Law Firm Management
Technology
For Home Offices & Small
Law Firms
William E. Olson
Home Office
• Technology is the name of the game.
Since you are not allowed any employees
who aren’t family members to work in your
home, at least in Lincoln, it becomes
mandatory that you involve technology in
your practice.
Required Equipment
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Phone with Answering machine/Voice Mail
Fax machine
Voice mail
Copier
Computer with word
processing/spreadsheet/e-mail capability.
Multi-Function Equipment
• Computer with Internet Service
– Includes answering machine
– Voice mail
– Voice over Internet Protocal
• Combination printer-fax-scanner-copier
• Bundled phone/cable/internet packages
Ink jet v. Laser Printers
• Ink jet models less than $200
– CompUSA.com - All-In-One Printers » Printers
– Laser jet versions under $300.
– Color laser jet models are pricier at around
$600
A Well-equipped computer is less
than $1,500, including Microsoft
Office 2007 with Vista
• Dell Computing's Web site for current
prices.
• Opt for MS Office vs. pre-loaded such as
Microsoft Works®
• Do not rely solely on Microsoft Works to
generate documents, spreadsheets, etc.
because its files are not compatible with
MS Office files.
Other Software which may be PreLoaded
• Money management program, such as
Quicken® or Managing your Money®,
eliminating the immediate need for more
expensive and powerful accounting
programs.
• Security/Anti-Spam such as Norton
Internet Security is A MUST
Document Assembly Software
Systems
• Do it Yourself Systems
– HotDocs
– GhostFill
– Pythagoras
– MS Word Templates
– WordPerfect Merge
Off-The Shelf Document
Management Systems
• Nebraska Probate System V
• Wills & Trusts Systems
High End Systems
• May/Should include Quite a bit of Authors’
Knowledge
• Should offer many clause options
• Should provide support
– May require additional fee
• Annual
• Up front
– Some support provided
• Wealth Transfer Planning
– Web Site: Interactive Legal Systems
– Authors: Jonathan Blattmacher and Michael
Graham
– Uses Hotdocs as its engine
– Been around for years
Wealth Transfer includes extensive
knowledge base
– During Q & A session, rationale behind
decision tree is almost always available
– Guides the user through the process
• Pricing:
– While certainly not cheap, it seems very
competitive with other high-end systems
• Cowles Legal Systems
– Now owned by Thompson – West
– Trust Plus® Estate Planning System is the high end
product
– Website: Thompson-West Cowles Legal Systems
– Trust Plus® includes document assembly software
modules
• See http://west.thomson.com/cowles/TrustPlus.aspx to
review features
– Similar Features to Wealth Transfer
– Additionally, Cowles provides physical tools to
make the end product appear “professional”
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supporting documents
funding documents
correspondence
invoicing
custom covers and envelopes
documents for one-time data entry
• http://west.thomson.com/cowles/TrustPlus
DocList.aspx
• Fore! Trust Software
– Visit http://www.4trustsoftware.com/ to see what this
can do for you.
– Doesn’t appear to be “high end” since it is advertised
as “not just for the Estate Planning Specialist”
– Look at the “compare” page at
http://www.4trustsoftware.com/compare.htm where
Fore! Compares itself to other products
• For a list of Fore!’s templates, go to
http://www.4trustsoftware.com/t&w.htm
• The basic price is $995. Pricing appears at the
foregoing Web page, near the bottom.
• Hotdocs driven templates.
• LawFirmSoftware.com sells its systems for
Wills and Trusts
– Estate Planning Pro Software, Version 5.0
Promotion Price: $229 95
– If the price is right, visit the Web site at:
http://www.lawfirmsoftware.com/software/estat
e.htm
• Wealth Counsel, LLC, which is a
membership organizaation, offers
WealthDocs
– Web site is at http://www.wealthcounsel.com
– High End – High Price (see discussion at in
earlier slides)
Build-it-Yourself with Document
Assembly Engines
• Very Time-Consuming to do more than
simple assembly systems
• Can be used effectively for basic forms,
such as Deeds, powers of attorney, etc.
• Should be very tech-savy to create
systems with HotDocs etc.
Backing up Files
• On-Line Solutions
– For Review of Services and lists see the
review at ConsumerSearch
– Can be as cheap as “free”
• External Hard Drives and similar media
– Inexpensive – 500 Gigabytes for $175 or less
– Requires Due Diligence
– For reviews of current products see PC
Magazine online
• Importance of testing for failures
Calendar Systems
• MS Outlook as “cheap” solution
– Very flexible
– If combined in Network setting with MS Exchange, can be used
office-wide
– Not law-office specific
• Case Management systems, such as Time Matters®
(now owned by Lexis/Nexis®), Amicus Attorney® and
PracticeMaster,® a Software Technology, Inc. product
are law firm specific systems which provide extensive
docket control and calendar functions
• Professional liability insurance carriers require at least
two calendar systems
Conflict Checking
• New client intake should always include an
internal conflict of interest check
• Paper systems based on a card file or
other means, e.g., circulation of “new
clients” list to other lawyers
• “Memory” systems based on asking the
other lawyers is NOT the best
methodology
• Practice Management and document
management systems include conflict
Time & Billing Systems
• Most important management system for
your practice
• Should contain the following elements:
– Keep track of time by increments, usually in
one-tenths, and by client names, numbers
and matters
– Produce draft statements in variety of formats
Time & Billing Systems
• Produce finished final statements on a
variety of printers and formats
• Generate monthly billing/receipt reports by
timekeeper tracking both billable and nonbillable time
Time & Billing Systems
• Produce accounts receivable reports by
client and attorney
• Keep track of client billings and payments
by client and individual client matter
• Track and report billings and payments by
practice area
• Integrate with word processing programs
and case management systems
Time & Billing Systems
• Timeslips® which is widely available, is
relatively inexpensive starting at $295 for
the basic program
• Tabs3 starts at $295
Trust Accounts Systems
• Separate account required
• Can use accounting systems and establish
separate account, such as Quickbooks®,
see discussion at QuickBooks
TimesheetTime & Billing System
• Law Firm Specific software, e.g., Tabs3r Trust Accounting Software
Document Management
• Create electronic versions of paper files
• Scan incoming documents and save them to
client/matter file
• Save all internally created documents to client/matter file
• Save incoming and outgoing e-mails to a client file
• Can result if almost paperless office
• Ability to access file from computer
• See Open Directory - Society: Law: Products: Practice
Management: Software: Document Management for a
fairly complete listing of document and case
management software
Case Management/Practice
Management
• Case Management/Practice Management
systems provide many of the functions of
time/billing, docket control, document
management functions
• Can provide basis for document assembly if fully
utilized
• Small firm systems such as Time Matters®,
Amicus Attorney® and PracticeMaster,® are
priced at around $500 for single user licenses
• See, e.g., the Amicus site at Amicus Attorney –
Overview for a description of functionality of
these systems
Litigation Management Systems
• Defined at Legal Practice - Litigation Software
• For a fairly complete listing of the variations, see
Case assessment and analysis with case
management tools from LexisNexis Litigation
Services for Firms Serving Individuals & S ::
LexisNexis
• Could include electronic discovery in the
category
– See Electronic Discovery Software White Papers,
Webcasts and Case Studies for a full discussion of
this topic
Legal Research Alternatives to
Books
• Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis are the
“Cadillacs” of online research, but they
come with a price
• Other alternatives exist
• The Nebraska Bar Association offers a
free service to its members, CaseMaker,
which is found at www.nebar.com
Other Sources for “free” research
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Nebraska State Bar Association
U.S. Government’s General Web Site
Internal Revenue Service
Library of Congress
Government Printing Office
Nebraska Courts Web Site
Nebraska State Government Web Site
Nebraska Legislature Web Site
Securities and Exchange Commission
And now, a word about Metadata
• Metadata, or “data about data,” abound in
MS Word files and other documents.
• What is “metadata?” Microsoft explains at
Find and remove metadata (hidden
information) in your legal documents Help and How-to - Microsoft Office Online
Why should you be concerned?
• Use of prior documents/versions
• Shared file with adverse (or friendly
parties)
• May reveal client information not intended
for release
• May reveal strategy of case or transaction
What to do about it?
• Buy a commercial “scrubber” program
• E.g., Payne Consulting Group’s Metadata
Assistant
• Never send an attachment in MS Word
that hasn’t been “scrubbed”