With the current economic tsunami, many law firms are choosing to scale back technology costs and projects. Wanting to know firsthand what IT directors felt were the top technology trends law firms are still willing to invest in, I interviewed ten IT directors and discovered there are some very important technology trends making their way into to law firms now and in the near future.

Of all the ideas the IT directors gave me, there are two I felt were the most significant. Both are exciting trends in that they reduce costs while being significant technology paradigm shifts. These two trends are virtualization and cloud computing.

Continue on with an article I wrote for Lawdragon.

The big deal is using styles will make your life better. Yes, I said a better life. Think about it…what is the currency of law firms or a small law practice? The answer is “work product.” The value of your work product is everything. Now your work product is getting more complex and your clients are demanding that they also collaborate on your work product. Yes, your clients want to mess around with your documents.

Here’s my argument for using Microsoft Word Styles – When it comes to work product I believe the attorney’s role should be “word-smithing” not formatting text and paragraphs. What a waste of time! So much time can be spent in getting formatting to “just work” in Microsoft Word that word-smithing is short changed…resulting in decreased currency.

What Styles Can Do For You

I think Microsoft Word Styles are awesome. I’ve seen firms transform their work product (and morale) when users implement styles in their Word documents. Here are some advantages of using styles in your Word documents:

• Global Formatting. If you have a 60-page agreement and you need to change the font size on fifty headings in the document, you better know how to do some advanced find and replace or you’ll have to go to each heading and change it manually. What a waste of time! With Microsoft Word Styles you change the style once and the change is automatically changed throughout the document.
• Consistent look and feel to firm documents. When the same styles are used across the board in a firm, the documents have a consistent look and everyone knows how to work with them.
• Faster Formatting. All the bold, underlines, font sizes, paragraph indents, etc, can be contained in just one style.
• Building Tables of Content. Using Heading styles will make creating TOCs automatic.
• Documents are smaller. The amount of space a style definition takes up in a document is significantly less than all the direct formatting applied to fonts and paragraphs.

iRedline makes Microsoft Word 2007 even more powerful by providing additional tools and flexibility to the native “compare and track changes” features. iRedline unifies frequently used and hard to find features, fixes seemingly broken features, as well as adding features that are missing in Word 2007 and which are crucial for attorneys and law firms.

Read more…

It states - “Law firms should establish metadata policy”

Is that an understatement or what? We still find that there are still many firms who have decided to place their heads in the sand and go without or leave it up to each user to use the “document inspector“. This is one area where the technology investment will more than pay off. Trust me on that one.

Read the article - and yes they even have a quote by me.

It’s on page 4.

Subscribed link: Law firms should establish metadata policy
Direct link: Law firms should establish metadata policy

The new file format makes it easier for many applications to read and write the contents of a file. This helps ensure OpenXML files will still be readable even if the program used to create them has changed significantly. This means no more backward compatibility issues. In many ways, Microsoft has veered from its common hyper competitive approach to expose its venerable Microsoft Office to present and future competitive pressures. Read more…

The is a recent article I wrote for LJN LegalTech Newsletter.

Our company and I have recently jumped into Twitter head first (my jump was a good belly flop). At first I was like…what? … then over a short period of time we all began to see the potential, not only in terms of product promotion, support and client contact, but in the value of subtlety conveying a company’s personality. Twitter can help a company to communicate to the outside world its personality-who it is, what it stands for, what it thinks, what it does and what is important. So…we’re using it to show the microcosms of our personality. I’m excited, because I love my company, because we have great products, fantastic people, and a great culture.

I invite you to follow the various aspects of the personality of Esquire Innovations on Twitter.
http://twitter.com/iCreateSoftware - Judye Carter Reynolds
http://twitter.com/iScrubSoftware
http://twitter.com/iRedline
http://twitter.com/iDocID
http://twitter.com/susanmcclellan
http://twitter.com/MONBD
http://twitter.com/carlinka
http://twitter.com/CoderDennis
http://twitter.com/KTechnogal
http://twitter.com/RandallFarrar

Legal administrators must understand the ethical implications of metadata and the importance of establishing a relevant firm policy or dealing with the challenges. Read more here…

A great article by Susan McClellan - Marketing Director of Esquire Innovations, Inc.

Would you think of running the Boston Marathon without first getting in great running shape? Of course not. It’s the same when you’re working on long or complicated documents and you haven’t taken the time to learn “Styles” to make yourself significantly more productive, and like a marathon… a lot less painful.

Yet many people avoid using Styles because they do not understand their value, or find that making changes to preformatted Styles to be complex… and their mostly right.

iCreate 7 provides shortcuts to quickly make changes to styles. A feature in iCreate called iHyperstyles has a Hyper Font button to provide quick access to the Font Dialog box in Microsoft Word.

iRedline 7 makes Microsoft Word 2007’s Compare feature more powerful by providing additional tools and flexibility. With iRedline you consolidate menus and provide shortcuts to frequently used and hard to find features. It totally fixes broken features and adds those missing in native Word crucial for attorneys and law firms.

The Microsoft Word Compare and Track Changes features are being increasingly used within firms during document collaboration. That is a fact whether trainers want to accept that are not. When comparing different versions of a Word document it is practical to produce the result as a Track Changes document. For workflow purposes, result documents created in native Word can easily be shared and viewed by clients or co-counsel outside the firm, be absorbed back into the firm after editing by outside sources, plus users already familiar with Word’s Track Changes feature can work efficiently on result documents with no training required.

Yet, traditionally firms have not used Word’s Native compare and chosen third party applications for document comparison.

Concerns have been expressed over the accuracy and flexibility of Native Word comparison. That is completely taken care of with iRedline 7

Direct from their site… “January 21, 2009, Interwoven entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Autonomy, the clear leader in enterprise search and the front runner in Meaning-Based Computing. The combined company will have more than 2,000 employees and 20,000 customers. Following the close, Interwoven will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autonomy. This acquisition brings together two quality, high-performing software companies who share a vision to fundamentally change the way organizations discover, analyze and manage information. ”

Good News? I think so. Interwoven clients can be assured they will be around for awhile and their investment is safe.

In order to improve UAC’s image while still providing this type of security, Microsoft has modified UAC in Windows 7 Beta to give more control to the user when deciding how UAC works.

A nice article by Greg Shultz takes a closer look at the new UAC features shown in Windows 7 Beta.

OK… its been how long since Microsoft Office 2007 as been released? Two years?

It really irks me that there are vendors for our clients who STILL do not have Microsoft Office 2007 ready versions. What? Yea its a different environment with many of the old rules rewritten, but give me break! Just do it!

…And installs

I heard from several clients that some desktop applications NEED a “guided” install from the vendor. Guided as in “we’ll walk you through it” or “we’ll do it for you.” I guess that may be fine for one or two desktops… in the 20th century! But we now have MSI, stellar installation applications and WIX for the 21st century. Many things are difficult enough in this economic and technological turbulent time… lets make this easier for our clients.

We are at the threshold of a new generation of applications and development tools. With the introduction of Vista , Microsoft Office 2007, OpenXML, and when you couple this with the fact Microsoft was brave enough to burn the old “Office”, we now have a Microsoft Office that makes it easier for firms to add applications and develop solutions that enhance a firm’s desktop environment.

Specially, Microsoft Word 2007 includes enhanced features and tools that work better for law firms in regards to document production than previous versions of Microsoft Office. For example, the compare documents feature is more robust and accurate, and I believe firms will start to use the features native to Microsoft Word rather than purchasing expensive applications that operate outside of Word to solve the same business problems.

Having said that, firms will still purchase add-on applications, such as style and numbering solutions for legal specific needs, but the type of applications that will be desirable will work within the Microsoft Word environment… enhancing what is already there.

Firms should be looking for and demanding applications that work within and enhance the native product not products that are trying to reinvent the wheel outside the environment (Enhanced Native Architecture™). By adding products that work with Microsoft Words native tools firm’s will reduce the overall cost of ownership by reducing training, purchasing, implementation costs. These products will also be streamlined with just the features firms are looking… less bells and whistles.

If a firm takes this approach only short training classes would be required when new applications and features are added to their Microsoft Office environment. By keeping all document creation and production processes within Microsoft Word a firm enhances workflow, saving valuable time users would have previously spent running documents through outside applications for numbering, styles and document comparison. By adding on streamlined products that enhance Words native environment a firm also reduces support and troubleshooting issues.

May you live in interesting times, is often referred to euphemistically as a Chinese curse. It is presumed to be the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being:

2. May you come to the attention of those in authority

3. May you find what you are looking for

Please! Can we just limit it to the first curse?

We’ve just concluded our business plan for 2009. What struck me the most were our numbers (forecast, pipeline, etc) and how positive they look… and that’s viewing them through pessimistically dark colored glasses. But in these “interesting times” anything is possible and we have to plan for different scenarios as well.

What I do know:

· Most firms are planning on reducing operating expenses and deferring capital expenditures.

· Cash flow is KING and firms are going to do everything to maximize it.

· New investments in bleeding edge technologies have been put on hold.

· Investments in new software must produce an immediate and tangible return.

· Renewable software subscriptions will be considered thoroughly and only those that are absolutely needed will be renewed.

· “Staff reductions” is an understatement. It’s more like “staff amputations”

What does this mean for Esquire Innovations? We are in the unique position of being a provider of Microsoft Office integrated practice management software services and applications. Our software is pretty much on all users’ desktops and is a part of the workflow work product. Is that good enough for us? HELL NO!

These times call for us, as a vendor to the law firm community, to do and be more, not less. In 2009 we have to go beyond Software and provide astonishing client support. Yes astonishing! Astonishing support. Astonishing value. Astonishing prices. Astonishing empathy.

Field codes are used in Microsoft Word as placeholders for data that might change in a document and for creating mail-merge documents.

Microsoft Word inserts fields when you use particular commands, such as the Date and Time command on the Insert menu in Word 2003 or in the Text group on the Insert tab in Word 2007. You can also manually insert your own fields by using the Field command on the Insert menu in Word 2003 or Quick Parts button in the Text group on the Insert tab in Word 2007.

Field Code Security Issues

Field codes can be visible to anyone reading your document, so you should be sure that the information you place in field codes is not information that you want kept private. OR make sure that the metadata management application, such as iScrub, can manage (unlink or preserve) them.

Unlinking Field Codes

The term "unlinking field code" means replacing the specified field with its result. That is, it turns the field code to text and removes the field code. What’s nice about unlinking field codes is that it removes any private information, such as server paths or links to other objects (i.e., Excel workbooks).

Metadata Management and Unlinking Fields Codes

Unlinking field codes in a document is more than just unlinking all field codes. Depending on who the collaborating party is you may not want to or need to unlink all field codes. Often doing so renders the document unusable and the document is no longer roundtrip-able. Your metadata management tool should be able to apply metadata field code business rules to the document depending on what metadata you are removing from the document. If the metadata management tool’s approach is "an all or nothing", then that’s like using a sledge hammer to nail a picture hanger to the wall. Potentially damaging and dangerous!

Does your Metadata Management tool follow these Field Code Rules?

1. If Bookmarks are being deleted, are all REF field codes being unlinked as well? If not then you’ll have "Error" text where this field code exists with the name of the Bookmarks remaining.
2. If Document variables are being deleted then you have to unlink all DOCVARIABLE field codes. If not, then you’ll have "Error" text where this field code exists with the name of document variables remaining. Possible security risk!
3. If Built-in document properties are being deleted then all those field codes applicable to document properties must be unlinked:  If not, then you’ll have "Error" text where this field code exists with the name of document property values remaining. Possible security risk!
4. If Custom Properties are being deleted then you have to unlink all DOCPROPERTY field codes that are referencing custom properties. If not, then you’ll have "Error" text where this field code exists with the name of Custom property values remaining. Possible security risk!

   This also depends on what specific custom properties will be deleted. Your metadata management tool should preserve specific custom properties you list.

5. If ALL field codes are to be unlink then all field codes will be unlinked, except those in section Fields You Cannot or Should Not Unlink (below)

Note: Pressing Alt+F9 in Microsoft Word is a toggle to show or not show field codes

Fields You Cannot or Should Not Unlink

1. PAGE
2. NUMPAGES
3. LISTNUM
4. PRIVATE
5. ADVANCE
6. TC
7. XE

Sophistically managing field codes as metadata is and should be looked at as an essential function of your metadata management tool. Managing field codes in your documents that are leaving the digital walls of your firm should apply rules that are a part of your firm-wide metadata policy and should be applied differently depending on who the collaborating or adverse party is.

iScrub – Enterprise Metadata Management

To prevent accidental disclosure of document metadata it is important to implement an enterprise metadata management application, such as iScrub. iScrub enables a company to set up fixed standards for metadata removal and enforce those standards. There are unlimited levels of metadata management in iScrub. Users simply have to select one of the levels available to them - there is no guess work or manual metadata removal and little training needed.

Microsoft provides (free) an OpenXML Office 2007 converter for Office 2003. To get it, all you have to do is open an Word 2007 document in Word 2003. Word will prompt you to download it from Microsoft’s site.

Suppose you’re opening a file in one of your macros and you need the OpenXML converter installed to get it to work. Well, you test for it’s existence first.

Here’s a useful VBA function that you can use in Word 2003, to test whether the 2007 converter is installed. If it returns True then it’s installed.

Public Function Is2007ConvertInstalled() As Boolean

Dim Converter As FileConverter

For Each Converter In Application.FileConverters

If Converter.OpenFormat = 14 Then

Is2007ConvertInstalled = True

Exit Function

End If

Next

End Function

This was one of those “Word things” I would do so much in 2003… but then in Word 2007, it was like… where the hell did it go? Irritating. Then I found it… and well… I like how Microsoft implemented it 2007.

You can create (assign) new shortcuts or modify existing keyboard shortcuts:

1. On the Office button menu, click the Word Options tab at the bottom.
2. In the Word Options dialog box, click Customize.
3. Click the Customize button next to Keyboard Shortcuts in the Customize dialog box. The dialog box for creating or modifying keyboard shortcuts will open.
4. After writing in the new or modified shortcut, click Assign before closing the dialog box.

But still you can do it programmatically with code:

Sub ShowKeyBoardShorts()
With Dialogs(wdDialogToolsCustomizeKeyboard)
.Show
End With
End Sub

There may be times when you want to unlink a table of contents. By unlinking I mean turn the Table of contents to text, that is it is no longer a “TOC” Field code. Here’s some code to ensure all TOCs in a document are unlinked.

Sub UnlinkTOCs()
Dim TOC As TableOfContents
For Each TOC In ActiveDocument.TablesOfContents
TOC.Range.Fields.Unlink
Next
End Sub

Temecula, CA. November 4, 2008 – Esquire Innovations, Inc., a leading provider of Microsoft Office integration software for legal and document intensive firms, today released iRedline 7, a document comparison and revision collaboration tool for Microsoft Word documents.

Starts Where Word Leaves Off

iRedline 7 is designed to enhance Word’s ‘Compare Documents’ and ‘Tracked Changes’ features and begins where Word leaves off. iRedline 7 provides the document management system (DMS) integration so important to law firms’ workflow, advanced reporting features and the ability to control how results are displayed.

‘Tracked Changes’ Is Here To Stay

Law firms are increasingly using ‘Tracked Changes’ to monitor changes made to live documents. Firms want to use Word 2007’s native features to effectively communicate with clients and others, but law firms also require certain features that are missing in Word. iRedline 7 allows firms to effectively track documents internally and still clearly communicate with anyone using Word.

Features of iRedline 7:

• Document management system integration with Open Text and Interwoven (and other DMS systems)
• Produce results as tracked changes or iRedline changes (static text)
• Work with result documents from third party applications such as DeltaView
• Convert iRedline changes to Word’s tracked changes
• Accept iRedline changes and DeltaView changes
• Convert Word’s tracked changes to iRedline changes
• Add a report to any result document
• Tri-View layout – view the original, revised and result document simultaneously

Thinking about skipping Windows Vista? Please think again.

Here are five issues that Gartner suggests organizations thinking of skipping Vista should mull over:

1. Software Vendors Don’t Support Old OSes Long Enough

Although Windows XP will be supported with security fixes into 2014, many ISVs won’t support their products on Windows XP for that long, and Microsoft and the ISVs often won’t support new versions of their software on older operating systems, Gartner advises.

2. ISVs Don’t Support New OSes Soon Enough

Historically, according to Gartner, most vendors need a year or more before they support a new OS. When Windows 2000 shipped, it took some software vendors nearly three years before they supported it.

3. OEMs Will Deliver Fewer PC Models with Old OSes Each Year

Gartner predicts that in the near future, before Windows 7 can be deployed Windows XP drivers may not be available on the PC models you want to buy, forcing you to buy other models that may have different features or price points than you want.

4. Microsoft’s OS Delivery Schedule Is Unpredictable

Microsoft has said it will deliver Windows 7 about three years after Vista shipped (that is, the fourth quarter of 2006), but the company’s track record for shipping new versions of Windows on time is not good, Gartner notes.

5. Remember You May Need to Pay Microsoft for Upgrades

Businesses without SA (software assurance) must budget to buy software license upgrades. How much to budget depends on what downgrade rights Microsoft provides with Windows 7. Gartner predicts that Windows 7 will include downgrade rights to Windows Vista only. If this is the case, Windows XP PCs purchased in 2010, 2011 and 2012 will be bought with Windows Vista licenses so that XP can run until a Windows 7 deployment. As a result, organizations won’t have Windows 7 licenses when it is time to deploy, and will have to buy upgrades.