Welcome to guest blogger, Ari Morse.  Ari is a licensed private investigator (www.bestpi.com) and forensic genealogist (www.findanheir.com), based in Central Florida.  He is the fourth generation in a family business that specializes in locating missing heirs to estates and conduct international genealogical research. He is often hired to handle complex genealogical matters, prepare comprehensive Affidavits and testify in Court.   He is a Past President of the Florida Association of Private Investigators, former board member of the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida, and serves as a board member of several civic and professional organizations. His email is: ari@findanheir.com,

Review: Lenovo Thinkpad Twist

As a private investigator and forensic genealogist, my electronic tools are an important to my getting the job done as efficiently as possible as we rely heavily on email, imaging of vital records, large documents and spreadsheets.  We were in the market to replace some three year old netbooks with some ultrabooks, and while reading the ABA’s Solosez listserve there was a post by Ross Kodner about his interest in the Lenovo Thinkpad Twist.  We value what Ross has to say, especially about technology and spent over twenty hours researching, going to stores to actually test drive the machine.  We also compared the Twist with the Lenovo Yoga, several Sony Ultrabooks, the Lenovo X1 Carbon, and the Dell XPS 12.  Our research proved one thing, that for the price, and flexibility of options, Ross was right, the Twist could not be beat.

We were initially going to order the Twist from Lenovo directly through their shareholder program, however, their shipping time was several weeks out, so we opted to reach out to Carrie Waller at MacMall, who had the computer we were looking for, in stock, and ready to be shipped that day.

We ordered the Twist with an i7 processor, 500 gigabyte standard hard drive (7200rpm) together with a 24 gig micro solid state drive, and 8 gigs of ram.  We chose the regular hard drive over both solid state drive options because of the extra space, as we often open large files that contain thousands of images of vital records, and family history items.

Once the computer arrived at our office, we charged them for about one hour before we began setting them up.  The only things in the box were the computer and the charger.  Even though we had tested out the Twist at several big box office stores, we were surprised at how light it was, and even more at how well the weight was distributed.  The weight was distributed fairly evenly and there were no areas that felt heavier than others, which is nice when using the computer.  The appearance was nice, as it the computer is a matte black, with a texture of a very soft and smooth plastic or rubber.  The outside edge of the screen has a metallic finish which is only visible when the screen is closed or in tablet mode, and does not interfere with any images on the screen.

When we first booted up the laptop, it took about sixteen seconds from pressing the power button to the screen where you must enter your windows password, and it seems to vary between fourteen and eighteen seconds usually.  Having come from a Windows XP machine where this takes no less than sixty to ninety seconds, we were in awe.   The many reviews that we read complained that the screen was not a HD 1080p resolution, however, the screen is vibrant and has crisp images, handling everything without any pixilation or problems.  Given that we review many older documents and images, there are always quality issues, but this screen was very clear and allowed us to figure out the writing in a pre-1900 census record that we were previously unable to discern.

Using the Twist in the usual laptop setup where the keyboard is perpendicular to the screen is simply great.  The keyboard has keys that are curved slightly so that if you are someone who types rather quickly, it helps your fingers from slipping to the next key, which happened all the time on my older computer.  The keyboard also has the red trackpoint that is nice and comfortable.  The touchpad is a good size and very responsive to touch, although there are no buttons on the bottom, instead, Lenovo placed them above for use with the trackpoint.  There are only two negatives that I have discovered with the keyboard, the first being that it is not backlit, which would have been a nice feature, and the second is more of a personal preference in that the bottom left corner does not have the control key (the bottom left corner has the Fn key, and the CTRL is the second key in).

There are plenty of ports for peripherals, including two USB 3.0 (one on each side), a mini HDMI (left), headphone jack (left), ethernet (left), 4 in 1 card reader (left), and a mini display port (right).  This was definitely an advantage the Twist had on several of the other computers.

One nice aspect of using the Twist in different directions is that it will automatically change the view so that your screen is always facing the right way.  Given that the computer relies on one hinge, it feels strong and sturdy when lifting the screen or twisting.  There is a screen lock button just above the power button, if you would rather lock the screen so the computer could be passed or moved without fear of the display changing.

Most of our time so far has been using the Twist in the usual laptop setup, but it was also nice when using it as a tablet.  One thing we found interesting is how much heavier the Twist feels when using it as a tablet, and it could be because we are comparing it to the iPad, although the screen is significantly larger than the iPad.

This computer will definitely not replace my iPad in form or function but I do like that I can use the tablet feature while editing and reviewing a Microsoft Word Document, or while scrolling through a spreadsheet, or marking up a pdf.  I was also able to enlarge a document to show a client an image while the twist was in tablet mode, which was very neat.  So far as I have been able to tell, Lenovo does not make a stylus or recommend one for this laptop.

Setting the computer with the screen inverted, into tent mode is nice because the keyboard is hidden, not exposed like the Yoga.  This is perfect for watching movies, or simply showing a presentation to a small group.  While this may not be something I would envision using often, it is a nice option to be able to utilize when the need arises.

So far the battery has lasted between four and five hours of pretty heavy office related use.  Turning the monitor to the side slightly is nice, especially to avoid any potential glare or bad angles with lighting.

The Twist would never replace the ease of use or the simplicity of an iPad, nor is it meant to do so.  It is a powerful, robust computer with lots of bells and whistles, for a very reasonable price.  Now that Windows 8 has become the norm, a touch screen is becoming more necessary, and in that case, there is nothing I would rather have in my bag than the Twist, as it gives me the best of all worlds for form, productivity, and pleasure, in a compact and lightweight design.

I’m constantly asked by clients, colleagues, friends, Romans, countrymen (countrypeople?), “what do you have in your laptop bag?” Or “can you tell me what’s in your mobile office bag?”

So here’ goes – a deconstruction, item-by-item, of what’s in my mobile bag.

Mobile office equipment has many personal elements so there are many “right” approaches. My cred is that I’m about to hit 1,000,000 Delta flight miles (which might not sound like a big deal for overseas regulars, but this is made up almost exclusively of MANY short-haul segments over the years). In other words, I travel ALOT. My mobile kit evolves constantly (in part because of my obsessive infatuation with mobile gear and the search for the “perfect” complement of mobility tools/gizmos/gadgets/accoutrements, etc.).

While I have an iPad 3 with the truly lovely retina display, I actually prefer my 50% less expensive Google Nexus 7 tablet. The smaller form factor feels more paperback-like which suits my Kindle-reading needs well.

But I also do a lot of emailing and note-taking with the Nexus 7 and just really dislike onscreen keyboards in general. While I don’t suffer from “FFS” (Fat Finger Syndrome), I’m still not especially accurate and detest having to later explain why the Android keyboard I use and its propensity for hilarious substitutions is the cause of me referring to my friend Greta Sachse as “Great and sexy.”

So I decided to explore purpose-built Nexus 7 keyboard cases. After scouring online reviews and product sites, I decided  to try two well-reviewed products: the KHOMO leather swivel keyboard case and the Sharkk case which looks like a mini Zagg ProFolio+. Both were inexpensive – the former at $32 and the latter at only $19. Two cases for less than half of what I paid for my iPad’s superb  Zagg ProFolio+ keyboard case, so from a raw cost perspective, this was a good sign.

But is a keyboard case for a 7″ tablet better than the onscreen keyboard or are they simply too small to be useful. Well, having bought Asus’ very first commercial EEE PC Linux netbook with a 5.6″ screen in a 7″ netbook form factor many moons ago, I wasn’t exactly a stranger to lilliputian-sized keyboards.

Here’s a quick view (because, how long of a review do such tiny keyboards deserve?):

* KHOMO Swivel PU Case for Nexus 7 – as the link above shows, this is a classic, tri-fold portfolio case (mine is black leather but brown leather is available also. The tablets slips inside a corner-holding sheath which has a swivel mount on the back to allow portrait or landscape viewing. The keyboard is actually leather encased and attaches magnetically to the rest of the case – slick. This means you can remove it and hold it or put it on your typing surface or even use it with other systems since it is a Bluetooth device. The keys are small as you’d expect, but have a surprising amount of travel, solid feel and reasonable spacing. This meant that typing was more accurate more quickly than I would’ve expected from such a “Fantastic Voyage-ish” device. The leather encasing the keyboard is pebble-grained and has a very nice “hand.” Bluetooth pairing was virtually immediate. I would say that my typing accuracy was about 80% within two minutes – very good for me personally on such a small keyboard and LOTS better than onscreen typing. The keyboard does have an all-important Tab key and also a magnetic enclosure that activates the Nexus 7′s sleep function when closed and wake-up when opened. While the folded case does make the otherwise svelte Nexus 7 nearly 2.5 times thicker than when it goes au naturel, it’s not too large and is very visually attractive. 4.5 out of 5 possible stars on this with the only detraction from a perfect 5 attributable to the thickness of the package. The keyboard charges quickly with the same Micro USB connector that most devices (except iPads/iPhones) seem to use these days (including the Nexus 7 itself). I paid $32.99 at Amazon with free Prime shipping. Adds about 8 ounces to the weight of the Nexus 7.

* Sharkk Keyboard Case for Nexus 7 – a very different approach with an aluminum half-case with a backing that feels like the back of the Nexus 7 with the same rubberized surface. The Nexus 7 clips to the keyboard case barely adding about a quarter inch to the thickness of the tablet, while providing a protective cover. Attaching the case puts the Nexus 7 to sleep and wakes it when the case is removed. Weight is about 5 ounces. The Nexus 7 stands up in landscape mode only in a slot in the aluminum device’s chassis. Portrait mode doesn’t work – it causes the tablet to slip over backwards. Pairing of the Bluetooth device was flawless with entry of a keyboard-specific PIN required. The keyboard fully charged via its Micro USB connector in an hour and seemed to run for almost three days in sporadic use. Key feel is not nearly as good as the KHOMO with the keys being much closer together, although overall feel of the actual physical keys was good. Some spacing between smaller keys would be preferable, from a design perspective. As with the KHOMO a Tab key is included (unlike most other Android keyboards which don’t have them – a huge pain and something to look for specifically). My typing accuracy has been about 25% lower than with the KHOMO keyboard – I’m having trouble with the tight spacing of the keys and mis-hitting happens alot. Overall, the fit and feel are first rate and it’s a more compact package than the KHOMO offers, lighter, and less expensive. I paid $19 from Amazon with free Prime shipping. 4 out of 5 stars with points for fit and finish, and lost points because of the tight spacing of the keys and the detrimental effect that has on accuracy.

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On the other hand, instead of choosing, since you can get both keyboards for about half a C-Note, it might be worth ordering both and trying ‘em both out! But I especially like the removable leather-enrobed keyboard from the KHOMO – I tried it with my Macbook Air and other than the lack of Mac control/cmd/fn keys, it worked flawlessly.

Lately, the MicroLaw team has been very busy helping law practices of all shapes and sizes with projects like:

• Helping many firms achieve their own iteration of our Paper LESS Office process
• Helping select and deploy the Worldox document/email management system
• Helping select and deploy practice and financial management systems including Tabs 3 and Tabs PracticeMaster, among others
• Providing better usage-focused legal-specific training on Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint
• Training on Adobe Acrobat and PDFing in their practices as part of our “PDF First” approach
• Helping firms with security and protection of confidential client information via security audits and deployment of Metadata Assistant
• Helping firms portabilize and remotely access their practice info via iPads, Android tablets, iPhones and Android phones – securely, and yes, with Macs as well
• Evaluating their overall use of technology and finding ways to be more profitable and more productive
• Making sure your practice is protected by multiple layer backup systems that actually work
• Helping firms find their way into the “cloud,” often by building their private, secure cloud
• Providing internal CLE for practices on tech and practice management topics
• Teaching law school courses around the country on legal technology for 2Ls and 3Ls
• And as always, traveling the country educating legal professionals in live CLE programs on tech and practice management topics
• Building virtual practices that extend your client reach across state and even international borders without the cost of office space

We’re happy to help your practice as well – just email me and I’ll be happy to chat about it to see if we’re the right folks to assist. MicroLaw has been caring for the tech and practice management needs of law practices and legal organizations for more than 28 years – we’re the originals and we’re ready to help you best help your own practice. It starts with a call to 414-540-9433 or an email to rkodner@microlaw.com – it’s that simple. And it’s far more cost effective than you might imagine.

I don’t know about you but I’m constantly performing math calculations – money math, that is. What that’s meant is typically using either an operating system’s built-in inadequate calculator or if I’m working on a Windows system, I always use Moffsoft’s wonderful Freecalc for years (unlike built-in calculator apps/utilities, it runs a scrollable tape – invaluable).

But still, unless I size my on-screen windows just right or drag the calculator into my second or third display, it’s kind of a pain with the calculator disappearing behind my Word or PowerPoint window. Egads, quelle frustration! (sorry about the lapse into French – dredging it up for a summer visit to Montreal).

Purely by accident, I stumbled across the curiously named Canon  X Mark I Slim combo Bluetooth mouse AND calculator. This not some $2 flimsy Chinese made disposable mouse. It’s a solidly built device that ingeniously blends calculator functions and a mouse in a physically comfortable and elegant device with good hand “feel.” The calculator has an LCD display on the top center section of the mouse. A button turns the calculator off (but there’s no real reason to since it doesn’t interfere with mouse functions and its hard to accidentally press the sturdy calculator keys.

The device has a switch underneath for pairing with Windows or Mac systems. It paired with both my Toshiba Portege Z835 Windows 8 laptop and my MacBook Air running Mountain Lion – within a couple of seconds – and then worked flawlessly. It runs on two AAA batteries and battery life is so far unknown. As a Bluetooth device, that means it doesn’t require a dedicated “Nano Receiver” which can easily get lost.

For me, the point is that if I had to remember to bring a physical calculator, I’d always forget to travel with it. But I never forget my mouse. Brilliant in a very down-to-earth way.

The killer feature is the “Send” button. Once you’ve performed your calculation and the total is displayed, pressing the “Send” button will send the displayed figure to your computer at the cursor point. As a thirty-plus year gadgeteer, I’m not easily impressed, but this is SO useful for what I do, I’m sure I displayed a very silly grin if anyone had been watching me.

And the best part is that I bought it at Amazon for $15 with free Prime 2-day shipping. I’m going to order another one so I have a spare in case I lose it or break it. Oh, and as a nice additional touch, it comes with a drawstring protective bag.

Highly recommended gadget almost anyone would find useful every day!

So just after indoctrinating us that Chromebooks were to be inexpensive little laptops intended to be a window into a purely cloudy world, the skies become even cloudier and, arguably, more interesting. With Acer’s $199 C7  Chromebook on one end of the total-cloud spectrum, Google itself has released the Pixel, offered initially at $1299 up to $1499 on the far other end of the range.

Sold by Google at the Play store and apparently soon at Best Buy too, this  machine is obviously intended to be a direct competitor to the Apple MacBook Pro series. A 3.5ish lb. technical powerhouse with an Intel Core i5, the highest resolution display ever to be offered on a laptop (yes, higher than the Apple Retina displays) which also happens to be a 13″ touchscreen, either a 32Gb or 64Gb SSD (small because, remember, your stuff is supposed to be in the cloud, not local), 1 TB of Google Drive space, and interestingly, 12 free GoGoInflight sessions – jumpstarting your always online from anyplace, any time experience. It’s carved out of aluminum, as is de rigeur among premium systems.

Lots of initial looks are online and it’s for sale right now and shipping now from the Google store.

What does it mean? Certainly that Google intends to be taken seriously as a hardware provider, throwing a high-end gauntlet in the face of Apple. Could this end up, interestingly, being a pro-Microsoft move for those early fans of Microsoft Office 365 and Skydrive?

Honestly, I don’t know what to make of this. It seems a bit pricey for me, given the small SSD, but I guess that’s the whole idea. And it is a touchscreen while no MacBook model offers that capability. And perhaps the price point argument is that if it’s not similar to a MacBook Pro, it couldn’t be seen as a legitimate peer.

But if you’ve got ideas, email me here and let me know what you make of this.

I had an idea. I just finished a new “60 Tips” CLE. Instead of just posting these on the popular MicroLaw CLE download page, I”ve decided to start a new series here at Ross Ipsa Loquitur called “60 Tips Deconstructed.” This will be a new tip-a-day series, direct from the CLE materials. They’ll be posted every weekday (and maybe some weekend days too when I feel tipspired :-)).

Without further adieu, here’s my first tip:

The Next Biggest Frightening Frontier – Smartphone Security and Backup

• As smartphones get smarter and we rely on them more, expect security exploitation to explode – viruses, Bluetooth exploitation, and general security issues including what happens when you misplace your iPhone or Android phone (or it gets stolen)?
• And what about smartphone data as we can do more and more on them? Think of the growing amounts of confidential client and firm data on your smartphone now? After all, that’s the point of a smartphone – syncing with your office and home systems.
• Lookout is a free backup and security service for iPhone and Android phones. There is also a Premium edition for Android users for $2.99/month or $29.99 per year. Sorry Blackberry and Windows Phone folks, you’re out of luck.
• The Premium edition adds remote lock/wipe, photo and call history backup and premium support on the Android edition.
• It includes anti-virus protection, security, location service (if missing or stolen with remote “kill” capability) and also data/settings backup functions.
• I’ve been using it for almost two years and “feel” safer because of it.
• Now supports iPad and Android tablets as well as iPhone and Android phones
• Android Download is here
• iPhone/iPad Download is here

The bottom line: it’s crazy not to use at least the free edition of Lookout on any iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet. Would you use your computer without protection? Of course not. So why would you ignore your other computer and leave it unprotected (a/k/a that smartphone in your pocket or tablet on your lap)? Just do this now – seriously! No downside, only upside.

Um . . . yawn . . . oh, sorry, nodded off for a moment.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah, Google just released its first branded tablet model (made for it by Asus). It’s called the Nexus 7 – c|Net offers its first impressions here today.

Okay, maybe it’s not as much of a snoozer as it might seem. There are some noteworthy things about it, as follows:

• First 7″ tablet to have the 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, which includes a 12-core GPU – translation: it should be really speedy.
• Priced like the Kindle Fire but more physically capable – $199 for the version with 8 GB RAM or $249 for the 16 GB version, each with a $25 credit from Google Play to download apps.
• First Android tablet to market with Google’s latest Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” edition.
• Long projected battery life – Google claims 9 hours running 720p video (impressive if true).

It does now seem to be the best 7″ Android choice by far.  Here’s the purchase link from Google Play (showing shipping in 2-3 weeks).

Personally, in addition to my iPad 1 (that “1″ is hard to admit to these days :-)). I’m using a 7″ Acer Tab A100 tablet and love the smaller form factor. So a 7″ model might be the ideal lawyer’s portable tablet – small enough to literally stick in your pocket, big enough to be very visible and lighter than the 10″ models so easier to balance on your palm while you type onscreen.

Just saw these two and thought some of you might be interested:

We’ve all been living with docked laptops with external displays for year. Ho hum, ordinary course of doing business everyday, right? But have you ever fantasized about having dual (or triple) display capability when you’re on the road? You might’ve, then came back down to earth/reality when you thought about lugging a 15′ flat panel display with you and then returned to your regularly scheduled workday programming.

But, it IS now possible to portabilize multiple display capability in a way that makes sense and won’t wrench your arm out of its socket lugging a desktop display with you. I did this for the first time this week. This was actually so cool that I need to report on it. I was working with a client in Jackson, Mississippi last week. I was connected to a projector to show the client their new document management system (Worldox). But I also needed to have project reference documents up to work on and also email available. All at the same time. Pretty tough on a single laptop display, right?

So here’s how I’m doing it:

• I’m using my Thinkpad T420 laptop (Windows 7 Pro)
• I have an AOC USB-connected portable LED display attached to the Thinkpad (here’s the link for it) - obviously this is connected to a USB port on the Thinkpad (it’s under a pound – 15.6″, more advanced LED v. “older” LCD technology – I put it in a neoprene $5 slipcase intended for a laptop – street-priced under $100!). Note that it ONLY connects via USB and is controlled by Windows/Mac drivers that are included to route the video output to USB.
• I’m connected via my VGA port to a projector
• I’m able to use all three display (internal laptop LCD, external AOC LCD and the projector with the internal screen as primary and the other two as “extended” displays for a 3-screen virtual Windows desktop.

It’s spectacular. And I’m not easily impressed by techie stuff after 30+ years of this stuff. Windows 7 Pro’s multiple screen control made this a breeze. And with each screen running at different resolutions (laptop = 1600×900, projector = 1024×768, external USB display = 136×768).

Actually, with my iPad next to me, as well as my Android phone, I actually had *FIVE* screens running and working for me. I felt like a “digital traffic controller” – almost Minority Report-ish (in a cool technology-of-the-future kind of way, not a Tom Cruise-whack job kind of way).

Practical application idea: Perfect for trial presentations – laptop = main screen controlling your notes, etc. USB screen display your exhibits, projector display exhibits, etc. from a trial presentation program like Sanction or Trial Director

Depositions – laptop = main screen with your notes, questions, etc., USB screen with a live transcript feed from the court report, projector showing documents you want the deponent to see (or just turn the USB screen around  to show them exhibits)

Anyway, pretty slick capability for under $100.

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.

Toshiba announced a new series of Android tablets, called “Excite,” to start shipping in June. In addition to the expected 7″ and 10″ models, Toshiba pulled a fast one by announcing a giant 13″ model. Here’s an article with all the details and here’s another. Bucking the trend of 10″ tablet makers augmenting their repertoires with more compact 7″ models (to compete with the Kindle Fire?), this one moves decidedly in the opposite direction. At just under two pounds and .4″ thick, it’s definitely not svelte. Citing appeal to the media and gaming user communities, I think Toshiba has it wrong – I’d be willing to use one as would a number of my clients. Think about how this device, on a stand with Bluetooth keyboard, could be a realistic laptop substitute when combined with onboard and cloud storage, inching close to the idea of a PC/Mac-less existence. Interesting, isn’t it?

In my post last month entitled “Weekend Whimsy: You’ve GOT to Play with OnLive Desktop on Your iPad,” I wrote about this seriously cool (actually more than that – it’s jaw dropping) app that lets you run full-screen Windows 7 and the entire Microsoft Office suite on your iPad. Well, perhaps not surprisingly, Microsoft wasn’t too keen on the idea of a zillion people sharing their desktop operating system. Microsoft’s Legal Eagles apparently had some words with the young upstarts at OnLive about this.

The end result is that Microsoft seems to have found a way to achieve licensing happiness by requiring OnLive to use Windows Server 2008 instead of Windows 7 – somehow that’s more licensing compliant in their view. That’s a good thing because this app just completely rocks. AND, it would seem this is in Microsoft’s best interest – anything that gets people used to running app-ized versions of Microsoft products (v. anything else) seems to be a good thing for them. Here’s the article that details the agreement.

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.

With the flurry of ultrabook announcements, I’m reminded that what I really want in a laptop just doesn’t exist . . . still. And why the heck not? It shoudn’t be that tough. It’s kind of like what I’d been saying for years about automotive design: “why don’t automakers build luxurious SMALL cars?” It always seemed that if you wanted luxury, you got a landyacht. If you wanted small, you got an econobox. Well, automakers worldwide have finally gotten the message and whether American, European or Asian brands, we’re seeing a complete rethink of the auto luxury-size issue – plenty of well-equipped, near-luxury smaller cars.

So with laptops, why is it one extreme or the other? A 5 or 6 pound mega-performer or a 3 pound Ultrabook without the equipment level heavy-duty business users like me (and you too, I suspect) want. So as much as I think ultrabooks/Airs are utterly deliciously svelte and sexy, I want my current workhorse -a Thinkpad T420-to have some of the same characteristics. To be specific, here’s what I want in my mid-weight black-clad, red pointing-stick-equipped workhorse:

• No change in its existing specs – Core i7, 8 Gb RAM, 500 Gb 7200 RPM drive, great 14″ display, etc.
• I want a small SSD that has Windows 7 loaded on it to that I can get instant-on, super-fast bootups and shutdowns – probably just a 64 Gb SSD is fine and then the 500 Gb “traditional” hard drive would be for storage
• I want to able to remove the “ultrabay” DVD-writer and slip in a cover plate – cutting out a few ounces and not using any power, since I pretty much never use it

That’s it! Why is that so much to ask for. Do you hear me Lenovo? Dell? HP? Sony? Asus? Acer? Even Apple? I don’t want a super-svelte machine (at least not until they can match my workhorse specs). And no, “store it in the cloud” isn’t a perfect answer since I’m often working offline like normal people get stuck doing regularly. I just want the instant-on/instant-off capability of an ultrabook and common-sense load-lightening that shouldn’t be terribly difficult to provide for me.

C’mon laptop makers – are you listening? Hello? Class? Class? Buehler? Buehler?

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!

I’m sure everyone has heard of the Onlive Desktop app for iPad (and Android) by now. If for some reason, that large rock is stuck over the top of your lair and you haven’t crawled out from under it yet, Onlive Desktop is an app that actually gives you a full-blown Windows 7 desktop with real Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Acrobat X reader and Internet Explorer (and other fluffy stuff like Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Blackboard) on your tablet. It’s free with 2 Gb of cloud storage or $4.99 per month adding web caching which seems to seriously ramp up the speed (I signed up for this account to see the difference – wow, worth it, since you can always cancel if you change your mind), Dropbox “support” and Adobe Flash support (yes, Flash on your iPad – about damned time, even in this ersatz approach to delivering it).

With a keyboard attached to your Pad, this is really a remotely accessed, locked down to be sure, but real way to run real applications on your iPad that is probably faster than you could accomplish doing an RDP / Logmein / GoToMyPC-app-based connection back to your own system. The beauty of this is speed, simplicity and the fact that it really does work. Ingenious in terms of its RDP optimization and also the fact that they’re doing this license-wise without Microsoft jumping down their throats (can you say: “MS trying out their applications on tablets with no risk, and credible deniability?”).

A fascinating iPad and Android tablet experience this weekend with nearly endless possibilities for law practice usefulness.

I’m being asked this question virtually daily: “I’ve waited a long time to buy an iPad and I’m ready – what should I get? iPad 2 now or wait until the iPad 3 comes out?”

Here’s my advice these days to my MicroLaw clients: I would wait a couple of months for an iPad3 at this point – unless you want to go the Android route which is just fine too and less costly generally. The Asus Transformer Prime is probably the best choice AT THE MOMENT, with the Lenovo Thinkpad tablet probably second.

For iPad 1 and iPad 2 users, after much experimentation, I’ve found my perfect typing combination. I’ve tried several keyboard cases and was dissatisfied with all of them – ultimately all proved to be too clunky and/or having lousy keyboards.

Lots of new CLE materials available for downloading here. These include my most recent materials presented at the ABA GP|Solo National Solo & Small Firm Conference in Denver last week, as well as Colorado Bar CLE materials and also materials for this week’s Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference (actually where I am right now).

Here’s the link to the materials including my cloud computing CLE program, my latest mobile lawyering session, a new program on my favorite legal iPad apps and another new program about the best technology for your support staff

Areas of particular attention include my detailed demystification of “cloud computing.” The terms murky, foggy and the phrase “as thick as pea soup” all apply when we consider what the heck “cloud computing” actually means. When you look at these materials, you’ll see that there are many variations of cloud approaches – in fact, in all likelihood, you’re already in and have been “in the cloud” for some time already (i.e. webmail accounts, remote access to your office systems, online photo stuff, etc.).

My latest pet peeve though is the growing range of misinformation about “cloud computing” being spewed forth from a virtual high-pressure fire hose. A lot of what passes for “education” about cloud concepts is nothing more than “speakers” shilling for the industry and/or cloud providers. I’ve witnessed this in the form of CLE programming – presenters with obvious bias who glow about all the “magic” of being in the cloud. They conveniently sidestep the myriad potential issues that need serious consideration as part of any due diligence examination necessary before moving confidential client and firm information to some part of the internet cloud.

So my approach in this particular program was to take a hard core and blunt look at the pros, cons and facts about different approaches law practices can take towards a “cloud strategy.” I’m not advocating for or against cloud computing for your practice – my goal is to help you become a thoroughly educated consumer who can look at any question that could have such significant ethical and business continuity ramifications through a healthy lens of skepticism and caution. You might end up fully or partly in the cloud, but it should be for the right reasons, at the right price with the right security and ethical precautions taken.

Hope you find these new CLE materials useful – as always, they’re free and feel free to share them with anyone who you think might benefit. Note that they are copywritten, however :-). And if you have questions and want to explore the question of “to get cloudy or not” for your practice, ask me – it’s part and parcel of all our MicroLaw CARES reviews.