When we work with law firms and courts to help them digitize their files – such as court filings – central to that work is to assure that they use the PDF format and that the PDFs are of a high quality. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how easy it is to create high quality readable PDFs. When you do so, the PDFs can be OCRed – made into searchable text – that facilitates easy searching, and easy copying and pasting into other documents, like briefs and opinions.… Read the rest
Law Office Technology
Just Because You Have an IPad Doesn’t Mean You Need to Use It
Technology – such as iPads – can help attorneys be more effective advocates. But like any tool, you need to use it correctly, not just because you have it. Otherwise, the technology can actually weaken your position, and frustrate the judge, jury or arbitrator you are trying to convince.
I sat as an arbitrator today in a relatively routine car accident case, involving a side swipe at an intersection – I think.… Read the rest
Attorney Daniel J. Siegel Lectures About Technology & The Law
Attorney Daniel J. Siegel of Havertown, Pennsylvania, has recently presented a number of programs focusing on the intersection of law and technology. In particular, Siegel is scheduled to present a three hour program, “Android for Lawyers” for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute on Friday, April 25, 2014 in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1lNl6fb.
Siegel is also a course planner for and is speaking at “The Technology Institute,” to be held on June 11, 2014 in Philadelphia.… Read the rest
Ill Take Advancements in Legal Technology for $1,000 please, Alex
Recently, there has been some discussion out of IBM about the possibility of using Watson-like technology for legal research, litigation and discovery. While this sounds like a great idea in the abstract, in reality, it remains to be seen whether Watson is capable of such an undertaking.
For those who have no idea what Im talking about, Watson is a room-sized computer created by IBM and named after its first president, Thomas J.… Read the rest
Legaltech New York
Yesterday, my associates, Molly Gilligan, Diana D’Auria and I, spent the date (actually our annual jaunt) at Legaltech, New York, the large commercial legal technology show (not to be confused with the ABA’s Techshow, where I will be speaking in April). As usual, there were many vendors and we were able to visit with friends from our many partners, including LexisNexis TimeMatters, CaseMap and Concordance, Legal Files case and matter management software, AccessData Summation (I have just become a newly-minted Summation Support Specialist, which replaces my prior certification as a Summation Certified Trainer) and Payne Systems (Metadata Assistant).… Read the rest
Great Free Microsoft Office Manuals
Free is always a great price, but this time, free is not only a great price but a great product. A company, Mouse Training, has release its training manuals and Quick Reference Guides for Office 2007, Office 2003, Office XP (2002) and Office 2000. The materials include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Project and Visio.
All of the documents are in pdf format.… Read the rest
Free CaseMap 101 Webinars
I am very pleased to announce that I will be presenting a series of monthly webinars about LexisNexis CaseMap, the award-winning litigation management software – the webinars are based on my book The Lawyer’s Guide to LexisNexis CaseMap, which was recently published by the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section. The series will provide numerous tips designed to help you get the most from CaseMap.… Read the rest
27 Inch Monitors Come Down in Price, Improve Productivity
For years, I have written and lectured about the bump-up in productivity that results when you use a large monitor. But, like many people, I’m not a big fan of dual screens, and the price difference between 22/23 inch and larger monitors has been dramatic. But not anymore. I just purchased a 27 inch Samsung monitor for $259.99 at BJ’s, and the display is gorgeous.… Read the rest
History Repeats Itself – Don’t Let it Happen to You
In February 2009, I was contacted by a potential client, who was opening a law office. I recommended that he purchase case management software, Adobe Acrobat Professional and a scanner; he also needed time and billing software. Because he was just starting and wanted to focus on the time and billing software, I explained that the ideal product for him was one I did not support and offered to refer him to another consultant who is an expert on that product.… Read the rest
The Paperless Court
Apropos my last post about the Paperless Office, I was reading the March/April 2010 issue of Baseline Magazine, which ran a terrific article, “Disaster-Proofing IT After Katrina,” about how the Gulfport Municipal Court in Louisiana was devastated by Katrina and, as a result, the Court secured a grant from the Department of Justice and digitized the entire office (after the hurricane, they actually tried using Rubbermaid containers for filing).… Read the rest
