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Capture Valuable Social Media and Web Evidence Before It Disappears

By TechnoLawyer | Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers an on-demand service for capturing social media and other web evidence in accurate and defensible PDF documents (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a practice management system with a large forms library that automatically captures the billable time you spend on document drafting and email, a cloud practice management and accounting system that now includes free credit card processing via LawPay, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

Many litigation matters benefit from a treasure trove of potential evidence online thanks to human nature and the ease of publishing on the Internet. However, web pages are notoriously difficult to print or convert to PDF format, and when lawyers do this work they run the risk of being called as a witness to authenticate their screen captures.

Page Vault On Demand … in One Sentence

Page Vault On Demand (Page Vault) is a pay-per-use web-capture service designed for litigation, internal investigations, and other situations that require accuracy and defensibility.

The Killer Feature

Web designers understandably don't think much about letter-size paper when creating websites. As a result, printing a web page or saving it in PDF format often lacks any resemblance to the source. This can harm its persuasiveness when used as an exhibit.

Page Vault delivers PDF files that look like the actual web page thanks to the company's proprietary technology. Lawyer and EVP of Customer Solutions, Patrick Schweihs, showed me some examples. The PDF preserves the web page's layout and graphics, and creates intelligent page breaks that don't cut off any text.

"We've struggled with the best way to easily and defensibly capture websites the same way each time until we started using Page Vault," says Chris Bojar, Litigation Support Coordinator at Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP.

Other Notable Features

Page Vault can capture anything accessible on the web, including entire websites as well as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms. "A simple web form request initiates the collection process," Page Vault CEO and co-founder Jeff Eschbach tells me. You enter one or more web page links (URLs), and indicate whether you want an optional affidavit for authentication purposes. You can purchase the affidavit after the fact but Page Vault offers a discount when included with the initial order.

Page Vault delivers each capture with a metadata coversheet listing the document title, capture URL, capture timestamp, web browser used, etc. The optional affidavit incorporates your case caption, describes the collection process, and can be notarized.

Capture just one time, on a recurring schedule, or when a change occurs. If you need web captures to function like an interactive website, Page Vault can deliver ISO 28500 compliant WARC files rather than static PDF files. These files preserve all the interactivity such as links but function offline. Other capture options include videos on YouTube and elsewhere, web page downloads, livestreams, photo collections, etc.

"Our staff leverages the industry's most advanced and trusted web-capture technologies to complete the job," says Eschbach. "There's no new software or difficult procedures to learn." If you need several captures on a regular basis, Page Vault can set up an enterprise account for you with volume discounts. You can even request a custom integration using Page Vault's API for high-volume capture projects to streamline your workflow.

What Else Should You Know?

The quote you receive from Page Vault is exactly what you will pay, not an estimate. Pricing starts at $199. Turnaround time for a free quote is one business day and same day expedited service is available. There's no setup fee or minimum order. Page Vault provides an itemized invoice that you can use for client reimbursement. Learn more about Page Vault On Demand.

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.

Topics: Litigation/Discovery/Trials | TL NewsWire

How to Save Time and Money With Google Scholar

By TechnoLawyer | Friday, September 15, 2017

Coming today to LitigationWorld: Google Scholar can't replace Lexis Advance or Westlaw, but it can save you time and money according to legal research and writing instructor and consultant Eric Voigt. In this issue of LitigationWorld, Eric explains what Google Scholar includes as well as how to narrow your searches, find related cases and secondary sources, evaluate the weight of a case, and navigate "around" the service's idiosyncrasies (you'll see why we placed that word in quotes). Also, don't miss the LitigationWorld Pick of the Week for a report on the rise of online mediation.

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. LitigationWorld also features in-depth litigation product reviews with accompanying TechnoScore ratings, as well as links to the most noteworthy litigation articles in other publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Litigation/Discovery/Trials | LitigationWorld

Review of PhraseExpander; Pros and Cons of Software Subscriptions; Reviews of Office 365, Asana, Acrobat DC

By TechnoLawyer | Friday, September 15, 2017

Today's issue of TL Serendipity contains these articles:

John Creahan, Review of PhraseExpander

Michael Kelly, Software Subscriptions Are Fine If the Price Is Right: Reviews of Office 365, Asana, Acrobat DC

Connie Brooks, Software Subscriptions Come in Two Varieties, One Good, One Not

Tom Trottier, Four Questions to Consider About Software Subscriptions

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

How to Receive TL Serendipity
Our most serendipitous offering (hence its name), TL Serendipity consists of contributions by TechnoLawyer members who have important information to share. 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 TL Serendipity newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Business Productivity/Word Processing | Collaboration/Knowledge Management | Coming Attractions | Online/Cloud | Practice Management/Calendars | TL Serendipity

TechnoLawyer's iPhone X Precise Cutouts; Review of 3CX Cloud PBX Phone System; Review of ASUS Zenbook UX330UA; iPad Fail for Brief Writing

By TechnoLawyer | Thursday, September 14, 2017

Today's issue of TL Serendipity contains these articles:

Neil Squillante, TechnoLawyer's iPhone X Precise Cutouts

Mike Keller, Review of 3CX Cloud PBX Phone System

Harold Dye, Review of ASUS Zenbook UX330UA-AH54; iPad Fail for Brief Writing

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

How to Receive TL Serendipity
Our most serendipitous offering (hence its name), TL Serendipity consists of contributions by TechnoLawyer members who have important information to share. 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 TL Serendipity newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Coming Attractions | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | TL Serendipity

Focus on Your Work, Not the Clock, With Smokeball

By TechnoLawyer | Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a practice management system with a large forms library that automatically captures the billable time you spend on document drafting and email (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a cloud practice management and accounting system that now includes free credit card processing via LawPay, a cloud practice management system with a new document management component that works locally on PCs and Macs like a network drive, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.

Accurate time tracking empowers law firms. Those that bill by the hour can maximize earnings while those that charge fixed fees can evaluate their profitability and staff efficiency. But how can you prevent lost billable time given human nature?

Smokeball … in One Sentence

Smokeball is a practice management and document assembly system that recently gained a new automatic time capture feature.

The Killer Feature

Attorney and Smokeball Legal Technology Content Manager Joshua Taylor walks me through a typical stretch of time in a law firm, drafting documents, sending and receiving email, etc. He then clicks on the AutoTime button in Smokeball's toolbar.

Not only does Smokeball capture the time spent on this work, but it creates nearly final time entries. Smokeball itemizes each task, connects it to the corresponding matter and creates a description of the work (e.g., Letter to Law Office of Arthur Kirkland). You review these entries, make any necessary edits, and post them if you bill by the hour. Every night, Smokeball emails you a report listing all your captured time for the previous day broken down by matter.

Early adopters of Smokeball's automatic legal time tracking software feature have captured 34% more time on average. "Smokeball has increased my law firm's profitability by over 30%," says Joshua Boehm, partner at Cottonwood Law Group, LC. Smokeball's Law Firm Insights report enables you to measure the impact of automatic time tracking at your firm, and prove time worked in the event a client transfers his case to another firm. The report breaks out time spent and cost for each employee.

Other Notable Features

Smokeball is a hybrid product, combining the capabilities of a native Windows client with the convenience of unlimited cloud data storage. This gives you the ability to work without an internet connection. The Windows client allows for tight integration with Microsoft Office. When you open a potential matter, choose from more than 250 Matter Types with all the information fields you're likely to need. Smokeball also runs a conflict check. Smokeball's mobile app gives you access to your practice on the go.

Smokeball's Legal Tasks and Workflows enable you to capture your firm's processes. A Workflow consists of a set of tasks, each of which is assigned to an attorney or staff member. You can create task dependencies, and generate due dates based on triggers.

Many law firm tasks involve document automation. Smokeball offers more than 14,000 legal forms and can help add your own during the onboarding process. Smokeball automatically enters information from the extensive set of matter fields. You can email completed documents directly from Smokeball and generate a PDF with one click. A clever feature lists the contacts associated with the matter, which saves time and prevents misaddressed messages. Alternatively, you can attach documents in Smokeball from Outlook. Either way, Smokeball saves all email in the matter, including replies.

What Else Should You Know?

"Smokeball helps small law firms increase the profitability of their matters," said Jane Oxley, Smokeball's President. "By providing our clients with features like full visibility into matter profitability and the most robust Microsoft Outlook and Word integrations in the industry, we help attorneys spend less time on administrative tasks, and get back to practicing law." Learn more about Smokeball.

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.

Topics: Accounting/Billing/Time Capture | Automation/Document Assembly/Macros | Practice Management/Calendars | TL NewsWire

Five Steps to Attracting High Quality Clients Online

By TechnoLawyer | Monday, September 11, 2017

Coming today to SmallLaw: You want to grow your law firm using the Internet but the options seem endless. Where do you start? Legal marketing expert Jason Marsh has the answer in this issue of SmallLaw. Jason provides an easy-to-follow five step plan designed to put you in control of your destiny. Grow as fast or as slow as you want. Learn how to focus your approach, improve your search engine rank, where to advertise, how to measure the results, and much more. Also, don't miss the SmallLaw Pick of the Week for a content marketing tip related to Jason's article.

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.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | SmallLaw

Best PDF Software of 2017 Plus 55 More Must-Reads

By TechnoLawyer | Monday, September 11, 2017

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected the 56 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 Michael Ansaldo of PCWorld on winning our BlawgWorld Pick of the Week award: Best PDF Editors of 2017: Reviewed and Rated

Review: Microsoft Modern Keyboard

Cloud Document Management That Won't Change the Way You Work

CosmoLex Aims to Automate Client Credit Card Payments With CosmoPay

Rocket Matter Adds New Features and Tools

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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.

Topics: BlawgWorld Newsletter | Business Productivity/Word Processing | Coming Attractions | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets

How I Use Two Monitors; How I Use My iPad Pro; Reviews of Apple Pencil, GoodNotes, iAnnotate, PDF Expert, Vonage Business Essentials

By TechnoLawyer | Friday, September 8, 2017

Today's issue of TL Serendipity contains these articles:

Brad Smith, How I Use Two Monitors and What I'd Buy Nowadays

Warwick Rothnie, How I Use My iPad Pro; Reviews of Apple Pencil, GoodNotes, iAnnotate, PDF Expert

Bobby Abrams, Review of Vonage Business Essentials

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

How to Receive TL Serendipity
Our most serendipitous offering (hence its name), TL Serendipity consists of contributions by TechnoLawyer members who have important information to share. 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 TL Serendipity newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Monitors | TL Serendipity

How to Prepare for Jurors Who Commit Online Misconduct Plus 38 More Must-Reads

By TechnoLawyer | Thursday, September 7, 2017

Coming today to LitigationWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 39 articles from the past two weeks worthy of your attention. Below you'll find a sample article from each section of today's issue, including our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week.

Free Law Project Has Now Made Every PACER Opinion Searchable

Can I Get a Hallelujah for Legal Research 2.0?

Potential Topics for Your 30(b)(6) Witnesses

Opening Statements That Work

Congratulations to Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm of Persuasive Litigator on winning our LitigationWorld Pick of the Week award: Expect a Majority of Your Jurors to Commit Online Misconduct

How to Receive LitigationWorld
All practice areas evolve, but none faster than litigation. Written by successful litigators and other litigation experts, LitigationWorld provides you with practical tips related to electronic discovery, depositions, litigation strategy, litigation technology, and trial presentations. You'll also receive in-depth litigation product reviews as well as links to the most noteworthy articles in other online litigation publications so that you'll never miss anything. The LitigationWorld newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Litigation/Discovery/Trials | LitigationWorld

Review of Vonage Business Essentials, Nozbe, Time Matters; Apple Pencil Support Clarification

By TechnoLawyer | Thursday, September 7, 2017

Today's issue of TL Serendipity contains these articles:

Neil Squillante, Review of Vonage Business Essentials Phone Service

Tom Stubbs, Review of Nozbe (Project Management)

Jim Zadeh, Review of Time Matters

Ken Laska, Apple Pencil Support Clarification

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

How to Receive TL Serendipity
Our most serendipitous offering (hence its name), TL Serendipity consists of contributions by TechnoLawyer members who have important information to share. 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 TL Serendipity newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Business Productivity/Word Processing | Collaboration/Knowledge Management | Coming Attractions | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Practice Management/Calendars | TL Serendipity
 
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