I field issues from clients about what version of Microsoft Office to use/order all the time. And it’s a legitimate question since the array of choices are really complicated. And with the advent of the latest “Miscrosoft Office 365″ nomenclature, it’s even MORE confusing.

So let’s try and sort this out, shall we? Here’s the scoop on the three different license types:

• OEM Version – this version is typically the least costly and is intended to be sold with new hardware (i.e. bundled with a Dell,HP or Lenovo PC). It’s also totally legitimate to sell it via sites likebuycheapsoftware.com (you’ll usually get a small bag containing a non-descript circuit board – the “new hardware”). If sites like this weren’t legitimate, they’d have been shut down long ago. They serve a valuable role reducing unsold OEM software from the channel. BIG CAVEATS: Cannot legally be transferred to another machine and for one system only.
• Retail Box Version – through Office 2010, this is a version that could typically be installed on two or three PCs depending on the Office version (as long as it would not be used on more than one system at a time) and could be legally transferred to another system (uninstall/reinstall). CAVEAT: With Office 2013′s release, this is no long true - transfer is not allowed and the license is tied to the original installed system.
• Volume Licenses Version – a variety of these plans exist but in the small-firm world the MOLP (Microsoft Open License Plan) starts at 5 users. This is also the only version that will work in a Windows Terminal Server /Windows RDS (Remote Desktop Services p/k/a Terminal Services) or in a Citrix environment. These versions are transferrable to other systems as well – they are NOT tied to a specific machine. This makes them the most flexible, albeit the most costly licensing option (or stated another way, “more flexibility = higher cost”).
• Subscription Services Version – a new approach starting with Office 365 and 2013 – pay per year in both consumer/business and student editions.For example, my son just purchased a $79.95 educational license for Microsoft Office 365 including local installable Windows or Mac software (Mac is Office 2011), web versions of the same, 20 Gb of Microsoft Skydrive cloud storage space, and 4 years of updates/subscription for 2 systems - quite a deal with students, faculty and school administration (http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.259180100?WT.term=microsoft+office+for+students&WT.mc_id=pointitsem_Microsoft+US_google_5+-+Office+15+Suites&WT.medium=cpc&WT.campaign=5+-+Office+15+Suites&WT.srch=1&WT.content=hqeDd8uQ&WT.source=google&cshift_ck=7b6ee8e4-cf4a-4e78-a51c-cc10a0d853fdcshqeDd8uQ). Consumer versions are $99 per year at retail but are for up to 5 (yes, five) systems: http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details~productID~5881.asp.
  

So is it safe to buy OEM versions of Office 2010 from Buycheapsoftware? Yes – and they include a free update to Office 2013 currently. They are about $153 right now (for 1 user -http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details~productID~5004.asp) Putting it on a machine at the end of its life cycle doesn’t make sense. But it can be very economical to put it on a new machine. They also sell the retail version which is now $259 for a 2 PC license with free Office 2013 upgrade – a really good deal if you need two installs and it is transferable (remember, last retail version allowing this) (http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details~productID~4951.asp).

And yes, there’s a big difference between Office 365 and Office 365 Home Premium (and the business version to be released at the end of February. Office 365 is a collection of web-ized apps to run Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook from a browser. These versions include the most common functions in the regular versions of these programs. but not all functions. They are sold on a subscription basis from $6 to $20/month/user with info here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/compare-plans.aspx. Office 365 Home Premium is actual software you load, per the above for an annual fee. Really confusing – I know . . .

I’ve been buying from buycheapsoftware.com for many years – they’re terrific and have very aggressive pricing. I wouldn’t hesitate to
recommend them.

There’s an excellent article on Wikipedia on this same subject, scroll down to the chart near the bottom especially: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_2013.

First, what’s “SSSS?” It’s MicroLaw’s Summer Sale on Software and Services – something we’ve done every year. But this year, there’s more to celebrate than just long warm days here in the Northern Hemisphere. There’s also MicroLaw’s 27th anniversary which we’re celebrating this month (yep, we started helping lawyers with technology way back in ’85) *AND* we’re celebrating the opening of our new Madison, Wisconsin office.

So what does mean for you? Simple. Saving a ton of money on your summer tech and practice management projects. This applies to all new projects (including those currently proposed but not yet closed) from June 27th to July 31st. Here’s what you get:

• 5% off of some software that’s never otherwise discounted: Autobahn PDF searchable conversion tool and of course, Worldox GX3 (and ask about possible discounts on our other recommended software products for billing and practice management). Software discounts are only available with related MicroLaw professional services, just to be clear.
• 20% off of our MicroLaw Legal SmartMacros for Word. We’ve been automating Word for clients for years with these indispensable layout and formatting tools.
• 25% off of all professional services – technology audits/reviews (our MicroLaw CARES review – “Computer and Resources Evaluation & Study – checking the health of your system and processes), training, tech support, review of existing locally-provided proposals before you pull the trigger, how to fit iPads and Android tablets into your practice, moving to Macs and more.
• 25% off all live or online in-house CLE programming for your lawyers.  Over 30 tech and practice management sessions to choose from – ranging from just one hour to full day programs (and 50% off if you happen to be a law school!)
• 35% off of all technology audits for existing MicroLaw clients as updates to your original audit – if 3-4 years have passed, a lot changes including all the impact of cloud technology, so it’s time to take a look and save a bundle while in process.

Our new office is located at 6601 Grand Teton Plaza, Suite 8 in Madison, WI. I’m personally staffing that office while Renee and Abe hold down the company headquarters back in Milwaukee.

GRAND OPENING SPECIAL! Just for greater Dane County area clients, take an extra 5% off all professional services until July 31st!

Ask Ross here about any questions and/or to talk about your firm’s, legal department or Bar association’s needs. We’re ready to help and also help you save!

Many of you apparently downloaded and are enjoying the MicroLaw Word 2010 QuickTask Bar I wrote about and made available earlier this month (click here for download info). Enough readers asked for our Word 2007 version so I decided to make it available as well. It is identical to the Word 2010 QuickTask Bar, but the installation process is completely different – it’s described in the README FIRST document you’ll find in the Dropbox folder which you can access here. As with the Word 2010 version, it’s free, but on the honor system, I’ll ask that if you use it, please send $1.99 via Paypal to rkodner@microlaw.com to encourage its further refinement and future development. So it’s kind of a conscience-based pricing system :-). Anyway, download away and hope you enjoy the higher level of one-click productivity it brings to Word 2007.

Folks, a bunch of you asked for the MicroLaw QuickTask Toolbar for Word 2010 so we’ve made it available. Absolutely, positively read the READ ME FIRST file in the folder. Especially the parts about us not being responsible for your system, backing up, etc. etc. There is NO tech support available on this so please don’t ask. Either it will work or it won’t. Did I mention the need to follow the instructions PRECISELY and take the backup cautions seriously?? With that said, here’s the link and remember, it’s for Word 2010 only. Hope you find it useful – it’s been tested on two of my own systems and works great (your results may vary of course . . . once again, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and take heed on the cautionary points . . . in case that wasn’t clear :-)). Thanks to Abe at MicroLaw for helping out with this and with the backup batch file.

The only thing I ask – and it’s an honor system policy – is that if you like it, send a Paypal payment to MicroLaw for $1.99 to rkodner@microlaw.com. You don’t have to, but it’s the right thing to do. If you don’t feel it was worth it, obviously don’t.

Enjoy!

Wow, yesterday’s post on restoring Word 2007/2010 sanity with the collection of tools MicroLaw has used for years was overwhelming! Thanks to reader Mark Olberding for his suggestion for The FormTool - a respected utility that is self-described by its publisher as “Document Assembly and Forms Automation for the Rest of Us.” With both a free and an $89 “Pro” version, think of this as Word Merge without having to think about it. Or “everyperson’s document assembly.” It’s certainly worth the free download and an hour to play around with it – we’re not easily impressed and this one did so right out of the gate with just the free version. the Pro version adds a series of “Smart” functions – smart answers to insert prompts, smart conditions for conditional logic to insert context-sensitive entries, smart syntax and several more functions described here.

In that same vein – document assembly facilitators – look also at the legendary Pathagoras. Roy Lasris is one of the unsung heroes of the document assembly world, quietly building a fanatically loyal following for Pathagoras over the years. The product is a suite of tools for make Word document assembly mindlessly simple. What sets Pathagoras apart is Roy – and the best way to illustrate this is to quote my fellow ABA Solosezzer, Andrew Flusche who wrote: “Two things that I love:

1) Pathagoras does everything in simple Word documents.  You can easily create and edit your forms in plain text.  It doesn’t take a programmer to make this thing hum.

2) The customer support is amazing!  I’m not even a paying customer yet, and the owner / developer (Roy Lasris) has taken tons of time to help me.  He’s even talked to me on the weekend, evening, etc.  Very cool!

….

Note:  I’m not affiliated with Pathagoras in any way.  I just LOVE this product.  It has really helped my practice a lot.”

Pathagoras comes with a 90 day free trial. After that, it’s $379 for a single license or $799 for a 3-pack. 4.5 out of 5 stars in my book (only 4.5 because ideally, it would be a little less expensive, but it’s still less than a couple of hours of billable time, reasonable).

Okay, now this tip might sound a little odd – WordPerfect X4, X5 or X6 is a terrific Word tool. Huh? How is that possible? Isn’t that a blasphemous bit of heresy worthy of a good stake-burning or a turn in the stocks? What I means is that there is no better way to convert WordPerfect documents (of any vintage) into Word documents (with the least amount of clean-up required, if any) that doing a Word save in the most recent versions of WordPerfect (especially the last two including the newest X6 edition. So even if you’ve fully transitioned to Word years ago, if you’re still sitting on Wordperfect formatted documents, get at least one copy of WordPerfect X5 or X6 – you’ll thank yourself because of all the time and aggravation you save (v. using Word’s sucky WordPerfect import filter).

Oh, and the ultimate Word and Outlook “utility?” Worldox GX3 legal document/email management. But I’ll tell you why in an upcoming post.

We’ve been helping clients with their document generation needs since the WordPerfect 4.0 for DOS days. In other words, if you add in my prior Perfect Writer (remember it Kaypro users?) and Wordstar, we’ve pretty much seen it all over the decades (I used to say “over the years” – that doesn’t seem to cover it anymore). We’ve always focused on the most painless, most-assisted document generation experience whether using WordPerfect or Word. Of course, these days, the vast majority of our clients use Word.

With that said, the transition from Word 2003 to 2007 was virtually miraculous in its impact. We went from the most Byzantine and obtuse piece of software (of ANY type) ever written (Word 2003, with its seemingly random approach to function assignment across its pull-down menus) to a program that even a die-hard WordPerfect devotee could . . . like (no, I still wasn’t going to say “love” – everyone has their limits).

Word 2007 heralded a new generation in Microsoft interface design; an era where the company actually seemed to give a crap about the user experience (as opposed to “Bill likes it so you’ll like it too . . . or else”). The transition from confusing pull-down menus to the eminently rational set of overlaid “ribbons,” making the most-used functions always visible on each was/is a breath of fresh air. With Word 2010, the final remaining idiotic holdover – the lack of a “File” ribbon was corrected. And suddenly, I personally found myself using Word about 95% of the time and actually . . . hold your horses folks . . . yep . . . here it comes . . . liking it. A lot. Every day.

BUT, with that said, there are certain tools we’ve been recommending be part of our own and our clients’ Word arsenals for years. Tools that plug still-existing gaps in Word’s functionality (and one Outlook tool too, to round out the Office 2007/2010 remedial toolbox). These have been a bright shining set of stars that when combined with Word and Outlook, provide a powerhouse set of communication and document generation tools. Virtually all our clients use all these tools, every single day with Word and Outlook and couldn’t imagine working without them.

Field-tested every day for many years by lawyers and staff in all our client offices, here’s the lineup of Word and Outlook “completers,” in no particular order:

•  Numbering Assistant from Payne Consulting.   In spite of all the functional advances in Word 2007/2010, it’s still unfortunately the case that automatic paragraph numbering / bullets / outlining function doesn’t work the way any normal human would expect it to. Sometimes you get repeated numbers on consecutive paragraphs (“What? You didn’t want Sec. 3 following Sec. 3???”), or tab in and instead of a normal section indent your paragraph jumps way out into the left margin defying even digital crowbar attempts to dislodge it back into its normal position. This is where Payne’s wonderful Numbering Assistant is a legal drafter’s dream tool. It replaces Word’s auto-numbering system with a set of numbering / bulleting styles that work the way WordPerfect’s do – in other words, the way you want them to. They cooperate. They don’t misnumber. $79 for single seat licenses up to 19 users and discounted site license pricing (upon request) for 20 or more users.

• Metadata Assistant from Payne Consulting.   While Document Inspector built into Word 2007/2010 helps with the removal of hidden metadata, it isn’t comprehensive. Metadata Assistant from Payne Consulting IS comprehensive and very automated. It integrates with Outlook so that all outbound attachments can be scrubbed, as well as the ability to select and scrub in-place documents and entire drivers/folders. What is important for our clients is the ability to adjust the level of metadata removal. In other words, if you want to use Track Changes, you can’t remove all metadata – all the Track Changes notations – redline and strikeout – would be removed. Metadata Assistant lets you retain Track Changes notations while removing all other potentially dangerous and ethically damaging metadata. The retail version is $89 for up to 19 users – the company quotes lower per user pricing for quantities of 20 or more on their site license / Enterprise plans. Metadata Assistant is on virtually all of our clients’ systems and has been for more than a decade.

• Crosseyes from Levit & James.  Miss Reveal Codes from your WordPerfect past? Frustrated when Wordies say things like “we have reveal codes – just “show formatting.” Um . . . note to Wordies: “show formatting” isn’t even remotely the same as good old Reveal Codes. For more than a decade, Levit & James has made Crosseyes available for Word. It’s a legitimate Reveal Codes add-in for Word that we find invaluable. No matter your level of Word proficiency, there are times when you just can’t unravel a formatting mess without some help. Crosseyes splits the screen, just as WordPerfect did, “revealing” the codes affecting formatting. This is obviously some kind of patented voodoo, because anyone who knows Word’s architectural underpinnings knows there ARE NO CODES. But there they are, looking just like they look in WordPerfect’s Reveal Codes. The only catch is that you can’t edit in the “Reveal Codes” mode as you could in WordPerfect. But if you click on any of the “codes,” you’ll be taken right to the formatting dialogue in Word where you can fix whatever ails ‘ya. And the best part? Crosseyes is now free.

• MicroLaw QuickTask Bar for Word.  Word comes with a pretty useless QuickTask Bar. You’ll see it in the title bar at the upper left. It has three standard functions: Save, Undo, Redo. Whoopee! Really exciting, right? We’ve been providing our clients with a customized QuickTask Bar since Word 2007 was released – we locate it under the ribbon where it doesn’t impinge on the document title in the title bar, and where we have the full screen width to use as a palette.   What we’ve done is created a much more useful QuickTask Bar – it includes, arranged in a logical order, the most commonly used Word functions (based on feedback from our clients). This translates to one-click access to key Word functions without having to navigate multiple ribbons – a definite time-saver.  Take a look at the MicroLaw QuickTask Bar for Word 2007 or 2010 here.  If you’re interested in acquiring the taskbar, ask Ross here.

• MicroLaw Legal SmartMacros for Word.   Since 1987, MicroLaw has crafted a set of document layout/setup macros for our clients. Originally deployed in WordPerfect for DOS, these macros have evolved over the years. Under Abe Liebsch’s programming purview, these macros are now available for Word 2003, 2007 and 2010. They present a collection of document setup and layout macros that provide a slick, menu-driven approach to create correspondence (with electronic letterhead, or accommodating printing on pre-printed letterhead and including second-page header setup), pleading captions and pleading closings for the jurisdictions in which our clients practice, a fax cover sheet (again, incorporating letterhead), and memo forms. The point of this is to provide a standardized, consistent approach to document setup – so it looks the same no matter who generates the documents – much more professional than leaving it up to everyone to freelance their own approaches. These SmartMacros are customized to each client’s jurisdiction-required pleading layout needs, firm letterhead approach and fax cover sheet preferences. For info ab0ut the MicroLaw LegalSmartMacros, page through the information here. For customized pricing,click here and ask Ross.

• Copy2Contact for Outlook.   Talk about voodoo! Or it may be just stark naked magic. You’ll think that one of these two explanations fits when you see Copy2Contact (f/k/a Anagram). This has been one of my “60 Tips” CLE tips for many years. Here’s what Copy2Contact does and why it’s essential for ALL Outlook users. All of us have been rather naughty over the years when it comes to keeping Outlook’s contacts up to date. We all know we should take a moment to enter a contact into Contacts whenever we encounter one we’d want to remember in the future. But then a mental script runs that says “yeah, but I don’t have time to break down that address block into all those separate fields: first name, last name, company, address, city, state, zip, phone, fax, email, so I’ll just remember where I found it and search for it later.” If you’re like me, approaching age 51, “forever” is about 7 minutes, and then it’s as if I had never heard it before :-). This is where Copy2Contact comes in – it’s a lazy person’s lifesaver. You highlight a name and address block in any program – on a website, in Word, an email signature, in a PDF – wherever. Then press a key combination you define (I use CTRL-SHIFT-F12 – just habit I guess) and voila! The entire address block is popped magically into an Outlook contact screen, broken down automatically into all the correct fields. All you do is click “Save and Close” and you have a new Contact, properly entered. See? Voodoo? Probably. Necessary? Absolutely. $39.95 from Copy2Contact.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to actually learn to use Word effectively in your law practice. We’ve been providing legal-focused Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint training, customized to each client, for years. It’s affordable and clients consistently give us rave reviews, wondering normally why they hadn’t done it sooner. Ask Ross here for information about how we can do this for you, remotely or live.

It’s also a good idea to provide your users with one or more copies of techno.pal, Ben Schorr‘s excellent books on Word and Outlook in the law office – well-written, easy to understand – essential references for legal Word and Outlook users. And then, be sure to subscribe to, and/or rely on these superb Word reference sources:

• Allen Wyatt’s WordTips site – plain-English daily reference to Word functions – a superbly gifted writer and one of my personal Word gurus.
• Shauna Kelly’s Making the Most of Word site – my other personal Word guru, Shauna is an equally impressive author who demystifies Word on a daily basis. Subscribe!
• Office Watch (f/k/a Woody’s Office Watch) – covers all Microsoft Office components with a mix of free tips, inside info that Microsoft doesn’t tell you, and paid white papers/guides which are nominally priced and virtually always worth the price.

The bottom-line is that Word insanity is painful, expensive and worse, poorly-formatted documents make you look like total technopeasants in front of your clients, co-counsel and experts. It makes zero sense to struggle with Word. These tools represent a recipe for daily sanity with Word in any law practice.

Why “DocuLaw?” Hold that thought until the end of this post . . .

Every so often I feel the need to answer the questions I get from lawyers everywhere who email me asking questions like, “We really enjoy your CLEs and your blog posts, but how do you actually make a living?” That probably tells me that my company has a branding issue, but . . . the answer is really simple and here it is. For the last almost 27 years since I founded the company, MicroLaw has exclusively focused on a mission of guiding legal entities – law firms of all sizes, corporate and governmental legal departments, government agencies and Bar associations / Law Societies – in the most effective use of technology and how it integrates into the flow of their practices and businesses.

We embody the “Five B’s Approach” that I talk about in some recent CLEs: Best Practices, Being More Profitable, Battling Malpractice, Being Ethically Compliant and Better Quality of Life. We see these five goals as being the right reasons for a smarter law practice management and legal technology approach for any type of law practice, public or private.  Technology for technology’s sake can be a lot of fun as a hobby and it’s great to be enthusiastic about legal tech, but we’ve never thought of it as an end in itself – that just isn’t a sound business strategy.

We’ve always been fiercely independent in terms of any products we recommend – this makes us very different in an age where most “consultants” are really “vendors.” We objectively evaluate our clients’ needs and make recommendations. Sometimes we recommend that nothing new be bought, but rather, existing tools be better used. If we do recommend products, we certainly have our favorites and benchmarks, but we often recommend products that, for implementation, we may need to refer out to a qualified expert rathering than being able to handle it ourselves. This is important – we exist to analyze and advise and manage projects, first and foremost.

Wow – some of that sounds awfully formal, so here’s the informal version. We help with every technology that involves something that plugs in for power or runs on batteries (in a legal practice environment – stop that snickering :-)). That means everything from:

• Law practice management and technology audits – how are you doing? what can you do better? what’s your next set of steps? This includes a detailed review and audit of your network, hardware, security, remote access, mobility plans and backup infrastructure, including reviewing IT upgrade proposals and even VOIP and IP phone system proposals. Oh, and we also speak Mac in case you were wondering.
• Cloud strategies – we help our clients figure out what elements of cloud technology make sense for them and help them select and implement the services that make sense. From practice management to document management, financial management, secure data storage, online backup and fax technologies and more.
• Document streamlining – this means document, email and paper management – that can mean a version of our Paper LESS Office approach tailored to a practice, document/email management with leading tools like Worldox GX3 or NetDocuments or even the DM functions within some practice managers. It can also mean developing scanning approaches and helping practices figure out what to do with their existing and to-be-accumulated paper.
• Financial systems – helping get your money straight and your billings/collections maximized – we’ve worked with many legal financial systems over the years and particularly like the venerable Tabs 3 system for many of our clients, but also systems like Rippe-Kingston, Omega, and others. We also help practices migrate from one system to another.
• Practice management systems – the core of our existence, focusing on our long-espoused belief that it’s all about “building complete electronic cases files.” PM systems are the beating information heart of a practice and we help either select a system and help with the best way to implement it, to migrating from one system to another. We recommend both “terrestrial” and “cloud” systems based on what makes the most sense for any given client – and then we help make sure that PM, document management and financial management work together as one integrated system, accessible from anywhere, anytime, from any device. So whether it’s Tabs PracticeMaster or CLIO, JustWare or anything else, we can help
• Microsoft Office – we help with legal-focused selection, configuration on all aspects of Microsoft Office – Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint. our custom-created training reference materials have drawn raves from our clients as have our CLEs on these subjects – and of course, how they integrate with document management and practice management systems.
• Adobe Acrobat and PDFing – we help educate our clients about everything legal professionals need to know and understand about living in a PDF-centric world, and how to securely use Acrobat to their best advantage – with tools like Bates Stamping, Secure Redaction, Electronic 3-Ring Binders, Typewriter, Security, Editing, Comment and Markup, PDF File Comparisons, Creating Forms and more.
• Remote Access and Mobility – we help clients figure out the best and most secure “work away” capabilities include Windows RDP, Citrix, Logmein and then extension of practice information to smartphones, iPads and Android tablets.
• Litigation technology and forensics – we have a network of the top professionals to help with every aspect of trial practice automation and with forensic examinations.
• IT – yes, we’ve been hardcore geeks having been in the trenches since before some of our clients were born, starting in the DOS and Novell days through modern cloud structures and the bridging of the Mac and Windows gaps. We can help design hardware and network systems from 1-100 users and help our clients get the best pricing on right components, review local IT proposals to make sure they make sense and are fairly priced, manage projects literally anywhere in the world and even provide actual turnkey systems to our smaller clients – shipping them and ourselves to set them up if there is no competent local IT support available.

Why “DocuLaw” then? Because so much of what we help with is wrapped up in the understanding, streamlining and management of documents for our clients. Whether paper, electronic or both. Whether texts or Facebook postings. Whether blog posts or Tweets. They’re all documents and we help our clients find ways to build complete electronic case files so they can feel confident, when working a case or a project, that they’re seeing everything that a responsible legal professional should see before advising a client or taking a position on their behalf.

So . . . does that help? That’s what MicroLaw has been, continues to be, and will always be about.

Oh, and did I mention we do it incredibly affordably – so much so that many solo practitioners have been, and are our clients. If you have a practice or a business, we’ll find a way we can help you in a way you can afford, big or small, in the U.S. or around the world, in any time-zone. And be sure to look at our Spring into Spring MicroLaw CARES (Computer and Resource Evaluation & Study) discounts here.

Ready to chat about how we can help? Email me here.

Reporting live from ABA TECHSHOW 2012, here’s my broad impressions on the unofficial theme for this year’s conference, based largely on what the marketplace is doing. Based on the buzz and activity in the exhibit hall, there are three things:

1) Cloud everything – whether practice management, document storage, collaboration, discovery, financial and document systems, what gets the crowd excited are any kind of cloud initiative.

2) Mac v. Windows – it doesn’t matter anymore with lawyers able to use both interchangeably when drive by use of cloud apps and services – these serve as the great equalizer rendering one’s hardware platform choice more a matter of preference than anything else.

3) Push harder – in other words, get more out of the software and services you’ve already been using – time to stop fumbling with Word and trying to use it as a glorified, post-WordPerfect typewriter. Stop glossing over the deep range of capabilities within programs like Microsoft Outlook and Adobe Acrobat. Stop being a digital slob with electronic snippets of info all over the place and unify it with tools like Microsoft OneNote or Evernote. Stop accumulating and start really USING the products and services you’ve bought and paid for. A sound message I’ve been preaching for decades. And a message ideally suited to challenging times for legal economics.

These themes shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – but thanks to ABA TECHSHOW and Chair Reid Trautz and his planning team,  as always for being smart enough, sharp enough and sensitive enough to current and emerging legal technology trends to provide a CLE curriculum that is focused on absolute practicality – information attendees can take back to their practices and immediately put to use.

So . . . crying about your failed bracketology attempts over this past March Madness weekend? My two teams – the UW Badgers and the Marquette Golden Eagles have both made it to the Sweet 16 – very exciting! Fingers crossed. I do have to confess though that when I was at Marquette Law School in the mid-80′s, they were still the Warriors and it’s hard to think of them as anything else :-).

My latest CLE materials are up and online at MicroLaw’s CLE downloads page here. These include four session sets from my guest lecture engagement at the Charleston School of Law this past week, as well as my PDFing materials from the Tennessee Bar’s law technology day last month. As always, the materials are free, searchable PDFs – feel free to share them with anyone who you think might benefit from the knowledge they’ll gain.

The latest materials are:

• Social Media Isn’t a Fad: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin and YouTube and How to Use Them Responsibly and Ethically in Your New Practice
• The 2012 New Lawyer’s Low-Budget / No-Budget Technology Survival Guide
• Technology for Tightwads: 10+ Tips for Free and Low-Cost Law Practice Management and Tech Tools, Gadgets, Apps and Websites
• How NOT to Commit Malpractice With Your Computer (or Smartphone and iPad)
• The Secret Tech Weapon You Didn’t Know You Had: Acrobat and PDFing Tools, Tips, Techniques to Use Daily
• Increasing Cloudiness in Your Practice – Hardcore Realities of Web-Based Systems and Ethical Issues

Hope you find them useful. As always, if these materials look like they have applicability to your practice (hard not to :-)), feel free to contact me here to chat about it.

Neil Squillante of Technolawyer fame reminded me that I had posted previously about best use of Word styles (in a Word 2007 context, but applicable to 2010 as well). The article is here and I think you’ll still find it quite useful. Our earlier post from last week about styles is here.

Thanks Neil for the heads up!

One question I frequently get asked when training clients how to use Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010  is whether it is better to use QuickParts or AutoCorrects for inserting pre-defined pieces of content into Word documents.  Both are useful, and can hold many paragraphs including formatting and other types of objects.  For example, a user could set up a signature block, complete with digital signature image, as either a Quick Part or an AutoCorrect.  Even an entire Motion to Supress or Summary Judgement Motion could be setup as a QuickPart.

The answer is that it’s really up to you!  QuickParts are easier to discover and remember, for people who like the way Word’s galleries work.  But AutoCorrects work just like WordPerfect’s text macros, and can’t be beat for speed.  Either way, building up a library of document building blocks is one of the key methods for using Word efficiently, and something that is part of our standard MicroLaw training on advanced Word features.

You can build an entire clause library in any given area of practice – say trust agreements, settlement agreements, commercial leases, etc. – and then “snap together” new client documents by selecting clauses, then doing final edits. It’s a “clause-based” document assembly system limited solely by your imagination.

Contact me here to find out more about how to best use Word’s QuickParts or AutoCorrect as a “clause-based document assembly” system in your practice. Spring discounts of 15% off our regular training rates should make this practice-enhancing / streamlining knowledge building irresistable.

MicroLaw has been very busy helping firms continent-wide in cleaning up their practice technology. With Spring just around the corner, more or less at least weatherwise (hey it’s going to be 68 in the “Frozen Tundra” of Wisconsin here early next week . . . we’ll take this kind of “late Winter” weather!), but definitely calendar-wise, it’s the perfect time to clean your practice technology house as we march towards the warmer months. Your practice’s profits can bloom and blossom along with the flora and fauna!

To make this process easier – and less expensive, we’ve got a proposal for you. MicroLaw can conduct its detailed practice technology and practice management review for a flat rate based on the size of your practice. The objective? To critique your present technology use and the state of your systems and processes and then provide a highly detailed, yet plain English short-term and long-term plan on how to squeeze the most out of your current (and future) technology systems.

And just like cleaning your home, office or garage in the springtime, it makes sense to schedule a check-up for your practice every couple of years.

• We’ll spot weaknesses and gaps in your hardware and software mix and recommend how to fix them – this can include transitioning wholly or partly to Macs, but also reviewing local quotes for hardware/network upgrades and/or designing the next generation of your systems and figuring out the best way to get it done cost-effectively
• We’ll explore the best way to integrate iPads and tablets into your practice – for everything from staying connected to litigating cases
• We’ll look for areas where you’re losing otherwise billable time because of inefficient technology tools and procedures that could be better tuned (or where procedures don’t really exist at all!) – including using time-capture tools like Chrometa to capture EVERYTHING
• We’ll help you figure out the best way for your specific practice to build complete electronic case files and get to a single point of entry for client and case information – we can help using a variety of practice management and financial systems, such as the legendary Tabs 3 and Tabs PracticeMaster, as well as the Worldox GX3 document/email manager, among others
• We’ll help you become Paper LESS in a way that works for you
• Better use what you already have – stop under-using Word, Outlook and Acrobat, as well as your practice manager and financial systems
• We’ll check to make sure your practice information is secure and you’re protecting client confidences in an ethically-compliant way
• We can help you determine if you’re taking a “green” approach to your office’s operations and technology use
• We’ll help you sort out your smartphone issues and how to get more out of your phones with the right apps
• We’ll examine your social media efforts to make sure you’re using services like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and others in an ethically responsible and effective manner
• We’ll help you figure out if web-based and/or cloud hosting of your data and applications makes sense including using services like CLIO, RocketMatter, MyCase, Advologix, DropBox, Exchange Hosting, online backup and more
• We’ll help you chart out a path consistent with our “Five B’s” approach: using technology intelligently to achieve Best Practices, Battle Malpractice Risk, Be Ethically Compliant, Better Profitability and achieve a more Balanced/Blissful Life – seriously, if these aren’t your real objectives, what’s the point of continually buying new technology?

Our MicroLaw CARES review (CARES = Computer and Resources Evaluation and Study – clever, huh?) includes:

• Step One – Learning About You – Ross will conduct either live or conference-call interviews of everyone you feel has something to offer related to your present technology and how you use it / don’t use it
• Step Two – We Recommend – Ross will draft a detailed, yet highly understandable (our clients tell us that!) set of recommendations and plans for both technology and procedural improvement and how to best use your existing and future tech tools. We’ll leave no stone unturned in recommending software, hardware, services, support and how to get from where you are to where you want/need to be – with all costs very specifically projected and including a leasing analysis.
• Step Three – Let’s Do Lunch! We’ll meet remotely (or live – your choice) to talk through our recommendations and help you develop a specific set of phased action plan steps ready to act on.

While it’s always better to take a big picture approach and look at your entire practice to be able to give the best advice (see below), you can also buy blocks of Ross’ time just to talk about your situation and bounce ideas off of him (or have him comment on a locally-acquired proposal) – the MicroLaw CARES rates for this are discounted from Ross’ regular $245/hour to $185/hour (but you have to mention the “MicroLaw CARES “Spring into Spring” promotion – that’s the only catch!). OR, if you already happen to have programs like Tabs 3, Tabs PracticeMaster and Worldox, Renee from MicroLaw can help hourly as well – she’s normally $185/hour but the “Spring into Spring” discounted rate is $165/hour – every little bit helps! Abe’s tech and Microsoft Office wizardry is normally $150/hour – his “Spring into Spring” rate for MicroLaw CARES work is $145/hour.

So that’s what we can do for you this Spring and into the Summer – as we’ve done for so many firms. And as we did this last Fall – which was wildly popular, we’re offering a MicroLaw CARES discounted flat rate plan as follows:

• 1 person in your practice = Flat CARE rate –  Normally $1750, Fall Sale = $1500
• 2-5 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $2000, Fall Sale = $1750
• 6-10 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $2750, Fall Sale = $2500
• 11-20 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $3500, Fall Sale = $3200
• 21-30 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $5000, Fall Sale = $4600
• 31-50 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $6000, Fall Sale = $5600
• 51-75 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $8000, Fall Sale = $7500
• 76-100 people in your practice = Flat CARE rate: Normally $11,000, Fall Sale = $9995
• 101+ people in your practice – ask Ross about it!  We’ve helped firms with hundreds of people chart their technology paths

The bottom-line is this – the most expensive business decision for any law practice is usually sticking with the status quo – and not being as profitable and client-service-centered as you can. So talk to Ross today and get your Spring/Summer MicroLaw CARES process scheduled before there are no slots left!

Good question, and one we get asked a lot by our clients. For Office 2007 users, the issue is more one of compatibility with third party apps, especially for document assembly purposes, etc. Otherwise, there’s not a lot of compelling reason to move to Office 2010 (okay, optimized 64-bit versions pretty much SCREAM with enough RAM (i.e 6+ Gb) on Windows 7 64-bit systems – that could be enough of a reason).

This question comes up constantly on various listserves I frequent: “How/Why would I use Styles in Word?”

Seriously, that’s like asking “why would I breathe?” or “should I go to the bathroom when I wake up in the morning?” That basic, that fundamental. If you’re among the vast miserable majority NOT using Styles in Word to format your documents, you’re absolutely word processing the hardest possible way. In fact, as my Solosez pal and WordPerfect Wizard Mike Koenecke says “one can use Styles in WordPerfect every bit as effectively and comprehensively as in Word, if that is the way you prefer to work. There are character styles, paragraph styles, document styles aplenty. If you prefer that approach, there is no reason to “change font codes a paragraph at a time through a long document.” In fact, there is no reason to do that in WordPerfect at all.” Essentially a very polite version of “duh.”

So why don’t most Word users we encounter in our client’s offices use Styles? I think the answer has always been the same:

1. We were brought up in a WordPerfect world and never learned what styles were and didn’t need them. So there.
2. We taught ourselves Word. So, we learned how to do everything “unofficially.”

So it’s time to break out of that cycle of document generation despair and get onboard with Styles in Word (and WordPerfect if you still use it). Styles are nothing more than a  way to apply a single smart “macro” (a concept familiar to the legion of WordPerfect-ingrained among us), that affects all the text in a document or a paragraph within a document. It couldn’t be simpler to use – you don’t even need to highlight and mark text as you used to do in WordPerfect in the “good old days.” Just be in the paragraph or document where you want to have the appearance changed and click the Style you wish to choose from your Word 2007 or 2010 Home ribbon Styles choices. Et voila! Multiple appearance changes applied in a single click.

You can create new Styles on the fly by formatting a block of text you wish to look like the Style you want to create. Then highlight the formatted text and right click, then select the option to create a QuickStyle from the highlighted text. Fill in the box that appears, naming your style, click to okay it and you now have a brand new Style you can reuse over and over. There are also ways to share these with other users.

AND, as we’ve advised clients for years (many of whom still don’t seem to listen, such is the power of old habits and their unwillingness to die in the face of logic and reason :-)), discuss the Styles you’d want to use as standards for document layout and appearance in your practice, create them, wipe out all the extraneous default Styles you’d never use (and which clutter the Styles “windowblind” in Word 2007/2010) and then actually use the abbreviated, streamlined “official” firm set you’ve created for body text, headings, pleadings, etc.

So it’s NOT mysterious. It’s NOT obtuse. It’s NOT byzantine. Styles are massive timesavers and professionalism boosters since all your firm’s documents will have the “official” look and feel, as opposed to a collection of inconsistent looking content that just screams (“we can’t get our act together!”).

Abe at MicroLaw, as some of you know, and others perhaps not, offers superb remote (and live when practical) Word 2007 and 2010 training for all MicroLaw clients – he has for years. Contact me here to find out about it – one hour of online training time can change your word processing life for the better forever. He can also show you how to create “firm styles” and make them available to all your users on your systems and networks. And if you mention the phrase “Obviously Styles” in your email, I’d be happy to give you a 15% courtesy professional services discount on any MicroLaw Word or MS Office training your practice decides to get (yes, we do Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel training for law practices as well). We’ve been training on MS Office for almost 20 years and have custom training reference materials that have gotten rave reviews from clients.

The other thing to think about is purely economic. How much time do you and your staff waste every single day formatting the hard way in Word? I’m guessing that if you’re relatively typical, the answer is TONS of time – and if you happen to be working on a flat fee or contingent fee billing arrangement, that wasted time manually formatting, unformatting, reformatting, all eats directly into your profit margin. On hourly matters, you’re probably still eating a ton of time that you just can’t bill for all the subsidization of your own inefficiency. For the sake of mathematical/fiscal argument, if you waste just 15 minutes a day of lawyer time at $200/hour monkeying around with the manual formatting of a Word document, that’s $50/day, $250/week, $1000/month and $12,000 per year of your otherwise billable and productive time. Not to mention the psychological toll of all the accumulated frustration and angst that flows from struggling with software.

As a reference, you could buy my techno.pal Ben Schorr’s latest ABA LPM book on Word here – I think it’s a must-have. And if you’re still a Word 2003 hanger-on, the Payne Consulting book on Word 2003 for Lawyers is now only $10 – a steal if you need it still.

If you prefer a more impersonal “show me fast” approach, here are some video links on how to use styles in Word 2007 and 2010 (I’m not showing you how to do this in Word 2003, for goodness sake – get CURRENT already, would  ’ya???):

• http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/video-apply-styles-in-word-2010-VA101820568.aspx
• http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1365077/word_2007_demo_adding_styles/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-kb32j3-nY
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_dr69xjTw
• http://blogs.office.com/b/office_casual/archive/2011/02/15/using-quick-styles-in-word.aspx http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-word/archive/2011/06/21/word-of-the-week-formatting-vs-styles.aspx
• http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/applyastyle.html