A high-tech holiday wish list.

The holidays are upon us. It's time to think about a law office automation "wish list" of gifts you'd like to receive from others or give yourself. Here's my personal gift list.

1. A 21-inch computer monitor. Big monitors are popular and have come down in price. I bought a 21-inch monitor this year and love it. Those with poor vision can read the bigger letters on the screen, for one thing. You can open a word-processing program and still have room to view a calendar program at the same time. You might also keep your Internet e-mail program open so that if you get a message, you will see it instantly.

2. An office computer network. Smaller law offices have many options for connecting the computers in the office. There are many local area network (LAN) programs available--do some basic research, then visit your computer store to find one that is low-cost and easy to install.

3. An extra phone line in the family room. In Bill Gates's new book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, he explains why you need to use the Internet. However, during office hours, attorneys are too busy to do the "surfing" and online experimenting that Gates recommends.

So, install a separate phone line in your family room at home. Here, away from the judgmental eyes of associates and staff, you can become the Internet expert you want to be. If you have children, insist they use this computer to do their own Internet surfing. That way, you can monitor what they're looking at.

4. A digital subscriber line (DSL) connection. DSL allows high-speed connections to the Internet--up to 100 times faster then the fastest modems on the market. Many law firms are installing these telephone lines and LANs so everyone in the office can get on the Internet to use electronic mail, file attachments, and online services like Westlaw and LEXIS; to find current court decisions from most states; and to use other information resources.

DSL lines are so fast that even if everyone in a good-sized office--20 or more people--were using the line at the same time, there would be no significant slow-down in computer responsiveness. The lines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at a fixed monthly cost. Competition among high-speed telephone line providers means monthly rates keep coming down as the geographic areas served by DSL capability increase.

Particularly with a DSL line (or cable modem line in your home) response time on the Internet is much improved, so it's easier to educate yourself and find information on the Internet. For example:

ATLA Online. If you have not visited this site yet (http://www.atla.org), the question is, "Why not?" TRIAL has published a great deal about the value of ATLA Online (formerly ATLA NET; see, e.g., Paul Bernstein, Getting Down to Business: A Valuable Use of ATLA NET, TRIAL, Feb. 1998, at 82). If you do just one thing this holiday season, get on the Internet and join fellow members on ATLA Online to see what it can do for you.

State trial lawyer association (TLA) or bar association Web sites. When it comes to local rules and networking--and by local, I mean your city, town, or state--TLA and city or state bar association Web sites provide invaluable information.

5. A writeable CD-ROM disk drive. These drives are fantastic. Imagine copying thousands of pages of documents to one little, shiny, cheap ($2 or less) disk. You can back up your office file server on CD-ROMs. Instead of taking papers and files home with you on a weekend to prepare for trial, you can take a notebook computer and a CD-ROM with all the information from the cases you're working on. About 10 years ago, the technology to create a CD-ROM initial copy, or "master disk," cost over $50,000. Today, you can buy a drive that "writes" CDs for under $500.

6. Educational reading materials. Too many lawyers shy away from technology topics, even those that relate to their own practice, because they feel overwhelmed by the subject. Lawyers are smart people; they can learn enough about open-heart surgery to effectively cross-examine the defendant in a medical malpractice action. Computers are nowhere near as complicated as heart surgery, so it's hard to understand why many lawyers' eyes glaze over at the mere suggestion of discussing technology.

Attorneys need to start reading and educating themselves. You can start with any of the popular computer magazines, such as PC Magazine or Info World, for general information. You may want to buy the book or monthly newsletter I write, Computers for Lawyers, which is jointly published by ATLA Press and West Group. After doing some reading, you will be amazed how quickly you become computer and Internet literate.

7. Technical assistance. Computers are complex machines that function because of complicated programs that are called operating system software. In the early 1980s, Microsoft's disk operating system, or MS-DOS, was introduced. In the mid-1980s, Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh computer, which featured a more user-friendly, graphical user interface for a what-you-see-is-what-you-get operating system. In response, Microsoft developed Windows, the most popular operating system.

Windows is a complex system because it was developed "on top" of MS-DOS. Thus, Windows relies in part on DOS, even though a new or casual computer user won't see it. For example, part of the Windows structure that evolved from DOS is using folders, subfolders, and even subsubfolders to store programs and text files.

All lawyers should have a basic understanding of this architectural structure. Then, it is essential to hire a "tech," a local person who is computer literate and not intimated by lawyers, to become your "computer person." When you want to network your computers, configure a new printer, hook up a DSL connection, or make the CD-ROM drive copy data from your file server, you have someone to help you. Most of us don't repair our own cars--so, too, a technically capable person can tend your computer hardware and software.

8. A lawyers' computer users group. If you want a quick education on using a Web browser, hooking up your notebook computer's modem in a hotel room, taking maximum advantage of ATLA Online, or using PowerPoint for killer courtroom presentations, how do you get it? The answer is probably that you don't because you don't have the time. So why not form a lawyers' microcomputer users group in your town? (I did it in Chicago, and we used the acronym LAW MUG.) If you have just one meeting per month, in a year you will be educated about 12 different computer and Internet topics.

The local or state TLA should be happy to host monthly meetings at little if any cost. If you are interested in my own tips and ideas on how to get a group up and running, please feel free to contact me.

Captain your ship

All these gifts will make you the master of your own ship. Don't be held hostage by an employee who is the only one in charge of master passwords to the file server. You can't depend on others to do daily backups of your computer files. You can't rely on the memories of your staff to keep clients informed about their cases. You should be able to access and review statute of limitations and discovery cut-off dates even when the person who maintains that information is out sick.

You must be in charge of everything that affects your law practice. This does not mean that you install the new printers, scanners, and DSL connection yourself. It does mean that you manage your computer systems, just as you periodically review your financial statements.

There may be other "toys" you would like to try--perhaps a PalmPilot so you can carry your schedule in your purse or coat pocket; litigation support software so you can search, abstract, and analyze thousands of pages of depositions on a computer; a television viewing "card" so you can watch the stock market on your computer; or a camera attached to your computer so you can experiment with deposition videoconferencing (or sending pictures of your children to their grandparents).

Whatever it is, give it to yourself or get others to give it to you this holiday season. Since the costs of technology have come down, these gifts are not out of reach.

While you're at it, you can make some New Year's resolutions when it comes to technology. Here are a few suggestions.

* I will remember that as a lawyer, I can learn whatever I want to learn about any topic at any time.

* In the year 2000, I will learn about computers and the Internet.

* I will follow at least one of the gift suggestions above.

* I will remember that being captain of my own ship is vital.

* I will remember the immortal words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Have a happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous, and more computer-and Internet-literate new year!

Paul Bernstein is an attorney and law office automation consultant in Chicago. He can be reached on the Internet at [e-mail]. The views expressed in this column are the author's and do not constitute an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.