Acquiring a Computer-part I: Making the Decision
| Publication year | 1989 |
| Pages | 271 |
1989, February, Pg. 271. Acquiring a Computer-Part I: Making the Decision
Acquiring a computer system for the law office is one of the most critical decisions a lawyer or law firm must make. In addition, it is often a discomforting decision because it requires that a lawyer think as a manager. This is something law schools typically do not train prospective lawyers to do. However, an awareness of the most critical factors to be considered in acquisition of a computer should go a long way in relieving some of the decision anxiety.
Part I of this article discusses the three critical factors relative to making the actual computer system decision: evaluation, system specification and software customization. Part II, to be published in the March issue, discusses the five critical factors involved in enforcing the decision.
The most common and serious judgmental errors that attorneys make when evaluating the purchase of a computer system stem from (1) having unrealistic expectations, (2) having unexpressed requirements, (3) being uncritical of the sales pitch and (4) having unrealized biases.
Many business heads---attorneys among them---have unrealistic expectations about what a computer system can do. Most common are the ideas that a computer will eliminate paperwork, produce reports and data instantaneously and be failsafe. None of these perceptions is correct.
Hard copy ("computerese" for paper) of most documents, and certainly all letters, must be maintained. In addition to the security this provides, a piece of paper can often be plucked from a file more quickly than it can be retrieved from the computer and printed for review. Production of data and reports takes time, no matter how efficiently the software is written. Further, reports cannot be generated if the data has not been placed into the system.
In addition, no computer system is failsafe. To maintain a safe and secure system, attorneys should follow two key rules: keep staff well trained and insist that backups (copy of data kept off-site) be made for all work that is done. Operator error and power surges are the two major sources of loss of data. Therefore, all data must be "saved" consistently, generally by recording on a duplicate disk.
The second most common judgmental error occurs when attorneys have unexpressed requirements. The greatest risk is that they will purchase a system they do not really need. To reduce this risk, the persons involved in the decision should commit to understanding the firm's management reporting, time and billing, bookkeeping and word processing requirements.
The quickest way to come to this understanding is to gather all documents, reports, billings and other paperwork presently in use, to determine which of these are satisfactory. The satisfactory systems should become the benchmarks against which any proposed computer system is measured. Then, once inadequate or missing data are determined, any proposed computer system should be required to supply these as well. Requirements which are specific to the law office, such as unlimited space for task description on bills or a calendar suspense system, should also be part of any legal package.
Future computer needs should also be forecast. For example, a firm that will likely grow to need three or more workstations within the next few years should seriously consider starting off with a system that can handle those needs. Also, a firm that contemplates tying into WESTLAW, LEXIS or similar legal research systems now or in the future should check that the hardware being considered is compatible with these systems. Many are not.
Too often, buyers remain uncritical of computer vendors' sales pitches. Three sales approaches to watch for are a vendor's sale of what is yet to be produced, promises about what can be produced, or promotion of solutions before the vendor knows the problems.
The rapid evolution of the computer industry---the constant expansion...
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