Worldox is the perfect location to manage all of your Outlook messages as they relate to your clients and your firm, however you need to understand that the MODIFIED DATE on an email message will change when you open and message and hit reply!

The reason for this is apparent if you open any message that you have previously replied to - you will see the notation that "YOU REPLIED TO THIS MESSAGE ON...." in the message header. The message has been modified to include this tracking information, which in turn means that the file modified date is changed. This often throws out the chronological listing of messages when sorted by MODIFIED DATE.

Staples is one of my favorite places to buy the tech products I need for my appellate practice. It is also my primary source for supplies such as paper, pens, etc. I have no affiliation with Staples other then my appreciation for the fact that they had the wisdom to open a store in the strip mall closest to my home/office. Now Staples is selling Amazon's market-leading Kindle ebook reader. The Wi-Fi only model is $139 while the Wi-Fi plus 3G model is $189 (a better value for the ability to download ebooks easily while traveling). It is available in-store only, so as not to compete with Amazon's on-line sales of the device. But this development gives you the chance for a hands-on test before you buy - something that was not possible when Amazon's web site was the only Kindle source. While I think the much more expensive Kindle DX (apparently not available at Staples stores) has more appeal to lawyers because its larger screen makes it easier to read PDF files (our format of choice for digital documents), the latest versions of the regular-sized Kindle also include native PDF reading capability. And it is possible to email PDF files to Amazon for conversion to Kindle's "text flow" format and then wireless download the converted document to your Kindle for easier reading.

This post comes from Bill Lipner and his Lawyer PDF blog. If you use a document management system (DMS) such as Worldox, you should be aware of the integration options between DMS and a PDF content management system such as pdfDocs. In the full post at the link above, Bill explains that without tight integration between document management and PDF content management, your firm is exposed to information risk and users spend extra time on tasks that could be more efficient.

The Legal Technology Institute (LTI) at the University of Florida's Levin College of Law issued its detailed CASE, MATTER, & PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM STUDY earlier this year. An executive summary by the Institute's Director, Andrew Z. Adkins III, can be downloaded here. It is an interesting read for anyone involved in making technology decisions for their firm. Among the "surprising" findings is how few lawyers are using dual monitor setups despite the well-documented benefits of such an arrangement. Less than one-third of lawyers reported using more than one monitor, with the percentage higher in large firms than in small ones. Adkins recommends what we have suggested here and in our newsletter on several occasions, "With costs of an extra monitor less than $200, law firms and legal departments should explore this benefit of increased productivity (and billable time)." Small law firms surged ahead of large firms in the adoption of MS Word 2007, with large firms and corporations continuing to use Word 2003. Perhaps the greatest missed opportunity for law firms of all sizes, including solo practitioners, is the failure to improve productivity by implementation of a Document Management System (DMS). Adkins wrote: It still amazes me that law firms and legal departments have not implemented document management. Our 2000 ASP Study (Legal Technology Institute - iManage, Inc. Application Service reported less than 50% of the legal profession did not use a document management system.This year, our CMS Study reports the same – more than half of the respondents (52%) indicated they do use a document management system. Larger firms and legal departments did, however, report a higher use of DMS (80%) than those in smaller firms and legal departments. Of those that use a DMS, reported a higher use of iManage WorkSite than OpenText/Hummingbird or WORLDOX. Our experience is that law firms of every size realize significant productivity gains from a properly-implemented document management system (DMS). I recall a visit to a public law department approximately six years ago to present the full range of software solutions we thought could help improve the department's productivity. Public budgets being limited, they could afford to purchase and implement only one type of solution. They selected a document management system, in that case Worldox. In their view it was the one addition that would add the most to their overall productivity. It was a wise decision. For nearly all small and mid-sized firms, including solos, the right DMS choice is likely to be Worldox for its reasonable cost, flexibility, scalability as you grow, ability to integrate with other key law office software, and its ease of use. We use it ourselves. If you would like to learn more about Worldox and how it can improve your firm's productivity, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.

We are fans of Fujitsu's ScanSnap line of document scanners. Depending on your firm's needs, we frequently recommend ScanSnap scanners to our clients. Many of us use ScanSnaps in our own offices. If you have a ScanSnap, or even if you don't, consider subscribing to the ScanSnap email newsletter. The July issue contains tips on avoiding the top five office productivity killers and how to use LexisNexis Time Matters as a Document Management system. Every issue also contains tips on how to more effectively use your ScanSnap scanner and software. This month's tip is how to save time by skipping the document preview when scanning. Subscribe to the ScanSnap newsletter here.

The large-screen Amazon Kindle DX has the been the ebook reader for choice for lawyers to use in their practices. It's larger screen, higher-capacity storage, long battery life, and native PDF compatibility gave it an edge over other ebook readers. Then Apple released the iPad earlier this year. The iPad is not an ebook reader per se, although it can be used for that purpose. But it is really a slate computer that has too many compromises to make it an ideal ebook reader, such as a backlit screen instead of e-ink and much shorter battery life. Despite these shortcomings as an ebook reader, the iPad is a very cool device in other ways. However, if you don't already have an iPad, and your are interested in a slate computer as an alternative to a notebook or netbook, you may want to wait for the release later this year of Cisco's business-oriented Cius slate (aka tablet) computer that will run the Android operating system. Apple's iPad sparked a price war among traditional e-ink based ebook readers such as the Kindle. Last week Amazon dropped the price on its standard-sized Kindle to just $189, making it a true bargain. Even better, today only (July 1), you can buy a Kindle for only $150 (plus $5 shipping) on the Woot web site. Woot is now owned by Amazon. Well the price war has finally hit the "lawyer's Kindle" - the larger DX model. Amazon dropped the price by $110 to $379, making it substantially cheaper than the cheapest iPad. Of course, that is an apples and oranges comparison anyway, but if what you really want and need is an ebook reader, this price drop makes your decision much easier. Not only did the price drop, but Amazon now offers the DX in a more "lawyerly" graphite gray color and improved the contrast of its e-ink screen by 50% so it will be easier to read and display graphics (in gray-scale, of course) more realistically. How can a lawyer use the DX in his/her practice? Read our earlier blog post here. Now the original Kindle DX (which I have owned and used in my appellate practice since its release over a year ago) can be purchased refurbished from Amazon for $249.99. It has the standard warranty and Amazon's regular 30-day return policy. Also big news on the Kindle front is the release of a Kindle app for the Android operating system. Those of you with a Kindle account and an Android cell phone have not, until now, been able to read your book purchases on the high-res screens on your phones. Now you can. I installed the new (free) Android Kindle app on my Motorola Droid. It works very well. I have access to all of my ebooks and they are quire readable on the bright and crisp Droid screen. That will probably get better once I receive my pre-ordered Droid X with an even larger screen in mid-July.

I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the triennial Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference last week. During the Conference's Tech Tips session, I used my netbook computer to demonstrate efiling of an appeal brief using the Michigan Court of Appeals system operated by WizNet. As a Michigan-licensed lawyer residing over 1,000 miles away from the nearest court I practice in, efiling has been a huge benefit to me and cost saver for my clients. Even those whose office is a few blocks from their local trial or appellate court house will save money and time by efiling. In Michigan, as in most places, efiling is accomplished by converting your Word briefs and motions to PDF format, usually via Adobe Acrobat. Although rules will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the Michigan Court of Appeals provides a nice primer on how to adjust the settings of Adobe Acrobat to create PDF files better suited for efiling. For example, setting Acrobat to automatically create Bookmarks from the headings in your Word document and setting the resultant PDF doccument to open with the Bookmarks pane visible can be a time-saver and make the document more user-friendly for the reader. Consider downloading the guide from the Michigan Court of Appeals web site. It will be useful no matter where you practice. And be sure to check our Affinity University schedule for our excellent webinars and in-person seminars on using Adobe Acrobat in the law office.

When you scan a document, chances are the resultant PDF file is merely an image of the original document without a searchable OCR layer. PDF images are not nearly as useful to a law practice as are searchable PDFs. While many scanning applications can automatically convert PDF images to searchable PDFs as part of the scanning process, doing so can slow the process to a crawl. Anything that slows the scanning process will make you or your staff less likely to scan everything that comes into the office. Discouraging scanning is the last thing you want to do. One answer is to buy or upgrade your version of Adobe Acrobat from Standard to Professional. Standard does a great job of applying OCR to PDF images and turning them into searchable PDFs. But it does so one document at a time. If you need to convert a whole folder worth of documents, the process is tedious and time consuming. But Acrobat Professional allows batch processing of a large number (potentially hundreds) of documents at a time. For this feature alone, the upgrade from Standard to Professional is worth the price (typically in the $160 range per license). There are also other benefits relating to the creation of forms, redacting functions, document comparison capabilities, etc. Although a bit out-of-date, this blog post from Acrobat for Life Sciences details the steps to set up batch conversion of PDF images to searchable PDFs. There is a similar post from the ABA. Of course, batch OCR processing of multiple files is memory and processor intensive, so you will want to do this on a spare computer or at times when you are not using your computer for other functions. I know a tech-oriented appellate specialist in Detroit who gets extra duty out of his inexpensive Intel Atom-powered netbook by using it for scanning and batch OCR while at the office, then unplugs it from the office network and takes it on the road while traveling. That's squeezing great value out of a sub-$400 computer. Since learning of this idea, I've also done it with great success using my Toshiba NB205 netbook and an old spare copy of Acrobat 6 Professional I had in my junk drawer. You don't even need to leave your desk to do this because you can use any of several methods (Windows Remote Desktop via Live Mesh if the netbook has XP Home, LogMeIn, VNC, GoToMyPC, etc.) to remote into the netbook (or any spare computer) from your primary PC to open Acrobat and trigger the batch OCR process. As a Live Mesh user, I typically use Remote Desktop for this purpose.

Worldox, one of the world's leading document management systems (DMS) for law firms and legal departments, recently joined the on-line www.legalrelay.com rating and review service. If you are a Worldox user (and we hope you are - it is an outstanding document management solution for firms of all sizes, types, and specialties), you can share your opinions about Worldox. Doing so will help Worldox respond to your concerns and make its software even better. The database of user responses will also be useful to other law firms as they decide which DMS to choose. This is from a recent notice from Worldox: It's simple and easy to post a Relay for Worldox. Just click this link: Relay: Worldox and select the Worldox product on the right. Then, click “Relay Now!”, select 1 to 5 stars, write a few sentences and click “submit”. Relays may be posted anonymously and you are not required to register on the site – only your email address is needed and it won't be shared with anybody outside the LegalRelay organization. (If you wish to have a user name appear below your review, you can change your profile after creating an account.)”

Affinity-Atlanta's Steven Best was interviewed by Worldox Tech Talk TV at the recent Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) conference in Boston. He explains the breadth and depth of services offered by Affinity Consulting Group in this 3.5 minute video. Steve focuses on how to reduce the burdensome flow of paper through the law office. See the interview here.

DocsCorp is offering firms a “buy 2 licenses, get 1 free” discount until December 15th on the leading suite of PDF creation and management software. Certain conditions apply – the discount is valid only on the purchase of pdfDocs Bundle, pdfDocs desktop, formFiller, and/or compareDocs. The offer does not include OCR server. There is a minimum purchase of 20 licenses. Firms interested in taking advantage of this offer should contact their Affinity Consulting Group partner company for more information.

Here's a chance to get a nice discount on the top-rated law office Document Management System (DMS) from Worldox. Firms that currently have another document management system, i.e. Hummingbird, DocsOpen, etc. and are interested in switching to Worldox are eligible to receive a $45.00 discount per license until the end of the year (promotion ends on December 31, 2009). You must currently have another DMS solution in place in order to qualify for this promotion. Contact your Affinity Consulting Group partner company for details on this discount.

The Fujitsu ScanSnap series, particularly the new S1500 model, has become the most frequently recommended desktop document scanner for law firms. It is cheap at $500 (or less) and comes with a full version of Adobe Acrobat Standard (although most buyers will want to upgrade to Acrobat Professional for about $150). But there may be a new scanner speed champ on the throne. It is the Canon DR-2850C. A bit more expensive at $700 to $800, it may be worth the extra money. A PC Magazine comparison test found the Canon to be the fasted scanner they've tested in producing searchable PDF documents, which, after all, is what most firms want as the end product of their scanning efforts. According to PC Magazine, the DR-2850C (incredibly) scans and performs the OCR needed for searchable PDF's as fast as scanning alone: For the combined tasks of scanning, recognizing text, and saving in searchable PDF format–generally a more important task in real-world document scanning–the results were even more impressive. This is one of the few scanners we've seen that takes no more time for scanning, recognizing, and saving than it does for simply scanning and saving. Another advantage the DR-2850C has over the ScanSnap is that the Canon product comes with both Twain and ISIS drivers, meaning it will work with any software. It also comes with Acrobat Standard (version 7), but no document management software. The ScanSnap is no slouch, and will probably continue to be at the top of consultants' list of recommended desktop document scanners. But before buying, taking a close look at the Canon. It has the potential to be more versatile thanks to its standard drivers - and is it ever fast!