Amicus Attorney Pro - Dec/Jan '98

Amicus Attorney Pro

Unless you are using a linked program for calendaring such as GroupWise or Outlook, the case management program you select must also perform basic functions such as group scheduling and task management. I have seen some attorneys use separate programs, but it's hardly an efficient arrangement. No matter how strong the database functions of your case management program are, you will soon grow dissatisfied if it makes you work too hard to enter and retrieve basic appointments and to-do items.

Amicus Attorney's graphical interface makes entering and retrieving information completely intuitive. In the calendar view, you are presented with a graphical representation of a spiral-bound organizer, with your appointments on the right and to-do list on the left. By selecting from a pull-down menu, the to-do list can be changed to a phone log or note file. When the date of an appointment changes, you can reschedule it by dragging and dropping the appointment onto the small calendar on the screen. I consider this function an essential part of any good PIM, but a surprising number of case management programs require you to open the record and revise the date.

With this latest version, Amicus has added a new weapon against the Docket Demon: a date calculator to determine due dates based on the number of days.

In the previous version of Amicus, the contact management function had a lack of fields for multiple addresses, e-mail addresses and Web pages. With this latest version, they have added two customizable pages to the contact information section. Also, you can now assign contacts to multiple groups.

As for the case management functions, everything is based on the analogy of paper files that would normally be kept in a law office. Amicus displays an electronic equivalent, right down to the brass brads that hold papers in place. Carrying this metaphor even further, if you want to get information from a file, you must go to the office where the file is kept, the same way you would work with paper files.

Each Amicus attorney maintains an "office" on the network. To gain access to your office and the files therein, your secretary or assistant runs a workstation program called Amicus Attorney Pro--Assistant Office. The primary distinction is that assistants do not "own" any information. Assistants can only work with attorneys' information and add to those files. For true networking among all the "offices," you must add an overlay program called Amicus Team.

One great feature added since our last review is the "Do" button. Say, for example, you have a pending phone call on your to-do list. Amicus can now create a link between such an item and the function necessary to complete it. Seeing that you have a call to return, you would just click the Do button and Amicus would dial the phone, start the timer ticking and open a note for you to key in details of the call. If the to-do item involves creating a document, the Do button would invoke Amicus' improved document assembly features to open your word processor and create the document. Obviously, you must set up the more sophisticated links so that Amicus will know what it is it is supposed to "Do," but there is a precedent feature that can save a procedure for future use.

Other features include the ability to synchronize a notebook computer so that you can take database information with you, a link to Compulaw that provides local court rules for automatic calendaring, and a link to HotDocs 4 for automated document creation. The publishers of Amicus have also announced that a direct, dynamic link to Timeslips will be added in the near future.

Gavel & Gown Software
(800-472-2289

By Aaron P. Morris

From the Shopper's Guide to Case Management Software - Dec/Jan '98