TechnoLawyer: TL NewsWire

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers PDF software (see article below), a service for parking and forwarding unused telephone numbers, two online review tools for discovery documents, and a credit card processing service that includes a free iPhone credit card reader. Don't miss the next issue.

Affordable PDF Software: No Longer an Oxymoron

Is it possible to practice law without PDF software? Almost anything's possible, but not always feasible. For example, you could commute to work on foot, but if you live 12 miles from your office that's six hours of walking per day. You'll be in great shape, but will your practice? With documents at the heart of every law firm and PDF the lingua franca of documents in virtually all practice areas, it's not advisable to practice without PDF software. But that doesn't mean you need to pay hundreds of dollars per license.

Workshare PDF Professional … in One Sentence
Workshare PDF Professional is a reasonably-priced yet full-featured program for legal professionals who need to create, annotate, edit, and otherwise work with PDF files.

The Killer Feature
Although the market for PDF software continues to grow, the price of Adobe Acrobat has not dropped. As a result, many law firms don't furnish every employee with Acrobat.

Workshare hopes to solve this access problem with Workshare PDF Professional, which starts at $79 per license and gets cheaper with volume purchases. Workshare PDF Professional provides many of the same tools as Acrobat as well as a few tools that Acrobat lacks at a much lower cost.

"The creation and editing of PDF files has become commonplace for legal professionals exchanging documents," Workshare CEO Scott Smull told us. "We have put together a PDF software solution to deliver increased productivity — with the added benefit of being surprisingly affordable."

Other Notable Features
Workshare PDF Professional enables you to create PDF or PDF/A documents from any application. You can combine PDF files, move pages around within a PDF file, apply Bates stamps, create dynamic forms, and add annotations such as arrows, comments, and highlighting. Workshare PDF Professional enables you to not only edit and touch up PDF files, but convert them into DOC or RTF format for more significant editing and formatting.

You can apply security settings to PDF files as well as redact sensitive material. Workshare PDF Professional supports both passwords and digital certificates for securing documents.

Other features include PDF Portfolios for creating PDF files that include a variety of document and image formats (perfect for deal books), batch processing, bookmarks and automated table of contents creation, customizable headers and footers, document comparison, digital signatures, and barcode and javascript support for advanced forms.

What Else Should You Know?
Workshare PDF Professional runs on Windows XP and later, and integrates with Microsoft Office XP, 2003, 2007, and 2010. As noted above, pricing starts at $79 with volume discounts available. Learn more about Workshare PDF Professional.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a SharePoint 2010 add-on for law firms (see article below), a file server accessible online, an online file synchronization and storage service, an online business development service for lawyers based on Quora, and an iOS reference app for litigators. Don't miss the next issue.

Transform SharePoint Into a Document Management System

Microsoft SharePoint continues to make inroads at law firms thanks to its combination of collaboration tools and document storage. In fact, a growing number of law firms use SharePoint as their sole document management system (DMS) instead of as an adjunct to a dedicated DMS. Nonetheless, Microsoft simply serves too many different industries to incorporate legal-specific features into SharePoint, leaving that task to third-party developers. Sure enough, one of the largest of these developers serving the legal market has risen to the challenge with a new product that bridges Microsoft Office and SharePoint specifically for law firms.

Workshare Point … in One Sentence
Released on Monday, Workshare Point transforms Microsoft SharePoint 2010 into a true legal-ready document management system accessible from within Microsoft Office.

The Killer Feature
One problem with SharePoint 2010 is SharePoint. Lawyers feel much more comfortable working within Microsoft Word and other Office programs. It's the most familiar and widely-used interface in the legal profession after all.

Understanding this, Workshare built a feature called "Easy SharePoint Browsing" into Workshare Point. As its name suggests, this feature enables you to navigate through SharePoint when you open or save a document in Microsoft Office (the open/save dialog box). This integration transforms SharePoint into a true DMS.

You can choose from two views when browsing in an open/save dialog box — a tree view or a folder view. Opening a document automatically checks it out to prevent someone else from making changes to the same document. Workshare Point also provides versioning if needed so that you can preserve and revert to all prior versions of a document.

"The integration between SharePoint and Workshare Point means legal professionals can be much more efficient," Workshare CEO Scott Smull told us. "Essentially, Workshare Point enables them to stay in Microsoft Office and work the way they are accustomed to."

Other Notable Features
Because Workshare Point integrates with Outlook, it also enables you to store email messages in SharePoint 2010 by client/matter. You can automatically file messages when you send them, and file multiple sent or received messages with one click. Workshare Point's "Suggestive Filing" technology recognizes client-related email to make filing faster and more foolproof.

As you would expect, Workshare Point integrates with Workshare Professional, Workshare's market-leading suite for comparing and securing Office and PDF documents. In fact, Workshare Point enables you to compare documents from within Outlook, the program in which you typically receive a document that you need to compare.

Other features include drag and drop document storage into SharePoint, faster searching in Outlook and SharePoint, offline support for working on documents when you're not online, SharePoint access within Outlook for sending attachments, "Document Views" to quickly see who worked on a document and other data, and customizable alerts to notify you when someone makes changes to a document.

What Else Should You Know?
Workshare Point requires Microsoft SharePoint 2010, and works with both Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010. You can try it for free. Learn more about Workshare Point.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an online practice management application with social networking technologies (see article below), a PDF editor for iPad, a redaction add-on for Microsoft Word, a tool for adding contact forms and other elements to your Web site, and an online audio recording service for creating podcasts. Don't miss the next issue.

Introducing Social Practice Management

Your day has finally ended. It's dark outside so you see your reflection in the window. You worked pretty much nonstop but something seems amiss. Did you finish and file that brief? Check. Did your partner revise that lease? Check. Did you both enter your billable time? Check. Did you return your client's call? Oops! That's it. Too late now. Too bad your client couldn't see that you were working on his brief. Or could he?

MyCase v2.0 … in One Sentence
MyCase is an online application that combines social networking with practice management for enhanced business development, client communication and collaboration, and mobility.

The Killer Feature
Communication is essential for successful attorney-client relationships. Most clients don't expect miracles, but they expect their lawyers to keep them in the loop. However, when solos and small firm lawyers get busy with client work, they sometimes forget about the client who gave them the work.

MyCase enables you to communicate with your clients 24/7 — even when you're sleeping or otherwise preoccupied. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, MyCase gives your clients secure access to their case information.

Specifically, they can ask questions about and comment on their cases, download, view, and upload documents, schedule appointments and telephone calls, receive reminders, and review and pay bills. Also, like Facebook's famous newsfeed, MyCase offers Activity Streams — all documents and events associated with a case — enabling your clients to view the progress you're making in real-time.

"When I started my firm I searched for a solution to help me communicate efficiently with my clients," MyCase President and CEO Matt Spiegel, Esq. told us. "I tried all of the traditional desktop and cloud-based programs but none of them addressed this challenge. MyCase was the direct result of my desire to build a successful practice, and with it I've been able to do just that in less than 18 months."

Other Notable Features
MyCase claims to offer practice management for lawyers who hate practice management. Based on research, the company eliminated little-used fields to focus on critical information and create a streamlined interface requiring little if any training. MyCase offers calendars that sync with third-party applications such as Outlook, iCal, and Google Calendar, contact, case, and matter management, group task management, and document management with versioning.

With MyCase, you can enter time, create PDF bills, and collect payments online. You can also manage trust accounts and set up recurring payments for repeating tasks or to keep retainers topped off.

What Else Should You Know?
MyCase works in all major desktop and smartphone Web browsers. It costs $39 per month per lawyer, and $29 per month per non-lawyer. Learn more about MyCase v2.0.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers practice management software (see article below), a Web-based scanning service, an online group password management service, and two iPad apps to help you with jury selection. Don't miss the next issue.

Capture All Your Billable Time in Less Time

Each new year brings well-intentioned resolutions. But most resolutions go unfulfilled. While software can't drag you out of bed and take you to your local gym, it can help you achieve resolutions in other areas of your life — like ensuring that you bill all the hours you work. One company that helps law firms achieve such resolutions seems to have a resolution of its own that it always fufills — a new version every January.

Amicus Attorney 2011 Premium Edition … in One Sentence
Amicus Attorney 2011 Premium Edition is practice management software designed to help law firms improve their efficiency and profitability.

The Killer Feature
Jim Croce wanted to save time in a bottle so he could spend eternity with his significant other. Lawyers would settle for recording all their billable time so they can get paid for all their work — emphasis on "all."

Amicus Attorney 2011 Premium Edition's new Time Entry Assistant is designed to help you prevent billable hours from slip sliding away. For example, Time Entry Assistant displays a single list of all your activities that might need a time entry — appointments, documents, email, notes, tasks, telephone calls, etc. — anything completed that does not yet have a matching time entry.

You can filter the list by date range as well as sort by date, client, matter, and type of activity. With one click, you can transform an activity into a time entry. You can also remove non-billable activities so they will not reappear. As a result, you'll spend less time capturing more of your billable time.

Amicus Attorney also supports bulk time entries via its new Time Saver technology. For example, at the end of the day you can select all your billable email messages and with one click create a time entry for each of them. You can also enter time on behalf of others.

Other Notable Features
Amicus Attorney doesn't just want to help you capture all your time, but use it more productively. As an example, you'll find the Amicus Tasks toolbar in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat. With this toolbar, you can link PDF documents to clients, matters, and library pages in Amicus Attorney, send them to your Amicus Attorney contacts, and check them in and out when collaborating with colleagues.

Because the new version of Amicus Attorney resides atop a robust SQL database, reports now update in real-time and provide direct access from report line items to underlying data in Amicus Attorney. Thus, if you run a report and then change the parameters, the report will instantly update. There's no need to run it again.

Other new features include more flexibility when configuring client and matter fields for integration with Worldox, the ability to globally synchronize Amicus Attorney with your accounting system at a specified time, and an enhanced Accounting Profile Wizard that includes more options for defining custom time entry export formats.

What Else Should You Know?
Gavel & Gown also offers Amicus Attorney 2011 Small Firm Edition — a less expensive version for solo practitioners and small law firms with more modest needs. Learn more about Amicus Attorney 2011 Premium Edition.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

This special edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire was originally published on December 15, 2010.

Ruth Edlund once described TechnoLawyer as a "collective mind" — one of my all-time favorite characterizations. TechnoLawyer is also a data-driven media property. We try to rely on data rather than anecdotal evidence whenever possible to guide our decisions. And nowhere is our reliance on data more evident than in TechnoLawyer NewsWire as we track the number of clicks on the 250 products we cover in this newsletter each year. Below you will find the 15 products you and your fellow TechnoLawyer NewsWire subscribers found most intriguing as suggested by the number of clicks they received.

1. Libretto W100

Was 2010 the year of the tablet? Yes, but not all tablets. We wrote about Toshiba's Libretto W100 (pictured above) and its two screens on August 18th. Remember, we just report on new products here (we review products in some of our other newsletters but not in this one). So how has the Libretto W100 fared? Has it sold millions of units? Not quite. The critics panned it and Toshiba quickly pulled it from the market.

2. Doxie

What can I say? TechnoLawyers love learning about scanners — even this consumer model with little hearts on the front that we covered on April 28th.

3. Snapdone Version 6

Document management is also a hot topic (download our free document management system buyer's guide if you don't have a copy yet). Snapdone, which we covered on November 17th, adds document management and document assembly functions to Microsoft Office. No wonder it ranked third.

4. TaskMerlin 3.1

This project management software, which we covered on August 25th, offers lots of customization options for those who like to tinker with their workflows. But despite its name, it cannot perform magic. You yourself must complete all the tasks you enter.

5. Square

This credit card processing company replaces all the inscrutable fees in typical merchant accounts with a single, albeit higher, discount rate. However, TechnoLawyer subscriber James McCorquodale subsequently reported that it's not a good fit for law firms. We covered Square on May 12th.

6. Pimero

We reported on this Outlook alternative on July 14th. I like that it offers true bulk mailing. There's nothing more annoying than an email amateur who uses BCC to send bulk mail.

7. Alfresco Enterprise 3.2

On March 24th, we told you about this open source document management system that can automatically archive your email. Despite being open source, Alfresco Enterprise is not free.

8. iPad

We usually report only on finished products that you can buy — but how could we have waited until April to tell you about Apple's iPad, the most anticipated gadget of the year? Instead, we covered this game-changing tablet on January 27th within hours of its announcement.

9. HotDocs 10

We reported on HotDocs 10, which makes it easier to transform your model documents into templates, on June 2nd. Six weeks later, document assembly guru Marc Lauritsen reviewed it in our TechnoFeature newsletter, awarding it a perfect TechnoScore of 5.0.

10. OnIt

On December 1st, we told you about this new online project management system that borrows from social networks like Facebook. The company seemed pretty happy with our coverage, tweeting "Thanks for the great review of Onit. Your article sent us a lot of website traffic." It wasn't a review but glad we could help all the same.

11. Law Charge

Do you sense a trend here? Yes, another credit card processing company though Law Charge, which we covered on May 5th, specializes in servicing law firms.

12. Stacks

Another Web-based task management system? Clearly, we have some busy subscribers seeking organizational nirvana. On July 28th, we reported on Stacks, which uses charts and data to help you visualize your workflow. I'm not sure if these charts will make you feel better or worse so keep some Valium handy and brace yourself.

13. Portal4Law 5.0

Portal4Law 5.0, which we covered on November 10th, offers Web-based practice management, including document management. Some legal vendors make it easy for us to cover their products and some don't. If we gave out awards for helpfulness, PortalSoft's Director of Marketing would probably win.

14. ADERANT Practice Manager

Expect to see more products like ADERANT Practice Manager in 2011 and beyond — Web-based practice management systems from established vendors. Thus far, scrappy startups have dominated the SaaS landscape, but this era won't last forever. Some of these pioneers will become major players in their own right, but others will be acquired or squashed by software companies with a large installed base of customers. We reported on ADERANT Practice Manager on October 6th.

15. Less Accounting

Last but not least (since it ranked higher than 235 other products), Less Accounting, which we covered on June 17th, is an online accounting system that imports data from QuickBooks and integrates with PayPal.

Read about the other 235 products we covered in 2010 in the TechnoLawyer Archive.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers litigation management software (see article below), a label printer, remote control software for iPad and iPhone, an Outlook add-on for importing telephone calls and text messages, and customer relationship management software. Don't miss the next issue.

Litigation Collaboration Anytime, Anywhere

Successful litigation takes a team. Especially complex cases involving testimony from multiple witnesses and a lot of accompanying documents. While a one person show might suffice if a lawsuit ends up in the Supreme Court on a narrow issue of law, the beginning stages of litigation involve too much work for one person. So it makes sense for you and your team to use litigation management software designed from the ground up for collaboration across multiple offices and individuals.

LexisNexis CaseMap 9 SQL … in One Sentence
LexisNexis CaseMap 9 SQL enables litigation teams to capture, organize, and share case facts, research, and documents over local (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN).

The Killer Feature
Clear, consistent, effective communication separates successful litigators from unsuccessful litigators. LexisNexis built CaseMap 9 SQL atop Microsoft's enterprise-class SQL Database Server. As a result, CaseMap 9 SQL facilitates the simultaneous sharing of information among multiple offices and individuals. The robust administrative tools enable you to centrally configure end user permissions.

CaseMap 9 SQL enables you to manage all the information in your cases in one place, providing visibility into relationships between disparate pieces of information. The SQL database facilitates re-use of information without re-entry.

When asked about this new release, Kevin Stehr, Esq., LexisNexis Vice President of Litigation Sales, told us: "CaseMap 9 SQL demonstrates the commitment to continually improve our litigation portfolio. Additionally, this release offers litigation teams even greater flexibility as they collaborate and manage case strategy resulting in increased efficiency and strategic clarity as cases are developed."

Other Notable Features
CaseMap pioneered case assessment in the late 1990s. This latest version continues to add to CaseMap's core strength in this regard, enabling you to see the strengths and weaknesses of your case from the get go. For example, with CaseMap 9 SQL you can tag, sort, and filter facts and case law — enabling you to generate reports about a given issue. On matters of pure law, you can create a Summary Judgment report.

CaseMap 9 SQL can import from many popular file formats such as PDF as well as widely-used applications such as Lexis.com, Concordance, Interwoven, and Worldox.

What Else Should You Know?
For cases in which the timeline is critical, you can visualize the chronology of events by sending facts to TimeMap, which integrates with CaseMap. CaseMap 9 SQL runs on Windows. You can try it for free. Learn more about CaseMap 9 SQL.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new speech recognition application (see article below), an online document management system, a business-to-iPhone transcription service, contract management software, and an Adobe Acrobat alternative for Mac OS X. Don't miss the next issue.

Write What You Say Faster

People who write about speech recognition software always like to boast that they're using the software to write the article. It has become as predictable a cliche in technology journalism as the "grandmother test," ratings from 1-5 stars or some other symbol (guilty as charged), pop culture references to make dry topics seem sexier, and gratuitous Apple references to increase page views (did I ever mention that U2's The Edge lives in my neighborhood and uses a Mac?). Well, I'm not writing this article using speech recognition software, but you probably couldn't tell if I chose to do so with the latest version of the market leader.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 … in One Sentence
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 is the new version of the world's most popular speech recognition software for Windows.

The Killer Feature
When auto makers announce new models, they often tout the increased horsepower and other engine improvements. That's because they're afraid to use the word "speed" thanks to our anemic speed limits. Fortunately, fast software won't get you a citation so Dragon is unashamedly touting the speed and improved accuracy of NaturallySpeaking 11.

Not only will the new version transcribe what you say faster, but you can speak faster as well. Also, it'll perform the commands you give it faster such as formatting changes, switching programs, etc. On the accuracy front, version 11 improves upon version 10 by 15% (your mileage may vary).

Other Notable Features
NaturallySpeaking 11 gets you up and running faster, including simplified training text and the ability to set up your geographic region for proper formatting. If you dictate into a digital recorder, Dragon has reduced training time from 15 to 4 minutes. Speaking of which NaturallySpeaking 11 handles more native file types without conversion such as DSS and DS2.

Dragon has added a slew of new voice commands to NaturallySpeaking. While you still cannot order it to pour you a glass of pinot noir or chat with your mother-in-law on the phone using your voice, you can use a single voice command for actions that would otherwise require several keystrokes or mouse clicks such as searching Google and other sites. You can also scroll within documents by voice and use phrases like "slow down" and "speed up" to control the speed.

What Else Should You Know?
Dragon offers a number of versions of NaturallySpeaking 11, including a Legal version that sells for $799. The Premium version costs $199. The price difference reflects the Legal version's ability to import legal words into its library across your entire firm rather than having to train each copy of the software individually. Dragon also offers a Mac version for $179 called Dragon Dictate. Learn more about Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a Web-based project management system for law firms (see article below), an online expense tracking service, a time-tracking application, a Web-based managerial feedback tool, and a Flash-capable Web browser for Android and iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

Conquer Your Legal Project Management Demons

Lawyers have traditionally broken into a cold sweat when presented with a math problem. Nowadays, they're just as likely to start mopping their foreheads when someone mentions project management. With corporate counsel holding lawyers more accountable for their fees, it's no longer sufficient to use a court docket as a project plan and then scramble to meet each deadline. But lawyers have good reason to sweat because most project management software is as nonintuitive and joyless as a triple integral, and not designed for their needs.

OnIt … in One Sentence
OnIt is an online project management system for law firms.

The Killer Feature
Social networks excel at bringing out everyone's inner narcissist, resulting in a cacophony of status updates largely consisting of observations that no one would have the temerity to say face to face.

By contrast, OnIt borrows the tools of social media for a useful purpose — moving a project forward. For example, instead of emailing everyone on your team to let them know you've finished a task, you can instead use OnIt's status update function. Onit emails your update to your team and also updates the project plan.

And if you forget to complete a task, the project manager on your team can use OnIt's Nudge feature to remind you of your upcoming deadline.

Other Notable Features
Onit's Project plans consist of tasks and milestones that you can delegate. A budgeting tool enables you to track the costs of projects.

When you receive email related to a case you're managing with OnIt, you can forward the message to OnIt using a special email address. You can also cc OnIt on outgoing messages. Onit stores these messages within a project. Similarly, OnIt offers document management with versioning for sharing documents with your team.

Even small cases require organization. OnIt offers tagging for this purpose. For example, you could create a "Testimony" tag for all the deposition transcripts you upload and further categorize them with a tag for each deponent. You can also tag tasks and milestones so that you can see everything related to a tag in one place.

What Else Should You Know?
Onit is currently free, but the company will soon begin charging a monthly fee. OnIt works in all modern Web browsers on Macs, PCs, and smartphones. Learn more about OnIt.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a document assembly and document management add-on for Microsoft Office (see article below), a wireless Bluetooth speaker, a screen capture utility for Macs, a mobile word processor, and a project and task management app for iPad and iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

Document Management Inside Microsoft Office

Bill Gates was raised by a lawyer, but he clearly didn't have lawyers in mind when his company created Microsoft Office. Nonetheless, this iconic software suite has become a fixture in most law firms — especially Outlook and Word. As a result, an ecosystem of legal software products has arisen around Microsoft Office, including document assembly and document management systems. One company not too far from Microsoft's campus has built these features into Microsoft Office rather than go the integrated product route.

Snapdone Version 6 … in One Sentence
Snapdone Version 6 adds document assembly and document management capabilities to Microsoft Office.

The Killer Feature
Microsoft Office excels (no pun intended) at document creation. But document automation and management? Not so much. Snapdone essentially snaps a document assembly and document management system onto Microsoft Office. The company reports that even newbies can get up and running in minutes.

The new version offers significantly enhanced document management features. When you use the Snapsave button on Microsoft Office's Ribbon, you trigger Snapdone's document management system. You can then apply identifying information about the document such as client/matter and type. Snapdone automatically names documents with a ten-digit ID code and stamps the document with this number.

Snapdone creates a customizable folder structure to best suit your firm. In addition to finding documents by browsing, you can use Snapdone's Boolean search engine. You can narrow searches by author, client, matter, document type, and more.

"Snapdone Version 6 boosts the Microsoft Office comfort-zone into a true document management system that also integrates a time-tested document creation tool-kit for small and midsized law firms," Snapdone President Scott Campbell told us. "We transformed the wish lists of long-time users into an affordable reality."

Other Notable Features
Snapdone's new document management system functionality works with Outlook, enabling you to save client-related email messages alongside your documents.

Snapdone integrates Outlook contacts with Word for document assembly purposes, eliminating having to type or even copy and paste names and addresses into letters, fax cover sheets, memos, pleadings, envelopes, labels, etc. The Caption Bank enables everyone in your firm to use pre-formatted templates and boilerplate language for these documents. For example, with Snapdone everyone at your firm can have their own personalized letterhead.

Snapdone mirrors certain functions in Microsoft Word with an emphasis on making them simpler to use. For example, Snapnumbers and SnapTOC provide legal-friendly paragraph numbering and table of contents creation respectively. Snapdone also offers a streamlined mail merge function.

What Else Should You Know?
Snapdone includes centralized administrative tools for setting it up, managing users, and adding and updating templates. Snapdone works with Microsoft Office 97 and later, including Office 2010. Snapdone costs $800 for the first computer. Each additional computer license costs $200. The license fee includes installation, customization, basic forms, and one month of free telephone support. Learn more about Snapdone Version 6.

How to Receive TechnoLawyer NewsWire
So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a Web-based practice management service (see article below), an online meeting service, an eDiscovery review and processing application, a Web-based customer relationship management system, and a GPS navigation app for iPad and iPhone. Don't miss the next issue.

A Portal for Your Practice

If your law firm hopes to survive, you must efficiently manage every element of your practice — clients and matters, documents and email, appointments and tasks, secure collaboration, billing and collections, and much more. There's just one problem — what if you're not a mega-firm with a dedicated IT department and onsite trainers? What if the software you can afford lacks the features you need or has too many features you don't need? One company claims to have explored the actual needs of law firms, resulting in a Web-based practice management system with everything you need and nothing you don't at an affordable price.

Portal4Law … in One Sentence
PortalSoft's Portal4Law 5.0 is an online (SaaS) practice management service for law firms and legal departments.

The Killer Feature
Back in the day, lawyers were content if their practice management software helped them organize their contacts and calendar and connect that data to their matters. While this need still exists, the number of documents lawyers must manage has exploded thanks primarily to email.

PortalSoft integrated document management into Portal4Law from day one rather than tack it on as an afterthought. Each user has up to 10 GB of storage space for uploading and classifying email and documents. Once uploaded, you can share documents with colleagues and clients. Portal4Law remains available to use during batch uploads and subsequent document indexing because the processing takes place in PortalSoft's data center, not on your computer. The versioning technology keeps track of multiple revisions of a document.

Portal4Law not only handles your work product and related records, but also discovery documents. You can connect both types of documents to a specific matter. Portal4Law offers full-text Boolean, fuzzy, and filter-based searching, including by author, client, matter, date, and custom tags. The Export function enables you to produce a collection of selected documents in native format for discovery.

"We are dedicated to offering large firm features at a small firm price point," PortalSoft CEO Ajit Dandapani told us. "The depth and sophistication of our document management feature set illustrates this guiding principle of ours."

Other Notable Features
Portal4Law also contains traditional practice management features. For example, the billing system supports multiple fee arrangements that you can customize — time and expense slips, periodic fixed-fee, milestone-based fixed-fee, retainers, advance deposits, etc. You can use the preloaded Uniform Task Based Management System codes or create your own. When processing time slips, you can have Portal4Law automatically enter the amount due based on the activity or the person who performs the activity.

Other notable features include a dashboard that summarizes pressing appointments, tasks, and recently-modified matters, secure real-time collaboration to ensure multiple users can view each other's changes nearly instantaneously, cloning of forms and documents in your library, and context-sensitive help.

What Else Should You Know?
PortalSoft costs $39.99 per user per month. You can try it free for 30 days. The annual subscription discounts twelve months service to the cost of eleven. Learn more about Portal4Law.

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