This post was written by Kate Early: "This is very exciting!

First, LexisNexis (my employer) has announced that it has this new capability -- you can be in Outlook and get links out to Lexis information from right in Outlook.  Very cool. For more on it, see Mike Mintz's post here.   As Mike says:

...Choosing option "3″ will highlight terms in the email that relate to the case and opens up a side panel with research results including documents from the Lexis system, firm articles, and web results, all in context.

Go to the link for his post and see the picture of it that he posted.  It is so very cool... 

Continue reading this interesting post and reach the active links by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Kate's Blog, 21 February 2010. Reproduced with permission of the author

From the e-newsletter: "As Microsoft prepares to roll out Office 2010, law firms should consider whether to invest in the latest version of the software."

Topics discussed include:

The Latest Version of Office

Your Firm's Hardware and Operating System Situation

Your Current Version of Office
Integration Issues

IT Support and Adoption
Budgetary Issues

Read more...

Source: FindLaw's The Practice Paper: For Solo & Small Firm Lawyers. 3 February 2010 Copyright © 2010 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe  <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.

In the news: "Now in beta and available for download, Microsoft Office 2010 comes with a number of enhancements to its suite, including an expansion of its Ribbon architecture, and the first ever web-based versions of its most popular applications. John K. Waters takes a walk through the new Office."

Read full text

Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 1 February 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by Tom Mighell: "Lawyers are generally thought of as some of the last people to adopt the latest technologies - why is that? Dennis Kennedy and I talk about possible explanations for this phenomenon in the latest edition of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, entitled From Early Adopters to Late Adopters, and Everyone In Between. We also answer some questions about Windows 7 and the Consumer Electronics Show. Give it a listen!"

To reach the blog post and the active links, click on the author's name.

Source: Inter Alia, 21 January 2010

Reproduced with permission of the author.

In the news: "Deciding to become an early adopter for Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system was one of those moments when all of the stars aligned for Allen Matkins. It was time to replace hardware, improve efficiency, and make lawyers more effective with 24/7 access to mission-critical tools."

Read full text

Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 6 January 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

Posted by Tom Mighell: "If you use Outlook as your primary email program, I'd wager that you spend a lot of your average day working in that program. And Microsoft would prefer it that way - that's why it takes care of most of the things you need during the work day - email, calendars, contacts, and tasks. But for something that we use so often, most of us don't use it properly, or make the most of its capabilities. Microsoft wants to help us out with that.

They've published a great 40-page document called Best Practices for Microsoft Outlook 2007. It's a really good collection of tips and tricks for using Outlook 2007 in more productive ways. The Outlook team that published this article also put together some basic principles of good time management that are worth reprinting here:

Basic principles of good time management

Outlook 2007 is a tool to help you manage your e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks. As such, it is at the center of not only your communications but also your time-management. To get the most out of Outlook 2007, we suggest a few basic principles:

-- Reduce the number of places you read e-mail. Filter all of the messages you need to read into one place -- your Inbox -- using a series of rules.

-- Let some e-mail pass by. Use rules to send e-mail you need to read to your Inbox and then let the rest flow into distribution list folders, untouched. You don't need to read every message sent to you. Only the important ones should go to your Inbox. Remaining messages can be useful to keep -- in case you get looped in on an issue, for example.

-- Reduce the number of places where you manually file messages. Reduce the mental tax of filing by relying on search to locate messages.

-- Process your e-mail using the 4 Ds When reading a message, decide whether to:
* Delete it.
* Do it (respond or file for reference).
* Delegate (forward) it.
* Defer it (using categories and flags) for a second review in your task list.

-- Reduce your to-do list to one list. Use a single to-do list and calendar to manage what you need to do.

-- Work in batches. Use categories to help you group similar tasks together.

-- Use good judgment when sending e-mail Follow the dos and don'ts of writing great e-mail. Review your time and tasks regularly.

The best practices document is great, and is available in both Word and PDF versions. Give it a look.

In the news: "Love it or hate it, Microsoft PowerPoint has infiltrated law firms and become a tool for creating everything from courtroom presentations to client pitches. But how do you compare different versions of PowerPoint slides? IT writer John K. Waters shows how to do it with Workshare Compare."

Read full text

Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 30 November 2009. Copyright 2008.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

In the news: "A controversy has been brewing in law firms as more documents find their way into Microsoft SharePoint's SQL Server: Is SharePoint a viable replacement for a DMS? Mark Gerow, of Fenwick & West, discusses the case for moving documents out of SQL Server using an "External Blob Store."

Topics discussed include:

AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

·        Arguments for moving documents out of SQL Server:

·        Argument for leaving documents in SQL Server

MICROSOFT'S SOLUTION VERSION 1.0

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN EBS PROVIDER?

EBS vs. RBS

ROLLING YOUR OWN EBS PROVIDER

BLUE THREAD TECHNOLOGIES' STORAGEPOINT EBS PROVIDER

BUILD VS. BUY?

Read full text

Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 20 November 2009. Copyright 2008.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe

 <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

In the news: "Microsoft Outlook isn't perfect, but there is more to its e-mail and calendar functions than meets the eye. By combining some of Outlook's best undiscovered features with a little ingenuity, lawyers can reduce their stress levels and perhaps add a bit of leisure time to their schedules."

Read full text

Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 16 November 2009. Copyright 2008.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

From the site: "The recent release of Windows 7 hopefully ushers in a new era of peace and stability to the world of PC operating systems.  But should lawyers rush out to upgrade now?  In this new episode of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, co-hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss some of the new features in Windows 7, whether upgrading is the right move, and precautions to take before moving to the new operating system. After you listen, be sure to check out Tom & Dennis' co-blog and book by the same name, The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Bill4Time

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:17 -- 25.9MB)"

 The active links are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Legal Talk Network, 3 November 2009