Newsletter Header, 12-2013
January 2016
Out with the Old
Build a Referral-Based Firm
Bootcamps in 2016
FREE Educational Webinars
Tablet or Computer?
January Speaking Engagements
Word Tip of the Month - Fix Track Changes Settings
Our Favorite Tech Gifts
Newsworthy - Links of Interest (New Year's Resolutions Edition)
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Out with the Old and in with the New....
- Steven J. Best, Esq.

Technology is forever changing. What was the latest and greatest technology just five years ago is today's dinosaur. All businesses, law firms included, must keep up with changes in technology. 

Today's lawyers are more mobile, more automated and more data driven than ever before. We can reasonably take judicial notice that lawyers must address any technology fears, prepare to budget significant funds into our technology and embrace these changes, or risk being that dinosaur in, perhaps, five (or fewer) years. 

This month's feature article examines 7 of the hottest technologies and what you must know to keep up.

How to Build a Referral-Based Law Firm
- Stephen Fairley, CEO, The RainMaker Institute

This month, guest author Stephen Fairley of The Rainmaker Institute brings us part 1 of a 2-part article on building a referral-based law firm. Watch for part 2 in next month's newsletter. 

If you want to get your year off to a blockbuster start with an increase in referrals and revenues then you need to find a way to reconnect with and stay connected to the three groups of people who are your best source of new business: current clients, past clients, and others (attorneys and non-attorney professionals) who have served as referral sources for you in the past.  
Bootcamp Schedule for First Half of 2016
- Bootcamps Start March 7-8 
Affinity's software-focused Bootcamps provide you with intensive two-day training to increase your skills with popular law office software. Here is the schedule for the first half of 2016:

March 7-8 - PCLaw/Amicus Attorney Bootcamp, Beford, NH                         
April 4-5 - Tabs3 Bootcamp, Roanoke, VA    
April 13-14 - PracticeMaster Bootcamp, Roanoke, VA
April 21-22 - PCLaw Bootcamp, Atlanta, GA        
May 16-17 - Worldox Bootcamp, Tampa, FL
TBA - MS Office Bootcamp, Columbus, OH
FREE Education Webinars in January and February
-Webinars on 1/14, 1/26, 2/12, and 3/3
Lawyer's Dilemma - Tablet or Computer?
- What happened to the post-PC Era?
The iPad's arrival in 2010 was supposed to herald the beginning of the post-PC era. While the iPad's initial success was notable, and it remains the best device for some tasks lawyers do, iPad sales have slowed.

This may be because "real work" for most lawyers still requires a personal computer (Windows or Mac). This can be a desktop, traditional clamshell laptop, or, increasingly, a 2 in 1 convertible like the Microsoft's Surface Pro series. What should you choose - tablet or computer?

January Speaking Engagements
In addition to a full webinar schedule, our partners and consultants hit the road this month. They will brave the winter chill in Denver and hope for a touch of warmth in Houston and New Orleans.

For example, Affinity Senior Consultant Greg Bray will present a Lunch & Learn on The Paperless Office in New Orleans on January 29 at Noon hosted by Amann Business Systems, Inc. 

Word Logo
MS Word Tip of the Month - Fix Track Changes Settings
One of the best and most used features in Word, particularly for lawyers, is Track Changes. Although the last two versions of Word (2013 and 2016) improved the default settings for this feature, there remains room for improvement. This month's tip will show you what you can do to make them better.  

A Few of Our Favorite Tech Gifts
- What We Really Liked This Year
This holiday season, good things came in large and small packages. We asked Affinity's partners, consultants, and staff which tech gifts they liked most this year. Here are a few of our favorites:

Affinity Partner Debbie Foster LOVES the huge portable ChargeTech battery pack she received. It can charge phones, tablets, and even her laptop when it runs out of juice on one of her many plane flights.

Affinity Marketing Coordinator Karen Scher enjoys her new Bose Bluetooth Speaker.
It replaced an old under-cabinet CD player and sounds amazing, especially when she listens to her Coltrane jazz station on Pandora with her iPhone wirelessly connected to the Bose speaker.

Affinity Publications Senior Editor Scott Bassett is crazy for the iRobot Roomba 880 robotic vacuum cleaner his wife gave him. In a house with a dog and four cats, it collects pet hair better than any vacuum he's seen. And it uses military-grade technology to determine the best cleaning pattern for each room.

We hope you are as thrilled with the tech gifts you received this year.
Newsworthy - New Year's Resolutions Issue
Each month we bring you quick links to a variety of newsworthy items dealing with technology products, services, and other topics of interest to lawyers as they seek to better manage their practices. Now that the New Year is here, so are lists of resolutions to help you personally and professionally in 2016.    
Meet the Team - Barb Schucker
Affinity Consulting loves to help improve the lives of our customers. We thought you might enjoy getting to know about the lives of some of our team members who help make that happen. Each month we will feature another member of the Affinity Team. Get to know us!

Meet Barb Schucker, Office Manager of the Affinity Consulting Columbus office in central Ohio.  Barb joined Affinity in February of 2010 when she worked for a downsizing law firm who was an Affinity client.  Affinity was happy to scoop her up!  Barb's daily efforts include caring for our clients to be sure that they receive the information and attention they need most.

Barb loves what she does!  As she says, "It's easy to love what you do when you love the people you work with - I enjoy helping people, whether they are a client or a co-worker."  Outside of the office, Barb lives close to the Columbus office and enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her niece, Olivia. 

Learn More About Barb HERE.