Office Automation Revisited

By Gerry Morris

According to the State Bar’s statistical surveys, more than half of us practice solo or in small firms. When I’ve spoken to groups of lawyers at CLE functions about law office technology, most of the informal conversations I’ve had about the topic have been with solo’s or small office practitioners who are trying to find ways to handle their work more efficiently in order to better serve the client without increasing overhead. The equation is simple. If a small office practitioner can utilize technology to avoid hiring extra staff to handle an increasing workload, the one time expenditure for the new equipment, software, etc., is a better move in the long run than the monthly reoccurring costs of an additional employee. Or, if a task can be automated in such a way as to allow, for instance, efficient creation of documents by non lawyer staff with appropriate input and review by a supervision attorney, the lawyer’s time can be spent on other tasks for which his or her attention is necessary.

I have written several articles in the past about office automation, “paperless offices” and case management software. Judging for the number of emails and questions I get on these related topics I think a short reprise of the high points is in order.

First, I want to define my terms. As I use the terms “office automation,” “paperless office” and “case management systems” I talking about different components of an overall system that I think can be utilized to revolutionize your practice. “Office Automation” refers to utilizing software to automate routine tasks such as routine document creation. A “paperless office” refers to converting all hard copy documents to some sort of scanned image, saving electronic copies of internally created documents and using the scanned and stored images as the primary documents in the office. “Case Management Software” refers to integrated software systems that basically keep up with al the information about your practice such as calendar settings, contacts, file notes, scanned documents, time entries and other information and organizes it by in some manner associating it with your individual case files. Most case management software packages also have automated document creation capability. So, to automate your office, you need a good case management software package that has all the capabilities set forth above and the hardware to scan your documents into an electronic format such as Adobe’s pdf format.

I often tell groups to whom I am speaking about this subject that going “paperless” and automating my office to the extent I have has had as profound effect on the way I practice as my transition from the IBM Selectric to word processing or from legal research in a room full of expensive books to computer based library. In overview, here’s how my office works.

I utilize a case management software program called Amicus Attorney as the basic tool of my office management. The program basically maintains all information about a particular case in “files” graphically represented on my computer screen by a file folder. In this file folder, viable and editable by my staff and me, there is linked all pertinent information about the matter such as the relevant contacts, critical calendar events, to do items, timekeeping information, and other bits of information either standardized with every file or added to a particular file. For instance, I can easily make notes of phone calls and other events for the file that become linked to the viewable file folder on my screen. There is also a general calendar and database of contacts that is viewable and editable by anyone on your system that has permission to do so. When someone makes notes of a telephone call or other event or makes a calendar entry, anyone on the system can view it. So, for instance, if my legal assistant has a conversation with court personnel about a setting, I can view her notes the next time I look at the file.

This is a very basic description of a few of the features of the program but, hopefully enough information to give you the idea of what I’m talking about. Basically, all the data about a given file is stored in a central place and accessible by others on the system. Calendar, contact and to do information can also be synced with my Treo smartphone. What I have eliminated by utilizing this system is the need to handle my paper files. I no longer need to go retrieve a file to make a note or read what someone else has done on the matter. I don’t have the problem of tracking down a file that is on someone else’s desk (or lost on mine). All the information I need is at my fingertips on my desktop computer. Everything including the documents associated with the file, which brings me to my next topic.

I’ve previously written a couple of articles about my “paperless office.” One of the speakers at a CLE program on office technology recently pointed out to the attendees that what most of us were talking about would more accurately be described as a “paper less” office. My system doesn’t eliminate paper from my practice. It does, however, make it a lot easier and more efficient to manage the constant stream of incoming and outgoing documents.

We scan every incoming document and save electronic copies of every document we create. The scanned images and electronic copies are stored on our server either in Adobe’s pdf format or in Paperport’s native format in a folder unique to that client and a subfolder unique to the client matter. The document is linked to the appropriate client file in Amicus Attorney. To retrieve the document I go to the client file in Amicus Attorney, click on the “Documents” tab, go to the proper document category and click the link that I’ve descriptively named when we originally scanned or created the document. I can have any document in my practice on my computer screen in a few seconds. I also sync most of the documents to my laptop so I have the file documents with me when I’m out of the office.

If you are contemplating setting us an automated office, here are a few tips. The critical components of an automated office are (1) a reliably networked computer system; (2) case management software; (3) a fast, reliable sheetfeed scanner; and (4) a system in place that ensures that all documents will be properly scanned, filed and linked.

It doesn’t take a super duper computer system to handle the tasks in a small to medium size office. The best way to go about buying a system or determining if your current system is adequate is to check the hardware requirements listed among the specification of the case management software program you intend to purchase. If you already have the hardware, its compatibility with your existing system may be a consideration in selecting among the competing products.

There are several case management software packages available. The two I am the most familiar with are Amicus Attorney and Time Matters. As I said, I use Amicus Attorney in my office. We just recently installed Time Matters for use in the clinical program I co-teach at the University of Texas Law School. I suggest you take a look at both. Amicus Attorney has the advantage, in my opinion of being more user friendly because of a superior interface. The program displays your cases graphically as file folders on the screen. Performing functions is very intuitive. Time Matters, on the other hand, currently outpaces Amicus Attorney in terms of number of features. It also has the advantage of being part of the Lexis Nexis product line meaning that a great deal of resources are being put forth to develop it. Either will do the job well. It’s a matter of personal preference and determining which program’s features better suit your needs.

The most important piece of hardware in the system is the scanner. It must be relatively fast and reliable. Reliability is as important as speed. If a scanner is rated at 20 pages per minute but jams every 10 pages, you are better off with a slower scanner that doesn’t jam.

In my office, I use the Fujitsu 620C sheetfeed scanner. It is rated at about 20 pages per minute for black and white scanning. Most of the scanning done in a law office will be black and white text. This scanner has proven to be extremely reliable. We literally go months without a misfeed or jam. These scanners are available refurbished for around $900. The 620C is one of the older models of the Fujitsu line. One of the newer models might be a better fit for your operation.

For the Time Matters installation at the UT Law School we went with a Xerox Documate 632 on the advice of our consultant. This particular model of the Documate line scans up to 35 pages a minute. If the document is double sided that means 70 images per minute. Like the Fujitsu 620C it has both a sheetfeeder and will operate as a flat bed scanner. The Documate 632 sells on the street for around $1300. There are slower models in the Documate line that sell for under $1,000.

To make the system work, procedures must be implemented to insure that documents get scanned, filed and linked as soon as they arrive at your office. Unless this is done in a timely manner, the benefit of the system is greatly diminished. One of the biggest benefits to the paperless office is having all of documents associated with your cases available within seconds. If a document lays around in an inbox indefinitely and must be manually located when needed, the time savings of the system disappear. So, along with the hardware and software needed to make the system work, there also must be a commitment to stay up to date with document entry. With all the components in place an automated office can drastically improve the efficiency of a law office’s work output.

E. G. “Gerry” Morris is a solo practitioner and has practiced law for over 27 years in Austin, Texas. He is certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His firm web site is at www.egmlaw.com. Email your comments and questions to Gerry at tech@egmlaw.com.