TechnoLawyer: TechnoFeature

Coming today to TechnoFeature: Have you ever made a mistake or forgotten about something? If so, it's likely that your firm's manual system for storing and retrieving documents has caused you headaches thanks to misplaced documents, missing documents, misnamed documents, and many other mis-takes so to speak. You may benefit from a document management system (aka enterprise content management system), but where do you start? Earlier this year, legal technology consultant John Heckman penned a 25 page treatise on document management systems (DMS) for law firms. We asked him to distill the key points into two TechnoFeature articles. Today in Part 1, you'll learn about the problems that a DMS addresses. In Part 2 next week, you'll learn how to shop for and implement a DMS.

How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: Search rules today's world. Whereas in the past we might have consulted a dusty volume from a bookshelf, today we visit Yahoo!, Google, Lexis, Westlaw, and many other sites. But what about searching your own files or the files you collect from a client? Many lawyers have outgrown built-in tools such as Windows Explorer or even free tools such as Google Desktop Search. ISYS:desktop 9 exists to fill this need. How well does it work? We asked eDiscovery and technology expert Brett Burney to take a look.

How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: The iTunes App Store makes iPhone users feel like kids in a candy store. But with thousands of apps to choose from, there's a fine line between "I can't live without this app" and "I can't believe I wasted money on this app." To help sort the winners from the losers, we enlisted attorney and technology enthusiast Jeffrey Allen. In this article, he reviews seven iPhone apps of interest to lawyers, including apps for billing, creating outlines, document management, and more. Jeff assesses their cost, features, performance, and level of necessity. Naturally, each app also receives its own TechnoScore.

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 today to TechnoFeature: In the current economic climate, the old adage "Think Positive" can seem like an impossible feat. But if approached in the right way, the current recession could provide lawyers with a unique opportunity to emerge as thought leaders in their areas of expertise. In this article, law firm public relations expert Jay Jaffe explains how to use established low-cost and no-cost social media tools to grow your practice even in a down market.

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 today to TechnoFeature: Do you find yourself continually searching for ways to become more productive? Speech recognition technology may provide you with a quantum leap, especially if you don't type well or suffer from repetitive stress injuries. In this article, lawyer John Starkweather reviews the latest offering from Nuance, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Legal. John shares his first impressions, his thoughts on ease of use, performance, and features, and his wish list for future versions. Whether you're a newbie thinking about using speech recognition for the first time or a veteran wondering if you should upgrade to the new version, John's detailed review provides all the information you need.

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 today to TechnoFeature: Remember when document comparison meant laying two pages side by side and getting out your trusty red pen? Those days are gone thanks to document comparison software. For this article, legal technology consultant John Heckman took DocsCorp's pdfDocs compareDocs 3.1 for a test drive and reported his findings. John focused on accuracy, convenience, and security — the three most critical components of document comparison. His verdict? Read his comprehensive review to find out.

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 today to TechnoFeature: Will the battle of the word processors ever end? Attorneys Al Harrison and Randy Claridge seek to lay down the final word (no pun intended) on the two leading alternative word processors in today's TechnoFeature. In this comparative review, they pit WordPerfect Office X4 against OpenOffice.org 3. They discuss the relative advantages and functionality of each from compatibility to document security to PDF capabilities and more. Which program comes out on top? Read their words of wisdom to find out.

How to Receive TechnoFeature
Our flagship newsletter never disappoints thanks to its in-depth reporting by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. It's in TechnoFeature that you'll find our oft-quoted formal product reviews and accompanying TechnoScore ratings. The TechnoFeature newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Coming today to TechnoFeature: Although some may cringe at the thought, remote control software gives you 24/7 access to your work computer over the Internet. Whether you're on vacation, out sick, or at home watching the kids, this technology provides flexibility and keeps you in the loop. In this article, attorney Edward Zohn reviews LogMeIn Pro. He discusses how his law firm uses it as well as its pros, cons, and cost. With LogMeIn, client emergencies may no longer have to wait until Monday plus you can help your grandmother get rid of that pesky spyware too.

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 today to TechnoFeature: No longer a joke, the paperless law office has become a reality thanks to advances in scanners. In this article, attorney and technology enthusiast Jeffrey Allen reviews Fujitsu's ScanSnap S300, putting it through the paces at his general practice law firm and on the road. In the course of his review, Jeff identifies the pros and cons, and explains what he would like to see in future versions. Can the ScanSnap S300 help your law firm become paperless? Read Jeff's review to find out.

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 today to TechnoFeature: With the recent state of the economy, many companies are tightening their belt — and law firms are no exception. But sometimes you have to spend money to make money. According to legal technology consultant Seth Rowland, now is the time to redouble legal document automation initiatives. In this comprehensive two-part series, Seth explores document automation, first from a technology perspective, and then from a business case perspective. Published on November 25, 2008, Part 1 explained how to get started. Today in Part 2, Seth returns to discuss the Return on Investment ("ROI") for document automation initiatives.

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.