Robert Ambrogi Blog
Sometime in the first quarter of 2011, LexisNexis will introduce the beta version of a Web-based practice-management application designed for smaller-firm lawyers called LexisNexis Firm Manager. The application has been in development and private beta for a number of months and Lexis is now preparing to open it to an invitation-only public beta.
I’ll provide more about how you can participate in the public beta later in this post, but first let me tell you a bit more about the product.
Last June, Lexis invited me to be part of a 15-person advisory board to provide feedback on the product’s development. The other members of the board were mostly lawyers from solo and small firms and legal clinics. (We received no compensation for our participation, although I did receive reimbursement for air and hotel to travel to one board meeting.)
For several months now, the advisory board has had access to a private beta site. We offered feedback on the site through periodic web conferences and surveys. More recently, other lawyers were also invited to participate in the private beta.
I am going to hold off on providing a full review of the product until I am able to devote more time to using it. Let me mention a few key features.
A ‘Dashboard View’ of Your Practice
The Firm Manager web site provides an overview of the product. It is a browser-based practice-management tool, from which you can manage all of your cases, contacts, appointments, meetings, tasks and messages.
A nice feature is the application’s “dashboard view.” The product is designed to let you see a quick overview of key information right from the home page and then easily navigate to sections that provide greater detail.
Because Firm Manager is Web-based, you can access it from any computer at any location. Lexis is promising 99.9% uptime for Firm Manager, as well as world-class security for your data. Firm Manager can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook and will be optimized for use on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and iPad.
Another nice feature is that lawyers will be able to sign up for Firm Manager on a month-to-month basis will no long-term commitment. Monthly pricing will be flat-fee, all-you-can eat. You can cancel at any time and then have up to six months to retrieve any data you’ve stored.
Final pricing has not been set. During the public beta period, there will be no charge to use Firm Manager.
Participate in Public Beta
As a member of the advisory board, I am able to invite interested lawyers to participate in the public beta. As I said earlier, the public beta will start sometime in the first quarter of 2011.
To register, visit http://www.myfirmmanager.com/sign-up-101KS-962DL.html and add my name to the comments field. As I understand it, this will give you priority access to the public beta version.