I recently discovered three great programs I think would benefit any solo or small firm because of their relative ease of use, and cost.
Since I'm looking to start my own firm, cheap practice tools are always on my mind. In general, I think your should spend the money on quality programs (like Office 2007 or Acrobat Pro), but there are some utilities you can skimp on, and save money too (see this post for some examples).
Pathagoras, produced by Innovative Software Products of Virginia, is one such money-saver. The company boasts that the Pathagoras program "is a multi-faceted document authoring tool." I believe they're right about that. I've used the program for it's 90-day trial period (another great perk), and have found that some of the more mundane document creation tasks are completed with ease. I like that the program is missing all of the "bells" that others possess (PDF Maker, search engine, etc), I'm getting what I need/want to make me more productive. Moreover, the learning curve to put together a document with this program is almost non-existant. I was using and creating documents within 1 hour (the company boasts 15 minutes) of installing the program. What's the best part of the whole she-bang? THE PRICE - Single User = $379! Compare that with other leading document creation programs (LexisNexis' HotDocs at $300 for HotDocs 2008 Standard Edition), and you've sold me!
My next recommendation comes from National Law Forms. This company produces two products that I think, again because of their price, are well suited for solo/small firm use. Their Bankruptcy software, priced at $429, and Estate Planning software ($229), seem to compare well with other leading brands. I would suspect that there might be errors in the software development, that might create risks for attorneys (I've spotted a few just in my trials). I like the 30-day money back guarantee (think about Tommy Boy and negotiations regarding guarantees), which puts my mind at ease regarding my money. Whether they follow through is an alternate condition.
Finally, if you're not using Dragon Naturally Speaking, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE PAST DECADE? This latest version (number 9) adds a whole new dimension to your dictation experience. I use this for letters, memos, papers, dictation, emails, etc. You name it! While you can go "cheap" (i.e. your local Target sells a version for about $30), I recommend the Preferred or Professional Editions. I like the available option of using my HP iPAQ for dictation, and uploading the product to my desktop. A word of advisement however, be aware that the "simple training" hyped by the manufacturer gives you limited voice recognition. I recommend performing the training, and continuing to tweak the pronunciation. In total, I've spent about 1 hour getting my program to 99% accuracy, expect even more time if you're using a different vernacular.
Most importantly, remember, I am not guaranteeing these programs for anything more than what they are. You're on your own to implement or not implement them into your own practice. As always, use the trial period to your advantage, and test the program for accuracy and applicability.
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