James+Houston

CALI Digital Law Practice Series

__Week 3__
 * __ Homework assignment # 3 Technology and The Courts __**

No, the court does not support e-filling at the county level. However, it does have the ability to let people view some of the court documents. It is kind of an old system. []
 * Does the court support efiling? If yes, what is the best URL? **
 * County Court

No, the court does not support e-filing at the state level. However, it does have the ability to let people view some of the court documents. The state system is a newer endeavor by the court to get all the counties on one system. []
 * State Court

Yes, The court does support e-filing. The Western District of Arkansas U.S. District Court. []
 * Federal Court

No. No  No, only attorneys can access the system
 * Does the court support e-filing for self-representing litigants? **
 * County Court
 * State Court
 * Federal Court

No, though the courts have the ability to print dockets the ability to view the dockets is not active for the public. Yes, it is very limited and only has a few entries on their schedule. https://courts.arkansas.gov/supremecourt/schedule.cfm No
 * Does the court website have an online docket or calendar? (if yes, include a link) **
 * County Court
 * State Court
 * Federal Court

No, they have forms you can pick up, and they refer viewers to the State court website for forms. Yes, the form are a list of forms in either Word or PDF and are example forms only not necessarily the actual forms to be used in court. https://courts.arkansas.gov/aoc/forms.cfm#APPELLATE Yes, the forms are listed and all appear to be PDF forms that are fillable and printable but not savable. []
 * Does the court website have any forms that can be used online or downloaded? (if yes, provide a link) **
 * County Court
 * State Court
 * Federal Court

__Week 2__

Part 1:


 * Benefits of Document Automation**
 * 1) saves time preparing repeat documents for different matters
 * 2) avoids having wrong names in recycled documents
 * 3) Uniformity of document styles and formats
 * 4) can use prompts/variable questions as reminders of things to have in documents, preventing having to look up specifics repeatedly
 * 5) easy to change documents if there is a change in the law or rules
 * 6) one document template can be used repeatedly and have additional clauses added for specific client circumstances
 * 7) clients can answer variable questions online and generate most of the document before attorney finishes the remaining questions, saving the attorney time
 * 8) client can complete the entire document that is then reviewed by the attorney and tweaked as necessary to conform to the court rule or client circumstances
 * 9) can be hosted online permitting attorney the ability to work from anywhere and create documents on the spot
 * 10) simple to use, so attorney can have paralegal do an initial client interview with someone in office or on phone and have document ready before the client speaks to attorney


 * Limitations of Document Automation**
 * 1) initial or recurring costs to yet another service provider
 * 2) requires time to create the initial templates
 * 3) requires some tech savvy to work software to create the templates
 * 4) need to be reviewed and modified based on changes in law and court rules
 * 5) must have compatible word processor software
 * 6) can be confusing having separate files for answer responses and for documents (multiple files for each client in different locations)
 * 7) may be easy to get careless with document preparation because the programs work so well (relying on technology to do a good job, but forgetting to make sure the good job was the right job)
 * 8) attorneys may forget to update templates when the rules or law changes
 * 9) attorneys may not completely review the documents generated; because, they read it the first time and it was okay and the only thing that changed was the name and court number (but what if there was an error that didn't get caught in the first review - it will be repeated in every document until the attorney finally reads it again or someone else discovers the mistake)
 * 10) The annoyance of having to constantly update the software when new installments come out or the possibility that the provider will stop supporting the software

Part 2:

After visiting the assigned sites to experience the document automation features they provide. I have concluded that the functionality of the programs are very well thought out and make the process of document creation easy with little thought. if the documents are carefully prepared and regularly updated the automation can serve as a great resource to expedite the form creation process and make the customer experience so much quicker. The layout appears to be vastly different and that looks like something that can be modified for each organization to their specification. I would caution that if document automation is used that the ease of use and appearance be set to accommodate the viewers and not necessarily the law firm. One firm's automation platform looked boxy and cheap, while the other look professional, but it appeared dark and stuffy. The font type and size also play into how readable the content is. I got tired of viewing documents because I was looking at lots of content and trying to find the next field or button to select and fill. Otherwise then those appearances the only other concern I have is that the user of the form and the attorneys will become lax with regards to making sure to validate the information and the legal requirements in the documents. If there is a way to insure that the forms automation feature will not become a cookie cutter practice with no professional quality assurance the functionality of the features should immediately be implemented.

__Assignment #1__

__Five Advantages of a Virtual Law Practice__

10.Ability to let client pay online through credit card processing which insures you get your money before you start working on their matter.
 * 1) Flexibility with scheduling when and where to meet client online.
 * 2) Low overhead to maintain the systems compared to fully staffed office.
 * 3) Ability to limit the services provided to clients.
 * 4) Providing services at lower costs leading to higher volume.
 * 5) Avoid having to purchase lots of hardware to support office and services.
 * 6) Meet client’s expectations about communicating through modern technology.
 * 7) Client portals provide the client access to notes, files, and calendar of events online reducing the need for them to call you and ask what is going on.
 * 8) Client can feel like they are in contact with their attorney without having to call them personally.
 * 9) Software can make it easier to keep track of events and avoid missing deadlines.

__Five Disadvantages of a Virtual Law Practice__

10.Your clients may expect you to work nontraditional hours than you’re used to.
 * 1) Need some tech savvy in order to get started.
 * 2) Frontend costs could be high.
 * 3) Lots of little things need to be done just to get site off the ground and connected to an office management program.
 * 4) Potential to have to pay monthly fees to several providers of services to run virtual office: could be a potential source of confusion about what you are paying for.
 * 5) Every service provider wants to offer you something more than you need, which is frustrating if you have any doubt about what you are doing on the tech end.
 * 6) Lack of control over your documents because they are stored out there in cyber space.
 * 7) There could be multiple layers of service providers in the chain of service you receive. That makes it hard for you to know where your files are and how secure they are.
 * 8) You have to come up with a nice website that does all the things a good website is suppose to do.
 * 9) You can easily get over run with email and text alerts that your clients have left you a message, document, email, and appointment requests.

__So You Wanna Start a Virtual Law Practice__


 * 1) You need a web presence which means you need:
 * 2) URL: Provided by someone like [|www.godaddy.com/]
 * 3) Web Hosting: Provided by someone like [|www.hostgator.com/]
 * 4) Online office management platform: provided by someone like [|www.totalattorneys.com/]
 * 5) Web page design: provided by someone like Annie Sisk []
 * 6) Credit card processing: Provided by someone like [|www.merchantexpress.com/] though some of the office management platform providers offer that as part of their services
 * 7) Blog: provided by someone like []
 * 8) You’ll probably want to have some social media component
 * 9) You’ll need to find clients / Marketing
 * 10) You’ll need to make sure you have liability insurance
 * 11) You’ll need to decide what type of services you want to provide online
 * 12) You’ll need to decide whether you will be fully virtual or a hybrid
 * 13) You’ll need to have a smart phone to stay in contact and do your work on the move
 * 14) You might also need some sort of document automation software and a virtual assistant

Lots of work up front, but like anything once it is up and running it’s easier to maintain.