LegalMate, Version 3.15

LegalMate, Version 3.15

If you have not picked a case management program yet, consider Datadex Inc.’s LegalMate 3.15.

LegalMate offers the usual suspects: contact template, graphical calendar, matters template and action template. It also comes with an integrated time and expense recording and billing system. Another feature is the separate “Client” module. This is particularly helpful for tracking matters by client, billing information and task and calendar items.

When you start LegalMate, you need to provide a user name and password. You then are prompted to add your name and contact information in the “Contact” module. The next time you start LegalMate, type in your user name and password, and the main menu is presented.

Navigating LegalMate is simple. The top of each screen is a navigation bar. On the main screens — the ones accessed from the main menu — you get the option to search (using a “Finder” button), “Return” to the previous screen, ask for “Help” or return to the main “Home” screen. Submenus act similarly but with a few more options.

If you have contact information in another program, LegalMate can import it using several different formats, including a comma-delimited file. I imported my contact list from Palm’s address book for the desktop. The entire process for 2,000 entries took only a few minutes. You can import items for all modules, except the “Actions module,” as long as you can export the source data in an approved file format.

Templates are included to ease data importing and exporting.

The “Clients” module allows you to view details on a client. I liked the ability to view a list of actions, calendared items and a statement of the client’s account in one location. You can even view the account by matter or the status of the entire account. When you add a new client, you can use either LegalMate’s default client numbering system or your own. You also can designate the client as an organization or an individual — a nice touch.

The “Contacts” module has a similar look to the “Client” module. In addition to the ability to designate multiple addresses and phone numbers, you can enter an e-mail and Web address. You can link contacts to multiple matters from the “Matters” screen and then view the various matters linked to a contact. You also can view actions and calendar items related to a contact. LegalMate also can print envelopes — an extremely convenient feature noticeably absent from many case and contact managers.

The “Actions” module is probably the weak link. It aims to store information on letters, faxes, memos, e-mail, telephone logs and document logs.

To create an action, click the “Action” button on the main screen and then the “New Action” button on the “Action Menu” screen.

Want to send an e-mail? Create a new action item, indicate the action type as an e-mail, fill in the form and send it. This action will open an MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface)-compliant e-mail program (such as Microsoft Outlook Express), and you can send the e-mail from there.

Creating fax cover sheets and simple letters is done similarly, except fax cover sheets and letters use LegalMate’s internal report writer to assemble and print the document. This is OK for short documents, but you will still need a full-fledged word processor for pleadings, reports or documents longer than a couple of pages.

I had a couple of problems with the “Action” module.

First, I tried to create a memo using LegalMate. My problem was trying to specify the addressee. I filled in the action form just fine, but when I tried to print it, the written version was addressed to a different person than the one I specified. The same thing happened when I tried to create a letter.

The technical support person was perplexed as well and could not replicate the condition. He felt the problem was probably an underlying problem with the standalone version of FileMaker Pro, or more likely, related to the amount of data I imported into the standalone version.

Second, you are limited to the nine actions specified by LegalMate.

Last, you can log documents with LegalMate but there is no real document management or document assembly capability.

The “Billing” module works fine for those with modest needs. Time and expense entry is simple. You also can create billing slips from “Actions,” calendared events or by filling out a timesheet.

Payments and retainers can be posted to either a client or to a specific matter. Billing descriptions are based on task codes that can be edited to suit your specific needs. I did not see a means of printing aging reports, nor did I find a means of automatically assessing carrying or finance charges on past-due accounts.

The developers of LegalMate indicate you can import data from Timeslips, and billing information can be exported in a format QuickBooks can read. I did not test this out since I use neither of those programs.

The “Calendar” module meets expectations in a single-user program. You can pick a daily, weekly, monthly or annual view. To enter calendar times, point and click just as you do with the majority of LegalMate’s functions.

I liked the way the date calculator worked. When creating a calendar event, you can either manually choose a date or specify how many days until the event occurs. LegalMate has a rules-based calendaring system you can add to or modify. Billing a calendar entry is as simple as clicking the “Bill This Entry” button on the event view and completing the timeslip. There is no real workgroup calendaring. In a networked environment, you can view calendar items marked “common,” but true workgroup calendaring is accomplished by purchasing a third-party application called TeamAgenda, a personal scheduler and team coordination tool by Teamsoft Inc.

Several features can be either benefits or hindrances. LegalMate is built on FileMaker Inc.’s FileMaker Pro. The version I tested used a run-time version of FileMaker Pro. However, in a multiuser system, FileMaker Pro, but not necessarily the Server Edition, is necessary.

The good news is FileMaker Pro has been a favorite of many reviewers as a standalone Windows database for some time, and Macintosh users say it’s almost a universal standard for them. Because it’s based on FileMaker Pro, the program is network ready out of the box and can be used in mixed platform environments. Over the network, a colleague can view information you have entered but not change it unless you give him or her permission.

If you have a copy of File Maker Pro 5, you have open database connectivity (ODBC) drivers necessary for sharing information in LegalMate with other programs. Otherwise, you are limited to exporting the information using export templates. This means users or their consultants must figure out how to link the data in LegalMate with HotDocs, Word, WordPerfect or accounting software.

Customization is also an issue. LegalMate is based on a series of interrelated templates. Each screen is a separate template, which can be modified using FileMaker Pro.

Datadex states users can make changes such as adding specialized fields, but warns significant changes should be made by the company or a consultant familiar with FileMaker programming.

PalmPilot users may be frustrated because only contact and timeslip information currently can be synchronized with LegalMate. If you want calendaring information to be sync’d, you will have to wait for future versions.

FileMaker Pro users, Macintosh shops and mixed-platform environments are going to like LegalMate.

There may not be enough to attract users of Amicus Attorney or Time Matters. However, if you fall into the 70 percent without a case manager (see “Shopping for Small Firm Case Managers” December/January 2001 Law Office Computing) and are looking for a basic, easy-to-use system, give LegalMate a look.

Datadex Inc.
www.legalmate.com
(650) 854-4848

Windows 95/98/NT/2000 or Mac OS 7.6.1 or higher, FileMaker Pro 4 or later for multiuser environments.

Price: $499 for standalone version for one user; $299 for each additional user.

Reviewed by Charles E. Whisonant, Law Offices of Charles E. Whisonant, Newport Beach, Calif.

Apr/May '01 Issue

PROS
Easy to use, includes time-billing module and rules-based calendaring and built-in system for short memos and letters. I liked the ability to view a client’s account and activity history by viewing the client screen.

CONS
Expensive, no links with third-party software except with ODBC drivers, no document management or workgroup scheduling.

VERDICT
I would have been happier if the program had better integration with third-party software such as HotDocs and Word or WordPerfect. Definitely one to consider in mixed platform environments.