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Legal Humor
Actual courtroom "repartee":
By Attorney: This Myasthenia Gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
By Witness: Yes.
Attorney: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
Witness: I forget things.
Attorney: You forget things? Can you give us an example of something you've forgotten?
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Updates Review
2010 Updates
We will ship the big midyear Judicial Council Forms and local forms update in June. We will also ship a similar end of year update in December. And, we will provide necessary updates for the full 2010 California legislative cycle.
Additionally, we will continue our commitment to provide you updates to ProDoc forms as agency changes and case law changes dictate. Finally, we will ship form changes we make as a result of customer suggestions as well as enhancements we make in both ProDoc and our automated forms.
June Update
We are combining our previously announced May update with our June update to save you time… and the hassle of two successive update installs. This update will be quite massive as it will include the May updates plus our med-year Judicial Council Forms update. Here is what you can expect to see:
- Attorney-Client Matters – We're updating four attorney fee agreement forms pursuant to California Rule of Professional Conduct 3-410, allowing for the disclosure of personal liability insurance to the client.
- Business Transactions Solution - We're updating the Directors’, Officers’ and Principal Shareholders’ Questionnaire form.
- Family Law – We're adding one new and updating 13 Judicial Council Forms in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're adding 29 new mandatory local forms from various counties for alternative dispute resolution, mediation, and fee statements of the mediator or arbitrator. We're also updating 63 other local forms for various counties. We're updating the FL 685, Response to Governmental Notice or Motion or Order to Show Cause (Gov) form to allow it to be assembled by either petitioner or respondent. Finally, we're modifying three forms pursuant to customer requests and suggestions.
- Conservatorships – We're updating one Judicial Council Form in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're also updating two forms in this volume with minor changes in one form concerning the person signing the document and a minor change to another regarding the reference to a limited conservator. Finally, we're modifying one form pursuant to a customer request.
- Criminal Defense – We're updating two Judicial Council Forms in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're updating five local forms pursuant county updates. We're also adding 10 new mandatory local forms; seven for Yuba County, one for Orange County, one for Riverside County, and one for Amador County.
- Federal Civil Litigation – We're updating seven forms, including two Administrative Office forms with minor changes pursuant to the AO update. Three other changes are pursuant to Central District of California updates. We're removing one Southern District of California form and replacing it with a similar form.
- Federal Criminal Defense – We're revising the 10-027a form, Waiver of Rule 5 and 5.1 Hearings (AO Form 466A) pursuant to an Administrative Office update.
- Guardianships – We're updating two local forms. We're also modifying five forms pursuant to customer requests and suggestions.
- Juvenile Law – We're updating 13 Judicial Council Forms and removing nine outdated Judicial Council Forms in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're also updating one local form and tweaking the assembly logic in the proof of service forms.
- Landlord and Tenant –
We're adding one new Judicial Council Form and updating another in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're adding 10 new forms, including various Memorandums of Costs, a 30 day notice to quit, and two new mandatory local forms. We're also modifying seven forms pursuant to customer requests. Finally, we're updating 10 local forms in accordance with county changes.
- Lipman's Will & Trusts - We're enhancing hundreds of forms in 11 major categories of changes.
- Litigation – We're adding 15 new, updating 21, and removing four outdated Judicial Council Forms in accordance with the July 2010 changes. We're modifying 11 forms pursuant to customer requests. We're also updating 30 and adding 21 new mandatory local forms in accordance with county changes. Finally, we're tweaking the assembly logic in one form.
- Probate – We're updating 77 local forms and adding one new local form in accordance with county changes. We're also tweaking the assembly logic in two forms. Finally, we're removing one retired form.
- Real Estate –
We're adding back in a signature line for the settlement agent for the three versions of the HUD-1 forms. We're also updating 264 local forms in accordance with county changes (many of the changes affect the Change of Ownership statements and various claim forms). We're also making minor assembly logic fixes to five forms.
- Worker’s Compensation –
We’re updating almost 30 forms and removing thirteen Vocational Rehabilitation forms that are obsolete.
- ProDoc/SOS Database Enhancement - We also releasing a database enhancement to make your ProDoc more stable and reliable.
April WebUpdates
The WebUpdates we released in April were:
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Conservatorships - We made a minor correction to the coding in the letters in this volume.
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Family Law– We made a minor fix to a Riverside County local form.
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Litigation - We tweaked a coding error in a discovery document.
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Preparation for Installing the June Update
The database enhancement in this update has minimum system requirements that include the most current Microsoft Windows Service Pack for your operating system. If that is not installed on your computer/server, you will not be able to complete the installation of the update.
However, you should have the most current Service Pack installed for your peace of mind. Microsoft Service Packs contain bug fixes and even more importantly, they contain patches to known vulnerabilities in the Operating System. You should have automatic updating turned on but, if not, here is your opportunity to get current.
Here is how to check how current you are with your operating system. On your desktop left click Start > right click My Computer > left click Properties. Under System and then Version, look for the Service Pack information. If the most current Service Pack does not display as shown below, be sure to download and install the most current Service Pack before installing the June update.
1Unlike service packs for other Microsoft Operating Systems, SP2 for Vista is not a standalone service pack. It requires SP1 to be installed. If neither service pack is installed on your Vista Operating System, first install the Windows Vista SP1 and then the Windows Vista SP2.
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Customer Questions from the Last WebNotes
The following questions were from ProDoc customers like you in response to the last ProDoc WebNotes.
Q: I am going to buy a new laptop this week. I am considering a Mac. Will ProDoc work on Mac? Do you know if DissoMaster® will run on Mac either? Thanks.
A: ProDoc is a PC based product so it does not run natively on a Mac. You can run it on a modern Mac if you install the Parallels Windows emulator software and install a Windows operating system. I don’t know about DissoMaster but I suspect it is the same. To the best of our knowledge, most legal software programs are Windows based so you may find you need to install both the above programs for your practice. (We will release our web-based application next year that will run on any operating system without any special software.)
Q: My computer was completely corrupted by a virus last week and had to be killed and brought back. In the process I lost my ProDoc software and files. Please advise how to replace. THANKS!!
A: First, reload ProDoc on your new computer. We will have our Tech Support team contact you with your KeyCode and Registration. And, if you cannot find your most recent install CD, our Tech Support person can give you the link to download the install file. Second, and hopefully, restore the missing data from you backup. Our Tech Support team can help you with this so call them at 800-759-5418, option 3. If you did not backup your data, and it sounds like you reformatted your computer hard drive, your data is probably lost forever. You might check with whoever restored your computer and see what options they may provide to try to restore some of your lost data. (To the reader: We receive many, many requests like this. Be sure you back up your computer, especially your ProDoc/SOS data. Read more about backing up your data.)
Q: I'm interested in trying the Wills and Trusts module. I don't think I have that. Is it possible to arrange the 30 day trial for it?
A:
Yes, we will provide you a new KeyCode that will unlock the Lipman's Wills & Trusts volume to you for a 30-day trial. You will have unrestricted access to the volume during this period of time and all of your work product will be saved as permanent word processor files. You will need your most recent installation CD to install it or we can provide you a link to download the installation file.
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ProDoc Customer Support: Creating Custom Intake Forms
Many ProDoc volumes contain generic Intake Sheets that you can print using the usual document assembly method. You’ll find them named Client Questionnaire, Client Information Worksheet, Profile, etc.—depending on the volume. They are quick and easy to generate but they are generic. Of course, you can choose to generate one and then edit it to fit your requirements.
Another option is to create your own custom Intake Forms using the Print Worksheets feature in ProDoc. Using the Print Worksheets feature enables you to review all of the questions in ProDoc for a particular form or form set, use any of those questions, and then add your own questions for your custom intake form. You can then save your Custom Intake Sheet in ProDoc, if you wish, for easy access.
Learn how to create Custom Intake Forms >>
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Practice Tip: Five Things Prospective Clients Really Want to Buy
With all of the options prospective clients have today instead of hiring a lawyer, it helps to think like a salesperson in order to convince them to commit to you. We found the following excellent blog entry written by a family
law attorney on the client benefits you need to cover to help land more clients. The concepts can apply to many other areas of law.
Read 5 Things Prospective Clients Really Want to Buy >>
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Tech Tip: Dictation from Your iPhone
The problem with speech-to-text software is that is makes errors that you need to correct. SpeakWrite is a free app that enables you to record your thoughts on your iPhone and upload the audio so it can be transcribed by real typists. The turnaround time averages about three hours.
Learn more SpeakWrite >>
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Tech Tip: Online Jury Research and Mock Jury Surveys
JuryBank is an online resource
that can provide you low cost services such as diagnosing your case early to identify problems and guide your strategy, build your jury survey, and select mock jurors.
Learn more about JuryBank >>
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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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