FYI for April 2009

When you need an easy way to organize your thoughts in preparation for depositions, hearings, voir dire, oral arguments or other courtroom statements, rely on NoteMap® software, the litigator’s tool of choice. NoteMap is easier to use and provides more outlining functionality than traditional word processors. It helps you increase efficiency and produce work product that shows your client and your judge that you are well prepared to present the issues at hand. Find out why more litigators are using NoteMap!

Easily Outline Your Interviews, Depositions and More with NoteMap®

NoteMap software is a simple-to-use, highly customizable tool that helps you create detailed outlines on the fly. It’s great for brainstorming and organizing thoughts in preparation for depositions, hearings, voir dire, opening statements, closing arguments and much more. NoteMap is easier to use—and provides more functionality—than word processors.

What makes NoteMap the tool of choice for efficient attorneys? Just ask litigators Rob Jenner, Mike Rogers and Daniel J. Siegel. All of them have made NoteMap a part of their workflow.

• At Janet, Jenner & Suggs in Baltimore, Md., Rob Jenner uses NoteMap software in preparing for interviews and depositions. He finds NoteMap easier to use than word processing for taking notes. And his notes can be easily exported from NoteMap to other programs like Microsoft® Word, Corel® WordPerfect® and PowerPoint®. Read the full case study.

• At Ronin Consulting, based in Chicago and New York, Mike Rogers thinks about lines of cross examination and enters them in NoteMap before performing analysis. Read the full case study.

• In his small firm in Pennsylvania, Daniel Siegel uses the full CaseMap suite of products—CaseMap, TextMap®, TimeMap® and NoteMap software. He says clients have been so pleased with his well-organized work product that they have told others about Siegel’s services and helped him generate new business. “The bottom line is that the CaseMap suite is a major reason the firm’s business continues to grow,” says Siegel. Read the full case study.

An Outline for Effectiveness

Like Jenner, Rogers and Siegel, you can also benefit from NoteMap software:

• NoteMap helps you effectively organize your thoughts and annotate/edit the outlines you create.
• NoteMap outlines can help you prepare for cross-examinations, interviews, depositions and other case activity. They can form the basis for court filings, statement preparation and more.
• You can easily link outlines to CaseMap® fact and issue management software.
• It’s a snap to export NoteMap outlines to word processing and presentation software, if desired.

Handy NoteMap Features

Adding Comments

NoteMap software enables you to attach miscellaneous comments to your outline notes. When you add a comment to a note, a yellow sticky note icon appears in the gutter to the left of the note. When you float your mouse pointer over the comment icon, a hint displays the entire text of the comment.

NoteMap uses a single font style for all comments. You cannot change the display font used for comments, but you can change the font style used to print comments. View step-by-step instructions on adding, viewing, editing and removing comments.

Folding Notes

Folding makes it easy to see the structure of your outline—even when your notes contain a great deal of text. When a note is folded, you see only the first line of text in the note, and a small blue triangle appears in the gutter to the left of the note.

When you float your mouse pointer over a folded note, a hint displays the entire text of the note. If you want to edit a folded note, just click into the text and make your changes.

When you print your outline, you can choose whether notes print folded or unfolded. The default is for notes to print unfolded. If you choose to print notes folded, a small triangle prints to the left of the folded notes. View step-by-step instructions on folding and unfolding notes.

Linking Notes to External Files and Inserting Hyperlinks

You can link NoteMap notes to external files such as spreadsheets, images, word-processing documents and the like.

You can also insert hyperlinks into your notes. Hyperlinks are handy for linking notes to Web pages, e-mail addresses, and pretty much any file on your system. Click here for more details on linking.

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30-Second Skill Tuning: Creating Templates with TimeMap®

With TimeMap timeline graphing software, you can transform vital litigation information into visual timelines for case analysis. No graphic expertise needed. You supply the facts from your case, and TimeMap automatically creates a time scale and positions fact flags along it. Or use your pre-generated sets of facts from CaseMap to produce easy-to-browse legal timeline visuals for exhibits at mediation and trial. And use the practical graphs at client meetings, at hearings, in filings, etc.

Choose From More than 30 Templates—or Easily Create Your Own

You can choose from more than 30 standard timeline templates that include various flag styles, title styles, background colors and more. Then simply enter the dates, times (down to the second, if you wish) and descriptions of events. TimeMap is the only timeline graphing tool that automatically regenerates the timeline with every new or revised entry.

To create a new visual from an existing TimeMap template, go to the File menu, click on the arrow to the right of “New” and choose New from Template. You should now see a dialog box with a list of templates to choose from. Once you have selected a theme, click OK to create a new visual using that template.

You can also create your own templates for future use in TimeMap software. Once you have created a visual that you want to use as a template, go to the File menu, click Save As and click Template. You will be prompted to save the visual in the Templates folder, which is the default. Name the template in a way that will allow you to recognize it easily the next time you go to use it.

Once you click Save, you will be prompted to choose whether the template should be in the "Colors" category or "Black and White." Choose the appropriate category and click OK. You have created your first TimeMap template! Any templates you create will be listed under “My Templates.”

Set Any Template as Default

You can set any template as the default for all future visuals. Simply right-click on the template and choose the appropriate option. You can also use the “Default” button in the lower right corner of the Templates dialog box.

We hope this gives you a little more insight on the many options available in TimeMap. Be on the lookout for TimeMap 5 software coming out later this year.

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CaseMap® Motion for Summary Judgment Feature

One of the best-loved features in CaseMap is the Summary Judgment Wizard. It allows you to significantly reduce the time and effort needed to produce reports, lists and motions for summary judgment.  When you are in CaseMap, you can find it by clicking the Reports menu, then Summary Judgment Wizard.

This tool makes it easy to:

• Produce a list of all undisputed facts, linked to case issues, to simplify preparation of a motion for summary judgment—or a separate statement of material facts
• Prepare court filings required for motions for summary judgment and memoranda in opposition to motions for summary judgment
• Identify summary judgment opportunities and risks
• Organize the factual details required for summary judgment

The word-processing document created by CaseMap software lists undisputed or disputed facts below the issues to which they relate. You determine which issues to include in the word-processing document and select the format for listing facts.

CaseMap also includes two features that make it easy to evaluate summary judgment opportunities and risks:

• The default view of the Issues spreadsheet in each CaseMap file presents Link Summary columns that display the counts of undisputed and disputed facts linked to each case issue. Scan down these columns, and you'll quickly see where opportunities/risks of summary judgment are present. Click the counts to inspect the facts behind the figures.
  
  
• The Analysis Filter in CaseMap provides another way to evaluate summary judgment. Just go to the View menu and click Issue Linking. Then, go to the Task Pane on the right and click the Analysis Filter expand bar at the bottom. From there it’s a cinch to filter the Fact spreadsheet based on the issues to which facts are linked, whether facts are disputed or undisputed, etc. The Analysis Filter is particularly handy for those who are less experienced in using CaseMap software.

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CaseMap® and CourtLink® Single Search

It’s easy to link CourtLink documents directly to your CaseMap case file. All you have to do is find the file you want to link, right-click and choose Send to CaseMap. It’s that easy!

Why Use CourtLink Single Search?

CourtLink Single Search allows you to conduct a broad, multi-source search across an unparalleled collection of federal and state court content. Search across more than 80 million dockets and more than six million court-filed documents—simultaneously. Then you can filter results to pinpoint the most relevant dockets and documents.

When you complete a CourtLink Single Search, you can view all the underlying dockets and online documents returned in your search at no additional charge—a great way to manage costs. You can refine all search results by date, litigation area, geography, court and more.

The CourtLink document repository consists of briefs, pleadings, motions, notices and other legal filings requested in the past by CourtLink customers.

Use CourtLink Single Search to find and review:

• Prior litigation for existing clients and prospective clients—see previous litigation strategies employed, trends and outcomes
• The background record of opposing parties, including their potentially weak areas and prior judgments from particular judges—this can help you better anticipate their ruling tendencies
• Litigation history of expert witnesses—find out if they might be discredited based on positions taken in previous cases

Access CourtLink Your Way

• Easily find the CourtLink Single Search box at the top of any CourtLink page at www.courtlink.com. Enter one or more keywords and click Search. Then, enter your Client Matter Code (optional). Click Submit Search.

• Or go to the main LexisNexis® Total Litigator page by signing on to the LexisNexis services at www.lexis.com and clicking the Total Litigator tab. Enter your search terms in the Search Dockets & Documents box (at center-right) and click Go.

For more information about CourtLink Single Search, LexisNexis Total Litigator or any of the other litigation solutions from LexisNexis®, contact your LexisNexis account representative.

You can also attend CourtLink® training sessions free of charge. Live CourtLink training Webinars are now being offered on a regular basis. Enroll for a session.

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TextMap® 5: Linked, Synched and Ready for Action

After last month’s release, you know that TextMap 5 now delivers fast and easy exhibit-linking within case transcripts and the ability to synchronize video depositions with transcript text. Now, see it in action!

View a short online demo of TextMap 5 to see just how simple—and cost-effective—it can be to automatically link transcripts to case exhibits; create and share PDF reports with embedded exhibits and documents; and synchronize video depositions with transcript text to increase the impact of key testimony.

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CaseMap® Training Schedule

Below is our training schedule for classroom and online classes. 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).

Through August 1, 2009, on-site training, Jumpstart sessions and classes at LexisNexis offices are available at 20% off* (does not apply to online classes).

*Some restrictions may apply. Offer expires August 1, 2009.

Course Descriptions

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.

Certified Paralegal: This course is specifically designed to help paralegals, legal assistants, and other support professionals learn best practices for inputting and extracting crucial case data.

Certified Administrator: This course is specifically designed for litigation support professionals. It reviews how to deploy and support CaseMap and TimeMap software.

To register, fill out and send in a registration form. Or contact litservtraining@lexisnexis.com or 425-463-3546.

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

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This is Client FYI 127283a, an eNewsletter from LexisNexis, a leading provider of authoritative legal, news, public records, and business information, and electronic filing services. If you do not wish to receive this eNewsletter from LexisNexis, use this link to let us know.

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