During the last two months we've conducted several free on-line demonstrations of Amicus Attorney 7, the latest version of the leading practice management software. Space at these demos was necessarily limited so that we could effectively answer your questions. That meant that not everyone who wanted to participate and learn about this new software was able to do so.

Because you asked for it, we have scheduled two additional Amicus Attorney 7 demos for July. So that we can make the demos even more helpful, the first demo will be limited to those who have never before seen or used Amicus Attorney. This restriction lets us tailor the presentation to better answer your questions. The Amicus "newbie" demo will take place on Friday, July 14, 2006 at 1:00PM EDT.

For those using prior versions (V+ and earlier) of Amicus Attorney, the other demo will take place on Monday, July 31, 2006 at 9:00AM EDT.

Only 10 participants allowed per demo, and only 1 participant per firm. But this is not as restrictive as it sounds. 1 participant = 1 computer. You can have as many people as you like gathered around your computer's monitor to watch the demo.

Demonstrations will last 30 minutes. There is only one way to reserve a spot at a demo. You must send an email to rcarter@cni-incorporated.com ASAP requesting to participate. Make sure your message indicates which demo ("Amicus newbie" on July 14 or "Amicus veteran" on July 31) you wish to attend. We will send you the log-in information for the web demo via return email.

One answer (but only a partial answer) is to create a firm policy and procedure manual. Thinking about how to create such a manual sounds overwhelming. But doing it isn't, especially if you take it one step at a time. We like to refer to this as the Firm Cookbook. Why? Because all you have to do is add the individual recipes. Broken down into steps, it can be done. Have each key employee take the time to carefully document every step they take in accomplishing all important tasks assigned to them. Yes, it can be time consuming, but if you dont do it now, it will never get done. Include everything from how you want your phones answered, to how you want prospective client calls handled, to billing processes, to supply ordering, and everything in between.

With your Firm Cookbook in place, losing a key staff member does not have to be a disaster. And best of all, reading it might finally give you, as the firm's owner, true insight into how your firm really operates. If you don't like what you read, you will at least have the knowledge needed to make the changes you want.

EMPLOYEE SAFETY

Your employees are your number one asset, and their safety is paramount in any well- conceived emergency plan. Include provisions for their physical and mental well-being, before and after disaster strikes. The emotional toll that often accompanies a catastrophe, large or small, can be as debilitating as the initial event itself. Massive natural disasters can trigger post- traumatic stress syndrome rendering employees essentially unavailable for duty. Less dramatic disasters or threats can pose equally crippling impairment resulting in the inability to take appropriate directives. It is critical to anticipate and prepare for a high level of personal trauma when creating a plan.

COMMUNICATION

As we saw all too clearly with Katrina, communication networks can be disrupted by large scale natural disasters. This disruption can make it nearly impossible to communicate with firm staff and clients. Even cell phone communication was out for many days after Katrina. You need a backup communication plan. Often a firm's Web site, especially if hosted by a service away from the disaster area, can be used as a tool to communicate with staff and clients. The firm's regular email may be down (especially if hosted locally or by the firm itself using an Exchange Server), so it is important to establish in advance one or more Web- based email accounts with services such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Hotmail so you can communicate with one another and also with clients. It may be wise to create a general account for the firm and separate accounts for each lawyer or staff member who needs email communication. Make sure you know the passwords to these accounts. Make sure your phone service is capable of call forwarding and know how to implement so that calls can be directed to either cell phones or, better yet, a temporary office location away from the hardest hit area. Make communication easier by supplying key personnel with a paper copy of a client and firm telephone list or make sure such information is current on a lawyer or staff person's PDA or smart phone in lieu of a paper list. PDA's can also store important calendar information until your practice management system (including networked calendars) can be restored to operation.

WHAT TO TAKE WHEN YOU EVACUATE

TEMPORARY OFFICE SPACE

Depending on the nature of the disaster, you may need to arrange for two different locations from which to operate The first location could be an office in your geographic area (but not in your building) if the damage, flooding, or power outage is localized. Operating within driving distance of where your employees and clients are located is a huge advantage. But this will not always be possible. Therefore, you will need a second option - office space away from the disaster (perhaps a county or two) that may not be as seriously affected by the storm. The time to arrange for temporary space is now, before the storm. This is a situation where firms can and should set up cooperative arrangements /b>with one another. For example, firms separated by a county or two might make ideal cooperative partners. The storm may hit one area hard, but not the other. So all firms can benefit from such an arrangement if their building is damaged or their power is out for more than a day or two.

While the loss of a key staff member can be difficult, the death of a law firm partner or a solo practitioner can truly be a disaster.

An inventory attorney (someone who is appointed to wrap up the firm business) is needed to be appointed immediately to act in the best interest of the firm's clients, during this difficult time. We discovered that there are resources available to attorneys outlining what should be done to prepare for this type of disaster.

Death is only one way this could happen. This would also apply if you were seriously injured or incapacitated and could not act in the best interest of your clients.

An Amicus Consultant in Florida gave us the following information concerning an inventory attorney. You may want to Visit LOMAS on the Florida Bar Website to learn more about what an inventory attorney is, and how to select someone, and what their responsibilities will be.