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Recently WebWorkerDaily reviewed time and billing app (and Practicehacker sponsor) Chrometa here and gave it rave reviews. But that’s no surprise. WWD had this to say about the program

Most time tracking and management applications require some up front work before you can roll with them, but not Windows app Chrometa. This utility starts working for you as soon as you install it. Running in the background, Chrometa tracks all your computing activities including emails, visits to web sites and open applications. It sorts the activities by application or tool and does it all without you needing to do a thing.

But I’ve known that since I became an alpha tester and true believer in Chrometa last year. I guess the only surprise is that it took this long for the web-based media to “get” Chrometa. Now that they’ve caught up, I wish the Chrometa crew even more success in the future. Go get ‘em guys!

Posted via email from practice (redux)

43% of litigators who participated in a recent ABA survey say that they use litigation support software. As for the 57% of you wondering what exactly litigation software is, this is your lucky day. The term litigation support software refers to an entire subgenre of database software for storing, searching, and reviewing discovery and evidentiary material. Way better than manually going through a physical file, that’s for sure! Here’s a helpful chart produced by the ABA of the different litigation software out there. For more information on the respective companies and how their software can facilitate your your litigation practice, take a look at the websites below and decide for yourself (this applies to both the 43% of you already familiar with the systems as well as the 57% of you who may be interested in making the switch):

1. Anacomp CaseLogistix
2. Lexis Nexis Concordance
3. ILS Edge
4. iCONECT
5. ImageDepot
6. IPRO eReview
7. Lexbe
8. MasterFile
9. Nextpoint
10. CT Summation iBlaze

Sure you have a LinkedIn profile, but what has it done for you lately? In “Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn,” Neal Schaffershares ideas on getting the most out of the social network. Windmill Networking as Neal refers to it, involves creating a network via web 2.0 social media like Facebook, Twitter, and (you guessed it) LinkedIn then leveraging that network. He even includes diagrams and boxes to help you along the path to Windmill enlightenment. The book is divided into 3 intuitive sections -

• Creating a LinkedIn Brand
• Understanding LinkedIn
• Leveraging LinkedIn

Each section provides step-by-step instructions regarding profile creation, features, and networking for fun and profit. The book is not specifically targeted for lawyers (a plus) but “Windmill Networking” is a great primer for lawyers interesting in taking advantage of what LinkedIn has to offer.

This was a Quick Review. Look for a full book review in the next couple of posts!

“The practice of law is, has been, and will continue to be a collaborative process” according to Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell, authors of The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together. True enough. And collaboration in the Internet Age is not what it used to be. In their book, Dennis and Tom have compiled a guide for lawyers who want to keep up with current tools and methods of collaboration that take advantage of the technology. For example the book discusses

• Document collaboration in a lawsuit
• Internet meetings and file-sharing
• E-mail productivity including GTD
• An overview of the Web 2.0 phenomenon
• Strategic planning using technology

With an-easy-to read-format, short chapters, and full glossary and index, in addition to a complete list of tools and resources, The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies is exactly what it claims to be.

No Law Practice for me, Thanks

funemployed (noun) (fun-em-ploy-d)

def The state of being without a job yet having lots of time to enjoy activities during work hours. i.e. Rex is funemployed so after his workout he blogs and twitters with his other funemployed friends

def Unemployed individuals who use their free time to explore themselves while waiting for a job to tumble into their lap or try to fall ass-backwards into money. i.e. Man, I love being funemployed – don’t you [INSERT ANNOYING LEGAL BLOGGER/TWITTERER NAME]

See Also

funemployment (noun) funderemployed (adverb) i.e. I used to wonder how legal bloggers and Twitter bums managed to write all day while maintaining a job or law practice. Now I realize that most of them are funderemployed or funemployed altogether.

Law firms looking to perform services online still need to pay careful attention to the rules of professional conduct. The ABA gives a few minimum guidelines:

1. You must still establish an attorney-client relationship before representation.
2. Terms and Conditions should be published on the public portion of the firm’s website.
3. Clients must be residents of the state in which your firm is authorized to practice.
4. Clients should have access to a fully secure web account to ensure confidentiality.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you’re interested in “going virtual”, contact our office for more information.

Source: ABA Law Practice Today