By Correy Stephenson
The Daily Record Newswire
A legal writing software helps make writing clearer and more concise.
A new scanner offers the ability to scan documents wirelessly to a smartphone, while a password manager saves time and keeps online accounts secure. And attorneys can multitask by personalizing a smartphone cover to protect their mobile device and market their firm at the same time.
Software for better writing
Lawyers are notorious for their language struggles: a fondness for legalese, the need to use 12 words instead of three and a desire to include Latin phrases are just a few of the issues.
Particularly for solos and small firm attorneys who may not have another set of eyes to edit a brief or memorandum, WordRake offers a practical, affordable solution.
The first editing software for lawyers, WordRake was developed by Seattle-based Gary Kinder, a lawyer who has spent 25 years teaching lawyers how to write. The software was released last summer.
Over the years, Kinder said he noticed “signs” of legal writing in need of tightening – writing “make a recommendation” instead of “recommend,” for example.
“Everybody needs an editor and every editor needs an editor,” Kinder said. “Even professional writers and Supreme Court justices cannot spot everything.”
Using the “signs” accumulated by Kinder, the software highlights dull and unnecessary words or phrases that should be removed to tighten and improve writing.
“The aim is to identify words that have no meaning in the context [of the document],” he said.
Some edits are simple — for example, the system deems the phrase “It should be stated” as completely unnecessary — but others are more complex. And Kinder refused to include an “accept all” button for changes so that users could consider whether to accept each and every suggestion.
A subscription costs $99 for one year, $178 for a two years or $237 for three years, and volume purchasing of multiple licenses is also available.
After purchase, the software is downloaded and installed onto a user’s computer. It then appears as an add-on to Microsoft Word. Users click on the WordRake tab and select “Rake.”
A double-spaced page of text can be raked in just three to five seconds on newer computers with updated software.
“For a sole practitioner, WordRake gives you confidence,” Kinder said. “When you don’t have someone available to review your work, you wonder, ‘Have I seen everything? Is this as tight, as good as I can make it?’”
Patrick J. Lamb, an attorney at the Chicago-based Valorem Law Group, agreed.
His 11-lawyer firm decided to try the product in an effort to complete documents efficiently to enhance profitability.
“WordRake helps us to edit documents faster and create a better, more concise version,” Lamb said.
Lamb recently “raked” one of his client deliverables and accepted “nearly all” of the suggestions for deletion made by the software.
“The result was a substantially tighter document and WordRake saved me editing time as well,” he said.
For a free three-day trial or to purchase a subscription, visit http://www.wordrake.com.
Protect a smartphone while marketing the firm
Susan Cartier Liebel recommends an easy, affordable way to protect your smartphone while promoting your firm: a personalized iPhone protective case.
Liebel, who is based in Connecticut, founded the online Solo Practice University, where she now teaches a course on how to hang a shingle.
She used Zazzle.com to showcase the school’s URL and tagline, “The Practice of Law School.”
For about $40, the personalization is a no-brainer, Liebel said. Lawyers — like the rest of the population — keep their smartphones with them constantly, whether in court or at the grocery store or even on vacation.
The cover is an opportunity “to market for yourself in a fun, ridiculously inexpensive way.”
Liebel noted that Zazzle features an easy-to-use website with specials and discounts (and bulk rates for firms looking to provide cases for several lawyers or other employees) as well as a favorable return policy.
Zazzle allows customers to personalize cases for the iPhone 5, 4, 3 and 3G, as well as the iPad and iPod touch.
To check out the possibilities, visit www.zazzle.com.
Scan and skip the computer altogether
For lawyers striving for the ever-elusive paperless office, Fujitsu offers a new desktop document scanner.
The ScanSnap iX500 can scan documents with one touch to create files including a searchable PDF, JPG, editable Word or Excel document and even business cards.
Most importantly for on-the-go attorneys: the ScanSnap will scan directly to mobile devices, including tablets, Androids or Apple products.
Lawyers operating in the cloud can also choose to send documents to their Evernote, Dropbox or Google Docs account.
Included in the purchase is Adobe Acrobat as well as ABBYY FineReader, software that allows previously scanned image-only PDF files to become searchable.
To scan wirelessly over a WiFi network directly to a smartphone, users can upload the free ScanSnap Connect app; traditional scanning to a computer can be performed via USB.
Fujitsu’s product works with both PCs and Macs and can scan color as well as black-and-white documents, up to 50 double-sided pages at a time at 300 dpi.
The scanner is a true desktop model, weighing just 6.62 pounds and measuring 11.5 x 6.2 x 6.6 inches.
Fujitsu’s recommended price for the scanner is $495.
For more information about the ScanSnap, go to http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/COMP/fcpa/scanners/ix500_datasheet.pdf.
Secure and strengthen passwords
With technological security an ever-increasing concern, lawyers may have to recall dozens of passwords for their mobile devices, desktop computer and various software accounts.
But “it’s impossible to remember all that,” bemoaned John Simek, vice president at tech support company Sensei Enterprises in Fairfax, Va.
Instead of keeping a written list of passwords — with scratch-outs each time they are changed — lawyers should consider LastPass, a password manager.
After downloading the LastPass software and creating an account, users visit a site that requires a login, such as a cloud-based software account or e-mail account, for example.
When the user logs into that site, LastPass will ask if it should remember the information.
If a user answers affirmatively, he or she then creates a description of the site for the LastPass account, including log-in information.
The next time the user visits the site, LastPass automatically fills in the necessary data.
Users can also turn to LastPass for assistance when creating a new online account. The software will generate a unique, strong password for the site.
A shopping profile can be added to the account so that LastPass can autofill shipping and billing addresses and credit card information when purchases are made.
The service “gives you encrypted, secure password management and is a time-saver because you only need one master password,” Simek said.
LastPass appears as an add-on to a user’s web browser. By clicking on the icon, users can update and manage their account.
While the basic LastPass software is free, for $1 each month users can upgrade to its Premium Service, which includes mobile devices.
Last September, the password manager added another security feature called Sentry. In response to data breaches of sites such as LinkedIn, the company partnered with PwnedList (a database of publicly leaked usernames and passwords) to notify users when their information matches hacked accounts.
On a daily basis, Sentry reviews the PwnedList for potential matches to LastPass users. If it finds a match, it notifies the user immediately.
Visit http://lastpass.com for more information.
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