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PracticeMaster Tips and Tricks |
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For the 2nd year in a row, Automated
Horizons is honored to have been named
the PracticeMaster Consultant of the
Year by Software Technology, Inc. In
celebration of our 2006 and 2007 awards,
we thought we would give our
PracticeMaster clients some helpful
hints. Thanks for making us #1!
Column Layouts. From any list
tab, click Column Layout in the Quick
Clicks menu and then Add/Edit Column
Layout. Each user may choose which
columns they would like to have
displayed in their list. Once columns
are included in a layout, the list can
be sorted by the columns.
List Preferences. From any list,
click on Customize Current View under
Quick Clicks and choose List
Preferences. You can determine the color
of the font and background of the
alternating rows as well as set the row
height.
Configure Client Pages. Each user
may determine which tabs appear on the
Client form by clicking Configure Client
Pages off of the Quick Clicks menu. You
may choose to view a consolidated
Journal list or individual lists for
E-mail, Notes, etc. In the Premier
version of PracticeMaster, you may also
turn Area of Practice pages on or off as
well.
Related Party Category Pages.
PracticeMaster Premier can be configured
so that additional tabs appear on the
Related Party form dependant upon the
Related Party category that has been
selected. A good example of when to use
a category page is when tracking
information specific to an expert
witness.
Client Calendar. From the client
list, click on Client Calendar under
Take Action on the Quick Clicks list.
This will take you to a monthly calendar
view filtered for that client's events.
Convert to Fee Settings. You may
configure separate defaults for each
type of record that can be converted to
fees including Calendar, E-mail, Notes,
Phone, Research and Timer records. From
the Journal or Calendar list,
right-click and select Convert to Fee
Settings.
Auto E-mail Notification. If Auto
E-mail notification is configured, an
e-mail is automatically generated
whenever a user schedules something on
another user's calendar. This allows the
recipient of the task or event to know
that something was added, changed or
deleted from their calendar.
Outlook Plug-In. If configured,
all emails sent or received in Outlook
can be saved to the Journal in
PracticeMaster and associated with a
Client and/or Related Party. Once saved
to the Journal all users may view those
e-mails, as well as reply, forward,
print, etc.
Linked Documents. Fields may be
added to any PracticeMaster page to link
documents to records. An example would
be a Pleadings Index page that includes
data regarding the pleadings as well as
a link to the actual pleading saved on
your network.
Document Search. PracticeMaster
may be configured so that the text
within the documents that are linked to
PracticeMaster are fully searchable.
This is accessed using the Document
Search option on the new Search menu (or
Shift-Alt-S).
Word Document Assembly. In
PracticeMaster Premier, any field can be
included in a document assembly
template, thus allowing you to generate
documents in Microsoft Word very quickly
and consistently. For example, a Word
Document Assembly template can be
created to generate a letter to the
client, a pleading, or a letter to the
Clerk of Court. When generated the
document will include the data already
entered in PracticeMaster for that file
so you never have to type anything
twice.
Report Writer. Virtually any data
that is entered into PracticeMaster may
be accessed via a custom reporter
included in the product. Need a list of
all Open files for a specific
Originating Attorney? That information
and much more could be accessed at the
push of a button with a custom
PracticeMaster report.
Some features, such as Quick Clicks,
referenced in this article are only
available in PracticeMaster Version 14.2
and higher. For more information
regarding these PracticeMaster features
or to discuss additional customization
of your PracticeMaster database, please
contact one of Automated Horizons'
Legal Technology Consultants.
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New Years Resolutions to Let Automated
Horizons Help You Improve Your Business |
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1. Work Smarter, not Harder.
Automated Horizons can help by
evaluating your needs in terms of
hardware and software and directing you
to the most cost effective solutions for
a better, smoother and more productive
New Year. Contact us for a free
consultation!
2. Maximize Your Investment With
Training! Once you purchase your
specialty software, get every ounce of
its value by making sure that your staff
is properly trained to be as efficient
as possible. We provide custom onsite
one-on-one or classroom-style training,
either of which can also be done
remotely, for new users as well as
advanced training and updates for
experienced users. Your software is
worthless unless you have people who
know how to maximize its components.
3. Stay Current. Don't forget
about upgrades for your current
software, most of which are available
for free if you have kept your support
and maintenance contract up-to-date.
Make sure that your staff is aware of
and trained to use all the options and
solutions available in upgrades. Contact
us to develop and conduct on-target
training so your office stays up to
speed.
4. Ask Questions. We are more
than just computer geeks! We are
consultants and we are here to help you!
Let us be a resource for you. Don't
forget that we publish these monthly
newsletters. They are a valuable
resource for all types of relevant
information. If you see or hear about
something that sparks your interest,
check out our website and search our
archived newsletters for a related
article. If we have not already
addressed your interest or query, give
us a call or email us and we will get
you the information or answer you are
looking for.
5. Look Ahead (Or You May Fall
Behind). The best way to service
your clients' needs and to maintain an
edge is to leverage available technology
and apply this knowledge ahead of the
competition. Make sure you know what's
coming before it passes you by.
6. Budget for Technology
Expenditures. Keep in mind that
computers and software are a continual
investment. Unfortunately, you will
never "be done" spending money on your
system. There are software changes that
will require hardware upgrades, etc.
Technology is an essential part of
running your business. Count on it.
Budget for it. Keeping your system
up-to-date and running efficiently will
cost you less in the long run than
trying to piece-meal your hardware
together just to save some money short
term.
7. Use the Internet to Expand Your
Client Base and Educate Existing Clients.
Did you know that Automated Horizons has
an excellent web designer? Jacob can not
only design or update your site to be
extremely eye-catching, but he can also
perform search engine optimization to
improve your site's rankings and
traffic. Automated Horizons hosts
websites at extremely competitive rates,
and we can assist you with such services
as e-newsletters that are easy for you
to maintain on your own. Complex website
programming, such as online stores,
databases, etc. is also available.
8. Be Secure. Is your network
at risk? We can perform a security
assessment and inform you about possible
vulnerabilities. Being proactive about
security issues may protect you from
lost data and time.
9. Back Up Your System. This
may be the most important resolution you
will ever make. Backing up your system
on a regular basis with the proper
hardware is essential. We can review
your current backup procedures and make
suggestions on how to improve them. The
cost to add backup solutions is nothing
compared to the cost of losing your
entire database. Even if you have the
best hardware and the best procedures in
place, imagine the loss if you are not
taking that backup off-site during
non-working hours. Backup tapes are NOT
safe in fire boxes - they will melt.
Imagine the time and expense that would
be involved in recovery and recreation
of your entire database and financial
history. It would be devastating. Backup
and take it with you!
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Amicus Pricing Changes |
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Amicus has made the following price
changes on additional licenses for the
following versions of Amicus Attorney:
- Version IV, V, and V+ Advanced
Edition are now $399/license
- Version IV, V, and V+ Client
Server Edition are now $599/license
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LexisNexis Certified Independent
Consultant (CIC) Certifications |
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With the release of Version 9 of the
Lexis product line, recertification was
required by our legal technology
consultants. Britt Knuttgen and Sue
Ausborn have successfully completed CIC
cerfication for LexisNexis Back Office
Powered by PCLaw 9. Sue Ausborn and
Stacy Devlin have also completed CIC
certification for LexisNexis Front
Office Powered by Time Matters 9.
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Version 14.3 CSV Release Date for Tabs3
and PracticeMaster |
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Version 14.3 Client Server Version (CSV)
is expected to be released in
mid-February, a few weeks later than
originally anticipated. Several
additional performance enhancements were
added, thus pushing back the launch
date.
Be aware that there will be new
pricing for the Client Server Version
which will take effect upon the release
of 14.3. This will mark the first price
increase for CSV since it was introduced
in 2001. If you are thinking about
upgrading to CSV, it would be wise to
consider doing so before the price
increase, as it will save you
approximately 12%.
For more information on the Client
Server Version (CSV) or about Tabs3/PracticeMaster
pricing, please contact one of our
Legal TechnologyConsultants.
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Upcoming Speaking Engagements
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Britt Lorish Knuttgen will be speaking
at the following:
Small Office Management for the Legal
Professional
February 1, 2008
Charleston, WV
Topic Presenting:
- Technology Strategies for Small
Law Offices
ABA Techshow 2008
March 13-15, 2008
Chicago, IL
Topics Presenting:
- Look Who's Talking? What Lawyers
Need to Know about Digital Dictation
and Voice Recognition
- Managing Your E-Mail - Is There
a Better Way?
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