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Top 10 Tips from TECHSHOW 2008

By Mark Kuiack

The 2008 ABA TECHSHOW served up a bevy of valuable tips for forward-thinking lawyers, including two dedicated tracks for solo and small firms. Here are 10 of the best tidbits of useful information discovered by this TECHSHOW attendee:

• Tame the e-mail beast: Is your inbox out of control? You have to start somewhere. Move everything to a new folder and organize it during some downtime. It’s amazing how liberating an empty inbox can feel. 43Folders.com includes several innovative approaches to e-mail management. (http://www.43folders.com)
  
  
• Get LinkedIn or be left out: As the dust begins to settle after the onslaught of web 2.0 buzzwords heaved at lawyers, LinkedIn is proving to be the real deal for business networking. If you’re still on the sidelines, sign up and start building your list of connections. (http://www.linkedin.com)
  
  
• Get Smart: Worried about saving sensitive data on an easy-to-lose memory key? Ironkey’s military-grade USB flash drive actually self destructs after 10 failed login attempts. Seriously. (https://www.ironkey.com)
  
  
• Get the 411 on DMS, ASAP: With 80 per cent of a firm’s “knowledge” stored in non-structured data or documents, document management systems (DMS) are increasingly essential, especially for performing that all too common “needle in a haystack” search. (http://www.denniskennedy.com/products/free-samples/docmgmt.aspx)
  
  
• Unified Communications is for real: While it’s easy to write it off as the latest Microsoft buzzword, Unified Communications (the convergence of voicemail, e-mail, web conferencing and much more) can have tangible benefits for lawyers and clients alike, by tearing down the silos posed by traditional media. VoIP and Skype are just the tip of the iceberg. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_communications)
  
  
• Meet back at Basecamp: One of the top collaboration and project management sites, Basecamp is also being used by solo and small firms as an extranet to provide clients with access to their case files and more. (http://www.basecamphq.com/)
  
  
• Draft bills your clients will rush to pay: Establish milestones and corresponding expected payments, and use graphics to show progress. Communicate value by using descriptive text—don’t just write “phone call w/ client”; indicate what it was about. Lastly, consider a small discount if a client pays within 10 days. (http://thoughtfullaw.com)
  
  
• Sometimes it is easy being green: How many times have you wasted a printed page for just a few extra lines of a URL, banner ad or legal disclaimer? Enter GreenPrint—software that will actually prompt you before printing the ubiquitous wasted page, and remove it from the queue if desired. (http://www.printgreener.com/)  
  
  
• Stop using inkjet printers for general office use: Think gasoline is expensive? Inkjet ink is much more costly than almost any other precious liquid, including human blood! The ridiculously high cost of ink cartridges, combined with premature ‘ink level low’ warnings, make inkjet printers impractical for printing large volumes of simple documents. (http://reviews.cnet.com/printers/)
  
  
• Double-up on monitors: Dual monitors can increase productivity and pay for themselves in short order. The idea is that by situating programs on different screens, you can save time by reducing clicks and eliminating the need to constantly switch between multiple windows. Plus, you’ll look super cool.
  http://jimcalloway.typepad.com/lawpracticetips/2006/07/dual_monitors_m.html

For more information on ABA TECHSHOW, visit www.techshow.com.

Mark Kuiack is Editor of CBA PracticeLink and a regular TECHSHOW attendee.