Sophisticated Litigation Support Blog : E-Discovery & Document Management : TERIS Litigation Support Solutions : Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas

Now that the iPhone has changed the way people communicate and conduct business daily, the legal industry has taken notice. There are many different apps one can download upon getting a new iPhone. Take note that the iPhone already comes with apps that are helpful such as its Mail for email, contacts, and maps.

Check out the following third-party applications take literally takes the information you need to your fingertips.

1. Jott for iPhone: Need to write down information but are on the go? Jott is a great app that is a voice recorder that translates your spoken word into text. Even if you need to transcribe conversation, this app is perfect for anyone in the legal field. Find it at http://www.jott.com/jott/jott-for-iphone.html.

2. iProcrastinate: The name of this app is very misleading; it can help you manage your time. Schedule your appointments and give them color codes if needed. Find this app at http://www.jott.com/jott/jott-for-iphone.html.

3. Cliff Maier reference apps: Forgot a law? No problem. The Cliff Maier reference apps give you info regarding all laws, Rules of Civil Procedure and many more to help you get a refresher on what you need to know. There are many different reference apps available at the iTunes store.

4. Google Mobile App: Think of it as the Google you can talk to. All a user has to do is tell whatever it is he or she is looking for, and the app will pull the information up for you. It's very helpful for the busy lawyer on the go. Purchase this app at http://www.google.com/mobile/google-mobile-app/.

5. Evernote: Like Jott for iPhone, this app also can type up your notes as you speak. You can also store photos. An added bonus is that you can access the information from any computer and that it is backed up. Purchase this app at http://www.evernote.com/about/download/iphone/.

While some law firms and corporations have rules about iPhone apps, some may have their own applications. Check your company's rules before downloading and using an app that may make your job easier.
 

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In today’s world, law firms must keep up with technology trends if they want to stay innovative.

Clients are very savvy about technology and expect their legal teams to be up to date.  Here are some of the current trends in technology:

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Law firms rely on massive amounts of documentation both within their organization and with outside partners, all of which need to be stored in a way that is reliable and accessible.  Keeping every hard copy is impractical purely for storage reasons and also because of the difficultly employees will have when they need to quickly locate old documents.  Portable Document Formula (PDF) is an extremely popular file format for reading, organizing, and archiving documents.   PDF has become the standard format for exchanging and saving files, making it easier for users with a variety of software applications to share information.  PDF is especially dominant with online forms and documents.

• Integrity – the original content and format of documents are retained when saved as a PDF; this can be especially crucial for legal documents that require authentic
• Implementation – PDF documents are relatively easy to implement and can be created from a number of different sources, including paper scans, a web page, or other electronic documents; they are relatively universal for users as almost every computer with internet access has the capability to read PDF files
• Digital service – PDF files contain the original content plus any extra electronic data such as XML, digital signature, digital comments, or interactive features; in this way, the information stays on the document and there is no danger of it being lost when transferred
• Archiving – perhaps the best use of PDF is the archiving and preservation of documents within an organization; saving computerized files makes it easy to organize information to find it later and maintain the security of electronic files.

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The advances of technology have been such that they have had an impact upon virtually every sector of society. However, while it is exciting to explore the new innovations in business that flood the market on what seems like a daily basis, business professionals must exercise restraint in the manner in which they react to and utilize the technological options being made available to them. This is important because, while these new options may seem attractive, they may not be the right fit for that particular entity.

The same can be said of legal professionals and the innovations in legal technology. While these new technology-driven options do possess some inherent value, it may or may not be suitable for every law firm. As such, it is necessary to evaluate the pros and the cons before implanting them.

One such trend related to the advance of technology in the legal industry is the employment of outsourcing as a staffing option. Many law firms have indicated that they have found outsourcing to be a desirable option for them. However, each firm first needs to weigh its options before deciding to engage in the outsourcing of legal tasks. Below is a list of factors to consider before making that important decision of whether or not to outsource.

Cost

When considering whether to outsource or insource legal services, firms need to consider which option will prove to be more cost-effective for them. In doing this, law firms need to bear in mind factors such as their size and the volume of services to be outsourced. They will also need to take into account whether or not they could use the available manpower that they already have to perform the tasks that they would have outsourced. As such, it would be more advisable for smaller firms with a lighter workload to engage in insourcing, as this would be much more affordable.

Outsourcing may prove more cost-effective for larger firms, however. This is so as the outsourcing of tasks would mean that these firms can hire less people, thereby reducing their payroll expenditure. Additionally, outsourcing would also reduce the cost of securing technological equipment needed to perform the tasks, and would reduce the amount of office space needed. Finally, if outsourcing is done overseas, then firms may find that cheaper labor costs in other countries could also lead to a significant reduction in costs.

Security

Security is another issue to consider when deciding between both options. The nature of information handled in the legal industry is oftentimes very sensitive. As such, firms have to assess which option best protects their interest and the interests of their clients. When a company outsources tasks, there is a greater likelihood of having a breach in security or leak of information, as it is much harder to create a controlled environment outside of one’s own operation. As such, the level of sensitivity of information handled should be carefully considered and should carry much weight in the decision making process.

Quality of Human Resources

Outsourcing has a unique advantage in that it provides firms with the opportunity to utilize the services of trained experts without having to train them themselves. This is a great benefit, especially for smaller firms. However, in considering this factor firms also need to consider whether or not they already employ personnel who possess the skills for which they are outsourcing. If there is already someone who can get the job done, then outsourcing, for this reason, would prove to be redundant.

Time                            

Outsourcing is thought to be a much more efficient option than insourcing. This idea comes from the fact that persons employed to these service providers are focused solely on the tasks they perform. As such, they tend to get the job done much more quickly. However, for firms that regularly handle cases that may require the performance of services ‘at the last minute’ insourcing may be more efficient.

Other factors that law firms need to consider when trying to determine which option is best for them include the ability to control processes, access to technology and how much revision of outsourced work will need to be done in-house once the work is completed.

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NEW YORK, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN),
the global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect
and enhance their enterprise value, today announced that its Ringtail Legal
e-discovery software has been named to KMWorld Magazine's "Trend-Setting
Product Award of 2009" list. KMWorld editors, industry analysts, vendors, and
knowledge management (KM) practitioners assessed over 800 products and
selected Ringtail Legal as one of the top solutions demonstrating clearly
identifiable technology breakthroughs to serve clients.

"E-discovery is an especially complex process, and corporations are struggling
to take control of their data in a cost-effective and legally defensible
manner," said Hugh McKellar, editor in chief of KMWorld Magazine. "With this
year's Ringtail Legal launch, FTI Technology clearly demonstrates a spirit of
innovation and focus on providing clients with a single system of record for
taking control of e-discovery."

The Ringtail software recognized by KMWorld was announced in February of 2009
and integrates two market-leading and award-winning applications to deliver a
single e-discovery platform, combining the visual analysis and rapid review
capabilities of Attenex® with the enterprise-class case management, redaction
and production features of Ringtail Legal. This single solution, available
both on-premise and on-demand, provides significant advancements in the speed,
flexibility and cost-effectiveness of e-discovery and document review. With
these efficiency improvements, Ringtail offers corporations the ability to
control more of the e-discovery process with fewer tools and at a lower total
cost.

"Innovation in e-discovery means providing a software platform for clients to
streamline the process, reduce its cost and risk, and gain more control over
their most sensitive data," said Eddie OBrien, senior managing director and
head of research and development of FTI Technology. "The Ringtail product has
been serving the legal market for the last fourteen years and we're honored to
be recognized by KMWorld Magazine for continuing to deliver innovative and
flexible solutions that provide measurable results for our clients."

For more information on the KMWorld award, please visit www.kmworld.com. For
more information on FTI Technology, please visit www.ftitechnology.com.
 

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Mark your calendars for some upcoming Digital Forensic Industry events (listing courtesy of DFI News - you can subscribe to their great newsletter here):


April 13-15, 2009

Cell Phone Forensics I Washington, DC

h11-digital-forensics.com

------------------------

April 15-16, 2009

8th Annual Security Conference

Las Vegas, NV

security-conference.org

----------------------

April 27-29, 2009

The Computer Forensics Show

Washington, DC

computerforensicshow.com

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April 27-29, 2009

eDiscovery

San Francisco, CA

ediscoveryevent.com

------------------------------------

May 5-7, 2009

Cell Phone Forensics

Pittsburgh, PA

bkforensics.com


------------------------------------------

May 12-14, 2009

Cell Phone Forensics

(Law Enforcement Only)

Allentown, PA

bkforensics.com

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May 17-20, 2009

CEIC 2009

Orlando, FL

www.ceicconference.com

-------------------------------------

May 17-21, 2009

CSI SX 2009

Las Vegas, NV

www.csisx.com

-------------------------------------

May 20-22, 2009

ADFSL Conference

Burlington, VT

digitalforensics-conference.org

-------------------------------------------

May 22, 2009

SADFE

Oakland, CA

conf.ncku.edu.tw/sadfe/

--------------------------------------

May 26-30, 2009

Mobile Forensics World

Chicago, IL

mobileforensicsworld.com

---------------------------------------

May 31-June 3, 2009

Techno Security Conference

Myrtle Beach, SC

www.techsec.com

---------------------------------------

July 7-9, 2009

Cell Phone Forensics II Washington, DC

h11-digital-forensics.com

June 28-July 3, 2009

FIRST Kyoto Japan

www.first.org/events/first

----------------------------------

July 25-28, 2009

USA 2009 Black Hat

Las Vegas, NV

www.blackhat.com


--------------------------------

August 3-5, 2009

Computer Forensics Show

San Jose , CA

computerforensicshow.com

--------------------------------------

August 13-14, 2009

Third International Workshop on Computational Forensics

The Hague, The Netherlands

iwcf09.arsforensica.org

---------------------------------------------

August 17-19, 2009

Digital Forensic Research Workshop

Montreal, Canada

www.dfrws.org

-----------------------------------------------

August 23-26, 2009

2009 HTCIA International Training Conference

Lake Tahoe, CA

www.htcia.org

--------------------------------------

October 23-24, 2009

A National Symposium on the Collection, Analysis and Legal Applications of Digital Evidence - The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law

Pittsburgh, PA

www.forensics.duq.edu

------------------------------------------

October 26-28, 2009

2009 Techno Forensic Conference

Gaithersburg, MD

www.techsec.com


--------------------------------------------------

November 8-11, 2009

PFIC 2009

Park City, UT
www.pfic2009.com


-----------------------------------------------------

Did you know that TERIS offers Digital Forensic services as well? You can contact us to learn more!

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(photo from Law Technology Review)

Law Technology Review just posted a product review written by Donna Payne (of the Payne Consulting Group here in our hometown of Seattle, WA) for the "Handy Helper" projector - made by Dell.

The projector weighs less than a pound and is tiny at 3.64 x 4.12 x 1.46 inche - Donna points out that many wallets are bigger than the size of this piece of technology. It is plug-and-play compatible with USB ports, erasing fears and concerns of having it work when you need it for a big presentation.

Check out Donna's full review here.

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We just came across this incredibly well organized blog for the Paralegal Community (appropriately named "A Paralegal's Blog"). It includes personal stories and bios of others in the profession, professional tips and news from the industry. Definitely worth checking out and following if you are a Paralegal.

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ONSITE^3(TM), a leading global provider of electronic evidence solutions for law firms and corporations, today announced that it has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, and that it plans to be acquired by Integreon (www.integreon.com), the global leader of knowledge and legal process outsourcing (KPO and LPO). The Company also announced today that Integreon has completed the acquisition of ONSITE³'s outstanding pre-bankruptcy secured debt and has agreed to provide debtor-in-possession financing to assure ONSITE³'s continued operation throughout the reorganization process.

The full announcement can be found here.

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Wall Street Technology reports today that:

With the amount of infrastructure required to support e-discovery capabilities, firms are looking to cloud computing's utility model as a way to rein in storage and retrieval costs while improving their regualtory response.

The full article can be found here

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Seattle, WA - September 2, 2008 - ALC Legal Technologies (ALC) announced today that leading E-Discovery and Digital Forensics industry veteran Terry Tao joined the firm as its new Director of Electronically Stored Information. Highly experienced in the E-Discovery and Digital Forensics areas, Terry comes to ALC with more than 10 years of experience in litigation data management and trial support technology systems. He specializes in the practices of computer forensics, electronically stored information discovery, document production, and trial technologies.

"We are excited to have a professional of Terry's caliber and proficiency join ALC," said Stefan Wikstrom, Founder and CEO of ALC Legal Technologies. "His addition is a valuable step in our evolution as we continue to build upon our considerable expertise and success to serve an ever-growing market requiring unique knowledge in e-discovery and digital forensics."
In addition to performing computer forensics by analyzing drives for deleted information and other activities, Tao coordinates the gathering, searching, and processing of e-mail and electronically stored data. He has designed and trained legal teams on the use of online web-enabled data review applications. With his diverse technology background, Terry has designed and managed the architecture and methodology of numerous complex litigation cases in almost every facet of the process from initial concept and strategy to implementation.

Tao frequently consults with major corporations and law firms on a wide range of technical matters including data gathering, electronic discovery, and forensic data recovery. Terry graduated from Washington State University with a B.S. in Computer Science.

About ALC Legal Technologies
ALC Legal Technologies is an industry leading document and data services company providing innovative software solutions, state-of-the-art hardware technologies, and highly experienced personnel to deliver top quality and consistent results to the legal and corporate communities. The company provides products and services across several disciplines; including Consulting & Project Management, Electronic Discovery, Repository/Hosting, Imaging, and Traditional Reprographics.

ALC supports clients throughout the US and internationally, through its six offices - Seattle, San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Diego, Phoenix and Austin.

Media Contact:
David R. Kaufer
Director of Marketing
206.521.8717
david@alcweb.com

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From CMS Wire today.

It seems companies are confused (and becoming more so) about document storage and management and and this is having a profound impact on their e-discovery capabilities.

The article points to a study from the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.

Turns out, many companies are still not in the habit of retaining and organizing their documents in a logical structure. In fact, it's so hard to uncover materials related to the legal cases that costs are rising as a result. Out of the 1,400 lawyers surveyed, 87% said that electronic discovery is too costly and driving up the price of litigation.

Companies who want to avoid these rising costs need to work with expert consultants and partners to develop best practice plans and processes.

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In case you missed it, last Friday the Wall Street Journal published a great article about the rise of technology solutions being created and pitched to companies who are feeling overwhelmed by the growing demands of e-discovery.

It is interesting to see how law firms are positioning themselves in this development. It seems to be a classic case of yet another service-oriented industry that is feeling the impact of technology solutions. As is the case in all markets (including our own), those who don't or won't evolve will eventually go the way of the dinosaur...

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