Legal Humor
| Attorney Richard Glasson of Carson City, Nevada, was defending a 1989 slip-and-fall case in Douglas County District Court where the plaintiff's attorney was being especially annoying.
Just before the lunch recess, the jury sent out a note to the court which read: "We, the jury, in the interest of an expeditious trial, and for the general reduction of immaterial and repetitious questioning, do hereby recommend that a shocking collar device be securely fastened to the plaintiff's counsel. The control of said device shall be entrusted to a responsible member of the jury to be selected following the next recess. We thank you for your support."
Plaintiff's counsel went out in the hall with Glasson and immediately settled the case. |
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Updates Review
This Month's Update
Here is the update that just shipped and that you should be receiving soon:
- Family Law – We modified 26 forms relating to health insurance provisions for children per HB 5129.
- Probate – We updated the DR-313, Affidavit of No Florida Estate Tax Due When Federal Return is Required form pursuant to a change by the Florida Department of Revenue.
- Lipman's Wills & Trusts - We added numerous additional options to wills and trusts forms, removed the Comprehensive Wills and Trusts, added Supplemental Needs and Retirement Benefits Trusts, and more.
- Real Estate – We updated the W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number pursuant to a change by the IRS.
- Business Organizations – We added an email address option for contact person in eight forms. We also updated the Change of Registered Agent, Office, or Both form based on a change by the Florida Department of State.
View more specific details about this update >>
Major Updates Coming this Year
The remaining major updates you can expect from us this year include:
- September for new legislation effective October 1, 2009, and
- December for Florida Lawyers Support Services, Inc. (FLSSI) changes effective January 1, 2010. And, we'll update the tax calculator with the 2010 IRS tax charts.
We expect that you will receive these updates from us via both CD and our WebUpdate process.
Past WebUpdates
Here is a review of the WebUpdates we recently provided to you:
- Real Estate – We added the old HUD-1 forms for use through December 31, 2009 in addition to the existing new HUD-1 forms.
- Family Law – We added four new Florida Supreme Court forms, including two Parenting Plans. Also contains changes to 33 existing forms.
- Federal Criminal Defense – We updated the Deposition Subpoena in a Criminal Case form pursuant to changes by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
- UCCJEA – We updated this feature pursuant to new Florida Supreme Court decisions.
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If It's Working for You... Share It
It's a challenging landscape today in Florida for attorneys.
We know that many of your colleagues, and perhaps you, are struggling and greatly concerned about the future.
But, we're betting that there are attorneys who have found some things that are working for them and enabling them to ride out the crisis relatively easily. And, we're hoping that any of you that find yourself in that enviable position are willing to share your "secret(s)" with others.
If you'll send them to us we will compile them and make them available to other interested attorneys.
Chances are you may not even think of whatever you are doing as that special. But, if you find that your revenues are holding relatively steady in today's economy, you're probably doing something right that others would like to know about. It might be something like: an effective client development program, an alternative billing system that appeal to clients, internal procedures for effective client communications,
systems that have boosted your firm's productivity, etc.
If you're willing to share your methods, even if they don't seem that special to you, please
and we will follow up with you for more information.
And, on behalf of all Florida attorneys who may benefit from your generosity... thanks in advance for sharing!
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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: I am running Office 2007. After using ProDoc, Microsoft® Word does not work properly with the documents assembled. One example is that the mouse does not allow me to mark a group of text for editing.
A: Without having more details we think that you are dealing with separate issues. The issue about Microsoft Word not working properly with assembled documents is probably due to Microsoft's decision to delete the Corel® WordPerfect converter for Word 2007. You need to make sure the RTF option is checked. The issue about marking a group of words for editing could be related to the same issue or you may be confusing the merge phase (where you see the document and are expected to type in answers) with the completed document. You can't make changes to the text in the merge phase of the document assembly process. We suggest that you call Tech Support (free) at 800-759-5418, option 3 for more assistance.
Q: I recently updated ProDoc with the disc that came in the mail. The only problem is that now that I have done this, ProDoc no longer lists any of my clients in the client database to assemble documents. Is there something besides reloading every client's information that I can do to regain access to the list of clients and the information that should be available from previously assembled documents?
A: It sounds like you installed the update in a different directory than your previous installation so ProDoc is not able to access (right now) the stored client and case data. That data should still exist unless someone deleted it all. The solution is simple. Tech Support should be able to help you get your files back into alignment so you can see all your clients and cases when you open ProDoc. Call Tech Support (free) at 800-759-5418, option 3 for assistance.
Q: I am converting my office to all Mac computers. Will you offer a program that I can use on the Mac computer? I will not and do not want to run Windows on the new computers. Or, perhaps you have plans to go web based.
A: This question seems to come up with every issue. We are planning a complete rewrite of ProDoc. When we do so, there is a very strong possibility that we will write it in a language that is compatible with both Mac and Microsoft Windows operating systems. That rewrite, however, is probably two or three years off. For other readers who may not be so against installing Windows on a Mac in order to run ProDoc, you can find useful information about your options here.
Q: After the interview when I am in the assembly process, I can only see about ¾ of the document through the window, and there is no way to resize it to see the whole document. I’m using Windows 7 OS, but it shouldn’t matter.
A: The short answer to your question is no. However, we are looking to have that phase open to an internal word processor built into ProDoc. That will provide several advantages including being able to see more of the page. It will also enable you to edit the document text as you add additional client and case information. We don’t have a time frame to give you on that enhancement, though.
Q: I am planning on closing my practice and retiring soon. I understand that all of the documents generated in/by ProDoc will be retained in my files in Word or WordPerfect as they went into the files. But, I thought I read somewhere that my billing/financial information generated by and stored by SOS would cease to be available to me if I terminate my subscription. Since I will still have accounts receivable after I retire will I need to either move that data to another accounting system (I use Quick Books-Simple Start) or ???
A: When you cancel your subscription you will no longer be able to enter new information into SOS. But, you can continue to view the existing data ‘till the cows come home. And, all the documents you generated in ProDoc will remain totally accessible to you.
Q: Please fix your software so that I can sync my iPhone in the same way that I can sync a Palm device. Are you even working on this?
A: Adding syncing ability to iPhones and to Blackberries is high on our priority list of features to be added to SOS. However, the release of a rewritten and feature-rich ProDoc and SOS that would include this particular feature is probably at least two or three years out.
Q: Why don't you allow the PowerPack in Probate to be converted to allow it to be used for our Guardianship cases? The format is exactly the same.
A: Thank you for your suggestion. This has been on our to-do list for some time, but we currently do not have an estimated time for the release of that product.
Submit your ProDoc question(s) >>
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Updating Your Computer for the Future
This year you will see two significant upgrades needed for ProDoc.
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 it. We're releasing an enhancement to the ProDoc database that only runs on Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, or Windows® Vista.
FYI, XP has reached the age that free service is no longer available for it. And, after early next year Microsoft will probably end all XP service except for providing critical updates for another year afterwards.
Internally, we are testing ProDoc on the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that is a candidate for release and our team has good words for it - they like what they are seeing much better than they like Microsoft Windows Vista.
- Moving to broadband internet service - You should have high-speed Internet access. Some of our updates are quite large and a dial-up connection will probably require a very long time to download the update. A dial-up connection also requires that you establish your Internet connection before opening ProDoc in order for WebUpdate to work.
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Customer Support: Creating and Using Default Answer Sets
You probably understand that default answers save entry time and minimize typing errors. However, you may not realize that ProDoc’s default answers can be customized for different attorneys or users. If you add an attorney to your practice, or install ProDoc in a firm with multiple attorneys, this feature will save you a lot of time. Once you set up a Default Answer Set for each attorney, you can select the answer set to use when you assemble documents. Each default answer will be suggested by ProDoc when the corresponding question is asked.
By creating and using the ProDoc Default answer sets feature, he/she will save time and reduce the likelihood of errors in your documents.
Learn how to create default answer sets in ProDoc >>
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Practice Tip: How to Quickly and Easily Learn about Technology
In his legal blog, Ernie the Attorney shares his secrets of how he quickly and easily stays up on the latest technology. If you need to and have an interest in keeping up with what's new in technology, read his ideas on how he keeps knowledgeable about the latest trends and products.
Read How I learn (quickly & easily) about technology >>
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Tech Tip: magicJack for Low Cost Long Distance Calling
Several small law firm attorneys have told us that they now use magicJack for their long distance phone calling in the office to save expenses. For $19.95 you get a phone number along with unlimited long distance calling in the United States and Canada. International rates vary but calls to Europe generally range from about $.02 -.03 per minute. It is a small and simple device that enables you to basically plug your phone into your computer and make your calls over the Internet. All this for $19.95 per year.
Learn more about magicJack >>
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Tech Tip: Access to Unlimited Online CLE Courses
Solo Practice University™ offers you unlimited online CLE courses and networking opportunities for $75 monthly or $425 annually. The current course selection is grouped by faculty expertise - Substantive Law, Law Practice Management/Marketing, Technology and Work/Life Balance. Every course has an ‘official study group’ which supplements the class.
Read more about Solo Practice University >>
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Tech Tip: The Ultimate Backup Regimen for Law Firms
Highly respected legal technology speaker and writer shares in this article nearly everything a small law firm needs to know about backing up the practice files. Not a month goes by that our tech support team does not receive calls from multiple law firms who are frantic due to computer hard drive failures. These events are traumatic but not nearly so if you have a good back up system in place.
Read more about The Ultimate Backup Regimen for Law Firms >>
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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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