LawyersUSA

Some of the best recent technological developments for lawyers have been inexpensive – and even free – Web-based applications of special interest to attorneys in smaller firms.

Our latest Tech Roundup focuses on several additions to that field. They include a user-friendly evidence-management application, a site that provides free voice-to-text communication and a virtual gathering place for lawyers interested in networking and sharing information.

Mouse-clickable evidence

Until recently, law firms have largely relied on locally installed software to manage case documents. But software is often expensive and relies on small armies of people to configure it and keep it up date.

A web-based litigation support company, Nextpoint, now claims to provide a simpler and less expensive alternative: a monthly, subscription-based web application that the company says allows users to manage documents as effectively as they would by using software.

"It allows people to load all their evidence – their deposition transcripts, their documents, their calendaring functions, their collaboration tools – into a site for each case," Nextpoint's chief executive officer, Rakesh Madhava, told Lawyers USA.

He likened Nextpoint to a mini-Google for each case – users can retrieve documents by word searches.

In an online demonstration, Madhava pointed out that the site's features extend well beyond simple word searches. The application allows users to code, label and tag documents. It also can create hyperlinks from deposition transcripts to related documents.

In addition, Nextpoint also contains a "theater" function, in which users can create document treatments, such as pullouts and highlights, saving them to edify other users about key document sections.

Nextpoint, with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and Madison, Wis., has been charging a $499 set-up fee with packages as low as $99 per month. However, Madhava said the company will soon be rolling out a new service aimed at small firms and he said the pricing structure for it has not been set yet.

"We think there is a huge level of application for individual practitioners, small firms and mid-size regional firms simply because they don't have the IT staff needed to support the big, conventional software packages," he said.

For lawyers in any size firm, Web-based evidence applications offer one final advantage: They are accessible via BlackBerries and laptops wherever signals are available.

Information is available at www.nextpoint.com.

Have a great thought? Call Jott

"Eureka" moments have a knack for arriving at the most inopportune times, such as when you're riding in the car or shopping for groceries.

So when the light bulb goes on and you have no convenient way to write that important note to yourself, what do you do?

A new free online service called Jott has an answer: You use your cell phone to dictate a message that is automatically transcribed into text and sent to your home or office e-mail box along with a link to the audio of the phone call itself.

But you can also use Jott for such day-to-day matters as sending scheduling reminders – to yourself and to others – while you're out and about.

Here's how it works: You go to www.jott.com and register by providing your phone number and e-mail address. Then you can create a contact list, including e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers.

When you have a message to send to yourself or others, you dial (or, preferably, speed dial) the Jott number. A mechanical attendant asks who you want to Jott from the contact list and what the message is. You then have 30 seconds to clearly enunciate a message that will be translated into text for recipients' e-mail boxes and cell phones. You may also create groups containing multiple contacts, all of whom will receive one dictated message when you tell Jott to send it.

Andrew Flusche, a solo practitioner from Fredericksburg, Va., is a strong proponent of Jott and uses it in conjunction with another free website, Remember the Milk (www.rememberthemilk.com), which provides task management.

"My memory stinks," he said. "It's perfect for sending myself reminders and additions to my to-do list."

The transcriptions aren't always perfect, he said, but he estimates the accuracy is 95 percent.

"If you don't speak clearly or the connection isn't clear, it can get garbled," Flusche said, but he noted that if the message looks wrong, the recipient can click the Jott link to the actual audio.

A website where lawyers can share

While conducting case research, lawyers often realize they're reinventing the wheel. Shouldn't the findings of other lawyers who have conducted the very same inquiries be available?

San Francisco litigator Aviva Cuyler was pondering that question late one night while briefing pre-trial issues when the answer came to her: an easily accessible web-based venue where lawyers can share the fruits of their labors.

The result, which launched in February, is JD Supra, a free online repository of original legal documents and other content. While the site is designed to benefit lawyers, Cuyler also believes that it will "assist clients in locating the right attorney by previewing prior work product that demonstrates on-point experience and expertise."

Lawyers who register on JD Supra can instantly upload documents in Word or PDF format. They may include court filings, verdicts, articles, document templates or rulings on motions, cases and appeals.

JD Supra (www.jdsupra.com) contains advertising on its site, but lawyers are not charged for posting material.

Questions or comments can be directed to the writer at: dick.dahl@lawyersusaonline.com