FYI for June 2008

When you need valuable tips on organizing your case or creating clear timelines, you don’t have to go on a wild expedition! Take off your Indiana Jones hat and read this month’s Client FYI to find the Top 5 TimeMap® secrets destined to make a difference in your case visuals.

And don’t miss the top TimeMap keyboard shortcuts, answers to questions on the CaseMap® PDF Bates stamper, training opportunities and coming attractions.

You Don’t Have to be Indiana Jones to Dig Up These TimeMap® Secrets

Here’s a hot find that doesn’t require you to join Indy in the far corners of Peru! Take a quick look at this cheat sheet with five valuable TimeMap secrets. Okay, it may not be as exciting as a remote adventure, but we think you’ll find these five secrets to be invaluable as you create compelling case timelines.

Secret 1: The quickest way to edit a Fact Box, a Text Box or the Time Scale is to double-click it and use the features found in the Properties dialog box.

Secret 2: Selecting multiple boxes makes it easier to edit your visual. Don’t go from box to box making changes. Instead press CTRL+A, which selects all Fact Boxes, and make the changes once. Or select a group of Fact Boxes by pressing and holding down the SHIFT key while clicking boxes with your mouse pointer.

Secret 3: A chart brimming with Fact Boxes typically makes a poor communication aid. Even though one TimeMap timeline can be up to 100 pages wide, it’s hard to make all boxes easily visible in a chart with more than 120 boxes. If you have a great many events to chart, then create separate visuals for different time periods in the history of the dispute. Don’t try to jam the whole story into one visual.

Secret 4: In addition to printing your TimeMap timelines, you can save them as PDFs, JPEGs, GIFs and bitmaps and e-mail them to other trial team members who don’t have TimeMap. You can also present your timelines using the TimeMap full screen mode or export them right away to Microsoft® PowerPoint® or Sanction® legal presentation software.

Secret 5 … the Ultimate Secret: Savvy case analysis professionals know they can call CaseMap support at (904) 373-2160 to get quick answers to any TimeMap question―not just technical ones. Please call us with any question!

^ back to TOC

TimeMap® Keyboard Shortcuts

Readers appreciated a variety of CaseMap® keyboard shortcuts shared in the May Client FYI. You can also save time with NoteMap® outlining tool and TimeMap keyboard shortcuts that dramatically reduce the need to use your mouse. A full list of shortcuts is available via Help menus within the software.

Here are a few TimeMap shortcuts you may find especially useful:

INSERT
Adds a new Fact Box to a TimeMap visual.

F2
Opens the Fact Property dialog box for the selected fact.

CTRL+A
Selects all Fact Boxes. Don’t go from box to box making edits when you can make all of your changes at once.

SHIFT
Allows you to select a group of Fact Boxes by clicking boxes with your mouse pointer.

Arrow Keys (Left, Right, Up, Down)
Moves the selected boxes by small increments.

F11
Toggles you in and out of the TimeMap full screen presentation mode.

TAB/SHIFT+TAB
Moves your selection to the next Fact Box (Tab) or to the previous Fact Box (shift+Tab). These keyboard shortcuts are particularly useful when you're working with a multi-page visual in full screen presentation mode. When you press Tab, the next Fact Box off screen moves into view.

CTRL+Z
Undoes your last action (TimeMap 4 features a 30-level Undo).

CTRL+S
Saves your visual.

^ back to TOC

CaseMap® PDF Bates Stamper Follow-up

After last month’s article, “CaseMap PDF Bates Stamper Automates More of Your Work,” we received a number of questions about the tool. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are listed below. For more details, feel free to give us a call at 904-273-5000 or send an e-mail to casemap.support@lexisnexis.com

What is the CaseMap Plug-in PLUS for Acrobat® (CPPA)?

It's what we used to call (in CaseMap 6) the CaseMap PDF Bates stamper plus other integrations with Adobe® Acrobat®. We developed the tool to make it easy to Bates stamp PDF files and to prep them for bulk-linking to CaseMap. The plug-in is installed in Acrobat during the installation of CaseMap 6 and 7. It works only on PDFs, not other types of image files.

Why did LexisNexis develop its own Bates stamper product for use with CaseMap?

Here's a bit of background: We didn't start out trying to create our own Bates stamper that would work with CaseMap. Rather, we were hoping to find a way to detect the Bates stamps that other Acrobat plug-ins added to PDFs. We discovered that the way these other products create Bates stamps meant they couldn't be reliably detected. This led us to invest many months of development and testing to create our own Acrobat Bates stamping plug-in that would work with CaseMap.

What version of Acrobat is required to use the CPPA?

Acrobat 6 or later is required―Standard or Professional, not Reader.

What version of CaseMap is required to use the CaseMap Plug-in PLUS for Acrobat?

The CPPA is an optional addition to CaseMap 6 and 7. You must be licensed for CaseMap 6 or 7 to use it. To receive enhanced versions of the plug-in, you must be on a CaseMap subscription.

Is the CPPA part of CaseMap 7?

No, the new PDF Bates stamper is a separate product that works with CaseMap. It isn't a free part of CaseMap.

How can I try it out and learn more before I order?

The best course of action before you order is to try it for a free 30-day trial period. You can also see it in action in an online tutorial.

Why should I order the CaseMap plug-in PLUS for Acrobat instead of others that are on the market?

Sweet spot: The CPPA provides great functionality with ease of use at a reasonable price.

Functionality and ease of use: The CPPA has unique features that will load Bates Begin, Bates End and Page number information into a CaseMap Document Index spreadsheet for you. (CaseMap 7 can sniff out only CaseMap Bates stamps created by the CPPA and Acrobat 8 Bates stamps—not Bates stamps created by other tools.)

Price: There are many other Bates stamping plug-ins on the market, and you can spend $99 – $500 per license on these tools. The CPPA subscription price is $145 per license for the first year. Organizational licenses also are available. Some Bates stampers require a full version of Acrobat and some do not (we do).

Can I use the CPPA to Bates stamp PDFs that I don't plan to make part of a CaseMap case file?

Yes.

What's the relationship between the CPPA and the Send Multiple PDFs to CaseMap Utility?

They're two separate tools, but they're part of the same plug-in. You can use the Send Multiple PDFs Utility to create records in CaseMap that are linked to PDFs. If you've already Bates stamped, you'll be given the option to bring in Bates numbers.

If you import before Bates stamping, you can run the Send Multiple PDFs utility again and Bates-Begin and Bates-End will be updated for the existing records.

Learn more about the Send Multiple PDFs utility by watching the Acrobat Send PDFs to CaseMap Utility Webinar.

How many PDFs can be stamped at once by the CPPA?

There is no meaningful limit.

What's the maximum length of the Bates label?

Maximum length is 34 characters including prefix.

Where can the label be placed on a page?

You can place the label anywhere on the page.

What characteristics of the label can I change?

Options in the CPPA allow you to choose the font style, font size and location of the Bates stamps added to PDFs. You can also determine whether a white background is placed behind the stamp.

Can I set prefixes?

Yes. You develop any style you like. Prefixes are counted in the maximum of 34 characters for your Bates stamp.

How can I change or delete Bates numbering formats?

On the CaseMap menu in Acrobat, select Manage Bates Numbering Formats on the fly-out menu from the Bates stamping option.

When I Bates stamp additional PDFs for the same case using the same Bates number format, does the CPPA remember where I left off?

Yes.

Can I re-number PDFs that have been Bates stamped using the CPPA?

Yes. If you do, the new numbers will replace the earlier ones.

How can I learn more about the CPPA?

Watch our brief Webinar that shows the CPPA in action. See this and other CaseMap Webinars.

What if I have additional questions?

^ back to TOC

CaseMap® Training Schedule

Get a complete list of courses.

Please contact us at caseanalysisconsulting@lexisnexis.com or 904-373-2161 to reserve a seat in these classes, where you learn hands-on—and on your own laptop.

CaseMap Training Webinars:

CaseMap FastTrack: This day-long session is designed to help new CaseMap customers become power users. It is not intended for clients who have been working with CaseMap for more than a year. Please bring your notebook computer to this hands-on session.
 
Class topics include Case Mapping Strategies, Sorting & Searching Techniques, Creating Great Work Product and Using the “Send to CaseMap” Feature in Acrobat and Other Tools.

Certified Administrator: This two-day Case Analysis Consulting Group course is specifically for litigation support, practice support and IS professionals. It reviews how to deploy and support CaseMap case analysis software and TimeMap timeline software. Support Certification is a hands-on class—please bring a notebook computer with you.

Certified Paralegal: This one-day seminar for paralegals, legal assistants and other support professionals reviews best practices for inputting and extracting crucial case data. The seminar also covers how LexisNexis case analysis tools link with other applications you may be using.

Webinar Courses: Our Webinar courses are conducted in four two-hour sessions over two consecutive days. The times for these Webinars are noon – 2 P.M. ET and 3:30 – 5:30 P.M. ET on both days.

^ back to TOC

Watch for CaseMap® Coming Attractions

CaseMap 8 is on track for release this summer! We can’t reveal details yet, but you can look forward to an even better CaseMap experience.

• New users will find it easier to get started, enter data and navigate the case file. We conducted usability studies with current and new users this past winter and took their feedback to heart.

• Current and power users will benefit from improved usability features while still being able to easily find their favorite power tools!

^ back to TOC

LexisNexis, 9443 Springboro Pike, Miamisburg, OH 45342

This is Client FYI 121062a, 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.

Privacy & Security Copyright © 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.