This document discusses common technologies used by law offices, including case management software, word processors, iPads, Clio app, communication tools, project management systems, practice management systems, client intake software, case management software, document scanning apps, virtual receptionist services, video conferencing software, legal citation generators, legal research tools, eDiscovery tools, and tools used by legal secretaries like copiers, fax machines, and legal pads. It also covers technologies like word processing, spreadsheets, Outlook, presentations, database management, desktop publishing, the internet, Dropbox, ReadleDocs apps, Fastcase app, Circus Ponies Notebook, TrialPad, and iAnnotate.

1. LAW OFFICE AUTOMATION
Module 6
DR. ROWENA C. VILLAMIL

2. COMMON TECHNOLOGIES USED BY THE LAW
OFFICE
• Case management software
• most commonly used type of tech.
• lawyer has cases to deal with
therefor tech tool shall be available
to them,

3. Essential Technology used by a solo/small law
firm
For most solo or small firm
practitioners, a word processor
(e.g., Microsoft Word,
WordPerfect, Google Docs, Apple
Pages) will likely be the most
important piece of software in the
office.

4. IPAD commonly used by a lawyer
• In pleadings and papers to court
hearings.
• lawyers read all their electronic
documents easily on their iPad
while in court, including any
annotations or highlighting they
may have inserted in the
electronic document before
transferring if from their desktop
computer.

5. CLIO APP
• With the mobile app, you
can quickly access client, case,
and calendar information
wherever you are.
• One can communicate with
clients and manage tasks and
documents.
• Clio's mobile app is only
compatible with iOS 11 or
Android 8 or the latest

6. Common Technologies that a secretary must
be familiar
1. Communication Tool
• Internal Communication
• Law firm employees will benefit from free or
low-cost communication tools.
• Most communication software businesses
design their tools to be easy to use
immediately.
• Slack is popular for its features, such as live chat,
task management, and reminders. Even better, it’s
beginner-friendly.
• Microsoft Teams is another option for law firms in
the Microsoft ecosystem.

7. External Communication
• Clients will benefit from another set of
communication tools, such as a client portal.
This feature improves client experience with
sign-up sheets and scheduled reminders.
• Clio is a popular legal CRM (Customer Relation
Management) that comes with a built-in client
portal. You can try their free demo, then sign
up for a monthly subscription.

8. 2. Project Management System
• Communication tools work even better
with project management software.
• Project management demands
have increased over the years, so it
may be time to assess
your productivity as a lawyer.
• This handy tool allows you to oversee a
project through to completion.
• You’ll be able to schedule, track, and
update tasks on an ongoing basis.
• Depending on the software, you can
customize workflow and compile data
analytics.
• Trello is a free project management
tool with customizable and automated
workflows. The creators designed it to
be mobile-friendly and gave it a drag-
and-drop design. This option is a great
starting point if you’re worried about
learning how to use a new program.
You can expand services with one of
their monthly plans.
• Some other common options for
attorneys include:
• Nifty
• Clio
• Avaza

9. 3. Practice Management System
• Project management software oversees a
project, practice management software is
a specific type of software for law
firms oversees your firm.
• This tool consolidates essential
information to keep things smooth for
owners and employees.
• Saves time automating daily tasks such as
invoicing, scheduling, or follow-up.
• Communication across departments can
also improve thanks to team management
features.
• schedule projects and collaborate in real
time across departments.
• Lawcus is one of the most flexible
practice management software
available.
• You get data reports, client intake
forms, and accounting features.
• If you’re looking for a lower cost,
consider App4Legal.
• This software streamlines your
workflow with either a cloud-based
or self-hosted solution. It has a
client portal, contract management,
and team management options.

10. OTHER PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
• SmartAdvocate: Provide clients instant
access to their case documents, case calendar,
and notes. Your firm maintains complete
control over what they can see
• FileVine: Filevine is a cloud-based practice
management system that specializes in legal
team collaboration and client communications.
Using this system, it is easy to share
information.
• CasePeer: Peer Case Management is a peer
approach of case management that utilizes the
core activities of case management to provide
a wide range of needs and services to assist
people in the community.

11. 4. Client Intake Software
• Client intake software helps you create the easiest
possible experience for clients and lawyers. You’ll be
able to get to cases faster than with an outdated
onboarding process. Likewise, your clients will
appreciate your speed and reliability.
• Law firm marketing automation software is one of
our biggest recommendations for the legal intake
process. Client intake software generally comes
bundled with a CRM. You’ll be able to track each
client and gather trending reports. Quality of life
features include online payments, e-signatures, and
handy intake sheets.
• CloudLex is client intake software specifically for
personal injury law firms. Its cloud-based design
makes data storage and transfers easier than ever.
You’ll have contact management features to ensure
each new client is happier than the last. Contact the
business for a personalized quote.
• If lead nurturing is a larger concern,
consider Lawmatics. This software is
customizable or provides pre-made
options. Once you’ve chosen your
niche, you can automate marketing
and nurturing leads.
• Other client intake software that
could improve your workflow are:
• Captorra
• Interaction
• Clio

12. 5. Case Management Software
• By keeping case information organized and
secure, you increase your chances of success.
Losing paperwork not only costs time, you can
lose precious information. Case management
software streamlines every step of gathering
and executing a case.
• This software works as a centralized hub with
real-time reporting and proactive insights. You
still have practical chat features so you can
stay connected with your team or your client.
If you’re worried about security, many
programs come with backup and customer
support.
• A solid example of case management software
is PracticePanther. The creators designed a
streamlined tool that lines up all your
activities. Everything from billing to client
portals is set up in an accessible user interface.
• If you want to combine practice
management and case software, consider
Clio. You’ll be able to oversee the
development of a case, then switch over
to your firm. Its client portal allows you to
schedule, invoice, and manage
documents. You can then oversee how
your law firm is doing with its insights
dashboard.
• A few more case management software
examples you can look into are:
• CaseFleet
• GrowPath
• MyCase

13. 6. Document Scanning
• Properly processing documents is
the lifeblood of a successful law
firm. Document scanning
technology saves you time by
snipping out a few steps.
• Instead of using a physical scanner,
many document scanning apps let
you snap from your phone. This
software then enables you to save
and upload documents in one spot.
If you’ve grown tired of transferring
materials or programs, consider the
following.
• SecureScan’s creators set up their software to
drop tedious paperwork for law firms. This
program has cloud-based storage to share,
update, and organize materials. The natural
indexing system helps immensely with finding
critical information on a deadline.
• If you want to try document scanning tools
now, check out Evernote. This free notetaking
app comes with a document scanning ability
right on your phone. You’ll be able to add notes
or share images with the click of a button.

14. 7. Virtual Receptionist Service
• Did you know that anywhere from 72
to 80% of people hang up without
leaving a message if their call goes to
voicemail? Virtual receptionist services
are fantastic for customer service and
converting leads to cases.
• Your potential clients will appreciate a
dedicated service answering their
questions or concerns. You can provide
this law firm answering
service through either phone or a legal
chat service. Both options are useful
depending on your client’s preference
or availability. While some prefer
phone over typing, other clients find
live chat less anxiety-inducing.
• Your employees will also
appreciate saving time answering
emails or following up. A few
examples you can consider for a
law firm answering service are:
• Lex Reception
• Smith.ai
• Ruby

15. 8. Secure Video Conferencing Software
• More law firms are providing
remote or hybrid options for staff
and clients. High-quality video
software improves accessibility by
letting clients work no matter the
location. You’ll also be able to
communicate remotely with other
lawyers or staff.
• You can record calls for review and
even get transcripts for later
reference. High quality software
also reduces the chances of
dropped calls or glitchy audio.
• If you want a video conference option
that allows more people, try Zoom.
Many businesses consider this
platform the gold standard for
convenient short meetings. You can
add up to one hundred people per call.
• Legaler is a free video service for
lawyers who want end-to-end
encryption. To clarify, end-to-end
encryption ensures no third parties are
tracking your activity. This added
security is a benefit to both your
business and gaining clients’ trust.

16. 9. Legal Citation Generator
• Not every tech tool for lawyers needs
to be extensive. Sometimes smaller
tools, like a legal citation generator,
can make a huge difference.
• Legal citation generators save you time
by reviewing and recording each local
citation for lawyers. You’ll be able to
spend your energy elsewhere while
improving your accuracy. Once
finished, you can import citations or
share them with a peer.
• BibMe is a popular citation generator
tool that follows the BlueBook format.
CitationMachine is another citation
generator with a plagiarism checker.

17. 10. Research Tools
• Research is an exhausting process, more often
than not. And it’s unavoidable— over 78% of
legal professionals say that it’s “business
critical.” With most of these tools leveraging
the power of AI for lawyers, a legal research
tool allows you to complete research sessions
faster and easier.
• WestLaw is one of the best known legal
research tools available. It contains a massive
database of news, public records, court
documents, and more.
• A newer entry into the legal research tools
niche is Arguminer. This software pulls from a
database of similar cases to provide
inspiration. These well-researched examples
still fall under best practices to save you more
time.

18. 11. eDiscovery Tools
• A smart complement to research
tools is the eDiscovery niche. If you
want to improve your chances of
finding key evidence in digital
format, this tool is for you.
• eDiscovery software mines
information from digital
communication such as email or
chat features. You’ll be able to store
and use what you find during
litigation or an investigation.
• Everlaw is a cloud-based eDiscovery
software aimed at law firms to save
you work. Not only can you upload
information to analyze it, but you
can also search and review it.
• Another option you can consider is
Relativity. This software comes with
a purpose-built AI to improve
accuracy as much as possible. You
can also translate documents into
over one hundred languages.

19. EXAMPLES OF COMMON TECHNOLOGIES
.
1. Communication
• Communication technology consists
of any pieces of technology people
use to communicate with one
another. Some early examples of
communication technology include
Morse code and the telegraph.
Below are some examples of more
modern communication
technologies
• TV, Internet and Cp:

20. 2. Electrical
• Almost all pieces of modern
technology use electricity in
some form.
Examples of electrical
technology include:
a. Computers
b. Circuitry and artificial intelligence
c. Software
d. Audio visual
e. Technology

21. 3. Energy
• Energy technology aims to
help generate, store and
transmit energy for a variety
of purposes.
• Common examples of
energy technology include:
a. Solar panels
b. Wind turbines
c. Batteries

22. 4. Mechanical
• Mechanical technology is the
application of engineering
principles to achieve tasks
more efficiently.
• People use this technology in
a wide variety of machinery,
with some common examples
of mechanical technology
including:
a. Manufacturing
b. Engineering

23. 5. Medical
• Medical technology helps
improve people's quality of
life in a number of ways.
• Some examples include:
a. Diagnostic
b. Pharmaceutical
c. Surgical
d. Monitoring

24. 6. Transportation
• It's much easier to travel than it once was
thanks to improvements in technology.
• Examples of transportation technology
include:
1. GPS, or a Global Positioning System, is a piece
of technology that can pinpoint locations on
earth from satellites in earth's orbit. Using this
technology, we can now receive real-time
directions, monitor the transit of different
objects or record precise time measurements.
GPS is a feature in many devices such as
smartwatches and larger tracking systems used
by corporations and governments.
2. FLIGHT
3. VEHICLES

25. TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED BY A LEGAL
SECRETARY
1. copiers
2. Postage machines
3. Postage scale
4. Fax machine
6. Will supplies (envelopes, covers,
paper, ribbon)
7. Exhibit Supplies (labels,
stampers, indexes)
8. Legal pads

26. WORD PROCESSING
• It refers to the act of using a computer to create, edit, save and print
documents. In order to perform word processing, specialized
software (known as a Word Processor) is needed.
• One example of a Word Processor is Microsoft Word

27. SPREADSHEET
• A spreadsheet is a computer
application for computation,
organization, analysis and
storage of data in tabular form.
• Spreadsheets were developed
as computerized analogs of
paper accounting worksheets.
• The program operates on data
entered in cells of a table

28. MS OUTLOOK
• Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail,
is a free personal email service
offered by Microsoft.
• It includes a webmail interface
featuring mail, calendaring,
contacts, and tasks services.
• Outlook can also be accessed via
email clients using the IMAP or
POP protocols.

29. PRESENTATION
• A PowerPoint presentation is
similar to a poster
presentation, only the information
is on computer slides rather than
actual posters.
• They are usually used to
accompany an oral presentation;
they should enhance the oral
presentation instead of serving as
speaking notes.
• incorporate audio and visual media.

30. DATABASE MANAGEMENT
• Data management is the practice of collecting,
keeping, and using data securely, efficiently, and
cost-effectively
4 types of data management?
1. relational database management systems
(RDBMS),
2. object-oriented database management systems
(OODMBS),
3. in-memory databases, and
4. columnar databases.

31. DESKTOP PUBLISHING
• Desktop publishing (DTP) is the use of personal computers to design
books and booklets that are intended to be printed by ink jet or laser
printers.
• The software that supports desktop publishing has a WYSIWYG
graphical user interface (GUI) to make the set-up for publishing as
easy as possible.

32. VIDEOCONFERENCING
• Video conferencing is a meeting with two or
more participants who are participating from
different locations.
• They use a computer connection, audio, and
video to connect.
• Video conferencing can be used for team
meetings, webinars, product demos, job
interviews, and more.

33. INTERNET
• The Internet is a vast network that connects
computers all over the world.
• Through the Internet, people can share
information and communicate from
anywhere with an Internet connection.

34. DROP BOX
• It is a home for all your work
where you can store and share
files, collaborate on projects, and
bring your best ideas to life—
whether you're working alone or
with colleagues and clients.
• With Dropbox, all your files are
backed up to the cloud and
available online.

35. READDLEDOCS
• Exceptional app for iPhone & iPad.
• One can read, listen, view and
annotate almost anything you want
on your iPad and iPhone.
• Files, documents, books, and any
content is at home in Documents by
Readdle.
• The Documents app is the most
capable application on your iOS
device.

36. Fast case iPad app
• Fastcase for the iPhone/iPad is a free
legal research application, putting the
American law library in the palm of
your hand.
• Fastcase contains cases and statutes
from all 50 states and from the federal
government.
• One can search by citation, keyword (in
Boolean or natural language), or
browse statute collections.

37. Circus Ponies Notebook
• The use of circus Ponies
Notebook is to collect material,
create the structure, make sure
the logic of the argument is
correct, collect results, etc.

38. USE OF TRIALPAD FOR iPAD
• TrialPad is a full-featured
courtroom presentation tool.
• Highlight sections of documents,
compare documents side by side,
edit and show video clips, add
exhibit stickers to documents,
search document text, and much
more.

39. USE OF iANNOTATE
• iAnnotate add, remove and
rotate pages in your PDFs.
• One should tap the navigation
box, that is found in the top right
of your document next to the
magnifying glass.

40. FAX MACHINE
• Are used when documents must
be sent fast and securely.
• Facsimile machines scan a
document and transmit it over a
telephone line or the internet.
• The document can travel long
distances in minutes, saving time
and money compared to other
methods of document
transmission.

41. E-mail
• It is shortened to “email,” is a
communication method that uses
electronic devices to deliver messages
across computer networks.
• "Email" refers to both the delivery
system and individual messages that
are sent and received.
• Is a computer-based application for
the exchange of messages between
users. A worldwide e-mail network
allows people to exchange e-mail
messages very quickly. E-mail is the
electronic equivalent of a letter, but
with advantages in timeliness and
flexibility.

42. ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR
• It is a typically a portable
electronic device used to
perform calculations, ranging
from basic arithmetic to complex
mathematics

43. DICTATION EQUIPMENT
• Is a dictating machine, device for
recording, storage, and
subsequent reproduction
(usually by typewriter or word-
processing system) of spoken
messages.

44. ELECTRONIC TYPEWRITER
• It is a keyboard machine,
powered by electricity, for
writing mechanically in
characters resembling print.

45. OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION
• Optical Character Recognition
(OCR) is the process that
converts an image of text into a
machine-readable text format.
• For example, scanning of a form
or a receipt, the computer saves
the scan as an image file.