Equipping the law office for 2013, Part I

Jim Calloway, The Daily Record Newswire

Long past is the day when equipping the law office meant stocking up on file cabinets and typewriters. The modern office requires a lot of technology, not a lot of furniture.

Information technology equipment is a significant investment, though prices for computers and hard drives have dropped over the last several years. The challenge now is that there is a huge variety of different types of equipment, making it seem much harder to make informed decisions.

The foundation of the lawyer’s technology system is the computer, the server and the network. Today, everyone needs a workstation, including the errand runner. Some smaller operations use a peer-to-peer network instead of a server-based network. Others use a slightly more powerful desktop as a server, but that can mean delays during peak use times.

A true server setup is preferred, but a lawyer who is not a technology hobbyist would probably have a difficult time managing a server-based network without some technical support; therefore, from both efficiency and risk management standpoints, a firm of any size should have an IT support person. For smaller firms, that would obviously be an outside vendor.

The big advantage to having firm data on a server is that the law office operations can be protected by daily consolidated backup, rather than backing up each individual workstation (all of which should still be backed up periodically).

Desktop or laptop

The initial question that must be answered is whether the attorneys in the office will use desktop or laptop computers. I generally favor laptops because:

1) Having the same workstation at home and at work can be a huge benefit for the lawyer who puts in hours at home.

2) Even for those who only rarely work outside of the office or might use the laptop only in an emergency situation (e.g., power outage in the office), it is still a great benefit on those rare occasions to be able to continue work.

3) While it is true that one pays slightly more for slightly less power when buying a laptop, the differences are just that — slight. I’d call them insignificant.

4) With a port replicator (a.k.a. docking station), a full-size keyboard and an external monitor, the difference in the experience between working with laptops and desktops is negligible.

One exception: It makes sense to have a desktop computer in the reception area. (Note: That may differ for larger firms. They may have several laptops available to be checked out by lawyers as needed.)

In terms of memory, four gigabytes or more of RAM is the current minimum standard. While processor speed is not terribly important for most legal operations, I’d suggest that anywhere in the 2.4 to 3.2 gigahertz-range is adequate.

As for operating systems, while many lawyers have stuck with Windows XP because it “just worked,” there are many missing benefits that are contained in Windows 7.

Based on my reading of the initial reviews of Windows 8, there is a fair divergence of opinion. Most dislike the new “metro” interface, but others say that can be easily bypassed.

Now is a great time to buy a new computer with Windows 7 preinstalled. There are many Windows 7 features that I use daily, such as the improved desktop search function and the snipping tool to easily capture onscreen images. I question whether Windows 8 will quickly gain acceptance, as it is a fairly radical design change in several ways. (For entertaining reading, check out “Windows 8 review: Yes, it’s that bad” from InfoWorld.)

The paperless office
We know you understand that technology within the law office carries with it the potential to use less paper. But as a practical matter, the technology can result in more paper being used.

The “paperless office” or “digital law practice” firstly requires a digital scanner. In large firms, IT professionals will often push for the large centralized scanner-copier-printer combination units. These are easy for the IT department to manage.

My position is that that setup is not efficient in the modern law office. Small desktop scanners located at each workstation allow one to scan and file documents quickly, without having to get up and go down the hall; however, if all workstation scanners are sheet-fed only, the office should contain one flatbed scanner for fragile or critically important original documents that one doesn’t want to put through a sheet feeder.

In our office, we use the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500, a very serviceable machine that includes Adobe Acrobat Standard software as part of the package, making it a real value. It is fast and very popular in the legal technologist community.

However, the ScanSnap is not TWAIN-compliant, which essentially means that the computer cannot run the scanner. From my own personal point of view, I have found no problem with having to reach over to push the blue button to start a scanning operation; nevertheless, the Epson Workforce Pro is TWAIN-compliant and has similar features to the ScanSnap (though the Adobe Acrobat software is not included).

In addition to the scanner, the office needs peripherals such as printers and surge protectors. Uninterruptable power supplies/surge protectors should be used for all the computers in the office, as well as for any other expensive pieces of hardware.

Printer models change fairly rapidly, so it is best to look for printer information online when you are ready to purchase one, even if you intend to buy it in a local store. Inkjet printers are discouraged due to the high cost of supplies.

Multi-function devices are great space-savers for a home office, but generally a law office is best equipped with individual printers and scanners as noted above. A pricier, high-end multifunction machine is still useful, particularly in the large firms. Many law firms will find that when they buy a large copier to meet their needs, other capabilities will be included.

Fax machines, while quietly becoming extinct, still hold value, and firms shouldn’t do away with them just yet. More on that in Part II.

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Jim Calloway is director of the Oklahoma Bar Association Management Assistance Program. He publishes the weblog Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips at http://jimcalloway.typepad.com.