Product Review: RainMaker Software's Business Intelligence Suite
May 01, 2003
Founded in 1845, Robinson & Cole LLP is a commercial law firm with more than 200 lawyers in six offices throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. As with most firms, our time and billing system is critical to daily operations. Vast amounts of information go into the system, but extracting data in a meaningful way was always a struggle.
No Strings Attached: Cutting the TechnoCord with a Wireless Law Practice
May 01, 2003
Those frustrating cables ' they're everywhere! Intertwining and connecting seemingly plug-incompatible gadgets in our laptop cases; tangling purses and briefcases in a snakelike mass of plastic-encased cords; connecting Palms to PCs; going from headsets to cell phones; "conveniently" linking us to printers (when sometimes the cables weigh more than the laptop); stretching to scanners; retracting (or not) from telephones; coiling like a garden hose around the legs of our chairs while connecting us to a network. Arrgh! Enough!
Practice Tip: <B>How AutoCorrect Can Help in Document Creation</b>
May 01, 2003
Last month we introduced you to AutoCorrect, a Microsoft Word feature that allows you to automatically detect and correct typos, capitalization errors and general misspellings as you type. We explained the differences between plain text and formatted text and how each is treated within AutoCorrect and also provided steps on how to add and remove AutoCorrect entries.
Put Technology In Its Place ... and Deliver Results To The Bottom Line
May 01, 2003
When lawyers discuss the role of information technology in their practice, a phrase often heard is "it's a necessary evil." Regardless of firm size or practice area, complaints regarding information technology (IT) are unfortunately all too common: large investments ... disappointing results.
Bits & Bytes
May 01, 2003
News and developments in legal tech.
After 100 Years, Hospital Liability Takes a Sharp Turn
May 01, 2003
You are ordinarily not liable for the misdeeds of others, right? Sure, you can be vicariously liable for certain conduct of employees and agents, but not others you may associate with, such as independent contractors. Except sometimes. And now, if you're a hospital that allows independent contractor physicians to treat patients at your facility, "sometimes" is presumptively "all the time." That is the rule laid down in the recent decision, <i>Mejia v. Community Hospital of San Bernardino</i> (2002), 99 Cal.App.4th 1448.
Defense Verdict in Breast Cancer Suit
May 01, 2003
A jury ruled for the defense in a lawsuit in which the plaintiff had undergone a double mastectomy after learning that invasive cancer originating in her left breast had spread to 24 nearby lymph nodes. After a 9-day trial before Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Sheldon Jelin in <i>D'Orazio v. Parlee & Tatem Radiologic Associates Ltd.</i>, jurors deliberated for 2 1/2 days before delivering a verdict on April 27. The verdict relieved three radiologists and two hospitals of liability for plaintiff Shirley W. D'Orazio's alleged reduced chances of survival due to the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis.
Peer Review: How Privileged?
May 01, 2003
How privileged, how impenetrable, is the peer review privilege? In <i>Fox v. Kramer</i>, 22 Cal. 4th 531, 994 P.2d 343 (Cal. 2000), the Supreme Court of California considered this narrow issue: Could plaintiffs Wendy Fox and her husband, Dr. Richard B. Fox, subpoena a doctor to give expert testimony or refer at trial to his draft preliminary report when his conclusions were based on hospital peer review committee records reviewed in the course of his official duties for a public agency?
Verdicts
May 01, 2003
The latest rulings of importance to your practice.
