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
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