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Introducing AbacusLaw 2012

What’s new in AbacusLaw 2012?
AbacusLaw 2012 introduces over 15 highly requested features including:

• Remote access to your calendar and contacts: Wirelessly synchronize your AbacusLaw calendar and contacts to your mobile device with the new AbacusSync app. No matter where you are you always have up-to-date schedule and contact information with just the push of a button. Never dock your device or go through other applications to sync.
• Never chase fees: Instantly and easily collect payment from your clients by accepting all major credit cards and ACH payments (electronic checks). AbacusLaw now integrates with the premier payment processing system, XCharge, to ensure you’re always paid on time and that you stay in compliance with the guidelines set forth by the ABA and State Bar Associations.
• Need to find an email? Now, instantly retrieve and review linked emails using the new full-text email search bar. Simply enter desired keywords and a list of all the emails that include those words in the subject or body will appear.
• New calendar views: See all linked events for one Matter in a week and month calendar view to visualize what is coming up.
• Facts tab: Store case facts in the new Facts tab so you can review their chronology and analyze whether they help or hurt your case.
• Exhibits tab: Enter exhibits into the Exhibits tab so you can generate exhibit lists for depositions or trials in the approved format for your jurisdiction with a click of your mouse.
• Clutter-free client database: Keep prospective clients in the new separate database so you can track and market to them without cluttering or confusing your client work. When someone becomes a client, one-click easily moves them into your client database.

How to get AbacusLaw 2012
Our VIP Plan customers will have first access to AbacusLaw 2012. They have pre-paid for future feature enhancements, upgrades, technical support and training, entitling them to premier access to AbacusLaw 2012 as well as future product releases. If you would like to be among the first to receive product upgrades, join our VIP Practice Protection Plan today. Enrolling is easy. Call 800-726-3339. AbacusLaw 2012 will be available to everyone February 1, 2012.

How to Run a Malpractice Report
Nearly 24% of all malpractice claims stem from errors preparing, filing and transmitting documents, according to the ABA study “Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims. AbacusLaw’s Malpractice Alert Report helps you combat these problems by finding all open matters with nothing scheduled in the future as well as matters that do not have any recent notes. This is essential for identifying calendaring mistakes early on.

How to run the Malpractice Alert Report:

1. Click FILE/REPORTS/MATTERS and click the REPORT button
2. Select the MALPRACTICE ALERT from the list of reports and press the OK button
3. Choose your output source (Printer, Screen, File, Data Merge File) and click PRINT
4. Enter a date for either the Event cut off date or Note cutoff date
5. Press the OK to view your report

On the Docket

• Introducing AbacusLaw 2012
• Running a Malpractice Report
• How to Get More Clients
• Never Forget Your Password

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5 Steps to Convert Prospects into Clients
A guest article by LawInfo.com

In order to stay competitive it is important to market your practice in a variety of ways. It has been proven that 65%* of consumers searching for products or services are using online resources to help make their final decisions. While having a strong online presence is important, it is also crucial to keep in mind these 5 tips to ensure that you are taking advantage of as many mediums as possible to convert clients.

1. Respond to Client Inquiries Quickly
   One of the most important aspects of converting prospective clients into paying clients is making sure that each person who inquires about your services receives a prompt response. Many potential clients who call your firm do not want to leave a message on an answering machine. Make sure that a live person answer’s your firm’s incoming calls and takes a personal message. This is not only an element of professionalism, but may help prevent the caller from dialing other firms.


2. Update Your Site Regularly
   Attorneys often make the mistake that having a static website is sufficient for a web presence. Without fresh and constantly updated content that is easy to navigate and interpret, you may compromise clients from contacting you for your services. Your homepage must be simple and immediately inviting, contact information and about us sections should be regularly updated, and a contact form should be available to collect inquiries. Maintaining a legal blog is another great way to drive traffic from users that might not be strictly looking for an attorney in your practice field or geographic area.


3. Use Strong and Clear Calls to Action
   As potential clients spend time on your site researching your firm, they begin to decide whether you can help them and whether they want to hire you. Tell these users what to do next by providing a clear call to action. If you are willing to offer a free consultation, or would like for them to contact you via email for an initial introduction, be sure to tell them how you want them to make their next step(s), such as: “Call Us Now!” or “Sign up here for a Free Consultation”.


4. Promote Your Credibility
   Establishing credibility, trust and dependability with a potential client are all imperative to reducing their typical feelings of apprehension when they are facing a legal issue. If you have met any or all of the following criteria on this list of credibility builders, be sure to include them in a accessible place within your site:
   
   
   • Client Testimonials and Feedback (Be sure to get the author’s permission to post each review and check with your State Bar to determine whether this is an acceptable form of advertising)
   • An Ongoing List of Successful Verdicts or Settlements
   • Professional Affiliations
   • Current Attorney Profiles and Practice Area(s)
   • Awards, Prestigious Honors and/or Distinguishing Rewards
   • Practice Area Specializations
   • Education Honors


5. Use Video Marketing
   While many attorneys have simple websites that portray and market their firm, it is also important to distinguish your practice from your competitors through video marketing. Video marketing allows you to add a professional multimedia element to your site while welcoming potential clients personally, educating them on the benefits of hiring your firm, and finishing with a strong call to action. These videos are important in their personable aspect because they allow your client (or inquiring client) the ability to meet you and build rapport immediately. LawInfo.com can produce these personalized video marketing tools for you if your firm is interested.

For more information on video marketing visit http://www.lawinfo.com/ or call 800-397-3743.
*www.zeromomentoftruth.com/google–zmot.pdf

Don’t Forget Your Passwords

Never worry about forgetting or compromising your sensitive account information. As a busy attorney, it’s hard to keep track of all of your usernames, passwords, frequent flyer numbers, PINs and more. With SplashID you’ll never forget a username or password again. SplashID stores an unlimited number of passwords and personal information on your mobile device and can even be synced with your desktop. Your sensitive data is protected with unbreakable AES and 256-bit blowfish encryption, ensuring nothing will become compromised. SplashID works with the iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other mobile devices.  SplashID offers comprehensive, ongoing security and costs just $9.95. While there are free programs out there, the peace-of-mind a robust program like SplashID will give you might be worth the small one-time fee.