Workflow. Work. Flow.

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Working in a small office provides unique opportunities to create and structure your own workflow.Put another way, how the hell do I manage this mess? If you work in a smaller law office (no more than 10 attorneys & staff), the next couple posts will layout a workflow developed at the School of Hard Knocks by yours truly, a perpetual student of the school. The weakness of the small firm also represents the strength, you can turn a small boat much quicker than a cruise ship. So, at the outset, pick software and structures that allow for quick transitions, in other words, don’t let your data become hostage to proprietary storage methods. With that in mind, we’ll start where every law office begins, the front door.

Speedy Delivery.

At least one thing comes through the front door every day. Mail. Sometimes lots of it, sometimes just a little. The never ending tide of pulp brings different firms to different solutions, some so quirky andunnecessarily detailed that they waste time, others so lacking in any structure that they too waste time. The Mac Litigator (that’s you too dear reader), comes at things a little differently. 

The person who opens the mail (in our office that’s also the receptionist) scans every piece of client related mail that comes through the door. A ScanSnap from Fujitsu reigns as champion in this position and consistently gets the employee of the month parking spot out back. The ScanSnap makes scanning ridiculously simple. Don’t get sucked into the “I need to have a network scanner which can handle X blah blah blah.” It’s all crap and overkill for our smallish boat which makes quick turns. Amazingly, the ScanSnap currently in use at our office scanned hundreds of pages, daily, for the past four years without a single hiccup, not even the ‘exhaustible’ parts have been replaced. You can get the ScanSnap for Mac OS X for about $495 direct from Fujitsu and it even comes with a full-license for Adobe Acrobat Pro (Regularly $450 alone). After installation, push a button and the paper gets turned into an Adobe PDF document. The ScanSnap recognizes whether the paper is double sided and/or color and adjusts automatically.

Where Does it Go? Storage & Filing.

Just like with the big networkable scanners, don’t get sucked into an absolute need to have a fancy ‘document management’ system. Rather, train the staff to follow the system below. Poorly trained staff can screw up even the most expensive software DMS so you are always better off going simple and keeping staff well trained. This also sticks to the rule of no proprietary software and, as an added benefit, keeps the boat cheap, light and easy to maintain.

The secret sauce to simple & free DMS: structure & Spotlight. All documents get saved to a shared drive with the following folder structure: Clients>Lastname, Firstname>Named Subfolder. The subfolder must be named one of the following: Analysis, Correspondence, Deposition, Evidence, Expert, Lien, Medical Records, Pleading. Notice that there is no ‘Miscellaneous’ folder. There is no such thing as a ‘miscellaneous’ document in a business which lives and dies by its ability to locate important paperwork. The natural tendency of people (staff) is to pick the easiest folder to drop things into rather than figure out if it’s a medical record or a pleading, they’ll just drop it in miscellaneous. There must be complete and total agreement amongst by the attorneys and enforced amongst staff that these are the only folders and that documents only fit within one of these categories. You might alter the subfolders for your specific practice, but be careful in needlessly multiplying out subfolders.

So, for example, a Motion In Limine comes in the mail with a cover letter on client Mary Smith. On opening the mail, the receptionist scans the cover letter to: Clients/Smith, Mary/Correspondence and names the cover letter descriptively such as Cover Letter on Motion in Limine. The receptionist then scans the Motion in Limine, the Memorandum in Support w/Exhibits and saves each as follows: Client/Smith, Mary/Pleadings-Filename Motion in Limine; Client/Smith, Mary/Pleadings-Filename Mem Support Motion Limine.

Finally, create a Closed folder. When files get closed, grab the folder for Smith, Mary and drag and drop it into the Closed folder.

The Payoff.

By following this workflow you now have a complete list of all active files in alphabetical order, or you can sort by date created, or by date last modified in Finder. Further, because it is all stored electronically, no one needs to go find the file anymore. The hard paper file often hides in some attorney’s pile while the electronic version remains accessible to everyone.

Spotlight makes it all accessible. Can’t remember that slip and fall case where you filed a motion in limine to exclude your client’s past criminal conviction for chewing gum and walking? Spotlight gets you there in no time. Simply hit Command-Space and start typing gum limine slip and Spotlight will pull it up.

Easy and quick ‘preview’ of your files. Look through a Pleadings folder with Finder in either QuickLook or CoverFlow mode and it’s like your are thumbing through the actual Pleadings index, only you can arrange it by date, pleading title or file type.

An ‘inbox’ so you can see what came in the mail today, or what work was done by staff, without leaving your desk or asking anyone. Look back at the Finder image above and you’ll see a red oval at the bottom left of the window. This highlights saved searches which are set up to display (1) All new PDF files in the last month, sorted by newest to oldest and (2) All new files in the last month, sorted newest to oldest. By clicking on that Clients PDF Only saved search/Smart Folder, you get to see all mail which came in today because we know it was scanned as a PDF. Clicking on the Client All saved search, we can see all new documents (PDF, JPEG, PAGES, DOC, ODF) and know what’s been going on and whether that letter we asked the secretary to ask has been started, not to mention instantly preview by hitting the space bar and seeing how far it has progressed.

The Advanced Course.

Integrate a sync program, such as SugarSync, FolderShare or Dropbox and you get to have your files update directly to your computer where ever you may roam. As an added benefit, you get offsite data backup.

Use color labels and Spotlight tags. Documents in my pleadings folders tend to breakdown into two major categories, Discovery and Motions/Memoranda. Discovery gets labelled red and tagged Discovery, Motions/Memoranda get labelled orange and tagged Motions. You can accelerate the process by using Hazel to autotag documents according to color label, or vice versa, or to tag/label all new documents with a specific color until ‘opened’ for the first time. For an advanced search, open Leap and get yourself sorted across multiple client/closed folders by filtering according to the tag/label/date or whatever else you desire.

Shortcuts Make It Flow.

A few Finder shortcuts to make this all work better. The combination of pressing Command key and 1, 2, 3, 4 switches the views of Finder from Icon, List, Column, CoverFlow respectively. Hitting the Spacebar while any file is selected (blue) pops up QuickLook for the file. In List view, Command>Arrow moves up and down through the folders. Add a Client shortcut to the top of the Finder window for quick access. That’s all for now, and remember it’s always a work in progress which can shift and reshape as you need to fit your practice.

Better than a dream journal, simpler than a string on your finger.

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You just rolled into bed, you’re about to doze off, you remember you need to (insert: call client in morning; file answer to pleading; pick-up dry cleaning) and now you must either get out of bed and write a note or toss and turn while the carnival starts rolling (warning NSFW, turn the speakers down).

Note2Self (crappy Parker Lewis reference aside) is a very simple app that does one thing and does it well. You push the button, put the iPhone to your head, tell yourself whatever and drop the phone as you doze off into a peaceful rest.  Note2Self emails you the voice memo (or emails your assistant or who ever you designate). Next morning, hey, checking email, oh yeah, I gotta go get me some frozen yogurt with gummy bears (crappy Parker Lewis reference).

There are a few other apps for the iPhone that do the same thing, but Note2Self won my heart with its cheap price, .99¢, and its ultra-simple approach.

Other similar apps include: EccoNote (free); EccoNote Pro (.99¢ does email notes, but requires more involvement); Audio Recorder ($2.99, can email AND can add more to a prior recording). Whatever one works for you, its still better than keeping a dream journal and simpler than tying a string around your finger.

Cut and Paste Coming to iPhone?

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Playing around with a 3G iPhone last night. While surfing through the Apple store refurb site, looking at Airport Express details, my left thumb placement made the screen darken. At first, I thought some part of my hand was covering up the ambient light sensor, used to make screen darker or lighter depending on conditions. However, while trying to move my hand around to make it stay dark, this little sweet nubpopped up… an “Action” item. Sort of like Command-Click or Right-Click on a regular Mac. I can only assume this is a future Command-Click interface that was somehow inadvertently triggered, or in non-lawyer speak, a bug. Unable to reproduce on a different web page (expedia.com), so don’t know quite what that means. But a Command-Click on the iPhone would be much welcomed for cut-n-paste and other applications!

On a sad note, this could not be duplicated on a 2G iPhone, so might be a limitation there. More photos below.

A Gripe and A Fix.

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Part of the Apple experience comes from aesthetics. The hardware to the software all look so good and make interfacing with a computer a more human experience, less geeky and, I believe, makes work more enjoyable… of course a stable OS goes a long way too.

But, Apple (and many other manufacturers) miss the boat by not including a ‘Pointing Stick’ style mouse in their laptops. Years of use with IBM laptops (now Lenovo) convinced me the convenience of a Trackpoint or Pointing Stick on the keyboard outweighed the ugly. Moreover, after adapting to Apple’s trackpad only configuration, I have wrist pain in my right wrist from mousing. Switching to a lefty mouser helps, but probably only forestalls the inevitable, pain developing in the left wrist.

Although not a full-time solution, there are available desktop USB keyboards with built-in Pointing Sticks which a Macbook will recognize, so that while at a desk, an alternative and wrist relieving option exists.

Lenovo sells a full-size Ultra-Nav USB Keyboard that has both a Trackpoint and Trackpad option built in. Because it has a Windows key (shudder), you still get your command key for the Mac. The keyboard also has additional USB ports so your not going to lose a USB port by plugging it in. It costs a measly $99 and, as an added benefit, you get that beautiful IBM snap on the keyboard, a huge benefit for any touch typist. If you really want to kick it old school, PCkeyboard.com sells an old style IBM keyboard, the Endurapro, that actually uses springs underneath the keys. This is that old-school clickety-clackety sounding keyboard, but those springs and the tactile feedback are much missed by many typing pros, authors, writers and geeks. The Endurapro does not, however, have additional USB ports but does have that ugly retro welcome to 1991 feel that you just can’t find anywhere else. It retails for $99 as well.

Present Like Steve Jobs, Without the Black Turtleneck.

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BusinessWeek posted another great piece “Deliver a Presentation Like Steve Jobs.” Highlights include:

Sell the benefit. While most presenters promote product features, Jobs sells benefits. When introducing iTunes movie rentals, Jobs said, “We think there is a better way to deliver movie content to our customers.” Jobs explained the benefit by saying, “We’ve never offered a rental model in music because people want to own their music. You listen to your favorite song thousands of times in your life. But most of us watch movies once, maybe a few times. And renting is a great way to do it. It’s less expensive, doesn’t take up space on our hard drive…” Your listeners are always asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” Answer the question. Don’t make them guess. Clearly state the benefit of every service, feature, or product.

via TUAW.

Time & Billing Roundup

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For those unlucky souls out there still running on the hamster wheel billable hour, TUAW has a really great roundup of Timekeeping & Billing applications for Mac OSX. MacLitigator, filtering out the useful legal bits from the noise so you can keep on billing 🙂

TUAW Time & Billing Roundup.

UPDATE: The response was so great to TUAW’s first round-up that they went ahead and added Part II for even more Time & Billing options.

Somebody Finally Said…

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what we’ve all been thinking, there may be “rot at Apple’s core” according to The Dallas’ Morning News Techblogger Victor Godinez. According to Godinez, the rot shows through because of shaky iPhone 2.0 software, the MobileMe fiasco (wherein loads of paying .Mac customers have lost emails or been frozen out entirely), and the ‘bundling’ of Safari and forced installation of MobileMe components alongside iTunes on Windows platforms. Linkbait? Maybe. My own personal experience while attempting to purchase a 3G phone seems to support the decay of a shiny Apple into a razor blade loaded Halloween treat.

While at the local Apple store, I considered picking up a new 3G iPhone. I dutifully went to the end of the line and asked the Apple store employee how long the wait would be and he informed me about an hour. Eeeesh. O.K. well, it’s Sunday and I have a good book in hand so, I’ll wait a while. After about fifteen minutes, another fellow queued up behind me. I noticed he had a small white tag which read “3G” in big letters. I asked him about it an he told me that I needed a ‘pre-qualification’ tag in order to be in the line I was in. Back inside the store to get the prequal tag, the manager pointed me back out to the line I was just standing in and told me I needed to ask the Apple employee for the prequal and that there was a ‘separate’ line in that line outside. “Really? I line to wait in line? It’s not like the Beatles are playing here.” Smug smug Apple certified smile and no vocal response, only a finger pointing me back outside. By now, five other people had walked up to the line. I decided to go read my book at home.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Apple is rotting away, growing moldy, wormy and ridden with holes. Rather, this is the inevitable slide that customer service takes whenever a huge success occurs. I simply cannot imagine anyone is more disappointed in the iPhone activation and hour plus wait for purchase than Steve Jobs. So, here’s hoping that the company can get through the growing pains of such enormous recent success and move back toward the solid company and customer service we all know and love.

Return from the Wild.

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MacLitigator is back… early no less. No, it wasn’t the lack of internet or the inability to watch reality t.v. (ugh) that prompted an early return. Rather, the program which drew me into the wild just didn’t make a good fit with me personally. So, on to the tips regarding remote tech.

  • Prepare in advance. Let the important folks know you’ll be gone and leave forwarding phone numbers for emergencies.
  • Piggyback wireless wherever you can find it, and you can find it much easier with either macstumbler or kismac/istumbler/netstumbler.  Caution should be used as some view an using open wireless as pirating, while others view an open wireless connection as an invitation. 
  • For cell phone service, get up high, at the crest of a hill or on top of a butte.
  • Boost your cell phone signal with a booster antenna… I used Cell Ranger STIX available at www.repeaterstore.com for $129. Yes, it really works and works very well. However, with two cell phones running off the same repeater, sound quality did degrade somewhat.
  • Most importantly, relax. Much like a long running soap opera, the fast paced interwebs change microscopically in the big picture. Some RSS fees were up over 400 on my return. After bouncing through the first few entries, I realized that much of these little blurbs are, well, just blurbs and I missed nothing of consequence by my absence.

Gone Fishin’

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For the next 3 weeks, MacLitigator will be in the wild and completely unplugged. Not a vacation by any stretch, especially for a tech addict. The place holding MacLitigator hostage has 3 pay phones, one fax machine, no television (no real loss here), no internet and no cell phone service and a sign out front of the barn that reads “Welcome to Hell.” Be prepared for a host of tech survival tips upon my return, assuming I can get good enough GPS reception to find my way back.

Presentation Zen

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Jurors present the very most difficult audience, they usually don’t want to be there, start with the belief that everything you do is a lie geared to influence the outcome, hate to waste time anymore than necessary and yet must be taught about very difficult legal, medical, and technical issues in the stilted classroom that we call court. Although I knew enough to embrace elimination of bullet points, irrelevant and ridiculous .gif images, superfluous and magical slide transitions etc. the ability to push things onto a big screen can even lead those who know better astray. In a soft tissue injury trial a few years ago, the complete set of medical records were scanned and available for presentation. When conducting direct examination with the treating physiatrist, each record was popped onto the screen in an attempt to show (1) consistent complaints of pain (credibility); and, (2) sticking to a treatment and physical therapy plan (mitigation). About half-way through, I glanced at the jury box. The jurors not sleeping looked alternately peeved and bored. Lesson (one I already knew, but ignored): Just because technology enables you to do something, doesn’t mean you should.

Although Zen attitude didn’t seem to help the Lakers win, it can certainly have an impact on your presentation skills. Presentation Zen is a blog run by Gary Reynolds and will undoubtedly bring a huge amount of help to your trial presentation skills. Start here, here, and here for a riotous compare and contrast between Bill Gates/Microsoft and Steve Jobs/Apple approaches to presentation. A few pithy points:

The Zen aesthetic values include (but are not limited to):

  • Simplicity
  • Subtlety
  • Elegance
  • Suggestive rather than the descriptive or obvious
  • Naturalness (i.e., nothing artificial or forced),
  • Empty space (or negative space)
  • Stillness, Tranquility
  • Eliminating the non-essential

Whether you are using Circus Ponies Notebook, Keynote or another piece of software, those who ignore the rules of good presentation etiquette do so at the risk of, at best, boring their audience or, at worst, fostering hostility toward you and your client.

Presentation Zen