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| Time Matters 2.0 | Case Management |
| There are few
things that engender as much disagreement in the law office as how to keep a calendar. In
my own firm, not a single lawyer employs the same paper calendar. There is a built-in
hurdle when a law firm tries to select a computerized calendar: choose a simple,
easy-to-use calendar and it may not have the ability to be customized; or choose a highly
customizable, complex calendar and it may be too difficult to use. Sidekick is an example
of the first category, and Ecco Pro is an example of the latter. Sidekick was not robust
enough for a law firm. Ecco Pro was, but even with its legal template, most people could
not really figure out how to use it. Enter Time Matters: a user-friendly, highly customizable computerized group calendar program facilitating docketing, contact management, matter management and more. After installation and proper setup (involving a onetime entry of all the firm's cases, clients and other contacts), assigning to-dos and scheduling appointments and firm resources is as simple as selecting items from drop-down menus. Virtually the only typing involved in creating records is short descriptions and optional memo fields. With a few clicks of the mouse, everyone's calendars can be displayed on one screen --great for determining who's doing what at-a-glance. Using the highly customizable and robust security features of the program, your firm can restrict data entry to certain individuals. Time Matters also handles messaging and file indexing, and integrates with time & billing programs such as Timeslips and Tabs III. A good example of this integration is phone messaging, which works beautifully. The receptionist creates a new electronic phone message, selects the contact from a pull down menu, and selects the recipient of the telephone call. If the caller is already in the contact database, the telephone and file number of the contact are automatically added to the message. Notification is so fast (at least on a small network) that this feature can even be used to advise the recipient that a caller is on hold. Phone message recipients are presented with a record of the caller, telephone number, file number and a button that appears on many of the program screens entitled Send to Billing. If the caller is connected with a case and the program is set up to share information with billing programs such as Timeslips, clicking this button will open a screen that will create a time record without even having to start the time and billing program. The only disadvantage of using this feature is that every time record will have a 12 a.m. time stamp. Hopefully this anomaly will be corrected in the next service release or version of the program. The program contains another great timesaver: a date calculator that makes it incredibly simple to calculate the due dates of answers, counterclaims, replies and other pleadings. The ability to create an index of all the files connected with a client or contact is another outstanding feature of the program. With it, a complete list of files with descriptions (sub-categorized by type -- such as letters, pleadings, etc.) can be viewed. If all of the files are kept on a network drive, any file can be opened from any workstation with network access running Time Matters. The program will also force you to use a standardized (it can be of your own invention) file-naming convention in order to fully use this feature. While some might consider these disadvantages, most computer-oriented users will consider these restrictions advantageous since they enforce organization. Installation is straightforward, documentation is extensive and helpful, and customer support is free and exemplary. Sixteen-bit and 32-bit versions of the program are included. The program includes utilities to transfer contact information from other calendars and time & billing programs. The utilities work well, but don't expect them to be perfect -- there are quirks. Once the system is up and running, adding new clients or contacts is easy. The program can synchronize with other remote Time Matters databases in other locations, on notebook computers and with 3Com's PalmPilots, making the program suitable for the entire enterprise. If you're looking for a group calendar that can do more than just dockets, put this on the top of your list. |
Data.TXT Corp. (800) 328-2898 www.timematters.com Windows $350 (single user) Reviewed by Steve Schmidt, attorney, Singer, Smith & Williams, Albuquerque, N.M. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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