Almost all law office denizens spend time creating and managing files. A lot of files. A lot of time. Whether Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Adobe PDFs or whatever, we create 'em, then spend time in Microsoft Windows Explorer copying them, renaming them, moving them, sending them and so on. (Sorry Mac people, but we’ll have to rely on a Mac aficionado in the comments to translate to Mac-speak.)

TechnoLawyer publisher Neil Squillante researched and wrote the recently published TL Research Buyer's Guide to Legal Billing Software, interviewing top consultants and executives at the major companies in that space. For this Friday Five, Neil puts what he learned into perspective for practicing lawyers. So, what do you need to know before spending on your firm's billing system?  I haven't billed my time since the late 1990s. Back then, I entered billable hours into the long-forgotten Mac version of Amicus Attorney. I think I was the only lawyer among more than 300 in the firm who used software for time entry. Each week, I printed a report and handed it to my assistant, who then entered it into the firm's accounting system. She loved not having to decipher handwriting like all the other assistants in the firm. While billing habits have (hopefully) improved since then, many law firms still leave money on the proverbial table because they don’t take advantage of the latest technologies. Here are the top five trends in time-billing software I discovered while researching the Buyer's Guide to Legal Billing Software ... READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In this edition of "Ask the Experts," Legal Marketing Association members Paul Bonner, Stewart Hirsch and Stacy Smith take on the question, "I always have a hard time talking about my fees with potential clients. Do you have any tips?" ... Click to Read Their Answers

Let's start with a bold statement: It would be better to have no website at all than to have a poorly designed one with bad content and missing information.

Let me tell you about my friend Jeremy. He’s the business development manager at an independently owned auto repair and tire shop that has several locations in the Phoenix area. Their competition is car dealerships and national discount tire chains. I met Jeremy shortly after I opened my law firm and half my job became networking. I see Jeremy everywhere — business mixers, community festivals, networking groups. He’s always there in his company polo shirt or wearing his company nametag. He’s the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet. Here’s what’s interesting about my friendship with Jeremy ... READ MORE

From 1997 to 2001, I worked for Verio, marketing and selling Internet access and web hosting to businesses. Early on, we had a small marketing budget and relied heavily on direct mail and cold (actual warm) calling. While I was reviewing my sales team's monthly goals with Buddy, my boss, he asked me, "Do you think you can make this month's target?" I replied, "Honestly, no, I don't think we can." Without missing a beat, he said, "Well, you'd better change your thinking. Because if you don't believe it, your team won't believe it." That was great advice from a great mentor. And I've been changing my thinking ever since. … Here's how I've changed my thinking about my IT budget over the years. READ MORE

Yes, we know, you live and die by the clock, and you’re already pretty savvy about time management. That said, a tune-up never hurts. Especially when getting the most out of every chunk of time may make the difference between the box seats at the ballgame or takeout at your desk. Here are five books with very different approaches to time management. See if one gets your clock running a little faster ... READ MORE

I had expected to give CrossOver a resounding “buy” recommendation for anyone with a need to run Windows programs natively on a Mac computer. Unfortunately, even though CrossOver is the perfect answer to our office's specific needs, that will not happen. In more than three decades using and managing hundreds of Macs and their Apple and Lisa predecessors, there have been only a handful of times that have required that my office have the ability to run Windows-specific programs. In early days when that happened, we bought a few HPs. Later, a very slow and piggy version of Parallels — which has since dramatically improved — became our solution. Today, it’s CrossOver. ...READ MORE

Hashtags have long been a staple of social media sites like Twitter and Instagram, as well as Tumblr and Pinterest. Facebook’s new hashtag platform, launched in July, approaches hashtagging in a similar fashion. For the uninitiated, a hashtag consists of one or more words or phrases, typically at the end of a social media post. The characters in […]

What makes WordPress so appealing for blogs and even your law firm's website is that it works right out of the box but can also be customized with themes and plugins. In part one of "Top WordPress Plugins," Fred Faulkner recommended social sharing, comment management and search engine optimization plugins to help take your plain-vanilla blog to the next level. In part two below, he has favorites in four more categories. With the right balance of plugins, you can build a full-featured WordPress-powered blog or website for your law firm. Here are a few I personally use and recommend in the categories of performance, contact forms, analytics, and backup and security.  ...