Written by John Federico

Windows 8 certainly seems to be controversial, and the main item of controversy seems to be the new Windows 8 Start Screen. I have read numerous articles regarding all sorts of "workarounds" from how to bypass the start screen and boot directly into the desktop, and other articles that recommend all sorts of start screen replacements that add something similar to the Windows 7 Start Menu to the Windows 8 Desktop. I have also seen numerous comments by end users who hate the new start screen.

The first thought that pops into my head when I see these types of articles and comments is: "Why? Do you honestly find the Windows 8 Start Screen that difficult to use?"

Personally, I prefer the Start Screen to the old Start Menu. I usually only need about 10 to 12 applications in any given day, and having them all pinned as large icons to the start screen makes them far easier to access than the old hierarchical start menu. However, I would like to focus on a few user workflows and see "how difficult" the Windows 8 start screen is to use compared to Windows 7.x

When the iPad was first launched in April, 2010, many wondered if this really cool device would be a true productivity tool for professionals. Partner, Paul J. Unger, has dedicated a significant amount of time to digging into the iPad and application universe to distill the most productive ways to utilize an iPad as a legal professional. What he's found is the iPad is ideal for the legal professional because it's portable enough to suit the demands of your day but powerful enough to support legal research, document management, courtroom presentation and more.

I have around 56,000 files in 832 folders that I synchronize daily between my laptop and my server. By "synchronize," I mean that I want the files & folders on my laptop to be exactly the same as corresponding files & folders on my server. If files are added, deleted or changed on my laptop or the server, I want those changes mirrored on the other device. I specifically don't want or need my files in the cloud; and I don't want to run Dropbox on my server.

As many of you know, we have long recommended the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 as the go to scanner for legal professionals. You may have noticed that this model is no longer available on the Fujitsu website - although many vendors do still have them in stock if you want to stock up. 

The new model that Fujitsu is showing is the ScanSnap iX500 - let's discuss some items of note for this new scanner.

We are pleased to announce that we have completed testing of our software on the Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems and have updated the System Requirements on our Web Site and Knowledge Base to officially indicate this. During our testing of various platform combinations, we encountered an obscure issue that required a program change to our software. As a result, firms who use our software on Windows Server 2012 with one or more Windows 8 workstations need to make sure they update to Version 16.2.3.421 or later, which was posted November 29, 2012. The program change works around an intermittent caching issue with SMB 3, which is new in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.

To avoid problems, make sure that Windows Server 2012 users that have Windows 8 workstations have the most recent Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program files.

Let's start with a brief recap from my previous post and move into the final key concepts related to transitioning from Windows 7 to Windows 8.

If you missed Part I, you can find it HERE.

The Pew Research Center finds that 22 percent of U.S. adults polled own a tablet, while another 3 percent regularly use someone else's. Pew attributes the popularity to cheaper tablets released in late 2011. About 68 percent of tablet owners acquired their tablet within the last year, 32 percent in 2012 alone. Furthermore, according to Apple, cumulative world-wide sales reached 84 million as of September 21, 2012.

For legal professionals, the only real choice remains Apple's iPad. The wide selection of legal-specific apps for the iPad cannot be matched by competing Android tablets. Whether intended or not, Apple is winning that market. However, with success comes responsibility, and when it comes to lawyers, accountability, security & saving time is extremely important when serving clients. Here are five 'best-practice' recommendations and tips to make the most effective and safest use of iPads for lawyers.

I like Windows 8. There. I said it. I've seen numerous negative reviews of the interface and read several complaints about the lack of a "start menu" on the desktop, and yet, I haven't found either of those to be an issue at all. Personally, I like the new start screen. After customizing it, I can find my apps faster than I could under the old start menu. Windows 8 feels faster to me as well. After a brief adjustment period, I have found it very easy to use.

Before upgrading my work computer, I first upgraded at home. Both my wife and 9 year old daughter have found it easy to use. "Cool!" was my daughter's first response when I showed her the new start screen. As I showed her how to customize it, she pushed me aside and said "I want to do it". I haven't had to show her anything since then.

If you're a Mac-based lawyer practicing with attorneys who continue to rely on WordPerfect, you're faced with the fact that no one has made a version of WordPerfect for the Mac since version 3.5, which worked only on PowerPC Macs running Mac OS 9 or earlier. In other words, no hardware-software combination that Apple shipped in the last seven years. Fear not. There are options if you need to access WordPerfect documents. And they're cheap; from as little as $0 to as much as $80. Your options depend on your needs.

November 26, 2012, Tampa, FL-- Affinity Consulting Group, LLC (Affinity), which specializes in strategic technology and management solutions for law firms and legal departments of all sizes, has been awarded the LexisNexis Platinum Achievement Award for top PCLaw sales for the fourth consecutive year. Affinity, a LexisNexis Certified Independent Consultant (CIC), was recognized with the '2012 Top PCLaw Sales-Large CIC Firm' award as part of the annual CIC conference held October 18-20, 2012 in Raleigh, NC.

Affinity Consulting Group (Affinity), which specializes in strategic technology and management solutions for law firms and legal departments of all sizes, today announced its strategic partnership with Bellefield, a leader in mobile solutions for legal, and its flagship mobile timekeeping product iTimeKeep.

Affinity, which already uses iTimeKeep internally to help mobile consultants track time, will provide its clients with the iTimeKeep™ app as well as integrations between iTimeKeep and firms' existing time and billing systems. Focused on usability and simplicity, Bellefield Mobile Apps enable attorneys to access documents back at the office or, in the case of iTimeKeep, record time when they are away from their desks.

Amicus Premium 2012 includes exciting enhancements that will have a real impact on your daily workflow.

The Time Entry Assistant, Documents Module, Phone Messages by Email and Google sync will change the way you use Amicus. You will provide better service to your clients, and improve your productivity.

Watch our brief video below to see these features in action.

For more information, or to schedule a personalized demonstration of Amicus 2012 for your firm, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Did you know that Worldox Gx3 Professional allows you to copy email messages that have been saved in Worldox, back into Microsoft Outlook?

Perhaps you need to edit, attach or just follow-up on an email that has already been safely stored in Worldox, and copying that message back to Outlook would make things easier.

Partner Barron Henley, Esq. and Director of Education, Jennifer Ramovs collaborated on this recent article published in the upcoming edition of the ALA's Legal Management. 

Barron and Jenn discuss how technology can boost efficiency and how to make sound decisions with your IT budget so that you get the technology you need and the training necessary to ensure that you can get a solid return on your investment.

Click HERE to read more

ALA Members, be sure to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it about taking advantage of exclusive member benefits from Affinity Consulting.

This Friday, June 20th, our own Greg Bray will be presenting as part of the reccuring "Feature Friday" webinar series put on by Lexis Nexis. Greg will be presenting from 12PM EST - 1PM EST - you can register for this FREE webinar HERE.