Despite all the fanfare about office technology and all it can do to improve efficiency, some lawyers are never going to learn how to use a computer. As with exercise or a diet, even those with the best of intentions may never make the effort need - whether because of time constraints or desire - to tackle the task at hand. Maybe you have one of these lawyers in your office. Or maybe you are one yourself. If so, you aren't going to solve the problem simply by throwing money at it. You can buy the best network system in the world, and the computer on that lawyer's desk is going to be nothing more than an expensive paper weight. But that doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel. There are ways for a "technophobe" to tap into your office's computer system -- and ways for solos who aren't fluent in technology to join the computer age.

Take Bradley Myerson for example. Brad is a solo personal-injury lawyer in Manchester Center, VT. A few months ago he called me up to ask for help "automating" his practice. He announced his intention to become computer literate and then proudly informed me that he had already budgeted $10,000 for his technological transformation. He wanted me to tell him what to buy. For most firms I've consulted with, I've recommended office networks to connect lawyers and support staff. Heck, I've got a full-blown Novell network in my own office, and I'm a solo with just one legal assistant. I use my network for office-wide scheduling, phone messaging, conflict checking, document preparation and daily coordination. But this isn't the answer for everyone.

To make use of a network system you have to learn how to use a computer, navigate through an operating system and master a half dozen software applications. Not every attorney is interested in doing that. Lots of lawyers don't like using a keyboard. They believe that kind of work is for a secretary. They want to be the thinkers and strategists. The lesson here is that just throwing money at the problem isn't the answer. First, you need to define your goals -- for Brad better scheduling topped the list -- then you need to take a hard look at people in your office and their commitment to learning technology.

Brad describes himself as running a traditional law office -- his secretary has the only computer and does all the word processing while he stands around waiting for work to spew forth from the printer. When it comes to technology, Brad is at ground zero. He can't type and has no computer skills. Although he insisted that he wanted to become proficient, I had my doubts. Those doubts were confirmed when, three months after our initial conversation, he had failed to follow through on my suggestion to become more intimate with his family's home computer.

It was clear in spite of his best intentions, Brad was the type of lawyer who would repeatedly find some more pressing legal work to fill the time he set aside to learn about his new computer. The first thing I did was make it clear to him what kind of time commitment he was looking at -- a couple of weeks to become a proficient "hunt-and-peck" typist, another 20 hours to understand Windows 95, and then several more hours to master each software application he intended to use (a word processor, a schedule program, time and billing software). Could he really afford the loss of this many billable hours?

When Brad conceded this point, I began searching for other solutions. My final recommendation was a revelation to me.

Brad does his scheduling the old-fashioned way -- with a black appointment book, which he keeps on his desk. His secretary rarely books appointments for him for fear of overlap. Instead, she has to go to his desk and flip through his 365-page appointment book to know who was coming in that afternoon or when his trials were scheduled. Clearly, her skills in client management were being underused -- and there was enormous room for error. I suggested that a Palm might be the best way to connect Brad to his secretary.

A Palm is a handheld device that's smaller than a paperback novel. It doesn't have a keyboard and accepts data entry by use of a stylus and a modified form of handwriting on a little touch-sensitive screen. It transfers information to and from a desktop computer by a cable connected to a cradle. Just place the Palm in its cradle, push a single button and the updated information transfers quickly into, or out of, the company computer. (See LWUSA691; Search Words for LWUSA Archives: Kennedy and Nino).

For many solos and small-firm attorneys, a Palm will answer most, if not all, of their organizational needs. What are the primary tools most lawyers are looking for? They want to know: (1) Where am I supposed to be? (2) What do I need to do next? (3) How do I call or fax Mr. Jones? (4) Have I done everything I need to do? The Palm allows them to carry all that information around in their pocket.

Like Brad, many middle-aged attorneys with no technology background are not likely to create or edit documents. Nor do they want to conduct on-line legal research. For these attorneys, handheld mini computers -- such as the Palm III by 3Com, the Work Pad by IBM and Nino by Philips Mobile Computing -- can do virtually everything they need. They come equipped with programs for:

• Scheduling: The scheduling software on a Palm can do virtually anything computer-based schedulers can do including warning the attorney when an important case deadline is approaching.
• Address Book: This includes space for phone numbers, e-mail addresses, fax numbers. It also includes room for brief notes where attorneys can include reminders of the important matters in a client's case or items for conversation with an important referral source.
• To-do List: Like the scheduler, this program allows a lawyer to write a note on Tuesday and instruct the machine to remind him on Friday that to do this important task.
• Memo Pad: Just jot down a heading and start filling in your notes, reminders, shopping list, etc.
• Calculator: A basic calculator with traditional functions.

Best of all, the software is very simple to use and requires minimal training. It would take Brad less than four hours to learn how to use a Palm, compared to the weeks -- or even months -- it would take to get up to speed on a conventional computer. Meanwhile, his secretary can install the Palm Desktop software on her traditional computer. Every time he comes into the office from home or an outside appointment, she grabs his Palm, drops it into the cradle next to her computer, and pushes the single button that transfers his appointment information to her computer. In less than two minutes, she hands the Palm back to him.

Now the two of them are linked together -- without a full computer network. Both know what's on the schedule for today, tomorrow and future months. Best of all, Brad didn't have to learn how to type or use a computer. The cost? The Palm and similar models from other companies sell for less than $400. They weigh about a half pound (compared to three to seven pounds for a laptop) and are powered by two standard-issue AAA batteries that last for several weeks (compared to the expensive lithium batteries that power laptop computers for only about three hours). Because this little gem isn't sufficient for operating an entire law office, we also bought Brad's secretary a new computer, new software and sent her to a course to ensure she knows how to use these new tools efficiently. If there's one rule that I preach with regard to software, it's that there's no substitute for training, training, training! Self-education simply doesn't do the job.

When we were done with this "technology makeover," his total cost, including the new machine for his secretary and his own tools, was less than $4,000 -- a far cry from the $10,000 Brad planned to spend when he decided to "enter the computer age." For a solo office this may be all that's needed to keep an attorney and secretary from tripping over each other with missed appointments or unrecorded critical dates. It's also handy to have all your client phone numbers with you when that flash of brilliance hits at 9 p.m. and you want that special client to know you're working on his case.

What I learned from working with Brad was that, while most people look at the Palm solely as an accessory to a computer, it can also be used as an alternative to learning to use a computer. This is particularly useful for those middle-aged lawyers who never learned to type and have been left in the dust of the computer revolution. They want to know how they can compete, and this offers a way for them to enter the computer age.

But Palms are not merely a stripped down computer for the technologically impaired. In fact, they have gained popularity as the darlings of high-tech wizards who want to bring their gadgetry everywhere they go. Because the Palm is equipped to accept "add-on" software, lawyers can download the same scheduling system or billing software that they use on their office computer system. They can also download programs such as Quicken so they can update and monitor their home or office finances. Users can even set up the Palm with a modem so that it can send and receive e-mail, send or receive a fax, or download information from the Internet. For example, lawyers can call up the Internet in the morning before their commute or business trip and download today's New York Times headline stories, the latest stock quotes, the sports wire, the weather report or even entire books (if you can stand reading that much material on the small screen).

Some attorneys I know have downloaded the rules of evidence onto their Palms, then bring the device to court and use its "Find" function to instantly call up the rule they want to argue to the judge. For more information on how to use the Palm, there are a host of useful Internet sites including http://www.palmos.com, http://www.palmgear.com, and http://www.palm.net. These sites all offer links to dozens of other sites with information on how to use the Palm

This article first appeared in Lawyers Weekly USA, January 25, 1999, 99 LWUSA 98. It is reprinted with permission of the author.

Bruce L. Dorner, Esq. 80 Nashua Road Londonderry, NH 03053 phone 603 434-2230 fax 603 432-6473 E-mail callmylawyer@ibm.net

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