Oh yeah? Just turn your keyboard upside down and shake it!

It's spring!. And just as you (hopefully) engage in spring cleaning your windows (the ones you look through, not the operating system - although that could also use some cleaning), cars, homes, and offices this time of year, you should pay some attention to the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of your law office technology. A dirty computer may overheat. A dirty monitor may be hard to read. A dirty keyboard or mouse can spread germs.

As a general rule, never spray any type of liquid directly onto or into a computer, printer, monitor, or piece of technology equipment. The only thing you want to spray into such a device will be compressed air to shake loose dirt, dust, and debris. If you need to use a cleaning liquid, spray it onto a cloth and then use the dampened cloth for cleaning. Even with that precaution, turn off the component before cleaning it.

The inside of a desktop computer's case can become a dirty nightmare in a few short months. The presence of smokers or pets can accelerate that process. The layer of dust and grime that accumulates can prevent internal components from cooling properly and can lead to premature failure. Use a small battery- powered vacuum designed for computers to suck up the dust from inside the case. Electric powered vacuums can generate static electricity that may damage your PC's sensitive internal components.

If you use liquids to clean the external cases of computers, monitors, mice, etc., be careful not to use a solvent that will damage the typically plastic material. Water and rubbing alcohol are the safest choices. Although paper towels will work, they tend to leave behind small paper particles or lint. A lint-free cloth is a better choice. For tight areas, such as between the rows of keys on your keyboard, a cotton swab moistened with water or rubbing alcohol works well.

When cleaning an LCD monitor, remember that unlike the old CRT monitors, the surface is not made of glass. As a result, greater care must be taken. As is true with all computer components, don't spray liquid directly on the monitor's viewing surface. Avoid paper towels. They can be rough enough to scratch the monitor's surface. If wiping with a soft dry cloth does not sufficiently clean the monitor's screen, apply rubbing alcohol to a cloth and use the dampened cloth to clean the screen. Do not use Windex or any other standard window glass with ammonia. 

 

Internet speed depends on connection speed, not computer speed

Many people wrongly blame their computer for slow Internet access. Most computers you are likely to encounter in a law office will not be more than a few years old (if they are, it may be replacement time). A computer of recent vintage, assuming it has adequate RAM, should be capable of rendering Web pages about as fast as the connection permits.

Slowdowns are likely the fault of the connection. Occasionally, there are severe traffic overloads on the Internet's primary servers that slow everyone down. More often, the Web page your are visiting is on a slow or overburdened server, forcing you to wait longer for the page to load or update.

If you are still on dial-up when broadband is available in your area, shame on you. Many low-end broadband plans actually cost less per month than you may be paying for dial-up. If you subscribe to entry-level broadband (often called "lite" service), consider paying a bit more for faster connection speeds. It will be worth it in reduced frustration and greater efficiency.

Also investigate whether other users on your home or office network are hogging bandwidth. If a staff member is downloading or streaming video or audio over your firm's connection, that could significantly slow your connection to the Web. You should have an office Internet use policy that prohibits bandwidth hogging activities such as multimedia downloading or streaming, at least during business hours. 

 

Match processor speed to your computing needs

Not everyone needs the latest dual-core smoker from Intel or AMD. Fast PC's are great for processor- intensive applications such as video- editing, but really are not necessary for most of what goes on in a law office.

Unless you are doing a great deal of scanning and processing of scanned images, or running speech- recognition software, a three- year old PC with a Pentium 4 processor running at 2.5 GHZ will run wordprocessing, web browsing, email, and law office applications as fast as they need to run. And clock speed alone is not a valid measure of a processor's performance capability. An AMD Athlon 64 running at 2.4 GHZ may outperform a 3.8 GHZ Intel Pentium 4. Also, the popular Pentium M processor installed in many notebooks over the past four years, often ran in the 1.4 to 1.6 GHZ range, but performed much like a 2.6 to 2.8 GHZ Pentium 4.

If your PC is sluggish, but your processor is fairly modern (say 1.5 GHZ or faster), the problem is likely insufficient RAM. Many Windows XP computers were sold with as little as 128 or 256 MB of RAM. A boost to at least 512 MB of RAM will make a huge performance difference and is a cheap way to squeeze a couple of extra years out of an aging PC.  

 

Lack of training is far more costly to your firm's productivity

Most law office software is a bargain. Practice management and time/billing/account software can help increase the quantity and the quality of the legal work done by your firm. Those increases will make your firm more profitable and increase job satisfaction for lawyers and staff.

But merely buying the software is only the first small step in the process of becoming more efficient. If that software is to fulfill its promise, it must be properly installed and configured. Most law office software installs are not a do-it-yourself project for even the most technologically adept attorneys.

Beyond installation and configuration, you and your staff must be trained to fully exploit the capabilities of your new (or existing) software. The sad reality is that many firms already have the tools to become more productive, but don't know how to use them.

Failing to budget for adequate training will rob your firm of the return on investment (ROI) promised when you selected and purchased your software. Like that under-utilized treadmill sitting at home, your new software will become a virtual clothes rack on which to drape your broken dreams of increased efficiency. We see law firms waste hundreds of hours of time annually doing things the wrong way when the right way might be no more than a half-day training session away. Whatever the software purchase price may be, budget an equal or greater amount for training. It will be worth it to you and your staff. The dollars you spend up-front will come back to you many times over in increased profitability. 

 

Amicus Attorney offers one of the most powerful and flexible opportunities to view, maintain and modify other team member calendars. The GROUP calendar function permits user 1 to view all other user's calendars with the touch of your left mouse button.

This powerful group calendaring feature helps avoid having to assign assistants or paralegals to attorney appointments simply to be able to "view" them on their own calendars. The simple point of the group calendar permits each user to maintain an accurate calendar without the unnecessary need to include, on the appointment, team members who will not be attending the appointment. Thus, the calendar becomes so much more powerful and useful. And, with GROUP calendaring, you can view multiple timekeeper calendars at once, a month at a glance, or even a month at a glance subject to event category.

In VERSION V, V+ and AMICUS SMALL FIRM, open your calendar to the DAY view and click on the GROUP tab at the bottom. In the upper right select PROFILE. Answer the WHO, WHAT, HOW and WHEN tab questions and be sure and SAVE the profile at the bottom of your WHO screen. You can also make ONE of your profiles the default profile.

In VERSION 7.0 or 7.1, your GROUP options are even greater as you can hand select whose calendar you wish to view "on demand" by clicking on the team member names that appear on the upper left hand corner of your day view calendar. And in version 7 you can also create GROUP PROFILES (as above) by selecting the DROP DOWN list that is located in the upper left hand corner of the today or day view.

We highly recommend creating and using group calendar views to benefit not only event organization but also properly capture billable time !

 

Amicus Attorney 5 - Productivity Tips - - Unleash the power of Amicus Attorney by exploring the more advanced features such as document generation, linked events, customization and the Library. Get your questions answered and improve your firm's efficiency so that you can do more, bill more, and go home early.

• Duration 1 Hour
• Instructor Carmen Relatores
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Learn Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Word

The Microsoft Office suite of applications is often at the heart of law firm operations. Yet few lawyers and legal staffers use these programs efficiently. Here is your chance to become more proficient when using these crucial office tools.

Microsoft® Word - Tips and Tricks – Unlock the Power of Your Ideas with MS Word 2003 - In this session you will learn tips and tricks to help you use your word processor more efficiently. Produce professional documents with ease as we show you how to insert documents & change formats with the click of the mouse. Customize Word to work the way you do and learn how to use Autocorrect, Spelling and the Grammar tool to keep all of your writing error free. Plus much more!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Word 2003 I This Webinar will help you to maximize your productivity using Microsoft® Word. You will learn many shortcuts and options for enhancing everything you do in Word. The topics covered include creating, editing and formatting characters, paragraphs and documents, enhancing and customizing documents such as autocorrect, autotext, page numbering, headers and footers as well table, charts, diagrams and templates.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Word 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Word user to the next level. You will learn advanced Word features including merging documents, selecting and sorting data, adding visual elements such as border, lines and watermarks, creating specialized indexes, and forms, as well as macros and styles.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel – Tips & Tricks – Learn more about this essential spreadsheet & analysis program. Excel 2003 offers the ability to create, calculate, & manipulate data for all legal professionals. We’ll teach you everything you need to know including budget building, payroll tables, charts, graphs, formulas, data tables, and a whole lot more!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 I This Webinar will help you to maximize your productivity using Microsoft® Excel. You will learn many shortcut and options for enhancing everything you do in Excel. The topics covered include preparing and formatting a worksheet, using AutoSum, writing and inserting formulas including absolute and relative cell referencing, creating charts and enhancing the display of worksheets..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Excel user to the next level. You will learn Excel features including advanced formatting techniques, creating and editing templates, and using advanced functions..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Excel 2003 III This Webinar will focus on advanced features of Microsoft® Excel. You will learn advanced features including working with lists, creating pivot tables and charts as well as what-if analysis..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint – Tips & Tricks – Create demonstrative evidence by unleashing the power of MS PowerPoint. When it comes to using technology in the courtroom, we can show you how to put custom animations into your slides, add speaker notes and handouts, and use design templates to enhance your platform for your case in any mediation or trial.

• Duration 1.0Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint 2003 I This Webinar will take help the user to maximize productivity using Microsoft® PowerPoint. You will learn how to create, edit, format and enhance a presentation. Other topics will include inserting images, adding sound and transitions will be covered..

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® PowerPoint 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® PowerPoint user to the next level. You will learn advanced PowerPoint features such as customizing and managing presentations, integrating Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as using the photo album feature and Microsoft® Producer.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Outlook - Tips and Tricks – Take back control of your inbox - Learn the tips and tricks that will help you use the full power of Outlook to manage your email. We will cover reminder flags, using mail favorites, rules, setting up your Address book, signatures and other preferences to customize your account. Discover how to schedule appointments, save names, addresses, phone numbers and create and modify your own Journal. Find information at the touch of a button and stop wasting time not knowing how to maximize the usability of this organizational tool!

• Duration 1.0 Hour
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $80.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 I This Webinar will focus on the basic features of Microsoft® Access. You will learn how to create, maintain and query a database. Creating forms and reports using the wizard will be covered.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 II This Webinar will take the Microsoft® Access user to the next level. You will learn how to enhance tables, create advanced queries, and custom forms and reports.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Microsoft® Access 2003 III This Webinar will focus on advance features of Microsoft® access. You will learn how to integrate access with the Web and other programs, use the query wizards, create action queries, table relationships, and use macros to automate tasks.

• Duration 1.5 Hours
• Instructor Karen Lankisch
• Cost $95.00 per individual

Amicus Accounting demos are available either via the web or on-site. Simply contact Carmen Relatores to schedule a time for the demo. Have as many staff members as you want gathered in front of your computer.

Demos are expected to run 30 minutes. Call (513) 368-0042 or email at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com. Emails should contain a specific request for an Amicus Accounting Demo.

If you'd prefer a demo at your office, please don't hesitate to call. We'll do our best to accommodate your busy schedule.

 

Amicus Small Firm Edition Demos demos are available either via the web or on-site. Contact Carmen Relatores to schedule a time. Have as many staff members as you want gathered in front of your computer.

Demos are expected to run 30 minutes. Call (513) 368-0042 or email at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com. Emails should contain a specific request for an Amicus Small Firm Edition Demo.

If you'd prefer a demo at your office, please don't hesitate to call. We'll do our best to accommodate your busy schedule.

 

Amicus Attorney 7 demo's, the latest version of the leading practice management software are available either via the web or on-site.

You can schedule an Amicus Attorney 7 "newbie" demos or an "Amicus veteran" demos by contacting Carmen Relatores.

So that we can make the demos even more helpful, we will tailor the "newbie" demo for those who have never before seen or used Amicus Attorney. This restriction lets us tailor the presentation to better answer your questions.

For those using prior versions (V+ and earlier) of Amicus Attorney, the "Amicus veteran" demo will be used.

Demos will last 30 minutes. Send an email or call Carmen Relatores at crelatores@cni- incorporated.com or (513) 368- 0042 to schedule a demo. Make sure your message indicates which demo ("Amicus newbie" or "Amicus veteran") you wish to schedule. We will send you the log-in information for the web demo via return email.

 

Below is a list of the current versions of important law office software supported by Cooperative Network Integrators, Inc..

Amicus Attorney: Downloads

• Amicus Attorney 7: build 7.1
• Amicus Attorney V: v 5.1.1 support being discontinued 6-1-07 by G&G
• Amicus Attorney V+: v. 5.8.1
• Amicus Attorney X: v. SP1.1
• Amicus Small Firm: v. 5.9

Amicus Accounting:

Amicus Accounting: release 2006.02

Microsoft Office:

• Click here and select Check for Updates.

Corel Word Perfect:

• Click here then select your version.

email: rcarter@cni-incorporated.com

phone: 513-755-1377

web: http://www.cni-incorporated.com