LegalTech 2011: New products and tools

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Despite the snowstorm delaying flights and causing havoc on the roads, lawyers and tech experts flocked to LegalTech 2011 to see new legal technology services and products. Here is a look at some of the interesting new offerings:

LexisNexis: A new service just for solos

Recognizing the ever-expanding market for solo and small firm products, Lexis has launched a new online legal research tool with the needs of smaller practitioners in mind – Advance for Solos. A corresponding iPhone app was also just released.

The service retains some of the classic Lexis features, including the traditional “big red box” for search terms and the company’s use of Shepard’s for citation checks.

But the searching capabilities and navigational tools have been streamlined, and allow users to filter pre- or post-search to limit results. A toolbar allows users to instantly access their search history and save documents in folders, with the ability to annotate or add notes. Searching can be conducted in court decisions, treatises or on the Web, and filtering can be done using jurisdictions, practice areas or dates.

The tool also includes a new feature known as Legal Issue Trail, which allows lawyers to highlight legal concepts in a document and then matches those concepts to other citations and documents in the system.

Why is the research tool geared specifically toward solos and small firm lawyers? “Efficiency,” said Marty Kilmer, vice president of New Lexis Strategy at LexisNexis. The variety of filters and search mechanisms allows practitioners with limited time to find their results quickly, he explained, and the simplicity of the system means a user typically does not need formal training or IT support.

The service currently costs $175 per month for a three-year contract.

To view a demonstration or find more information, visit: www.lexisnexis.com/newlexis/advance/

Redact-It: Removing privileged information, easily

With increasing concern about consumer privacy and a growing number of regulations requiring the removal of sensitive information from documents (under Sarbanes-Oxley, for example), lawyers often need to remove information such as Social Security numbers or addresses from documents.

Redact-It software creates a TIFF or PDF rendition of an original document with the redacted text completely removed — not just blacked out, but eliminated. The source file is not altered, and no metadata is transferred to the redacted version of the document.

Users create either a single keyword or a list of keywords to be redacted in a document, such as a phone number or an individual’s name, including all variations (such as John Doe, John D. Doe and Mr. Doe). The software can also remove portions of a word or number, such as redacting all but the last four digits of an account number or Social Security number.

Redact-It generates a log of what was redacted and then creates a new rendition that can also include a Bates number or an exemption code with a reason for the redaction.

Pricing is variable depending on the license; for details and more information, visit: www.redact-it.com/default.htm

TextFlow Redliner: A redlining tool with a complete history

Nordic River launched a new software product, TextFlow Redliner, at the conference. It’s a document management tool that allows a user to see a complete, step-by-step editing history of a Microsoft Word or text-based PDF document.

The software allows a user to drag and drop a new version of a document into the browser, and then compare it to earlier versions.

If a user clicks on a the name of another user — such as opposing counsel in a contract negotiation, co-counsel in litigation or a paralegal or assistant performing edits — the program displays the changes and comments by that individual, in addition to providing a visual comparison.

Up to seven versions of a document can be compared, and the interface allows users to view the versions side-by-side in a single window; different users are coded with different colors to instantly see the author of each version. A toolbar at the top of the screen allows a user to focus on a single author, and the software tracks all changes, including insertions, deletions, rewordings and moves.

Users can also utilize a change summary, which provides statistics about how the documents have changed.

The Web-based software is compatible with both Windows and Mac systems, and the company says an iPad app will soon be available.

An individual user license starts at $25 per year, and the company will provide enterprise or multiple user pricing upon request. For more information or a free, 15-day trial, visit: www.nordicriver.com/

Backupify: Saving social media

As lawyers increasingly turn to social media sites for evidence, their own clients may also be compelled to turn over Facebook posts, Google apps data or Tweets.

A new service by Backupify will live up to its name and create and maintain an independent, fully downloadable archive of social media data.

The service can help companies achieve regulatory and government compliance regarding records retention, as social media sites don’t archive all information forever — Twitter only saves a user’s last 3,200 Tweets, for example, and Facebook doesn’t permit a download of data from a fan page.

Even if the account is hacked or misused, or saved data is destroyed or corrupted, Backupify preserves an online record from a number of sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Flickr and LinkedIn, as well as Google apps such as Google contacts, calendar, sites and docs.

Pricing is based on a sliding scale depending on the size of the data in gigabytes, the frequency of backup and the number of sites to be backed up. For $19.99 per month, an organization with a social media presence or an individual client can have an archive of an unlimited number of social media sites and the accounts of 10 Google apps users, backed up nightly.

For more details, visit: www.backupify.com/

Green Law Solution: Electronic signature technology

For earth-friendly lawyers looking to cut down on paper usage, Green Law Solution offers a paperless solution for firms using electronic signature technology.

Typically, lawyers using a paperless office will print a document, have a client sign it, and then scan it before shredding the document.

Instead, the GLS system uses pressure sensitive signature pads that allow clients to sign PDF documents.

The system then encrypts the signature data, which is stored in the document and if necessary, can be verified against previous signature data as references. The system also stores and encrypts the date and time of the signature. The company says that with the combination of biometric attributes — like speed, acceleration, rhythm and pressure — it is virtually impossible to forge or copy signatures.

It also saves money on printing, shredding and copying costs by keeping the entire process paperless.

For more details and pricing, visit: www.connec-tek.com/greenlawsolution.php