Hey NYC area Ross Ipsa readers – I’m going to be in Manhattan on Tuesday the 23rd for a full day of NYSBA CLE. Visiting Kodner1.html at Penn on Monday, then taking the train to the city Tuesday morning. I’m doing a seminar called “Tightwad Tech and the Portable Office” with full info here.

The program is taking place at the Concierge Conference Center at 780 Third Ave with afternoon and early evening sessions as follows:

PART I: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EDT)

“Tightwad Technology for Tough & Trying Times: Practicing Smarter, More Profitably and Greener”

Session 1: From Paper to Pixels: Paper LESS Works, Paperless Doesn’t

• Who isn’t swimming in a sea of paper every day?
• Avoid ethical and malpractice risk by best tracking client files
• Learn about the only practical way to manage paper in your practice via document   management
• Move to complete, contiguous electronic case files, while still keeping paper
• Bill at least 15 more minutes every single day – or much more
• No more aggravating paper chases around the office looking for matter files
• A proven, twenty year field-tested process for every practice, large or small

Session 2: From Chaos to Cases: Practice Management Systems That Really Work

• Dates, deadlines, case notes – modern law practice is a dizzying swirl of information
• Practice management systems are the ultimate malpractice safety net
• Track…everything and access all case information from everywhere
• Recover at least 15 billable minutes every day
• Practice management systems are the central beating information heart of a practice

Session 3: Tightwad Technology: 60 Top Time-Saving, Practice-Protecting Tips for All Lawyers

• Learn how to better use the tech you already have without spending more!
• Free and cheap tools including conference calling and internet faxing
• Squeeze more out of Word, Acrobat, Outlook and your practice manager
• Information you can put to use IMMEDIATELY in your practice!

PART II: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (EDT)

“The Portable Practice: Mobile Lawyering from Court, Your Balcony or the Nearest Starbucks”

Session 1: The Mobile Lawyer: All The Tools to Practice Anytime, Anywhere – Laptops, Netbooks, Smartphones, Cloud Computing and More

• Everything about portabilizing your practice
• Choosing the right laptops, netbooks and mobile gadgetry
• Smartphones and tablets – from iPhones to Blackberry to iPad, Android and beyond – how to choose?
• Practicing law in the “cloud” – tools and systems to practice anywhere, anytime

Session 2: The Mobile Lawyer: Better Using Microsoft Word 2007 and Adobe Acrobat in Your Portablized Practice

• Demystify Word 2007 – learn about styles, using “Lego” in Word to build documents
• The top (and necessary) Word tools – from revealing codes to numbering paragraphs
• Addressing the Word metadata issue, the PDF First approach and protecting your clients, cases and practice
• Acrobat – far beyond mere PDFing
• Legal PDF tools: Bates stamping, redaction, typewriter, PDF “electronic three ring binders” and more
• Securing your PDFs and removing PDF metadata

Session 3: The Mobile Lawyer and How NOT to Commit Malpractice With Your Portable Technology

• See how you could commit malpractice in a single mouse click or touchpad swipe
• Protect client confidences in a digitally scary world
• Practice securely and safely with online backup, internet syncing and safe email
• Avoid mobile security nightmares that expose case information and strategy
• Save your practice, save your livelihood, save your law license!

I’m also really grateful for the sponsorship of these companies whose generosity is making my appearance possible for the New York State Bar – we’ve talked about these products hear for years – I’ve been big fans of them for decades (literally) and many of my clients use them:

* Tabs 3 and Tabs PracticeMaster from Software Technology, Inc. with info here.

* Worldox GX2 from World Software with info here.

Hope to see some some of you there and would be happy to grab a drink or a bite to eat with anyone afterwards. I’m staying at the Marriott Eastside at 49th and Lex. Let me know if you’d like to try and get together afterwards.

Alright, I agree, that was a pathetic effort at alliteration but it’s true! I’ve been writing a series of PDF-related columns for my Technolawyer SmallLaw contributions over the last couple of months. I’ve written detailed “how to” guides on:

• PDF Packaging - how to create “electronic three ring binders” to organize client and firm administrative documents. Examples include electronic versions of traditional estate planning binders, firm HR documents, discovery indices and much more. See the column here.
• Searchable PDFs – how to turn “image” PDFs into searchable or “accessible” PDFs. Most of you want and need to do this – it opens up PDF content not only to be searched but also to be leveraged by copying and pasting it into other programs, such as documents or emails. See the column here.
• Typewriters Begone! – how to use the Typewriter tool in Adobe Acrobat to fill in pre-printed forms onscreen, including full editing ability. See the column here.

In future editions, I’ll be writing about Bates Stamping, Secure Redaction and using the Commenting functions to review PDF documents. Watch for them with your free subscription to Technolawyer and specifically to receive the SmallLaw column, distributed weekly via email.

Just thought some of you might be interested in two upcoming CLE programs – one live in the Chicago area on Wednesday, August 19th and the other online and available everywhere. on Thursday, August 20th.  Here’s the scoop on the two programs:

“Social Media for Lawyer (and Other Tech Tools to Help Good Lawyers Survive Bad Times)” – This is a live program for IICLE in Chicago on Wednesday, August 19th at the UBS Tower. There are 6.25 CLE credits including 2.5 Prof. Resp. credits. Here’s the link to the program and registration info: https://www.iicle.com/BooksandProducts/ProductDescription.aspx?ID=337. I’ll be doing nearly seven hours of presentations including:

• “Social Media, Viral Marketing, Low Overhead and Smart Spending to Grow & Maintain Your Practice Ethically & Affordably” – In these tight economic times, business development and client retention are more critical than ever. But of course, with marketing budgets slashed for firms across the board, the key is leveraging least-cost legal marketing resources. Ross will explore how to generate business in the most cost-effective, yet professional and ethically compliant manner – how to leverage web technology and resources such as social media (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin), building and revamping websites and blogs that actually generate work and reflect positively on your abilities,  and even more to build and bring in a book of business you can live on and thrive!

• “Tightwad Technology: 60+ Free and Cheap Tools and Web Services for Illinois Lawyers (Part One and Part Two)” – In these unusual and frankly, frightening economic times, lawyers everywhere need to squeeze the most out of every overhead dollar, while at the same time, maximizing the quality of client services and responsiveness. Diametrically opposed goals? Not at all! In two in-depth sessions, we’ll explore a plethora of free or very inexpensive software products, tips, techniques, and web resources for propelling your practice forward while better serving every one of your clients. We’ll learn about free anti-virus products, free webinar and conference calling services, free and cheap Word and Outlook tools and much more! Save a bundle, learn a bunch!
• “Tightwad Technology: Better Using What You Already Have – Top Word, WordPerfect, Outlook, and Acrobat Tips!” – In these trying times when we’ve seen our 401Ks tumble precipitously, it’s not the ideal time to splurge on new technology. Instead, we’ll show you how Technology Tightwads wring more productivity and profits out of the systems you already have. We’ll explore law practice-specific tips, tricks and shortcuts for better using Word 2003 and 2007, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat. See the Acrobat Typewriter in action. Discover how Acrobat is the best tool for digging you out of your overflowing Outlook mailboxes. See Word “Styles” demystified. Learn about Outlook as a Case Manager. Why buy more when you can better use what you already have . . . and better serve your clients at the same time!
• “From Paper to Pixels: Building the Complete (and Green) Electronic Case File” – Who isn’t buried in piles of paper – at your office, at home, seemingly everywhere? How many otherwise billable hours do you and your staff waste everyday looking for case information you can only find in a paper file? If these thoughts already conjure images too painful to contemplate, you desperately need this session. Award-winning legal technology consultant, Ross Kodner, will walk you through his Paper LESS Process – a proven, practical, realistic and cost-effective way to whip those piles into shape and show all that paper who’s boss. Learn how to go from paper to pixels, building complete electronic client case files . . . saving both your pocketbook and the planet.

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Then the next day, I’m doing an online program with my old techno.pal Andy Adkins, Director of the Legal Technology Institute at the Univ. of Florida’s law school. Andy and I have been presenting together for almost two decades, usually in the practice management subject area. That’s the focus of the program on August 20th called:

• “Minimize Risk with Legal Case, Matter and Practice Management Systems” – Case, matter, and practice management systems and processes will help your practice become more efficient and effective in all aspects of operating your practice and addressing the needs of clients. Whether you are a litigator or a transactional attorney, in private practice or in a legal department, this seminar will focus on the functions and advantages of case, matter, and practice management system software and related processes. Our two panelists, Andrew Z. Adkins III and Ross Kodner, are both pioneers and leaders in legal technology. Each has more than 20 years experience in working with lawyers, law firms and legal departments covering all practice areas and sizes. We’ll cover the basics of these systems and provide detailed discussions of the leading software systems in the legal profession along with practical tips for best practices deployments. Learn how contemporary practice management systems and processes can manage risks, allow you to better represent your clients and maximize profitability and productivity . . . while reducing the stress of daily law practice.

The program is being webcast at 1PM EDT for 90 minutes. Andy and I have been immersed in the practice management world for a collective 44 years between us – we’ll have tons of great tips and “street smarts” to pass along including our thoughts about Cloud Computing practice management approaches. Info on the program is at:

http://www.lorman.com/teleconference/teleconference.php?pid=204609

Hope some of you can join me next week in Chicago or online!

OK, one of my favorite subjects . . . making PDFs searchable is a necessary skill, especially if your firm or business has a “PDF First” policy for electronic document exchange (which essentially might say: “If there is no legitimate reason for the recipient of an electronic document we send to edit the file, we will not send editable files – instead we will send SECURE PDFs”).

Some important basic facts about types of PDFs we encounter every day:

• PDFs of scanned documents are, by default, just pictures – “Image PDFs” as Adobe calls them
• PDFs created from text-based electronic documents (i.e. turning a Word doc or an Excel spreadsheet into a PDF) yields a searchable PDF (or an “accessible PDF” as Adobe calls them).
• Searchable PDFs have an invisible “text layer” beneath the visible “image layer” – you can search the text, copy text from it and paste it into other documents – with generally very good text recognition
• Adobe OCRing of text is faster than traditional OCR software (i.e. OmniPage, Abbyy FineReader, ReadIRIS) because Acrobat doesn’t have to worry about replicating source document’s layout and convert to Word styles and formatting (not an easy task)
• Searchable PDFs can be searched by any desktop search system (Windows Desktop Search, Vista Instant Search, Mac OS X Spotlight, X1, Copernic, Google Desktop, et al, and/or legal document managers like Worldox, Worksite, eDocs, NetDocuments, etc.). Read the rest of this entry »

“A Paper LESS Life: A Common Sense Guide to (Green) Home and Business Sanity”. That’s the working title of the book I’m furiously working on – the logical next step after 15 years of the Paper LESS Office(tm). If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I’m feeling quite flattered over the last few years. Friends and colleagues have written about . . . what sounds mostly like the Paper LESS Office, sometimes with attribution (thanks to those who have – very kind!), sometimes not. Sometimes, it’s like reading my own materials with someone else’s name on it. But instead of being bothered by it, I’m thrilled! And flattered

Why?  Well heck, I’ve given away my Paper LESS Office concept in terms of articles, listserve posts, blog posts and of course in the form of my downloadable CLE materials for free for 15 years! Many thousands of lawyers and others have benefitted from the concept, which I first formulated and began writing and speaking about in late 1994. How do I know? Just tracking the downloads of Paper LESS Office materials from MicroLaw.com over the years shows more than 300,000 anonymous downloads (I have never required registration or “decloaking” of visitors as a pre-requisite to access). I’ve received probably nearly 2000 emails over the years from law firms, businesses, associations and individuals.

I’m thrilled because ultimately, it’s about the cause. It’s about helping people and firms and companies to turn the chaos of their lives and practices into cases. Seeking organization and accessibility and portability of everything important to us in the process of living and working. I have long thought far beyond the narrow constraints of law practice. For years in the opening of my various CLE programs about “The Paper LESS Office,” I have asked my audiences, “who here isn’t buried in an unending sea of paper that conspires to bury us every single day?” Hands always nervously shoot up, accompanied by the inevitable chuckles of personal recognition. Who isn’t buried in receipts, product manuals, school papers, old homework, bill, tax returns and more at home? Who doesn’t have file cabinets, frankly, chock full of crap that no one will even open again for fear of being sucked into some paper-lined tear in the space-time continuum from which escape might be impossible? Read the rest of this entry »

I’m always pleased to see my now 16 year old Paper LESS Office process continue to gain acceptance. A little radical back in 1993 when the idea sprouted, now it’s common sense and in the mainstream. The acknowledgement that ridding one’s life and practice of paper may be a pipe dream, paves the way to developing a process involving a nearly 100% reduction in the need to find and touch the paper. This is the heart of the Paper LESS Office concept – thereby allowing one to:

• Avoid wasted otherwise billable time chasing paper and convert some, most or all of it into billable time
• Stress reduction and quality of life in practice enhancement

• Be more responsive both to clients and to co-workers merely via access to a complete and continguous electronic case file

Recently, techno.pal Dave Bilinsky of award-winning Thoughtful Legal Management wrote about being Paper LESS in a British Columbian practice context here.  Dave need only to check in with my own client Douglas MacAdams, QC, of the MacAdams Law Firm, practicing eastward through the beautiful Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, BC to see the Paper LESS Office in full swing.

In the spirit of my latest “Tightwad Technology” series of CLE programs, the time for the Paper LESS Office and the Paper LESS Process is now. Cut costs, make more money, reduce practice and life stress, thrill clients and help the environment – all simultaneously. All good things. All needed now for all practices.

Read more about the Paper LESS Office process and Tightwad Technology for Tough & Trying Times in my latest CLE materials at www.microlaw.com/cle-downloads.html, free and PDFed, as always.

So thanks Dave for reinforcing the concept!

Just ask El Paso lawyer David Ferrell who demonstrated it at the 2nd Annual Texas Bar Law Practice Management & Technology Conference today. He showed a PDF demand letter done in Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which allows you to create and embed Flash video in documents that can open and play via a click or automatically. In a demand letter related to personal injuries suffered by a Chinese melamine-laced formula poison infant, the video that popped up was devastating – showing the powerful concept conveyance capabilities of video images v. mere words or even static pictures. While obviously not likely admissible, the effect on a claims adjuster could be significant.

Very, very cool – and I’m not easily impressed lately. Way to go Dave. You can find him here at www.elpasolaw.com.

Also, to find out more about how lawyers can and should be taking the legal-focused functional treasure trove on Adobe Acrobat, download and read the latest version of my CLE materials on the subject here (the 7th and 8th programs down in the download table).