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Merging law firms with merging technology

January 12, 2012

It’s hardly surprising that given the current ‘threats’ to the legal sector that many firms are considering mergers as a way of future business development.  Andrew Otterburn’s survey reported on in the Law Society Gazette confirms that the sector will remain active, and perhaps rumours of collective demise are rather exaggerated.

There are however plenty of opportunities out there for those seeking to join forces and take their businesses in a different direction, and if it is by merger, we all know that it may not all be a bed of roses once the ink has dried, but one thing can be made smoother.  Taking the opportunity to merge and upgrade a core technology, such as Microsoft Office, and re-brand templates and precedents needn’t be a painful process. 

Templates in Microsoft Word are one of the most important productivity tools that exist in law firms.  They appear as documents and precedents and they interact with case management and CRM systems.  At a very basic level they provide the layout of faxes, agreements and letters.  More often lawyers rely on long, heavily structured and numbered documents containing codes, headings and styles which are customised for each firm.

In firms that are merging there will be different styles of templates, both in formatting and construction.  The number of documents could run into thousands.  

Templates are at the very core of functionality that makes Word so important and therefore their effective management is a must for every forward-looking legal IT manager. 

Document Direct has the technical know-how, capacity and resource to reformat and rebrand thousands of templates and can provide finished products in tight deadlines. Working in Office 2010 Document Direct can rebuild and rebrand templates, whether as a result of a migration to Word 2010 or a merger of two firms’ styles.

If you want more information contact Jayne Smith on 0151 227 9150/07976 852 359 or visit our contact page.

Posted by Jayne Smith | Filed Under Services for Law Firms | Leave a Comment 

Do you want to know how outsourcing works?

February 5, 2009

Outsourcing typing must be one of the simplest and quickest ways of increasing efficiency, controlling overhead costs whilst at the same time, improving your lifestyle.  Work is produced faster, pay as you use means costs are controlled and outsourcing removes the headaches of recruiting, training, re-training, finding holiday/sickness cover and, if staffing is reduced too, it also reduces the amount of management time needed in running your business. 

So with all of the free trials on offer, promises of a value added services from template production and superfast turnaround times, what is stopping you from having a go? 

This article is lengthy and it contains detail of our processes.

  1. Do you use a digital dictation system already? If no, go to question 2. If yes, then skip number 2 and go directly to question 3.
  2. Every firm is set up slightly differently and each individual has their preference to how they work with dictation. Below are questions we ask you, to find out which is the best dictation system for you to use.
    • Do you sit at your desk and work at your computer? If so, we will offer you our Winscribe Author dictation program, at no cost to you, which can be installed on your computer or laptop. This program works with a Philips Speechmike which plugs into your PC. Creating a new dictation is as simple as creating a new email. You can type notes to your dictation and also attach documents, if, for example, you needed to send us a specific template or perhaps a document which needs copy typing or amending.
    • Are you on the move? If you dictate away from the office, prefer walking around and generally don’t like wires, then my favourite, the Philips Pocket Memo, is a good choice for you. Instead of using tapes, the Pocket Memo has a memory card and the device has the familiar slide control. Once you’ve dictated onto your Pocket Memo, the sound files need to be transferred to the Document Direct typists.
      • No software needs to be installed and you can send your dictation from any computer connected to the internet. Simply go to our website to upload your dictations direct from your device. Our help guide is available here.
      • If you’re dictating a lot of small jobs then uploading onto the website might be a little time consuming and fiddly for you. Winscribe’s Importer program can be installed on your computer. The Importer program is constantly scanning your PC for new dictations, so when you connect your Pocket Memo to your computer it copies them and sends them across the internet direct to the Document Direct typists.
      • Do you work with your mobile phone? Winscribe’s dictation software for Blackberry is now available from Document Direct. Using your Blackberry as an all-in-one device means you can send your dictation from anywhere, receiving your work back to your phone too with mobile email.
    • All of the above options are subject to your company IT infrastructure (if any) but are cost effective and require very little capital outlay.
  3. You already have a dictation system and depending on which type you have there are a number of solutions for you.
    • If you use Winscribe we will liaise with your software assurance provider to configure your system so that Document Direct appears as an additional typist group. You may also be interested in Winscribe’s 360 Degree product which tracks the progress of each dictation which is outsourced.
    • If you use the BigHand dictation system then we can arrange for the BigHand Outsource Module to be installed onto your system, at no cost to you. The Outsource Module adds Document Direct as an additional typist to your company. Your fee earners can choose to send dictations direct to us or an administrator can choose which dictations to drag/drop to the Document Direct typist. The progress of the outsourced dictations can be tracked and will show on the screen when the dictation is finished and the fee earner should expect their work to be in their system.
    • Philips/Olympus systems have their own proprietary software but the sound files are produced in the DSS format which is compatible with the Document Direct system. As each firm is set up differently and has unique needs we will liaise with your IT department to install and configure Winscribe’s Importer program (see above).
    • If you have any other dictation system then we would ask that you email a sample sound file to us so that we can check compatibility with the Document Direct system.
  4. So now the dictation system has been chosen the next stage is telling us what documents you need typing.
    • If you have a bank of standard documents, templates and precedents then simply transfer them over to us.
    • If you have some standard templates but are not happy with them, tell us. We will modernise them, add word processing features such as automatic numbering, page numbering, headers and footers - at no added cost to you. A sample of our templates is the Particulars of Claim template.
    • If you have a house style, or would like one, tell us. We will build up a knowledge base on your preferred style of documents so they’re produced just the way you like them.
  5. What happens after the dictation is typed? How do you collect your finished work? Again, each firm and individual will have their own preferred method.
    • We can email documents to a preferred email address.
      • This can be direct to a fee earner, or to an appointed secretary. In many cases it’s the secretaries that we’re helping as they are far too busy with their PA duties, being an unqualified fee earner, and they prefer to choose which dictations to outsource.
      • Each individual author can have the work sent to as many email addresses as required and can be changed at any point. It’s useful for any users who have mobile email, are not always connected to a company network and perhaps want copies to be sent to an administrator.
    • The completed documents can be collected from our website and downloaded. Whilst this system cuts down email traffic it is necessary to have a computer connected to the internet.
    • Work can be completed within the firm’s case management system. We will liaise with your IT department to discuss your infrastructure and requirements for us to connect remotely to your systems.
  6. How much does it all cost? Once you’ve decided out which dictation system you’re using the cost of outsourcing to Document Direct is based purely on the amount of dictation sent to us. We base our charges on the length of the recordings and have just one standard rate, regardless of priority or urgency. We produce a report which totals your dictations and forms the basis of our invoice. Our reports can be as detailed as you wish and can even include a client reference so you can assign your typing charges as a disbursement to client files.

Cost = number of minutes x £1.30

You may have lots of questions still unanswered in which case don’t hesitate to drop me an email or give us a call.

Posted by Jayne Smith | Filed Under Digital Dictation for Business, Digital Dictation for Lawyers, Digital Dictation for Surveyors, Equipment, General, outsource dictation | Leave a Comment 

A free template for you

January 27, 2009

At Document Direct we’re not interested in the font size, line spacing or how many pages your document has because our charges are not based on the cost per page.  Instead, we operate a very fair system of charging by the length of your recording (your dictation).  And to be more helpful to you, we will also design some templates so you don’t waste any of your precious time and you can just  fill in the blanks. 

Our standard pleadings template can be downloaded for free by clicking on this link: 

Particulars of Claim template. 

This template has a standard court heading, automatic paragraph numbering, automatic page numbering and a neatly aligned backsheet.  Simply overtype to use it. 

If you would like any help with using this template, or perhaps need some help in setting up standard documents then contact us for free advice. 

Posted by Jayne Smith | Filed Under Digital Dictation for Lawyers, General, Practical Law, Training | Leave a Comment 

Firmstyle and Practical Law Templates

July 2, 2008

Did you know that you can have your own corporate style applied to Practical Law templates? 

We work with our clients to help them achieve the best professional image for them.  It’s professional, easier to use, and presents a great image when your document templates, letters, faxes, memos, set out with a consistent font, font size, paragraph spacing.  It’s also possible to have the same formatting applied to legal precedents and templates supplied from Practical Law. 

We help you decide how you want your documents to look.  Here are some factors to consider:

  • Underlining never looks good in faxes
  • Most companies use bold for emphasis
  • Too many capital letters are hard on the eye 
  • A serif font is easier to read
  • Single line spacing is great for saving the planet but line and a half spacing is much easier for drafting documents

Your Practical Law Templates can also contain your own company logo on the frontsheet of all of your documents - so you look like you’ve invested a million dollars in keeping your knowledge and know-how up to date.

If you would like more information on how we can help you create your own templates then click here and let us know.   

 

Posted by Jayne Smith | Filed Under Digital Dictation for Lawyers, Practical Law | Leave a Comment