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March 2011
Featured Review - ScanSnap S1100
Affinity University Classes
Upcoming Events
Beat the PracticeMaster Price Increase
Philips SpeechExec Pro 7 Announced
PCLaw and Time Matters Workshops in May
Word Tip of the Month - Removing Metadata
$50 Rebate on ScanSnap S1500
Worldox iPad App
ABA TECHSHOW 2011
Managed IT Services
Green Corner - Don't Be Fooled by Labels
Current Versions of Law Office Software
Join Our Mailing List
Greetings!
SpringSpring is almost here.  That will be welcome news for our readers in the Midwest and Northeast who have been pummeled by a very hard winter.  March brings not only the first day of Spring, but also St. Patrick's Day. 

In this month's newsletter, we pass along to you a little "luck of the Irish" in the form of a rebate on a highly-rated ScanSnap scanner, a way to beat the price increase for PracticeMaster software, and how to get a free upgrade to Philips SpeechExec Pro version 7 from versions 4, 5, or 6.  We also have plenty of Affinity University classes and other events to provide you and your staff with essential training on key law office applications.

Our feature article for March is a hands-on review of the terrific portable ScanSnap S1100 document scanner.  Affinity Southeast VP and Senior Consultant Greg Bray shares his experience with this new model from Fujitsu.    

 

Also in this month's newsletter are our regular features including a Microsoft Word tip that could save your practice by showing you how to remove potentially dangerous metadata from documents before they are transmitted from your office.   

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ScanSnap S1100 Featured Review:  Scanning for Road Warriors - Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100

Affinity Southeast VP and Senior Consultant Greg Bray is the consummate "road warrior."  Aside from annual trips to his native Australia, Greg is often on the road throughout the U.S. and beyond assisting law firms with their scanning and document management systems.  He never visits a law firm without a portable scanner in his laptop bag.  For years, he carried a ScanSnap S1300.  That has now been replaced by the new even more portable ScanSnap S1100. 

 

Read Greg's complete review of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 portable scanner.

Affinity University Logo Affinity University
Classes in March  
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 our currently scheduled classes for March here.  
3/2  -  Dragon NaturallySpeaking Basics
3/2  -  Dragon NaturallySpeaking Productivity
3/11 - Tabs3 New Version 16 Features
3/11 - Tabs3 Reporting
3/15 - Amicus Attorney Small Firm Basics
3/15 - Amicus Attorney Small Firm Productivity
3/16 - Amicus Attorney Premium Edition Basics
3/16 - Amicus Attorney Premium Edition Productivity

Events Events in March    
3/1 - Barron K. Henley, Esq., of Affinity Columbus presents Document Automation: Boost Your Firm's Efficiency And Profit With HotDocs Software for the Ohio Bar in Columbus. This seminar will be repeated live in Cleveland on 3/9 and Fairfield on 3/16.

3/1 -
Barron K. Henley, Esq., of Affinity Columbus presents How Not To Commit Malpractice While Negotiating Documents for the Ohio Bar in Columbus.  This seminar will be repeated live in Cleveland on 3/9 and Fairfield on 3/16.

3/2 -
Barron K. Henley, Esq., of Affinity Columbus presents a live one-hour webinar on The Computer In Your Pocket - Smartphones For Lawyers for Virginia CLE.

3/14 - Paul J. Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus , presents Adobe Acrobat for Legal Professionals in Denver for the Colorado Bar.

3/18 - Paul J. Unger, Esq., of Affinity Columbus , speaks on Tech at Trial during the 2011 Trial Tactics Seminar presented by the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys in Columbus. 

PracticeMaster Act by March 21 to Avoid PracticeMaster Price Increase
With the upcoming release of PracticeMaster's version 16, there will be a price increase for software licenses.  If you have been considering PracticeMaster, now is the time to act.  The old price for PracticeMaster Premier (non-CSV) of $295 for the first license and $150 for each additional license will be honored only until March 21, 2011.  After that date, the first license will cost $395, with additional licenses costing $195.  There will also be increases in the annual maintenance fees after March 21, so don't delay. 

 

For details on how to save on PracticeMaster licenses and maintenance by March 21, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.

 

SpeechExec Philips Announces SpeechExec Pro Dictate and Transcribe 7.0 - Free Upgrades Until July 1 
SpeechExec Pro Dictate is a dictation management platform that unites voice recording, file routing, as well as speech recognition interfacing in one seamless solution. SpeechExec Pro Transcribe is a transcription management platform that unites workflow automation, transcription features and speech recognition in one seamless solution. Advanced features allow dictation to be handled efficiently, and to create documents quicker and with greater accuracy. 

With version 7.0, it is now also possible to control speech recognition with a Speech Mic in other applications like Microsoft Word or Microsoft Outlook while SpeechExec is running in the background. This closes the gap between document creation and the review and correction process. Until July 1, 2011, there is a free upgrade to version 7.0 from versions 4.0., 5.0, and 6.0.

 

Read more about version 7.0 from Affinity Roanoke's Speech Solution Specialist Phil Metcalf. 

 

PCLaw PCLaw and Time Matters Workshops Coming in May

Make the Most out of your Software - Learn How to Maximize PCLaw and Time Matters for Your Practice.   

 Time Matters

When it comes to technology, simply having it and knowing the best ways to use it in your day to day business can be two different things. Join instructors Steve Best, Alex Macdonald & Art Roehrenbeck in Columbus, Ohio, for one of our upcoming workshops where we'll teach you the ins and outs of two of the leading legal software packages: PCLaw and Time Matters. In three days' time, you and your staff can learn the functionality of business-critical applications that you need to take your productivity to the next level.

 

PCLaw "Back Office" Workshop - May 16 & 17

Time Matters "Basic" Workshop - May 26 (AM)

Time Matters "Advanced" Workshop - May 26 (PM)

 

For more information, contact Alison Lukan at [email protected] or 614.340.3444.

Microsoft Word Tip of the Month - Removing Metadata  MS Word

In Word (as well as Excel, and PowerPoint) certain types of hidden information are automatically saved as you work on files. This hidden information is often referred to as metadata - or data about data.  Metadata can be dangerous if it falls into the hands of opposing parties or attorneys.   

 

Learn how to remove metadata in Word 2003/XP, 2007, and 2010.

ScanSnapLast Chance to Save $50 on Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 Scanner
If you are a LexisNexis user and purchase a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 scanner before March 31, 2011, you are eligible for a $50 mail-in rebate (limit 5 per customer).  The rebate coupon is available here.     

Be sure to read the review of the ScanSnap S1500's little brother, the portable ScanSnap S1100, by Affinity Southeast Senior Consultant Greg Bray in this newsletter.


If you would like learn how a ScanSnap scanner can help manage the flow of paper through your firm, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.  
Worldox iPad App Worldox Announces FREE iPad App
Worldox, the leading law firm document management system (DMS), has long been available on smart phones.  Now, it is also available on Apple's popular iPad device.  The Worldox iPad app is a free download from the iTunes app store.  Of course, you do need  Worldox GX2 and Worldox/Web Mobile

in order to connect to your firm's documents via the iPad.

 

If you have questions about Worldox or the new Worldox iPad app, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.

ABA TECHSHOW 2011 ABA TECHSHOW Coming April 11-13 in Chicago
This is the 25th year for the premier annual law office technology event - ABA TECHSHOW.  This year's TECHSHOW takes place at the Hilton Chicago from April 11-13.  Affinity Partners Steven Best, Esq., Debbie Foster, Barron K. Henley, Esq., Britt Lorish, and Paul J. Unger, Esq., will be speaking at TECHSHOW 2011.  Paul Unger chairs and Britt Lorish serves on the TECHSHOW 2011 planning board. View a video message from Paul Unger and many other law office technology leaders on why you should attend TECHSHOW 2011.

 

For more information or to register on-line, click here.  

Managed IT Services Affinity Offers Managed IT Services
In addition to our expert consulting services in the area of law office software, Affinity Consulting Group offers a full range of Managed IT services.  Small and medium-sized law firms can rarely afford a full-time IT staff.  Let us be your IT staff.


For information on the many IT services we can offer your firm, contact your Affinity Consulting Group office.

GreenGreen Corner - Don't Be Fooled by Labels
A product that is labeled "green" isn't necessarily a huge energy saver.  For example, in recent years, many manufacturers have marketed "green" computer hard drives that are alleged to save energy.  But do they?  Well, perhaps not enough to justify the loss of performance. 

Many "green" hard drives have disks that rotate at a slower 5400 rpm speed instead of the more typical 7200 rpm speed.  This can make the drives marginally more power efficient and quieter, but the savings are not as significant as, say, switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs. 

For example, switching from a Western Digital Black (high performance) hard drive to a Western Digital Green (energy saving) hard drive might save a bit over $5 per year, but at a sacrifice in performance that may be noticeable when running some software applications.  You can save almost twice as much by swapping one 60 watt incandescent bulb for a 7 watt compact fluorescent bulb.
Current Versions Current Versions of Law Office Software
Check out our list of the current versions of important law office software we support.  Staying current is an important way to protect your data and documents.

Read the complete Current Versions list.