TechnoLawyer: TL NewsWire

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Adobe Acrobat on Steroids
By Brett Burney
Adobe sells several different versions of Acrobat, but even the most powerful version lacks features that lawyers need. As a result, a vibrant after-market of plug-ins exists. One such product, ARTS PDF's Aerialist, bills itself as "the ultimate plug-in for Adobe Acrobat." What does it do? Perhaps it's better to ask what it doesn't do. Among its many lawyer-friendly features, Aerialist can insert bates numbers, page numbers, dates, author information, and more into PDF documents, and generate bookmarks based on headings and font styles. Aerialist also features advanced document assembly and disassembly tools. For example, you can merge or split PDF files in any fashion — by pages, page ranges, bookmarks, page marks, etc. — while retaining cross-document linking. You can also use Aerialist to convert and merge different file types (.doc, .pdf, .xls, etc.) on the fly. Instead of applying each of these functions manually, you can take advantage of Aerialist's batch processing tools. You can even sequence the tasks performed on your files. Need even more power? Check out ARTS PDF's Aerialist Professional, which includes Aerialist's feature set plus even more advanced tools. For example, Aerialist Professional is the only plug-in that supports the creation of document layers. You can also use Aerialist Professional to edit and fix images within a PDF file, automatically build a table of contents for individual documents or collections of documents, and automatically link keywords within your documents. Best of all, you can batch process files by simply dropping them into "watched folders." Aerialist is available in both Windows and Mac versions. Aerialist Professional is currently available for Windows with a Mac version en route. Pricing starts at $379 for Aerialist and $699 for Aerialist Professional with volume discounts available. You can download a 30-day free demo. Learn more about Aerialist.

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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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

This Cleaner Does Windows, and You Need Not Even Ask
By Brett Burney
Don't you wish smart appliances existed that would automatically clean our floors, do our laundry, wash our dishes, and more without requiring any input from us? Although automated home cleaning does not yet exist, automated document cleaning has arrived in the form of Workshare Protect 4. This new utility doesn't just remove metadata from Microsoft Office documents, it does so automatically and transparently. Workshare Protect enables you to set firmwide parameters for metadata removal and other security measures. You can even decide what to strip from a document depending on the nature of the activity. For example, you might treat internally e-mailed documents differently from externally e-mailed documents. In addition to removing metadata, Workshare Protect can also convert e-mail attachments to PDF format and even compress attachments into .zip format when they reach a specified size. Best of all, Workshare Protect does all of its work behind the scenes automatically, which eliminates the need to train your staff. That said, your power users can view reports showing the risk rating of their documents and what Workshare Protect will remove. You can even grant special privileges to such users so that they can tweak Workshare Protect's actions on a document by document basis — even within the same e-mail message. Workshare Protect works with GroupWise, Lotus Notes, and Outlook, and with Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP/2003. You can download a free trial. Learn more about Workshare Protect.

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Let this E-Discovery Guide Lead the Way
By Brett Burney
Today's litigator faces a Mount Everest-like challenge — find the key documents and e-mail messages from among the tens of thousands that reside on the computer hard drives at issue in a discovery request or subpoena. Just as you would not try to tackle Mount Everest without the help of a Sherpa, you probably won't want to tackle a discoverable hard drive without the help of Sherpa Software's Discovery Attender. This electronic discovery tool enables you to conduct "dynamic keyword searches" (including Boolean queries and wildcards) on any electronic media. Discovery attender can also perform searches by age, type, sender/recipient, and many other parameters. In addition to searching the content of Microsoft Office and other such documents, Discovery Attender can also search Exchange mailboxes, Outlook PST files, and Lotus Notes mailboxes. A wizard-like interface makes this powerful tool easy to use. When Discovery Attender finds the keywords you seek, it summarizes the information and places both the summary and a link to the original item in a detailed report. Importantly, Discovery Attender searches in a nondestructive, secure manner that preserves the metadata associated with each document. In addition to its search capabilities, Discovery Attender can also copy files, messages, and attachments to a repository for safe-keeping. Discovery Attender works with virtually all versions of Windows, and can search Exchange 5.5 and higher and Outlook 98 and higher. Learn more about Discovery Attender.

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Help Is on the Way
By Brett Burney
There are moments when each of us feels invincible ... and then we wake up, go to work, and realize we need help — lots of help. Software Technology has heard this cry for help since 1979 when it first introduced Tabs3, its accounting/billing software for law offices. This month, the company released Version 12 of Tabs3 as well as Version 12 of PracticeMaster, its practice management software. As always, these new versions integrate with each other, but can also be used alone. Both versions feature a new XP-like look and feel and sortable column headings, and can output any report or statement to PDF. Among the highlights of Tabs3 is a new Collections Report designed to help you stay on top of accounts receivable. This report can include amount billed, amount paid, percentage paid, remaining balance, contact information, work in progress, billing history, and more. Also noteworthy is an improved system for recording and tracking write-ups, write-downs, and courtesy discounts. For example, time billed is now tracked separately from time worked. PracticeMaster also has its share of new features, including a redesigned e-mail system with improved Outlook integration, multiple signatures, HTML message formatting, the ability to append messages and attachments to client/matter files, and more. PracticeMaster also features a new field for a client photo, a "DropBox" for storing files in use, customizable fee ticklers for routine document assembly tasks, improved Palm OS synchronization, improved searching, a "SnapShot" view for virtually all types of data, and much more. Pricing starts at $295 for Tabs3 and $150 for PracticeMaster with volume licensing available. The company offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Learn more about Tabs3 and PracticeMaster.

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Follow That Document
By Brett Burney
What's the best way to share an electronic document with someone? Print it out? E-mail it to them? These methods work, but they don't facilitate the integration of changes other people may make to your document. Workshare Professional 4 provides "secure document compliance for Microsoft Office." The thrust of the application is to give you an efficient and secure way to collaborate with others on electronic documents. Tightly integrated with Microsoft Office, Workshare Professional 4 enables you to tag a document as the "master," and then send it to one or more "reviewers." It also integrates with your e-mail client (Lotus Notes, Groupwise, or Outlook) so that it can monitor when modified documents return. Best of all, Workshare Professional keeps an audit trail of any and all changes that were made to a document — think "track changes" on steroids. It can even produce a "Document Audit Report" showing change history, metadata, and send history. Got a document management system? Workshare Professional integrates with all the major players, including Documentum, Hummingbird, Interwoven, and SharePoint. New features in version 4 include one click PDF conversion and security, an enhanced Report Wizard, an "Always On Audit" for Word documents, the ability to centrally apply document policies, integration with DeltaView, and much more. Pricing for Workshare Professional 4 starts at $349 per seat with a 10-seat minimum; it's free for existing firms that have a software subscription. Learn more about Workshare Professional.

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Pathbreaking Document Assembly Tool Turns 10
By Brett Burney
If people reach their peak physical condition at age 21, what about software? If you ask the folks at Innovative Software Products of Virginia, they would probably tell you that it takes 10 versions. Why? Because the company's flagship product, Pathagoras, has just turned 10. Pathagoras continues to offer two tools in one — a document management utility that facilitates filing and retrieving documents, and a document assembly utility that works within Microsoft Word. Version 10 contains two major new features — Instant Glossaries and DropDown Lists. Instant Glossaries enable you to quickly disassemble a complete document into its component clauses so that you can easily recreate similar documents in the future. This feature dramatically reduces the time and complexity involved in setting up document templates. To use Instant Glossaries, you simply mark where each clause begins and ends. Pathagoras does the rest. DropDown Lists facilitate moving lists of your frequently used documents and library terms into always-on dropdown lists, enabling you to easily create new documents or insert terms. These lists reside on screen just like Word's font list and style list. Click on any name in the dropdown list, and Pathagoras instantly places the corresponding term into your document. Other new features in Pathagoras 10 include "Beginner's Green Buttons" that guide you step-by-step through Pathagoras' features, a contextual help system called "How Do I? ..." that provides a menu of choices if you get stuck, more powerful variables for conditional text, improved error reporting (the company has a reputation for fixing bugs at light speed), and the ability to open WordPerfect documents into Word for assembly and then convert them back to WordPerfect format. Pathagoras works with Microsoft Word 97/2000/2002/2003. Prices start at $349; a 90-day free trial is available. Learn more about Pathagoras.

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.

Below you'll find one of the five articles from today's edition of TechnoLawyer NewsWire:

Small Firms Get Their Wish
By Neil Squillante
The lost city of Atlantis. King Arthur and the knights of the round table. The paperless office. Affordable document management for small firms. Until recently, the stuff of legend. But thanks to Authoritative.net's FileCenter 1.5, firms with 1-20 lawyers can now employ a "simple yet powerful" document management system with paperless office capabilities. With FileCenter, you can store, find, and route via e-mail or fax both electronic and paper documents. Regarding the former, FileCenter's integration with Microsoft Office and other popular applications makes it easy to store electronic documents in their native file format. Regarding the latter, FileCenter features "integrated scanning software" with OCR capabilities that works with most popular scanners and digital copiers. FileCenter's "FileFind" full-text search technology makes it easy to retrieve all the documents you've stored. When it comes time to work outside of the office, you can use FileCenter's "FolderShare" on-the-fly VPN technology to synchronize your files across any number of computers, including your laptop. When you plug your laptop back into your network, FileCenter seamlessly synchronizes all the files that have changed. No longer will you need to use kludges like e-mailing files to yourself, copying files to a flash drive, or using remote control software. FileCenter also eliminates the need for separate backup software thanks to its built-in "FileBackup" technology, which can backup your files to a secure off-site data center. Locally, FileBackup keeps the last ten versions of every document. FileCenter requires Windows 2000/XP. Pricing starts at $299 for a single user. Learn more about FileCenter.

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.