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Legislative Update
Our Texas Jurisdiction Leader reports that more than 7,000 bills have been filed so far for this legislative session. While the legislature can no longer file bills and joint resolutions, they can still file local bills, emergency appropriations, or bills that have been declared an emergency by the governor.

We're watching every one of them for their possible affects on ProDoc forms.

Major Updates Coming this Year
The three major updates you can expect from us this year are:

• April CD Update - This update will contain the following items:

• 64-bit Fix - We're enhancing ProDoc to work better in a 64-bit computer environment.
• Microsoft® Office 2007 Compatibility - We're improving ProDoc's compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007.
• Certified Mailer Feature - We're updating this feature so it will correctly calculate your certified mail rate when the USPS' new postage rates go into affect May 11.
• WebUpdates Roll-up - This will bring you current if you have not been accepting the WebUpdates.
• Extend your Time-Out Period - Installing this update will extend your time-out period in ProDoc.
• Family Law - We're updating the IRS Release or Revocation of Release of Claim of Exemption for Child. You may now revoke a previously granted release using this form in addition to releasing the right to an IRS exemption.
• Lipman's Wills & Trusts - We're expanding the "Right to Use Principal Residence" section in certain trusts. We're revising the codicil forms, enabling you to add as many changes as you wish. We're adding a new specific bequest to the Will and Revocable Trust forms. We're adding an option to all husband and wife forms to create bypass and/or marital trusts. Finally, we're adding more flexibility to all the will forms to provide for different types of compensation.
• Federal Criminal Defense - We are updating 18 AO forms based on changes to those forms. We're also updating the Credit Card Authorization Form-Fax Copies pursuant to changes to this form as well.

Visit here for more details about this update.

• August for new legislation effective August 31, 2009 and
• December for new legislation effective January 1, 2010.

We expect that you will receive these updates from us via both CD and our WebUpdate process.

Future WebUpdate

• Real Estate - We're adding the old HUD-1s back to this volume alongside the revised versions. We've received a significant amount of negative feedback about the new forms. HUD is very clear that the new versions we shipped last month are the current versions and the old version is now outdated. However, they are allowing the use of the old HUD-1 through the end of the year. So, unless HUD changes directions, the new versions will be mandatory for everyone January 1, 2010.
  

Past WebUpdates
Here is a review of the most recent WebUpdate we provided to you:

• Criminal Defense - We added an acknowledgment by the defendant of receipt of the Trial Court Certification of Defendant’s Right of Appeal.

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Since this update will rely heavily on the WebUpdate process we recommend that:

1. 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.
2. You provide for high-speed Internet access. Some of our updates are quite large and a dial-up connection may be impractical. And, a dial-up connection requires that you establish your Internet connection before opening ProDoc in order for WebUpdate to work—easy to forget to do.

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Q: "Why is the HUD form in ProDoc so different now from the HUD form used by the Title Companies? We have a title company in our office and there has been no change to the HUD form."
A: The revised HUD-1s we recently shipped are the newly adopted HUD-1 forms. However, the old forms are acceptable through December 31, 2009. Due to customer demand, we are adding the old forms back into our real estate volume through December 31, 2009. So, you will have a choice. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SENT US YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ISSUE (and many of you did— we listened)!

Q: "Also, the Good Faith Estimate that is now included in the most recently received HUD-1. We do not hand out this information at our closings and I would prefer not to use it at all. Once the new update comes can I discard it or remove it?"
A: The new HUD regulations require the title company to provide the borrower with the figures from the original Good Faith Estimate to compare with the final closing numbers. This requirement will be effective for all closings after December 31, 2009. It is optional until that time. Visit here for more information about the new HUD RESPA rules.

Q: "One of my three computers running ProDoc crashed recently. A second is slowly dying. How do I renew my subscription for the replacement computers for those two crashed computers?"
A: No need to renew your subscription for this purpose. Just get your new computers, install ProDoc on them, register the new ProDoc installations on those computers, and move any recoverable ProDoc data and/or completed documents to them. We alerted our Tech Support team to get in touch and assist you.

Q: "It would be wonderful if you could implement two things into SOS: 1) spell check on billing entries; and 2) the auto charge generation when you complete a document in pro doc only seems to allow you to bill for a flat charge – I would like to be able to enter a time charge."
A: Spell checking in SOS is a feature that is likely to receive strong consideration when we completely rewrite it. However, that is probably a few years off as it is a big undertaking.

Regarding question (2), you might want to consider using a flat fee for ProDoc generated docs. You will lose revenues if you bill by the hour for generating ProDoc documents since ProDoc makes the task so much faster. Many attorneys tell us that they originally calculate the value of a document by the time it requires them to draft it in the traditional manner. They then set that amount, or slightly less, as their flat fee rate for the document. It's simply a question of billing for your expertise or billing for your time. Many contend the document is worth the same to the client whether you draft it in 30 minutes or in four hours.

Submit your ProDoc question(s) >>

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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 - 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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View Revising Finished ProDoc Documents >>

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Practice Tip: Beware of Gray Areas in Trusts Accounts
An engagement letter, contrary to popular thought, may be a minefield of ethical snares. This article by well-respected and nationally known consultant/author/speaker Ed Poll explains how to avoid common traps contained in an engagement letter.

Read Whom Do You Trust? Beware of Gray Areas Regarding Trust Accounts >>

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Tech Tip: Inserting Clean Text from One Word Processor to Another
If you've ever copied text created in Microsoft® Word into a document created in Corel® WordPerfect, you know the mess it makes with all of the underlying code. To prevent this you can use little tricks like first copying the text into WordPad and copying and pasting the clean text into the WordPerfect document.

Or you can use a simple and free program like PureText 2.0 that enables you to paste clean text into any application.

Read more about PureText 2.0 >>

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Tech Tip: The Savings of VoIP with the Features of a Full Phone System
Jazinga combines the features of a high-end corporate telephone system with wireless networking and email at a fraction of the cost. Jazinga claims its product enables you to look like a bigger firm to the outside world with features such as automated attendant, company directory, individual voice mailboxes, voicemail to e-mail and the ability to integrate remote users. It handles up to 20 users.

Learn more about Jazinga >>

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Tech Tip: Migrating to a New Computer
No doubt about it, migrating from one computer to another is a huge undertaking... and probably is the reason most of us put it off as long as possible. However, the right software can help make the process easier and less time consuming and frustrating.

While there are many products available for this purpose, one we've recently heard of that received a good review is SoftRescue Pro. It is a $50 product but it does enable you to move files and software from your old machine to the new one practically hands-off after you show it what you want to move.

Learn more about SoftRescue Pro >>

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