January 22, 2009 by Dan Siegel.

It’s everywhere - not quite Chicken Man (for those old enough to remember) - but Microsoft Outlook is used, it seems, in virtually every law office — and the 2007 Version is excellent. The small tweaks Microsoft made really helped improve the product overall (even though some actions remain counterintuitive). I recommend clients upgrade to it, especially any clients who are using Outlook 2000 or (yes) earlier versions.

But…

But…

But…

I hate Mircrosoft Outlook 2007. Not the whole product, just the absolutely infuriatingly outrageous Junk E-mail Filter.  Why, you say? If you don’t like it, turn it off. Sorry, Microsoft has decided that even if you don’t want to use the filter, you’re stuck. It’s like saying that the brake on your car never really works. Here’s what Microsoft tells users about the Junk E-mail filter:

No Automatic Filtering   Although this turns off the automatic Junk E-mail Filter, Outlook continues to evaluate messages by using the domain names and e-mail addresses in your Blocked Senders List, and also continues to move messages from blocked senders to the Junk E-mail folder.

That’s right, even if you turn it off, Outlook continues to evaluate message and continues to moves messages to the Junk E-mail folder.

I’ve tried everything to shut this feature off. Nothing works, and every day, I am confronted with more messages that aren’t junk that Microsoft’s “brilliant” programmers have decided is junk. Today, I arrived in my office and e-mail from clients, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and others were instantly deemed”junk.” One supposed fix — clear everything from your the blocked sender and other folders — has only made matters worse. There’s even one website where someone posted a cartoon of Bill Gates rising from the dead as a way of expressing the poster’s “love” of the Junk E-mail filter. There are lots of posts about the filter, and not one can tell you how to stop it.

This is my plea to Microsoft. Perhaps you actually read the blogs. You have a great product in Outlook 2007, but please. Please. Please. If the user doesn’t want Outlook to filter junk e-mail, respect that user’s preference and allow him or her not only to turn off the filter (we can do that), but also to actually allow the filter to turn off. It seems such a simply concept. Just say no.  Unfortunately, the people who programmed this feature believe that they know better. Sorry, this time the user is right.

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January 8, 2009 by Dan Siegel.

The Federal Rules Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States is considering rule changes that would make it easier for defendants to have summary judgment granted. Plaintiff attorneys have opposed the proposed Rule because it would require the moving party to identify purportedly non-contested facts, and require the non-moving party to demonstrate, by citation to the record, that those facts are contested. This can be a daunting task.

However, this need not be overwhelming. In fact, some federal court judges in Philadelphia have already begun requiring litigants to include a Statement of Uncontested Facts with motions for summary judgment. How do my clients and I handle them? Using the Summary Judgment Wizard in CaseMap. With this tool, part of the CaseMap Suite, it is easy to identify contested and uncontested facts and generate reports that would easily comply with the proposed Rule. And the CaseMap tool is far faster than doing the same work manually.

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