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| LegalMate | Case Management |
Datadex calls its LegalMate software a "law office assistant," and indeed its integrated modules direct and control the flow of information through an active law office. Within any of the program's modules, you can readily connect contacts to tasks to actions to billing. I found it easiest to remain in the contacts module, a flexible address book that allows three addresses for each name. There is no limit on telephone numbers, e-mail addresses or URL links. Unfortunately, you cannot create e-mail or jump to a Web site from within the program. Throughout the database, information can be identified through a wide variety of criteria. I found searches to be quick and efficient. Once you locate data, you can print it using one of the seven different report formats available. Another practical feature of LegalMate is its ability to generate letters from the contact screen. Clicking on the "Form Letter" button will drop you into a selection module, where you choose from a variety of pre-existing letters. New templates are easily created from within LegalMate, easing the transition to this office automator. The contacts module is also the home base for the action records. These records track completed or pending tasks related to a contact, such as letters, appointments or meetings reminders, and telephone call reminders. A neat trick is the ability to assign a follow-up to a letter or phone call to a contact. All of this information will then appear in the calendar module as well as within the tasks module. Clicking on Legal Mate's calendar brings up to-dos, appointments, meetings and other events. Legal Mate also includes a billing module. This module is as complete as many standalone time & billing programs I've seen. One annoying thing I've found with many information managers is that data can get into the program but can't be produced on paper easily. This tends to make the simplest task, like printing an envelope, a major production. LegalMate doesn't share this flaw, and paper chasing doesn't seem to happen here. |
Datadex $499 single-user Reviewed by Denise Ward, Esq., Grean & Ward, Rye, N.Y. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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