Law Office Technology

Overload – A Process to Intake Information for the Web

I have streamlined the system that I use to gather and process information.  It meets the following criteria: 

• Cross Platform – I want to be able to use a Windows, Mac, iPhone, Droid, iPad and have everything synced.  If I read an article on one device, it should be marked read on all of them.  If I add a source to one device,  it should be added to all.   
  
• Cloud – It has to be backed up online.  It also needs to be viewable through a browser but have the option of downloading to go offline. 
  
• Cheap or Free.
  
• No new Programs to install on my PC.
  
• Easy to add articles to Twitter and Facebook. (So people think I am smart)

 

RSS

Most blogs and websites have an RSS Feed.  You take that feed and plug it into an RSS Reader and it tells you when the site has been updated.  So instead of going to 25 different sites a day and hoping there is new content, the RSS Reader will display all this information on one page. 

Google Reader

I chose Google Reader as my RSS Platform because it’s the industry standard and most apps syncs to it.  It is also free and easy to use.

Outlook

 

I found a great article on Life Hacker on how to hook your google reader account to Outlook.  Therefore, no new software on my PC. 

 http://lifehacker.com/#!5187172/use-google-reader-from-within-outlook

iPad / iPhone

There is an app called Reeder available for the iPad and iPhone which syncs with google reader.  It also allows you to download content to view when you are not connected to the internet.  The iPad version is $4.99 and the iPhone is $2.99.  As soon as I add something into google reader, it automatically updates the app.  It also links to Facebook, Twitter and Instapaper. 

Flipboard

After using RSS Readers for a couple of years I have determined that they are best for sites that update once or twice a week.  Sources that update hourly tend to  drowning out everyone else. 

For those sites,  I use an app on my Ipad called Flipboard.  Apple named Flipboard its app of the year,  and I have to agree.    I don’t have the words to describe it, but its rendering of articles is beautiful and simplistic.  Its also free, but it only works on the iPad and nothing else. 

Flipboard also makes it very easy to post articles to twitter and facebook, plus lets you look at your google reader account.  It also links to Instapaper. 

Instapaper

The last piece of the puzzle is the ability to save articles to be viewed at a future time period.  There are many times that I am looking at something on my iPhone and want to be able to file it away for future reference.  To get this accomplished, I use a program called Instapaper which hooks into Flipboard and Reeder as well as the browsers on my pc and iPhone/iPad.  When I see something interesting,  I just tag it to Read Later.  The service is free. 

 

Conclusion

Besides Dandy Don, the LSU sports website that had no RSS Feed, I process all other information through this method.  Before I put this system in place,  I was kind of lost in the stream of information.  In the end,  the web should make your life more efficient, not waste your time in a puddle of mass confusion. 

MiFi much Better then AirCard

Ditched my AT&T Aircard the other day.  The network was unreliable and my aircard was poorly made and kept breaking. I decided to join the sprint network and use the MiFi 2200 from Novatell, which is a small portable router that hooks up to Sprint Network.

Since I usually travel with two laptops and an iphone, now all these devices can connect to the MiFi for internet. I can also put the MiFi near a window in a hotel and then go back to the desk to work without having to worry about getting a good connection. Costs about $100 after rebates and the sprint data plan is $60 a month.  Seems to be much more reliable then AT&T. I am in car heading up to Oxford to the LSU Ole Miss Game and have only lost connection twice.  It is about the size of a deck of cards but much thinner.   This would be great for Clio users.

Advice for using Hosted Exchange

I have been getting a lot of questions about Hosted Exchange recently.  Law Office Technology has been using it for over a year and selling and setting it for client sites for the past 6 months.  If you are going to use hosted exchange, I recommend buying it from a company that does not force you to enter in your email password every time you open up Outlook.  I had a client that purchased hosted exchange that did that, and every time they opened Amicus, it would crash outlook.  Fortunately the hosted exchange that we resell does not ask you for the username or password when you log into outlook.  If you are linking ay product with outlook, whether it be PCLaw, Amicus, TimeMatters, Worldox, ect, you must make sure that you do not have to enter in your password every time. 

New Great way to schedule meetings

http://tungle.me/craigbayer

Added this to my signature line.  If someone outside of my office wants to know if I am available, it is very easy for them to find out.  

Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference

I will be in Missouri this upcoming week for their state’s Solo and Small Firm Conference.  I will be working the Clio booth, which is Practice Management SaaS for attorneys. 

For more info on Clio, click here: http://www.goclio.com/

For more info on the conference click here: http://members.mobar.org/sasf2009/index.html

ThompsonWest Webinar Series

 Tom O’Conner, Browning.Marean and I have been doing some Webinar’s on legal technology for ThompsonWest.  We did one on Basic Law Firm Technology yesterday and we are doing one on 1/21/2008 on disaster recovery.  Certain states will give CLE Credit. 

Here is the description:

Disasters come in many forms -- hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, power outages even terrorist attacks.  The best disaster recovery plan is a disaster preparation plan so that your practice can be back in business as soon as possible. Technology can assist this process but there are other important business decisions to consider as well: availability of equipment, access to data, staffing issues .....all these are supported by technology in today's law firm and this session will show you how to put the the right technology system in place before disaster strikes.

http://westlegaledcenter.com/program_guide/course_detail.jsf?videoCourseId=18196558

 

 

Fujitsu ScanSnap Makes it very easy to scan to Sharepoint

I was talking to someone from Fujitsu the other day and telling him that it would be great if my ScanSnap 300 would scan directly into SharePoint.  He let me know that Fujitsu has had that feature for awhile.  I simply needed to put the install cd back into my computer and run the setup.

I chose Scan for Microsoft SharePoint ®

Then ran the wizard

 

Now when I scan, I can choose Scan For SharePoint

And can choose the location in SharePoint

This is great feature and it works flawlessly. 

Office Communication Server

Our firm has begun to use Office Communication  Server for instant messaging.  We were using MSN Messenger but there was underlying concern about using a personal instant messenger for Business Communications.

Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and other instant messenger programs are not secure.  Therefore if you send messages with confidential client information you are potentially allowing your client’s information to get stolen.  I know many firms that use these type of instant messengers and this can leave an open door for a breach of client confidentiality.    

Office Communication Server is completely secure so when I am at a client’s office and ask my assistant through communicator what is the admin password for the client’s server, I do not have to worry about that information being leaked to the entire world. 

OCS give us three ways to connect:

1. Through Software downloaded on the workstation.

 

2. Through a web based portal available in Internet Explorer and Fire Fox.

3. On a Windows Mobile or Blackberry Device

Tight Outlook Integration

1. Conservations are archived and can be searched in outlook.

2. Easily allows you to send an Email Message through Communicator

3. When replying to an email in Outlook, you can send it as an instant message

4. Communicator will look at your Outlook Calendar and set your Availability Status depending on your appointments.

Advantages:

• Can send attachments through a secure network.  Attachments in Emails are not secure.  Ours allows files up to 50MB and is faster then an attachment on an email. 
• Can be used with VOIP and Video Conferencing

Disadvantages:

• Can only communicate with OCS Users
• Available only on Windows Mobile and Blackberry.  Not on I-Phone or Palm Based devices.