BATTLE OF THE LAW PRACTICE PIMs:
TIME MATTERS V. AMICUS TEAM
by
Aaron P. Morris, J.D.
The recent review in Law Office Computing of 13 personal information managers
generated a great deal of interest in the two legal specific PIMs discussed -- Time Matters and
Amicus Attorney. The most common question: "Which one is the best for my practice?"
Obviously, this was a call for a shoot-out between these two competing programs. This is
especially true since Amicus just added Amicus Team, which gives the Amicus line of programs
full networking capabilities comparable to those available in Time Matters. Here then is a
detailed review of two PIMs designed solely for law firms: Time Matters 1.97 and Amicus
Team 2.0.
Installation
Both programs installed effortlessly, and ran without incident (at least initially) across the
network. Amicus Team takes a little more work to install than Time Matters, because the
network aspects are an overlay to the underlying programs. Out of the box, Amicus Attorney is a
standalone program. Amicus Assistant can be added to give staff members access to files created
by Amicus Attorney. To create a network out of these programs, you must add Amicus Team,
and then convert the other programs to network versions. In other words, you install all your
copies of Amicus Attorney and Amicus Assistant, then install the system administrator, Amicus
Team, and then go back with conversion disks and convert the Attorney and Assistant programs
to work with Amicus Team. It sounds involved, but it was all quite painless.
With Time Matters, everything is contained in just the one set of disks. At each
workstation installation you simply identify the user, tell the program where the main files are
located, and you're off to the races.
One major problem did develop with Amicus during reinstallation. After both programs
were installed, I made a change to one of the workstation computers that changed the network
mapping. Thus, to the workstation it appeared that the data files had been moved. Time Matters
handled this with aplomb. It said it could not access the data files, and asked if I wanted to
reconfigure. I changed one letter in the list of files, and the job was done.
Amicus Assistant, however, had more problems. With no access to the server, the
program would not even open. Reinstalling the program did not fix the problem. Finally, a call
to Amicus technical support corrected the problem through a simple change to an ini file. This
problem is unlikely to arise with the typical user, but it does appear that Amicus' networking
could be a little more user friendly.
One nice touch with Time Matters is that it installs a "training mode" version which
includes sample files. This allows you to move around the program and enter sample data to see
how the various features work. Neither program includes any sort of on-line tutorial.
Personal Information Manager Features
Amicus
Opening Amicus Attorney leaves no doubt that you are working with a legal-specific
PIM. The background is a dark green marble, with a photo of a lawyer's office in the
foreground. If it is your first log on of the day, you are presented with a daily status report with a
plethora of information on items such as file maintenance, any unrecorded time references, and
whether you have any appointments or to-do items. Think of this as the information your
secretary greets you with when you arrive at the office.
From there, you select one of six views: calendar, files, phone calls, contacts, timer or
time sheet. The calendar view is one of the best of any PIM available. It features the usual spiral
bound organizer view of to-do items and appointments, but with a drop-down menu, you can
close the task list and display either notes or a phone log. Also, by making most menu options
appear with a right mouse click, Amicus has been able to minimize the tool bar and maximize
the display area. You can see a day's worth of appointments at the same time.
Moving to the contacts view, Amicus uses a business card graphic to list address and
telephone information. Whereas most PIMs are based on an organizer graphical environment,
Amicus carries that further and utilizes a file folder graphic. When you open a client file, you
actually open a visual representation of a file, complete with tabs and the little brads that hold the
documents. To that end, I suppose, Amicus elected to use business cards in the contact manager
so those cards could be clipped to the inside of the files. It's a nice touch, but the cards don't
display as much information as I would like. The person's business and home address are listed
on different cards, so you must click through additional screens. Also, there is no provision for
e-mail addresses, which would have to be listed free-form in the notes section.
Selecting phone call pops up a dialog box and starts timing the call. With a few mouse
clicks, you can identify the person you want to call, auto-dial that number, and log the call.
Another click provides a list of all previously logged calls to that person, or on that file. A nice
feature is the ability to generate a reminder to call the person back.
It is the remaining buttons, however, that separate Amicus from any other PIM. Again,
Amicus is based on the concept of keeping electronic case files. When you click the files button,
you are presented with a graphic of an expanding folder, containing all of your files. You select
a file, and it opens on your screen. On the left are the business cards with all of the people
related to the case. On the right is a brad holding all of the documents you would expect to find
in a case file. This would include (links to) all of the pleadings and correspondence, attorney
notes on the case, to-do lists and appointment, notes from phone calls, and any custom categories
you elect to create. In a standard PIM this information could all be entered and brought together
through the use of categories, but no other PIM brings it all together in such an organized and
intuitive manner.
Finally, the time sheet button does just what you would expect. It pops up a dialog box
that allows entry of billable time. Theses entries, in turn, can be sent off to a number of billing
programs, including Timeslips. At your option, Amicus will also automatically create time
entries from completed tasks, appointments and phone calls.
Time Matters
Time Matters' opening screen is a list of alerts, both events and to-do items. The screen
includes a drop-down list of the other users so you can check their alerts as well -- a very useful
feature in the event a firm member suffers an emergency absence, or if you just need to check
someone's workload for the day.
Once you have reviewed the alerts, you exit that view to the "tip of the day" regarding the
program. With Windows 95, I found this feature annoying and turned it off. But with Time
Matters, the tip of the day file can be edited to included your own tips, reminders, jokes or
thoughts of the day if you are so inclined.
Once past the day's tip, you are at the main screen. This view has a large button bar
across the top, giving you access to all of the program's tools. Clicking on the calendar button
yields a daily or weekly (there is no monthly) view. Displayed here are both your appointments
for the day and your to-do list, spread horizontally across the screen, one on top of the other.
You can adjust the size of these by simply dragging the border. I like the ability to devote the
entire screen to my to-do list once I have checked my schedule. Again, you can also check the
calendar and to-do list of any other user by simply selecting their name from the list. Any
calendar entry can be marked private by the user, and those items would not appear when that
person's calendar is reviewed by someone else.
The next two buttons are for "events," which is Time Matters' term for appointments, and
to-do items. The simplicity of these views belie their power. Contained in the events view, for
example, are all of the appointments within a given time frame, sorted through the ease of a
drop-down list. Clicking on "all records" lists all of the appointments for everyone on the
system. You can easily see what everyone is up to for that day or even that month. But far more
impressive is the ability to filter the appointments through whatever criteria you choose to create.
With one click, you can see all of the scheduled items for a given case or attorney. The firm's
receptionist could view a list of all scheduled depositions to make sure there are enough
conference rooms available. You could even sort hearings by courtroom so that one attorney
could make multiple appearances. The same holds true for the to-do list.
This same filtering approach is implemented with the remaining views, including the
address book and list of cases. You could, for instance, instantly create a list of all pending
criminal cases in your office being handled by a certain attorney. Now any good PIM will permit
you to filter information with the use of categories or keywords. The difference with Time
Matters is that the search function is rendered transparent through the use of the drop-down lists.
Time Matters also provides a "Day File" button that lets you create a custom view of
your information. So, instead of moving from the daily view to the contacts list in order to make
the day's phone calls, you can elect to have all of the information you will be using for the day
displayed on the same screen. You could put the day's appointments on the left, and tasks,
contacts and cases on the right. It's like creating a daily to-do list that includes all of the
ancillary information you will need to complete the tasks.
As a contact manager, Time Matters offers far more options and information than does
Amicus. The latter program offers spaces for the standard name, address and phone numbers,
and little else. Time Matters offers a very detailed screen, including entry points for information
such as the contact's birthday and spouse's name. Selecting the "related" tab causes Time
Matters to do a search of any other entries related to this person. You are then presented with an
outline formatted report showing all of the related matters. Clicking on any of those displays that
item. Any of the screens can be customized, and there is an additional "customize" tab so that
even more fields can be created. Of course, any of this information could be entered in the notes
section offered by Amicus, but that prevents quick retrieval or use as a search field.
Special Features
Both programs possess some great features not found in standard PIMs. Most useful to
litigators, they both have the ability to create scheduling templates. For example, when a trial
date is assigned, it creates several deadlines that must be calendared. With another PIM, you
would have to calculate those dates and enter them individually. With these programs, you
would simply enter the trial date, and all of the prior dates would be calendared. Both allow the
entry of individual rules, such as whether to count holidays and weekends, whether to add days if
notice was mailed, and what to do if a due date falls on a weekend.
Along this same line, Time Matters also provides a date calculator. Instead of counting
on a calendar to determine when a response is due, you just enter the date of service, and Time
Matters calculates the due date. Although Amicus does not have this specific feature, the same
result can be achieved through a scheduling template.
Both programs have the ability to do team-wide conflicts checks by scanning everyone's
contacts. The next time you renew your malpractice policy, you will finally be able to say that
you have an automated conflicts procedure.
If you use Timeslips for your billing, you will really appreciate the link Time Matters has
created with that program. Although Amicus will export information to Timeslips, it does not
offer a true dynamic link. In other words, Time Matters is actually linked to Timeslips'
database. With a few clicks, you can import all of your client information from Timeslips to
Time Matters. Thereafter, if you make a change to a client's information, it is also changed in
Timeslips. When you finish with some activity, you can click a button marked "make slip," and
a slip is actually created in Timeslips.
Networking Features
Time Matters follows an egalitarian approach to networking. Whether the user is a
secretary or the managing partner, all are using identical copies of the program. Each station can
create and maintain their own files (within a common database), and determine who will have
access to them.
By comparison, Amicus makes a distinction between users. Users are either Attorneys or
Assistants. Each Attorney has their own "office" where they maintain their files and calendar.
However, Assistants do not get their own offices. They cannot create their own files or
calendars. Assistants can only go into the offices on the system to which they have been granted
access, and add to the files and calendars. But this limitation is a feature, not a glitch. If your
office personnel do not need the ability to create their own files and calendars, then the Assistant
version offers a low cost way to give support staff access to the database. On the other hand, if
you want your office personnel to have their own "offices," you are always free to upgrade them
to "Attorneys."
Amicus Attorney works great as a standalone program, and even without the Team add-on, it will function as a pseudo-network by adding Assistant. However, if you network without
Team, Amicus' networking is far more limited. For example, if an Attorney is in his or her
office (i.e., has logged onto Amicus), then an assistant can go directly to those files. But if the
Attorney is not on the system, Amicus so informs the Assistant, who must then log into the
office in a different manner. Then, if the Attorney arrives and tries to log on, he will be denied
access to his own files until the Assistant leaves the office. This arrangement has some inherent
inefficiencies, but the software can easily be upgrade to Team at a later date if more standard
networking is desired.
Both programs make good use of networking, including the usual features such as group
scheduling and the ability to call up and edit group documents. One feature unique to Amicus is
the ability to send "stickies" to other users. Rather than requiring more structured e-mail
messages, Amicus allows you to send a note that says, for example, "Don't forget your lunch
with Jones today." The message then appears on the recipient's screen, even if they are using
another program (so long as they are running Amicus). You can even chose the color of the note.
Both programs can greatly increase information dissemination by allowing data items to
be assigned to one or more of the users. For example, when a new case file is created, most
firms create a "players list" that provides all of the addresses and telephone numbers for the
clients and opposing counsel. That information might then be entered again in a network-accessible address book, or individually in the PIM of each applicable attorney. Worse yet, it
might remain only as a hard copy list in the file that must be pulled out every time someone
needs to make a phone call.
With Time Matters, that information can be entered once, and then by clicking on a group
name from a drop-down list, sent to the address book of every team member that might have use
for it. In this manner, all of the users can maintain their own address books, including their own
personal entries, instead of relying on one master address book. Amicus accomplishes this
through its use of the file concept. When a file is created, all applicable attorneys are associated
with that file. Thereafter, any items entered in that file also become part of the attorneys'
records. Thus, contact information entered in the file is simultaneously entered in those
attorneys' phone books.
Support
The networking problem I encountered with Amicus gave me some real life experience
with the technical support department. I called the toll-free number on three different occasions,
and was told each time via a recorded message that all representatives were busy, and that I
should leave my name and number. My first message, left near closing time, was not returned
until the following day. Once we finally did connect, however, the support staff was great.
Unlike some support lines that I have called that seem to be reading from Que cards, the Amicus
support people had intimate knowledge of the software.
Gavel & Gown, the publishers of Amicus, are located in Toronto, Canada (which
explains the references to "colours" in the documentation). Technical support is offered from
8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. eastern time, so if you are on the west coast, try to have your technical
problems early in the day. Toll free technical support is provided free for the first 90 days.
Thereafter, the cost is $25 per call for the first 15 minutes, and $2 per additional minute.
Alternatively, you can pay $75 per user per year for unlimited technical support. When you buy
Amicus, you are buying a trial version that is good for a 30 day trial period. During that time you
can accept the software by sending a provided fax to the publisher, who then issues you an
unlock code.
My calls to Time Matters were also answered by an answering machine, but were
returned within minutes. Time Matters provides six months of toll-free technical support.
Thereafter the cost is $95 per year for a single user; $150 for a five user network. If you prefer to
pay as you go, the cost is $35 per call. The support department is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00
p.m., EST.
In order to address any glitches, add new features, and maintain maximum connectivity
with other programs such as Word, WordPerfect and Timeslips, Time Matters has adopted a
policy of issuing frequent updates. In fact, the company's goal is to update the program every
three months. This could be a very costly policy if users had to pay for all these updates, but
they are provided at no additional cost if you subscribe to the technical support plan. Otherwise,
they range from $35 to $59 each. Even then, since each update will upgrade all previous
versions, it is not necessary to purchase every update.
Which is best?
Prior to the addition of Amicus Team, it could be said that Time Matters was the best
choice if you needed true networking, with Amicus Attorney holding a slight lead as a standalone
program due to its intuitive interface. Now, the choice is much tougher. Amicus has done a
good job of adding networking capabilities to its already great interface.
Because of its more extensive contact features, better support, frequent updates, and
direct, dynamic link to Timeslips, I would have to conclude that Time Matters is a more
attractive program for my practice. On the other hand, I hate to give up the great graphical
interface offered by Amicus, along with the ease of use offered by that environment. All things
considered, however, I will go with Time Matters, and try not to think about those nifty graphical
folders I have forsaken.
# # #
AARON P. MORRIS is a trial attorney in Irvine, California. His practice areas include
business litigation and employment law. Mr. Morris has published numerous articles on
business and computer related topics. He can be contacted at (714) 250-7010 or
Internet:70363.500@compuserve.com. His web page is at http://www.primenet.com/~amorris.