Article 1:

How Microsoft Outlook Can Ruin Your Practice

The most common calendaring software for new firms is Microsoft Outlook. Most say it is an obvious choice: we already have it; we already know how to use it; and all of our contacts are already in it. They understand Outlook is generic business software not designed for a law firm, but they are willing to make do.

But consider this:

• Inadequate information management is the number one source of law firm inefficiency
• Calendaring mistakes are the number one cause for malpractice claims
• Most malpractice insurers recommend using practice management software to minimize risks and premiums

Ultimately, Outlook will cost you time and billable hours, impede organization, hurt customer service, and increase risk compared to using specialized practice management software.

The Abacus Fortress - Advantage Database Server lets you withstand power blackouts, workstation lockups and system crashes without any data loss or corruption. All data access is handled and double-checked at the server, not by each workstation, giving you maximum protection. Only the data you need comes across the network wire, so the larger your databases and the more users on your network, the greater your advantage. Installs in minutes, works effortlessly behind the scenes, protects your data, and makes AbacusLaw run faster. With Fortress, you can have wireless connections without worry of data corruption.

Let's look at the deficiencies of Outlook:

Deficiency # 1:
Outlook lacks specialized information. Outlook is built to keep track of basic personal information (similar to a rolodex). In contrast, practice management software is built to track the complete case file, including case type, case numbers, court information, responsible attorney, case notes, fees and costs, linked names, linked emails, linked documents and linked forms .

Deficiency # 2:
Outlook lacks legal calendaring. Outlook lacks rules based calendaring for automating the scheduling of court rules. With Outlook, you need to manually calculate deadlines and reminders, then insert them into the calendar one by one. It's a time consuming and error prone process. Moreover, Outlook does not include event dependencies, sophisticated reminders and alarms, form and document linking, deadline and malpractice alerts - all of which law firms require to stay out of trouble.

Deficiency # 3:
Outlook is incomplete. Outlook does not include case management, document handling, conflict checking, form generation, billing and accounting. With just Outlook, you will need to perform each of these activities manually.

Deficiency # 4:
Outlook requires double entry. With Outlook alone you will still need to re-enter data in other applications in the firm, an activity that takes time and leads to mistakes.

Deficiency # 5:
Outlook is not a relational database. Outlook is a flat file database and does not interlink multiple data sources. With Abacus, contacts are associated with matters, matters are associated with contacts and events, and all notes, emails, appointments and tasks are related to the appropriate records.

If you are serious about using software that will help you better manage your practice, use Outlook only for email. Invest in practice management software designed for lawyers.