How-to: Law Office Technology

I started catching up on my reading yesterday when part of our network was trying to decide if it liked being bumped around by construction. (FYI--networks don't like being bumped around by construction.) Anyway, I found a couple of articles lurking from last year that may be of interest to you for technology assessment, planning, budgeting, networking, etc.

Andy Adkins & Natalie Kelly wrote Reliable Law Office Technology: Priceless based on a presentation at the ABA TECHSHOW 2007. It's packed with all but step-by-step suggestions for technology assessment (including staffing), budgeting, shopping, upgrading, and training. It's not the shortest article, but well worth the read if you're at your wit's end with the tech paraphernalia floating around the office.

The other article (Ab Initio: Practical Technology Advice for the Newly Solo or Small Firm Lawyer) is also from Law Technology Today by Joe Kashi. Kashi provides suggesions for designing a new network infrastructure. If you're on your own, this may be a great article to get you started on the right track with setting up a network for your office. He writes that in the next issue he was going to write about other technology used in a law office (desktops, laptops, peripherals, software, etc.). I could not find a follow-up article, but if I do, I will definitely post it.