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A la carte tools
Backupify – one-stop automated backup with instant restore of all your social media accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, etc.) and Google Apps domains.
Box.net – scalable content management and professional collaborative workspace with full desktop sync and document version history. http://www.box.net
Dropbox – pitched as a simple web archive, but focused on enterprise-grade synchronization and sharing, it boasts the largest support across a variety of desktop and mobile operating systems, all secured by SSL transmission and bank grade AES-256 bit encryption.
Evernote – “remembers everything”, from short and long-term note taking and web clippings to photos and screenshots – it’s your digital scrapbook in the cloud.
Freshbooks – manages invoicing and billing, including the ability to accept online payments, plus solo or small-firm accounting, expense tracking, profit growth and some client relation features.
Google Apps for Business – includes Gmail, Google Docs (office suite and file archiving), Google Calendar, and more.
SpiderOak – uses ‘zero-knowledge’ data encryption and 2-Factor login authentication to backup, sync, share, access and store.
SugarSync – highly secure web archival, sharing and sync with a secondary focus on marketing, allowing you to create "public links" with a single click that you can send out via email, Twitter, or Facebook.
All-in-one Project Management Suites
Basecamp – combines project management, file sharing and groupware style communication/email/notes in one simple to use interface. Reusable templates make this a great solution for lawyers working on lots of similar projects.
Central Desktop – takes remote project management one step closer to being an in-office experience, with emphasis on social collaboration between team members in real-time with status updates across teams, projects (i.e. cases) and tasks, plus there’s the ability to hold web-meetings and have one-to-one or one-to-many conversations.
DeskAway – team and project management platform, for those who want to move away from email/spreadsheet-based collaboration. Supports recurring tasks and permission-control for selective viewing of specific tasks and sensitive data.
Teamwork PM – yet another project and task manager, including messages, contacts, notebooks and calendars, but also loads of enterprise-styled features like risk assessment (PMBOK / PMP compliant), API for custom application design, and social network integration. It can also be customized with firm branding, colour scheme and layout configuration.
All-in-one CRM/Office Automation Suites
Infusionsoft – aimed primarily at e-commerce companies, many lawyers enjoy its automated email marketing and client tracking engines within a single, integrated system that more effectively generates leads and retains clients with personalized communications. From $199/month.
Salesforce.com – tracks every step of a client prospect, from phone calls and emails to collaboration with colleagues, all with real-time visibility and analytics.
Xero – accounting and time-tracking program that takes you from invoicing, billing and banking to payroll and AR/AP cycles.
Zimbra (by VMware) – open source email, calendar and collaboration groupware software with automatic backup service included. Network Edition includes Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA compliant archiving and discovery module.
Zoho Office – comprehensive and scalable set of apps for meetings, mail, reports, CRM, projects, invoicing, data analysis and much more.
Legal Specific Practice Management Solution
AdvologixPM Law Practice Management – deep and flexible yet simple to use, you start with only the basics you need and add in more features and apps as you grow with the system. A special marketing module will even create and manage email marketing campaigns, lead generation, client relationships and provides in-depth revenue forecasting tools. Individually priced on needs.
Clio – one of the earliest products in the now highly competitive SaaS field, this Vancouver-based company helped pioneer the cloud-based practice management concept while keeping everything breezy with a clean and simple interface. Specifically designed for solo practitioners and small firms, it’s priced at $49/month per lawyer, though your support staff can jump on board at the discounted rate of just $25/month per head.
HoudiniESQ – scalable solo-through-enterprise PM/CRM solution with secure client access to case matter related information, native MS Office plug-in support, integrated document and knowledge management database (including Bates numbers and versioning), QuickBooks support, and open-source generation of BIRT reports. It is also the only product in the legal industry with Google Scholar tightly integrated. Free for the solo user; otherwise $192/per year per seat.
Rocket Matter – with its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, dozens of mature features make this all-in-one appealing to small firms having more complex matter and transactional requirements. From $59/month.