I just got off the phone with a new client (I hope!). The flow of the conversation was familiar. They are a small office and want to start using technology better. Of course, I had a million ideas, comments, and questions - here is a breakdown of the kinds of things we chatted about (this list, now revised, was originally published as part of a column for TechnoLawyer).
- New Equipment At the heart of your performance must sit a healthy and strong computer. Don’t wait any longer to buy that new PC and make sure you are running newest operating systems (in most cases Windows XP) and office suite (Microsoft Office 2003 or Word Perfect Office 12). The practice of law does not require a mega-performing machine. A new desktop (and flat screen monitor) can cost you less than $1,000. I just bought this great Windows Media PC with 250 gigs for $515.
- Email Matters As a professional service provider your email address should reflect who you are and the name of your law firm. It should be easy to remember and easy to spell. If you are Able, partner at Clued, Inn and Able, P.A. then your email address should be something like JAble@cialaw.com. An AOL, Yahoo or Hotmail address is not very professional and should be reserved for use by friends and family, not your clients. Securing a domain name (www.cialaw.com) and the email addresses that come with it can cost you less than $25 per year at! I always use GoDaddy to register domain names for myself and for clients. I've never had an issue with them.
- Detail Management - Get your information under control and digital. Paper calendars and traditional rolodexes are unacceptable; trying to manage the colossal amount information associated with running a law practice with pen and paper is a step in the malpractice direction. If you have followed tip #1 (latest and greatest tech) then you already own a great calendaring and contact management such as Outlook or Entourage (see Email Matters and Get Mobile tips).
- File Management (and no, not the paper kind) Get your documents and files under control – how much time do you spend looking for files on your computer? Your digital filing system should mimic your physical filing system. Files should be logically organized in your “My Documents” folder, in a shared directory or in your firm's document management system. Consider an add-on such as Google’s Desktop Search or X1 to help index files and find anything on your computer. Read this past post from Jim Calloway to better understand Desktop Searching and learn about some tools.
- Adobe Acrobat This tool is essential to any law practice. It costs about $200 and allows you to convert any printable file, email, picture, website, etc on your computer into a sharable and “safe” document. (See next tip before buying Acrobat). There are alternatives to Adobe which are less expensive, but go ahead and splurge on the real deal; its added functionality is well, well worth it. Learn more about Adobe and its place in a law firm at PDF For Lawyers.
- Get a Scanner Paperless office? Unlikely for a law firm yet– but we can think less paper. You will want a sheet fed scanner – which means you will likely get an all-in-one (that is, one device that prints, copies, scans and even faxes –but you won't need that function (see next tip). Many of today’s scanners come bundled with Adobe Acrobat – so look for it, and if you have a scanner, you may already have Acrobat or a similar product.
- The Facts about the Fax Faxing is taking its sweet time to die – but its death is imminent. There are many services that will let you use the Internet to send and receive faxes. Outbound faxes mimic traditional faxes and inbound faxes get delivered right into your email box as an attachment. Think about the benefits. I use eFax.
- Get Mobile Today's phones provide a tremendously flexible and easy way to keep tabs on your appointments, phone numbers, files, notes and more (refer back to Detail Management). But they do much more - record voice notes, play videos, display photos, play music, and store a novel. Get educated about your Smartphone. If it doesn’t do enough, upgrade. I use a Treo650 which does just about everything. I would die without this thing. I have Cingular for service and wouldn't event think of changing providers.
- USB Key There are many names for these mighty small and useful tools (no bigger or heavier than a tube of lipstick). Essentially they are replacements for floppy drives and CD’s. They allow you to easily copy and move files from computer to computer.
This article originated in TechnoFeature, a free weekly newsletter containing in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts, many of whom have become "household names" in the legal profession. TechnoFeature is part of the TechnoLawyer network. You can learn more and subscribe here.
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