Rocket Matter, Bill4Time, TimeSolv, Chrometa, MonetaSuite, Proximiti. (The last three are experimental but worth trying.)

Document Backup and Sharing

Making files ubiquitous has proven to be harder than it sounds. Limitations on bandwidth, file-size, extensions, and a variety of other factors have conspired to keep file sharing clumsy and uninspired. Luckily, you have options.

My Recommendations: Dropbox, Google Docs, Docstoc, JD Supra, Microsoft Live Office. (Bonus: Office 2010 will have a free online component.)

Collaboration

"Collaboration" sites let you display information like a Web host, share and exchange documents like Google Docs, and interact with one another like a social network. So why give them a separate category? Because most of the time these sites represent a useful compilation of features perfect for everything from ad hoc bar association groups to teams of lawyers working on a case with national scope.

My Recommendations: Basecamp, Clio Client-Connect, Groupsite, Google Sites.

Online Chat

With the aid of the ubiquitous instant messaging client, you'll never need to yell out the office door at your associates again. But you will anyway. Just saying.

My Recommendations: Google Talk, MSN, AIM.

Onward and Upward …

If I've left anything out I apologize, but I feel confident that this list should stand you in good stead, at least for now. If you have suggestions of your own please let me (and everyone else) know.

Written by Mazyar M. Hedayat of M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a backup and sync service (see article below), an online service for securing digital signatures on documents, a Web site that helps you make decisions, a network security camera, and a GPS-based note-taking app for iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

Sweeten Up Your Backups

For a supposedly boring technology, backup software sure has received lots of media attention lately. There's a simple explanation. A talented public relations professional can make virtually any topic appear fascinating. Now that backup software has become a big business, big businesses have bought all the backup software companies — and invested heavily in public relations. So here we are reporting on the the latest media darling — but it may very well deserve all the hype.

SugarSync … in One Sentence
Sharpcast's SugarSync offers online backup of your files and file synchronization among multiple PCs and smartphones.

The Killer Feature
Increasingly, lawyers are traveling light with only their smartphones. A laptop makes you look like a drone whereas a smartphone makes you look like a master of the universe.

Recognizing this trend, Sharpcast offers a SugarSync app for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile. With these apps, you can access your files anywhere you have Internet access. You can also stream your music collection and wirelessly sync photos taken with your smartphone back to your PC. If you have a Palm Pre or other smartphone without a dedicated SugarSync app, Sharpcast offers a mobile-optimized Web site you can use.

Other Notable Features
SugarSync continuously backs up your files to a secure online repository, and stores the five most recent versions of each file (only the most recent version counts towards your storage quota). You can also archive files to preserve them no matter how many future versions you create.

SugarSync can also synchronize files among multiple computers, including Macs and PCs. Because your files also reside online, you can access them from any computer even if SugarSync is not installed. You can even upload the changes you make and SugarSync will update that file on your synchronized computers.

What Else Should You Know?
SugarSync also provides secure sending of files too large or sensitive to send by email. A free account contains 2 GB of storage and imposes some limits such as keeping only two versions of every file. The other four plans consist of 30 GB for $4.99/month, 60 GB for $9.99/month, 100 GB for $14.99/month, and 250 GB for $24.99/month. Learn more about SugarSync.

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Coming today to Answers to Questions: Paul Strawinski reviews PaperPort, OmniPage, and Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Tom Trottier shares some Windows performance tips plus an excellent idea for those considering switching to a Mac, Sandra Adams suggests the best way to integrate Tabs3 and QuickBooks, Sebastian Carey compares eDocs to Worksite, and Chris Gierymski reviews SplitCourt for electronic filing. Don't miss this issue.

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Coming today to Fat Friday: Nicholas Bettinger shares his tips for managing email overload, Theodore Borrego weighs in on Ross Kodner's BigSolo column, Bob Walsh reviews SherWeb for Hosted Exchange and Drobo, Samuel Matunog discusses social networking for lawyers, and Ann Vetter-Hansen reviews Rocket Matter. Don't miss this issue.

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Coming today to Answers to Questions: Mark Klarich shares what he has learned from running Windows on a Mac, Steven Polinsky reviews Stamps.com, Mark Deal comments on Dragon NaturallySpeaking and getting the most out of your tech purchases, Tom Trottier offers some tips for Microsoft Word's Styles feature for document formatting, and Todd Smith reviews GV Mobile for the iPhone. Don't miss this issue.

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Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Mark Fidel discusses the key factor when deciding between Mac or PC, Mark Deutsch provides some tips regarding a Timeslips error, Douglas Folk reviews ESET NOD32 antivirus software, Steven McNichols discusses the state of today's tech support, and Guy Mailly reviews Adobe Connect. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive Answers to Questions
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? In Answers to Questions, TechnoLawyer members answer legal technology and practice management questions submitted by their peers. This newsletter's popularity stems from the relevance of the questions and answers to virtually everyone in the legal profession. The Answers to Questions newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: Google is like Hollywood. There's an A List, B List, etc. Law firms on the A List appear on the first search results page for keywords relevant to the legal services they provide. These firms receive many inquiries from prospective clients at virtually no cost. Money for nothing. Meanwhile, law firms on the D List are virtually invisible. In this TechnoFeature article, technology consultant Seth Rowland explains how to get on Google's A List using nothing more than common sense and a content management system.

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Originally published on June 22, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

Last month I wrote about what happens when too many demands vie for the time and attention of your prospective clients, and referred to it as the recommendation economy. For this second installment, I promised you tips on how to use Twitter to establish a compelling presence online, resulting in press coverage and new clients. Here we go.

Twittermania Means Software Developers Are Busy

Getting the inside story from a trusted source can prove invaluable. That's why Twitter's ability to capture the public zeitgeist is priceless. Used in conjunction with its ever-growing list of free third-party applications, Twitter enables you to monitor multiple conversations at once, send and receive files instantly, limit conversations to a few participants or throw them open to the world, create instant communities, and more.

It would be easy to dismiss Twitter as kid stuff, but that misses the point. By inspiring an entire ecosystem of extensions, applications, and mash-ups, Twitter has motivated developers to create applications that enable:

• File sharing: TweetCube


• Research: Twitterlights


• Realtime search: Twitter Search


• Expense tracking: Xpenser


• Notes: TwitterNotes


• Community: Tatango


• Background control: Tweetbacks

With so many applications to choose from and more on the way, it's only a matter of time before you find one that suits you. I've compiled an ongoing list of lawyer-friendly applications on my blog.

How Many of You Are There?

Once you've decided which applications help you tweet better, it's time to show off. Start by reading what others have written. Once you find a discussion or post that interests you, offer an opinion or pass on a post by someone else. Follow tweeters that you like. In no time, you will have created a community of people who write about, or are interested in, what interests you.

But what about prospects, you ask? Meeting prospective clients on Twitter is even easier than exchanging views with other lawyers because the minute you offer relevant information and solutions to their problems, they will find you. Better yet, be proactive — search Twitter for keywords relating to your practice area, and then follow those tweeters. It could be that your niche is just waiting for you to fill it.

The only catch to all this Twitter happiness is that you need to decide which audience you want to address or at a minimum you'll need to separate your tweets so that you're not boring your colleagues or confusing prospective clients with jargon. Personally I use multiple Twitter identities to keep my discussions separate. Increasingly, other lawyers are doing the same, creating a personal identity for friends and family, a professional identity representing their office, and an identity within a group so they can seek advice from other members of the profession.

Keep These Tips in Mind — and Remember to Breathe

Despite the potential of it all, don't try to conquer Twitter in one sitting or even one week. Give it time and build your follower-base one interesting person at a time. While you're at it, here are some of my suggestions to keep things interesting:

• Consider a "secret identity" to find out what people really think.


• Mix it up — private conversations versus public ones (which work better?).


• Broadcast your professional accomplishments and cheer on your followers.


• Create a firm "identity" on Twitter consistent with your Web site and blog.


• Use your Twitter background as a business card, a news source, a wish list.


• Use your Twitter background to promote causes that deserve your support.


• Post questions and then post answers — prospects will appreciate your advice.


• Search for your name, your firm, and phrases related to your practice area.


• Be generous with less experienced users — be fast to cheer and slow to criticize.


• Don't just make friends, make the right friends; numbers don't tell the whole story.


• Follow the leader, but not too close. Soon enough you will be the leader.

There Is No Wrong Tweet

Ultimately there is no "wrong" way to use Twitter. Whether you want to take advantage of its hyperactive network to gauge the public mood about a politician, share files, brag about your favorite Ska band, or find killer dim sum, Twitter can meet all your needs because it is what you make it. By the same token, you can be whatever you want on Twitter — but be careful what you wish for. You might get it.

Written by Mazyar M. Hedayat of M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.

How to Receive SmallLaw
Small firm, big dreams. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, SmallLaw provides you with a mix of practical advice that you can use today, and insight about what it will take for small law firms like yours to thrive in the future. The SmallLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

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 Fat Friday: Rob Foos reviews the new Palm Pre, Lane Trippe responds to a recent BigLaw issue on the "assignment memo," Morris Tabush reviews the BlackBerry Bold and his favorite apps, paralegal Leigh Crawford points to an article about how her small firm survives in a big city, and David Gulbransen compares Dimdim to WebEx for online collaboration. 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.