As more of legal practice and life moves to the Internet we are forced to use a web browser and they are not created equal. It is no secret that Internet Explorer is not a great web browser.  This video gives you an overview of some good options:  Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Camino.  Expand the Article for Links to download the browsers.

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To create documents many of us use Microsoft Word and to work with digital documents we use Acrobat.  Those two programs together with the features of the operating system is often all we need to do most things in a law office.   Of all the things I have learned about computers and the web, this topic is perhaps the most important.  Styles gives complete control over the way documents look, allow simultaneous formatting throughout an entire document, and how Word creates tables of contents in seconds.  This movie is the first video in the Paperless Express Step 2.1 Making Office Letterhead which includes a video on tables of contents as well.

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Some documents, e.g. anything submitted to a court, requires text, e.g. the the descriptive captions, that can be very difficult to format with spaces, return, and tab. Text boxes solve the problem very easily. A text box operates independent of the rest of the document so you can drag it around, put it where you like and have your papers look exactly how you like.  Word 2007 has a number of decorative text boxes that can be useful for letterhead or marketing materials but the "Draw text box" function from the insert menu is the basic item useful for pleadings...

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While Indexed Search on the Desktop, i.e. the ability to search your computer in the same way we search the web, has reduced our organizational burden, good file names are still very helpful.  My clients and colleagues sometimes resist increasing the number of digital files on their office because it is time consuming to rename files with titles that can be helpful.  This concern need not hold you up at all because the same cut, copy, and paste approach we use all the time can be used to rename files very quickly.  In this movie, I use a few keyboard shortcuts to really speed things up and rename a series of cases for my research library.

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I have used several different systems to bill time but no matter which one I used I always found myself collecting  post -it notes and scraps of paper from around my office to input the time into the system.  The PDF Timecard and Portfolio are my solution to that process.  As PDF these files are easy to work with and one way to track time in a paperless law office.   In my view,  a paperless law office means little more than  getting comfortable using a computer and  this billing series is part of the Paperless Express Step on Designing Work flows and Procedures...

Download OSLC Time Sheet

Download OSLC Time Portfolio

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Compatibility is a Myth: Macs Do it All Including run Windows

Many think that using a Mac will sequester them into a finite and esoteric realm of the digital world; the opposite is true.  Using a Mac has no impact on email or Internet use and the applications included with OS X - Mac Mail 3.1 and the web browser, Safari – are far superior to their Windows counterparts-Windows Mail and Internet Explorer. The essential desktop applications, Microsoft Office and Abode Acrobat, have Mac versions and a PDF or Word file are the same regardless of the operating system. 

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It may be rare to definitely state that something is simply better than something else but I have concluded that Mac is simply better than PC.  It took me about a year to elevate what I once considered my opinion about personal preference, to the status of objective conclusion.  During that time, I have discovered more reasons why Macs are better for lawyers than PCs.

Windows Woes
In the beginning, I used Windows and  assumed there would be a learning curve but thought time spent in training would be repaid at least ten fold in productivity.  I accepted the error messages, complex configurations, and disruptions caused by unresponsive programs, and viruses as an unavoidable price for the convenience of modern technology.  However, as I significantly increased my technical ability, Windows remained cumbersome, complicated and unreliable.

I dreamed of a practice as a freelance legal writer working with remote clients and needed to know computers to span the distance.  With Windows I was about to give up on that dream.  In desperation and as a last resort, I turned to Apple and they saved me.... 

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Every Paperless Law Office must be based on solid technology, there is nothing more solid than Apple.  In this step I will give an overview of your new Mac and show you to set it up so that you will never have to worry about losing data and never have to remember to back anything up.

Recommended outside video:

Mac to PC Basics from Apple

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Computers can bring automation, efficiency, and predictability and you will leave the Paperless Express.  In this step we will establish:

• Client intake system
• Client Billing System
• Calendaring System
• Create Office Letterhead and work with Microsoft Word

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The allure of a tablet is that we can write directly on the screen using a pen stylus.  Tablets come in slate and convertible varieties.  The slate is only a screen, the convertible looks like a notebook but the screen can be rotated and folded down over the keyboard.  I used a Gateway convertible for a time and Vista includes what was XP tablet edition as a part of Vista, so all versions of Vista support a pen stylus. 

In my view, enhanced tablet functionality while convenient, is not enough to compensate for the shortcomings of Windows. For Mac users, I recommended the Wacom Bamboo tablet.

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As a freelancee lawyer, I often work with remote clients, the Postcard is one way deliver everything all once and organized. The PDF Postcard resolves the problem.  I am sure you will find it handy. 

This article includes video support and free file download.

Go to the Video Gallery to Watch the Entire Video Series

Download PDF Postcard

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There really isn’t much to going paperless, If you want to capture the benefits a digital law office,  I have prepared a Paperless Express that will get you there very quickly and prepare you for just about anything your practice will throw at you. It is simple, tested, specific, and based on the best systems available today.

The Series starts at getting the Mac out of the box and takes you though every step to get your office moving with the simplest and most effective tech out there.  The program is based on the idea that a computer operating system, a word processor and Acrobat cover a huge majority of what's required to run a law office and therefore much of the program is about those "basics."  In short, a Paperless Law Office is largely about being comfortable using a computer.  

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This one was true back in the old day when Mac users had to press the “option”
key in conjunction with a click to produce a right click and bring up the contextual pop up menu. 

However, the latest Apple muse called a “Mighty “Mouse” may look like a one button mouse but it has sensitivity on both sides to detect when a user wants to make a right of left click.

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