FYI for June 2009

Moving from LiveNote™ to TextMap® Software Helps Litigation Firm Reduce Costs, Improve Profitability

Attorneys at Philadelphia-based Anapol, Schwartz, Weiss, Cohan, Feldman & Smalley, P.C., had been conducting hundreds of depositions each year. Although they were accustomed to using LiveNote™ software for transcript management, they grew increasingly disenchanted with the pricing model of the product, as well as its flexibility for remote access and operation.

To address concerns about cost and the need for remote access to transcript databases, Anapol Schwartz leaders explored the option of moving to TextMap® transcript management software as the firm’s preferred solution. After using TextMap 5 on a trial basis, they were convinced it was the superior product and decided to migrate from LiveNote to TextMap.

“Clearly Superior”: Cost Savings and Portability

“TextMap was so clearly superior to LiveNote on two principal levels,” says Mark LeWinter, a shareholder in the firm. “First, the pricing model for TextMap was far more attractive than what we had in place with LiveNote and it created a scenario where the value proposition was a no-brainer advantage for TextMap. Second, I personally found TextMap to be much more conducive to the realities of life for a busy litigator who spends a lot of time on the road. TextMap is very portable and much easier for our paperless work environment.”

TextMap now helps the firm:

• Reduce costs
• Manage more with less
• Gain remote access to transcript databases
• Reduce reliance on paper transcripts
• Gain a competitive advantage through quick, fingertip access to depositions

Read the full case study

Says LeWinter, “The truth is that, with this software, you’re only limited by your own imagination as to how you can leverage the power of the TextMap database to manage litigation.”

How Does TextMap Help Firms Succeed?

TextMap creates a searchable database of electronic transcripts from case depositions, examinations and other proceedings. Users can quickly upload transcripts from many different formats, including Concordance® discovery management software, and send transcript summary passages directly to CaseMap® fact and issue management software for inclusion in key case facts.

Even attorneys working with electronic transcripts for the first time can search the concordances of their transcripts, print selections and use the built-in PDF writer.

TextMap 5: Linked, Synched and Ready for Action!

With the latest version of TextMap software, it’s easy to:

• Link transcripts to exhibits automatically—and economically. There’s no need to pay for separate linking software, as there is with some competing products.

• Link documents and exhibits to your annotations. Attach electronic files to your notes for fast, fingertip access to key information.

• Play back the video of your depositions, synchronized with the transcript text.

• Search for key phrases in a transcript, and then start playing the video from that location.

• Annotate important passages of the transcript and play back just that portion of the video testimony to effectively highlight key testimony in court presentation.

• Take your linked exhibits on the road with you when you create a case replica.

• Create and share cost-effective PDF reports with embedded exhibits and documents.

• Quickly explore all exhibits and documents, linked to each transcript.

• Import evidence packages provided by court reporters via YesLaw® CDs and DVDs.

Find out more about the advantages of TextMap—read the full case study.

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30-Second Skill Tuning: The CaseMap® Detail Window

The Detail Window feature within CaseMap® fact and issue management software makes it easy to review, enter and edit any piece of case information without changing the columns in view within your CaseMap spreadsheets.

View a screen shot of the Detail Window for facts.

The beauty of the Detail Window is that it lists all fields that describe a fact, object or issue independent of what fields are currently in view in the spreadsheet. Edits that you make in the Detail Window are automatically applied to information appearing in spreadsheets and vice versa.

You can also use the Detail Window to add new records to a case file. It’s a great approach if you’re planning to capture lots of details about a document or other case element.

You can display the Detail Window that corresponds to any spreadsheet record by selecting the Records/Record Detail menu item. You can also display it by pressing the default keyboard shortcut CTRL+F2.

One more tip: Just select the player’s Short Name where it appears in the fact or document description, right-click and select Object Detail from the shortcut menu to display the Detail Window for that player.

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Bulk Import Scripts Now Available

You’re probably aware that if you’re using Adobe® Acrobat® with CaseMap® fact and issue management software, you can bulk import PDF documents into CaseMap with the Acrobat plug-in. The plug-in installs when you install CaseMap and creates a seamless integration between the tools.

Perhaps you also know that many of the litigation support tools that CaseMap integrates with also offer this option. But what if you have a lot of Microsoft® Word documents you need to link to CaseMap? What about TIFF files?

Now you can bulk import those documents too, as well as many other file types. This is all possible with customized bulk import scripts. We can create bulk import scripts for just about any file type you need. Even though it sometimes takes several hours to develop a script, we simply charge a $100 fee, no matter what product you’re trying to import from.

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Short Names Explained

Although you can enter data into CaseMap without using Short Names, doing so will cause you to lose much of the power that CaseMap puts at your fingertips to automatically connect case knowledge elements.

Benefits of using Short Names

• Using Short Names brings consistency to your case information.
  Without Short Names, it’s easy to use multiple names for the same person, organization or document. Suppose you’re working on a case involving a defendant named Ridge Medical Center. If you don’t use Short Names, it’s likely that this one entity will be entered as RMC, Ridge, Ridge Medical, and Ridge Medical Center. Having multiple names for one entity is problematic. Use Ridge Medical Center’s Short Name, and you’ll be confident that when you filter the chronology down to all facts that mention the defendant, you won’t miss a single critical fact.

• Short Names make data entry faster.
  
  
• Short Names can be just a few keystrokes, and CaseMap uses them to create links automatically.

• Rather than typing Ridge Medical Center over and over, just type RMC (and CaseMap substitutes the Full Name as soon as you leave the cell). As you type in any of the CaseMap description fields, use Short Names when you refer to persons, organizations, documents and other objects.
• When you use Short Names, CaseMap creates links as you type. It’s easy to tell which fields recognize Short Names; look for the gray chain link symbol in the field name.

Select Short Names with the Link Assistant

CaseMap software reads what you type into description fields. When it spots the beginning of an object Short Name, CaseMap displays the Link Assistant and selects the Short Name with the spelling closest to what you’ve typed. Press Enter to accept the selection.

As you work in any description field, you can pop up the Link Assistant and use it to search for a particular Short Name. Press Ctrl + Spacebar. You’ll know that CaseMap has recognized and linked a Short Name because the software has underlined it with a dashed line to give you visual feedback as you work.

Underlining of Short and Full Names doesn’t print in reports. Short Names appear when you click into a description cell to edit its contents. When you leave the cell, CaseMap substitutes object Full Names for Short Names.

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Below is our CaseMap training schedule. To register for a class, please fill out a registration form and return it at least one week before the start date.

In response to client demand and the current economic climate, we are now offering more online training opportunities. Another great way to minimize training costs is for us to come to you with our popular and affordable on-site training and “Jumpstart” consulting sessions (contact us for more information).

Course Descriptions

CaseMap for Attorneys: This course is designed with attorneys in mind—it’s quick, targeted, and online. You’ll learn to quickly build a case, analyze and link your data, and run pertinent reports.

FastTrack: This course is designed to help new CaseMap customers learn the essentials of the program. Topics include CaseMap strategies, sorting and searching techniques, creating great work product, and using the Send to CaseMap feature in Adobe® Acrobat® and other tools.

To register, fill out and submit a registration form.

To learn more, visit our Web site law.lexisnexis.com/casemap/training

Or contact litservtraining@lexisnexis.com or 425-463-3546.

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