Improving Bottom Line with Technology Ask not what you can do for your computer; Ask, rather what your computer can do for you Billing, Calendars, PDA, Remote Access, & Research

Who is Speaking? Thorne D. Harris III –Solo Practitioner –LSBA Technology Resource CenterLSBA Technology Resource Center

What it sounds like it is

Picture of Building

LSBA Technology Resource Center What it really is

TRC Plant & Facilities Numbers in Bar Journal

BILLING / ACCOUNTING Get what you deserve Don’t pay more than you owe

Where does the time go? Why? If I write it in my calendar, do I have to write it again on the bill? –Cut & Paste –Links –Integrated ‘systems’

PC-Law Jr. IRS likes this one, its hard to cook the books Latest version now has a calendar Many commercial programs have links to it Full, made for lawyers, one-write system –Time, Billing, Trust, P&L, Gen. Ledger, etc. –$ for full 2 timekeeper system –Upgradeable and networkable

PCLaw Menu Page

PCLaw Time Sheets

PCLaw Quick Timers

PCLaw Check Entry

PCLaw Sample Invoice

Quick Books Pro IRS not excited – easy to change things ex post facto Easy to set up (there is an ‘interview’ and a business type) Pull out a “Schedule C” to set up your expense pigeonholes Trust account too, or multiples types of “income” So you not pay self-employment tax on $ for client meds you recover

Some more popular programs TimeSlips Time Matters (also Case Management) TABBS

Where am I supposed to be? Calendars –Lookout, oops, I mean Outlook! –Schedule +, the orphan –Lotus (IBM), ACT! (Symantec / Norton ) –Time & Chaos ( isbister.com ), and other shareware –Time Matters

Microsoft Outlook The Standard Comes with Microsoft Office Many features Easy to use stand-alone Need Exchange Server to share in larger environments

Outlook

You can take it with you! PDA = Personal Digital Assistant Palm Platform Pocket PC (Windows)

Palm Platform devices, including Visor Palm III = Color Palm VII = Wireless Palm Vx = Smallest with 8M New Color versions Synchronize with Outlook –Then synchronize online –Can sync directly online

Pocket PC (Microsoft OS) Compaq iPaq, HP Jornada, Casio, –Conduits to sync (Puma – Intellisync) –Pocket Word, Excel, Outlook –Memory hogs, expensive $ –New versions have best color screens around –Up to 64M of RAM –Battery life not as good as B&W Palm

Other PDA’s Franklin = inexpensive $50.00 –Speller grew up, non-standard, proprietary, not play well with others (sync) DaVinci = inexpensive $90.00 –Palm wannabe, proprietary, not play well with others (sync) –Blackberry – very expensive, push technology

SHARING CALENDARS Your internal network Via the Internet

Calendar Sharing on an Internal Network Microsoft solutions –Net Folders, MS Exchange Server, Windows Messaging Lotus (IBM) solutions –Domino Server –Amicus –Time Matters

Calendar sharing via the Internet Synchronize to (with) / Publish on => anytime, anywhere –Yahoo.com, Intranets.com, MyPalm.com, Visto.com, HotOffice.com, Calendar.yahoo.com –See Internet discussion

Things you can do with a calendar/ PIM PIM = Personal Information Manager Categories (each case a category?) Contacts / Address Book Tasks / ToDo “Manage” by judicious naming conventions in your address book Sync to PDA

Can you document this bill? Use the “Timer” Back to Case Manager Links and duplicate typing! Back to Cut & Paste from Calendar Notes to Billing Program to Case Management? –Outlook CATAGORIES, then filter views What about ACT! 2000 (contact manager)?

You are WHERE? And you want WHAT? Remote Access to YOUR computer(s)

Tele-commuting –Dial Up Networking (Win9x), RAS (Win NT/2000), Windows XP –VPN, pcAnywhere, LapLink –GoToMyPC

Remote Control pcAnywhere, LapLink –Technical support; Mom, I’d rather do it myself –Telecommuting –RAS –GoTOMyPC.com

File Transfer Get/send file, process locally –pcAnywhere, LapLink, Carbon Copy –RAS –GoToMyPC.com

How you connect Long distance phone dialup vs. Internet Security, incl. call-back Costs VPN – dedicated/expensive/fast GoToMyPC –Phone line or Dual DSL (Office & Home)

Building the Brief Research? Who does research?

CD vs. Online CD means you have to actually have the CD in a CD drive you can access (copyable CD) Online means you must have a “modem” connection CD tower vs. BIG hard drive

“Free” Internet vs. Commercial (pay to play) Your time is worth something. –LexisOne.com See Freebie Internet Presentation Internet Sites List Internet Sites List –Attached Free Internet Sites ListInternet Sites List LSBA.org, Solo-SmallFirms.org, ThorneDHarrisIII.com, etc.

How do you bill for internet time? Fee sites, free sites, combinations, CD subscription fees (apportion among clients?) i.e. your out of pocket costs Transaction billing vs. Time Billing Research person’s time? Billable or absorbed cost of yours? –Can you bill any of this as a reimbursable expense in a contingency fee contract?

Lagniappe Shortcuts and Keystrokes attached for: –MS Word –Excel –Internet Explorer –Windows 98 –See MaterialsSee Materials

Keyboard Cheats Word

Keyboard Cheats Excel IE 4/5

Keyboard Windows

Questions? Or we could just swap jokes or stories….

Thanks! and ….. THE END