Solutions and Services
Real world experience over 30 years, extensive technical knowledge, and understanding the day-to-day activities of law firms is the basis for the high-valued services provided by Lori Quinn.
- For management, she advises on industry trends and helps guide technology policies
- For IT departments, she compliments their ability to interface with their user community by providing training, floor support, and advises on customization of software
- For end-users, the processes she develops and templates and macros she creates eliminates wasted time creating standard documents and forms
- For everyone, from casual users to power users, the training she conducts tackles actual tasks that are tedious and time-consuming, resulting in a measureable increase in productivity and less frustration
The Real Cost of Printing
Overt associated cost of printing includes ink, paper, and the cost of the printer itself which may be an out-of-pocket purchase or a per-impression cost of leased equipment. A greater expense is the often-overlooked hidden costs: space required to store paper (blank and used), supplies (labels, folders, redwells, and boxes), labor (to file, catalogue, and organize), shelving and cabinets and their associated real estate costs, off-site storage and transport costs, and costs to destroy confidential information, both onsite and offsite.
A Price Waterhouse Coopers study reports the average organization spends about $20 in labor to file each paper document and upwards of $200 in time spent searching for misfiled information. For every dollar spent on printing, another $6 is added simply for the handling, storing, and distribution of that document. Add to that the cost of waste : 45% of printed paper ends up in the trash bin by the end of the day.
From an ecological impact standpoint:
- The paper industry uses more water to produce a ton of product than any other industry
- Loss of forests contributes between 12 and 17% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions
- Paper in the U.S. represents one of the biggest components of solid waste in landfills
- Pulp and paper is the third largest industrial polluter to air, water, and land in the U.S. and Canada
So that piece of paper that you think is costing less than a penny … it isn’t.
Be All Digital
Going “paperless” has been a topic for decades. But paperless shouldn’t be the goal. The real goal should be become 100% Digital.
When you’re 100% Digital, there will be no more time-consuming hunts for information, no lost documents , no off-site storage, and a critical component of your Business Continuity Plan will be achieved if there was ever a disaster in your building.
While law firms have taken steps to become All Digital, in reality they are not as successful as management usually thinks they are. Old habits have unthinkingly remained in workflows in the transition from paper to electronic document management. One example is printing a letter to have it wet signed, then scanned, then attached to an email. It’s a waste of time and paper. There is a better way.
You probably already have all the tools, you just need to learn how to use them efficiently.
Citrix ShareFile
Citrix ShareFile is a very secure cloud service that provides many functions for a flat fee. It is much more robust than other FTP sites, such as DropBox or Hightail. Because it has unlimited space, you can move closed files and other inactive data and relieve network space. IT doesn’t even have to be involved.
- Outlook Plugin | Encrypt email contents to comply with PII, PHI, and HIPAA requirements, send large attachments that exceed your server’s maximum size, send secure links for outsiders to upload files to you, full tracking of emails, retract access to emails and attachments after you’ve sent them (something that Outlook cannot do)
- Online App | Access Citrix Files (fka ShareFile) from anywhere with any device. Manage files and folders, send and receive encrypted email, and manage the outsiders who have access to your data.
- Citrix Files (fka Drive Mapper) | ShareFile creates a mapped drive that behaves exactly like existing network drives. Internal folks can manage files including renaming and moving, manage folders, and open and edit documents directly including running Adobe processes such as Bates Numbering and OCRing wizards.
Streamline Workflow Processes
Productivity shouldn’t take a nosedive just because a departing person has all the knowledge in their head. Workflow processes should belong to the firm. A workflow usually is simply a change of habits using the technology you already have. It may include some automation, such as templates.
These 4 simple ideas are the foundation of implementing efficient workflow.
- Proper customization and standardization of all software
- Development of appropriate templates and macros that require no training to use them
- Practical workflow processes defined and documented
- Training specific to each person’s role
- Monitoring compliance
Customization
All software should be customized before it gets on someone’s desk. Deploying software out-of-the-box results in a few extra clicks here and there … every day … by everyone. Not customizing causes help desk calls, which may be answered by IT or their nearest neighbor, taking both away from their own duties. While it may take an extra hour to configure a computer this way, in the long run it saves a lot of time for everyone.
Template and Macro Development
Using templates are faster than starting a document from scratch or even dup-and-revise. Common templates are letterhead including using scanned signatures, pleadings, client-required forms/status reports, and administrative forms such as timesheets and expense reimbursement. Key advantages of templates, especially in conjunction with macros, are:
- Creating new document is just a couple of clicks
- Templates create new, healthy documents and lessens problems with corruption
- Consistency is achieved firm-wide, from document to document and person to person
- Shorter learning curve for new hires
- Attorneys can be more self-sufficient, less dependent on secretarial support
- Streamlining of internal forms and processes lessens the time spent by administration/accounting
- Less printing means less cost for consumables and copier costs and also time spent working with paper (filing, organizing, and indexing)
Presentation Design
Lori’s creative presentations have been highly successful in legal proceedings, mediations, CLEs, and marketing events. She can create from scratch or polish a work-in-progress. From simple storytelling to complex animations, Lori creates effective presentations that are easy for the audience to understand.
“Your contribution was essential to the success of our migration. The extra attention you gave to our network setup was exemplary and I appreciate your perpetual watching out for the Firm’s interests. Your expertise and suggestions have no doubt saved us many a headache post conversion.”
IT Manager, Houston Law Firm
Technology Training
Despite the huge leaps in time-saving functions embedded into current-day software, most folks utilize technology much like than they did several years ago. In part because old habits are hard to break but also because folks probably have not been properly trained on the latest technology. The right training bridges the gap between what folks currently know and what they need to know and targets their specific tasks as part of their learning process.
Everyone in the organization may use the same software but they use it in different ways. Folks don’t need to know everything about the apps they use. They just need to know how to use the elements that help them perform their tasks efficiently.
Training can be conducted on-site in person or remotely, in groups or one-on-one, in a hands-on environment if you have a training room, or hands-off in a conference room. One hour Lunch & Learns are ideal for explaining processes, teaching tips and tricks, demonstrating how functions will change due to upgrades, and Q&As.
Any of the topics below can be hands-off Lunch & Learn training or hands-on for better retention.
On-boarding New Hires
On-boarding of new hires often is devoid of thorough technology training despite the fact that employees will use software every day, all day. A critical element to getting new hires productive as soon as possible is to provide their technology training the first day they arrive. Asking a co-worker to train or support them is unfair to both of them. The co-worker is taken away from their own duties and unless that co-worker is a professional trainer, the new hire likely won’t get correct and thorough training.
Predators Are at the Door
Being a bystander when it comes to computer security is no longer an option. A mistake by just one person can cause data loss and permit viruses and ransomware access to the network. In this class:
In this class, learn how to
- recognize risky links and attachments before you click on them
- avoid phishing and other scams
- identify legitimate messages and popups from those that are not
Reviewing Documents
You have a collection of documents (probably from the opposing side) but you don’t have an eDiscovery or Review platform.
For a large collection, it’s a daunting task to figure out what you have. Manually creating an index or opening files one at a time is not efficient. Sorting can only do so much, especially if the filenames are non-descript.
This class explains some ways to browse the collection, create a printable list of file and folder names, and view the contents quickly. Using native Windows functions, files can be tagged for organizational purposes, narrowing down the scope of data and likely allowing you to eliminate or target relevant documents. This tactic can be used to pre-process files going into a document review system such as Relativity, CaseLogistix, CaseMap, and others.
Prepping for Trial
Take less paper to trial and more technology just by learning how to use software you already have or can get for free. This class explains in detail how to export documents from your document management system en masse and bypass some of the show-stopping prompts you may encounter. Using Adobe, create a database that allows you to find words and phrases in every PDF across the entire collection within seconds. And finally, create an index of all files (not just PDFs) that are on the trial laptop and open them with just a click. This training is for staff and attorneys, with a slightly different skew for each group.
Streamline Workflows
Learn how to cut out excess steps in many of your everyday workflows. A few minutes saved every day by every person, from file clerks to the Firm Administration to Accounting to timekeepers and staff. It adds up over time and will markedly impact your bottom line.
Train the Trainer
- Learn the building blocks for teaching new concepts, new software, and upgraded software
- Create handouts that are actually valuable to the end user and not an overwhelming project to design
- Learn how to determine the contents of training classes for hands-on and hands-off
- Learn how to teach differently depending on the medium: hands-on groups, hands-off groups, one-on-one, webinar
- Create templates and discuss where they should be located for easy maintenance and revisions
- Macro training also available
Working with Long Documents: Headers, Footers, and Section Breaks
Working with Word’s headers, footers, and section breaks can be simple. Until they are not. This class explains how to avoid some gotchas and fix problems with documents created by someone else.
- number pages, starting on any page with any number
- create a title page with no page number but the body of the document has them
- create headers and footers with different text for different sections, such as chapters
- navigating tips with mouse and keyboard and creating bookmarks
Videos and Sound: Snipping, Joining, and Creating
Perhaps you need pieces from a video to show in a legal proceeding or as part of a presentation in a CLE. Or you need to create a day-in-the-life video from scratch using photos and narrative. Or having a video on a DVD may not be in a format that you can be edited or used in a presentation (Adobe or PowerPoint).
You probably already have the technology to snip your own videos which means you don’t need to send it to a vendor.
In this class, we review different brands of software that help you edit both video and audio, including excellent tools that are free. Learn how to get media files into a format that is usable on your computer as well as how to make snippets, to transition from one element to another smoothly, add recorded narrative or music, and many other valuable tips.
Working with Images
PDFs, photos, scanned documents, screenshots, mobile device downloads/shares, and saved pictures from the web are just some of the image types that are encountered in law firms on a daily basis. Adobe, Word, PowerPoint, and even Outlook provide tools to position, size, wrap text, apply borders, and even add comments or captions. Other programs, some of which are free, provide more extensive tools such as removing backgrounds, blurring details, enhancing such as lightning or sharpening, reducing file size without reducing quality, generating a contact sheet with filenames, and adding drawn elements such as arrows and highlights. In this class, learn about all of these capabilities and many more practical functions for working with images.
Windows Essentials
Competency in core tasks for working in Windows can save you time every day. Memorizing a few keystrokes will quickly lock your computer or open Windows Explorer. Learn how to correctly eject thumb drives, create and use zipped files, burn disks, move and copy files to/from drives, use the Taskbar and Start Menu, and dozens of other short, time-saving tips.
Microsoft Word Topics
- Essentials: create, edit, navigate, use fonts, formatting, save, and print documents
- Creating Healthy Documents
- Working with Tables
- Headers, Footers, and Section Breaks
- Word Table of Contents
- Word Table of Authorities
- Tracking changes, reviewing, and comparing documents
- Essentials of using and editing Styles
- Recommended Options you should set and customizing the QAT
- Mass mailings (email or documents) using Mail Merge
- Create templates
- Be a Word Ninja: 50 tips
iManage | FileSite, DeskSite, WorkSite Miner, Express Search
Searching for Documents | Files saved to iManage can quickly be found using two different search tools: the traditional search used in FileSite (Outlook) and DeskSite and the much more robust Boolean search in Miner. Just memorize a few key terms and you should be able to find any file in the system within 30 seconds. There are searches performed with Miner that cannot be done with the traditional searching.
Other iManage topics include:
- 30 Tips for using iManage | Even if you’ve used iManage for years, you will learn a few new things in this class
- Using Versions and Related Documents | If you don’t know how to differentiate between the last version and the latest version, you might be making changes to an old document.
- Importing, Exporting, and Checking Out documents | If you’re going off-site and need iManage documents, you can Export them or check them out. But there are gotchas when using either of these features. This class details a couple of methods you can use.
Microsoft Outlook Topics
- Essentials: basic email creation, using contacts, email netiquette
- Managing messages
- Creating Rules and using QuickSteps
- Using the calendar, including sending and managing meeting requests
- Be an Outlook Ninja: 30 tips on MS Outlook
Microsoft Excel Topics
- Essentials: entering data, navigating, formatting
- Simply printing
- Find, Filter, and Sort
- Basic formulas
- Creating charts and graphs
Adobe Acrobat
- Essentials: creating and working with PDFs that are scanned or born digital
- Bates Numbering and Headers and Footers
- Redacting with Adobe
- Searching across a collection of PDFs
- Creating and using Forms
- Properly preparing a pleading and exhibits for eFiling in Texas courts
- Embedding video, sound, and hyperlinks
- Presenting with Adobe, a simple alternative to PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint
- Essentials: entering data, understanding layouts, common mistakes to avoid
- Tips for the presenter
- Animation and Transitions
- Using video and sound
- Creating a printable version
- Understanding the Master slide and developing templates
- Creating charts and graphs
- Using SmartArt
Lori Quinn has always provided excellent, pertinent information. Her style of teaching keeps the participants’ interest and she consistently receives high praise from the attendees. I highly recommend her if you are looking for an excellent software trainer and consultant.”
Named Partner, Dallas Law Firm
About Lori Quinn
Lori is a veteran software trainer, drawing on more than 30 years of experience, teaching thousands of people in law firms, corporate America, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Most of her business comes from repeat clients and client referrals.
Specializing in the legal industry, she understands law firms’ unique requirements and the need to quickly respond to requests from clients and courts. Her technology training and guidance has been valued by law firms of all sizes, courts, government agencies, in-house counsel, and legal vendors throughout Texas and the U.S.
Lori has been a featured trainer in training videos, the author of published articles in trade magazines, and developer of training curriculum, including certified courses for CPAs. She has served on the faculty of technology conferences, has founded and led multiple user groups, and been a frequent guest speaker at technology and legal association events.
In 1996, she founded a volunteer organization to teach computer skills to senior citizens for which the group received an advocacy award from the State of Texas. Today, the organization continues to be very active, teaching upwards of 80 seniors a week on technology at no cost to the participants.
Lori energizes an audience as a presenter and as a trainer. With her many years of practical experience and her natural humor, learning is not only productive, but downright enjoyable.