5 Techs Every Law Firm Needs

1. High data availability & control
At the end of the day, a lawyer's work revolves around the access, creation and storage of documents. Once these documents were produced and stored by hand leading to enormous filing cabinets overflowing with paper. Now, most documents are stored electronically (though there still seems to be reams of paper everywhere!). Any computer system you install must allow you and your associates the ability to access files without interruptions or difficulty. You should also be able to secure documents so that only those who need something have access. As an attorney you understand that some information must be kept in the strictest confidence. If your computer systems do not permit easy control of your information, then you must find something better.

2. Professional document creation
You must always put your best foot forward. With the advent of desktop publishing, every computer with minimal software is capable of producing high quality professional documents. If you wanted it to look like it came out of a type writer, you wouldn't have spent the money on a computer. Your desktop software allows you to easily create incredible publications with impressive graphics and charts. With the right equipment you can even print posters and other large displays. Your staff most likely has the tools to create impressive documents; chances are they only need some additional training. If your staff only creates regular, uninspired documents, then you need something better.

3. Swift communication
You must all be able to communicate with one another quickly. When moments count, you need to be able to get through! More than just email, you need a quick and easy means of communicating with anyone in your office. Whether this happens via a telephone or via internet chat, you need multiple available streams of communications between your staff. But beware! These communications must also be secure! You must not ever allow your private chats to be intercepted. You cannot betray your client's trust. If your communications are not swift and secure, then you need something better.

4. Easy to use time keeping
You must track the amount of time you work for your clients. You should be able to account for every moment you have dedicated to a client. You need to know what was done and who did it. You want accurate, up to the minute reporting that tells you how much precious time your practice has dedicated to any one issue. This will allow you to better distribute your available staff members to support important clients. It gives you the information you need to best allocate resources. If you cannot track every minute, then you need something better.

5. Accurate accounting
You work hard. You should know how much that work has earned you. You need accounting systems that are friendly and easy to operate yet also intelligent enough to catch errors. You need reliable accounting data to help you plan the expansion of your firm. You need flexible reporting that shows you how your money is spent. And above all, it must be accurate to the penny. Your accounting system should be a seamless aspect to your company, not a painful and terrible ordeal. It needs to merge and grow with your firm. If your accounting cannot handle these requirements, then you need something better.


Your law practice technology systems are vital to your success. By relying on outdated and old systems you risk losing your vital business edge to the competition. By offering advanced technological services you can provide additional value to your clients, in addition to your brilliant counsel. And your client's will be happy knowing you have the tools to get the job done.

VoIP Basics

Voice over Internet Protocol, known as VoIP, is technology that routes telephone calls over an Internet connection. Your voice is converted and transmitted as data packets via Internet Protocol (IP). Modern systems allow you to communicate with any local, long distance, cellular, or international telephone number. In addition, calls can be routed anywhere you are, as long as you are connected to your network--even if you are out of your office. The features you know from traditional phone service are also available, such as call forwarding, three-way calling, caller ID, and redial.


VoIP for the Mid-Tier
Implementing VoIP in your business is a smart decision. You will no longer need traditional telephone service since your broadband Internet connection does the work. Because VoIP has penetrated the large enterprise market in recent years, it is becoming cost effective for the medium-sized market.

If your current phone service uses a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system, chances are you can upgrade your existing system to use VoIP. These business phone services are available in a multiple formats and are increasingly accessible to the mid-tier business. Most existing PBX systems can be retrofitted with VoIP thereby saving your existing infrastructure.

It's time to consider VoIP as a viable cost saving platform that will transform your business communications.

Meetings with Belts

Monday morning I have a meeting with two Belts. A Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt. To date, I have met only one Six Sigma Belt that impresses me. We shall see.

Staying on Budget With Project Management

Your enterprise's financial plans must align with your business strategies. Choosing the appropriate project management software will help you stay on budget while implementing important initiatives that will grow your business.

Project Management Cost Control
Project management software allows you to control costs. Unmanaged project costs can balloon, especially in long running projects. According to 2005 Standish Group research, the average IT project is expected to run over budget by 43%! A simple SaaS solution can help you track issues that add costs to your project. This software also makes project managers accountable. "Most companies do a good job of tracking their biggest and most important IT projects," said Mike Metcalf, VP of Marketing at Artemis International Solutions Corp. But it's the many smaller projects that are "crudely defined and poorly managed. Those are the ones that kill you."

Online Database Software Centralizes Information
There are numerous online solutions for project management. Task software can help keep project team members on track with their responsibilities, making them less likely to miss deadlines and push up costs. A web-based solution should be easy to use and should allow users throughout an organization to contribute information and to make changes to budgets. Ideally, the software should offer a dashboard to quickly report project information that is relevant. A SaaS solution also permits project managers to track changes, as well as revert back to the original plan as needed. Spend some time researching the available options until you find the perfect fit for your organization.

Keeping projects on schedule and within budget will help your profitability. Project management software should allow your project team to complete tasks, manage their direct responsibilities, and keep costs under control.

The Secret of Successful Process Optimization

You have just gone through a long review of all your business processes. You studied them with flowcharts and analyzed them against standards. You've optimized your processes and made them leaner, faster, smarter, more responsive. You are ready to deploy them throughout your enterprise. There is a simple secret that will guarantee a successful implementation. Ignorance of this secret nearly always guarantees failure.

What is this compelling and mystical secret that guarantees success? Write clear, useable documentation.

If the manual for the new processes looks like a telephone book and reads like poorly translated stereo instructions there is a significant problem waiting ahead. If the manuals read like something out of the United States Air Force Academy, chances are not a single soul in your company will read the document. If it uses technical jargon and other such gibberish it will not be read by anyone. An unread manual is a waste of money and paper.

Documentation needs to be easily understood by anyone regardless of technical ability. It needs to be a set of simple, standardized instructions. It needs to have a great index and large tabs on the side to quickly take you between sections. A good user manual will give your employees a clear description of the actual steps they need to perform in every one of their job functions. It needs to give them a number of steps to follow that includes lots of pictures. To make it a great user manual, you'll make sure it has a spiral binding so it can lay flat. And it needs to also be available on the company intranet too. To make it cheaper to print, don't give everyone the whole company manual, just the portions that apply to their job.

If you take the time to develop a useable manual for your staff, they will actually use it! This will ensure a smoother transition to your newly optimized processes. Don't let your company crash to a halt because of poorly written instructions. Spend the money and get a good manual written. Insist on it and you will save yourself lots of headaches.

For a documentation sample: How To Clean & Optimize Your PC in PDF format.
More samples.

Contact us to discuss your manual writing project.

Micro Managment

I think a major problem in corporate America today is that leaders are focusing too much on tactical issues. Tactics are the methods by which a strategy is carried out. Tactics are meant to deal with the demands of the moment, to move from one milestone to the next. Business leaders should leave tactical choices to trusted subordinates and focus on strategy. Strategy is the plans and decisions designed to favorably impact the organization as a whole. Strategy is "the big picture" and tactics are the "details."

A C-suite executive that spends time on tactical matters is simple micro-managing.