MSBA

Managing a Practice Ain’t For Sissies!

Pre Purchase Issues • What do I want to be when I grow

up? • What type of Practice will I have? • Should there be an “s” at the end of

Practice above?

Features of Your Practice Straight Billable Financial Calculations v.

Centralized Data Litigation

Form Pleadings Custom Pleadings

Document Generation Oriented Forms Customization of each document

Requirements of Any Practice

Scheduling – Calendar Maintenance Contact Maintenance Correspondence Communication with Clients!!!!!!!! Note Taking Billing Finances

What you need! Multi-line Phone with CFOS

Call Forwarding Off Site to

Voice Mail OR

Answering Service MAP Mobile (www.mapmobile.com)

NOT AN ANSWERING MACHINE

What you need! VOIP

Ringcentral with Smartphone Apps Mask your Number!

Star2Star Hybrid System – MORE Reliable but More $$$$.

ASK ABOUT THE HOPS!

Cell Phone (Smartphone) With Open Voicemail

Set. It. Up! Tablet Compatible

Cell Phones • Text Messaging?

• OMG - NO! • Screen Capture if you do.

• Alternative Number • Google voice

• Phone Service with App • Ring Central • Star2Star

• *67 is your friend

• Potential Clients are Fickle and Unfaithful!

• IF they cannot reach you, they are on to the next one.

What you need! Desktop Computer

Dell Scratch and Dent Premade or Bad Credit Leftovers are

perfectly fine!

No Laptops as primary computer! More expensive less durable. (Maybe with VPN and server…Maybe)

Server Hosted? Combo

Local Dropbox

Ipad /Tablet? (or two or five) Apps, apps and more apps.

What you need! Fax “Machine” ? (Always Laser!)

Fax Software Snappyfax (www.snappyfax.com)

Beware the efax! Beware the page limit!!!!!!! Beware of “Fair Usage” which may not be “Fair”

Ringcentral But only for fax right now.

Copier (Always Laser!) Printer (Always Laser!)

Consider Leasing

Scanner ???? YES, Absolutely, Gotta Have it!

I will FIND YOU!

All in one Depending on Volume NOT Recommended

Part Replacement

Fujitsu Without Hesitation

Average Price $500.

NEW - Mobile Upload App

What you need!

Calendar Paper?

Phone Calendar Electronic

Backup Calendar Exchange , Google, Etc.

It hurts but yes you need both paper and electronic!

What you need!

SOFTWARE You can Spend Millions. Sometimes it is worth it. Do the research and flip back to pages 1 and

2 to remember what you need and what is just really cool.

SOFTWARE! Some applications can be found on the

internet for free. Adobe Acrobat Reader Email Some Practice Management (Houdini) Open Office Drop Box! Drop box Did I mention Drop Box ?

SOFTWARE! YOU MUST HAVE Professional EMAIL!!!

It is part of your advertising! Is exchange too complicated and expensive?

www.123together.com Hosted Exchange Contains Web Interface

Network Solutions Your Internet Provider may have alternative

solutions to email and retrieval. Word Processing.

Decide based on compatibility. Word, Word Perfect , Open Office

Exchange and Hosting

What is Exchange? Exchange is M$ Outlook on Steroids

Expensive Time Consuming

123together.com No Maintenance Free outlook download Makes M$ Office Cheaper

SOFTWARE! Financial Software

Internal -Must track your millions. AGC says so! Quickbooks (www.quickbooks.com) Others?

Billing – Time Tracking PC Law (www.pclaw.com). Time Matters – Billing Matters

(www.timematters.com) Time Slips (www.timeslips.com) Tabs (www.stilegal.com) Internal to Practice Management Software

MUST MUST HAVE SOFTWARE!!!!

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE MORE IMPORTANTLY UPDATED ANTIVIRUS

SOFTWARE!!!!!!!!!! Mcafee (www.mcafee.com ) Norton (www.symantec.com) Malware Bytes (www.malewarebytes.com)

REAL PASSWORDS Change or Require Changes

SOFTWARE! ADOBE Acrobat (No Converters)

PROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Proof the God Loves Us! PDF – Portable Document Format. Allows the flow of documents without security breach. Saves storage fees associates with paper files. Federal Courts Require it. State Courts will catch up 20000000015? Picture/Paper Capture Function. Reader is Free. (www.adobe.com) Digital Signatures Redaction Bates Stamping

Client Communication!

Practice Software

Abacus Law (www.abacuslaw.com )

Time Matters (www.timematters.com)

Needles (www.needles.com )

Abacus Totality. (www.abacustotality.com )

Amicus Attorney (www.amicusattorney.com) And Many More.

Cloud Software Clio

www.goclio.com User interface and intuitive

Rocket Matter www.rocketmatter.com Customizable

Houdini Esq. ********* www.houdiniesq.com

Time Matters with a bad GUI but great client access.

FREE ONSITE FOR SOLO

Amicus Cloud? Summer of 2012 sort of.

Firm Manager (www.lexisnexis.com ) Some have or will have payment

integration.

What to Look for in Practice Management Software

Customization Third Party Links

Outlook Phone Billing Financial Word Processing Web Browsing Integration OR Send File Format? (i.e.Houdini and

Quickbooks) Automation and Triggers Ability to Import Information

Triggers and Automation

Practice Management Software

Study all of the features. Download the Manuals online. Download / Order Trial Versions. Think ahead not just for right now. Pricing

Amicus Price – Per User Attorney Premium Edition 2013 $999

Amicus Attorney Premium Edition 2013 - Additional License $599

Amicus Premium Billing 2013 $199 Amicus Premium Billing 2013 - Additional

License $199 Amicus Mobile 2012 * Amicus Mobile 2012 - Licenses $149 Amicus Attorney Small Firm Edition 2013

$499 Amicus Attorney Small Firm Edition 2013 -

Additional Licenses $399 Amicus Small Firm Accounting 2012 $499 Amicus Small Firm Accounting 2013 -

Additional License $399

Clouds are Monthly. $25* to $65 per month per user

Time Matters

Time Matters® 12.0 Time Matters 12.0 New User License

(Includes First Year Maintenance Plan) $985.00

MUST MUST HAVE! Back Up

Tape Drive Expensive but reliable.

CD Burner Inexpensive but not much storage.

External Hard Drive(s) Inexpensive. Large Storage. Portable?

Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) Offsite access and Disaster Recovery Plan

MUST MUST HAVE!

High Speed Internet Connection. High Speed v. FIOS. DSL (not FIOS) v. Cable.

Research Software. Some are free but you get what you pay for. Lexis or Westlaw. FASTCASE IS FREE from MSBA Google Scholar

“Favorites” Folder on your browser.

Miscellaneous Haves IT Person Server VPN!!! MiFi

Beware the Data Plans Ipad or Tablets

Intakes. Trial Presentations

Portable Printer Remote Access

Terminal Server Goto My PC (wwww.gotomypc.com) Logmein (www.logmein.com)

Apps

Drop Box Trial Pad Transcript Pad JotNot Lexis Advanced WestlawNext Carbonite

PDF Expert Docs2Go ABBBY Business Card

Reader Payroll (ADP ) Credit Card Reader Docusign

QUESTIONS

www.howardcountylegal.com info@howardcountylegal.com www.howardcountylegal.com/barconferen

ce2013