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Legal Wit
| "Law school has been described as a place for the accumulation of learning. First-year students bring some in; third-year students take none away. Hence it accumulates." |
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Daniel R. White
American Writer |
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Updates Review
Major Updates Coming this Year
The two major updates you can expect from us this year are:
- The mid-year Judicial Council Forms update release in June and
- The end-of-year legislative and 2010 Judicial Council forms releases in December.
We expect that you will receive these updates from us via both CD and our WebUpdate process.
Future Enhancements
- Federal Criminal Defense and Federal Civil Litigation - Watch for these two volumes to debut in the third and fourth quarters of this year.
Future WebUpdates
WebUpdates enable us to provide you with changed forms almost as quickly as case law or agency changes outdate them. Our WebUpdate to you later this month will include:
- County Local Rules - We're updating local rules in nearly every ProDoc volume.
- Workers' Compensation - We're updating 16 Qualified Medical Examiner forms due to revisions by the Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC).
- Family Law - We're updating IRS form 8332 based on a change to the form by the IRS.
- Real Estate - We're updating the look of the new HUD-1s to make them easier to read. The cross-hatching on the newly redesigned HUD-1s interferes with the information that is entered.
Past WebUpdates
Here is a review of the WebUpdate we provided you earlier this month:
- Family Law - We added Judicial Council Form SOC341, Report of Suspected Dependent or Elder Abuse to the volume. We also modified the Preliminary Change of Ownership form to allow for greater flexibility.
- Litigation - We added the Complaint of Discrimination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. We also two new federal Employment Discovery forms. Finally, we tweaked four other forms based on user requests.
- Workers' Compensation - We added federal forms for longshoremen and Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement. We also made a number of enhancements and improvements based on user requests.
- Real Estate - We replaced the HUD-1 and HUD-1A with all three versions of the HUD-1 that we offer: Standard, Borrower Information Only, and Seller Information Only. IMPORTANT NOTE: The changes are significant in that the HUD-1 is completely redesigned and some fields on page 2 of the HUD-1 have been deleted. Also contains modifications to the Preliminary Change of Ownership forms allowing greater flexibility.
- Probate -
We modified the Preliminary Change of Ownership form to allow for greater flexibility. We also made minor fixes in the Petition for Probate, DE-111.
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LSI Profile Data Importer Available for ProDoc
The Legal Solutions Plus (LSI) to ProDoc data Importer is now ready for you to use. After you download and install it you will be able to move profile information stored in the LSI program into corresponding client and case files in ProDoc.
And, once you begin generating your documents in ProDoc instead of LSI you’ll make an incredible discovery. You’ll quickly see how much time ProDoc saves you by saving all client and case data you enter when generating documents in ProDoc. Unlike LSI, you will not need to enter the same information time after time when you generate subsequent documents. This saves you time and it reduces the possibility of typing errors.
Learn more about and download the Importer >>
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ProDoc Moving to Greater Reliance on WebUpdate
We expect that, in order to provide them to you by July 1, we will be working feverishly on recoding ProDoc forms for legislative actions until nearly the last moments of June. Therefore we expect to deliver to you some, and probably many, of the changes via WebUpdate after the CD ships to you.
Since this update will rely heavily on the WebUpdate process we recommend that:
- Each computer/server/laptop with a ProDoc installation should have Internet access. If all your computers are on a network, only the server needs access to the Internet for the WebUpdate.
- You provide for high-speed Internet access. Some of our updates are quite large and a dial-up connection will probably be quite impractical. And, a dial-up connection requires that you establish your Internet connection before opening ProDoc in order for WebUpdate to work, which you may forget to do.
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Beta Testers Needed for Enhancement to ProDoc and SOS
We're making an enhancement to ProDoc and SOS to address issues experienced by some users. We’re replacing the database files in ProDoc and SOS with a more robust product. This enhancement will also improve performance for larger firms.
We’re asking for beta testers to assist with the roll-out of this product. Our Quality Assurance team has been testing this change for several months and is continuing to do so. But, the test that really counts is when customers put it though the paces.
The benefit to you is that you get some one-on-one time with key ProDoc staff as we work with you to install and monitor your progress. And, you’ll probably find yourself receiving inside information about future ProDoc developments.
The only requirements for participation are that you or your staff regularly use ProDoc and/or SOS and that your computer runs Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows Vista.
If you wish to volunteer as a beta tester, please
or call her at 800-759-5418, option #0.
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Customer Questions from the Last WebNotes
The following questions were from ProDoc customers like you in response to last month's ProDoc WebNotes.
Q: One of my computers crashed. I purchased a new computer with Windows Vista and need to install Pro Doc on this one. What is the easiest way?
A: You didn't say whether the computer is stand-alone or networked so there is a slight difference depending on the situation.
First, if you are able to access data from the hard drive of the old machine, copy the client and case data files into a similar directory structure as for the old computer. You probably will need Tech Support assistance for this.
- Stand-alone computer -First, install ProDoc from the most recent CD. If you don't have it or you don't still have the Key Code for it, call Tech Support at 800-759-5418, option #5. After you install ProDoc, call Tech Support and request a new registration code to register ProDoc. In the same call, ask for assistance in copying ProDoc client and case data files to your new computer. After that is done you are ready to rock-and-roll.
- Network computer - Do not install ProDoc on this computer. Call Tech Support at 800-759-5418, option #5, and ask for assistance. They will help you add a short cut on the new computer's desktop that links to ProDoc on your server. This way, the user accesses ProDoc on the server through the network.
Q: Why don't you add a function that permits documents to be converted to PDF format - that is used in all Federal Courts now?
A: We will look at adding this to our enhancement list in ProDoc. However if you have a later version of Corel WordPerfect or Microsoft Word you probably already have this capability. For Microsoft Word 2007, go to File - Save As and choose to save as a PDF file. For WordPerfect 9.0, and later, go to File - Publish to and choose PDF.
Q: How do I edit the forms so that I do not have to insert page numbering in all of the documents I assemble? I tried it several times, and it just does not work. I have Word 2003.
A: This is rather easily taken care of in the document formatting area for Word 2003. In addition to automatic page numbering you can also set up automatic custom headers and footers, page margins, line spacing, etc. Read here about setting up these features in ProDoc.
Q: If a do not have a piece of information for a particular prompt in the document, can I insert something that will remind me that I have a blank to fill in?
A: ProDoc normally ships with the setting to set an automatic place holder “[*____*]”to indicate where you have an unanswered question. To make sure this is enabled go to: Customize – Options- Assembly Settings. Make sure that “Insert placeholder” is checked. You can change the placeholder characters there if you wish.
Q: If I change a form and then the form is updated, do I have to go back in and fix the form again?
A: When you do modify the master template you can rename the revised form by adding a file extension such as .doc or .wpd—ProDoc templates do not contain file extensions. The update will then not overwrite your revised form but, of course, it also will not get updated.
Q: There is a reference to possible access for a Mac user. ; Do you have a date for that availability?
A: We have no target date at this time but it is at least several years out.
Q: When you make changes to forms, Why don't you identify which forms you are changing? Then we can review and compare to see how it affects our cases with the old form.
A: We may already provide what you are looking for. Here are the steps to view the changes in each CD update: Open ProDoc-Click on Help-Click on About the Volumes-Select a ProDoc volume to review the recent change history-Click on the Change History link. You will then see the changes made to each form that was modified in the last major update.
Submit your ProDoc question(s) >>
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Updating Your Computer for the Future
This year you will see two significant upgrades in ProDoc, as mentioned elsewhere in this WebNotes.
This is a heads-up for you to prepare for those changes.
- Upgrading your computer operating system - If you are using ProDoc on a Windows® 98, Windows® NT, or Windows® ME operating system, you will need to upgrade that by as early as June. We're releasing an enhancement to the ProDoc database that only runs on Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, or Window® Vista.
- Moving to broadband internet service - A significant portion of our June 2009 legislative and mid-year Judicial Council Forms update will come to you via WebUpdate. Since it will undoubtedly be massive, we strongly recommend that you move to broadband if you are now on dial-up service.
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ProDoc Customer Support: Finding the ProDoc Forms You Need
ProDoc contains thousands of automated forms and even long-time ProDoc users are often astounded to find forms that they assumed it does not contain. One reason could be that our form title doesn't match the name they call it. Or, the form might be contained in a different volume. There are two possible solutions for you to more easily find the forms you need in ProDoc:
- Learn how to more effectively use ProDoc's form find feature >>
- Print a ProDoc forms list -There are three different options available to you to print lists of the forms in your ProDoc volumes. When you take the time the print and view the forms lists we think you will be astonished to find how many valuable and useful forms are available... and that you've never even realized were there.
View the three different ways to generate ProDoc forms lists >>
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ProDoc Timing-Out this Month - Are You Seeing a Countdown in ProDoc?
If you are seeing a count down every time you open ProDoc this month you are in danger of having your ProDoc time-out at the end of this month.
If it times out you will not be able to use it until you install the December update from the CD we mailed you. You will also need to reregister ProDoc.
To prevent this from happening, simply install your ProDoc update today. If you cannot find the update CD, version 5.21, call Tech Support at 800-759-5418, option #5 IMMEDIATELY and request a new CD and/or Key Code that you need to install ProDoc.
If you have opened ProDoc this month and you did not see a count down you can ignore this message.
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Practice Tip: Studying Up on Alternatives to the Billable Hour
ProDoc's incredible efficiency makes alternative billing a very attractive option. If you've considered looking at alternatives to the billable hour, here are a few resources for your consideration:
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Tech Tip: Useful Blackberry® Applications
There are many useful free and low-cost applications available for you to download to and run on your Blackberry.
Here are a few ideas for you:
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Tech Tip: Syncing Your Laptop and Your Desktop
Last month a customer asked about and we provided a
work around for syncing ProDoc files between your two computers. But, there are better options available in software specifically designed for this purpose. Here are a couple of samples:
- Allway Sync - This free product is for moderate personal use.
- ViceVersa - It's not free but it is reasonable and you can use it additionally for file backups, file comparison, and file replication.
Synchronization Software Reviews and Downloads provides reviews of and information about synchronization software.
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Vent—Tell Us What's on Your Mind
This is your opportunity to
what's on your mind. Email us your suggestions and other feedback.
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