May 13, 2011 by Dan Siegel.

Recently, there has been some discussion out of IBM about the possibility of using Watson-like technology for legal research, litigation and discovery. While this sounds like a great idea in the abstract, in reality, it remains to be seen whether Watson is capable of such an undertaking.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, Watson is a room-sized computer created by IBM and named after its first president, Thomas J. Watson, that is capable of answering queries phrased in natural language. Watson became famous this past February when “he” prevailed on Jeopardy! against two of the biggest winners in the game show’s history.

According to IBM fellow Guru Rao, IBM is working towards being able to use Watson-like technology “to weed out relevant information from warehouses of data.” For lawyers, the thought of having a machine that can go through a mountain of discovery and almost instantaneously obtain the most relevant documents sounds like a dream come true. This technology could also be useful for pinpointing the perfect case or statute when engaging in legal research.

But will lawyers be willing to take Watson for his word when he is less than 100% confident in a conclusion? While Watson answered many clues correctly on Jeopardy!, he was actually less than 50% confident in many of his responses. Also, Watson’s confidence and accuracy improved with longer, wordier clues, and decreased with shorter clues with fewer words; thus, simple queries like “instances of malpractice” would be the least likely to produce reliable results.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing where IBM is able to take this technology in order to help lawyers. Watson may be fully capable of winning a game show, but whether or not he will be a winner in the courtroom remains to be seen. 

Further Reading:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202481662966&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/050311-ibm-hopes-to-bring-watson.html?docid=050911i

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February 2, 2011 by Dan Siegel.

Yesterday, my associates, Molly Gilligan, Diana D’Auria and I, spent the date (actually our annual jaunt) at Legaltech, New York, the large commercial legal technology show (not to be confused with the ABA’s Techshow, where I will be speaking in April). As usual, there were many vendors and we were able to visit with friends from our many partners, including LexisNexis TimeMatters, CaseMap and Concordance, Legal Files case and matter management software, AccessData Summation (I have just become a newly-minted Summation Support Specialist, which replaces my prior certification as a Summation Certified Trainer) and Payne Systems (Metadata Assistant). We also visited with our newest partner, Business Integrity, which markets Contract Express, an easy, user-friendly document assembly software program. It was particularly heartening to hear the totally positive feedback for my book, The Lawyer’s Guide to LexisNexis CaseMap. Users love it and apparently so do the people at Casesoft, the Lexis division responsible for CaseMap, TextMap, NoteMap and TimeMap.  Overall, a great day, some new friends made, some old aquaintances renewed.

One minor complaint. One of my associates tried to register online on the first day of the show. Because registration was closed, she was informed she had to register at the show. Lo and behold, the otherwise free registration was no longer available and we were hit with a $50.00 registration fee for attending the show. Nowhere on the Legaltech site can I find mention of this policy, and it’s not apparent (if it exists) on the portion of the site devoted to Legaltech in California. That just didn’t seem fair.

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January 21, 2011 by Dan Siegel.

Free is always a great price, but this time, free is not only a great price but a great product.  A company, Mouse Training, has release its training manuals and Quick Reference Guides for Office 2007, Office 2003, Office XP (2002) and Office 2000. The materials include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Project and Visio.

All of the documents are in pdf format. To get them, go to http://www.mousetraining.co.uk/ms-office-training-manuals.html.

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January 19, 2011 by Dan Siegel.

I am very pleased to announce that I will be presenting a series of monthly webinars about LexisNexis CaseMap, the award-winning litigation management software - the webinars are based on my book The Lawyer’s Guide to LexisNexis CaseMap, which was recently published by the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section. The series will provide numerous tips designed to help you get the most from CaseMap. There will also be ample time for Q&A. Webinar sessions are designed for beginners as well as longtime users. Register for one or all of the installments—and check back for new segments throughout 2011

Click here to sign up for the webinars.

Click here to read the Table of Contents.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book.

Click here to order the book.

Click here to visit the CaseMap Book website.

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October 27, 2010 by Dan Siegel.

In February 2009, I was contacted by a potential client, who was opening a law office. I recommended that he purchase case management software, Adobe Acrobat Professional and a scanner; he also needed time and billing software. Because he was just starting and wanted to focus on the time and billing software, I explained that the ideal product for him was one I did not support and offered to refer him to another consultant who is an expert on that product. He declined. Instead, at the recommendation of friends, he purchased a time and billing product from that is designed for mid- to large-sized law firms, even though I explained it really wasn’t for him. He insisted, and I processed the sale.

Now, roughly 18 months later, he has contacted me again. The software he bought, he discovered, isn’t right for him and he isn’t using it. Instead, he wants to know what I know about another product, recommended by his IT person. I don’t know much about the product, except that it probably isn’t right for him, but he wants it because his IT consultant - who does hardware and networks, not legal technology - has used it. He’s headed for more wasted money, at least if history repeats, as DeToqueville has reminded us.

I say it to clients, I say it in lectures, and I’ll say it here. Don’t buy software because your friends like it. That doesn’t mean it will work for you.

Don’t buy software because your IT person likes it. That doesn’t mean it will work for you.

Figure out what you need, then evaluate the products, and then make a decision. If, after that process, your friend or your IT person’s product is the right one - Great. But if not, buy what you need. That’s why we try on clothes, they may look great in a magazine, but not so hot on us.

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April 23, 2010 by Dan Siegel.

Apropos my last post about the Paperless Office, I was reading the March/April 2010 issue of Baseline Magazine, which ran a terrific article, “Disaster-Proofing IT After Katrina,” about how the Gulfport Municipal Court in Louisiana was devastated by Katrina and, as a result, the Court secured a grant from the Department of Justice and digitized the entire office (after the hurricane, they actually tried using Rubbermaid containers for filing). Now — after training — the Court runs efficiently - electronically, with everything scanned, calendars/dockets electronic, etc. No more paper files. As the article concluded:

By streamlining its infrastructure, investing in a digital imaging solution and storing data in multiple sites, Gulfport Municipal Court has created order from chaos. It is now prepared for the worst that hurricane season can dish out, while fervently hoping that nightmare never returns.

As we discussed in the PBI “Paperless Office” course, going paperless (or “less paper” as I call it), improves efficiency and avoids many nightmares. In fact, last week after the seminar I walked past the site of the former Meridian Building, that burned down before the digital age and commented how, if the tenants had access to today’s technology, they might have been up and running in new quarters in just a matter of days. I know it’s a leap, but the sooner you make the jump to “less paper,” the better off you and your staff will be.

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April 3, 2010 by Dan Siegel.

The latest issue of Lawyers USA has a interesting (albeit brief) summary of an ABA program, Dangerous Curves Ahead: When Legal Ethics and Technology Collide,” presented by Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center. Knowing Catherine, I am sure that the program was interesting and thoguht-provoking. It covered issues, including the Model Rules, Metadata, Email, Social Networking, and Data Security. The topic paralleled a PBI in which I participated, “How Your Computer Can Get You Into Trouble;” it’s also the topic of an article I’m writing for Trial magazine (journal of the American Association for Justice) this fall.

Of greatest importance, the article (and Catherine’s program) highlight the need to be judicious with your use of technology; it’s so easy to take things for granted.

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March 26, 2010 by Dan Siegel.

Admittedly, I’m skeptical about new software, and have always been leery of new developments in legal research, most of which has been more fluff than stuff. At ABA Techshow in Chicago yesterday, however, I drank the Kool Aid and saw the beta of Lexis for Microsoft Office, a very impressive product for conducting research within Word or Outlook. The software really does streamline the work, such as instantly compiling all the documents in a brief for download. I’ve even volunteered to do a beta test, and I traditionally hate being a guinea pig. Let’s hope that I picked a winner.

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February 25, 2010 by Dan Siegel.

It’s here - Windows 7 - the latest, greatest operating system from Microsoft. I’ve upgraded all the PCs at home and in my office. Generally, the transition went smoothly, but not completely. First, if you do an inplace upgrade (from Windows XP to Windows 7), you’ll need the Laplink Upgrade Assistant software. In every instance, it worked well - although some programs (including all media type programs) needed to be re-registered. But overall, the transfer went smoothly. On the other hand, I don’t recommend migrating your programs from an old PC to a new one with Windows 7. The reality is that the migration process is fraught with problems, and you should only migrate documents and settings, not programs. In future posts, I’ll talk about specifics of Windows 7, why it’s an advantage for law firms to make the plunge, and how lawyers can be more efficient just by chaning the operating. In short, it’s like putting a newer engine in a car - it’ll run faster and more efficiently.

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March 2, 2009 by Dan Siegel.

For years I have argued that lawyers who read paper transcripts are “wasting” time. I don’t mean they aren’t working. I mean they could be working better faster, with improved results, merely by using transcript/deposition review software. In my case, I haven’t read a paper transcript since 2001 and my staff is forbidden from doing so.

The problem, however, is that many lawyers were leery of putting down the paper. Then, when one of the legal software giants purchased the industry leader, the best software became very expensive, and was sold on a subscription basis that tied you to the company (literally) forever. Plus, much of the competition was not very good. As of today (March 2, 2009), with the release of Lexis Nexis Text Map 5, lawyers can throw away their highlighters, ditch those sticky notes, and get rid of those legal pads filled with notes they can’t understand right after they write them. Text Map 5 is a relatively inexpensive program that will dramatically improve the efficiency of every litigator. I use it on every case in my office and can’t picture being without it. Plus, thanks to a number of program innovations I personally suggested, Text Map 5 is ideally suited to meet the needs of Pennsylvania attorneys, including workers’ compensation practitioners and other litigators. Text Map 5 boasts a host of innovative features that make it comparable (actually better!) than its well-known and far more expensive competition.Text Map was released today, and is simply one of those products every litigator should use. Click here to read a White Paper explaining how I use Text Map, Case Map and other products in my practice. You can also try it for 30 days for free.Are you interested? If so, give me (Dan  Siegel) a call at 610-446-3467 or send me an email at dan@techlawyergy.com. My office sells and supports Text Map, and I am the author of the upcoming book, The Lawyer’s Guide to Case Map, to be published by the American Bar Association. After all, who better to help you learn the product than the person who is writing the book? 

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