The Mac Lawyer : Ben Stevens : Using Macs In The Practice Of Law

As you may have heard, Microsoft "officially" released its new operating system, Windows Vista, today. Of course, in true "Windoze" fashion, most users won't be able to get Vista until January of 2007, but I digress...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are no doubt aware that Apple has been fine tuning its OS X Leopard, which is slated for a Spring 2007 release. The ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division's Techhology eReport for November 2006 contained a good preview of Leopard. You can read Jeffrey Allen's article by clicking HERE.

Already announced features of Leopard include:

• Boot Camp :: gives you the ability to boot your Mac so that it will run Windows
  
• Time Machine :: incorporates backup capabilities into the operating system and gives you the ability to go back in time to see information as of a given date
  
• Spaces :: enables you to work from multiple desktops on your Mac
  
• Spotlight :: will incorporate the ability to search other computers on your network

Again, you can visit Apple's Leopard Sneak Peek for much more information about all of its features and functions.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

When I discuss using Macs in my law office, one of the questions I am always asked is "what do you use for your case management software?" It certainly is no secret that busy attorneys are interested in the best ways to manage their clients and their caseload.

When I used PCs, I used Amicus Attorney for over eight years, and it worked pretty well for the most part. I then tried Time Matters and Billing Matters based on all the good things I heard about them, but I absolutely hated them. In fact, it was after using the Time Matters combo for a few months that I got so fed up with PCs and all the headaches that they cause that I decided to switch my firm to Macs in August of 2005.

Once we became a Mac firm, we tried several different options before finding the one that works for us. We initially used an amalgamation of Circus Ponies Notebook for case organization; Address Book for contact management; and iCal (and later Google Calendar) for scheduling. While Notebook worked great for compiling information about each file, it only allows one user to be in a given Notebook at a given time, which poses problems for a busy firm. The calendar solutions were less than perfect when it came to synching and staying current at all times.

We then turned to LawStream, which we initially used for both case management and time/billing purposes. We were able to import all of our data from our PC programs into LawStream, with assistance from Bill Pope at LawStream. That program is very comprehensive, and it has many great features. However, my staff balked at several aspects of LawStream and they never got comfortable using it for various reasons. We still use LawStream for billing purposes, and it performs well in that capacity with few complaints from us.

Earlier this year, I began using Daylite by Marketcircle for our case management, and we still use it to this day. All of our calendars, contacts, and tasks are handled well by Daylite. One of the best things about this program is how intuitive and easy to use it is. The "Daylite Productivity Suite" offers full integration with Apple Mail, and automatically links all emails to the appropriate person and/or file. In fact, the only "major" thing that Daylite doesn't do is time and billing. It is not perfect, but it is close enough for our firm.

Daylite just released Version 3.2 last week, and as part of the upgrade, I recently received an Overview which gave a detailed explanation of its features. If you are interested in learning more about Daylite, you can download this document by clicking HERE. Daylite offers a fully functional 30 day trial, which you can learn more about at its website.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (11)
• Trackbacks

The Silver Mac blog recently a great post about the many helpful things that the "jellybean" can do for you. What is the jellybean? It is the gray, oblong capsult looking button in the top right corner of most programs.

The main functions provided by the jellybean include:

• Clicking it toggles the toolbar on and off.
  
• Holding down the Command key while clicking the jellybean toggles the icons from large to small to off.

The fully illustrated post describes and shows all of the available functions the jellybean offers. Check it out by clicking HERE.

Source: "What's Jellybean's Job in OS X ?" posted at The Silver Mac blog.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

If you regularly work with multiple applications and windows open at the same time, like I do, you should certainly know about Exposé. This built-in feature of Mac OS X allows you to see at once as thumbnails all open windows in all applications or even in a single application. As Apple describes it, "Find the window you need. Now."

The basic functions of Exposé work as follows:

• See All Open Windows at Once: When you press the F9 key, Exposé instantly tiles all of your open windows, scales them down, and neatly arranges them. As you move your mouse over each tile, its title is displayed in the center of the window. By clicking on a tile, all windows returns to full size and the window you clicked becomes the active window.

• See All Open Windows in the Current Application: Similarly, by pressing the F10 key, you can have Exposé tile the open windows in the current application, while dimming the open windows of all other applications. Again, you can click on any window to make it the active window. Also, you can use the Tab key to switch between open applications and thus view the open tiled windows for each.

• See Your Desktop: Finally, you can use the F11 key to have Exposé hide all open windows and give you instant access to your desktop. This could be handy if you wanted to get to a document on your desktop without having to minimize or hide all other open windows to get there.

Note: If you're using a PowerBook, you may need to press the function (fn) key at the same time as the F9, F10, or F11 keys, depending on your machine's settings.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

Earlier this month, PC Magazine gave the 15-inch Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro a 4.5 out of 5 rating, earning it an Editor's Choice award. You can click HERE to read the in depth review by Cisco Cheng. It is nice to see Macs receiving accolades from a publication primarily devoted to PCs. The best quote from this review is "The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Core 2 Duo) offers the performance and features of the best laptops on the market." High praise from an unlikely source.

Thanks to the Switch to a Mac blog for its post about this article.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

If you're like me, you regularly create a large number of letters to be faxed each week. Our firm's letterhead is professionally printed, with two green colors. It is not terribly expensive, but it is not cheap either. I found a way to easily create what I called "fax letterhead", which can be used for faxes so as not to waste our regular, printed letterhead. In this post, will show you how I create this fax letterhead and reduce our operating expenses. Of course, the best part is that this process is quick and easy, and the recipient never knows the difference.

1. Scan your existing letterhead. The scan should be of a fairly high quality, but it does not have to be super quality.
2. Save the scanned letterhead in a picture format. I saved mine as a *.jpg file, but other formats, such as *.gif, *.tiff, *.jpeg, etc. will work equally well.
3. Create your Word document as you normally would.
4. From the Menu at top, select "Insert > Watermark..."
5. In the "Insert Watermark" box that appears, click the button beside "Picture" to select that option
6. Then click "Select Picture"
7. Browse to where you saved your scanned letterhead picture file, click on the file name, then click the "Insert" button
8. In the "Insert Watermark" box, check the "Washout" to de-select that option
9. In the "Scale" box, type 100
10. Click the "OK" button.

Once you have completed these steps, your scanned letterhead should appear as a background on your document and look slightly grayed out or faded. When you print your document, it will print out normally and not appear faded. Hopefully, you will find this process helpful and it will make you more efficient and cost-effective. If you have any suggestions, tips, or thoughts please feel free to submit a comment.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

Legal information powerhouse, Justia, has introduced BlawgSearch, a combination legal blog search engine and directory. The directory is organized by category/topic, state, and country. I am pleased to have both of my blogs, The Mac Lawyer and South Carolina Family Law Blog, included in their directory. If you are interested in an effective legal blog search engine or a directory, check out BlawgSearch.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

Time magazine recently released its list of 2006 Gadgets of the Year. One of the two Apple products to make the list was the MacBook Pro, with the other being the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. Time reviewed the MacBook Pro as follows:

This 'iMac on wheels' has built-in iSight camera and remote for Front Row media manager. It features illuminated keyboard and brighter screen plus magnetic breakaway power cord. With the Intel Core Duo it's easy to watch the highest-definition QuickTime movie trailers.

Congratulations to Apple for receiving such praise about its great products. You can read the MacBook Pro article or view all the winners by clicking HERE.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

Chris Howard has published a great list of 20 Useful OS X Tips. He states that his list was aimed at beginners and switchers, but I believe that there is something here for everyone, even experienced Mac users.

A few highlights from his list are:

• Pressing Esc while typing in most applications pops up a list of suggested completions of the word you're typing.
  
• Press Command-Q to close applications when command-tabbing. This is possibly the fastest way you'll find to close several applications in quick succession.
  
• Command click the jelly bean found in the top right corner of some applications to cycle through toolbars.

Source: "20 Useful OS X Tips" by Chris Howard, published at AppleMatters.com.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Matthew Hirsch has compiled a list of Extremely Useful Macbook Freeware. There are several interesting and useful programs here, including:

• Adium :: a cross-platform instant messaging program
• Check Off :: simple to-do list that sits in the menu bar
• iAlertU :: remote controlled motion sensitive alarm system for the MacBook Pro
• StuffIt Expander :: open compressed files from various formats

This is just a sampling, as he has approximately 50 different programs listed there. Take a look, and you'll most likely find something that is helpful, useful, or at least interesting to you.

Thanks to Wendy Boswell's post, "Journey To A Well-Optimized Macbook", at LifeHacker.com for finding this resource.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Adobe Acrobat is a great program, used by many attorneys to prepare and organize exhibits for trial. Attorneys frequently need to insert Bates (numbering) stamps in their documents. Unfortunately, it is not easily apparent how to insert Bates stamps into a document in Acrobat.

Here is the step-by-step process explaining how to do so, courtesy of Mac enthusiast and fellow trial lawyer Kern Lewis of Foreman, Lewis & Hutchison:

1. Open the *.pdf document to be stamped
2. On the menu, select "Document > Add Headers & Footers..."
3. Click on "Footer" in the top of the window that appears
4. Select the pane in which you want the stamp placed (left, middle, or right)
5. Click the "Insert Page Number" drop down menu to select the desired number format
6. Click "Insert" button
7. (Optional) Go to pane and insert any desired text before or after number (i.e. "Plaintiff's Exhibit")
8. (Optional) You can also choose the font type and size, number at which to start, insert dates, etc. from the selection window if you so desire.
9. Click "OK" and you are done.

Note: This explains how to insert Bates stamps into a document in Adobe Acrobat Version 7, because like most users, I am still using Version 7 at this time. Since Adobe has recently introduced Version 8, the process may (or may not) be different in this new version.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks

I wrote a post earlier this week on how to add an application to your Mac. I thought it would only be prudent to follow up with a post on how to remove applications as well.

Generally, to remove an application, you need only to drag the program from your Applications folder to the Trash. If you then decide that you didn't mean to do so, you can drag the program from the Trash back to your Applications folder, and you're back in business (so long as you have not yet emptied your Trash).

LifeHacker featured a program last week called AppDelete, which scans your Mac and automatically deletes any preference and config files that are associated with that program. To use AppDelete, you simply drag the application onto the AppDelete icon, which can be kept in your Dock. To make this even better, if that is possible, AppDelete is free!

Thanks to LifeHacker for its post on this subject.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks

Yesterday, Apple released their upgraded MacBook laptops, which feature the Intel Core 2 Duo processors.  The new MacBooks are reported to be up to 25 percent faster, and they feature a built-in iSight video camera, a glossy 13-inch widescreen display, and dual-display support. 

Three base models are offered:  White 1.83 GHz processor @ $1,099; White 2.0 GHz processor @ $1,299; and Black 2.0 GHz processor @ $1,499.  The available options allow you to increase memory from the standard 1 GB up to 2 GB and increase the hard drive from 60 GB up to 200 GB.  The features of the MacBook appear to compare favorably to the MacBook Pro at a considerably lower price.

I am seriously considering upgrading my 17" PowerBook G4 for one of the new MacBooks in the coming weeks/months.  If you are interested in learning more about these upgraded laptop family, you can click HERE to learn more.  Of course, if you just can't wait, you can order one online or pick one up at your local Apple Store.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Mac Talk is a new print magazine that contains articles about running and using your Mac and the associated tasks you do with it. Its inaugural edition contains many helpful items, including tutorials and product selection advice. The first issue has the following articles which are particularly of interest:

• Why I Am A Mac User :: first-person Mac testimonial
• Podcasting In The Real World :: step-by-step guide to creating your own podcast
• External Storage Devices :: review of usb drives and external hard drive options
• Review of Senuti :: program to help move songs from iPod to computer
• War of the Computer Worlds :: observations on the Mac vs. PC debate

This magazine is produced by folks down in Australia, but don't let that discourage you from giving it a look. Oh, did I mention that it can be downloaded online for free? You can download the first issue by clicking HERE.

Thanks to the Silver Mac blog for its post about this new magazine.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

From the weird but effective department, I present an unusual method of reviving a dead hard drive. If you find yourself with an external hard drive that will run and spin, but not mount, you might want to try the following method:

1. Enclose the naked drive in a plastic bag to keep out moisture.
2. Put the drive and bag into your freezer and leave it overnight.
3. The next morning, let the drive warm up for several hours.
4. Plug it in and let it runfor about an hour to get it warm again.
5. Attempt to mount the drive as normal.

The theory at work here is that the freezing caused parts to contract and the rewarming caused them to re-expand and this release the stuck parts (probably the read/write arms). I am not sure that I would try this as my first approach, but if all else fails it might be worth a try.

Source: "Freeze a Dead Hard Drive To Copy Its Data" by Doc Swift, published at the Mac OS X Hints blog.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

If you already own a Mac, this post is probaby not for you -- because you already know how easy it is to install a program on your computer. Rather, this post is for those who are contemplating getting a Mac and just aren't sure how installing a program on a Mac compares to doing so on a PC. As with the vast majority of all things Mac, this process is ultra simple.

1. Generally, you will download the application, and it will come in the form of a *.dmg file onto your Desktop.
2. You then double-click the *.dmg file, which mounts the disk image, which looks like a little hard drive.
3. You then double-click the disk image to view its contents, which will include the application and any "read me" files.
4. Finally, drag the application file into your Applications folder.

As a security precaution, Mac OS X will ask you for your password before letting you install any application. Yes, it is a little bit of a pain to have to go through this step each time you install something, but then again, it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside that your Mac wants to keep itself safe and secure.

Also, if you want to place the application icon in your Dock, you can either (a) drag the application's icon to the Dock and drop it there or (b) start the application, right click on its icon in the Dock, and select Keep in Dock.

The Silver Mac blog has a great post on installing applications, which includes an illustrated step-by-step guide. If you want to know more (or see this process in action), check it out by clicking HERE.

Source: "How to Install an Application on Your Mac" by Mike Sivcevic, published at his Silver Mac blog.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Mac OS X offers several options to capture all or part of your screen:

• Press Command + Shift + 3 to take a picture of the whole screen

• Press Command + Shift + 4 and drag the gray box to select the part of the screen that you want to capture

The picture is saved as a TIFF file on your Desktop, generally called Picture 1, Picture 2, etc.

If you want to copy the screen capture to the Clipboard instead of saving it as a file, simply:

• Press Control + Command + Shift + 3 to copy the entire screen to the Clipboard

• Press Control + Command + Shift + 4 to copy the selected range to the Clipboard

Source: "The Secret Screen Capture Shortcut" published at Apple.com.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks