TechnoLawyer: TL NewsWire

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers document automation software for estate planning and other lawyers (see article below), software that enables you to send slide shows via email, and an online research service for European Union case law. Don't miss the next issue.

Stiffs and Gifts on Steroids
By Neil J. Squillante

"Computer, please draft a trust for Mr. Jones." "Hey computer, I said please draft a trust for Mr. Jones." "I'm talking to you!" "Hello, anyone home?" "Is this thing on?"

Too bad computers are still in their infancy. Although you can't give them complex tasks to do that require thinking, you can have them handle repetitive tasks. The latest entrant in the document automation space is Fore! Trust Software, which recently shipped Trusts & Wills. As its name suggests, Trusts & Wills aims to help estate planning lawyers crank out said documents for their clients.

Covering the District of Columbia and every state except Louisiana, Trusts & Wills features HotDocs-based templates that walk you through a series of questions. The company emphatically states that these templates are much more advanced than "canned forms." The company also claims that any lawyer can use them — even those without much estate planning experience. HotDocs is hidden from view so you also don't need any document assembly experience. You do need a pulse though.

Trusts & Wills includes templates for joint trusts, reciprocal trusts, A/B trusts, QTIPs, probate avoidance trusts, QDOT, gifts, debt forgiveness, special needs trusts, pet trusts, charitable foundations, family pots, per stripes, unequal distributions, delay trusts, generation-skipping trusts, pour-over wills, power-of-attorney, marital property agreement, living wills, codicils, amendments, model letters (including CYA letters for funding and holding original documents), revocation of trust, appointment of co-trustee, transfer documents, and much more.

Trusts & Wills requires Windows. In the preferences, you can elect which terms to use (e.g., settlor or trustor), whether to use familiar or traditional language, and whether to use unitrust or net income. Unlike most software, licensing is relatively simple — you can choose between a single-user version priced at $995 or a multiple user version priced at $1,990 that everyone in your office can use. Learn more about Trusts & Wills.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new visual mapping technology for reviewing email and other discovery documents (see article below), a multifunction printer with special legal-specific features, and a software application with a new twist on backups. Don't miss the next issue.

See Discovery Documents in a Whole New Way
By Neil J. Squillante

You need to get from Point A to Point B, the only problem being that you haven't made this journey before. So you ask a couple of friends. One scribbles down some instructions for you. The other hands you a GPS device, which combines turn-by-turn instructions with a map that shows you the way. Bingo!

Litigators already know from trial exhibits that visuals used in conjunction with verbal and written testimony can dramatically enhance comprehension. So why limit visuals to the end of the litigation process? So asks InterLegis, which has added a new component called "Visual Analytics" to Discovery360, its soup-to-nuts Web-based discovery tool.

Visual Analytics essentially maps the data within a collection of discovery documents (including email). In doing so, it can show you clusters of related documents as well as spikes in activity related to a key issue or term. As a result, you can focus your attention on the documents most likely to contain important evidence, thus making the review process faster.

Visual Analytics also shows you relationships among documents that might otherwise remain hidden. For example, reviewers can map out all of a custodian's documents, cluster them by file type and link those documents to all recipients in order to uncover unique patterns of activity. Also, the mapping that Visual Analytics generates can serve as the basis for a timeline and improve your understanding of the case, especially in the early going.

Let's face it — few lawyers enjoy document review. It's both difficult and tedious, a rare combination that results in a vicious cycle. InterLegis claims that Visual Analytics can make document review more enjoyable not only by speeding it up, but by enabling you to focus more on the facts and issues (the difficult component) and less on administration and logistics (the tedious component).

The new Visual Analytics component is built into the core of Discovery360 so you can use it throughout the discovery lifecycle. As we reported last year, Discovery360 includes tools for all stages of electronic discovery, including collection, processing, review, analysis, and production.  Learn more about Discovery360 and its new Visual Analytics component.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers the world's thinnest laptop, a new convertible tablet PC, and telephone/answering machine for the digital era (see article below). Don't miss the next issue.

The Answering Machine Reborn
By Neil J. Squillante

Nowadays, we have more options for calling people than people to call. The latest method comes from ooma's ooma Hub, which looks like the love-child of an answering machine and telephone. Funny since that's essentially what ooma Hub is, albeit for the digital age.

ooma Hub plugs into your home or office network, and also into any analog telephone. Once activated, you can make unlimited domestic calls free of charge and without any monthly fees (low cost overseas packages are available if needed). ooma makes its money from the hardware.

If you keep your existing landline, ooma will work with that phone number (which you would use only if your Internet connection is down or if you need to call 911). If you eliminate your landline, you'll need to contact ooma for a new telephone number.

ooma features a "Broadband Answering Machine," which enables you to screen calls, pick up in the middle of a message, or send calls to voicemail. Also built-in, call waiting enables you to answer an incoming call, make a call, and convert two calls to a conference call. A "Do Not Disturb" button sends all calls to voicemail without ringing. Also included are Caller ID and Caller ID Blocking.

If you want a second line at the same number, you can add an ooma Scout, a companion device that plugs into a standard phone jack. ooma Scout also extends the above features to other rooms in your house or other areas at your office.

Naturally, ooma has an online component. In the ooma Lounge, you can customize features, listen to voicemail, and more. ooma Hub sells for $399. ooma Scout sells for $39.95. Learn more about ooma Hub.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new portable duplex scanner (see article below), a project and task manager for Mac users based on the book "Getting Things Done," and a relational database for non-techies who want to create their own applications. Don't miss the next issue.

Lose Your Paper Glut
By Taeho Lim & Neil J. Squillante

You know, this New Year's resolution of yours will take immense diligence to pull off. If you slack off for a few days on a business trip, you'll find yourself right back where you started. Do you have what it takes to slim down and lose your ... paper glut? Ah yes, the elusive paperless office. One thing's for sure — it all starts with a scanner.

With Fujitsu's new ScanSnap S300 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner, you might have a fighting chance. Billed as the world's smallest duplex scanner with automatic document feeder (ADF), ScanSnap S300 measures 11.18x3.74x3.03 inches and weighs 3.1 pounds. The small footprint makes it ideal not only for road warriors, but desk jockeys who don't want to sacrifice their precious desk space.

ScanSnap S300 scans up to 8 pages per minute in color; its ADF can hold 10 sheets of paper. It connects via USB, and can handle a range of paper sizes from business cards to legal.

Fujitsu's bundled ScanSnap Manager and ScanSnap Organizer software combine to provide the functionality lawyers expect and need from a scanner. For example, the software straightens crooked documents and automatically rights documents mistakenly scanned upside-down. The built-in OCR engine enables you to create searchable PDF files. You can also scan to email or to contact managers such as Outlook. Also bundled is CardMinder for organizing scanned business cards.

ScanSnap S300 requires Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. It comes with a one year limited warranty. Given its portability, Fujitsu sells an optional carrying case. ScanSnap S300 lists for $295, but you can find it for less. The carrying case sells for about $25. Learn more about ScanSnap S300.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a suite of PDF tools for law firms (see article below), a gadget that enables you to securely use the Internet on any computer, and eDiscovery software designed to expedite the document review process. Don't miss the next issue.

PDF: The Next Generation
By Taeho Lim

When law firms first discovered the PDF format years ago, they quickly embraced it thanks to its ability to preserve any document regardless of its native format. However, the PDF-related needs of law firms have grown. The ability to create PDF files is now just the baseline.

To meet these needs, DocsCorp has released pdfDocs Desktop 2.1. This new version of its popular PDF software contains a number of legal-specific features. In addition, pdfDocs Desktop 2.1 features improved integration with popular document management systems not to mention DocsCorp's own products.

The centerpiece of the new version is the Binder feature, which enables you to automatically "bind" together a collection of documents into one file, and create a table of contents, bookmarks, links, etc. with just a few clicks. You can keep the documents in a Binder in their native format or convert them into PDF format.

Perfect for closing books, deal books, eBriefs, etc., you can apply page numbering, time/date stamps, and information from your document management system. Using the new Numbering Sets feature, you can set up and automatically apply this information to any Binder. You can establish Numbering Sets across your firm.

Also on the automation front, pdfDocs Desktop 2.1 has a Bates stamp feature for discovery and other documents that require tracking. You can apply prefixes and suffixes, and you can use Bates stamps with the Numbering Sets feature described above.

Among the other notable features, you can automatically convert email attachments into PDF format to safeguard documents, redact, watermark, annotate, and repaginate PDF files, and create secure PDF files.

In terms of integration, pdfDocs Desktop 2.1 integrates with Hummingbird DM, Interwoven WorkSite, Open Text, TRIM Context, and Worldox out of the box. You can right-click on a document within your document management system to create a PDF version of that file. In other words, no need to check it out and check it in again. Your document management system will still provide an audit trail showing the PDF creation. You can also add documents directly to a Binder in this fashion.

pdfDocs Desktop 2.1 also integrates with DocsCorp's other products, including pdfDocs OCR Server (converts imaged text into editable and searchable text), pdfDocs formFiller (a soup-to-nuts PDF forms solution), and pdfDocs compareDocs (document comparison for any file type). Learn more about pdfDocs Desktop 2.1.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a multifunction network appliance for small law firms (see article below), mind mapping software that integrates with Microsoft Office, and backup software that can backup anything to anything. Don't miss the next issue.

Internet in a Black Box
By Taeho Lim

In Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," a black monolith taught the apes everything they needed to made the jump to humanity. That black monolith was the first network appliance.

Plustek's MultiServer MFA 1000S looks a lot like one of those monoliths — a black tower that sits between your network and the Internet, and provides your firm with today's essential services, including a router, email server, Web server, anti-virus and anti-spam protection, firewall, FTP, QoS, VoIP telephone service, SMS messaging, file server, and DNS.

MultiServer MFA 1000S runs on Linux, the popular open source operating system mostly used on servers. For email, MultiServer MFA 1000S supports IMAP and provides SSL encryption so that you can send and receive email securely even when using a mobile device. You can access email using clients like Outlook or via your Web browser. It can even handle multiple domains.

In addition to scanning email for viruses and spam, MultiServer MFA 1000S can also archive email and monitor it for certain keywords or domain names. Storage is unlimited as you can add additional hard drives as necessary.

MultiServer MFA 1000S features a system recovery feature, enabling you to roll back to any point in time. Thus, you can easily retrieve a mistakenly deleted message or undo any incorrect settings. You can manage MultiServer MFA 1000S via your Web browser, including downloading and applying updates. MultiServer MFA 1000S supports Chinese, German, French, and Japanese in addition to English. MultiServer MFA 1000S carries a street price of approximately $975. Learn more about MultiServer MFA 1000S.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers an email and instant messaging security and archiving service, an online spreadsheet (see article below), and a simple billing program for Mac users. Don't miss the next issue.

Context Is King
By Taeho Lim

Why use an online spreadsheet when you have a perfectly good one in your Office suite? Context, my friends, context. Being online means you can share your spreadsheet with just about anyone or anything.

For example, Team and Concepts' online spreadsheet EditGrid enables you to create a spreadsheet, access it from any Web browser, collaborate with colleagues, send the data to other applications and databases, publish the spreadsheet on your Web site, etc.

Team and Concepts claims that EditGrid has a short learning curve because it looks and feels just like Excel. Familiar features include cut and paste, charts, auto-fill, number and cell formatting, and more than 50 keyboard shortcuts. EditGrid works with all major Web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Netscape. The iPhone Edition, currently in beta, enables you to use it on Apple's popular smartphone.

With EditGrid, you can collaborate on spreadsheets in real-time with anyone else. For example, you might create a firmwide expense report. When someone makes an edit, it flashes in red so you always stay up-to-date on the latest version. You can control access levels and privileges, and prevent others from editing specific parts of the spreadsheet. EditGrid even offers an in-application chat feature for communicating with your co-editors.

In addition to its familiar feel and real-time editing, EditGrid provides an API that connects your spreadsheets to your existing databases and legacy applications. The API is bidirectional so you can both send and receive data. Other spreadsheet features include Web publication, auto-save, revision history on a cell by cell basis, versioning and rollback, and integration with any public data source such as Yahoo! Finance.

EditGrid comes in two versions — Personal and Organization. The Personal edition is free whereas the latter costs $5/user/month and provides SSL security, shared workspaces (which can contain several spreadsheets), technical support, a custom login page, and administrative tools. If you prefer, you can run EditGrid internally on your own server, thus enabling you to integrate LDAP. Learn more about EditGrid.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers the new version of a popular practice management application (see article below), the new version of a popular legal illustration application, and anti-spyware software that takes a unique "definition-less" approach. Don't miss the next issue.

Organize Your Practice from Top to Bottom Line
By Taeho Lim

It's uncanny how many offline problems make their way into our computers. For example, in the real world we lose and sometimes find personal items. Similarly, we often create files on our computers only to lose them. There is one advantage though — you don't need to hunt around with a flashlight to find missing files.

Instead, you can use search technology such as that in Software Technology's PracticeMaster Premier Version 14.2, the new version of its popular practice management software. PracticeMaster Premier's new Document Search tool goes far beyond generic search tools. You can limit your searches to specific clients and matters as well as other parameters such as date range. You can also search phonetically, which will pick up commonly misspelled words, homonyms, etc. You can search the content of any document in a client's file, including documents stored in iManage and Worldox. You can also search your email and email attachments. This same technology now also exists in the Conflict of Interest Search tool.

Another major new feature of PracticeMaster Premier is its enhanced integrated email. For example, you can easily convert an email message into a fee record. You can also apply an unlimited number of signatures to your outgoing email. If you want to continue using Outlook or another email program, but want access to your email by client and matter within PracticeMaster Premier, you can now do that thanks to a new configuration option.

Software Technology has also focused on ease of use in this release. The new Application Toolbar gives you one click access to PracticeMaster Premier and any other Software Technology products that you use such as Tabs3. The new Quick Clicks pane gives you one click access to your most frequently used functions in PracticeMaster Premier — Sorting, Filtering, Column Layouts, Convert to Fee, etc. You can have Quick Clicks hide and appear automatically based on your mouse cursor location. Also new, the PracticeMaster Toolbar for Internet Explorer enables you to easily capture your research and store it in PracticeMaster Premier, including a link back to the Web page.

PraticeMaster has a number of other notable enhancements, including easier to use Convert to Fee settings, one click conversion of calendar events into fee records, improved list preferences that make it easier to review contacts, email, and other information presented in a list, improved import filters for Outlook, Groupwise, AbacusLaw, Amicus Attorney, and Time Matters, a new document assembly toolbar for Microsoft Word, and of course Windows Vista compatibility. PracticeMaster Premier costs $295 for the first user license plus $150 for each additional user. Learn more about PracticeMaster Premier Version 14.2.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a deposition transcript and video management program (see below), automated document scanning software, and an Outlook add-on for sending email newsletters and email greeting cards. Don't miss the next issue.

The Next Best Thing to Live Testimony
By Taeho Lim

A long time ago, filmmaker George Lucas wrote the following in his screenplay for a movie called "Star Wars": "Luke pushes off and they swing across the treacherous abyss to the corresponding hatchway on the opposite side." As thrilling as it reads, it doesn't compare to the actual visual of Luke and Princess Leia's famous jump in the finished film.

Litigators understand the impact of visuals as well as any Hollywood filmmaker. As a result, video depositions have exploded in popularity. But there's a downside to video — the myriad of of providers, camera types, codecs, encoding formats, etc. Fortunately, inData Corporation's new DepoView 5.1 addresses this issue by providing a standardized, easy-to-use format. Just ask your court reporter or videographer to deliver your next video deposition in DepoView format, along with the synchronized video.

So what exactly does DepoView do? The primary screen displays the video on the right side and corresponding portion of the synchronized transcript on the left side. A Search box enables you to find keywords and watch that portion of the testimony. You can also use the hyperlinked index to jump to a relevant portion of the transcript.

When you find a section you'd like to "clip," simply select the testimony and click the "Make Clip" button. You can then export these clips and use them in inData's TrialDirector trial presentation software as well as in other programs such as LiveNote, PowerPoint, CT Summation, etc. You can also display your clips in full screen mode using DepoView itself.

DepoView also enables you to work with the transcript text and and view accompanying exhibits. You can print full or condensed transcripts and exhibits.

The new version of DepoView 5.1 features an updated interface and enhanced compatibility with popular litigation support tools such as the ability to export true Summation .sbf files. DepoView users also now have the option to send transcript text with or without video when creating a new PowerPoint presentation. Rendering of condensed transcript printing has also been improved in the latest version.

DepoView is usually offered at little or no charge from your local videographer or court reporter, as part of their video syncing services. Learn more about DepoView 5.1.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a deposition transcript and video management program, automated document scanning software, and an Outlook add-on for sending email newsletters and email greeting cards (see below). Don't miss the next issue.

Use Outlook to Give Your Clients Steak and Sizzle
By Taeho Lim

In a perfect world, you would take every client out to a steak dinner every week. But that's not feasible even if you have only one client so your next best bet for staying in touch is an email newsletter. Or at least an annual holiday email greeting this time of year.

Just one wrinkle exists — how to email your clients en masse. Sending email to a group of people nowadays is fraught with risk because of spam filters. Outlook4Lawyers believes the answer lies right under your nose — use Microsoft Outlook in conjunction with its eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO, which adds email newsletter and email greeting card functionality to Outlook.

eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO uses a wizard to walk you through the process of creating and sending a newsletter or greeting card. It also adds a button to your Outlook toolbar so that you can easily get started. Because it resides in Outlook, you can access your address book, send attachments, and send your newsletter from any of your addresses. You can manage your mailing list in Outlook or in Access or Excel.

Among the notable features, you can personalize your newsletter to increase the open rate. For example, you can greet each recipient by name and list their company name in the subject line.

eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO can send plain text, rich text, or HTML email. The ability to use HTML means you can design and send visually-rich holiday greetings, thank you notes, invitations, and other communications.

To avoid spam filters, eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO sends each recipient a separate email message. In other words, it does not send bulk mail. Also, the Delayed Batch Sending feature sends the messages one at a time rather than all at once to further avoid traps.

eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO sells for $69.95. There is no limit on usage. It works with Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007.  Learn more about eMailMerge 4Outlook PRO.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Wednesdays, TechnoLawyer NewsWire is a weekly newsletter that enables you to learn about new technology products and services of interest to legal professionals. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.