Still Not Networked? Why Not?

By Terri Olson

Believe it or not, I still hear the question, "Why should my law firm computers be networked?" on a regular basis. Those who ask are frequently people at law firms where each secretary works exclusively for one attorney, has his or her own printer, and uses an independent paper calendar. In other words, since the bulk of the work is not shared, and since resources do not need to be shared among staff, the benefits of networking seem nonexistent.

I believe, however, that networking is an absolute necessity, even at small firms with minimal applications and staff. For those of you who are already networked (the majority) but feel your system may not be operating to its fullest potential (also probably the majority), as well as for those of you who are still "electronically disconnected" from coworkers, the following summary of benefits may prove helpful:

Backup. One technical issue that can be a nightmare in a non-networked office is backup. If it is done, it generally consists of each secretary or lawyer remembering to copy critical information onto a floppy disk on a regular basis. In a networked environment, especially one where information is stored centrally, backup can be done using a single tape drive for the entire network at once.

Easier access to data. In an office where documents are stored on individual PCs, searching for a file is comparable to rifling through a dozen unlabeled, unorganized file cabinets. While networks do not single-handedly solve organization problems, they certainly make it easier to designate centralized storage areas for specific items (forms, client files, discovery, research, etc.) so anyone needing to can access this information later on may do so, quickly and easily.

Calendaring. In any office where there is more than one lawyer and one secretary, information about the comings and goings of others needs to be shared. It is embarrassing, not to mention poor marketing practice, for a receptionist to admit she has no idea where a staff member is. In fact, if a partner fails to notice that his or her colleague (who landed in the hospital with diverticulitis last night) had a critical hearing scheduled this morning, it may be considered outright malpractice. The simplest and most accurate method, hands down, for sharing this type of information is through a group calendar that can be accessed across a network.

Printers. It is far cheaper in the long run to set up one high-end printer for network access than to place multiple personal laser printers on people's desks. True, secretaries will have to get up and walk ten feet to pick up a print job. On the other hand, a network printer is faster (sometimes as much as three times faster), offers multiple input and output trays (and options such as dedicated envelope bins), and can even include more advanced duplexing and sorting features, all of which certainly compensate for any time spent walking to the printer.

Using a printer that has its own network card offers a host of additional benefits. Since such a printer is not dependent on a particular PC in order to operate, it can function even when the personal computers are not running. Also, because the print commands do not need to go through a computer first, the actual print time is shorter, and computers are not slowed down while a print job is being processed.

Internet access. Only a few years ago, the most cost-effective way to access the Internet from your desk was to install a modem into your PC that either shared a line with your telephone or had its own dedicated phone line. These days, though, the cost of network-based routers allowing multiple users to browse through a network connection that goes to one or two modems on the server has dropped dramatically. There are also software-only solutions for the very small office. Either way, more and more, Internet access through your local area network is the way to go.

Streamlining billing and accounting functions. Does the bookkeeper have to drop everything to run the senior partner a work-in-progress report for an important client? Do the secretaries or bookkeeping staff spend hours a week inputting time for the attorneys? Do you have to turn away a client who wants a bill on demand because the bookkeeper is out to lunch and no one else can access her computer? Many billing functions in a law firm work far more smoothly in a networked environment. Those attorneys wishing to enter their own time can do so from their desktops. Attorneys who need access to particular financial information can (with appropriate security precautions) run those reports directly, instead of requesting them from bookkeeping. In fact, anyone with security access to a billing function can perform it directly, rather than lose valuable time waiting for the billing computer to become available.

Messaging. I've saved the best for last. The ability to easily send messages back and forth locally across a network is sufficient reason, on its own, to network. Messages sent through any popular network e-mail package can be forwarded, sorted and stored in all kinds of ways; sent to multiple parties instantaneously; marked as urgent; sent with documents attached; annotated and returned; and the list goes on. As any receptionist who works on the first floor of a two-story law firm will tell you, the likelihood that a message will arrive quickly at the desk of any given lawyer actually goes up when that message is sent electronically. And even computer illiterate partners catch on to the possibilities inherent in e-mail with amazing speed. A memo listing complaints about a downturn in WIP hours can be sent to eight errant associates in ten seconds! Seriously, in my experience, e-mail is the one application that practically all network users will pick up almost instantaneously, once it has been demonstrated to them.

Teri Olson is the former Director of the Law Practice Management Program.

This article was originally published in the Georgia Bar Journal, October 1999, Vol. 5 No. 2