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| TrialWorks, Version 8.0 | Case Management |
| Imagine if all the information
for every case in your office were a click away and available to your entire staff every
day of the year. Imagine if you could enter the case caption once, the names of opposing
counsel once and then, in a pinch, come in on a Sunday without your secretary and generate
subpoenas, deposition notices and print envelopes from a service list with ease. Stop
imagining and get a case management program, such as TrialWorks, Version 8.0 by Lawex
Corp. TrialWorks is a competitive case management program for both small firms (under 30 users) and large firms. The version for larger firms uses a Microsoft SQL Server as its backbone, while the version for smaller firms uses a Microsoft Access database as its internal structure. The version reviewed in this article is for small firms. TrialWorks is a repository for all information pertinent to each case or particular client. Each time you start the software, you are invited to review your reminders. The first screen of the program allows you to choose a case from a pull-down menu or create a new case with a wizard. That screen contains tabs behind which are the names of the parties, contacts, pleadings, discovery, insurance, medicals, memos and the like. E-mail can be tracked as well if you use Microsoft Exchange Server. Each case has its own tab that holds all the relevant information for it. Documents are created by the program with the use of templates and are accessible using hyperlinks located throughout various tabs. For example, you can link your WordPerfect interrogatories to the list in the Discovery tab. When you want to see them again, you can call them up by clicking the hypertext link. You can scan images, and embed audio and video clips into the database. The listed documents can be accessed using context-sensitive menus that are activated with the right mouse button. For example, you can e-mail the document as an attachment from the list. External documents can be referenced or incorporated into the database. The advantage of incorporating documents into the database is that they become portable with the Pack-and-Go procedure that lets you create a replica of the database (one case or many cases) for your laptop to work on elsewhere. Pack-and-Go allows you to transfer read-only copies of your documents to your laptop. Unfortunately, packing a case is not quite as automated as with some other programs. Aside from Pack-and-Go being able to make copies of the documents, Windows 2000 offline synchronization features can be used to take documents on the road, edit them and synchronize them with existing files. TrialWorks integrates with Microsoft Outlook, QuickBooks Pro, PCLaw and Juris. One of TrialWorks’ most convenient features is its ability to use templates and client/case information to create documents. It includes ready-made WordPerfect and Word templates, and you can create your own templates with the program. The program automatically adds case captions and client information input when the case is open. You can generate subpoenas, deposition notices, service lists and so forth with a few clicks of the mouse. It will print the requisite envelopes too. TrialWorks integrates extensively with Microsoft Outlook for calendaring and contact features, allowing you to see your appointments, hearings, To-Dos, contacts and so forth in the various views of Outlook. TrialWorks can be used for any area of practice, but has several features specific to personal injury practice. TrialWorks can generate a full case report, expense reports, case valuation reports, statute of limitations reports and several others. The docketing capabilities are well thought out, and you can send information to the Outlook calendar or To-Do list. Docket control is also convenient, allowing you to set the number of days before an event as a reminder and provides a running countdown of the number of days until the event. The large firm version of TrialWorks utilizes the enhanced technology of SQL for efficiency, stability and additional features. Some of the enhancements include additional security, which allows administrators to control access to fields, tabs and cases. Other features include a link to MediConnect, an online provider of medical records, and links with PC Docs, GroupWise, eFax and WinFax. With the new TrialWorks TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface) integration, and a TAPI-compliant phone system and Caller ID, TrialWorks searches for the caller’s contact record and allows you to immediately switch to the appropriate case. Instant messaging also is included. The newest release of TrialWorks SQL uses the Microsoft Index Server (provided with Windows NT and 2000) that allows you to search for a single word or phrase in thousands of documents quickly. The features available in both versions of the program are far too numerous to list in this article. The bottom line is that TrialWorks is easy to learn and use. The manual is contained on the installation CD-ROM and installed on the hard disk in Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF). The extensive manual outlines the procedures for the menus and options in the program. Maintenance contracts, which include updates and unlimited toll-free support, are available. TrialWorks is sold by user license, and each license comes with 90-days of toll-free technical support and upgrades. |
Lawex Corp. (800) 377-5844 www.trialworks.com Price: $695, first license; $495 per each additional license Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP Reviewed by Steven Schmidt, shareholder, director and president of Business & Technology Law, Albuquerque, N.M. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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