Software is at the heart of any successful law practice. It is
the engine that keeps the gears turning. For young lawyers, small
firms and solo practitioners, cost is a large factor in deciding
what software to use. There are many problems that are addressed
with software, and if you know where to look, there are many free
and fully functional programs to use. The following are some of the
best free software that almost any law practice can use.
CCleaner
Piriform's CCleaner is a utility program that removes unneeded
temporary files and data from your computer. With every web page
you visit and email you download, your computer saves a bit of the
data to your hard drive. Over time, this data accumulates, taking
up ever-larger portions of your computer's memory. This makes your
computer run slower, because it has to sort through this unneeded
data to get to what you want.
CCleaner is the solution. It will delete these unnecessary
leftover files to clear up space on your hard drive. This, in turn,
will allow your computer to run faster like it did when it was
newer. Running the program takes just a few minutes and can revive
computers that have slowed down with age.
CCleaner can also be used to clean up your computer's registry.
This will erase old and unneeded registry keys that slow
performance and startup speed.
Neither removing old temporary files nor cleaning your
computer's registry will affect your significant files in any way
(client files, emails, contacts, etc.). You do not need to worry
about accidentally deleting important files with CCleaner.
CCleaner can erase saved Internet passwords, however, so you
will likely have to re-log into email accounts and other browser
programs once it is done. Make sure you know your passwords.
CCleaner should be run about once per month for best results. A
premium version is available, but not needed.
Download it at www.piriform.com/ccleaner.
AVG
AVG Free edition is a powerful anti-virus and anti-malware
program to protect the security of your systems and files. The
security of your client files and documents is paramount and you
should not be lax in your computer protection. Using a program like
AVG is a good first step. It provides virus and malware scanning
features with automatic updates.
However, it also helps to know basic Internet safety. For
instance, do not open attachments on emails that you do not
recognize. Many hackers attempt to install malware on computers
through fake "fax" emails that insist you have received a fax. If
you do not recognize where the email came from, do not open the
attachment. If you are unsure whether an attached file is a virus,
you can right-click the file select "Scan with AVG" to see if it
contains a virus or piece of malware.
Overall, you should be scanning your computers for viruses and
malware at least monthly. This is the best way to ensure your
electronic information, including confidential client files, is
protected.
The best part of AVG is that the protection never expires. Many
anti-virus programs come with a trial period, after which they will
stop protecting you. AVG does not. There are also premium versions
available, but these are generally unnecessary.
Download at free.avg.com/us-en/homepage.
Paint.net
Paint.net is the closest thing to Photoshop a lawyer should ever
need. It is a fully-functional image manipulator/editor. One
problem I encounter regularly in my practice is forms being filled
out incorrectly. Paint.net is your solution. With client assent,
you can use it to revise the forms to correct the information for
submission.
A second problem I often encounter are documents that are too
dark to print or fax. With Paint.net, you can turn up the
brightness on the image and erase unwanted streaks so that it
transmits properly.
Paint.net is a souped-up version of the Paint programs built
into most computers, and it easily eclipses them in terms of
functionality. It is also relatively easy to use with its built-in
Help database to learn how best to achieve your goals.
It should be noted that Paint.net works with image files, so you
will need a program like Adobe Acrobat that can convert documents
to image files and back again.
Download at www.getpaint.net/index.html.
SyncToy
SyncToy is a free Microsoft Windows application that makes file
backups and synchronization fast and easy. It has multiple
functions, but the one I will discuss here is Echo. Echoing allows
you to pair to folders, such as a client folder in your work
computer with a backup external hard drive. When run, SyncToy then
checks both for changes and copies all of the changes from one into
the other, making two identical copies of your folder in two
places.
Creating backups of client and other vital digital files is a
must in this legal age. SyncToy offers a free method of creating
these backups without paying the expensive cloud storage and backup
fees offered by many commercial competitors.
Download: www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15155.