Merry Christmas
I want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and successful New Year.
The Legal Mac :: Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009
The Legal Mac section of this month's Law Practice Today was published today, featuring the article "Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009" by Larry Port:
Innovations in the use and development of online software have created new opportunities for law firms, and can present cost-effective methods for adoption.
The year 2008 was a transformational one for legal practice management. After years of minimal new product development, the field broke wide open with the arrival of an exciting new option: Online, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for law firms.
For some time now, SaaS has been successfully applied to sales force automation, HR and payroll, project management, and other mission critical businesses. The legal industry, traditionally slow to adopt technology, was ready for this new option for several reasons. For one, new web technologies, commonly labeled Web 2.0, now allow for a desktop-like experience over a web browser. Also, day-to-day exposure to web applications has become a common and accepted practice, whether via Social Media sites like Facebook or through online banking. And, an increasingly mobile workforce is looking for ways to connect from any location, from any type of computer.
The impact SaaS solutions can have on the majority of legal software consumers, small law firms, can be profound. Before the emergence of SaaS practice management tools, a small firm could: 1) Purchase software directly from the manufacturer and spend time to install it independently, 2) Purchase the software, installation, and training through a value-added reseller, or 3) Forego dedicated legal practice management software in favor of a home-grown solution, typically cobbled together from Outlook, Word, and Quickbooks. However, SaaS applications are zero-install solutions that are simple to use and allow users to eliminate high-overhead setups in favor on monthly subscription fees. In other words, this fourth option greatly expanded choices for the legal technology consumer.
As transformational as 2008 was for legal practice management, it was still mostly a year of “dipping the toes in the water”, so to speak, and beginning a dialog about online options. But as 2009 draws near, web-based legal practice management will no longer be a brand new concept. So what's in store for the coming year? Here are my thoughts:
1. Expect more features.
What you'll most likely see over the course of the next year is increased feature parity among the online legal practice management and time and billing providers. As the online applications begin to approach the functionality of their desktop counterparts, watch for a trend toward standard features, such as document storage and management and increased integration with standard apps. You will also see web-only features gain prominence, such as integration with other online applications (i.e. Google Maps ) and client portals.
One particular challenge for legal SaaS providers is how to maintain a simple, intuitive interface while continually adding more features. A primary goal for online practice management providers will be to enrich their applications while at the same time, avoiding bloat and “feature-itis”.
2. Watch for increased adoption and growth.
Though web-based legal practice management is new, it's no longer cutting-edge. An increasing number of lawyers are comfortable with the concept, and plenty of attorneys know people in other industries who are using a SaaS solution. By one McKinsey & Company study , a majority of companies would consider purchasing an online solution over a locally-installed solution. The higher comfort level with legal SaaS, word-of-mouth, and an increased awareness of products like Rocket Matter will result in tremendous growth in this industry in 2009.
3. Count on more mobility.
Smartphones with full web-browsing capabilities continue to gain market share. Apple's iPhone and Google's Android OS contain browsers capable of providing a full Rocket Matter experience. Full browsers such as Opera Mini and Skyfire continue to open up capabilities on Windows Pocket PC and Blackberry platforms. You may also see the beginning of dedicated mobile applications, fostered by the introduction of strong software development kits (SDKs) from Apple and Google.
4. Expect economic conditions to favor monthly subscription models.
The year 2009 will likely shape up to be a tumultuous one economically, to say the least. Although some law firms may see an uptick in business, other firms may suffer. Such difficult economic conditions may give firms pause when considering the overhead involved in a server-based solution. SaaS products will be an easier pill to swallow because they eliminate up-front costs in favor of monthly fees.
5. Watch for expectations to change.
Online applications are month-to-month subscriptions. Therefore we, as the provider, must keep our customers happy and wanting to use the software. Unlike desktop application vendors, we can't rely on customers who buy a license and then never use the software (which happens surprisingly often). Our products must be easy-to-learn and easy-to-use. Anyone who has either seen cluttered interfaces for existing legal practice management apps or forked over cash for training understands the value of simplicity in legal software.
I think a big change will be how people expect to use their software. Their considerations won’t just focus on features, but in addition: How fast is the application? How simple is it to get started? How intuitive is it to use? How easy and inexpensive is it to train the folks in reception? How quickly can I find information? How easy is it to enter billable information and print an invoice? Does it make our firm more efficient and profitable? How quickly can I get an issue resolved?
So those are my thoughts on 2009 and Online Legal Practice Management. It promises to be an even more exhilarating year than 2008, which was a truly exciting.
Source: "Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009" by Larry Port, published in Law Practice Today.
The Mac Lawyer Selected for "The 2008 ABA Journal Blawg 100"
I was notified today that The Mac Lawyer has been have selected for "The 2008 ABA Journal Blawg 100", which lists the 100 best websites primarily written by lawyers, for lawyers. Specifically, this blog is one of the 10 selected in the technology category, and the other blogs nominated are truly a "who's who" in the legal technology field. Voting is open between now and January 2, 2009, to select the favorite in each category. If you enjoy reading my blog (or if you're just feeling generous), click the banner below and vote for this blog. Thanks, and congratulations to the other nominees.
How to Encrypt Private and Sensitive Data on a Mac
Carrying sensitive data on a laptop is a dangerous, but often necessary aspect of working in the digital age. A stolen laptop is the biggest liability, but forgetting to log off while stepping out of the office gives others of window of opportunity to copy your files onto a thumb drive.
The easiest way to protect data on a Mac is with an encrypted folder. An encrypted folder cannot be opened without entering the correct password, and files within the folder will not be visible to anyone running a Spotlight search. There are encryption programs that can do this - such as TrueCrypt -- but with a Mac, third-party software is unnecessary.
The best method for securing files is an encrypted disc image, which can be created quickly and easily in Mac without having to install anything.
- To get started, open Disk Utility, located in Applications > Utilities.
- Choose New > Blank Disc Image. A dialog box will open; you'll need to choose the options you'd like for your image. Enter a name to save it as -- something entirely uninteresting is ideal. The goal is to make the file as normal-looking as possible; give it a name that is boring, but wouldn't seem out of place on your computer.
- Once named, specify a saving location in the next drop down box. Choose a disc image size, the recommended encryption setting (AES-128), and choose "sparse disk image" as the format of choice.
- Click the "create" button, and a password prompt will appear. Enter the password you would like to use for the disc image - make it completely random, using both letters and numbers. If the prompt doesn't feel your password is secure enough, it will offer advice on how to improve it. Note that once a password has been assigned, it is impossible to recover that password should you forget it.
- If you're sure you entered the password correctly, choose the "ok" button. The disc image will be finished and saved to the location you choose. To open the encrypted image, double-click and enter the password when prompted to access the files.
Guest Post :: Should You Use a Smartpen in Your Practice?
The introduction on November 24th of the Public Beta of a Mac Platform for the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen should inspire many Mac-using lawyers to look at this smartpen closely.
My own experience, even with being forced to use an old Tablet which ran Windows XP to retrieve my notes and related audio content, suggests that this tool plays an important part in my practice.
My History with the "Pulsepen"
My brother ordered two of these pens when they were first available from the manufacturer in May 2008. His thinking apparently was that he would have a backup should he ever lose one. Quickly realizing that he might have over-ordered, he offered one to me to try.
There were a lot of reasons I was not enthusiastic about his offer. The first was that unlike my brother, I actually do lose pens from time to time, even expensive ones. So if I lost this thing I would owe my brother money. Second, I am a Mac enthusiast and the desktop software for a Mac platform was not going to be available until the end of 2008. Finally, the necessity of the product escaped me.
But being a toy lover I put aside my objections and accepted his loan. A few weeks later I was calling customer support on a desktop issue (I installed it on my only Windows computer, a Toshiba tablet). The problem was a software glitch, since in reality the pen was still in beta. The customer service rep solving the problem asked if it was registered in my name. I assured her it was. I then told her that my brother had bought the pen but that he was never getting it back. I could hear my statement relayed around the support department where it was greeted with shouts and laughter. They knew. I was a convert. I had drunk the Kool-Aid and was forever theirs.
How I Use It In My Practice
Okay so what do I use it for? I take it to hearings and depositions (I am a lawyer, remember?). These are public events under Florida law and there is no reasonable expectation of privacy. This is important since the pen doesn't just record the strokes of the pen, it records everything being said. And it records it very well. Here is the cool part, touch a word in your notes and you will hear whatever was happening at that time.
My favorite demonstration to date is to touch a word from a contested trial where I got to ask a witness if he had ever told people that he spoke to the dead and that they spoke back to him. The guy nearly came across the table at me, a point also recorded. Now an aside to lawyers, law students and pro se litigants-do not ever ask someone this question unless you have an email from the witness attesting to his ability to commune with the formerly alive.
The recording capacity of this pen is astonishing. The manufacturer suggests that the 2GB pen will hold 200 hours of audio. I have no reason to doubt it, since my constant use has barely tapped its capacity. When the pen is uploaded to the desktop software images of the notes and the audio are loaded into the computer.
Special paper is required to copy notes as pdfs. However an event may be recorded and then notes taken while it is playing so if you are out of paper you can still take advantage of the pen. Fortunately also, the supplies are reasonably priced and available online. However the notebook supplied with the pen is most generous.
There are lots of other features in the pen. It is possible to draw a keyboard and play notes (musical notes) on it. My daughter, a music ed major, particularly enjoys this. There is even a cute animation demo built in whose 3-D sound as heard through the earbuds is astonishing and mildly amusing.
Other Uses
So who could use this pen other than trial lawyers? Students seem to be a logical group. Perhaps physicians and nurses could use it. Did the patient really say he had a condition or did he say something else? Livescribe needs to produce industry specific paper for just such uses, or to allow outside vendors to create it.
Limitations of the Public Beta
For now the Mac Beta will not allow users to upload material to the Livescribe "community website" or manage the content of the pen. Apparently the next Beta will include these features sometime in early 2009.
Overall Impressions of the Beta
If anything the Mac Platform operates more smoothly than the Windows version. Audio quality seems better overall in Mac, but that could be a function of the poor audio on my old tablet. The Mac beta allows for burning audio as AAC material and the exporting of notes in PDF directly from the Desktop rather than having to upload them to Livescribe's website then downloading as a PDF.
G. Ware Cornell Jr. is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer in Weston, Florida where he primarily practices employment law with the firm of Cornell & Associates P.A. He is a graduate of Emory University, the University of Georgia School of Law, and served as the first senior law clerk for United States District Judge William M. Hoeveler in the Southern District of Florida upon his investiture in 1977. Mr. Cornell was recently selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyers' honorary society.
The Mac Lawyer Gets a Facelift
If you're reading this post, you've probably noticed that things look a little different around here. The Mac Lawyer underwent an update today, and it is now a part of the LexBlog network. I want to thank Kevin O'Keefe, Rob La Gatta, and all the great folks at LexBlog for their hard work on the redesign, and it's great to be a part of the family.
Guest Post :: Online Legal Practice Management Software Predictions for 2009
Looking back at 2008, it's clear that law firms were in need for a solution like ours. For years, SaaS has been successfully applied to sales force automation, HR and payroll, project management, and other mission critical businesses. The legal industry, traditionally slow to adopt technology, was ready.
2008 was a year of getting started, dipping the toes, and commencing a dialog about online practice management. But as 2009 draws near, the concept of web-based legal practice management will no longer be brand new. So what's in store for the coming year? Here are some of my thoughts:
1) Expect more features.
What you'll most likely see over the course of the next year is increased feature parity among the online legal practice management and time and billing providers. As the online apps begin to approach the functionality of their desktop counterparts, watch for a trend towards standard features, such as documents and increased integration with standard apps. You will also see web-only features gain prominence, such as integration with other online applications (i.e. Google Maps) and client portals.
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