Client

• Correspondence
  
• Original Source Documents
  
• Legal Research
  
• Pleadings
  
• Attorney Notes
  
• Billing Information
  

In larger cases we break down the above categories into more specific ones, but the file structure remains basically the same. For example, we broke down pleadings into separate categories for each party, and in some cases by pleading type. We also broke correspondence down by "client", opposing counsel", "ours", etc. By the way, our folders were created inside of Windows XP, and then simply activated with a couple mouse clicks in PaperPort.

So, after setting up the folder structure for our electronic file cabinet, we next organized our correspondence, and scanned everything to PDF. At 20 pages per minute, it took less than an hour to scan 2 weeks worth of correspondence, including the time it took to organize everything. It would have taken a lot less time if we had been scanning daily as documents were received.

As we scanned the documents, we moved them from a central repository to their correct client and folder, and used PaperPort to assign them key words for searching them out later. Finally, we ran the index update feature in PaperPort to allow the documents that were scanned in PDF text to be key word searchable throughout the document. We only did a few documents in PDF text, but we could have done more if it had been necessary.

After all documents were scanned and filed, the paper was organized into a chronological file by the date it came in, and filed away very quickly.

Then the fun began (and the time and cost savings). Using the digital versions of the documents, and PaperPort"s drag and drop feature, I was able to send clients copies of all correspondence received from opposing counsel, and I was able to do it without stamps, faxing cover sheets, or photocopying anything. I literally did it as I was myself reviewing the documents for the first time. On this batch of documents alone, it probably saved about 2 hours of staff time, not to mention about $50.00 in copying, postage, and fax costs to the clients. Remember, I would have also had to add all that to their bills too!

I also got some interrogatories and requests for production of documents that were very well crafted, and that I might like to use myself in a future case. These were nicely converted to text using OmniPage 12, which loads up and processes the documents when it is installed along with PaperPort.

On this round, the scanner and software worked flawlessly. I can't believe how fast the new Visioneer 9750 is compared to its predecessor, and it takes up the same amount of space, and is simpler to use. This was truly the least stress I have ever faced returning from vacation, and climbing the mountain of documents that arrived in my absence.

Next we will have an opportunity to put Worldox through it's paces as it's time to begin preparing some pleadings and correspondence, as well as pulling out some old favorites from my document archive.

Law Office Technology - Law Firm Management - Law Office Management

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After installing PaperPort, we next installed Omni-Page Pro 12 Office, Scansoft's premiere optical character recognition package, and Omni-Form 5.0, the software that converts paper into fillable forms.

Finally, we installed Worldox, a feature rich document manager that integrates (pops up and operates from within) directly with WordPerfect, and Microsoft Word, and provides some advanced document management features that make working with your documents and email a breeze.

The Worldox install, setup, and training was accomplished over the phone with a very experienced technician, and took approximately two hours, but it was extraordinarily smooth and easy with guidance and training from the technician. The support I received was standard for Worldox owners.

Once everything was set up, the next step was to test scan some documents in all the programs that interface with the scanner. The Visioneer 9750 is very fast and efficient. I couldn't believe what a step up it is from their 8 page per minute version. It's well worth the additional bucks. The document feeder operated very well, and the system is relatively quiet, certainly quiet enough to operate from your desktop without interrupting other work going on in your office.

Now, for how the pieces work together. The scanner when bundled with PaperPort allows you to immediately capture paper and convert it to PDF on the fly. Once a document is in PDF, you can archive it, email it, or file it with the courts electronically. Digital paper can also be faxed directly from your computer by simply dragging the document to the fax icon within PaperPort. The program will automatically launch whatever device or service your use to fax.

Digital paper can be converted into just the PDF image, or with embedded text which has the additional benefit of being key word searchable! While Paperport has its own OCR engine, when it is installed along side of OmniPage Pro 12 Office, it will use the Omni-Page engine which is much more efficient and feature rich.

Omni-Form was added to the mix in order to facilite the conversion and creation of forms regularly used in the office. By converting them to electronic format, we eliminate the need to use typewriters, since the forms can now be scanned, and converted to a fillable format, that prompts you through each field of the document, all done automatically in Omni-form.

In some ways, Worldox and PaperPort Pro 9 Office cover similar territory, since they both provide the interface by which you convert paper to digital format, and then organize and retrieve that data. The reason we have chosen to feature them both here is that we believe them to be complimentary of each other when considering functionality that is unique to each. For example, Worldox offers the ability to move your email messages for a particular client into Worldox, and archive them with the rest of the documents for that client. Likewise, the ability to drag and drop scanned documents from PaperPort Pro 9 Office into your fax program, your email client, and a number of other programs, is very attractive.

If you are on a budget that does not permit you to pull together this entire set up, or if your technology consultant does not believe you need all of the above features, naturally, the set up can be scaled back to suit your environment.

In our next post, we will show you how we chose to organize folders for our digital documents in both PaperPort Pro 9 Office and Worldox. We will also begin actually using the system to perform substantive work.

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In order to assist you in evaluating how imaging technology can benefit you in your practice, we are conducting a long term test drive of a very functional, but affordable imaging set up. Our configuration consists of the new Visioneer 9750 scanner, along with Scansoft Corporation's PaperPort Pro 9 Office, Omni-Page Pro 12, and Omni-Form 5.0, as well as Worldox. The specific configuration will be discussed in detail later in this article.

Before we get started, let me make it clear that I am not an expert with scanning technology, but that should actually be a good thing for this "test drive" because my purpose is to show you how easily you can set yourself up to have an imaging system in place. And, on that note, let me also say that while a great deal of this stuff can be set up by you, on your own, that is not the best way to go. I strongly recommend retaining the services of a technology consultant to assist you in deciding what solutions best suit your needs. Your consultant will be able to develop a technology plan with you, and properly train you on your set-up, allowing you be maximize the ability to get your money's worth from your investment. Please don't underestimate the importance of starting with a plan, and with qualified consultants to assist you.

Having said that, here are the goals we had for our system. As a sole practitioner with no full-time staff, I had some very important goals for my imaging system. I needed to set up a system that would allow me to quickly and efficiently manage incoming paper correspondence, email sent and received, and electronic documents sent and received, including faxes. I also needed for my system to be compatible with electronic filing requirements of the courts.

After determining what I needed my system to do, I took an inventory of the infrastructure we already had in place, and here's what I came up with:

Dell 8300 Computer with dual 120 GIG hard drives
HP 4050 Laser printer
Compaq Evo Laptop

Software and services included:

Microsoft Office 2002
WordPerfect 11 (I still love WordPerfect over Word)
Eudora Email client (switching to Microsoft Outlook)
High speed cable Internet access
eFax.com service
Both computers running Windows XP

For purposes of our test drive, the above computers are not hooked up to our network server, but this could easily have been accomplished if we had chosen to do so.

Considering our goals, and the infrastructure we already had in place, here is the set-up we decided to go with:

Visioneer 9750 PDF Scanner bundled with PaperPort Deluxe 9 $999.00
PaperPort Pro 9 Office Software Upgrade $199.00
Omni-Form 5.0 $699.00
Omni-Page Pro 12 $599.00
WorldDox document management software $350.00 per seat

This entire set-up costs less than $2,900.00, and is expected to save me the equivalent of a full-time staff person over a year's time.

So, now that you have seen the configuration, our next piece will be about how set-up went, and our first efforts to deploy the system. We will discuss the functionality of the individual components of the system, so you can see how they fit together, and we will even suggest a modular approach to implementing it if budget constraints come into play.

Feel free to submit any questions you have along the way, and I'll be happy to answer them privately, or in the course of our coverage.


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While it is nice to see that blogs have become sufficiently significant that they merit their own search engine, some web site proprietors are concerned about losing search engine positioning in the main Google results when the move is made.

It's a legitimate concern since many web owners have worked hard to get their sites positioned in the top results for Google, and even though they use "blogging software", they do not consider themselves to be blogs. It will remain to be seen how Google intends to distinguish between blog sites, and sites that merely use blogging software. It has a lot of folks concerned.

In any event, you can read the story in full and follow this for yourself. We will naturally report back on any further developments.

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While this subscription based site is not structured as a "blog" per se, at least based on what I can see from the main page, the concept is the same to the extent that the operators are employing knowledge management to generate revenue from their expertise in a non-traditional way. I think we can expect to see more of this type of offering in the future.

law firm management

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ABA Tech is offering an experimental free WiFi connection that allows attendees to be connected to the Internet as the conference is going on. Rick and several other Web die-hards are taking full advantage of this capability, and keeping their blawgs up-to-date in the meantime. Our thanks to Rick and the others for helping those of us who could not personally attend, to enjoy the informative reports from the conference floor.
And, thanks to Tom Mighell for alerting us to Rick's antics!

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