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Greetings!
This month we give thanks for those things that are important to us. Clearly, family and friends top the list. But we spend most of our waking hours at our offices or doing work-related tasks. In law firms, technology can boost our ability to serve our clients while also allowing us to spend more time with friends and family. So it makes sense to also give thanks for those products and services that make our work lives easier.
In honor of Thanksgiving, this month we look at ten law office technology products and services for which we are thankful.
One thing we are particularly thankful for is web-based technology that allows us not only to remotely solve your hardware and software problems, but also allows us to provide easy, convenient, and affordable web-based training for a wide variety of law office applications. Our Affinity University classes are ground-breaking one-hour sessions that help you make the most of the technology you have or help your select the right new technology for your firm. This month's newsletter contains our complete Affinity University schedule for November and December so you can plan ahead to take one or more of these timely classes.
Also read on for our regular newsletter features including software tips, discount promotions, and a Green Corner column on how to use your technology in a more environmentally friendly way. As always, our newsletter concludes with a comprehensive list of the current versions of law office software we support.
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Visit Our Blog |  The Affinity Consulting Group Law Office Technology Blog has up-to-date information on hardware, software, and tips for using technology in your practice. Click on the icon to your right to visit now.
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 Thankful for Law Office Technology Products and Services
This is our list of law office technology products and services for which we are thankful. In some cases, these are products and services we use in our daily work helping your firm select, implement, and more effectively use technology to boost productivity. Others are products and services we've successfully tested and then implemented in firms that make a r eal difference in how those firms operate.Read our list of ten law office tech products and services that make us thankful. |
 Affinity University
Classes in November and December
Affinity University is the leading source for web based training sessions for the legal community. All of our classes are one hour, making it easy and affordable for lawyers, paralegals and support staff to take time from their day to improve their efficiency and productivity. No software is required and sign up is simple. View all of our classes for November and December here.
11/9 - PCLaw Time, Fees and Costs
11/10 - Tabs3 Billing
11/10 - Tabs3 Reporting
11/11 - PCLaw Front Office
11/15 - Microsoft Outlook Email Management
11/16 - PCLaw Billing
11/17 - Worldox Productivity
11/18 - PCLaw Trust Accounting
11/19 - Microsoft Outlook Contacts, Calendars and Tasks
11/19 - Worldox Basics
11/19 - Worldox Advanced
12/7 - PracticeMaster Productivity
12/10 - Adobe Acrobat for the Law Office
12/14 - PCLaw Billing
12/15 - Dragon NaturallySpeaking Basics
12/15 - Dragon NaturallySpeaking Productivity
12/23 - Worldox Productivity
12/23 - PCLaw Front Office
12/23 - Fujitsu ScanSnap for the Law Office
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 Events in November and December11/9 - Paul Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus is the keynote speaker for the luncheon meeting of the Central Ohio Association for Justice. He will present 45 Technology Tips in 45 Minutes.
11/11 - Barron K. Henley, Esq. of Affinity Columbus is one of the speakers at the Cincinnati Bar Associations New Lawyer Training - Law Office Management seminar in Cincinnati. 11/11 - Barron K. Henley, Esq. of Affinity Columbus is the presenter at the Cincinnati Bar Associations New Lawyer Training - Law Office Technology Roadmap seminar in Cincinnati.
11/12-13 - Paul Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus and Britt Lorish of Affinity Roanoke speak on a wide variety of law office technology topics at the West Virginia Bar's Solo and Small Firm Conference in Morgantown.
11/18 - Paul Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus presents Adobe Acrobat for Lawyers for the Ohio State Bar Association in Cleveland.11/22 - Paul Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus presents Adobe Acrobat for Lawyers for the Ohio State Bar Association in Columbus.12/6 - Barron K. Henley, Esq. of Affinity Columbus presents Practical Technology for the Hard-Working Lawyer for Minnesota CLE in Minneapolis.
12/6-8 - Steven J. Best, Esq., of Affinity Southeast - Atlanta presents a three days of hands-on PCLaw Workshops sponsored by LexisNexis in Atlanta. Register for 1, 2, or 3 days to master check writing, trust accounting, prebilling, billing, accounts payable, receipts, PCLaw "money flow"/general ledger, bank reconciliation, the template editor, system, workstation and connection settings and more. Laptops and instruction books are provided.12/16-17 - The Ohio State Bar Association's Legal Technology Conference for Solo and Small Firm Practitioners takes place in Dublin, OH, featuring Affinity partners Debbie Foster, Barron K. Henley, Esq., and Paul Unger, Esq.
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 Affinity Partners Hit the Road for ABA TECHSHOW Road Show Sponsored by the ABA Law Practice Management Section and state and local bar associations, the ABA TECHSHOW has been hitting the road - and Affinity Consulting Group partners have been part of the speaker roster at several events. Recently, Steven J. Best, Esq. (far left in photo), and Paul Unger, Esq. (far right in photo), spoke at the Michigan Association of Justice (MAJ) Road Show event. Paul is the Chairperson of the 2011 ABA TECHSHOW to be held in Chicago from April 11-13, 2011. Affinity partner Debbie Foster was Chairperson of the 2010 ABA TECHSHOW. |
 Plan Now for Ohio Legal Technology Conference, December 16-17Affinity partners Debbie Foster, Barron K, Henley, Esq., and Paul Unger, Esq. will speak at the Legal Technology Conference for Solo and Small Firm Practitioners sponsored by the Ohio State Bar Association. The Conference takes place at the Embassy Suites in Dublin, Ohio on December 16 and 17. This multi-track conference features sessions on technology basics, do-it-yourself tech, litigation, paperless office, ethics, marketing/social networking, and more. Register on-line or call the Ohio State Bar Association at 800-232-7124 . |
Microsoft Word Tip of the Month - The Three Golden Rules
Far too many MS Word users struggle with its features and formatting. There are three golden rules Word users should remember to eliminate this frustration. They are:
- If it is difficult, you missed a feature: Almost everything you want to do in Word has been automated. If want you want to do seems slow or hard, you missed the feature that automates that function. Use Word's built-in Help system to help find that feature.
- Never use spaces to line anything up: Spaces (using the space bar0 are only for separating words. Never use spaces to line anything up. That is a job for tabs, indents, and tables.
- Always click the "More" button: Word has a nasty habit of hiding things you need to see. The only way you'll be able to see them is by clicking "More" buttons. If you see one in a dialog box, always click it.
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 Version 16 of PracticeMaster and Tabs3 Released
Here at Affinity Consulting Group we are thankful during this Thanksgiving month for the release of Version 16 of PracticeMaster and Tabs3. There are many exciting enhancements, particularly the new Tabs3 E-mailing statement capabilities. Billing Statements can automatically be sent via e-mail or printed or both. When running final statements, it will automatically generate emails to your clients with their PDF statement attached. The subject and body of the e-mails can be customized using E-mail Templates, and you may also Preview and/or edit the e-mails before they are sent. Password protection of the PDF statements is another available option. This new feature automates the invoicing process significantly, allowing firms to spend less time billing and get paid more quickly.
We are also grateful for the improved workflow enhancements of PracticeMaster Premier. This powerful new feature allows tasks to trigger automatically after you perform a pre-defined action. For example, when you create a new client, PracticeMaster can generate a retainer letter, create a pre-filled follow up appointment on your calendar and send an e-mail to your billing clerk. If you would like more information about purchasing or upgrading please contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.
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 Amicus Attorney November 2010 Discounts Gavel & Gown announced the following Amicus Attorney promotions for November:
- Customers using Amicus 2009 or earlier who upgrade to Amicus 2010 and enroll in an Amicus Maintenance Plan during November will receive 40% off Amicus 2010 upgrades and 38 months of maintenance for the price of 36 months.
- All Amicus 2010 purchases and upgrades sold after November 1, 2010 will be eligible for a free upgrade to the same product version of Amicus 2011 when it launches in January. A $49 administrative fee applies.
- Amicus 2010 customers who enroll in an Amicus Maintenance Plan during November will receive 38 months of maintenance for the price of 36 months.
- Amicus Attorney 2008 Small Firm Edition, Amicus Attorney 2009 Small Firm Edition and Amicus Attorney 2010 Small Firm Edition customers will receive 50% off Amicus Accounting 2010 licenses.
If you would like to take advantage of these discounts, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office. |
Worldox Promotions Through December 31, 2010 Worldox is the trusted document management choice for more than 3,500 law firms worldwide. Worldox GX2 integrates directly with popular Office suites, scanning solutions, email programs, accounting and productivity applications, offering unmatched email and document-handling flexibility. Worldox now integrates with Fujitsu ScanSnap personal scanners as well. Thanks to the continuing partnership between Worldox and Fujitsu, Worldox users who purchase ScanSnap S1500 (Windows) or S1500M (Mac) scanners will receive a $50 mail-in rebate using this form now through December 31.
For law firms switching from another full Document Management System (DMS) such as Hummingbird or Autonomy, Worldox licenses are available for just $350 per user, a $45 per license discount. A Worldox maintenance contract ($80 per license) must also be purchased in order to qualify for this discount. This offer expires December 31. Contact your Affinity Consulting Group office to take advantage of this promotion. |
 Bar Association Discounts for New LexisNexis Time Matters and PCLaw Customers New Time Matters & PCLaw customers who are members of participating Bar Associations are eligible to receive a 15% discount off the cost of the software licenses. Only new Time Matters/PCLaw customers are eligible and the LexisNexis Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) must be purchased with the software. The discount doesn't apply to the purchase of additional licenses or AMP renewals. The offer expires December 31, 2010.Firms interested in learning about implementing Time Matters/PCLaw should contact their respective ACG office. If you need more information on the promotion, visit the LN website for PCLaw or Time Matters. |
 Green Corner - EPA Energy Star Tips for Windows 7 Power Management
The EPA's Energy Star program has a web site with illustrated "how to" instructions for enabling and configuring the power management settings in Windows 7. Similar instructions are available for Windows Vista and XP. Keep in mind that if you leave your computer on 24/7 to allow for remote access and control, you will want to use only those power management features that affect your monitor unless your remote access service can "wake" your computer from standby or hibernate mode |
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 Current Versions of Law Office Software
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