<b><i>Product Review:</b></i> Abbyy FineReader OCR 9.0: Experience Efficiency
March 25, 2008
One of the basic challenges to law firms since the advent of the PC has always been how to convert paper documents into a searchable or editable electronic format. I have been using a product for many years that has continued to improve itself with each new version. I am speaking of Abbyy FineReader OCR 9.0, which comes in two editions, Corporate and Professional.
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENJOYABLY WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS
March 12, 2008
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENJOYABLY WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS - Continuing with our series on really getting to know your clients and your prospects, and assuming you do want to discover what makes them and their companies work, what's next? You and your marketing support team must make time to organize pursue and hopefully close opportunities if you do find out. Lawyers are excellent at talking, good at asking questions and only so-so at listening. Yet it…
e-Working For a Living
February 29, 2008
No one would deny that those in the e-commerce economy 'work hard for the money,' in the words of nascent e-commerce entrepreneur and one-time disco queen Donna Summer. But is 'workin' for a living' any different for an e-commerce manager or executive than for the rest of us? To consider how dot-com employment has evolved over the past few years, I looked at a random sample of recent employment agreements to identify current practices and techniques in e-commerce employment contracting.
Franchisors: Exercise Your Contractual Rights
February 29, 2008
With the explosion of e-commerce and the easy availability of often free information on the Internet, franchisors have the ability like never before to expand their businesses into global markets. While the rapid growth into international markets has increased revenues and brand awareness, it also has added a layer of complexity and risk in monitoring franchisee compliance with the terms of the franchise agreement.
Disrupting the Lawyer Ratings Paradigm
February 28, 2008
For nearly 150 years, clients' opinions about their lawyers have been relegated to word of mouth. Information passed on in this manner is not recorded in any organized way and is therefore not available to the general public. In that time, the only organized source of information about lawyers came from lawyers themselves. All of that is now changing in a rapid, dramatic and explosive fashion, opening new channels and communities of information for legal services consumers, and creating exciting marketing and business development opportunities for lawyers and law firms.
Trendspotting @ LegalTech
February 28, 2008
Like the rest of the community, I make my annual pilgrimage to LegalTech New York to see old friends, gauge where technology has taken us and to gain insight on the direction in which we are headed. (I also go to replenish my swag. My favorite item is still the crisp two-dollar bill from Lex on Demand, but a few companies were making luggage tags from business cards, which I liked, and others were giving away flash drives, which I needed. And Kroll Ontrack Inc.'s 10-minute massage was a nice addition to the mix.)
VoIP: Hype or Reality?
February 28, 2008
Many people use free or consumer-class Voice over Internet Protocol ('VoIP') solutions and make long-distance calls for 'free.' But is this VoIP technology suitable for a law firm? Will it provide the business-class security and reliability expected in a phone system?
The Securities Act of 1933: Assessing and Managing IP Liability
February 28, 2008
Given the potential liability exposure established under the Securities Act of 1933, it is becoming increasingly important that a company's internal management and outside advisers thoroughly understand the IP-related risks associated with the realization of corporate value.
Dealing with Merger Financial Data
February 28, 2008
When two law firms undertake merger discussions, they eventually exchange financial information. Typically, this exchange is anticipated from both a curiosity standpoint as well as a practical standpoint. Ultimately no merger will occur if it does not make good economic sense; therefore, critical financial review is essential.