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Free Digital Dictation Webinar Tomorrow...

I'm moderating a small panel tomorrow on digital dication...if you're interested in attending, please send an email to events@winscribe.com and a WinScribe rep will contact you to confirm your registration and provide you with a link to the session. Here are the some details:

WinScribe invites you to join us for a free webinar-
Going Beyond Digital Dictation: Legal Implementation Case Studies
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CST
(Via WebEx)
In this free webinar, you'll learn from moderator Adriana Linares (yours truly!) and guest speaker case studies about:

• Emerging Trends in Digital Dictation
• Reporting and workflow strategies
• Leveraging your BlackBerry Smartphone to streamline dictation and business operations
• Implementing dictation using the BlackBerry Smartphone

Digital Sigs - Question from a Reader (2)

Hey! Looks who's back! Where have you all been? Actually, you don't have to explain...I know you've been out there squeezing the last drop possible out of summer. Hope yours has been as enjoyable as mine. Lets go - here's another question from a reader regarding digital signatures:

...I am envisioning receiving a pdf contract via email and then affixing my pdf signature to it to sign it. Is there some mechanism that prevents someone from copying my signature on the other end and putting it on other documents.  And if there is, is there also some mechanism that keeps my signature affixed to the pdf document that I have attached it to, so that it cannot be moved..say..to another version of the contract?

These are pretty tricky questions as the scenario he suggests has a yes, no and/or maybe answer and so many variations to that answer. Lets break it down into two parts: 1) receiving a PDF and "signing" that very PDF file 2) preventing someone from reusing MY signature.

Let's back up and remind ourselves that in previous posts we had been discussing the use of a signature image to "sign" a WORD document. In this scenario, we are looking to sign a PDF file while leaving it as PDF then returning it as a PDF file. Ya with me?

So how do we make this happen - that is how do we get to YES! You can easily sign  a PDF file with your "signature" IF two conditions are true: 1) you have a version of Adobe Acrobat or Standard that allows you to create stamps and 2) the document hasn't been secured by the sender. Here are a couple of sites that describe in great detail how to create that signature stamp:

• Acrobat for Legal Professionals: Creating Custom Stamps
• U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina: Adding a Signature Stamp to a PDF

Above I mention that you can sign PDF files that haven't been secured..next post we'll cover that which also answers Part 2 of this readers question. Until then!

Digital Sigs - Question from a Reader (1)

I've had a couple of questions come in from some readers that I'll address in the next couple of posts, here's the first from a Paralegal in  Missouri:

Once I have gone through all the steps and saved the jpeg file, then have inserted the jpeg file into the Word document, any trailing codes or text are moved (advance / wrap around).   Is there some means of having the jpeg file drop into a Word file, at any point, as a transparent overlay so that any surrounding lines or text are not moved or covered up?

This should be a pretty easy fix, try this:

1. Right-click on the image.
2. Select Format > Picture, go to the Layout tab.
3. If you don't see the option for "Top and Bottom", click the Advanced button and select it from that dialog box.
4. Click OK to apply and exit.

Now, this exact fix didn't work for what Anne wanted, she ended up choosing "Behind text" for her needs, but you can just experiment.

TechnoLawyer BlawgWorld E-book Released Today

I'm excited and honored that this blog is being featured in TechnoLawyer's BlawgWorld 2007 - which is being released today. Their e-book is a really cool compilation of legal blogs as well as a solution guide that I'm sure will help you time and time again. Check it out here: BlawgWorld 2007.

Digital (Image) Signatures...Step 2 (with Adobe)

There are many software tools that can be used to capture an image of your signature. We are using Adobe Acrobat (Pro or Standard) in this example; if you don't have it, standby, next post is on getting on without it. Assuming you DO have it and you have scanned in your signature (step 1), follow these steps to using the SnapShot tool:

1. Open the file in Acrobat - we're talking version 8 here (varies in different versions so look around for it, if you have an old version, you might not even have it).
2. In version 8 go to Tools > Select & Zoom > Snapshot Tool (it's possible the Snapshot tool is already on your toolbar - it's a little camera). You won't see anything on the screen once the Snapshot tool has been activated, but your cursor will have changed to cross-hairs.
3. Now drag to draw a rectangle box  around your signature (dragging from top left corner to bottom-right corner and click to release your mouse). Again, not much will happen but you will see a highlighted box around the area you selected. Be sure to get in close to the sig without touching it. You can do it over and over until you get it just right.You'll get a message box from Acrobat letting you know that the image has been copied your clipboard.(If you cut or copy anything else after this, you will come back and repeat step 3.)
4. We need to move that image off the clipboard and into a working file. Again, there are many tools that will allow you to do this, for our general purposes, we are going to use PowerPoint. You'll want to launch PowerPoint and have a slide on the screen (doesn't matter if it's blank or not, when we're done you will close PPT without saving anything) - now place your cursor anywhere on that slide and paste (CRTL + V or right-click > Paste) to move the capture off the clipboard.
5. Hopefully you will see a nice image of your signature on the screen. Once you do, right-click directly on that image and select "Save as Picture".
6. Simply put, you will be creating a clip-art of your signature that can be inserted into a Word document (and many other apps). Name the file and save it as a jpeg (the default "Save as type"). Be sure to put it somewhere easy to find.

That's it, that's all it takes. Now go to Word, place your cursor where you want that image to sit - then to, Insert > Picture > From File (be sure the Files of Type box says "All Files") and browse to your signature image to stick it. (Don't forget to print your document to PDF before sending it out via email).

Good start for now, we'll soon talk about creating shortcuts to getting that sig into a document as well as some other cool things we can do with the SnapShot tool in Adobe. If you have any trouble or questions, email me.

Creating Digital (Image) Signatures...Step 1

Scanning. There was scanning everywhere. It was mad. It took me a while to figure out why but once I did, I was nearly horrified. Sometimes, the blessing is the curse.

A couple of weeks ago I was working with a new client, a 12-attorney firm in a city I refer to as The Past. Now, the firm itself it not living in the past, they, as a matter of fact have GREAT technology in place and are looking to make the most of what they have. As I interviewed all the attorneys and staff and as I walked around I realized that they sure are doing A LOT of scanning. At first, I thought, that's great! Scanning is so good. Well it can be, but sometimes it can just create more work. Here's how it went - they had:

1. Firm letterhead on pre-printed paper in the printer (read: cha-ching $$)
2. A letter created in Microsoft Word
3. That letter which required an attorneys signature (real sig, pen and quill style)
4. The desire to send that letter via E-mail not snail mail

And here's what they were doing:

1. Creating letter in Word
2. Printing to "Tray 2" (to get it on the oh-so-nice-we-are-classy- firm-that-spends-lots-of- money-on-preprinted-letterhead paper)
3. Taking the paper to the attorney to sign (include wait time if attorney is busy or out of the office)
4. Scanning the paper BACK into the system (sometimes saving it to DMS, sometimes not)
5. Shredding or filing letter (might as well be dollar bills you're using)
6. Emailing document out (hopefully as a PDF)

So all-in-all not really doing anything WRONG but certainly not doing it in a way that would benefit the firm from a financial point or in time management. So here's what we did. For those attorneys who were interested (some do not like this idea as they feel they have more control over their work and sig - no problem, you stay there PterodactAttorney and I'll deal with you later) we created digital images of their signatures (not to be confused with "Digital Signatures" from products like Adobe Acrobat) that can be inserted into a Word doc (and many other apps). The digital image is like a clipart/picture of their actual signature that they have on their computer and that they have given to their trusted firm members). We're going to start here and then get onto the firm logo and the pro's and con's to this system in future posts. So here's what you will need to get started:

1. Download this file:
   Download SigBoxes.pdf - it's a template for you to PRINT out and sign (have everyone who is interested sign). You can create as many sigs as you want. I usually have folks sign one full name and one first name only for less formal needs.
   - Be sure to sign bigger than normal and with a good pen - an Ultra Fine Sharpie is the best.
   - Don't use a regular ball point - too skinny.
   - Stay inside the lines, be sure you don't touch the lines of the boxes (we'll need the space around to lift the sig).

2. A scanner

3. Someone who knows how to use the scanner

4. Very important tool: Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro - if you dont have it, you'll want to identify an imaging/picture software on your PC (more on that when we get to it).

So for today - your goal is to download the template, collect sigs, scan it back into your PC as a PDF preferably or some other image file (do not OCR the scan job).

If you get stuck, email me, I'll help you.

 

Outlook is Acting Funny.

Well of all the Microsoft applications it does have the best sense of humor - so what do you expect? I received an email from a sweet gent I met at the ABA Spring meeting a few weeks back about Outlook's "goofy" behavior. He wrote:

The one Office program that remains an enigma to me is OUTLOOK.  I hesitate to use the "contact" and calendar features, because of its vulnerability to trojans, worms, and viruses.  And I just recently bought a new XP computer with Outlook 2003, because Outlook 2000 on my W98 computer would crash every other time I replied to a message.  (Outlook 2003 has done that once or twice, so something is still goofy.)

This is my biggest question, however.  Do you have any strategies for "saving" email messages in a format other than an archived Outlook .pst file, that can be text searched and identifies who it came from in the file name?  If you just save it as a txt file, you need to rename it because it names it as the subject.  That won't work for a string of replies. My inbox and sent folders are huge.

My response:

First, you're crazy...with up-to-date and proper virus protection, you shouldn't be afraid to use Outlook. It's an amazing tool for organizing your time and data, so get on it. (Sometimes I have to use Tough Love with these attorneys.)

Sounds to me like your issues with OL could be because your PST file (your entire Outlook file) is too big. If I remember correctly, you're either a solo or with a small firm and likely not running Exchange Server (which allows very large Outlook files). Outlook PST files take a BIG HUGE dump at 2 gigs. So you definitely need to keep an eye on it and archive regularly. Here is a link explaining the PST file size issue (and a bunch of other things) and then  another link to a handy utility you can use regularly to run some maintenance on that PST.

http://www.brienposey.com/kb/pst_maintenance.asp
http://www.slipstick.com/problems/scanpst.asp

Now, as for archiving. If you havent bought it yet, then this will be the BEST reason ever to dole out the dollars for a very important tool:  Acrobat 8 Professional. It will allow you to point and click at a folder in Outlook and convert that entire folder into an organized and searchable PDF file from which you can manipulate emails individually (that is still pull out only certain pages to forward on if you have to). It does convert all the emails to PDF (does not leave them in native Outlook format) as if you had printed them to paper and filed them in a cabinet. You can search for text, sort by sender or sort by date.

Making it Work..Step 3 - Talk About It

This could be the hardest part of our little project. Some of you  are going to do just fine - but many of you will struggle, perhaps even die. Survival of the fittest, my friends, survival of the fittest. You're going to have to communicate to all the right people what's expected of them. Yes, it's true. At some point technology just can't do it all, and we, the humans, must take action.

It is now time to gather the troops and talk about this new system.  Who's in? Who's out? What will be the magic word to be placed into the Subject line of the email? Will there be a syntax convention?  What other information will/can/should the call attendant gather? Can he or she include certain info that is useful to the recipient (is it a current client, a potential client)...etc. I think you get the picture. Although it's an incredibly minor adjustment to an already existing system - think about what you are doing.

It used to be that a caller's information was stuck in two places, on the pink note and on the carbon copy. Now, you have live data that can be searched and manipulated and at best, added to a permanent and shared contact database.

Outlook Phone Messages Rule...Step 2

We're going to use the Rules Wizard in Outlook to create a really simple rule - one that moves any messages with the text "CLLR" into a folder for phone messages. Hopefully, this will inspire you to take a closer look at Rules and see how powerful they can be in helping you organize your emails and info. Let's do this.

1. Go to Tools > Rules and Alerts
2. Click on New Rule
3. You should get a dialog box that looks something like the one pictured here. I'm using Outlook 2007 for these screen shots, they look quite similar to 2003. If you have an older version, you should still be able to follow along.
4. Click once on the predefined definition that says "Move messages with specific words in the subject to a folder".
5. Then, on the lower portion of the dialog box, click on the blue "specific words" link that will lead to another dialog box. Here you want to enter a key word that will trigger the rule. You can use "Caller" but careful with that one since it's a real word that might not just have to do with a phone caller, how about something that's not a real word like "CLLR" - whatever you want - I'll let you decide on that one. (Click ADD, then OK to close.)
6. Now click on the blue hyperlink text that says "Specific  folder". That will open another dialog that will allow you to choose the folder we created yesterday. (Click OK to close.)
7. You're almost done - you can follow the wizard as it  guides you through the remaining dialog boxes - which are quite self explanatory and shouldn't require too much input from you other than an exception to the rule if you want one (isn't there a saying about that?).
8. At the end, be sure to name your rule and turn it on. Your screen might look something like the one pictured right.

That's it for today. Tomorrow, we tackle the receptionist - let's hope she's not bigger than you are.

Making it Stop…Step 1 - Create a New Folder in Outlook

Ok, ok, you twisted my arm. Let's do this in baby steps, together. The first thing we want to do is create a new folder in Outlook for your Phone Messages to get filed into.

• Open Outlook
• RIGHT-click on your Inbox to select New Folder.
• Name it Phone Messages or whatever you want. If you want it at the top of your subfolders call it "aPhone Messages"(you can also drag it out of the Inbox folder and make it a main folder under Mailbox).

That's it for today. Next time we tackle the rule – the one that tells Outlook to move Phone Messages into your new folder.