9/25/13
The Frugal Firm
Abra C. Siegel Siegel Law Offices, Ltd. 875 N Michigan Ave , 31st Floor Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 869-4279 Email: siegellawoffi[email protected] www.linkedin.com/in/abrasiegel
Marc W. Matheny 244 N. College Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 639-3315 Email: [email protected] h p://www.marcmathenylaw.com
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The Frugal Law Firm
FRUGAL DOES NOT MEAN “CHEAP”
Don’t break the bank.
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Essen al Law Firm Technology
• Core System: Mac or PC • Communica ons: Telephone, Email • Finances: Accoun ng / Time & Billing • Workflow: Document Management • Systems: Prac ce Management • Mobility: Smartphones and Tablets
The Next Level
• Document Assembly / Document Automa on • Strategy, Tac cs and Execu on: Li ga on So ware • Specialty So ware • Advocacy Presenta on Tools • No Hands: Voice Recogni on an Digital Dicta on So ware
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TIME TO UPGRADE? • PC / Mac – average lifespan 3-5 years
• Server – 5-7 years
• Opera ng Systems and So ware – Support / No Support – “Go a Have it Syndrome”
Copiers Scanners Fax • All in One • Separate Components • Copiers / Printers – Inkjet v. Laser – Costs of Use
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Desktop Scanners • Fujitsu ScanSnap – One Touch Scanning – Adobe Acrobat Pro – OCR So ware • Hitachi Magic Wand Can scan bound pages
Smartphones
• iPhone • Android • Windows • Apps
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Alterna ve Telephone Systems
• Cell Phones: Who needs a landline? • VOIP • Online Hosted Services
Tablets and Apps • iPad • Android • Windows Surface Inexpensive Apps Mobile and Easy to Use
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Email and Email Systems
Ø Mozilla Thunderbird Ø Gmail Ø Case Management So ware
• Word Processing • Presenta on • Spreadsheets
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Case Management Tools
Time & Billing
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Pdf’ing
Alterna ves to Tradi onal Case Management So ware • Telephone text messaging • Google Calendar texts
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Credit Card$
Credit Card$ • Advantages • Disadvantages • Ethical Issues
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VIRTUAL RECEPTIONIST
• NO employee costs. • Accessible – any me – anywhere
OFF-SITE TELEPHONE ANSWERING • What are your needs? – Direc ons? – Pricing? – Docke ng? – Poten al client screening?
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WEB BASED FAX
• E-Fax (h p://www.efax.com/) • FaxToMe
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Encryp on So ware • True Crypt • Sopho’s Free Encryp on • AxCrypt • AES Crypt • ds crypt • MS Word
• Google • Mozilla – Sunbird – Lightning for Thunderbird • IOS • Outlook
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An -virus An -malware An -spyware • Automa cally install updates • Subscrip ons must be renewed and kept up to date • Must they always be ac ve?
FRUGAL FIRM ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH • Start with Google • Know your Operators (“” / - / ~ /SITE: ) • Did you know that the ABA Sells a “Google for Lawyers” Book? (Shameless Plug)
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Online Legal Research
More Online Sources FREE SITES Public Records Directory Legal Informa on Ins tute (Cornell University (www.law.cornell.edu)
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More Online Sources • US and Canada Public Records Directory (www.publicrecords.searchsystems.net/)
• United States Prin ng Office (www.gpoaccess.gov) • Illinois Municipal League (IML) o (Sterling Codifiers offers free statewide searching)
WEB PRESENCE
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LAW FIRM WEBSITES
SOCIAL MEDIA
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LAWYER REFERRAL / LAWYER DIRECTORIES • Bar Associa ons – ABA – State – Specialty – Local • Business Associa ons
WEB BASED LAW LOCATORS
A Necessary Evil?
• Be careful, be careful, be careful.
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MAPS
• Free Visionary – A free program similar to Trial Director - http:// www.visionarylegaltechnologies.com/ products/product.aspx?ProductsID=2
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• Freemind – Mindmap software - http:// freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/ Main_Page
GIMP – A Photoshop like product - http:// www.gofree.com/download/Windows- Software/Graphic-Design/gimp.php
• Sketchup – A program to help you with 3D Models http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/
DAZ Studio – For those who really want fancy 3D models – they have medical models you can purchase - http:// www.daz3d.com/
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• Timeline – Create Time Lines - http:// www.freewarefiles.com/ Timeline_program_61407.html
Skydrive -http://windows.microsoft.com/ en-US/skydrive/download
• THEFORMTOOL (similar to Pathogoras or HotDocs) See http://www.theformtool.com/ • Nitro Reader (form fill/highlight) •Cardmunch.com ( Iphone app)
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Flashdrives
• Useful for cheap Data Storage • Portable • Not very secure – Encryp on • So ware - TrueCrypt • Hardware - IronKey
What is on your Flashdrive?
• IronKey w/ – Firefox Portable (Browser) – Thunderbird Portable w/ Lightning (Email) – Apache Open Office Portable (Office Suite) – Spybot S&D Portable (Malware cleaner) – Sharepod (Ipod manager w/o iTunes) – Gimp (Free Photoshop clone) – Foxit (PDF Reader) – Arena 3.0 (Chess game)
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23 THE FRUGAL FIRM
Original Materials by: Marc W. Matheny, Esq. Patrick Crowley, Esq. Supplemented by: Abra Siegel, Esq.
The Frugal Firm is not “the cheap firm,” or the one that cuts corners unnecessarily. This is an introductory session to explore alternative solutions that can save you big bucks! Discover low cost alternatives to the products and services everyone assumes are necessary. Find free web based services, protect your systems from attack, and determine when it is time to upgrade without thinning your wallet. The frugal law firm is perhaps one which may have limited resources, or perhaps makes a conscientious decision to use available technology to its fullest prior to making the jump to what is perceived to be newer or better.
One of the important matters to address for a solo or small firm is that one cannot spend like a big firm. A small firm simply does not have the resources for imported leather chairs and mahogany paneling. Neither does a small firm have the resources for multiple servers, state of the art telephony and three monitors per work station. Much depends on the size of the firm and the ratio of staff per attorney, but in general, a solo or small firm does not have a per person overhead budget comparable to a large firm. Numbers dictate what can and cannot be accomplished, and the bottom line budget will determine the technology resources which are available.
We will try to show some technology tips for the uninitiated to get the most from lesser resources.
Essentials for a Law Office: At ABA TECHSHOW 2013, one of the featured topics was Top Ten Essential hardware and software for a law office [did this also get featered in 2013 – I was not at show?]. Those essentials have not changed and whether you are a frugal law firm or the techiest of high tech firms, you still need these essentials: • The Foundation: A Decent Computer System; o The Core Systems: o Communications: Telephony and E-mail; o Finances: Integrated Trust Accounting, Time & Billing and General Ledger Software; o Systems: Practice Management Software; o Mobility: Smartphones Tablets and Slates; o Workflow: The Paperless Office and Document Management; • The Next Level: o Efficiency: Document Assembly, Document Automation; o Strategy, Tactics and Execution: Litigation Software; o Specialty Software; o Advocacy: Presentation Tools; o No Hands: voice recognition and digital dictation software.1
No matter what you have otherwise, a strong core system, either a Mac or a PC, with a fast processor, plenty of memory and adequate space to store programs, documents and files.
This type of system should feature at least 2 GB or more of memory (preferably 4+ GB), a 320GB or larger hard drive, likely at least one 23-inch monitor, a 512MB+ video card, and a Pentium core duo or quad core processor running at a minimum speed of 2.0-3.0 GHz. As you add more memory, get a larger monitor, upgrade the video capability, or install CD-RW and DVD drive, the price will hit the top of the range.
A budget system will have a slower CPU, less memory, a smaller hard drive, a smaller monitor, etc.; and the converse is true for a high-end system. Users doing only
1 The Top Ten Hardware and Software You Can’t Live Without, Copyright © 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the Lawyers Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO7) and Richard Ferguson. Tablet Appendix Copyright © 2012 by Marc W. Matheny
basic things with limited software can get away with a budget computer. A power user or someone working with a large number of applications, voice recognition, or document imaging or video, should consider buying a higher end system.”2
Email and Email systems. There are a variety of email inbox tools, from the totally free services provided by Gmail and the inbox services such as Thunderbird, to the more traditional and most widely used email inbox, Microsoft Outlook.3 To take email one step further, you must purchase practice management software. Note Taking software. Many lawyers still use legal pads to take notes, but by using a cloud service, you can access your notes from anywhere with an internet connection. Evernote (www.evernote.com) is free.
Law Practice Management Software and Services: There are literally hundreds of law related practice management products that can either be based in house on a server, on an individual machine, or “in the cloud” with an internet based service. The Frugal Lawyer that purchases practice management tools may wish to purchase cloud based services simply factored upon the comparatively lower cost per month, and the fact that upgrades are included in the subscription package. However, over a period of several years, and over several attorneys and their staff’s work stations, it may be more “frugal” for the Frugal Firm to purchase stand-alone software such as Tabs³ ™, PracticeMaster™, Amicus™ and the like. It has been said that case management software is like marriage -- for better or for worse, it is easier and cheaper to stick with one. It is not advisable to switch from brand to brand, as no case management system is fully compatible with another. You cannot, for instance, make the switch from Amicus to Abacus or to Tabs³ / PracticeMaster and expect that all information will seamlessly transfer.
Competition from the cloud has changed the face of case management software. Software faces major competition for the solo and small firm market waged by “Clio™”
2 The Top Ten Hardware and Software You Can’t Live Without, id.
3 For a comprehensive study of Microsoft Outlook, see, Microsoft Outlook for Lawyers, Ben Schorr © 2012. and “RocketMatter”™ as well as “Houdini”.™ There are certainly issues with each system, both good and bad, including a learning curve for each product. 4
Along with practice management software you’ll need time and bill and accounting software. Time and billing software is not necessarily an expensive proposition, and can be purchased for as little as a couple of hundred dollars. Established products like Timeslips®, Time Matters®, PCLaw®, as well as the aforementioned practice management software that, in some case will integrate into accounting software such as QuickBooks Pro.®
There are non-legal packages such as: QuickBooks, MYOB (Mac and Windows) and Simply Accounting. Then there are integrated general, trust and time and billing packages such as: PCLaw, ESI-LAW, Brief Accounting Mac and Windows) and LegalVision. Finally there are fully integrated, case management and financial accounting systems with time and billing B these products are ProLaw and LawStream.5 A small independent study of practice management software, time and billing software and accounting software used by solo and small firm lawyers in one Midwestern state in 2011, revealed startling results. QuickbooksPro®, which is not meant to be an attorney’s time and billing software program, was being used for just that purpose by a great number, even a majority of small firm lawyers who responded to the survey. Granted, QBP is a moderately priced program, and it can keep track of multiple accounts, but those that use non-lawyer sensitive programs to balance IOLTA accounts and so forth, may be running the risk of falling into the category of being technology reckless rather than frugal.
A very good comparison chart of Practice / Case Management Software and is available at the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center website: http://tinyurl.com/d7d8p95
4 Marc Matheny, Essential Technology for a Small Firm, ABA Law Practice Magazine, March 2012. 5 The Top Ten Hardware and Software You Can’t Live Without, id. Alternatives to traditional Practice Management Software
Google Calendar can be accessed at your PC and can be linked to just about any mobile device. With this type of electronic calendar, appointments can be set and standard timed notification messages, text messages, or e-mail reminders can be sent to yourself, your secretary, or to any people you wish. Text message reminders of events such as upcoming court dates can be also programmed in to be sent to clients with services such as www.ohdontforget.com and www.textmemos.com.
When these calendaring and notification options are paired with some of the other services and “paperless” systems for sending letters and electronic invoices; it is possible to function without practice management software at all.
Phone systems
We will leave it to you to shop around for the best phone option for your office because these prices tend to vary greatly based on company and geography, but the frugal lawyer should know the diference between a traditional phone system and a Voice Over IP (VOIP) system.
Traditional phone lines require a traditional phone signal to be brought into your office via old-school phone wiring. Traditional phones also will require you to pay a set fee for each phone number and each “line” you have. VOIP systems utilize a data stream which comes in over your broadband lines. Depending on your broadband pipeline, you can add numerous “lines” and numerous numbers for what will normally be a much smaller fee. Both of these options will generally require some type of phone system to make use of the multiple lines once it gets into your office.
Another fine option for the frugal lawyer who wishes to avoid the cost of a phone system, is a hosted VOIP system like www.vocalocity.com. Hosted systems allow you to use the Host's phone system for all of your phone calls, voicemail, call forwarding, and menu trees. The advantage is that all of those services reside in the cloud... you can access your phones from anywhere there is a broadband signal. The frugal lawyer may also wish to make use of such services as www.vonage.com and www.magicjack.com for inexpensive extra phone lines. These services depend greatly on your broadband access and download rates, so choose wisely.
Slates, Tablets and iPads ™. Tablets in one form or another have been around for nearly as long as laptop computers. In its present incarnation, a pad, slate or tablet is a small, extremely lightweight (3 pounds or less) computer with a 7 to 10 inch high resolution screen, without an internal hard drive for storage. The primitive tablet allowed the user to spin the screen of a laptop computer and allowed some simple screen touch and screen writing with a stylus. Tablets have come a long way since then, largely due to the explosion in the Apple™ iPad™ which registered staggering sales in 2010-2013. The iPad and its successors have had sales unprecedented in the computer hardware market.6 For mobility and ease of use, either for legal work or just for checking on the latest news over a cup of coffee, tablets have made a huge difference in attorney’s technology budgets. Whereas in the past, perhaps a second computer was a PC or Mac, now, a Droid tablet, Windows Surface tablet or iPad are now commonly seen in the courtroom. The frugal lawyer no longer has to wait on good hardware or for productivity apps to make a tablet a worthwhile economic choice.
Smartphones. Between the Google Droid, with its many manufacturers, the iPhone and its several incarnations and the newer Windows phone, smartphones have taken over the market. Who would have thought ten years ago that Palm phones, PDA’s and Blackberries would be as stale as three week old bread by 2013? But – they are. Smartphones are, for all of the many things they can do, email, surf the web, and check your calendar, in the grand scheme of things, very cheap to purchase. Perhaps the Droid, iPhone or Windows phone are the single most important electronic device in a lawyers briefcase – (if one even bothers to carry a briefcase with all of a client’s file easily available for review, demonstration or presentation to a judge or jury with a few swipes on a tablet or phone). If you have an unlimited data plan on your smart phone,
6 Essential Technology, Matheny, id. go to www.JuneFabrics.com and download PDAnet, to give your laptop high speed internet anywhere your phone gets reception.
Credit Cards. With the introduction of the Square™ credit card swiping system in the past year or so, many if not most credit card companies are offering credit card swiping devices adaptable to your tablet or phone, and at little and most times no extra cost at all to the lawyer.
Several states allow clients to pay attorney fees with PayPal. In Indiana, for example however, taking payments with PayPal can get a lawyer in trouble with the Disciplinary Commission. Indiana prohibits credit card user fees being taken out of attorney trust accounts. If your retainer is based upon time centered billing, and the money from PayPal does not go directly to your IOLTA account, you may have violated the rules of attorney conduct by not depositing client funds directly into the IOLTA account prior to payment to the attorney. If your PayPal account is tied to your IOLTA account and the PayPal user fees are deducted from that account, you have likely violated the terms of your IOLTA account by not taking the user fees from the attorney operating account. However, if you do not bill on an hourly basis for example, PayPal could be used as a tool to collect fees.
Read and review your own state, commonwealth, territory or province’s disciplinary rules thoroughly prior to setting up a PayPal or credit card account to accept fees.
Storage and Backup. To store in the cloud or through other means? The frugal lawyers who do not want to have their entire firm’s ability to access client matters, files and so forth lost when the inevitable crash occurs will probably choose to do … both! Mirror drives, internal or external hard-drives, backup utilities and software can be purchased for the cost of a couple of billable hours and the protection is well worth it. Backups are your insurance policy – certainly you would not think of avoiding fire or liability insurance, and your backup is your insurance policy that your office can be up and running in a matter of hours or minutes when the server or hard-drive on your machine crashes, the power surge or motherboard crashes, or any number of unexpected computer problems arise. If there is only one thought that the Frugal Firm can benefit is to backup, backup and backup again. Lost data is much more expensive to try to recover than the simple office protocol of backing up all machines every day and making sure that at least one backup is stored off site.
Online storage and file retention including Mozy™, and SpiderOak™ are quick and reliable. Apple and Mac (as well as iPad©, iPhone© and iPod Touch ) users will benefit from iCloud™, which will synch all of your devices. All of the above services are free for the basic user, with small fees charged if you need additional storage space.
A different take on online storage is Dropbox™ or its counterpart Maxie™, or Google Drive, which are online storage as well as online collaboration tools. Users can upload existing Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents from his or her computer hard drive to Google Drive, or create them in the first instance on Google Drive. Once a document is on Google Drive, its owner, and anyone with whom the owner has “shared” the document, can access it from any computer with an internet connection. The owner can even designate whether the persons with whom he or she “shared” the document may edit, comment or just view it. Similarly, Dropbox is an online tool that is useful every single day, either to store files, to invite others to “share” an online folder, or to avoid the necessity of mailing or emailing documents or folders back and forth. Because of security issues which were exposed more than a year ago, it is highly suggested to encrypt any sensitive materials deposited in a Dropbox. Dropbox is free, although the amount of storage space is limited. Users can obtain access to more storage space simply by referring others to Dropbox; when you join Dropbox, simply look at the top right-hand corner of the Dropbox webpage to find easy ways to expand your storage space. A frugal tool for storing business cards is Cardmunch, a free Iphone app that turns business cards into contacts. LinkedIn profile information and connections in common are automatically displayed. Speaking of collaboration, Join.Me offers a free online screen sharing and internet calling for up to 10 participants, Collabradabra, which the frugal small firm can use to collaborate with clients or employees. If you are considering using any of the “cloud” storage tools discussed above, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Icloud, the frugal lawyer should consider the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center collection of relevant ethics opinions, at http://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources/re sources/charts_fyis/OBSethicsfyi.html.
If you do not store a lot of data on the hard-drive of your PC or Mac, a USB flash drive may be all that is necessary to back up most of the data on your machine. USB flash drives are handy and portable, and if you don’t pick up a few free ones here and there, small 4-8 GB flash drives up to TB flash drives can be purchased at the local big box store, hardware store or electronics outlet for anything from a few dollars and up, but a lot of space can be purchased for little money, and it’s money well spent.
Copier / Scanner / Fax. Although many combination fax/scanner/copiers are available, the bottom line is what is most convenient and practical for your situation. As desktop scanners go, the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 (www.fujitsu.com/scansnap) is far and away one of the great bargains in technology. This desktop scanner comes with a full version of Adobe Acrobat, as well as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. Effectively, you pay for the software and get the scanner for free. The one-touch simplicity and envelope-sized footprint make the ScanSnap a great desktop scanner. Another frugal option is the Magic Wand Scanner, which allows the user to scan an item by running the device over it, useful for immediate scanning of pages of bound books made available for inspection in discovery.
Most copiers are digital, using the same hardware technology as printers. While inkjet printers may be appropriate for low-volume home use, the cost of ink is far too costly over the long run for office use. Laser printers and copiers provide great savings by using high volume toner cartridges. In selecting a printer or copier, ensure it has the ability to use high volume print cartridges, and check on the cost per copy. Speed will play a role in the copier / printers / scanner you choose. Lower price usually means lower speed, and speed is sometimes the trade-off for a more reasonably priced product. For the frugal solo who does litigation, but not enough to justify owning a fast, high end copier, it is helpful to know that the self-serve copiers at some of the big office supply chains, such as Office Max, can be programmed to “bate stamp” while duplicating.
Although we would like to think that going paperless means less paper, for most of us, that is simply not reality. Whether it’s dealing with clients, opposing counsel, courts or other agencies, a quick reliable copier is still a necessity.7
Online Legal Research. There are many different legal research tools, many of them free on the web. Others have nominal fees.
Casemaker, (www.lawriter.net/), Fastcase (www.fastcase.com), LoisLaw (www.estore.loislaw.com/default.aspx) and VersusLaw (www.versuslaw.com/) could be lower cost alternatives to the heavyweights Lexis-Nexis (http://www.lexisnexis.com/) and Westlaw (www.westlaw.com/ ) – especially if your state or local bar association has a working relationship with one provider or another. The Illinois State Bar Association has a relationship with Fastcase so that all members get free access as part of their ISBA dues.8 Of course if you know the name or cite of a case, especially a recent case, you can usually get that information directly from the website of the issuing court, with a minimal search, or by doing a simple “Google” search, as discussed below.
We will start with Google, (www.google.com). Google is the most widely used search engine, but has also branched out with its Android operating system which is now the most widely used cellular telephone operating system in the world. Do you need a statutory cite from the German Civil Code, for example? A Google search can find it quickly, and in both English and Deutch. Upload the document into Google Drive,
7 Essential Technology, Matheny, id. 8 Abra Siegel, A “Fast” Review of Fastcase – Pros and Cons of a Free (for ISBA Members) Tool, ISBA Standing Committee on Legal Technology Newsletter, June 2012, vol. 19, no. 4
and click on “Tools,” select “Translate Document,” from the dropdown menu, and within seconds you will see a free translation, though the end product may be “rough.”
Google Scholar (www.scholar.google.com/) is an excellent resource to find treatises, articles, and a variety of legal publications online. While Google Scholar does not automatically grant searches that are available through subscription sites, your research may lead you to sites where you can access with or without a subscription. In the past, there have been complaints among researchers that Google Scholars, “cited by” tool is at times out of date or inadequate. Further, if your search leads to a subscription site, a decision will then have to be made whether a particular site is not economically advantageous, but at least you have the resource available to make such a determination.
Findlaw (www.findlaw.com) is a free service allowing you to research nearly every United States jurisdiction, for cases and statutory law. Are you limited by your present online search by type of research or jurisdiction? Findlaw is your answer. Findlaw has tended in the past to be slightly behind other legal search engines, but if you know the name of the case, or the citation, or the jurisdiction, you should have little trouble finding what you need.
Other free legal research resources online include the Legal Information Institute (www.law.cornell.edu) which proclaims its access to free legal information in its mission statement, which proudly states, “We are a not-for-profit group that believes everyone should be able to read and understand the laws that govern them, without cost. We carry out this vision by: . Publishing law online, for free. . Creating materials that help people understand law. . Exploring new technologies that make it easier for people to find the law.”
While “the frugal firm” could be worthwhile simply to? be limited to inexpensive legal research, we will limit this portion and just mention a few other popular research sites, such as the American Bar Association (www.americanbar.org/) (not to be confused with the non-legal ABA Network), public records searches for the U.S. and Canada at the Public Records Directory (www.publicrecords.searchsystems.net/). Rootsweb removed its Social Security Death Index online, although records are still available as subscription through paid services. Free federal records searches are available through the United States Printing office (www.gpoaccess.gov.). Detailed guidance on finding Ilinois municipal ordinances online for free can be found in the article by Tom Gaylord in the January 2013 Illinois Bar Journal, available to ISBA members at http://www.isba.org/ibj/2013/01/updatefindingillinoismunicipalordin
Virtual Receptionist / Telephone Answering / Fax. For several decades, the need for an in-house secretary or receptionist in a small office has been getting less important. Hourly wage employees, with withholding taxes, benefits, incentives and the like are being replaced by either virtual assistants outside the office, and online and / or telephone answering or receptionist services. Ruby Receptionist, (http://www.callruby.com/) is one well known example of a telephone answering / scheduling / forwarding service to allow lawyers as we as other professionals to have the luxury of live answering of phone calls with the economic advantage of one set price per month for service, without the drawbacks of an extra employee. Google Voice is another free Google service whereby you are assigned a telephone number which you can give to third parties. Voicemails are transcribed and texted to your smartphone or other device as you request. The frugal solos with high call volume from potential clients, such as contingency fee attorneys, and no live or virtual receptionist, will especially appreciate the time savings of having lengthy voicemails from potential clients transcribed instantly and for free. Google Voice has a “ring schedule” wherein the user designates which phone line should ring at what hour when the Google phone number is called, and an “inbox” with the voicemail transcripts, as well as the original recording.
E-Fax, (http://www.efax.com/) is a free internet fax service (Marc when I went to this website, it did not look like you can send for free, only receive 10 pages for free?) with service around the world. However, with most computers already having faxing ability, either solely or as part of a network, E-fax may be redundant. E-fax offers toll free numbers to send and receive your faxes, and all you need is an internet connection to send or receive. Sending and receiving faxes while practicing from a remote location is advantageous with this service.
You can also obtain low cost or free encryption software, which is a necessity for any email or computer based fax program. If the faxed document is in a common format, it can and will be hacked. Encrypt sensitive documents. Truecrypt, www.truecrypt.org/) is a personal favorite.
A great site to find many of these free services all in one place is Ninite, www.ninite.com which is a site which many different types of free or low cost but common software can be downloaded.
Antivirus and Anti-malware and Anti-spyware Programs. Many computers come with a basic anti-virus program preinstalled. Many do not. If you the frugal attorney wants to avoid purchasing a professional grade anti-spyware or antimalware, the suggestion would be to get a very, very good one, based upon the latest ratings and reviews.
Whatever you do, even frugal attorneys do not try to run an operating system with sensitive client material without an antivirus, an anti-malware and / or anti-spyware programs up and running with all of the latest updates. Even if you have a great well- rated program, anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware must be updated constantly. Set your programs to update automatically and to scan your machines during the night as to not interrupt your work time.
One problem that you might encounter with even the highest grade anti-spyware or antivirus program is that one program anti-virus program may not be compatible with the anti-spyware program that you are running. It seems that each version of each program tends to change so try one to find out. If you encounter problems, you may have to switch. There are several low-cost anti-virus programs on the market. Although you may have heard of McAfee, (www.mcafee.com/) Norton which offers a free trial of its well- known product, (www.us.norton.com/downloads-trial-norton-antivirus), and others, AVG (www.mcafee.com/), freeware is one of the lesser known but better anti-virus programs. Malwarebytes (www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/) is another free anti-malware software which can be downloaded from the web.
It is recommended that, with the low cost for such protection, it is best to pay the small yearly fee and keep your computer, and your server protected with professional grade anti-virus software.
Productivity Software. The leading productivity software package is undoubtedly Microsoft Office, with its many different versions, which include Excel, © (Spreadsheet and Data Compilation), Outlook© (Email, Calendaring, Contacts, Tasks and Scheduling), MS Word©, (Word Processing), and PowerPoint©, (Presentation); some versions include Microsoft Access©, and OneNote©, but we will limit ourselves to the core programs in the suite. Many computers come with preloaded original equipment manufacturers (OEM) versions of Microsoft Office may not have every program in the Microsoft Office Suite that you may want or need. Since most lawyers and law firms are now fully entrenched in the MS Office camp, most frugal law firms may not need to stray from the Microsoft camp. However, either because you did not have MS Office preloaded on your system, or because you do not like MS Office or because you prefer other software, you may need to look at less expensive alternatives to MS Office.
For those who still use Corel Word Perfect, you can pick up a copy of Corel WP Office Suite Professional X5, one of the prior versions of Corel Word Perfect, for as little as $20 to $40 on eBay or Amazon.com. Corel Office Professional includes all of the same types of programs, spreadsheets, presentation software and so forth, as contained in the Microsoft Office Suite; however it is not as widely used and does not integrate into the PC’s operating system as seamlessly as you would find in the MS Office suite.
If you really need to open a word processing document, and you do not want to purchase or you do not have the availability of one of the premier word processing programs, Apache Open Office (www.openoffice.org/) is a free alternative. Open office has several free programs to open and read source projects including OpenOffice Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base, roughly corresponding to MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and so forth.
If you have any exchange of documents with clients, opposing counsel or other professionals or if you practice at all in Federal Court, you know that the filing and exchange of documents in .pdf format is a necessity.
Adobe Acrobat Reader™, although a free service, only allows you to open and read documents, not to create or edit documents in .pdf format.
Even for the frugal lawyer on a tight budget, the first choice would be to obtain the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro is the latest version of Acrobat (is this still true?). As a frugal lawyer, you may wish to save some money and buy the last version, Adobe Acrobat X. It does not appear that there are large differences or upgrades between the two programs, so you should be able to pick up a copy of Adobe Acrobat X online for about half the cost of XI Pro at the local big box or electronics store. One of the truly great advantages of using Adobe Acrobat X and newer, and any of the newer Microsoft Office Suites (MS Office 2007 and newer) is that the installation of Adobe Acrobat X and above creates an integrated add-on tab to your Microsoft Office Suite, allowing you to convert Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook files to .pdf with one click on the ribbon and one click on the Acrobat tab. However, MS Word 2007 on its own also allows the user to save a Word document in pdf format without the installation of Adobe Acrobat X and above.
If you are a very, very frugal firm, you can pick up a free copy of some of Adobe’s vintage (Acrobat 8) software. Occasionally, Adobe will offer free versions of its outdated software free to the public including many of its other programs such as Acrobat as well as non-productivity software like Photoshop™ and others. The versions do not have all of the bells and whistles of the newest versions, but… free is good; see: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html
So, if you are a frugal law firm, and you’ve bought your Fujitsu ScanSnap 1500 scanner, and you’ve got your free version of Adobe Acrobat X and OCR software to take care of all of your basic needs to make and transmit documents in .pdf. …. Oh, you don’t have the Fujitsu ScanSnap 1500 with the free software? You decided for whatever reason you don’t want or cannot afford the full version of Adobe? What are some of the other alternatives to create documents in .pdf? If you have purchased any version of Corel WordPerfect X3 or later, you know that WordPerfect comes with its own .pdf converter to open .pdf documents and convert them to WordPerfect, MS Word (in several itinerations), and a variety of word processing formats; conversely, the same process allows you to convert a word processing document from WP, (or MS Word for that matter), into a .pdf suitable for filing in Federal Court or for sending to client or opposing counsel. The overall recommendation, even for the frugal firm is to invest in the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.
Other popular alternatives for free online .pdf conversion programs include Nitro’s, PRIMO.PDF, http://www.primopdf.com/ and Nitro’s Word™ converter, www.pdftoword.com/, and their Excel converter, www.pdftoexcelonline.com/. Other free online .pdf converters include: DoPdf, www.dopdf.com/, Foxit’s pdf converter, www.foxitsoftware.com/, and Cutepdf, which installs itself as a printer system, www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp, and cute pdf 995, which is a printer driver that works with any Postscript to pdf converter, www.pdf995.com/. This is not an exhaustive list, just a sampling of the resources available online for free, if you wish to save a few bucks and if you don’t need to use .pdf’s in volume. Other positives of the free Nitro Reader are that it allows the user to type directly into a pdf form field, and to highlight pdf documents.
Web Presence
Sometimes it feels as though there are nearly as many online lawyer listings / lawyer locaters as there are lawyers practicing in this country. With a minimum of effort, it is possible to harness the currency of the web (links) to make your name rise to the top of search listings in your area.
Law Firm Websites
The single most important portion of your frugal online presence is your firm's website. There are many ways to build your free or inexpensive website, including free sites included with your subscription by most internet service providers, some “value- added” websites created for you by other advertising venues (phonebooks, newspaper etc.,) and free or cheaply hosted sites from domain registration sources like network solutions (www.netsol.com) or www.godaddy.com.
It is also possible to build your own site and add your own content with free website builders like www.wordpress.com, www.sites.google.com, or www.weebly.com. These allow you to sign up, add your own photos, add some content, and be up and running very quickly. When added to a cheaply acquired web domain, and URL forwarding, it becomes possible to create a very professional looking website for about $25 per year. Additional services are ALWAYS available for extra money as you see fit.
State Bars
Next, it is vital to have your listing with your State and local Bars updated with as much information as they allow. Many State and local Bars allow you to list contact information, practice areas, links to your website, and some even allow you to add pictures or graphics. These sites are likely crawled by search engines and the link-backs to your firm website will enhance your site visibility.
Social Media
Facebook is a valuable place for posting updates to clients or your own personal friends. Facebook's true benefit comes from the fact that so many clients and friends and family already have accounts and are able to access your business page. Facebook business pages also allow you to see analytics for who views the site and how your weekly reach may have grown. As always, make sure your Facebook page contains links back to your firm's website and content.
LinkedIn is often referred to as “Facebook for professionals.” A LinkedIn page allows you to link closely to other professionals and to share much more business- related status updates. Lawyers will find LinkedIn useful to request referral suggestions, to locate other trusted professional services, and to learn professional updates from those in his network.
Twitter - Twitter accounts allow for very limited social media updates broadcast to your followers in 144 characters or less. These “tweets” allow you to update your followers, or retweet other users' updates that have some interest to your followers. Your twitter account will also allow you to follow topical areas as they “trend” on a statewide, national, or global level.
Lawyer Referrals
Referral services from the County Bar Associations, State Bar Associations, And Specialty Bars or organizations are often free and allow you to link from their site to your own. Additionally, service organizations like The Legal Aid Society often refer out cases which they cannot handle because the case is beyond the scope of pauper representation. Other organizations, such as US Legal only request that in order to take referrals through their service, which is email and internet based, that the lawyer take the case in accordance with their fee schedules, which may or may not be a significantly lower hourly rate than what the lawyer charges, as his or her normal rate.
Web Based Lawyer Locators
Sites like www.avvo.com, and www.lawyers.justia.com mine the internet for lawyer profiles. Much of your contact information may already be up to date with these sites. Unfortunately, much of it may be outdated, inaccurate, or outright wrong. These sites CAN generate calls, but only if they are updated and properly link back to your main website. It is best to do a Google search for your name and for your firm's name... Be as accurate as possible with the keywords and see what pops up. If you notice any of these lawyer sites which allow you to “claim” your profile, do it. And then make sure the information is up to date.
Maps
Your final destinations when creating your online presence will be to those sites which point visitors to your physical presence. Setting up a Google maps profile for your business lets you utilize customized directions to your office, lets clients find you easier when looking to find your office, and as always... adds trackback links to bolster your web ranking. Other location-centric services like Foursquare and Yelp can add further to your online profile.
We hope the information that we have provided will help you practice as “The Frugal Law Firm.”