TechnoLawyer: TL NewsWire

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a unified ediscovery platform that can collect responsive documents from cloud services in a manner that preserves privacy (see article below), an email service that seeks to challenge Microsoft Exchange, document comparison and collaboration software, and a virtual assistant service. Don't miss the next issue.

ONE APPLICATION FOR ALL PHASES OF EDISCOVERY

Parties and witnesses in litigation (custodians) no longer store all relevant evidence in file cabinets and on their hard drives. Instead, you also need to search for relevant documents in their cloud accounts. However, these custodians understandably feel reluctant to disclose their login credentials even to their own lawyer. A popular ediscovery platform has created a new technology that solves this problem.

CasePoint … in One Sentence

@Legal Discovery's CasePoint is a unified ediscovery software platform that also automates collecting cloud data.

The Killer Feature

The new version of CasePoint enables you to collect evidence from cloud sources without custodians having to disclose their login and password. Instead, custodians receive a link via email that when clicked authorizes CasePoint to collect data from their respective cloud accounts. This authorization is encrypted and secure — and verifiable in court because CasePoint uses the official protocol for each cloud service.

Supported services include Dropbox, Gmail, Google Drive, Office 365, OneDrive, and more. Custodians can continue to use these accounts during collection. When the litigation hold ends, custodians can remove their CasePoint authorization.

Other Notable Features

CasePoint offers tools for every phase of ediscovery — collection, early case assessment, culling, analysis, review, and production. @Legal Discovery's advanced research and development team built all of these tools from the ground up.

These tools include near duplication, email threading, predictive coding (a.k.a. technology assisted review), clustering, support for image and native document formats, and more. The new version opens documents 30 to 50 percent faster, which can add up to significant savings for document reviews.

Written in HTML5, the new version of CasePoint is "responsive," which means it runs in both desktop and mobile web browsers. Unlike competing cloud applications, CasePoint doesn't require any plugins. iPad users can alternatively use the CasePoint app, available for free on the App Store. The iPad app facilitates offline review (annotations and other work syncs with your CasePoint account when you're back online).

"We developed CasePoint to address and exceed all the ediscovery needs of legal professionals," Chief Executive Officer of @Legal Discovery Haresh Bhungalia told us. "As a result, CasePoint is a one-of-a-kind unified ediscovery platform that saves users time, enables them to conduct review on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, and provides them with predictable pricing."

What Else Should You Know?

@Legal Discovery owns the datacenters in which CasePoint runs — a so-called "private cloud" infrastructure that results in greater security and scalability because of the physical control. CasePoint can handle cases of any size and accommodate hundreds of simultaneous users. You need not commit to a long-term contract. Pricing depends on how much data storage you need, and which value-added professional services you use. Learn more about CasePoint.

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.

Read our latest coverage of CaseMap here.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers litigation case analysis software that reduces the learning curve through user experience design (see article below), desktop search software with an Outlook add-on, an iOS scanning app that doesn't require precise alignment, and a nonfiction book summary service. Don't miss the next issue.

OPEN AND SHUT CASE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

Imagine having to turn a crank in the front of your car to start it, and having to decide between a foot pedal and a hand lever for braking. This describes the Model T, a revolutionary car at the time but now unusable. Few people know about the discipline of user experience, but everyone can distinguish between good and bad (or outdated) design. User experience is especially important in software development. The legal industry has lagged in this area, but the Litigation Solutions group at LexisNexis seeks to change this trend.

CaseMap 11 … in One Sentence

Launched this month, LexisNexis' CaseMap 11 is a popular case analysis application for litigators and their teams that has received a design overhaul.

The Killer Feature

CaseMap 11 doesn't just have a new interface. In addition, LexisNexis' user experience designers have brought the most important features to the surface to make them easier to discover and require fewer clicks use. The designers also rebuilt the help system, and simplified the process of printing reports.

For example, the Getting Started screen lists your recent cases if any, links to new online video tutorials and written documentation, and features a wizard that walks you through setting up a new case.

A Microsoft Office-like ribbon across the top of the screen groups CaseMap's most important features within five tabs — File, Home, Reports, Case Tools, and View. The left side of the screen contains a search box, as well as your Favorites and Shortcuts.

"Well-designed software disappears so that you can work more efficiently," LexisNexis' Director of Product Management Nadine Weiskopf told us. "CaseMap 11 achieves this thanks to our team of user experience designers. Both longtime and new users will immediately notice how easy it is to set up and analyze their cases."

Other Notable Features

The design team also added a significant new feature for power users — the ability to customize the ribbon. You can add, remove, and reposition items in the five tabs noted above. You can also create entirely new tabs. For example, you could create a tab with all the tools you use for a certain type of case. You can restore the defaults with one click so you can experiment with abandon.

CaseMap's primary workspace consists of a spreadsheet-like tables listing all the key facts, people, documents, and issues with sortable columns such as Date & Time, Source(s), and Status. Thanks to the new layout, even CaseMap veterans may find tools they never knew existed such as importing email from Outlook, Bates stamping, clipping relevant material from documents, verifying document links, changing the color of your annotations and highlights, rotating documents, and more.

What Else Should You Know?

CaseMap 11 integrates with Lexis.com, enabling you to add research materials to your cases with one click. A similar integration with Lexis Advance is in the works. Learn more about CaseMap 11.

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.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a practice management system with a new private cloud client portal (see article below), an over-the-top PACER replacement, an app that transforms your iPad or iPhone into a monitor for your Mac, and a cloud project management application. Don't miss the next issue.

IMPROVE CLIENT SERVICE WITH A CLIENT PORTAL

Communication with clients is critical for success. Some lawyers mistakenly believe that it's not worth collaborating with non-lawyer clients. On the contrary, plenty of such clients possess excellent proofreading skills. More importantly, all clients are less likely to complain about a bill if you share your work product with them throughout a matter. A client portal is the best solution for such communications.

Amicus Premium 2015 … in One Sentence

Launched last week, Gavel & Gown Software's Amicus Premium 2015 is a popular practice management system that now includes a client portal.

The Killer Feature

The new Amicus Client Portal features your law firm's brand identity. Accordingly, clients will feel like it's your software platform. Clients securely login using a web browser. All data resides on a server at your firm with end-to-end encryption when accessed.

Unlike standalone portals, Amicus Client Portal benefits from the integration with your practice management system. This enables your team to upload a client's entire file or whichever pieces you want to share — bills, court filings, correspondence, email, trust account statements, and of course final documents.

Another benefit is secure communications. Clients can exchange messages with the lawyers and staff at your firm about their matter. Amicus Premium 2015 notifies you of such communications so that you can respond promptly and bill for the time you spend doing so.

"Enhanced client service is one of the most important aspects for improving a law practice," Gavel & Gown president Ron Collins told us. "The Amicus Client Portal within Amicus Premium 2015 will delight clients by giving them 24/7 secure access to their file and their lawyer, thus keeping them in the loop."

Other Notable Features

Because Amicus Client Portal required an intuitive user experience, Gavel & Gown took the opportunity redesign Amicus Premium 2015 in its entirety. The software continues to use real-world analogues but with a more modern look.

In a recent poll conducted by Pew Research Center, knowledge workers ranked email first in importance — above the web and smartphone. Gavel & Gown has long invested in email primarily via Amicus Premium's integration with Microsoft Outlook. Amicus Premium 2015 enables you to access your email in any app while still being able to access it in both Amicus Premium and Outlook.

Other new features include improved document searches, file automation, and matter overviews (including a new chronology view). Amicus Anywhere, which enables you to access Amicus Premium 2015 from your smartphone, has a new tool for adding notes to a matter.

What Else Should You Know?

Amicus Premium 2015 has a suite of tools for capturing billable time and expenses. At your option, you can unlock Amicus Premium Billing 2015, which resides within Amicus Premium 2015. This integrated billing application adds trust accounting, bill creation and delivery, and more. The new version of Amicus Premium Billing offers split billing, alerts when retainers reach a specified threshold, more intuitive bill layouts and reports, and the ability to import costs from QuickBooks. Learn more about Amicus Premium 2015.

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.

You and your fellow TL NewsWire subscribers have done it again. You've chosen the winners of the TL NewsWire Top 10 and Top 25 Products of 2014 Awards.

Here's how you did it. We reported on nearly 200 new products in TL NewsWire this year. When you clicked to visit a product's website and learn more you also voted for that product. These clicks are more meaningful than if we subjectively chose the winners. Besides, who better to judge what's hot and what's not than lawyers and law firm administrators like you?

You'll notice several themes as you read through the winning products — document automation, document management, integrations (especially with Microsoft Office), and litigation management.

Without further ado …

WINNERS OF THE TL NEWSWIRE TOP 10 PRODUCTS OF 2014 AWARD

1. pdfDocs 4.1

The PDF format paved the way for the paperless law office, electronic filing, and the iPad as briefcase. So it's fitting that DocsCorp's pdfDocs 4.1 finds itself in first place. Designed specifically for law firms, pdfDocs 4.1 handles all the basics while also providing advanced tools such as Organizer Project and Binder Project for assembling closing books, deal books, and ebriefs.

2. MetaJure

It's not every year that new software for document management hits the scene, which explains the high level of interest in MetaJure. Unlike traditional document management systems, MetaJure eschews manually-created document profiles in favor of automatic indexing and Google-like search technology.

3. Primafact

In theory, clients pay you to focus on the facts and legal issues, not to organize their case file. Designed for litigation, Primafact keeps all case-related documents and email in a virtual binder. Integration with scanners and built-in optical character recognition (OCR) enables you to add everything that arrives on paper and make it searchable.

4. Lexis for Microsoft Office 4.2

Microsoft Word remains a fixture for legal writing, but Outlook has made inroads as clients often prefer an email message to a formal memo. Lexis for Microsoft Office works within both, enabling you to download all cited cases and other materials. It also checks your quotations and citations.

5. Digital WarRoom Express

Most lawsuits don't have a big budget. At a cost of just $99 per year, Digital WarRoom Express enables you to cull, review, and produce up to 50 GB of email and other electronic data across your cases (it handles up to 500 document formats). The Defensibility Log watches your back while you work.

6. Drafting Assistant - Transactional 2.0

Lawyers have long relied on the Deal Proof technology within Drafting Assistant - Transactional for proofreading their Word and WordPerfect documents. The new version integrates with Practical Law's Standard Documents and Clause Library to help you jump-start your drafting.

7. Timestream

Ntrepid's Timestream builds a timeline for your case as you add events and associated details (documents, issues, location, people, etc.). When it's time to discuss settlement or go to trial, you can use Timestream to give your presentation.

8. Transporter Genesis

The cloud is here to stay, but the jury has yet to return a verdict on private versus public cloud. Last year, Connected Data ranked first in the TL NewsWire Top Products Awards with Transporter, its initial private cloud product. Transporter Genesis is like Transporter on steroids, providing Dropbox-like functionality for up to 150 people.

9. MyCase Websites

Every law firm needs a mobile-friendly website so it's no surprise that MyCase Websites is in the top 10. Now just $500, marquee features include a content management system, and responsive design so that your website automatically adjusts to all screen sizes.

10. NetDocuments ndOffice

"Integration" has truly come of age this year. NetDocuments ndOffice essentially places the NetDocuments cloud document management system within Microsoft Office. This means you can open documents from and save documents to NetDocuments without leaving Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

WINNERS OF THE TL NEWSWIRE TOP 25 PRODUCTS OF 2014 AWARD

Congratulations to the next 15 hottest products of 2014 ranked in order by most clicks!

11. Synergy Matters

Synergy Matters combines practice management with document management and automatic time capture. Accordingly, it automatically tracks the time you spend working on your PC. Its cost recovery technology tracks copies, faxes, prints, and scans so you can cover your costs or at least bill for the time you spend at these devices.

12. Actionstep 14.7

Actionstep helped pioneer automated workflows within practice management software. The new Activity Log complements these workflows via a Facebook-style feed that keeps everyone apprised of what's happening across your firm. The new Scratch Pad captures your strokes of brilliance.

13. PhraseExpander Professional 4.0

Why let programming stand between you and document assembly? Nagarsoft's PhraseExpander Professional stores text such as clauses in groups. Using Quick Find, you then insert the material you need to build a document. PhraseExpander Professional integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.

14. Pathagoras 2014

Like the contestants on Iron Chef, lawyers can create any number of documents from the same core ingredients. Pathagoras keeps your text snippets organized in Collections. Environments further increase your speed by hiding irrelevant Collections. Pathagoras works inside Microsoft Word. It doesn't require any programming.

15. imageFORMULA DR-M160II

Most desktop scanners top out at 30 pages per minute. Canon's imageFORMULA DR-M160II doubles that speed without doubling the footprint (it measures 9.09 x 11.02 x 9.76 inches). The Kofax VRS Elite software included with the scanner removes hole punches, crops and straightens documents, notifies you about hardware problems, and even handles blueprints and other documents with a colored background.

16. TrialPad 4.0

Thanks to TrialPad 4.0 (and TranscriptPad 2.0), Lit Software cemented its reputation as the leading pure play developer of legal iPad apps. The new version of TrialPad has a search box on every screen for quickly pulling up any exhibit. The search results contain thumbnail document previews.

17. Surface Pro 3

The Surface Pro 3 has a higher resolution screen than the MacBook Air, which Microsoft has targeted in its advertising campaign. You can add a detachable keyboard and powered stylus. A touch-friendly version of Office remains MIA, but it runs any existing software compatible with Windows 8.

18. Legal Publish

Blogs have gone from curiosity to mainstream to underpowered relic. Legal Publish offers a suite of tools such as role-based privileges, customizable workflows, and a media library for creating more sophisticated online publications. Legal Publish also contains tools for creating proposals, and integrates with email services, social media platforms, customer relationship management apps, and Google Analytics.

19. Worldox for Mac Version 1.15

Too many lawyers use Macs nowadays for providers of document management systems to ignore. Worldox for Mac is a client for the popular Worldox GX3 document management system. Worldox for Mac integrates with Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook so that you can save client-related email and attachments to Worldox GX3.

20. WordPerfect Office X7 Legal Edition

The legal industry remains a stronghold for WordPerfect. Corel responded this year by including Perfect Authority with the Legal Edition for the creation of tables of authorities. Perfect Authority supports Bluebook, California Style Manual, Florida Rule 9.800, and Louisiana Public Domain formats.

21. PeopleMap on WestlawNext

Lawyers often forget their role as gumshoe. PeopleMap on WestlawNext enables you to unearth gems from blogs, chat rooms, and social networks, as well as photos and business data. Unlike other public records services, PeopleMap shows you non-obvious connections that may lead you to hidden assets. Google Maps integration literally puts these assets on the map.

22. Equil Smartpen 2

Atlantis. El Dorado. Smartpens. When a legend has such appeal, it's hard to give up on it. Ludia's Equil Smartpen 2 works on paper, stores what you write without the need for any other device, transfers your notes to your Windows PC, Mac, iPad, or Android device, and converts your handwriting to editable text.

23. Varidesk Pro Plus

You'd like to stand up for telephone calls, but you can't bear to part with your mahogany desk. Varidesk Pro Plus transforms any desk into a standup desk by adding up to 17.625 vertical inches. The two levels house your monitor and/or a laptop, and your mouse and keyboard respectively.

24. CosmoLex

CosmoLex takes a finance-centric approach to practice management. Its conflicts checking and trust accounting tools enable you to efficiently intake new clients. A cloud application that stores data only in domestic datacenters, CosmoLex also offers billing, calendars, cost recovery, task management, and time tracking.

25. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Legal

The latest version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking tears down some of the remaining barriers to speech recognition. You no longer need to train the software or buy a pricy microphone. In a reversal of roles, Dragon NaturallySpeaking can read what you write back to you.

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.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a network appliance that offers Dropbox-like cloud storage with better security (see article below), a smart email app that works its magic on your device, software that helps you fine-tune patent applications, and a desktop scanner that can transform into a network scanner. Don't miss the next issue.

ROLL YOUR OWN CLOUD

Once upon a time, law firms paid a consultant to buy a PC and configure it as a file server. When that file server died, they repeated the cycle. In recent years, many firms understandably switched to Dropbox or one of its public cloud competitors. Even firms that continue to operate their own file server often find that their employees use public cloud services on the sly. It's the age old convenience trumping security conundrum at work.

Transporter Genesis … in One Sentence

Launched earlier this month, Connected Data's Transporter Genesis is a network appliance for creating a private cloud.

The Killer Feature

Unlike file servers and traditional Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances, Transporter Genesis looks like Dropbox to end users. In Mac and Windows, you navigate through files and folders in the operating system. On Android and iOS devices, you use the free File Transporter app from which you can send documents to other apps.

Other Notable Features

Unlike public cloud services, you control the location of Transporter Genesis (e.g., your office most likely or a data center of your choosing). Owning the actual box gives you other forms of control. Most notably, there's no subscription to pay. You just buy the hardware configured to your specifications.

If you have two offices, you can house a Transporter Genesis in both locations and automatically keep them synced, thus providing redundancy if you lose power or suffer some other connectivity problem in one of the offices.

Transporter Genesis offers a number of administrator tools. You can create users and assign them to groups to enforce restrictions. You'll find support for Microsoft Active Directory. Even users can exercise some control by accessing all prior versions of their documents and creating read-only versions of documents they share.

What Else Should You Know?

You can choose from two models — the Genesis 75 and Genesis 150. The Genesis 75 offers up to 12 TB of storage and supports up to 75 users. The Genesis 150 offers up to 24 TB or storage and supports up to 150 users. Both have dual Gigabit Ethernet connectors and fit in a rack mount. Despite being hardware, you can try Transporter Genesis for free. Learn more about Genesis Transporter.

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.

Originally published in our free TL NewsWire newsletter. Instead of reading TL NewsWire here, sign up now to receive future issues via email.

YOUR DIGITAL PAPER MATE

Handwritten notes remain a fixture of legal practice. They have largely remained insulated from the software world much like grocery stores. But it's only a matter of time until software eats every task and every industry. In the case of handwritten notes, software needs a hardware accomplice.

Equil Smartpen 2 … in One Sentence

Announced in September and shipping this month, Ludia's Equil Smartpen 2 is a Bluetooth ballpoint pen that captures your handwritten notes and illustrations in its corresponding apps.

The Killer Feature

An arms race exists between powered ink pens like the Equil Smartpen 2 used on paper and powered styli used directly on a tablet's screen. Previously, both required the presence of your tablet. Powered styli cannot escape this requirement.

However, the Equil Smartpen 2 stores your writing in its onboard memory. You need not have the Equil apps up and running (though you can). Instead, you just need the Smartpen, the Receiver clip, and any paper.

Other Notable Features

Equil Smartpen 2 sidesteps the need for special paper thanks to the aforementioned Receiver. Measuring 3 x 0.5 x 0.9 inches, the Receiver clips to the top of any notebook so that it can record what you write. The pen measures 5.9 x 0.5 inches, and runs for up to eight hours. Both items fit into the included charging case. A full charge takes two hours.

The Smartpen transmits your notes to your choice of Equil Note or Equil Sketch (both free). Equil Note runs on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. The app's handwriting recognition technology can convert your notes into editable and searchable text. Equil Note connects to iCloud, Dropbox, and Evernote. You can export notes in a variety of standard formats for use elsewhere.

What Else Should You Know?

The Smartpen is pressure sensitive, and supports gestures for controlling functions in the apps. Adding to its portability, the Smartpen uses standard ballpoint cartridges that you can buy in an office supplies store. Equil Smartpen 2 costs $169.99. Learn more about Equil Smartpen 2.

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.

Originally published in our free TL NewsWire newsletter. Instead of reading TL NewsWire here, sign up now to receive future issues via email.

TRANSCRIPT REVIEW FOR THE IPAD FAN

Preparing reports of relevant deposition testimony used to involve copying and pasting into a word processing document and wrestling with the formatting (this was barbaric enough so let's not even mention paper and highlighters). Dedicated desktop software brought some sanity to this process. However, transcript review is perhaps the most portable task in litigation. Laptops have never worked well on a lap, and have long since ceded the crown as the most portable type of computer.

TranscriptPad 2 … in One Sentence

Launched this week, Lit Software's TranscriptPad 2 is a significant update to the popular iPad app for reviewing transcripts and creating reports.

The Killer Feature

The new version of TranscriptPad is optimized for iOS 8 and runs natively on both 32-bit and 64-bit chips. This means that it'll run fast on older iPads and even faster on 64-bit iPads — namely, the iPad Air, Air 2, mini 2, and mini 3.

Lit Software also redesigned the user experience and user interface. For example, a new tap and hold gesture enables you to more quickly open, rename, duplicate, and delete case folders. You can jump to any page in a transcript by dragging a slider or tapping the page/line indicator and typing a page number.

"Thanks to the power and portability of TranscriptPad 2, reading, highlighting, and creating reports occurs in a fraction of the time desktop software takes," Lit Software Founder and CEO Ian O'Flaherty told us. "No more cutting and pasting or right clicking. No more bouncing back and forth between PC, laptop, and iPad. TranscriptPad 2 combines the convenience of paper with the power of mobile software."

Other Notable Features

The company also overhauled the annotation tools. You'll find a new workflow for editing flags (split, join, and delete), and improved tools for assigning issue codes. You can also highlight and underline testimony. TranscriptPad now places blue dots next to the page/line number to indicate flags that contain notes. Designated page/line numbers appear in bold. The new cases screen features customizable case colors.

After you finish reviewing one or more transcripts, you'll find more export options for the reports you create. You can email reports in PDF, Excel, and TXT formats, or upload them to Box, Dropbox, Transporter, or a WebDAV-compatible file server. You can also print reports directly from your iPad. Importing transcripts supports all the same services, including the ability to use multiple services and navigate among them (useful as a backup or if a client wants to use their preferred cloud service).

What Else Should You Know?

Depositions need not look boring. TranscriptPad 2 has more typeface options, all which preserve the original pagination and layout. Also, 72 possible combinations of folder colors, and icons now exist. An integrated tutorial helps you get up and running (an interactive iBook is in the works). TranscriptPad 2 costs $89.99 (it's a free upgrade for existing users). Learn more about TranscriptPad 2.

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.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers PDF software designed for legal-specific tasks such as deal books and ebriefs (see article below), a PACER alternative that integrates with Dropbox, an iPad app for trial presentations, and an iOS and Mac app for tracking shipments sent via the USPS and more than 240 other carriers. Don't miss the next issue.

PURPOSE-BUILT PDF SOFTWARE FOR LAW PRACTICE

More than anyone else, the legal profession has made the Portable Document Format (PDF) its own. This explains why large software companies that serve the mainstream toss law firms a few bones in their PDF products. However, these products will never match those built from the ground up for the needs of law practice.

pdfDocs 4.1 … in One Sentence

Launched this week, DocsCorp's pdfDocs 4.1 is PDF software designed to help law firms manage their document workflows.

The Killer Feature

Legal teams often need to collect documents from various sources in one place, apply a uniform set of changes, and output a PDF document. pdfDocs has a new technology called Organizer Project that streamlines this process. An Organizer Project is a matter-centric workspace that resides on a local or network drive. You can create as many as you need, and create templates for your staff to ensure consistency.

You can add virtually any document type to an Organizer Project, including email messages and Microsoft Office documents. Thanks to pdfDocs' integrations, you can tap into a variety of sources such as Windows Explorer and your document management system. You can also copy documents from one Organizer Project to another.

Once you've added all the documents you need, you can reorder them, exclude one or more pages or documents, wrap the project within your firm's stationery, apply Bates numbers, headers and footers, and watermarks, etc. Lastly, pdfDocs creates a single document that you can save in PDF, PDF/A, JPEG, or TIFF format. From there you can email the final document to clients, save it to your document management system, etc. You and your colleagues can edit the saved Organizer Project any time.

Other Notable Features

pdfDocs offers other ways of interacting with PDF documents. For example, Single Document mode enables you to open and work with one PDF document. You can edit, annotate, comment, split, sign, redact, stamp, OCR, etc. pdfDocs also enables you to convert PDF documents into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint format, as well as automatically convert email attachments into PDF format upon sending.

Binder Project mode enables you to create closing books, deal books, and ebriefs with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of documents (PDF and other formats). An executive at DocsCorp describes Binder Project mode as "Organizer Projects on steroids." A Binder Project can handle any existing folder hierarchy on a local or network drive or in a document management system. After adding the documents you want, you can rearrange them, brand the Binder Project with logos and stationery sets, use a Word document as a cover page, and apply watermarks, headers and footers, date/time stamps, and security settings.

The Make Binder command converts all the documents in the Binder into PDF format, generating a printable table of contents, cross-document bookmarks, links, and an optional auto launch file for a CD or DVD. You can output to a single PDF file or keep all the documents that comprise the Binder separate. If you create the same types of Binders repeatedly, you can save your settings as a Binder Project Template.

What Else Should You Know?

The new version of pdfDocs sports an interface similar to that of Microsoft Office 2013 aimed at making tasks easier to perform and thus reducing training time. Pricing depends on number of seats you need. Learn more about pdfDocs 4.1.

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.

Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a legal practice management application with a new take on calendars (see article below), the world's smallest printer, a free office suite for Android and iOS, and a universal Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in stand. Don't miss the next issue.

A PRACTICE MANAGEMENT ICON SETS ITSELF UP FOR THE FUTURE

Your calendar embodies your law practice even if you don't use the dominant hourly billing business model. The blanks on your calendar have nearly as much import as the events, but many lawyers don't take advantage of this fact because they don't use shared calendars that connect to their matters.

Time Matters 14 … in One Sentence

Launched this week, LexisNexis Time Matters 14 is practice management software with a new take on calendars and a new underlying architecture.

The Killer Feature

Time Matters offers several new calendar views and functions. When scheduling a meeting, you can view the schedules of the participants side by side to find an available time. You can then hold this conflict-free time while you obtain approval from each participant.

The new Work Week view displays only those days of the week on which you and your colleagues actually work. Time Matters now displays events and tasks in colors of your choosing on Daily, Work Week, Weekly, and Monthly calendar views. Special dates such as vacations are displayed as all-day events with the date grayed out.

Rescheduling an event no longer requires multiple clicks thanks to drag and drop functionality. Also, you can use the Shift or Control keys to tag or select multiple records.

Other Notable Features

Time Matters continues to offer law firms the ability to create highly automated and customized workflows for client intake, document creation, sending bills, and more. The document management system within Time Matters now includes native support for the PDF, HTML, and XML file formats.

The technology underpinning Time Matters has received a significant upgrade, boosting speed and stability and paving the way for advanced features. One benefit you'll notice immediately is a smoother upgrade process with less downtime.

The new version of Time Matters features improved integration with Juris Suite legal accounting and billing software for midsize law firms (also from LexisNexis). For example, you need not manually update clients and matters in Time Matters when updated in Juris — and vice versa. Billable time and expenses entered into Time Matters appear in Juris Suite in Draft status, enabling the application of compliance rules before posting.

"This new Time Matters version includes a mix of updates and additions for everyone from the attorneys and support staff who use it every day to organize their workdays and get more done, to the IT professionals who play such a big part in keeping firms productive," LexisNexis Software Division Senior Director of Product Management James Paterson told us. "The new Time Matters calendar provides a more intuitive fit for the way legal professionals work every day. The new underlying technology platform has a proven track record of stability and speed, which IT professionals will appreciate."

What Else Should You Know?

Time Matters costs $985 for the first user and $640 for each additional user. This includes the first year of the Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) subscription. The AMP provides software updates, Time Matters Mobility for smartphone and tablet access, up to 5 GB of storage for the Time Matters Client Portal (secured by WatchDox), live technical support from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ET on weekdays, and on-demand training courses. Learn more about Time Matters 14.

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Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers document management software that automatically indexes your documents and email regardless of their source (see article below), a Bluetooth keyboard case for the iPad Air 2, software for creating visual documentation such as software training guides, and a task manager for iOS. Don't miss the next issue.

CAPTURE, INDEX, AND SEARCH 100% OF YOUR FIRM'S DOCUMENTS AUTOMATICALLY

An arms race exists in law firms to keep pace with the growth of documents and email. Manual systems may work for a diligent solo but don't scale. Document management systems scale but are not completely automated (e.g., document profiles). And no search software exists specifically for the legal industry. Well, until now.

MetaJure … in One Sentence

MetaJure is automated document management and document search software designed by lawyers for the needs of law firms and legal departments.

The Killer Feature

MetaJure eschews manual document profiles and tags in favor of automation and search. It automatically captures and indexes all email and attachments, work product (documents you create in Word and other programs), and scans. MetaJure CEO Rob Arnold tells us that even law firms with a document management system tend to capture only half of their content versus MetaJure's ability to capture 100%.

Connecting to every program law firms use would be impossible. Instead, MetaJure connects at the hard drive level much like an operating system. This means you can point MetaJure at new data sources such as computers brought into your firm via a client, lateral hire, merger, etc.

MetaJure integrates with ScanSnap scanners. Thanks to the ISIS standard, it also integrates with virtually all other scanners. MetaJure uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to make scanned documents editable and searchable.

"The powerful automation used to store and retrieve the world's knowledge on the web is the gold standard for document management," says Arnold. "Why should lawyers accept anything less inside their law firms? MetaJure eliminates the need for lawyers to be administrative clerks. It also reduces the risk of noncompliance with record retention rules, a leading cause of malpractice claims according to the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Liability."

Other Notable Features

MetaJure offers a Google-like search experience. This means that you can enter natural language searches, and rely on MetaJure to interpret what you mean. If you want more control, you can take advantage of advanced features such as Boolean operators, fuzzy logic (similar spelling), proximity (exact phrases, words and phrases within a specified distance of one another, etc.), and wildcards (similar words). No matter how you search, you can filter your results by document location, file type, and the creation date.

MetaJure is agnostic regarding other document management software. It works with NetDocuments, Worldox, and other profile-based document management systems. You point MetaJure at these data stores just as you would a hard drive. Similarly, Active Directory integration enables MetaJure to index documents in homegrown SharePoint solutions as well as in Microsoft's forthcoming Matter Center. "There's no expensive conversion to pull in legacy data from various repositories," says Arnold.

What Else Should You Know?

It copies all the documents and email it captures onto this server for both redundancy and speed. This means you can also use MetaJure as part of your document retention policy. You and your colleagues access the server via the free MetaJure client software. You can try MetaJure free for 30 days. Learn more about MetaJure.

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.