DECEMBER PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Catalyst Repository Systems has introduced its Fast Track integrated processing software. Users can submit multi-language Exchange PST, NSF, and other electronic files directly into Catalyst CR, the company's web-based search and review software, says CEO John Tredennick.

The automated system processes, loads, and indexes files and then makes them available for search and review according to processing instructions set by the user, he explains.

Among other new litigation support products announced in Law Technology News' December issue is Wave Software's Trident Pro 6.2, which adds interactive searching and filtering capabilities to help users view search results quickly, and make earlier decisions on search terms and criteria by providing a report on keyword lists.

The software automatically detects exceptions and encrypted items and generates reports and logs. Its Native Review Bridge adds support for LexisNexis Concordance 10. Other improvements include enhanced Unicode support for better handling of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean data.

CREATE YOUR PATH

As technology guru Richard Susskind likes to say, the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself. Along those lines, Douglas Caddell, a longtime member of Law Technology News' Editorial Advisory Board and CIO of Foley & Lardner, says he's heard just about enough of the mantra, "IT must do more with less."

Those days are history, says Caddell. Instead, if you want your firm (and your IT department) to thrive in these tough times, you have to rethink and reinvent IT. The first step: go virtual, says Caddell. Check out his December Law Technology News  cover story here. And listen to him on our LTN website video here.

And while you're at it, you'll also want to read Jo Haraf's article "Align Your Agendas" -- which offers some insightful advice about how you can create an "IT Porfolio" -- and how the journey of creating that portfolio will help you align your IT department with the overall business goals of the firm.

Later this month, Haraf will be my guest on my Law Technology Now podcast. We'll letcha know when it's live!

Not surprisingly,both Caddell and Haraf are among the contributors to a new book from Thomson Reuters, "Achieving Excellence in Legal Technology Management" (West, 2009). Might be the perfect holiday present for your IT pals.

GREENING GREENE ESPEL

Eco-activist Kim Carlson helps Minnesota's Greene Espel assess, and then improve, its energy conservation programs and reduce its carbon footprint. Among the changes, the firm scrapped $12,700 off the annual budget by eliminating bottled water and switching to a filter system, reports Jon Bream. And they increased productivity by giving everyone dual Dell UltraSharp 200 FP monitors to increase workspace, and Ergotron stands that allow users to position the monitors for maximum comfort, andd switch quickly between "landscape" and "portrait" modes.

>Another program that won big morale points: everybody gets a Metropass so they can ride public transportation, a $15,500 cost that generates a 30% transit tax credit.

Read more in the November issue of Law Technology News.

EXPLOIT YOUR MULTIFUNCTION MACHINES

Today's multifunction devices generate basic data — such as copy counts, who is using the device, and when (and how) it requires maintenance, notes Rick Cruz, executive director of Fort Worth's Cantey Hanger.

But with a little boost from third-party software vendors, such as nQueue Billback, Equitrac and Omtool, law firms can get even more sophisticated data. Why would you want more data? Because you can use it to analyze your workflows, which can save you money, increase efficiency and maximize profits.

Cruz explains the opportunities in the November issue of Law Technology News.

HIGH-SPEED FLYING

 If you're constantly searching for wi-fi hot spots, it might be time to invest in a mobile broadband card, says Brett Burney.

Many providers offer the option to use your mobile phone as a wireless modem, but the dedicated cards "require less fuss," says Burney, a Cleveland-based consultant. And, he notes, the cards can be used to create a personal, secure "hot-spot" that can be shared with others.

CradlePoint's PHS300 Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot router is one option, another is the MiFi 2200, offered by Sprint Nextel. The instant connectivity can be particularly handy for traveling litigators (think instant war rooms) or for anyone stuck at an airport. But before you pull out the plastic, check your existing contract for any restrictions, and read the fine print of costs and fees, cautions Burney.

Read it in the November issue of Law Technology News.

AMBROGI'S OCTOBER PICKS

Web Watch: In the October issue of Law Technology News, Robert J. Ambrogi explores an array of new websites of interest to the legal profession, including WhichDraft.com, which helps users automatically assemble contracts and other legal documents. Users start the process by finding the type of document they want and then answering a series of simple questions.

Lawyers can also use the system to automate the assembly of their own documents. Ambrogi also explores Casemakerdigest, which offers summaries of recent cases, and Harvard University's new site, DASH, which offers access to scholarly articles written by faculty and students, as well as new sites from Littlearth that help users search for specific information, such as PatentSurf and Case-Law.

EGGS OVER EASY

After a series of power failures, system cooling malfunctions and a flood, Boston-based intellectual property firm Sunstein Kann Murphy & Timbers concluded that housing its IT infrastructure inside their offices did not provide the uptime or data security necessary for lawyers and decided to relocate their data center down the street. Crazy? Or crazy smart? Monroe Horn, Sunstein Kann's chief technology officer, explains the move in the September edition of Law Technology News.

ORANGE CRUSH

OK, what's hands-down, the goofiest product we have ever reviewed in Law Technology News? But also breathtakingly kewl? The Sitness 5 chair by Germany's Topstar. It looks like a giant orange.

What exactly IS it? "A kind of exercise ball rests on five chromed feet of light metal," says the German manufacturer.

Air pressure can be regulated to body weight with a provided air pump, notes Test Drive columnnist Donna Payne (CEO of Seattle's PayneGroup), whose September column takes a look at how technology is changing office furniture. 

But it's better looking than the Isokinetics Executive Exercise Ball Chair, right. 

If you ask me, that one looks like charcoal beach ball sitting on top of a firepit.

Check them both out in the Sept. issue. 

And never fear, next month it's a more traditional topic -- we swerve away from the Northwest Corner's fascination with um, er, granola technology as Ms. Donna reviews another new but more traditional trend: netbook computers.

INCREASE YOUR WING SPAN

I can just about guarantee that once you read Ross Kodner's arguments for using multiple monitors, you will be pulling out your plastic to make a purchase.

Says Kodner, who is the president of Milwaukee-based MicroLaw, "Why are multiple displays so seductive? Because by using more than one monitor, you can create a large display area — a wide virtual electronic desktop — where you can display multiple programs simultaneously, each visible without overlapping the other. With the smooth slide of a mouse, you can move files across both screens as if it was a single field."

I speak from personal experience -- I'm addicted to my Dell widescreen second monitor, which when plugged into one of my laptops more than doubles my work space.

It's so great to be able to simultaneously see my e-mail while I edit a story, then do a quick fact check on the web, or check out Bill Pollak's most recent Tweet. (He's our CEO :)

Ross offers a lot of options, with a few caveats about what not to buy -- for example,  ix-nay on the USB adapters: "USB-based multiple display video adapters are alluring and inexpensive, but can be relatively worthless because of low display resolutions and slower screen refreshes and response time," he says.

He's also a huge fan of Digital Tiger, but for some reason, does not share my appreciation of Best Buy. (Admittedly, I'm spoiled by the terrific staff at BB's Kingston, N.Y. store.)

And caveat emptor: Monitors can be as addictive as buying songs on iTunes: Be careful or you may find yourself surfin' that Tiger site for a wall o' eight monitors!