Speech Recognition Software May Be Worth the Price Now
Speech recognition software seemed like a pipe dream for many veteran lawyers who never really learned to type. Many tried it a few years ago and found it a disappointing experience. Today, however, the technology has improved enough that even today’s law students (who probably learned to use a keyboard before they learned to ride a tricycle) are finding it valuable to use. To see how it works in a legal application, check out Robin Hood’s video on YouTube. Robin is a law student who created a video demo of using Dragon’s Naturally Speaking voice recognition software.
Before you race off to buy the software, however, you should make sure your computer has adequate processing speed and RAM. Check out the Amazon.com reviews of the software to see what real users say you need. As you know, the minimums stated on the software box rarely suffice for getting the results you are looking for. If you are interested in the software because you are such a Luddite that you need help with mere typing, you might want to get some help with the initial installation of the software and with training it to recognize your accent.
I haven’t personally tried the more current version of this software, so I can’t give you my opinion. I thought some small firm lawyers might be interested in watching the above video to see how the progam works for someone other than a salesperson. You can watch the sales video, too, which demonstrates how the software can type as fast as you speak. If you don’t want to invest in the expense of additional administrative personnel, or can’t find quality help in a small town, this software might be a bandaid for you. With a price tag of under $100, it is probably worth the price to save a little time, even if you only use it to get the first draft out of your head and onto paper.
You can still expect some misguided transcriptions now and then, however. But that can bring a little fun into your day. My friend and former Chair of the Law Practice Management Committee of the State Bar of Texas, Bob Burton, got a good laugh from the audience when he demoed the software in a law practice management seminar for law students and new lawyers. He pretended to dictate a letter, ending it with “very truly yours.” Evidently his voice dropped off at the end, and the software typed “very hairy cheerleaders.” 
Post Date: March 10, 2008
Response to Question about Practice Management Software
“I am a solo practitioner with a very diverse practice. What software system would you recommend for keeping the basic information and notes on my files, plus allowing me to create mail out lists?”
Here is my response:
The two software programs that I see many smaller firm lawyers using successfully are Time Matters and Amicus Attorney. Both programs can help you to keep all the emails, documents, telephone calls, contact information, to-do’s, notes, etc. together by client. You can also use the programs for conflict checking, group mailouts and other practice management activities. Which program will be best for you will, of course, depend on a lot of factors, such as your comfort with technology and the nature of your practice.
These are not the only programs out there. Just the most widely used. It can be beneficial to use a popular program because it is more likely to “survive” and continue to have technical support available. Plus you will find more articles and blogs discussing capabilities, problems and solutions.
Some resources to help you make your decision:
- State Bar’s Law Practice Management Program website. There you will find a links to Product Reviews by lawyers, links to websites for technology consulting services, and other information.
- Gerry Morris’ technology column in The Practice Manager published by the State Bar of Texas (Law Practice Management Program). Gerry has written in detail about how he uses Amicus Attorney, and I think he has written about Time Matters, too. You can find the archives under the link to “Newsletter” on the Law Practice Management Program’s website. Unfortunately, the site does not currently have a mechanism for searching by topic. You can email the webmaster by submitting your questions at “Website Ideas and Suggestions” on the State Bar “contact us” page. Perhaps he can search the topic for you to direct you to the correct archived newsletters.
- The Griffing Network sells, installs and trains on software used by lawyers. They are quite knowledgeable about the features and benefits of each program, and should be able to help you determine which is best for your needs. Robin Birmingham can be reached there at (713) 789-3323 x101. She can answer a lot of your questions or direct you to the right person.
- The Griffing Network also does CLE training on legal specific software from time to time for the State Bar of Texas. You might check with the Law Practice Management Program (800-204-2222 X1300) to see when the next CLE programs will be offered.
- The Technolawyer community provides a lot of information and feedback about many products. You can search the archives or sign up for the newsletters to be emailed to you regularly. A search will turn up lots of info about Time Matters and Amicus Attorney, as well as other legal industry programs.
- Most of the legal software suppliers will provide you a demo program or allow you to run a free trial version of the software for 30-60 days. Check out their websites.
- Finally, at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in June each year, the exhibit hall always has software exhibitors. They will demo products, answer questions, and provide you with a demo cd to take back to your office.
I applaud you for taking steps to improve your productivity. I know that right at first the effort may seem to slow you down, rather than speed things up. I think the investment of your time and money will be worth it in productivity gains once you get familiar with the process.
Good luck with finding the right software for your office!
-Debra
Post Date: December 20, 2007
Don’t Wait to Read This
- It involves an unpleasant task.
- We don’t know or are unsure about how to do it.
- The task involves a tough decision.
- We don’t have all the materials or information we need.
- The project is too big and overwhelming.
- We underestimate the time required and have a lot to do.
- Swallow the big frog first. Pick out the ugliest, hairiest, stinkiest job on your list, and tackle it first. Get it over with and everything else today will be easy. If you have the discipline to do this with regularity, you are probably not a true dyed-in-the-wool procrastinator. Perhaps you should lighten up on yourself. Most of us apply this technique in crisis situations when procrastination has piled up a lot of must-do tasks.
- Build momentum with small tasks. The opposite technique involves attacking a few tasks that can be completed quickly to give you a sense of success and build momentum. Once you’re on a roll, you can get a lot done.
- Create bite-sized chunks. Break those huge overwhelming projects into smaller bite-sized chunks. Identify the next action step for each chunk. This also works for those projects we aren’t sure how to accomplish. Often we can identify the first action steps, and once we accomplish them, we can see the next step more clearly.
- Ask for help. Why do we think we have to do everything ourselves? Are we reinventing the wheel? What a waste of time! Go back to the source of the assignment, go to a colleague, go to the library or the Internet. Ask for help, information, guidance or examples. Once you have help, the task won’t be so daunting and you can get moving.
- Team up with someone. This is a corollary to the previous tip. Literally ask for teamwork in doing the job or trade off with someone. Misery loves company and two heads are better than one. When I was 12 and had to clean my room, I teamed up with a friend down the street. First we cleaned her room, then we cleaned mine. We kept each other moving, got it over with, and enjoyed the company enough to make the time fly.
- Find a way to make it fun. Be as smart as a 12 year old. Do it with a friend, do it outside, do it with your favorite music on, or wear jeans to work to do it. Get creative. You won’t put off reading that 70 page Asset Purchase Agreement if it gives you an excuse to sit at a picnic table in the park on a pretty day.
- Do it for 15 minutes. This is another way of creating bite-sized chunks. Sometimes we just can’t stomach doing the whole project, but we can muster up enough discipline to work on it for just 15 minutes. In four such episodes we can dispense with an hour long distasteful task. Sometimes once we get 15 minutes into it, the momentum will carry us through to completion in one sitting. Maybe it won’t be as bad as we thought.
- Calendar it. We are much more likely to do those things we have set aside a specific time for. We don’t wait until we get a “round tuit.”
- Plot backward. If we have a deadline, sometimes we don’t get started soon enough to do a quality job. Before calendaring it, we need to think it through and estimate the time required. Most of us then need to double that time estimate. Even if we didn’t underestimated the time required, did we allow for interruptions, equipment failures and emergencies? To decide when we need to get started, we also need to plot the other tasks to be accomplished in the same time frame. We may find we have less time available than we thought.
- Promise yourself a reward. If we never celebrate our accomplishments, they just amount to preparation for the next job. No wonder we lose motivation and procrastinate! Maybe you get to take a 15 minute break and go downstairs for a snack when you get those answers to interrogatories completed. If it’s a big project, plan a big reward, like a day off, a shopping spree or a weekend getaway. During an average day, when you finish something you hate doing, let the next project be something you love to do. Have you noticed how much more efficient you get at the end of the day when you know you can go home as soon as you finish what you are working on?
- Create a negative consequence. Sometimes we are more motivated by the whip than the carrot. I once shared a goal with my coach, but then put it off for 3 weeks in a row. She verified that I really did want to accomplish that, and that there were benefits to doing it. She asked me to sincerely commit to doing it this week. I did. Then she said,”If you don’t do it this week, you’ll send me your watch.” I gasped. My watch! I didn’t dare ask if she intended to keep it. I had just committed to do the task. If I was in integrity with her, that would be irrelevant. Even if she ultimately returned my watch, it would be a strain to manage without it. That week I scurried to get the task done before the next coaching call.
- Get an accountability partner. As described above, this is where a coach really comes in handy, but a friend who isn’t afraid to hold your feet to the fire will work, too. Almost every week a client tells me, “I got it finished this morning because I knew I would have to talk to you about it this afternoon.”
- Delegate it. If you keep procrastinating on the same kinds of tasks, most likely they require skills that are not your strong points. You’ll be more productive, and your clients will be better served, if you devote your time to doing what you do best. Believe it or not, someone actually enjoys doing what you consider grunge work.
- Strike it off your list. If you have something on your list that keeps revolving to the next week and the next month and the next, perhaps it is time to get honest with yourself. However beneficial it might be, you don’t want to do it. Unless there are dire consequences, just take it off your list and get back into integrity with yourself and anyone else involved. Looking at that undone item every week is lowering your self-esteem, draining your energy, and affecting the quality of your work elsewhere. Fahgeddaboutit.
Post Date: May 25, 2007
Work/Life Balance: Are You Tottering on the Brink?
As a coach to lawyers, this is the time of year when I really hear the life balance questions. All year lawyers struggle to maintain work/life balance, but the challenges become more acute during the holidays. At the same time that family and friends clamor for our attention, year-end deadlines for budgetary, tax or financial reporting purposes cause our clients to pressure us with non-negotiable demands.
Here are tips to implement all year long to help achieve balance between work and your personal life, but especially during the holidays.
- Put your own oxygen mask on first. This is the most important tip, and the one you’ll be most tempted to skip. The flight attendants tell you this for a good reason. You can’t help others or meet their demands if you deplete your own reserves. What replenishes your energy? What relieves stress for you? Spending a few minutes with nature nurtures the soul, even if you merely water the plants in your office. Create space for 15 minutes of quiet at the start of your day, and protect it. It sounds counter-intuitive and maybe impossible, but my clients are surprised at how problems roll off their backs, instead of developing into time-sucking crises, when they start the day with quiet time.
- Buy time. Time is the biggest luxury in the life of a lawyer, so use some of that above-median income to buy more of it. Pay someone else to handle the routine and redundant tasks that eat up time. Hire a concierge, errand service, or personal shopper. Hire a professional organizer for your office or home. Pay your housekeeper or nanny to carpool and cook. Do your holiday gift shopping online. Use a dry cleaner that picks up and delivers. Buy and freeze healthy, preservative-free, ready-to-cook meals at places like Village Table, Dine Wise and Diet Gourmet. Use housekeeping and lawn services, and get valet pick up for auto maintenance. Save your precious time for your loved ones, your clients and yourself.
- Improve your delegation skills. Don’t do for others what they can do for themselves. Empower them by giving them the training they need, and then express your confidence in their ability to manage it. This goes for home and office. I was stunned at how much time I found when I stopped minding other people’s business. Be willing to accept less than perfect performance. Let them do it their way sometimes. Ask yourself: How important is it? What outcome do I really need? Don’t be an island, a hero or a martyr. Collaborate with others to get things done. Hire an assistant who has skills and talents that are complementary to yours, not duplicative.
- Learn to say no. Reduce commitments. Periodically review your memberships and recurring commitments to weed out a few. Before taking on a new commitment, ask yourself, “Do I really want to? For the sake of what?” If the answer is not a resounding yes, why are you considering it? To please someone else? You’ll be more likely to displease them if your plate is too full or you have creeping resentment from doing something you didn’t really want to do. Remember: Each time you say yes, you are saying no to something else. You may be saying no to being fully present with your kids, to doing your best on an important project, or to rekindling your relationship with your spouse.
Many people have trouble saying no diplomatically, so here are a few strategies:
- Stall for time. Don’t answer right away. Say, “Let me check my calendar (my current work load, or my spouse’s commitments), and get back to you.” You can think more clearly and determine what you really want outside the pressure of the moment.
- Offer another solution. Most people don’t really care so much who does what; they just need a solution to their problem. Say, “You know, I’m not really very good at that, but Beverly is a whiz at it. Let me give you her number.” Or, ” I don’t really have time to participate, but I would be willing to make a financial contribution for the project.”
- Clarify priorities. Sometimes it is politically dangerous or even impossible to turn down a project at work. It may be better to say, “I would love to work on your project. With my current commitments I could get started in about three weeks. Would that work for you?” If some of your existing commitments are for the same person, or you simply do not have the power to say no, say “I have an over-flowing plate right now. Can we go through my assignments to prioritize them?”or “Can you, John and I work out the priorities among your assignments to me?”
- Sandwich your no between positive statements. “That’s a really worthwhile program you’re proposing. Unfortunately my time is fully committed right now. I admire your dedication to making a difference.” Or, as long as you mean it, “Perhaps I can help next time if we get an earlier start.”
- Don’t give lengthy explanations. If you say you can’t, they may try to find solutions so that you can. Or they may hear you as insincere or untruthful. Simply say “I already have conflicting commitments.” If that won’t do, it would be better to make it clear that it’s your choice. “My work requires a lot of long hours. So I reserve what little extra time I have to focus on my family.”
- Improve your time management skills. Systematize and automate as much as you can. Create a system for doing redundant tasks and document the system. It will be more efficient, as well as much easier to delegate or teach someone else, if you have detailed written instructions. Invest in software and hardware that will reduce steps and do work for you. Organize your office and your home so you don’t waste time looking for things. Read some of the articles in previous issues of The Practice Manager or on my website for more time management tips.
- Double up. Plan some of your activities so that they do double duty for both personal and career benefit. Enjoy recreational reading by listening to books while you drive to work or a meeting (it reduces the stress of traffic). Invite your clients to bring their kids to the ballgame when you bring yours. Take a client and spouse to dinner along with your spouse, then after dinner go dancing just with your spouse. Let your kids jog with you, or use a jogging stroller. (Let go of the competitive drive that says you have to get your time down or run farther than last time.) Let lifting and playing with your kids be your exercise. Half an hour of playing tag in the yard will get your heart rate up and delight your children.
Balance is not something you achieve, and then you’re done. Maintaining balance requires intention and constant adjustment. Like learning to ride a bicycle, it gets easier with practice, but it helps to have a partner run along side you at first. A buddy or a coach can help.
Post Date: December 7, 2006