Equipping the law office for 2013 ? Part 2

Jim Calloway, The Daily Record Newswire

Last week we looked at computer systems and accompanying devices. This week will focus on backing up your firm’s data and choosing the right software.

The most important business continuity protection that a law firm can implement is to provide for appropriate backup systems. Today, a firm with a major data loss faces thousands of dollars in losses — in the best case scenario.

A firm should have duplicate backup systems, even if the primary backup is believed to be bulletproof. This is best accomplished by using an automated online backup provider configured to make daily backups of the files that are changed, and a hard drive used to make secondary backups.

Some firms have files copied to a secure computer at a partner’s house; others buy portable hard drives that can be plugged into the computer’s USB port for an additional backup. At least two of these portable hard drives are required, as they should be rotated so that at least one is always stored off site.

If you train your staff and lawyers to store files only on the server and not the workstation, specialized software can be used to copy a mirror image of the hard drive after it is configured. That way, if there are ever any problems with a PC, the mirror image can be restored and the computer reset to its original functioning capability.

Mirror restoration is not as exact as one might hope, however, so it is a good idea to have a master list of what is done to set up a typical workstation.

Since portable hard drives are relatively inexpensive, some will just copy over files and folders to the portable drive. A backup software package will compress the data, allowing one to retain more versions of the backup.

There are good backup solutions included in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. If you prefer a third-party solution, there are many options, such as Handy Backup, Second Copy, Acronis True Image Backup and BounceBack Ultimate Backup Software.

OEM software
One can save a significant amount of money by buying OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) software.

OEM is licensed to work only with the particular machine you purchase. That’s a slight drawback, as a fully licensed purchased non-OEM version of software can be used legally on any computer, and most packages allow that it can be used on two computers as long as the same operator uses both computers 80 percent of the time.

Nevertheless, when purchasing a computer, one should be aware of the retail prices for the software that is needed and check the bundled prices.

Microsoft Office suite will almost always have a significant reduction if bought as an OEM package, as often will Adobe Acrobat Pro and WordPerfect.

A note about WordPerfect: While I appreciate that many lawyers swear by it as their first word-processing love, there are more and more add-on packages and utilities that only work with Word. And iPad users have to be content with a WordPerfect viewer app, as no editor is available.

PDF manipulation software

Currently, “digital documents” mean PDF documents. Word-processing documents are for writing and editing. Once you have a finished document, then “PDF it” for filing or transmission.
Electronic document filing is becoming more and more common. Most lawyers deal with PDF documents almost every day. It is hard to imagine that a firm could do without at least some PDF manipulation software.

The go-to standard is Adobe Acrobat X Professional. Adobe Acrobat Standard is somewhat less expensive than Professional, but Pro includes features lawyers use like redaction, creating PDF portfolios and comparing differences between two PDF files.

Adobe Acrobat has many functions including the very important function of optical character recognition (OCR). New with Acrobat X is the ability to export PDF documents to Microsoft Word and Excel for editing. There are other packages that are less expensive, including Nuance PDF Converter Pro 7 and Nitro Pro PDF.

Unless the office already has a separate OCR program (which can be pricey), a lawyer would likely not want to purchase any less expensive PDF manipulation program without an OCR feature.
Standard fax machines still work, though they will not be around for long. We are seeing a significant move to electronic faxing services.

Internet faxing options like MyFax or eFax, by which faxes are received as PDF email attachments, are proving quite popular and are easily placed in the digital client file. To fax out, documents are scanned and sent via email or a website to the receiving fax station (a less expensive alternative with fewer features is Send2Fax).

In the old days, the phone numbers associated with an electronic faxing service might have generated long-distance charges. But you can now contract for a toll-free number. If a firm quits paying for a fax business phone line, it already may be saving money on a monthly basis, before even considering the cost of the fax machine and supplies.

Other tools for success
Practice Management Software remains very important. It puts together all the various items associated with a particular file, including billing records, documents, notes and calendar contacts.
This is a critical element of running a 21st century law office because the PMS provides the list of open-matter files. From that list, one can open the individual files and find everything: notes, documents, calendar entries, billing records and more. The American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center hosts an online chart comparing features of these products.

Because we are fallible human beings, it’s also important to have some sort of desktop-search software to find misfiled electronic documents. Thankfully, Windows 7 includes an outstanding desktop search application as a part of the operating service, and Macs have come standard with desktop search for a long time.

If you don’t have a Windows 7 computer or just would rather have the additional power of a third-party program, direct your attention to Copernic or X1. Both of these third-party applications have many useful tools and filters.

Regarding smartphones — a subject worthy of its own article — iPhone J.D. is a must-visit site for “iLawyers” to learn about apps and ways to use their iPhones and iPads more effectively. It is packed with product reviews.

Droid users should visit The Droid Lawyer to learn more about their phones and tablets.

Document Management Systems (DMS) take care of storing and organizing all digital documents and are really the ultimate filing systems.

Some DMS can be configured so that no document can be saved or scanned without filling out the DMS form that allows for better retrieval (a process called “forced user compliance”).
Most DMS have full-text indexing and retrieval. Another important function of DMS is versioning, which creates discreet copies of versions of a document. That can be very handy in the event of an emergency.

DMS also provide document security and often are set up for remote access.

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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.