I am a solo and my office is my San Francisco apartment, which has a gorgeous view that I never see because I’m always glued to my Dell Dimension 8100 computer, which I call “Darth.” I specialize in criminal appeals and am crazy about technology. I don’t implement technology. I run out and buy cool stuff, and then try to justify the cost. I use the WordPerfect 9 Legal Edition word processing program because it’s still the best, and Amicus Attorney IV for case management, which came bundled with WordPerfect.

If I have a seriously complex case, I might whip up a custom Access database. I scan every piece of paper that comes in the door, except junk mail, on my Visioneer Strobe Pro and OneTouch 8650 scanners, running PaperPort Deluxe 8.0. I search my hard disk with ISYS: Desktop, Version 6.0, and I use a personal knowledge management system running on an intranet designed with Microsoft FrontPage 2000. Webley (www.webley.com) answers my telephone, accepts faxes and forwards the messages to my home/office, my cell phone (Motorola TimePort P8160), my weekend place phone and my pager. My latest toy (oops, tool) is a Kyocera Finecam S3 digital camera, which is the size of two packs of playing cards. And when I travel or lecture, I carry a Sony VAIO PictureBook in a silver Zero Halliburton case.

Grace’s Holiday Wish List on a Limited Budget

Legal-Specific Software: Summation. It’s the coolest way to organize information. Summation is $995.

General Office Software: I’ll stick with my WordPerfect 9 Legal Edition. I have heard good things about WordPerfect 10, but Corel dropped the legal suite bundle. What a shame. WordPerfect 9 costs about $399 for the entire legal suite if you are lucky enough to find someone selling it online now that Corel is no longer selling it.

Hardware: I would love to get the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 2200dse laser printer. At 19 pages a minute and $799.99 it would be a luxury, but I’m worth it.

Gadgets: The InFocus LP130, a 1300 lumens projector is definitely on my list. It weighs in at under 3 pounds and shoots XGA (eXtended Graphics Array). OK, it’s $3,599, but it sure is pretty.

Services: Westlaw. It’s good and getting better. It’s fast and accurate, and I like the KeyCite feature, which verifies whether a citation is good law and links to cases, statutes and other sources pertinent to an issue. I also love the way CiteLink puts live links in my briefs and memos. Prices vary.

Wild Card: The Sony DCR-TRV720 Digital8 HandyCam Camcorder. It’s just under $900 and all Sony, a product line I like and trust (I have owned three Sony computers and two cameras).

Total: $6,692.99, not including Westlaw
Whew! Do you wonder why my husband tries to file for bankruptcy whenever I go shopping?

Grace’s Holiday Wish List If Money Were No Object

Legal-Specific Software: I would choose Summation iBlaze for $2,495.

General Office Software: Again, I would choose WordPerfect 9 (approximately $399). It’s simply the best.

Hardware: The Hewlett-Packard Color LaserJet 4550, at $1,999, featuring HP laser quality and color to boot.

Gadgets: The InFocus LP530. A bit heavier than the LP130, but 2000 lumens means not having to turn the lights down. It costs about $5,000.

Services: If money were no object, I would choose the most expensive Westlaw package, the works.

Wild Card: The Sony DCR-VX2000 MiniDV HandyCam Camcorder. At $2,899, I could go pro with this one (assuming I had the talent to go pro, which I don’t, but I can dream).

Total: $12,792, not including Westlaw
I’ve been a good girl all year, Santa!

Dan Coolidge is a registered patent attorney and senior corporate transactions lawyer at Fish and Richardson in Boston. It’s almost entirely an intellectual property law firm, with a strong IP litigation practice as well. The firm uses ProLaw and custom templates for document management and assembly, and a proprietary time and billing system.

Dan’s Holiday Wish List on a Limited Budget

Legal-Specific Software: ProLaw. I love it, we have it, and would buy it again. It does what it does well, and saves me literally hours a day. It handles about everything a law office needs. Document assembly has just enough features to be really useful and doesn’t have so many features as to require a full-time programming staff to maintain it. Cost varies, starting at $995 for a single seat.

General Office Software: Microsoft Office XP. Besides the fact that I hate the new licensing scheme that treats me like a felon, XP has document redlining down to something useful. However, it still doesn’t recognize WordPerfect in any recent versions. It costs $479 full price and $239 for the upgrade. Other editions cost more with additional products included.

Hardware: A bigger monitor. I’m not being brand specific here. It’s just that I’m getting older and it’s getting harder to see the screen, so a 36-inch would suit nicely, but I would accept a 21-inch. Since money is king here, I would go with the View Sonic on sale at www.buy.com for $309.95 down from $539.95. The quality might not be the best on the market, but it’s good enough, and the price is right.

Gadgets: RIM interactive pager from Cingular. I can get my e-mail just about anywhere, and even respond if the spirit moves me. The gadget can download my schedule. I like the little one because it doesn’t take up much room. It’s on sale now at $199 from Cingular, with a one-year commitment for $44.95 a month for unlimited usage. Rate plans are available for as little as $9.95 a month for 15,000 characters a month, which I would easily surpass in just one message from some of my colleagues. I would go for the unlimited plan given my penchant for descriptive prose.

Wild Card: Windows XP. It seems to be a stable Windows operating system at last. It had better be! It’s $299 full price and $199 a seat for an upgrade.

Total: $2,326.90

Dan’s Holiday Wish List If Money Were No Object

Legal-Specific Software: I would stay with ProLaw, but now I would hire Seth Rowland (a nationally recognized document assembly guru) to automate documents for me, so they could easily be maintained. Seth negotiates his own prices. Big firms, or rich solos only need apply. Let’s figure Seth at $10,000 to fully automate me. Plus ProLaw single seat pricing, $995 with the grand total for ProLaw and maintenance at $10,995.

General Office Software: I would add WordPerfect as well as Word on every desk, and add DataViz’ Conversions Plus. I would be able to read or convert to anything. WordPerfect 2002 goes for $149.99 from Corel in the upgrade version or $389.99 in the full version. Conversions Plus sells for $52.69 from www.buy.com, and converts almost anything into anything else with few format errors. Total cost: $442.68.

Hardware: Oh please, Santa read this and send it to me: a big honkin’ flat panel display that doesn’t generate enough heat to warm your home, and doesn’t take up 25 inches of depth on your desktop. Hey, what about the Silicon Graphics 18.1-inch F180 flat panel (mind you, it’s about as big as a 21-inch video monitor) with 1280-by-1024 resolution and 24-bit color? It’s available for $1,495. The thing uses only 75 watts. That is much less than the 200 watt reading lamp I use. Come on, Santa, get me one!

Gadgets: Money is no object here, right? I mean, can I bribe a congersman (spelling intentional, thank you Walt Kelly)? Can it do things I can’t talk about in print? Ah, nuts. The editors have me leashed. OK, I want a T-1 line. Cost? About a cool grand a month where I live, out in the puckerbrush.

Wild Card: I want an unlimited license to ActiveWords, a utility that is something like a meta-macro for all windows applications. Hit a key and things happen, wherever you are. Look up a word in a dictionary, replace text, do something smart (I, of course, had to hire help here). And that doesn’t begin to do it justice. It’s a super application with an awful licensing scheme (cf. Microsoft XP product line) and a great but embittered programmer who developed it. See www.activewords.com, or better yet, contact Burt Bruggerman at buzz@activewords.com. This guy is a fanatic about the product, and can explain it or even show you online. It costs $49.95 for a single license. Site licenses are available. Unlimited license? Let’s figure on a 10-license site license and sweet talk to the programmer to get it at $500.

Total Cost: $14,432.68
Clearly I have not thought expansively enough!

I am a 26-year-old attorney and practice law with my wife and law partner. Our firm has two attorneys to help our clients with civil litigation, business formation and transactions and estate planning. Our firm relies on two Compaq Presario desktop computers with CD-RW drives, two Hewlett-Packard multi-function fax machines for faxing and scanning, a HP 2100 LaserJet printer, a HP Pavilion N5420L laptop and a Palm IIIxe. We use Microsoft Office 2000, Timeslips 10.5, Corel WordPerfect 9 and Adobe Acrobat 4.0.

Ross’ Holiday Wish List on a Limited Budget

Legal-Specific Software: Amicus Attorney V ($160). Of all the expandable office, calendar and document managers, Amicus Attorney has the most bang for the buck and will expand as my new practice grows from infancy.

General Office Software: Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Solution ($995). Although my typing skills are good, I would like to use this virtual dictation software for letters and e-mail when I am away from the office. The package I want comes with a handheld recorder, which can plug into the computer later and draft documents.

Hardware: Gateway 7400 Server ($1,599). As a new business, the next step is to begin expanding. This server allows for generous resources, which allows for tremendous expandability and interconnection within the office.

Gadgets: Palm IIIxe ($200). My partner is still operating without a PDA and needs something to help manage her calendar. While she would like to purchase a color handheld model that uses Windows CE, the Palm IIIxe offers tremendous features for our budget.

Services: EarthLink DSL ($65/month for Home Office DSL). Right now I am using dial-up through my fax line, and it’s slow and inconvenient. I am going to have to break down and pay triple what I am paying now just to listen to Jim Rome and Rush Limbaugh while I am drafting.

Wild Card: A professional microphone to use with the Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software (approximately $200). I have talked to several attorneys regarding how to improve the application of this program and every one has stated that a high-quality professional microphone yields the best results.

Total: $3,219

Ross’ Holiday Wish List If Money Were No Object

Legal-Specific Software: PCLawPro. This is the only law office management software, other than Amicus Attorney that I would like to have in my office. The only drawback is that PCLawPro tends to be drastically more expensive when all additions and expansions are selected. Fortunately, at least on this list, money is no object. It costs $1,800.

General Office Software: OmniForm 4.01 ($150). As a new attorney, I am constantly collecting forms and pleadings from various sources to incorporate into my practice. An OCR program such as OmniForm would be an invaluable resource. The time it would save me in copying hard copy forms into electronic data would alone pay for the initial investment.

Hardware: Gateway Solo 9550. With a 1.2GHz processor, a 15.7-inch Active Matrix Screen and a CD-RW/DVD drive, this computer has more than enough mobile power for anything I might need while I’m out in in the field. The cost for this high-powered little monster is about $1,800.

Gadgets: HP Jornada ($540). Bright, color display and Windows technology are the key features that make this handheld a great buy. Although I don’t mind the gray scale display of Palm handheld devices, my partner gets truly inspired by the color offered by Jornada.
Services: WestlawPro Plus, West Group’s California Solo Practice Legal Research Plan (about $225 per month). Although I currently use JuriSearch for my legal research needs, I became addicted to Westlaw while I was still in law school. I can’t help but compare all other legal research tools to West, and I’m looking forward to the day when I can afford to use it again.

Wild Card: Sony KV24FV12 24-inch TV ($550) and a Sony DVP-NX400D a DVD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW player ($250). This would be perfect for watching the news, sports or watching movies during a long night of work at the office. The combined total is $800.

Total: $5,315

I am a solo practitioner in Port Chester, N.Y. I practice in the areas of estate and tax planning, probate and trusts, elder law and real estate. I also do some small business transactions, but don’t litigate. Our tech status is relatively simple. We have three computers networked as peer-to-peer. Our software includes Time Matters 4.0. for case and document management. HourzPro handles time and billing on my Palm, with Excel. I don’t litigate, so there is no litigation support. I have a Palm IIIc, which integrates with Time Matters and on which I do all of my timekeeping. Quicken keeps my books. Of course I have a cell phone. The most recent technology purchase for 2001 was the upgrade to Time Matters 4.0; prior to that, it was a new modem for the server.

Denise’s Holiday Wish List on a Limited Budget

Legal-Specific Software: ProBATE Software’s Professional package. A large part of my practice is estate and probate. I already use ProBATE’s 706 software and its state-specific software. I want the rest of the package, which includes the fiduciary accounting software (I’m using an older version now), the 1041 software, the 709 and Estate Planning modules. This would eliminate some piecemeal solutions I currently have in place. It is $1,995.

General Office Software: QuickBooks. This would integrate my billing and my timekeeping, which is totally archaic. Speeding up billing means speeding up collections, which is always a good thing. Price: $149.

Hardware: The Acer CRW 1832A, CD-RW internal drive. Don’t we all need this now? Seriously, I would use it for alternate back up locations, and whatever else you use these CD-RWs for, especially for my teenager to download music from the Internet. Cost: $139.50.

Gadgets: Blackberry RIM 957. I love the idea of instant, anywhere access to e-mail, without having to dial up. The synchronization with other office software makes it almost irresistible. Cost: $500, plus about $600 for the year for service; total cost for 1 year is about $1,100.

Services: I would purchase a subscription to WestlawPro Plus. I currently use Westlaw per incident for caselaw and it’s adequate, but I would like to move away from the bound books and can only do that if I am comfortable with online statutes. I would need a year or two with a joint bound and Internet connection to wean off of the bound books. Price: approximately $225 a month.

Wild Card: An efficiency consultant. I would love to get a consultant into my office for a few weeks. This person would be knowledgeable about the software I use now, and would train my staff to love these programs and maximize their potential use in our workplace. This would better organize my office and streamline procedures. Estimated Cost: $2,500.

Total: $6,108.50

Denise’s Holiday Wish List If Money Were No Object

Legal-Specific Software: Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Solutions. I would really love to find voice recognition software that streamlines my practice. Part of this wish is that my hardware can handle the product. Price: $995.

General Office Software: Microsoft Windows XP operating system. I guess it’s time to give up Windows 95. The enhanced networking sounds enticing, as does the better mobile support and enhanced security. Upgrade price is about $199.

Hardware: HP 8550 MFP, a color laser printer and copier. I use a color inkjet to prepare estate plans with charts and graphs, but they take too long to print, and they smear when the clients cry about the taxes that might be due. Price: $11,800, plus delivery and set up.

Gadgets: The IBM TransNote. This is my dream gadget — automatically converting paper information to digital technology. I love having technological things happen behind the scenes. The TransNote promises to translate notes, images and writings without anyone noticing. This little toy offers a ton of dazzle! Price: $2,700.

Services: A tech expert on staff. This person would be the office guru that I just can’t be, dealing with the minor, “why won’t this document print” questions to the major technology issues, such as operating systems, networking, software implementation and training. My guru would train my staff, teach them the tricks that all the great software and hardware I have can do, gently persuade us to implement the time savers and organizational tools incident to the technology, and always be on the lookout for the next up-and-coming tool that will make my day better and my work easier. Price: Salary plus benefits, probably upwards of $65,000.

Wild Card: DSL connection to speed up Internet access. Modems just don’t do it any more. Price: approximately $1,000 including hardware upgrades and wiring the office.

Total: $81,694
To live is to dream. I hope there really is a Santa!

The Law Offices of Charles E. Whisonant is a boutique environmental law, real estate and business litigation firm with one attorney, one of-counsel and a part-time legal assistant with offices in Newport Beach and West Lake Village, Calif. The Newport Beach office has all of the usual technology and gadgetry suspects: multi-line phones, cell phones, fax machine and photocopier. We use Microsoft Word 2002 for correspondence and WordPerfect 2002 for everything else. We use a SCSI-based, TWAIN-compliant scanner for short documents, but the scanner is too slow and the automatic document feeder is too prone to jamming to be of use for longer documents. As for legal-specific software, I use Time Matters and PCLaw. The West Lake Village office uses Matthew Bender Authority On-Demand for legal research and forms. Rounding out the software side of things, we make extensive use of HotDocs 5.2, Norton AntiVirus and Adobe Acrobat 4.0. On the hardware side we have a Toshiba notebook and a recently upgraded, built-it-ourselves workstation with 1.2GHz AMD Duron CPU, 100GM of hard drive and 256MB RAM both connected to a home built server running Windows NT Server 4.0. The West Lake Village office uses a Dell notebook as a workstation and an ancient Dell Pentium 100 with 32MB RAM that serves as a file and print server.

Charles’ Holiday Wish List on a Limited Budget

Legal-Specific Software: I want to add a couple more licenses of Time Matters: one for the West Lake Village office and a second for Newport Beach. Estimated cost is $400.
General Office Software: We are pretty happy with our software at this point and probably would limit our list to upgrades of existing software — Visioneer’s PaperPort Deluxe 8.0 ($79.95) and Adobe Acrobat 5.0 ($249) come to mind.

Hardware: My wish list on a budget consists of upgrading all of the computers (server, notebooks and workstations) to Windows XP (after the first service release) and adding RAM to the server and one of the workstations and a larger hard drive to the server. Estimated cost — $2,000 for the operating system; $200 for the RAM and $250 for the hard drive.

Gadgets: I have been looking longingly at handheld PCs and a digital camera. NEC makes the MobilPro (around $1,000) and HP makes a handheld PC version of the Jornada, the Jornada 680 Handheld PC, (around $700). I have tried PDAs with and without keyboards and they are fine for calendaring and looking up contacts and items on a to-do list, but occasionally I would like to have something I could use for typing correspondence, sending and receiving e-mail without carrying a notebook. Also, I spend a lot of time in the field with clients and would like to keep a photographic record of these trips, and I never seem to get around to having film developed, so I tend to leave my camera at home. For around $500 I can get a pretty decent digital camera.

Services: I can’t think of any services that we would need that we don’t already have.

Wild Card: In the past I have used a PaperPort Strobe daily. Since upgrading to Windows 2000, we have relied solely on a flatbed scanner with an automatic document feeder. I would like a Windows 2000 compatible portable scanner. Estimated cost is $250.

Total: $5,628.95 including MobilPro and HP Jornada

Charles’ Holiday Wish List If Money Were No Object

Legal-Specific Software: Time Matters World Edition, which costs $1,500 for Browser Level 1 Server (up to 5 users).

General Office Software: Well, Katie, bar the door. On the software side, we are pretty happy with what we are using. I would still upgrade the operating system and get a copy of the five license version of Windows 2000 (or XP) Small Business Server (SBS). Estimated cost is $2,000.

Hardware: The current laser printer and scanner would be replaced with a Xerox color laser (about $5,000) and a high-speed Fujitsu or Ricoh color scanner with automatic document feeder (about $4,000), respectively.

Gadgets: The laptops would get replaced with the latest and greatest Toshiba Tecra 9000s, or the new Hewlett-Packard Omnibook 6100s, equipped with 1+ GHz CPUs, 30GB hard drives, 256MB RAM and DVD/CD-RW drives. Estimated cost is $3,200 each.

Services: I would consider getting the Matthew Bender Authority California Law Library on CD-ROM. I have seen this package, and it has just about all the research and practice materials I use. But it’s not cheap. It’s $24,000 per year.

Wild Card: I would connect the scanner to a workstation, a Hewlett-Packard X4000 for $4,532, equipped with a recordable DVD for scanning every document in the office onto the new server. Last but not least, I want someone to take care of this system and keep it working. Santa, are you listening?

Total: $44,232

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Updated 12/05/01
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