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fi-6140 Review Plus 69 More Articles

By Neil J. Squillante | Monday, June 8, 2009

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 53 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Technology Is Great, but Prove Your Point

A Study in Why Major Law Firms Are Shrinking

Your Firm's Future Is Tied To Your Referral Sources

This issue also contains links to every article in the June 2009 issue of Law Practice. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: BlawgWorld Newsletter | Coming Attractions | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | Litigation/Discovery/Trials | Presentations/Projectors | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

2-3 Monitors on Every Desk; Nuance; Dragon Professional Review; Word Macro Tips; Downside of Retainers; Much More

By Sara Skiff | Thursday, June 4, 2009

Coming today to Answers to Questions: Peter Conway shares the details of his dual monitor setup and his thoughts about integrating a third, Channing Strother discusses Nuance's products and tech support, Nicholas Corona Jr. reviews the many versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Charles Diorio reviews the MacBook Pro, VMWare Fusion, and other related products, and Adam Drennen shares some tips for creating macros in Word. 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.

Topics: Automation/Document Assembly/Macros | Business Productivity/Word Processing | Coming Attractions | Dictation/OCR/Speech Recognition | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Networking/Operating Systems | Technology Industry/Legal Profession | TL Answers

Need for Speed Plus 72 More Articles

By Neil J. Squillante | Monday, June 1, 2009

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 53 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

Potholes to Avoid When Using Courtroom Technology

How to Reduce Your Accounts Receivable to Zero in 120 Days

Law Firm Sues Google Over Use of Its Name in Rival's Ads

This issue also contains links to every article in the June 2009 issue of Law Technology News. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: BlawgWorld Newsletter | Coming Attractions | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | Litigation/Discovery/Trials | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

The Ultimate Phone System; Tablet PC; Omnifind Review; Are Safes Safe?; What Ails You?

By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 29, 2009

Coming today to Fat Friday: Douglas Simpson offers advice on phone systems for law firms, Lincoln Miller takes Ross Kodner to task again for his SmallLaw column promoting netbooks, Robert Rice reviews IBM's Omnifind Yahoo! Edition, Tom Trottier discusses fire resistant safes and CDs/DVDs, and Carolyn Elefant responds to Ross' SmallLaw article on BigSolos. 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.

Topics: Backup/Media/Storage | Business Productivity/Word Processing | Coming Attractions | Document Management | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Fat Friday | Furniture/Office Supplies | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Law Office Management | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

Avvo Strikes Back; Knowing Versus Doing; Foolproof Backup; Dragon and iTunes; iCreate

By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 22, 2009

Coming today to Fat Friday: Senior Marketing Manager Conrad Saam responds to our criticism of Avvo's Top Legal Blogs list, Edward Zohn defends his position on whether lawyers should know how to build a PC, Ron Murphy describes his Mac-based backup routine, Thomas Sennett shares a tip about using Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a computer with iTunes installed, and Michael Gibney discusses his problem with the marketing of iCreate. 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.

Topics: Automation/Document Assembly/Macros | Backup/Media/Storage | Coming Attractions | Desktop PCs/Servers | Dictation/OCR/Speech Recognition | Fat Friday | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | Networking/Operating Systems | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

Why Avvo's Top Legal Blogs List Is a Joke and How to Fix It

By Neil J. Squillante | Monday, May 18, 2009

Squillante-Avvo-TE 05-18-09

Avvo's Top Legal Blogs list (TLB) — a ranking of the top legal blogs (blawgs) — is a textbook example of smart marketing. It provides interesting information and attracts inbound links (especially from the featured blogs).

I applaud the list in the abstract, but deplore its implementation. It strikes me as a lazy effort designed purely for marketing purposes with little to no regard for accuracy — strange for a company whose mission revolves around providing actionable information about lawyers.

Avvo's TLB has two major problems — sample pool and data source. A list by its very nature depends entirely on these two components. In other words, TLB is unreliable. It's also a slap in the face to legal bloggers, most of whom frankly need a slap in the face, just not of this variety (I'd like to see legal bloggers debate each other more often and also criticize lists like TLB).

Avvo's Sample (Kiddie) Pool

Many a blogger has no doubt wondered why their blog does not appear on TLB considering that as of today 15 blogs on the TLB have such a miniscule audience that scant data exists. And then they see the reason:

"[W]e could not include every blog we would have liked to (no subdomains or folders on non-blog sites), but we are working to change that. In the mean time [sic], if you wish to inquire about adding your blog to the list, please send an email to ..."

As you can see, Avvo admits that it does not include any blogs which exist as part of larger sites, eliminating many of the top blogs in one fell swoop.

But what about a blog such as Jonathan Turley, which won the ABA's Blawg 100 contest earlier this year in the Professors category? It resides at its own domain name and has an Alexa ranking of 158,350 (see below) yet is absent from Avvo's TLB.

It seems like Avvo put together an initial list and has since relied on bloggers to let them know about the existence of their blog.

What's the point of a list that omits such a large chunk of the legal blogosphere? The result is a kiddie pool of data a mile wide and six inches deep.

Alexa = Garbage In, Garbage Out

I suspect if you got Jeff Bezos drunk, he would express deep pride in and enthusiasm about all of Amazon's services — except Alexa, which he would admit is useless.

Avvo uses Alexa as its data source for TLB.

Alexa collects data on Web site usage from people who install its toolbar in their Web browser.

Remember your college statistics class? No? Well, here's a quick refresher. You can rely on statistical data about a group in only two situations:

  1. When everyone in the group provides data (100% participation).

  2. When you obtain data from a random sample of the group that is representative of the whole group (a small margin of error applies to the results).

Data collected in any other manner might be entertaining, but it won't be reliable. Like Alexa.

Not every Internet user has the Alexa toolbar installed so participation is not 100%. And Alexa does not engage in random sampling. Instead, anyone can install the toolbar (self-selection).

Don't believe me? Google executive Matt Cutts conducted a very simple experiment to demonstrate Alexa's flawed data.

Using Alexa to gauge the popularity of legal blogs is like using a group of lawyers hanging out in a trendy lounge to determine the country's best-selling beer. Your survey might conclude that it's Peak Organic Pale Ale when in fact the answer is Budweiser.

How Avvo Can Fix TLB and Make It Useful

I would not criticize TLB without offering a solution. In fact, many possible solutions exist, including:

  1. Forget about statistical rankings and instead provide editorial rankings. Avvo could take it a step further and invite people to vote for their favorite blogs from the pool it selected in a variety of categories. The only problem with this solution is that it already exists — the ABA Blawg 100.

  2. Drop Alexa as a data source and instead use Compete or a similar service. Like Alexa, Compete obtains data on Web usage from people who have installed a toolbar. Unlike Alexa, Compete controls the distribution of its toolbar so that it doesn't suffer from self-selection problems. While the data is not as reliable as that from a true random sample, it's about as good as the Nielsen system that networks and their advertisers use for TV ratings.

  3. Require legal blogs that wish to participate in TLB to install SiteMeter or some other free javascript-based Web analytics tool on their blogs and share the data with Avvo for ranking purposes. This method would provide the most reliable rankings thanks to data from 100% of the group — legal blogs that opt to participate. In this scenario, legal blogs absent from the list would have only themselves to blame.

Each of these methods would require Avvo to invest more resources into TLB. Because TLB seems to have little to no relation to Avvo's core business, Avvo may not want to make a significant investment. That's perfectly understandable, but Avvo cannot have it both ways. In its current incarnation, TLB does not, as Avvo claims, enable you to "[k]now who has the most popular legal blog [sic] based on objective, third-party data."

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to lawyers, law office administrators, and others in the legal profession. We link to each new TechnoEditorial and much more in our BlawgWorld newsletter, which is free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Technology Industry/Legal Profession | TL Editorial

Fast-Talking Lawyer Plus 60 More Articles

By Neil J. Squillante | Monday, May 18, 2009

Coming today to BlawgWorld: Our editorial team has selected and linked to 47 articles from the past week worthy of your attention, including our Post of the Week. Here's a sample:

ABA 2009 Legal Technology Survey Highlights

How Not to Dispose of Your Client Files

Dead Law Firm Web Sites

This issue also contains links to every article in the May 2009 issue of Law Practice Today. Don't miss this issue or future issues.

How to Receive BlawgWorld
Our newsletters provide the most comprehensive coverage of legal technology, practice management, and law firm marketing, but not the only coverage. To stay on top of all the noteworthy articles published in blogs and other online publications you could either hire a research assistant or simply subscribe to BlawgWorld. The BlawgWorld newsletter has received rave reviews and is free. Please subscribe now.

Topics: BlawgWorld Newsletter | Coming Attractions | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

SmallLaw: Minimum Daily Technology Requirements Part 3: Everything Else You Need

By Ross Kodner | Monday, May 18, 2009

SmallLaw-05-11-09-450

Originally published on May 11, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

In my last two columns, I introduced the idea of the MDTR — the "Minimum Daily Technology Requirements" for every solo and small firm's technology needs.

Part 1 discussed hardware needs.

Part 2 discussed software needs.

This third and final segment explores some important ancillary subjects from electrical protection to choosing and using consultants.

MDTR: Electrical Protection

UPS and Surge Protectors

Round out the MDTR for hardware with a battery backup such as the cost effective APC Back-UPS 500 for around $100 to provide both surge protection and electrical backup in the event of power dips or short outages without crashing your PC.

Plug all other components like your printer into professional grade surge protection from companies like APC, Tripplite, or Belkin (general rule — if a "surge protector" is under $15, skip it — not enough protection — you want a stated rating of "surge clamping capacity" of 700 "joules" or better).

Mobile Surge Protectors

Mobile lawyers should always plug their laptops/netbooks into a portable surge protector. Three suitable models include:

Tripplite Traveler ($20)

APC Notebook SurgeArrest ($20)

Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger ($25)

MDTR: Routers, Switches, Firewalls and Such

A dizzying array of network gear exists for sharing Internet connections (routers and switches), and for keeping the "bad guys" out (firewalls). Some devices even offer the trifecta of shared Internet connectivity, firewalling, and WiFi wireless capabilities. So for simplicity's sake, we'll list one model and discuss the topic more fully at another time.

One possible approach (among many — I could write 50 pages on this subject alone) would be the Netgear FWG114p PROSAFE 802.11G wireless firewall 4 port 10/100 network switch and USB print server. Quite a mouthful, but the gist of it is that it provides Internet sharing, wireless capability, network firewall functions, and network connectivity for about $125.

Extend the network ports with any other 10/100 (Fast Ethernet) switch. If you have a larger budget and proper cabling throughout your firm, consider Gigabit Ethernet.

MDTR: Smartphone

Why would anyone want to practice law without one? Clients, especially in this tight economy, expect you to have this capability (like it or not). I don't care what you have as long as it integrates with the MDTR software list — integrating as easily as possible with your practice management system of choice and Outlook 2007. So whether it's a BlackBerry, an iPhone, a Treo/Centro/(soon to be available) Pre model from Palm, or a Windows Mobile-equipped device, any smartphone is better than, well ... a dumb-phone.

The ultimate selection criterion for any smartphone should be a positive answer to the question: "Does this device easily integrate/synchronize with my software systems?"

MDTR: Virtualize Yourself v. Adding Staff and Paid Services

Think about a Virtual Assistant — to help with anything and everything including your dictation transcription (yes, dictations can be efficient, especially with a digital approach). The be all, end all is probably LegalTypist, the brainchild of master virtual assistant Andrea Cannavina.

A laundry list of tools for your MDTR arsenal:

FreeConferenceCall.com: Never pay a cent for conference calling.

Internet-based PC Faxing: MaxEmail, MyFax, or RapidFax. You'll need a scanner to make the most of these services. Physical fax machines are so 1990s.

Phones: Skype (free Internet-based phone services). Also OneBox for a "virtual PBX" phone system (large firm phone functionality, small firm budget).

Jott: "Digital sticky notes for your brain."

Google Voice: Keeps you connected no matter where you are.

Google Apps: Gmail offers the best Web mail on the planet with the most storage and Google searchability.

MDTR: Daily Dosage of Legal Tech Smarts

Being a legal technopeasant in 2009 just doesn't cut it any longer — clients won't tolerate it or subsidize tech ignorance or lack of general sophistication.

In addition to continuing to read SmallLaw (thank you) and TechnoLawyer's other newsletters, check out the following resources as well:

• Get a free subscription to Law Technology News and scan it carefully each month.

• If you're an ABA member, join the GP|Solo Division and the Law Practice Management Section if for no other reason than to read their terrific magazines and ezines monthly.

• Also, look to the tremendous selection of practice management and technology books offered by the ABA Law Practice Management Section and the ABA GP|Solo Division.

• Subscribe to The Firm — otherwise known as the ABA's Solosez listserver for lively daily discussion of tech, practice management, and all aspects of small firm life with 4000+ fellow SSF lawyers and staffers. You don't have to be an ABA member to join.

MDTR: Putting It All Together

Find a capable, competent, legal-focused and legal-experienced consultant to manage a proper implementation. Don't attempt a DIY (do it yourself) approach. Do the economic math. Even in tight times, you can't afford it.

Practice smart, make more money, exceed client expectations with better work product quality and faster turnaround times at a reasonable price and above all, have more fun in practice. The MDTR will help get you there — cost-effectively — just the digital prescription for these tough and trying times.

Written by Ross Kodner of MicroLaw.

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.

Topics: CLE/News/References | Computer Accessories | Consultants/Services/Training | Dictation/OCR/Speech Recognition | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Law Office Management | Online/Cloud | Privacy/Security | SmallLaw | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

Email DMS; FileCenter; MozyPro; Syncing Strategy; BigSolo Tip; Enterprise Drives; World's First Laptop

By Sara Skiff | Friday, May 15, 2009

Coming today to Fat Friday: Bob Walsh explains the importance of filing email by case plus he reviews FileCenter and MozyPro, Elaine Dowling describes her backup routine and how it has improved her practice, former large firm lawyer Robert Brouillette offers advice to other "large firm refugees" going out on their own, Edward Zohn reviews Western Digital enterprise-grade hard drives, and Tom Trottier shares his take on the world's first laptop. 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.

Topics: Automation/Document Assembly/Macros | Backup/Media/Storage | Business Productivity/Word Processing | Coming Attractions | Desktop PCs/Servers | Document Management | Email/Messaging/Telephony | Fat Friday | Laptops/Smartphones/Tablets | Law Firm Marketing/Publications/Web Sites | Law Office Management | Online/Cloud | Privacy/Security | Technology Industry/Legal Profession

A Toast to the Legal Profession

By Sara Skiff | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Coming today to TechnoFeature: "I'm a lawyer, not a psychiatrist!" Have you ever wanted to say this to one of your clients? Join lawyer and humorist Adrian Baron on a trip down memory lane as he rediscovers why practicing law is a worthwhile endeavor notwithstanding the workload, stress, and occasional nut-job seeking counsel. We recommend reading this TechnoFeature article with a glass of champagne.

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.

Topics: Coming Attractions | Law Office Management | TechnoFeature | Technology Industry/Legal Profession
 
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