Jazzing Up PreDiscovery

Continuing to be on the cutting edge of technology, Lisa Sprengel and Rick Stieghorst of Midwest Imaging and eData Support attended the LAW PreDiscovery conference in New Orleans this past October. About 85 attendees were treated to 2 days of very good information from experienced eDiscovery/Litigation Support professionals and vendors from around the country.

While learning new tricks and features that the LAW software can and will provide us, the best part of the conference was verifying that Midwest continues to be right on the cutting edge of Litigation technology and practices. In the very first session with a panel of practicing eDiscovery experts we discovered that Midwest follows almost all of the exact same practices that the best in the country are doing.

With collections being all the rage, Pinpoints John Rowe was one of the speakers. Pinpoints revolutionary SafeCopy provides Midwest with the tools needed to do speedy yet court defensible collections of your data without the full forensic prices.

All in all Lisa and Rick learned quite a bit about streamlining process better to lower the clients costs. It was a valuable experience, that really shows that Midwest is a premier vendor.

Corporate ClientsBenefit from
Flexibility in Staffing

Midwest Paralegal has been a dependable resource during tight economic times. Budgets have been strained on every front including case management. Grabbing work and pulling it in-house is often the reaction taken by corporate clients to attempt to reduce costs. Due to the new logistics that result from a change in direction, the demand for experienced paralegals goes up. Since all things are temporary in this climate, our established corporate clients have the advantage of flexibility in staffing coupled with a resourceful, knowledgeable work force when and IF they need it.

Midwest has current projects that are on three days, off one week, on for two weeks, off for one - as the client prepares the special projects and checks off the list of accomplishments. Although it can be a challenge with our staffing, we have managed these project styles for some twenty years. Communicating with our client on their expectations goes a long way to matching up a win-win situation. Downtime is eliminated, costs are exact and supervised by the in-house personnel and resources are available... productive resources.

If you are in need of project assistance and you need it now, consider working with a Wisconsin based, WBE certified resource. Midwest Paralegal provides the experience and Midwest Imaging and eData Support provides the technology for any size project.

When Receiving ProjectQuotes, Trust is a Must!

Experience has proven that when a client asks for a bid – it is difficult to balance the knowledge of costs we know real life practices will pile on with the fear of scaring the client away. Providing details on bid requests to evaluate the cost vs. benefit ratio take time. Since often we are requested to give the information on sketchy parameters that are constantly changing, the reliance on those guesstimates (and the emphasis is on guess) can be like building a retreat on a man-made lake. If the client then builds their budget around numbers that assume a perfect environment, which we know will never happen, – are they being well served by the vendor? Is your vendor working to get the job in the door with the philosophy of providing you with the “oops” and “ain’t that a shame” disclaimers after their contract is secured and the costs start to inflate?

Trust is a must in such an environment. Choose a vendor that has a proven track record and provides realistic responses to your questions. Choose a vendor that provides guidance based on what you need to know, not on what you want to hear. If you receive estimates that promise what cannot be delivered, the initial penny saved will be a distant memory as real life challenges force the costs far beyond any benefit.

Viruses, Worms & Trojans
What’s the Difference?

Virus: A computer virus is a program, a piece of software that attaches itself to other software or data. Like any software program, a virus must be run before it can cause any harm. This is why one of the first steps of self-defense NEVER to click on an unfamiliar e-mail attachment or internet pop-up program. Clicking on the attachment or pop-up, which may seem harmless or fun, will activate the virus. Once started, many viruses immediately mail copies of themselves to everyone in your e-mail address book. For this reason you may even receive a virus from someone you know so understand what you are opening.

Worm: Computer worms are software programs that copy themselves and begin transmitting copies over the Internet or Intranet. Unlike viruses, which disguise themselves by hiding inside other programs, worms are self-contained. They are also very dangerous and powerful, capable of replicating throughout hundreds of thousands of computers a very short time. Worms are not only used for attacks, like Trojan horses some worms are designed to tunnel through computer networks looking for and or creating back or unsecured doors that give control and access to hackers.

Trojan or Trojan horse: Trojan or Trojan horses lure unsuspecting users into downloading them by appearing to be something important or tempting, such as a game, screen saver or even free antivirus software. Once a Trojan horse is invited, it prepares to do damage. These programs can hide in the background and run without you being aware they are even there. Some may forward passwords and other sensitive information to the bad guys who created it, they can corrupt data or delete files, or even create back or unprotected doors into your system, or network, allowing a person from EndoChinaPakistanUSA to take control of your computer and use it to do other destructive things. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses don’t make copies of themselves. They’re often distributed by viruses, and some plant other viruses to further infect your systems.

Many new and destructive viruses, Trojans, and worms appear daily, which is why it’s crucial to update your anti-virus software regularly, use a hardware firewall, and most of all know what you are clicking on.

TOOL TIP FOR TODAY … EXCEL

Have you ever had a day when you were working in Excel and was having just one of those days when you wished you knew how to do a certain function? Or wished there would be a faster, better way of manipulating your data in Excel? Well, there are a number of things you can do.

1. Tap your co-worker’s shoulder and see if they know how to do it (Not always a great idea if they’re under time constraints);
2. Call or Email your IT people;
3. Use the Microsoft Help Feature by hitting the Help key in the toolbar (commonly known as F1), where you can enter a phrase such as “freeze pane”, at which point Microsoft pulls up a number of results matching that request. Choose the one you’re looking for and Microsoft will give you your answer.

However, I came across a clever website that demonstrates various tips in a tutorial format on Excel functions, such as “Data Sorting”, “Creating Graphs and Charts”, “Use Goal Seek” (this calculates loan payments/percentages), “Freeze Panes”, “Auto Calculate,” as well as other functions. This tutorial, although limited, not only walks you through the function step by step, but talks you through it at the same time. Take a look at this website: http://mistupid.com/tutorials/excel/.

If you have a tool tip you would like to share, email them to inquiry@midwestparalegal.com

MMSD Scanning

Midwest Paralegal has managed hundreds of databases over the year. Management can be defined as broadly as assisting with the set up of the database structure to field creation. In an age where many cases are managed with a document database tool – this article sets forth the penny wise or pound foolish options.

Full Coding – (“Kitchen sink mentality”). Include detailed summaries and the mention field if you want your database costs to sky rocket. Ching Ching for whoever gets the assignment. Review for contents of the mentions field includes all proper names (no matter how creatively hidden) found in a record. The coder is required to review every line of every paragraph. The detailed summary requires the same comprehension of the document contents. How lucky are you when your record is a 300 page report?!

Medium Coding – (“I want to sleep at night mentality”) This coding does not include proper names mentions, but does include Author; Recipient and a verbatim subject line. The coder is not required to check every line – and can easily focus on the geographic locations of originating authors. The Re line is easily determined and no rewrites are necessary. The client can often times review the image if the players or topic are of interest. Text searching can also be used hand in hand with this level to capture hits for key word searching.

Abbreviated Coding – (“The client is watching…. I need to justify mentality”). This level of coding provides doc type and doc date. A great place to start to help prioritize the data records in your universe. Sorts by doctype can then identify the contents of the productions and give the attorney a great deal of information on what type of record will provide the most bang for the buck. You can then take the prioritized documents and move them up the coding chain… to include additional fields of choice. Dates are also a valuable tracking unit to exclude timeframes that are not within scope –and to assist attorneys in viewing materials in chronological order.

• Midwest has been nationally recertified as a WBE corporation through 2009.
• Lisa Sprengel and Rick Stieghorst attended the 2008 Fall LAW conference in New Orleans, LA regarding the scanning and eDiscovery software advancements.
• Glenn Hertel, Lori DiPietrantonio and Lisa Sprengel attended the Milwaukee Bar Association full day ediscovery seminar in November 2008.
• Shawn Olley presented a 1.5 CLE course regarding the efficient use of eDiscovery – nuts and bolts. The presentation was provided multiple times to law firms and legal departments in Milwaukee and Madison, at their request. All attorneys receive 1.5 CLE. (If you’re interested, the cost is $250.00.)
• Anne Kuffel, wife of Bill, graduated with honors from MATC’s Dental Hygiene program. She passed both her National and Practical Boards exams and is now practicing at Doctor Clausius’ office in Oak Creek.
• Kathy Harris (nee Donovan) completed a 26 mile marathon in San Francisco in October, alive and upright. She ran the marathon with her twin sister, Karen. Karen has qualified to run the Boston Marathon. Congrats! Now Rest!
• Nikki Werra successfully completed a full time assignment at the Power Solutions Division at Johnson Controls, Inc. Nikki had been providing paralegal services since February of this year.
• The Milwaukee High Riser’s Stock Club recently met to celebrate a comparatively well performing portfolio. We were down only 40% If you are interested in joining the club, we meet on the last Wednesday of the month. The club provides excellent information albeit minimal financial gain. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey…. right? Contact former Midwest employee, Mary Felkner at mfelkner@mmsd.com

Previous eNotes