Affinity Law Office Technology Blog

Credit Card Payment Service for Small Law Firms

The days are (hopefully) long gone when lawyers thought it was unseemly to accept client payments via credit card.  My former firm (two-lawyer family law practice) began accepting credit cards with some trepidation a decade ago.  Amazingly, we discovered that our gross receipts increased approximately $100,000 the first year we accepted credit cards.  Although our practice was growing somewhat, we attributed most of that increase to client payments by credit card.  Clients who were slow to pay if they had to come up with a check or cash suddenly paid more willingly.  And new clients without the money for a large retainer were more able to afford our services if they could charge it and pay it off over time.

But accepting credit cards can be complicated.  There are swipe terminals to deal with and long-term contracts.  Plus there are merchant fees that you must pay.  I recently learned of a service called ePayOps that accepts credit card payments from your clients via a Web interface and either sends you a check or makes an electronic deposit directly into a bank account you designate when you sign up.

The beauty of this service is that there is no administrative or financial burden on the lawyer.  The client pays the 2.8% "convenience fee" plus $2 for each transaction.  All of that is spelled out in the service agreement the client must accept before making the payment.  It is purely voluntary, of course.  It is just another option available to the client. 

The process is incredibly simple.  The client goes to the ePayOps Web site, types in your telephone number, and makes the payment.  A confirming email is sent by ePayOps to both the client and the lawyer.  The standard ePayOps $100 one-time sign-up fee is waived if you use the promotion code 0306 on the registration page.     

I corresponded with two solo attorneys from Michigan who have used ePayOps for about a year and they both highly praise and recommend the service.   

Independence Day sale on Palm PDA's

Now through July 4 the Palm Outlet Store has a great deal on the best Wi-Fi enabled PDA on the market, the Palm T/X.  It is on sale for only $215.99 plus a very reasonable $5.99 for shipping.  The catch is that the Outlet Store sells only open box or blemished units.  It isn't much of a catch.  I purchased Palm's original Wi-Fi enabled PDA, the now discontinued Tungsten C, that was not only an open box unit, but also a blem.  Funny thing is that I couldn't find a mark on it.  It looked great and ran perfectly (and still does - even though I now carry a Treo 650 smart phone instead of the Tungsten C).   

The T/X has a very clear and colorful screen, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, along with 128 MB of non-volatile RAM (unlike older Palm devices, if your battery dies, your data doesn't die with it).  A T/X combined with a keyboard such as the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard provides a reasonable substitute for a notebook computer when you are on the road.   

Web-based PIM may work for some solos and small firms

I remain absolutely convinced that practice management software is much more useful to a law firm than the much more limited category of personal information managers such as Outlook or Palm Desktop.  The principal shortcoming of PIM's in a law office setting is that they organize information around contacts and events, not cases, matters, or files like practice management software.  Yet, there remain some solos and small firms that opt to stick with PIM's for a variety of reasons including cost and simplicity. 

Unlike practice management software which offers group and individual calendars and contact lists that can be shared over a network with everyone in the firm, many PIM's not network enabled, don't offer a group calendar function, and will run on only a single PC.  Even Outlook does not let you share information such as a calendar or contact list unless you are also running an Exchange Server (or third-party folder sharing software).  Many solos and small firms don't have a server at all, much less run MS Exchange.  And the Palm Desktop, for all of its simplicity and understated elegance, cannot (absent a few tricks) be shared over a network with other users.  This creates a problem when a lawyer's assistant needs to see the lawyer's calendar to schedule a deposition or court date but that calendar resides only on the lawyer's PC or when a contact's information needs to be updated firm-wide.

I love Palm-OS based PDA's, and to permit an assistant to be able to view the lawyer's calendar, I've gone so far as to set up remote access from the assistant's computer to the lawyer's computer using GoToMyPC or LogMeIn (which has the added benefit of allowing the lawyer to log-in from home when the assistant is not logged-in).  But that process is very disruptive to the lawyer when the assistant essentially takes control of the lawyer's PC to check a calendar item or edit a contact's telephone number, for example.

Now there is a free Web-based PIM service that synchronizes with Palm PDA's (with or without syncing with the Palm Desktop), as well as Outlook and Pocket PC devices.  It is called AirSet.  There was a recent article about AirSet in Laptop Magazine.  AirSet lets you create and keep individual and group calendars on the Web and share them  with others in your firm.  This also works for contacts and to-do lists. Best of all, this information can be synchronized with a Palm (or Pocket PC) device using free software that is downloaded from AirSet's web site.  In order to view an individual or group calendar, simply open your Web browser and log-into your AirSet account using your mobile telephone number or email address along with your password.  AirSet also offers nice features such as the ability to send reminders of appointments or to-do's to your email address or your cell phone (via text messaging).  AirSet's Web interface lets you send group emails to all or a selected firm staffers using your default email application or its own Web mail function, as well as send text messages to multiple cell phones at one time.

The downside is that no Web-based interface is going to be as fast as a desktop application.  So there is some minimal lag when entering new contacts or calendar items (depending on the speed of your Internet connection).  Of course, you can also add items locally in the Palm Desktop or Outlook and then run the sync program to automatically transfer them to the Web-based calendar or contact list.

I created a free account and set up a family group.  Then I downloaded and installed the desktop sync software and transferred many calendar items and over 10,000 contacts to AirSet simply by running a HotSync with my Palm device.  As might be expected, that many contacts take some time to load into the Web interface, but it does work.  And searching for a contact by name, even with over 10,000 to search from, was almost instantaneous. 

I added my wife and daughter as members of my family group and included their cell phone numbers (my son does not have a cell phone, so I left him out of this experiment).  When a calendar item involving them approached, AirSet sent them a text message reminder.  I use a Treo 650, so I opted for email notification instead.

There are many more features to AirSet than what I mentioned above (including the ability to display calendar and contact information on a variety of cell phones for a small monthly fee).  I plan to continue testing this service, but AirSet may be a viable alternative/supplement to stand-alone PIM's for solos and small law firms, especially those with multiple offices that need to share calendar and contact information.  As noted at the beginning of this post, a true network-enabled practice management program (Amicus Attorney, Time Matters, etc.) is a better choice for most firms.  But for those solos or very small firms that are not inclined to go the practice management route, this is worth checking into.                 

New "coolest" digital audio player earns good review

Confirming the nice things I wrote about the new SanDisk Sansa e200 series digital audio player in this blog over the last couple of weeks, PC Magazine gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.  If you don't want to be locked into iTunes or if you want to be able to play WMA audio files (or listen to the radio, watch videos, or make voice recordings), the Sansa is a better choice than the Nano.      

Editor's Choice award for Treo 700p

Building on its success with the Treo 650 smart phone, Palm has another winner on its hands with the Treo 700p. The July issue of PC Magazine gives the 700p its coveted Editor's Choice award. Finding many similarities to the 650, but with a much faster data network and a better camera, PC Magazine rated the Treo 700p as the smart phone of choice.

1 GB Secure Digital Card at great price

Many portable digital devices use Secure Digital (SD) flash memory cards for data storage.  These devices include digital cameras, PDA's, smart phones, and some MP3 players.  It is a good idea to have one or more spare SD cards available for your devices.  Prices on SD storage have fallen rapidly in the last year.  For example, Buy.com has the name-brand Kingston 1 GB SD card for only $19.95 after a $5 mail-in rebate. 

 

Dell LCD Monitors on sale

If you are still using an old CRT monitor (the kind with a TV-like picture tube) in your law office, it is long past time to upgrade.  The newer flat panel LCD monitors take up less space, generate less heat, use less power, and are easier on your eyes than nearly all CRT monitors.  If you won't do it for yourself, at the very least do it for your loyal support staff that likely spends all day staring at their computer monitors. 

Dell's famous UltraSharp LCD monitors are now on sale.  For example, a 19" UltraSharp with a three year warranty can be had for only $247.20.  Other sizes are also available at sale prices.      

Digital Dictation (kiss those tapes goodbye!)

Although it is helpful for an attorney to have typing skills (if only for the independence it provides if you really need to get a document done after hours or on a weekend), I recognize that not all lawyers are comfortable using a keyboard.  For those lawyers, dictation will remain the primary means of getting their words to a transcriptionist, who will then transform them into digital and ultimately paper format.

But analog tape dictation systems are high maintenance and not very reliable.  I've heard many stories of lawyers dictating for hours and then having the tape disappear or become damaged before it could be transcribed.  One of those stories was recounted in the current issue of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) quarterly newsletter (Summer 2006).

Charles A. Matison, an AAML Fellow from New Jersey, wrote about his new digital dictation system featuring the Olympus DS 4000 digital recorder.  I've written about the DS 4000 previously because its excellent ergonomics mimics the best analog tape systems of the past.  Most important of these features is a side-mount thumb switch for recording control.  The DS 4000 lists for $450 (and is worth every penny), but the AAML has a discount at Wheeler Business Machines of Grand Rapids, MI, for $365 if you ask for the "AAML Discount."  The companion Transcription Kit (headset, pedal, and software) is discounted to $245.

Another source for this equipment is Start-Stop Dictation and Transcription Systems of Tarpon Springs, FL.            

Law Office Tech Bargains, Week of June 25 - July 1

The benefits of a PDA (personal digital assistant, a/k/a handheld computer) to a busy lawyer can be enormous.  But for a PDA to be truly useful, it must be simple, intuitive, and light enough to carry with you at all times.  Cheap is also good, especially if you have not previously used a PDA and may be reluctant to make the initial investment.  PDA's running the Palm OS (operating system) are generally easier to learn and more compatible with a wide range of practice management and time/billing/accounting software. 

The best entry-level PDA for lawyers is the Palm Tungsten E2.  It has a brilliant color screen, built-in Bluetooth networking, and a Secure Digital (SD) expansion slot for more memory or even a Wi-Fi network card should you decide to add those items later.  This week Circuit City has the E2 bundled with a hard case, screen protectors, and an extra stylus (all useful accessories) for the standard list price of $199.99.

Also at Circuit City this week is the venerable Linksys WRT54G wireless broadband router on sale for $49.99.  Although I've never checked sales figures, the WRT54G has to be the most common wireless router in existence.  If there is a hall of fame for technology products, this one is a lock.  I use one at home at it works great.  Firmware updates are periodically posted on the Linksys Web site.  These updates are critical to keeping the router operating its best and to secure your network from new types of security threats.

Before we leave Circuit City, if you need a larger hard drive for your PC, the Seagate 300 GB internal 7200 rpm hard drive is $89.99 after instant savings and a mail-in rebate.

Over at Office Depot, the Maxtor 300 GB hard drive is only $79.99 after a mail-in rebate. 

Also at Office Depot is the decent but very inexpensive InFocus IN-24 DLP projector for $699.  This is a 1700 lumen projector suitable for small to medium sized meeting rooms or courtrooms where you have the option of dimming the lights.  For large brightly lit courtrooms, go with at least 2000 lumens.  If you do much presentation work, you will appreciate the Targus Notebook Wireless Presenter on sale for $29.99 after instant savings and rebate.  The Presenter allows you to wirelessly control your presentation from distances up to 33 feet. Also, an integrated laser pointer and full-function mouse gives you control and flexibility during presentations.

Before we leave Office Depot, remember that this is storm season.  The power will go out. sometimes just for a few seconds, sometimes longer.  Protect your PC and your unsaved work by using an uninterruptible power supply with every computer on your network and also your home computer.  The very capable single PC APC BE500R is on sale for $49.99 this week.  This is the best $50 insurance policy you can buy for your equipment.

Over at Best Buy this week, check out the terrific Samsung 931B 19" flat panel LCD monitor.  It is on sale for $269.99 after instant savings.  This is the best favor you can do for your eyes (or the eyes of your staff persons) if you look at your screen more than a couple hours each day.                           

Desktop Search program ratings

Although this post is categorized under Document Management, it is important to note at the outset that file searching is only part of what a true document management system does.  Full-featured document management software (DMS), such as Worldox, assures that files are saved and profiled using parameters you specify.  You've heard the phrase "garbage in - garbage out" (GIGO for short).  True document management systems effectively eliminate the "garbage in" half of the problem assuring that there will be no "garbage out" when you try to find a documents somewhere on your network.  Desktop search software works on the premise that there is much "garbage in" and does its best to limit the amount of "garbage out" when you search for a document or file. 

But if your firm is too small to justify the expense of a full DMS system, or if you want to reap some of the benefits of document management to test the waters before you invest in a full DMS system, desktop search software can be a great option.  There are many desktop search programs, some of the best of which are free.  I've used Yahoo Desktop Search in my home-based appellate practice for well over a year and have been very satisfied. 

But how does a user know that he or she has selected the best desktop search software?  About a year ago the University of Wisconsin E-Business Consortium published a detailed comparison report of a dozen desktop search programs.  As it turned out, I was not far off in my selection of Yahoo Desktop Search.  It was ranked second of the dozen programs tested.  At the top of the list was Copernic Desktop Search.  However, Yahoo bested Copernic in the very important (for law firms) area of security.  The best known desktop search software from Google was ranked fifth.