You’ve heard about Road Warriors—the lawyers who take their office out on the road with them. But in today’s lethargic economic environment, how can you cut down on costs and use technology to work more effectively from the office without traveling as much? Experienced office warriors discuss the technology that lets you reach out from your desktop and do the job without getting on a plane.

Technology offers a bewildering array of options for reducing travel while maintaining strong ties with clients, peers and resource people. Here are some techniques, products and services that can help you stay in close touch.

Meeting Virtually

New technologies and the Web can enhance how you confer with clients and others. Teleconferencing has become much less expensive and more effective when combined with Web conferencing or videoconferencing. Web conferences allow you to work together. Videoconferencing remains more expensive and technologically daunting, but is becoming more practical.

Tip: Conferencing over the Internet requires the use of IP addresses, which can be either fixed or dynamically assigned. If you have a dynamic IP address, make sure the product or service you want to use will work with your changing address.

Teleconferencing

Tried and true teleconferences have significant limitations, but they also have their place. In addition to the obvious advantage of communicating nuances through intonation, live conversation permits the highly interactive exchange of ideas. For brainstorming and decision-making after the relevant facts and information have been absorbed, teleconferencing is superior to exchanging E-mails and electronic documents.

Headsets and Speakerphones

A good headset is as important as a properly fitting chair for your health, comfort, and endurance while teleconferencing. It is important to get over the psychological block that some lawyers have about wearing a headset. These days it is a sign of an up-to-date professional. If appearance is an issue for you, you can find any number of models that hook behind or hook onto the ear with a discrete microphone in an arm or in the earpiece cord.

Speakerphones vary widely in their ability to handle multiple people speaking at once and in the quality of their sound. It makes good sense to use high-end equipment at a conference table when there will be several people at your end of a teleconference. A less expensive but reasonably sounding speakerphone may be appropriate at your desk when one or two other people will join you in your office.

Whatever equipment you purchase, make sure you test it as a listener. Go to another room or another location and call someone who is available to talk to you with your new headphone or speakerphone.

§ Hello Direct http://www.hellodirect.com 800-444-3556
Headphones, speakerphones and telephone equipment

Services

freeconferencecall.com There is such a thing as a free lunch! This company offers free, non-800 conference call services. All you need to do is register, giving a name and an E-mail address. Before the conference call, give the participants the time of the conference, the number to call, 702-835-4120, and a 6-digit conference code that you get from the Web site. You do not need to schedule the time of the call with the company.

So, what is the catch? Each participant needs to pay for a long distance call, but at the low rates available generally, that is not much of an obstacle. Apparently the company supports itself with charges for other related services: application sharing (data conferencing) and slide presentation sharing available on a per user per month basis. There is no hint that this is a scheme to collect E-mail addresses. You don’t need to receive an E-mail to get started. You use your E-mail address just to log in and obtain a code for a conference call.

An advantage of this service is that, though you can set up a time in advance for a teleconference, you can also hold a conference spontaneously. Just distribute the conference code and invite participants to call in immediately.

facetoface.net Communications Corporation 877-482-5838
http://www.freeconferencecall.com

J2 Another teleconferencing service is offered by J2, formerly JFax. It is included with the main service, Internet faxing. The service costs $4.95 per month plus 10 cents per minute per person for teleconferences of up to 8 people at once. This price includes the cost of long distance calling within the continental US. You initiate the call from a Web page where you can store names and numbers.

The Web page for the teleconference allows you to mute all or selected participants and also to disconnect them. If someone hangs up, they cannot call back into the conference. You need to add them again from the Web page.

J2 Conference Call Control Panel on Web

The J2 teleconferencing service is excellent for small groups where you want to control initiating the conference, permit one speaker at a time to talk, and see who is connected to the call at any time.

j2 Global Communications 888-718-2000 http://www.j2.com

RemoteLink Advertising the lowest rates in the industry, RemoteLink is a teleconferencing service that charges per person per minute without setup or other charges. You schedule the call using a Web page.

The cost is $0.15 per person per minute for toll-free dial in, including long distance charges within the continental US. It costs $0.12 per person per minute for non-toll-free dial in. If you make one or less calls per month, there is a $10.00 minimum per call.

RemoteLink 800-362-9446 http://www.remotelink.com

ECI Offering premium services at reasonable rates, ECI Conference Call Services includes all of the following features for under 30 cents per participant per minute: toll-free number, call screening, demo call, verification of call disconnect, call monitoring, roll call, introduction of late participants, music on hold, confirmations of all reservations, test call consultation, tailored reports and invoices. Optional services include: data collaboration, powerslides, recording and transcription. For high-profile conferences and those involving larger numbers of participants, a service like ECI can eliminate coordination worries.

Discount available to ABA TECHSHOW attendees through Senior Account Manager Kevin Jenkins 973-237-3537 kjenkins@calleci.com

Wireless Phones

If you are highly available to your clients by telephone, they may feel more comfortable working with you regardless of how far away you are or how infrequently you are able to meet with them face-to-face.

Many wireless phones now have sound quality indistinguishable from regular telephones. An earpiece and microphone can improve sound quality and free up your hands. A problem with using an earpiece is hassling with the cord. If you have found one that goes easily from pocket or briefcase to your ear and back, please E-mail the author with the model number and source.

Remote Control – One-to-One

You can enhance the effectiveness of a telephone conversation or teleconference by sharing the same computer screen. Remote control services and software allow one person to view and optionally control another computer across the Internet or by a dial-up connection. pcAnywhere is the best-known remote control software.

Remote control and Web conferencing, discussed in the next section, often have overlapping features. One-to-one remote control allows one person to view and control another computer across the Internet. Other features may be available as well, such as text chat and file transfer. For a shared session in which several people or a large group can see the same screen, and optionally be given keyboard and mouse control, see the next section on Web conferencing.

Remote Control Services

These services generally make it easier to connect to a client’s or other person’s PC across the Internet than remote control software. They may go through firewalls at one or both side of the connection without requiring special settings. Their installation process, if any, may be simpler than installing and configuring remote control software, discussed below. Note that many Web conferencing services and software can also be used for one-to-one remote control but may cost more.

DesktopStreaming is a Web-based screen-sharing application that enables organizations to support their clients and staff through remote viewing and control of computers over the Internet. Because it is completely Web based, there is no software to install on client or staff machines. The technology works with any software and supports all major platforms including Windows, Linux, Solaris and Mac. Pricing for one concurrent user is about $400 per month, allowing interaction with any number of clients and staff. http://www.desktopstreaming.com

GoToMyPC does a good job of connecting through firewalls without requiring users to know how to change firewall settings. It allows one user to control another PC across the Internet through a secure, private connection. To access another computer running GoToMyPC, the user must provide a name and password. Because Web browser software is used to control another PC, there is no charge for using any computer on the Internet as the controlling computer. GoToMyPC does not support Webconferencing, but rather is limited to one-to-one connections. A subscription costs $179.40 to provide access to one PC and is less when purchasing the service for multiple PCs. http://www.GoToMyPC.com

eBlvd.com is a peer-to-peer service licensed on a per-PC basis. For $59.95 per year, a subscriber can make his or her computer screen viewable and controllable by another person over the Internet. Because of its peer-to-peer nature, eBlvd works faster and more smoothly than most of its competitors. http://www.eblvd.com

Remote Control Software

Whereas services require an annual subscription, software is paid for with a one-time license fee. For remote control software to work, users at both ends of the connection usually need a fixed IP address or a monthly subscription to a service like DynIP or TZO to make the connection. http://www.dynip.com http://www.tzo.com

Software may require upgrade fees for the latest versions, but is less expensive over time than services.

pcAnywhere has a long history of allowing remote control of another computer over telephone lines and, more recently, over the Internet. Here again, users may need to open particular ports in their Internet firewalls and may not be able to connect through certain kinds of Internet connection sharing technologies. The retail price is $179.95 per PC, but the software is often discounted and significant rebates are available with proof of ownership of an earlier version. Earlier versions are available at bargain prices over the Internet.
Symantec http://www.symantec.com/pcanywhere/

VNC is free software that allows remote control of another PC over the Internet or a network. Made available under the GNU General Public License by AT&T Laboratories, Cambridge, England, it performs more slowly that some of the commercially available software packages. It features are limited; for example, it does not support the transfer of files between connected computers. Its documentation is a bit confusing. It has no capability to deal with users who have dynamic IP addresses, short of determining the address each time a connection is desired. http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/

Web Conferencing

A variety of services and software packages are available to connect to clients and others across the Internet. Web conferencing allows multiple people to view the same screen across the Internet.

Web conference features can include:

§ Program or application sharing – Participants watch the computer screen of the presenter, sometimes with a remote control option

§ Whiteboards – Participants can write on or highlight text or images on a shared computer screen

§ Text Chat -- Participants can send text messages back and forth while viewing a shared computer window

§ Voice-over-IP (VOIP) – Participants with computer speakers and microphones or computer headsets can see a shared window and talk with each other over the Internet

§ File transfer – Files may be exchanged between computers

In the past, it was necessary to install special software or go through sometimes elaborate preparations to set up a Web conference. Preliminary steps may still be required. But now they have become simpler in many cases, easing the burden on the people with whom you want to meet, especially with the pricier services.

Web Conferencing Services

The services listed here do not burden meeting participants with the task of installing a separate software package. Authorized users can join a meeting without going through the hit-and-miss process of receiving software through the mail or downloading it from a Web site and then installing it. On the other hand, these services require the payment of on-going subscription fees.

Webex is an Internet service that supports a wide range of virtual meeting and Web conferencing features. The people you invite to the conference do not need to install anything and can connect easily from behind most firewalls. Fixed monthly costs can run into the hundreds of dollars. On a pay-as-you-go basis, the cost is $0.35 per minute per user. http://www.webex.com

MeetU.com offers a feature set similar to Webex, but at much lower cost. The service uses a Virtual Office metaphor. Each office has its own web page. The author’s is: http://wa.meetu.com All a visitor needs to do is: 1) sign in by giving a username, and 2) approve the automatic addition of a plug-in to Microsoft Internet Explorer. The meeting owner can control who is allowed to participate and who controls the mouse and keyboard at any given time. Any window or program or even an entire desktop can be shared across the Internet. Documents can be posted to the meeting desktop and marked up by various participants. Currently MeetU.com is offering the service for free during a trial period of unspecified length. In the past, the service had been offered at $45 per month for up to 5 simultaneous meeting participants. The cost was about $1 per month per additional simultaneous participant.

eBlvd.com Online Meeting

eBlvd Online Meeting is the least expensive Web conferencing service. With this service, a subscriber can permit an a large number other people to view the subscriber's computer screen over the Internet. This price is significantly lower than competing Web conferencing technologies.

eBlvd technology has overcome issues relating to fixed IP addresses that limit the effectiveness of other services. The solution makes eBlvd Online Meetings the most efficient user of Internet bandwidth with excellent response time.

ENC Technology Corp http://www.eblvd.com 760-602-5202

Switchnotes brings people together to compose and revise documents over the Internet. In Switchnotes you can browse and open a Word document which will be replicated to all users whom you have invited to a session. You can edit, negotiate, resolve or finalize the document over the Internet.The moderator in a Switchnotes session can shift at the click of a single button. The company behind Switchnotes has paid a great deal of attention to security, safeguarding the moderator's computer against unauthorized access. Each user needs to install a Switchnotes download and open one port in the firewall. Pricing starts at $10 per month per user for 8 hours of online time. Given the value of a lawyer's time and the amount of time to be saved when everyone can work together on drafting or revising important documents, $1.25 per hour is money well spent. Don't miss the "Switch Tour" on the Switchnotes Web site. It walks you through each step of the process. .http://www.switchnotes.com

Web Conferencing Software

Microsoft NetMeeting is free; however, to use it your clients must install and configure the software. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/ Setting up NetMeeting and some similar products to work through a firm’s Internet firewall can be daunting. A number of third party services work with NetMeeting to overcome some of its limitations.

e/pop 3.0 Professional Client works over the Internet or within a local area network. It includes instant messaging, chat, voice conferencing, application sharing, status messages, out-of-the-office indicators, presence, file attachments, RSA security and remote control features. For small workgroups, the license cost is $24.95 with a 5 user minimum. For more options and control, server software is available for $500. Vendor: WiredRed Software http://www.wiredred.com

Remote Administrator works like pcAnywhere but costs much less at $17.50 per PC sold in packages of two. It has fewer options but handles remote control and file transfers simply and fast. http://www.radmin.com

Requirements for Web Conferencing

§ High-speed Internet connection

Slow, dial-up Internet connections are a severe impediment to the use of Web conferencing technology. A 256 K or faster connection is important for good performance, though slower speed may be satisfactory for some uses.

§ Static IP and control over firewall settings

For many Web conferencing products and services, a static IP address and control over Internet firewall settings may be required. Since office users often connect to the Internet with a dynamic IP address or through a device that uses NAT, be sure to check that the Web conferencing technology you choose can include these users. A service like DynIP may provide a work-around. http://www.dynip.com

Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing options fall into two general categories: Dedicated videoconferencing services and Internet videoconferencing. The former tends to be expensive whereas the latter usually suffers more from performance problems.

CUSeeMe is a consumer-oriented service offering low-end Internet videoconferencing. Targeted at in formal chatting, CUSeeMe requires that you and each participant install the proprietary CUSeeMe software. In addition, you will need an inexpensive Web camera or “Webcam.” If you do not have a fixed IP address, you can still participate in conferences if you and the person initiating the conference both have Microsoft Messenger accounts. Up to 12 people can participate and see each other live in a conference, though performance is dependent on the speed of their Internet connections, the performance of each one’s computer, and the traffic volume on the Internet at the time. There is a link to the manual for CUSeeMe on the Web sit, so you can get a good idea of its features and requirements. http://www.cuseemeworld.com $39.99, download; $49.99 boxed version.

ViaVideo At last, a product priced for solos and small firms delivers reasonable videoconferencing over high speed Internet connections. Polycom’s ViaVideo with a retail price of $599 but with Web prices as low as $384, is an affordable option.

For good performance you will want to have 512 K Internet connections at both ends of the connection and both upstream and downstream. You can, however, connect at lower speeds down to 128 K, but do not bother with dial-up modem connections.

The ViaVideo documentation provides very specific details on how to set up the software to work in a wide variety of situations. Anticipating the needs of small offices and home users, the manual gives directions on how to work with firewalls and with NAT (Network Address Translation). It goes so far as to include links to the technical support pages for hardware that homes and small offices commonly use for high speed connections to the Internet.

Assume you want to videoconference with an important client. For best results, you will want to have a ViaVideo camera in your office and another high-quality camera in your client’s office. One approach would be to purchase two ViaVideo units and ship one to your client for the duration an important project. In spite of the very detailed instructions and comprehensive online support materials, you may want to talk with a knowledgeable technical person available at the client's office to make sure that the software and firewall settings can be configured properly.

Though ViaVideo makes a big jump forward in quality, the Internet itself can cause unfortunate slowdowns. You may find that certain times, such as mid-mornings, are problematic and therefore schedule your videoconferences outside of peak Internet traffic times.

Polycom http://www.polycom.com/products/viavideo.html 800-POLYCOM

Videoconferencing Requirements

§ High-speed connection

§ Fixed IP address or method for connecting without fixed IP

§ Ability to configure firewall

Videoconferencing Products

§ Webcams

§ CUSeeMe

§ PolyCom ViaVideo

§ High-end services

Working Together Apart

Time-Shifted Communication and Collaboration

Teleconferences and live virtual meetings can go a long way toward cementing relationships with distant clients. Other important methods for interacting are time-shifted communication and collaboration. Like VCRs that allow you to watch a program at a time of your choosing, these technologies can allow you and your clients to cooperate even though you are working at different times.

E-mail

While many of us view E-mail as both a curse and a blessing, it enables us and our clients to communicate to each other in the spaces between other work commitments. Unfortunately, E-mail is inherently disorganized. Better technologies exist for accomplishing specific kinds of work. We recommend that that you consider other approaches first before resorting to E-mail. You will still find plenty of opportunities to send E-mail messages.

Since E-mail has become a frequently used tool despite its limitations, make sure you have both good software and sufficient training. You can save time and leverage your resources if you use E-mail that is integrated into your practice management software.

Extranet

An extranet serves to extend a part of your office network to your clients. Security measures limit your client's access to the folders and information you specify.

Popular uses of extranets by lawyers and clients include the storage and exchange of documents. Because the “original” can be maintained in an extranet folder, you can avoid much of the confusion that arises from the proliferation of E-mail attachments.

An extranet allows your clients to retrieve information you want them to have at times that they find convenient. You can give clients a greater sense of control and knowledge with respect to the legal matters you are handling for them.

Groupware and Collaboration Systems

Software and services that facilitate collaboration take the power of an extranet one step further. A simple extranet allows the posting of notices and the storage and exchange of documents. A collaboration application can include much more:

§ Threaded discussions

§ Color coding for read and unread material

§ Address books

§ Scheduling

§ Dynamic databases

§ Application sharing

§ Joint document editing

§ Text, voice or video chat

Lotus Notes established the groupware category and still offers a highly rated set of tools. The learning curve for Notes is long, but it can can generate big payoffs. http://www.lotus.com

Groupware Reviews:

http://www.communitytechnology.org/knowledgebase/databases/groupware.html

Free Groupware:

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Groupware/Open_Source/

Document Drafting and Comparison

Drafting and revising documents can be central to the activities of lawyers and clients working at a distance. Sometimes this can be done live using application sharing software. See the discussion of Web conferencing, above. But often you and your client will not be able to view a document at the same time. Redlining software can be used to annotate revisions in a document, showing the initials of the reviser and the nature of the changes.

The latest versions of MS Word and Corel WordPerfect have improved their document comparison or "redlining" features. If your documents have automatic paragraph numbering or include a number of tables, you may find it worthwhile to purchase DeltaView, a stand-alone redlining program available from Workshare Technology http://www.workshare.net/

Review of DeltaView vs. MS Word XP: http://www.potomac.com/stories/deltaview11-01.asp

Managing Work and Relationships

Working at a distance with clients using a variety of technologies can be confusing. In order to keep track of electronic files, login names, passwords, matter notes, E-mail messages, contact information, appointments and due dates, you can use practice management software designed for the busy life of a lawyer.

Other presentations and materials at ABA TECHSHOW cover the capabilities and leading products in the practice management software category, also know as case management. Here we focus on some practice management aspects that are especially important for collaborating with clients.

Practice Management Applications

Managing E-mail

Most practice management programs now offer some kind of link to E-mail. Because the tide of E-mail messages continues to rise, it is important to be able to clear messages out of the Inbox and link them to the related matter or person.

Both of the leading practice management applications, Amicus Attorney and Time Matters, support the automatic matching of incoming messages to contacts and matters. They also allow you to mark E-mail messages as Done. With both programs, you can create a To-Do or a billable event from an E-mail message.

Synchronization

Synchronization is a key to taking your practice management information with you. This capability is vital for keeping you touch with clients at different times of the day and in different locations. Time Matters and Amicus Attorney both synchronize with laptop computers, Microsoft Outlook, and Palm, CE and MS PocketPC handheld organizers. You can make changes to information when you are not plugged into the network, then synchronize the changes to the main database later on.

Time Matters lets you synchronize while your laptop or Palm is directly connected to the network. Alternatively, you can synchronize via E-mail attachments or disks.

Remote Access for Attorneys and Clients

Time Matters World Edition As Internet technology progresses at an alarming rate, companies are scrambling to take advantage of new capabilities. In the area of remote access, Time Matters has jumped into the lead with its new World Edition. Leveraging Microsoft's database server and Web server, both available in the Small Business Server 2000, the World Edition allows full access to the Time Matters screens through a Web browser. This means that practice management information can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet within restrictions set by the law firm and protected by tight security.

Time Matters World Edition

Other practice management software products currently offer limited access to stored information over the Internet and are certain to increase their capabilities in order to compete with Time Matters. For example, Amicus Attorney lets users retrieve some information by sending E-mail messages to a special address, triggering a reply E-mail from the Amicus Attorney database.

Security is obviously a concern whenever the Internet is involved. Both Time Matters and Amicus Attorney have strong security measures that protect against unauthorized access.

Using the deep security features in Time Matters, clients can be given usernames and passwords that allow them to access only information that relates to their specific legal matters. The law firm can choose to allow clients to access to some information and data fields for a matter but not other fields viewable only by the firm’s personnel. In this way, the practice management system maintained by the firm can also served as an up-to-date, always available resource for clients.

Time Matters http://www.timeMatters.com 800-328-2898

Amicus Attorney http://www.amicusattorney.com 800-472-2289

Working away from the Office

So far we have focused on reducing travel between the lawyer's office and the client’s office. But another time-consuming form of travel is commuting. Many of the technologies discussed above can be used from an office in a lawyer's home. For some, working at home is desirable because it allows for more flexible scheduling. For others, it can forestall early mornings at the office before a trip or late evenings at the office after returning.

Some business trips are kept as short as possible because lawyers must attend to the work of other clients and need to be back at their office to do so. Here again, many of the technologies discussed above can be used by lawyers on the road. They reduce the uncomfortable feeling of being out of touch with what is going on back at the office and permit lawyers to work wherever they happen to be. In this way, technology can significantly reduce some hidden costs of travel.

Conclusion

Do not lose sight of how important face-to-face contact can be. There really is no perfect substitute for being there, especially at the beginning of a relationship and at critical junctures. Since you cannot always work face-to-face and it would not be cost-effective in any event, you will serve your clients, colleagues and yourself by adopting and learning technologies that bring you closer together. In addition to reducing the headaches and expense associated with travel, you can offer more frequent, more responsive and more effective representation through the use of virtual meetings, time-shifted communication, and practice management tools.

For more resources and for information about the author, see below.