Source 2020 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide, p. 260-261 (citing Bob Ambrogi and 2019 Aderant Business of Law and Legal Technology Survey).
Besides looking at licensing costs, the fundamental issues is whether you wish to use an SaaS (software as a service cloud) solution and if not do you wish to invest heavily by running a SQL server. One key issue is synchronizing with Outlook and Google calendars. Many vendors offer multiple services. See chapter 12 of 2018 LTG for more detailed information on many of the products than is given here.
Work flow: Contact > Matter > Task > Time > Invoice
♦PracticeMaster (favorite of LTG authors)
See chapter 13 of the 2018 LTG. Issues include multiple billing rates, integration with practice management systems, whether sensative data is held off-site, purchase of support, numbers of licensed terminals, and compatability with Macintosh.
"One common misunderstanding involving law office software is that there is a category of software products called 'conflict checking software.' . . . In the world of law office software, conflicts checking tools are commonly available in case management programs." Todd C. Scott, Minnesota, Conflict-Checking Systems: Three Great (and Cheap) Ways to Effectively Manage Conflict Checking, 2 GP Solo and Small Trends News, Feb. 2006. See TAPAs: Law Office Systems: Conflict-Checking 20/20 (ABA 2018).
Project Management Lifecycle. Source: Leighblackall, Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
See chapter 14 of the 2018 LTG. "The main purpose of a document management system is to organize information into a usable and searchable form. How many times have you looked for a file or document but couldn't remember the name or location? A document management system allows for fast and easy access to the data, whether in paper or electronic form. It also provides access control and enforceability of rules." p. 121
"Case management systems are also used to provide a certain level of document management. . . . A key point to remember about true document management applications is their stringent enforcement of the classification rules. The user must use the system within the configured rules . . . . In contrast, applications that are not specifically document management software aren't restrictive or mandatory. The danger is that data may be lost or misfiled when rules are not stringently enforced." p. 144 of 2017 LTG
Things to look for:
Issues with SaaS systems include making sure transmittal is encrypted and that you retain a localhost copy so your data isn't held hostage.
Acrobat
"The latest versions of Acrobat provide the ability to mange documents. The collaboration components with Acrobat are used to organize and reference files in a manner similar to other document systems." Guide, p. 146
Plain Folders and Directories
Click image to enlarge and see additional information.
Hazel - Mac tool for naming and tagging files.
Alternative scheme using metadata
Click image to enlarge
Video: Metadata, Directories and MS Office
Click image to enlarge
| Draft |
File Name |
| First draft created by law clerk |
2009 08 26 Will H ds.dox |
| Draft reviewed by lawyer | 2009 08 26 Will H ds-rn.dox |
| Draft further revised by law clerk | 2009 08 26 Will H ds2-rn.dox |
| Draft further revised and finalized by lawyer |
2009 08 26 Will H ds2-rn2.dox |
Source: Sheila M. Blackford & Donna S.M. Neff, Paperless in One Hour for Lawyers (ABA La Practice Division 2014), Appendix Table A.2.
The Missouri Bar Association provides an excellent site with with whitepapers and tools for managing your practice at https://mobar.org/site/content/Lawyer-Resources/Law_Practice_Management/Practice_Management.aspx.
These include:
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