I’ve been in a solo practice for twenty-three years. It is one part-time secretary and myself. have a high-volume, plaintiff’s workers’ compensation practice. Thus, efficiency is extremely important.
DocuSign has revolutionized my client intake. Years ago, a client would call, you would meet, and they would sign a fee agreement in the first visit. Alternatively, you would mail intake documents and about half of those clients would return the signed documents.
With DocuSign I can electronically transmit my intake documents within two minutes of our first telephone conversation. Clients then electronically sign anywhere and from any device. You can use it for anything that requires a signature. There is no overnighting, faxing or waiting. The cost is $25/month with a one-month free trial. Trust me, it is worth every penny (and your clients will thank you).
I also do a lot of appellate work. For the cost, you cannot beat OSBA’s Casemaker. Comparable to LEXIS and Westlaw, Casemaker is essentially a fifty-state law library sitting right on your desk. It includes not only reported and unreported opinions, but also Ohio Jury Instructions and Ohio Attorney General Opinions. Included with your $305 annual OSBA membership it is worth the cost for this benefit alone.
Finally, I use the built in Windows Snipping Tool almost every single day. The Snipping Tool allows you to cut or print any portion of your screen. We have all seen briefs or memorandum that use an indented, single space paragraph of quoted text. I find it far more effective to simply “snip” a picture from an exhibit or document and paste it into the body of my memorandum. This is particularly effective with hand-written documents. Best of all, it is free and included within every version of Windows.
Do you have any resources that you find indispensable? If so, I would love your feedback.