Practice Tips - Computer Software
Buying new time and billing software? Be sure to read Oh the software you'll find! Finding the right time and billing software for your firm in the May 2003 issue of the South Carolina Lawyer.
Good news for WordPerfect 5.1 DOS die-hards: Corel WordPerfect� Office 11 has been released and playing on nostalgia, it gives the user the option of setting the appearance to look like the old DOS version, blue screen, white letters and all. A new feature is the ability to print Reveal Codes� to view the formatting of your document in hard copy.
Do you have pirated software? The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the world's primary enforcement agency for software piracy, collected $12.8 million in settlements last year. Companies are commonly turned in by disgruntled employees or IT consultants who spot irregularities. Make sure your firm's software is licensed, and that employees aren't installing illegal software on office PCs.
Tip for Word users: The SC Bar Lending Library has added two new books, "Word 2000 for Law Firms" and "Word 2002 for Law Firms," both from Payne Consulting Group. To view the tables of contents, go to www.payneconsulting.com and click on "Publications."
Tip for WordPerfect users converting to Word: If you miss WordPerfect's "reveal codes," Levit & James makes a product called "CrossEyes" that is like "reveal codes" for Word. For pricing information and to download a free demo, go to http://www.levitjames.com.
More tips for WordPerfect users converting to Word: Need help creating tables of authorities or numbering paragraphs in Word? A product called "Numbering Assistant" makes it easy to insert automatic numbering schemes in Word documents. Available for under $100 at http://www.payneconsulting.com.
Just because it's brand-new...doesn't mean your software or operating system is finished! In the time that elapsed since the product was manufactured and sold, the company's engineers were busy "tweaking" and fixing "bugs." Now it is up to you to do your part (or to make sure your computer person does his or hers). Go to the software maker's Web site and look for updates, patches, or "service packs" to download to your PC. Be sure to note whether the update will install automatically, or if you have to install it yourself. Not sure if the software version you have is the most recent? Open up any software, click "Help" on the Menu bar, and then "About (software name)." This will tell you which version you have installed.
Jazz up PowerPoint presentations. If you are uninspired by the clip art that came with your PowerPoint software, don't despair. The Microsoft Office Design Gallery Live offers hundreds more choices for free. All you need is a valid license for any of a number of Microsoft products.
Tip for Palm handheld computer users: Enter your billable time on your handheld PC using software designed for the Palm operating system: TimeReporter� www.iambic.com; and DTE� InHand www.aps-soft.com. The information entered can then be transferred to your case management or billing system in your office.
Tip for successful case management: Before configuring new case management software, plan on paper how you would like to streamline your practice. Make a checklist of all your procedures - from opening a case to closing it - then decide which steps you may be able to eliminate.
Track phone calls using Outlook: In Microsoft Outlook 2000, double-click the contact you are calling. On the Actions menu, click New Journal Entry for Contact. Click the Start Timer button. Take notes in the space provided. When done, click Pause Timer and save your entry. To view later, open contact, click Activities, then in the Show list, click Journal.
Sort Outlook contacts by categories: Wouldn't it be nice to sort contacts by business type or company name instead of looking at one long alphabetical list? Right click on a contact name and choose "categories." Choose one or more of the categories listed or create your own (i.e., "XYZ Company"). To sort all contacts by category, click "View," "Current view," "By Category."
End the "shotgun" approach to choosing new software...With help from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center's Checklist for Purchasing Software for the Law Office. Follow the seven simple steps in this checklist for a more analytical approach to buying software. Download or print your free copy at http://www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/fyidocs/techselectcheckfyi.html.
Do you have pirated software? The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the world's primary enforcement agency for software piracy, collected $12.8 million in settlements last year. Companies are commonly turned in by disgruntled employees or IT consultants who spot irregularities. Make sure your firm's software is licensed, and that employees aren't installing illegal software on office PCs.
Tip for Word users: The SC Bar Lending Library has added two new books, "Word 2000 for Law Firms" and "Word 2002 for Law Firms," both from Payne Consulting Group. To view the tables of contents, go to www.payneconsulting.com and click on "Publications."
Tip for WordPerfect users converting to Word: If you miss WordPerfect's "reveal codes," Levit & James makes a product called "CrossEyes" that is like "reveal codes" for Word. For pricing information and to download a free demo, go to http://www.levitjames.com.
More tips for WordPerfect users converting to Word: Need help creating tables of authorities or numbering paragraphs in Word? A product called "Numbering Assistant" makes it easy to insert automatic numbering schemes in Word documents. Available for under $100 at http://www.payneconsulting.com.
Just because it's brand-new...doesn't mean your software or operating system is finished! In the time that elapsed since the product was manufactured and sold, the company's engineers were busy "tweaking" and fixing "bugs." Now it is up to you to do your part (or to make sure your computer person does his or hers). Go to the software maker's Web site and look for updates, patches, or "service packs" to download to your PC. Be sure to note whether the update will install automatically, or if you have to install it yourself. Not sure if the software version you have is the most recent? Open up any software, click "Help" on the Menu bar, and then "About (software name)." This will tell you which version you have installed.
Jazz up PowerPoint presentations. If you are uninspired by the clip art that came with your PowerPoint software, don't despair. The Microsoft Office Design Gallery Live offers hundreds more choices for free. All you need is a valid license for any of a number of Microsoft products.
Tip for Palm handheld computer users: Enter your billable time on your handheld PC using software designed for the Palm operating system: TimeReporter� www.iambic.com; and DTE� InHand www.aps-soft.com. The information entered can then be transferred to your case management or billing system in your office.
Tip for successful case management: Before configuring new case management software, plan on paper how you would like to streamline your practice. Make a checklist of all your procedures - from opening a case to closing it - then decide which steps you may be able to eliminate.
Track phone calls using Outlook: In Microsoft Outlook 2000, double-click the contact you are calling. On the Actions menu, click New Journal Entry for Contact. Click the Start Timer button. Take notes in the space provided. When done, click Pause Timer and save your entry. To view later, open contact, click Activities, then in the Show list, click Journal.
Sort Outlook contacts by categories: Wouldn't it be nice to sort contacts by business type or company name instead of looking at one long alphabetical list? Right click on a contact name and choose "categories." Choose one or more of the categories listed or create your own (i.e., "XYZ Company"). To sort all contacts by category, click "View," "Current view," "By Category."
End the "shotgun" approach to choosing new software...With help from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center's Checklist for Purchasing Software for the Law Office. Follow the seven simple steps in this checklist for a more analytical approach to buying software. Download or print your free copy at http://www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/fyidocs/techselectcheckfyi.html.
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