Survey of Technology Used in the Food and Agriculture Law Office
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Transcript of Survey of Technology Used in the Food and Agriculture Law Office
Survey of Technology Used in the Food and Agriculture Law Office
American Agriculture Law AssociationTechnology Roundtable
November 2, 2013
By Cari B. Rincker, Esq.
Who I Am• Food and agriculture lawyer
based in New York City• Grew up on a beef cattle farm in
Central Illinois• Solo practitioner• Client range from small to mid-
size agribusiness, farmers, and start-up food entrepreneurs
• Chair of the American Bar Association, General Practice Agriculture Law Committee
Survey to Food & Agriculture Lawyers
• 3 day survey from October 3-5, 2013– Advertised on the AALA
Listserve, ABA GP Solo Agriculture Law Committee Listserve & Social Media
• 35 Responses
How Many Lawyers Are In Your Office?
Number of Lawyers
Solo2 to 45 to 1011 to 2526 to 7576 plus
Do You Use a Mac or PC?
McPCBoth
How Many Computers Per Attorney?
3 plus
2 computers
1 computer
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Do You Have a Virtual or Physical Brick and Mortar Office?
Virtual Physical Hybrid Other0
5
10
15
20
25
What kind of billing program(s) do you use? (You may select more than one)
PC Law
Clio
Rocket L
awye
r
Quickbooks
Timesli
ps
Fresh
books
Billings
3
Excel sp
readsh
eetOth
er0123456789
10
What Email Program Do You Use?
Outlook iMail Other0
5
10
15
20
25
What Techniques Have You Used to Manage Email?
• I use folders and sort by client and matter.
• Electronic filing to customer files• Flagging, saving to file• Delay send/receive function.
– Only check it 4 times a day• Maintain an inbox by client• E-mail is like telephone calls.
Done each day.
What Techniques Have You Used to Manage Email?
• 1 hour block of time each AM.• Sub folders in inbox, batch saving
emails as PDF• I use filters to sort e-mail.• Archiving• Folders• File emails in subject matter folders
• Creating rules in Outlook; separate email for news
What Techniques Have You Used to Manage Email?
• Prayer
What method(s) do you use for calendaring deadlines and task lists? (May choose more than 1 answer)
Outlook Time Matters
Amicus Attorney
PC Law Practice Master
iCal Things Other0
5
10
15
20
25
Other responses: Mostly Google calendar orPaper calendar
Which of the Following Forms of Administrative Help Do You Use?
Virtual Legal As-sistant
Legal Assistant at Office
Both Neither0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
What Kind of Phone Service Do You Use?
Answer Number of Responses Response Ratio
I answer my own phone! 23 63.8%
Live in-office receptionist 14 38.8%
Phone answering services (e.g., Ruby Receptionist)
1 2.7%
Google Voice 2 5.5%
Receptionist in Office Suite 3 8.3%
Other 3 8.3%
How often do you use Skype or other video conferencing techniques with clients?
• 68.5% - Rarely, if ever• 20.0% - A few times a year• 5.7% - A few times a week• 2.8%- A few times a month• 0.00% - Everyday
Which of the Following Conference Call Systems Do You Use?
GoTo MeetingATConferenceFree Conference CallSkypeGoogle MeetingOther
What are Your Most Regularly Used Applications on Your Smartphone?
• Emails• Text Messages• Social Media applications– Facebook – Twitter– LinkedIn
• Westlaw Next• Google Maps• Casemaker
What program do you most frequently use for word processing?
Microsoft WordWord PerfectPagesOther
Which of the Following Best Describes Your Use of a Scanner?
Never u
se it
Only sca
n a few se
lect docu
ments
I use
it as
much as
possible
Other
05
10152025
Which of the Following Payments Methods Does Your Firm Accept?
Cash
Check/ M
oney Ord
er
PayPal
Google Check
out
Mast
ercard
, Visa
, Disc
over
American
Express
Other
05
1015202530
Looks like a few attorneys take baked goods, Fruits/Vegetables, chickens or other bartering
How Do You Most Frequently Bill Clients?
Via EmailMail hard copyOther
What Type of Contact Management System Do You Use?
Outlook
TimeM
atters
iContact
Clio
Amicus A
ttorney
Daylite
Aweber
Practice
Mast
er
Apple contac
tsOth
er0
5
10
15
20
25
If You Use an Email Marketing Program, Which Do You Prefer?
• Very limited responses– Constant Contact (1)– Mail Chimp (3)– Aweber (1)
If You Use an Email Marketing Program, How Often Do You Send Updates?
• Few responses– A few times a year (6)– Once a week (2)– Once a month (1)
• Comments– “As issues arise, usually 6 times per month on
average”– “Typically through seminars to trade group who is
a client of the firm”
Which of the Following Back-Up Cloud Devices Do You Use?
Mozy Carbonite Dropbox External harddrive
only
Other0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
What Type of Hand-Held Tablet Do You Regularly Use?
• Few responses– iPad (12)– Android (4)– Kindle (1)
How Do You Use a Hand-Held Tablet in Your Law Practice?
• “Presentations, spreadsheets, mobile computing”• “Email, preparing documents, attending meetings”• “Email communication, research tools, meeting notes”• “Trial, work at home”• “Document review while traveling”• “Email, task list, review documents”• “Email, research, reading documents”• “Mostly to read news/blogs”• “I use my phone on house calls with no WiFi”
If You Remote Into Your Work Computer, Which Program Do You Use?
• VPN (8)• GoToMyPC (2)• TeamViewer (1)• LogMeIn (1)• Other (4)– Citrix– VM Ware View– Microsoft Web
What Program Do You Use For Postage?
Stamps.comI use a machineI use stamps
I was the lone survey taker who answeredStamps.com. No responses for Dymo or USPO ClicknShip
If You Have a Blog, What Platform Do You Use?
• Not many bloggers took the survey– Wordpress (7)– Typepad (2)– Blogger (0)– Tumblr (0)
Which of the Following Describes Your Use of Facebook?
I don't use FB
I have a personal page & business page- promote business on both
I have a personal page & business page- only promote business on business page
I have a personal page for family and friends only
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Which of the Following Social Media Platforms Do You Regularly Use?
Face
book
Blogs
Linke
dIn
Instagra
m
Google +
FourSq
uare
YouTube0
5
10
15
20
25
30
What Have You Done to Help Build Search Engine Optimization for Your Food & Agriculture Law Practice?
• A few people hired outside consultants
• A few responses about blogs and backlinks
• Lawyers.com• One survey taker thinks
SEO is a scam
What Are Your Biggest Challenges with Technology While Running Food/Ag Law Practice?
• Availability of wifi & cellular service in rural community• Learning so many new programs• Staying informed of all the tools available!• Understanding what our IT folks are saying• An old dog constantly trying to learn new tricks• Choosing wisely• Hardware failure & broadband failure• Keeping website up-to-date• Nothing stands out as a big challenge.• Getting boss who has practiced 40 years to update
What Are Your Biggest Challenges with Technology While Running Food/Ag Law Practice?
• Document management, online research• Keeping up with advances• Content content content• Cost and maintenance• Case management system.. getting it up and running• Costs! I'm new: overhead must be minimal!• Client's lack of access to reliable Internet• Client information security Email management; doc
management
Please Stay in Touch• Send Me Snail Mail: 535 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor, New
York, NY 10017• Call Me: (212) 427-2049 (office)• Email Me: [email protected]• Visit My Website: www.rinckerlaw.com • Read My Food & Ag Law Blog: www.rinckerlaw.com/blog• Tweet Me: @CariRincker @RinckerLaw• Facebook Me: www.facebook.com/rinckerlaw • Link to Me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/caririncker • Skype Me: Cari.Rincker
Oh, P.S. – I Just Wrote a Book
Cari B. Rincker & Patrick B. Dillon, “Field Manual: Legal Guide for New York Farmers & Food Entrepreneurs” (2013)
Available at http://www.amazon.com/Field-Manual-Legal-Farmers-Entrepreneurs/dp/1484965191
…and that’s marketing.