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| TrialWorks Millenium, Version 7.02 | Case Management |
 If you like Outlook and
Microsoft, you might like this program. TrialWorks Millennium (aren’t we over this
Millennium craze yet?) is another case-management system to add to the list of software to
choose from. It has all the basics, calendaring, document assembly, organization of
documents, images, etc. It has some things going for it and against it.First, instead of running its own independent calendaring system, it integrates Microsoft Outlook. Now, if you like Outlook, then you’ll like this feature, and vice versa. Currently, my main office runs a peer-to-peer network with Outlook as the calendaring system (three attorneys in the main office and two support staff), and we don’t like Outlook; we find it unreliable with sharing on a peer-to-peer network. Sometimes the information gets shared, and sometimes the calendar does not work – but we use it anyway (lowest common denominator?). Because of Microsoft’s “reliability,” it makes me feel uncomfortable with the program when it comes to docketing; although during our test run, we didn’t see any problems with the calendaring done via the TrialWorks program. One feature I appreciated was that you don’t have to use Microsoft Word for document assembly within TrialWorks. You have a choice of Word or the superior, Corel WordPerfect (I know, my bias shows). The assembly program worked fine. Another feature that is relatively easy to use, and what I would consider essential in this day and age, is the ability to help support a paperless office (i.e., referencing locations on the Web, or on your computer where documents, or scanned images are stored). You can even “Pack ‘n’ Go” everything referenced by the case file and transfer it to a laptop for a trip to Brazil, or just down to your local courthouse for trial, so you won’t have to take all those boxes. As should be expected, the program will conform with PCLaw and QuickBooks Pro. Although we don’t do a lot of hourly billing, some will find this feature essential. The program is fine for a small office. It comes on one CD-ROM. Installation was basic and fine, except I have three main complaints: 1) speed, or should I say “lack thereof” – I even ran it on my PIII 600 with plenty of RAM and space. It took forever to load (OK, maybe not forever, but boy was it slow) and to transfer between functions; 2) errors when dealing with integrating the e-mail function from Outlook – I don’t know if it was Outlook or TrialWorks, but since TrialWorks is reliant on Outlook, then it gets the bad with the good; and 3) the lack of good instructions on how to network the program on a peer-to-peer network (the manual is included in Acrobat format). I’ve only used a few other case-management programs, Time Matters 3.0, and the one (Amicus), which came with Corel Word Perfect 8.0 Legal Suite come to mind. This program seems better than Time Matters in terms of reliability and ease of use, and I hate to say it, almost anything is better than the Amicus version that’s bundled with Corel’s Legal Suite. Overall, I would recommend this program to a very particular audience: small law offices that like Microsoft’s programs (i.e., Outlook and Word) and that have a dedicated server, or someone on staff who understands how to implement a program on a peer-to-peer network that is not set up for a pseudo-dedicated server. If you meet the requirements, then TrialWorks Millennium is the program to look at. |
Lawex Corp. Windows 95/98/2000 $695 first user, $495 each additional user. For more than 40, SQL server version available at $2,995, with each user at $495. Reviewed by Matthew E. Willaiamson, attorney, Monterey, California. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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