Solo and Small Firm Conference New Jersey State Bar Association May 16, 2012.
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Technology for a Successful Law Practice
Solo and Small Firm ConferenceNew Jersey State Bar Association
May 16, 2012
About UsSteven Ferman
President, Compunite Computers, Inc., Pine Brook NJNJSBA Affinity Partner
William Mack, Esq.Solo Practitioner-Business Law, Energy Law, Real EstateVice-Chair, Solo and Small Firm Section
Carol L. Schlein, Esq.President, Law Office Systems, Inc., Montclair NJMember of Lawtopia LLC (national consulting firm)
What are you using?Desktop or Laptop
Desktop- in-office practice, better ergonomicsLaptop- mobile and travel-heavy practice
Tablets, Pads & Mobile DevicesGreat for consumption but poor creation devicesGood communication toolEmerging and changing quickly
How are you connecting? On premises, firm owned
traditional remote accessCloud Applications (SaaS)
hosted applications onlyPrivate Cloud
you own and managePublic Cloud
you share space Hybrid Cloud
mixture of above
How are you using it?EmailWord ProcessingDocument AssemblyTimekeeping & BillingPractice ManagementPractice Specific App’s
AccountingClient Portal (Extranet)Other
Digital DictationSpeech RecognitionVideo Collaboration
What are you running on it?Office productivity suite
Server-based: MS Office, Open OfficeCloud-based: Office 365, Google Apps
Practice ManagementServer-based: Time Matters, Amicus Attorney, Pro LawCloud-based: Advologix, Clio, Firm Manager, GoMatters
Billing and AccountingQuickBooks, Timeslips, Tabs3, PC Law, Billing Matters
What are you running on it?Substantive Apps
Real estate, family law, workers’ comp…Document managementDigital meeting appsSkypeBackupSocial apps
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+
Where are you working?As a subtenant In shared spaceBona Fide Office Rule
RPC 1:21-1(a)Home office
Where is your data stored?
Can others access it?Who else knows your
passwords?
Security & ConfidentialityPhysical Location of your DataOwnership of DataVenue and JurisdictionDisaster RecoveryData BreachTrade Secret and Privilege ProtectionThird Party Access to DataRPC 1.6 and RPC 5.3 are relevant rules
Fit Technology to Your PracticeSolo or small firm?One office or more (or less!)?In-office or out-of-office practice?Real or Virtual assistant? No assistant?Lots of travel or little travel?Paperless? Paper lite? Paper heavy?Federal court? State court? No court?Tech-savvy or tech-phobic?Bookkeeper? Accountant?How are you creating awareness? (social media?)
Does your technology do this?If properly selected, deployed and used, it can…
Improve efficiencyMaintain client communicationManage information to support effective workflowReduce time-to-execute and promote execution from
anywhere/anytimeDistribute critical information automaticallyReduce overheadAllow for scalabilitySecure your firm’s dataSecure your clients’ confidential information
Wrap-upStudy your practice and its need for technologyExpect to invest money AND time getting the right tech
and making sure your colleagues can/will use itReview and adjust
New stuff comes along all the timeUpgradesChanges in practice
WHAT are you using? HOW are you using it? WHY?Rinse and repeat
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