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Posted by Guillermo Piñón on October 24, 2012 at 11:17 am
October 24, 2012 (San Diego, CA) – Legal website design specialist Legal Web Experts is announcing its leading design, custom programming, and marketing services in Latin America and Canada. Legal Web Experts has recently launched a new site for Latino legal marketing (http://www.legalwebexperts.com/ESP/) and also offers services in French.
The Legal Web Experts Spanish website was officially launched on September 10, 2012. The new site is part of an expansion initiative by Legal Web Experts’ parent company, internet marketing agency New Wave Web and Marketing, which launched its own Spanish-language website the same day as well as a Spanish site for its other subsidiary Medical Web Experts. The Latino and French-focused site follows the company’s commitment to help Hispanic and French law firms expand their client bases, engage users and succeed in the digital age.
With nearly ten years of experience in custom programming and web design, Legal Web Experts has put together a completely bilingual website design and marketing team to tackle a variety of Hispanic and French legal marketing services – including translation services in French and Spanish; bilingual website design; Hispanic and French internet marketing; search-engine-friendly design; Hispanic and French custom logo design; Latino legal marketing, French legal marketing; Latino and French market analysis services, and more.
By offering a unique approach for each client, the company is able to consider each client’s needs, budget and overall goals to guarantee successful results. “We find there is less competition for Spanish keywords than English keywords in the United States, so the costs of getting to the top of Google are lower. That, combined with the same conversion rate, leads us to experience a higher ROI,” says John Deutsch, President and CEO of New Wave Web and Marketing.
About Legal Web Experts
Legal Web Experts was founded in 2003 by John Deutsch as a subsidiary of New Wave Enterprises LLC. Specializing in providing web solutions for law firms, Legal Web Experts aims to provide customers with highly effective websites and time-tested internet marketing services that meet each client’s specific needs and budget. For more information, visit http://www.legalwebexperts.com/.
Contact:
Guillermo Piñón
Legal Web Experts
619-446-6348
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Posted by Amanda Guerrero on September 20, 2012 at 9:42 am
Although electronic medical record technology has been around for several decades, most healthcare organizations have only recently started converting from paper charts to EMR software. The transition, as physicians are learning, comes with its challenges – most associated with implementation and training. However, there are also legal issues to worry about when adopting an EMR and it is important that these issues do not go unnoticed. Here are a few common risks that any health IT attorney or IT technician should warn physicians about.
Malpractice claims. The risk of medical malpractice is higher during implementation and in the weeks and months immediately after, especially for caregivers who do not receive proper training. Because physicians must learn a completely new system for charting, it can be easy for important data to be left out of a chart or even overlooked. When this happens, patients’ health can suffer. For example, if a physician fails to see an abnormal lab result because the test results are not easy to find in the EMR, the patient might not receive a medication necessary to improve their medical condition. Health IT attorneys also warn that malpractice claims can stem from:
- Data entry errors. From entering data into the wrong patient’s chart to transposing numbers or selecting the wrong item from a drop-down list, electronic medical records are not entirely error-free. Physicians should chart carefully, especially when first starting out with the EMR, as even a small data entry error could cost a patient greatly.
- Alert fatigue. EMR software often produces alerts and warning messages that physicians are not accustomed to seeing with paper charting. Some of these alerts are important and others are not – and not all physicians know how to change the frequency and the type of alerts that appear on their screen. Oftentimes, this leads to important alert messages being overlooked. If a physician fails to see a drug-allergy interaction warning, for example, they could end up prescribing a medication with adverse reactions for the patient. Mistakes such as this one can make physicians susceptible to malpractice suits.
Security breaches. With EMR systems, thousands of health records are stored within one central database, making it possible for more patients’ protected health information (PHI) to be accessed more easily. This is a good thing for doctors who are able to switch between patients’ charts at will. However, if an unauthorized person gains access to the EMR they could potentially view information for every patient in the EMR database. Security breaches typically occur when devices containing PHI are lost or stolen; but a data breach can also occur when an employee views information that they shouldn’t have access to.
Are you unsure as to whether your EMR is HIPAA compliant or your practice is susceptible to one of these risks? Contact a health IT attorney or EMR law expert to find out.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on December 16, 2011 at 10:32 am
December 16, 2011 (San Diego, CA) – Law firm practice management software, such as a Virtual Law Office (or VLO), may be an excellent solution for law firms expecting to suffer setbacks due to the coming changes to the Unites States Postal Service delivery system. The USPS is seeking to end next-day mail delivery in an attempt to cut costs and stay open – and as attorney web design firm Legal Web Experts reports, many law firms that rely heavily on prompt mail delivery could find their practices in trouble without a reliably fast mail service.
With increased reliance on email and internet technology for communication and sending of documents, the U.S. Postal Service has struggled over the last several years to continue providing many first-class mail services. They recently announced a plan to save $2.1 billion in costs by laying off 28,000 workers, closing hundreds of mail processing plants and ending next-day delivery of regular (also known as “first-class”) mail.
Without next-day mail delivery, the delay of important court papers, documents, evidence and other materials could cause problems and even cost an attorney their case. By switching to a law firm practice management software system, legal practices that rely heavily on the mail could completely avoid problems associated with the USPS. “Sending and uploading documents via the internet is beginning to affect every industry, including legal,” says Ryan Nelson, Director of Operations for attorney web design firm Legal Web Experts. “All firms must seriously consider having a digital document sending solution – or, at the very least, have a solution that can be implemented quickly should they need it.”
The Virtual Law Office (or VLO) system allows attorneys to set up a client login portal on their website. Clients can log in over a secure connection to download and upload documents, send completed forms, securely message their attorney and even make payments online. Beyond simply solving the mailing problem, a VLO allows lawyers increased flexibility at their office and gives them the ability to work from anywhere. Clients also love the flexibility of sending and completing forms and documents online and communicating without traveling to their attorney’s office. The VLO can be integrated into almost any website in under two weeks – in many cases, within days. There are a number of low-cost online law office solutions that can fulfill a law firm’s document-sharing needs.
The USPS anticipates holding off on the mail delay until at least May 15, 2012. In the meantime, it is advisable for attorneys who depend on prompt mail in their legal practices to look into options like VLOs.
About Legal Web Experts
Legal Web Experts, a division of New Wave Enterprises LLC, offers expert attorney web design and affordable Virtual Law Office integration for law firms of any size. For more information, visit http://www.legalwebexperts.com.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on July 27, 2011 at 2:36 pm
The concept of “cloud computing” has really taken off among legal web development agencies and users in the past several years. It’s a system that solves a lot of problems, but many business owners looking into web development solutions are unsure of what it really is and how it can help them.
Cloud computing is a way of storing and accessing digital documents – as well as performing digital tasks – on an outside server. A server is a large computer that stores files and displays them online. Traditionally, while you’re working on your computer or smartphone, your documents and data will be stored on that computer or on that smartphone. Instead, cloud computing systems store this data on a server that is accessed via the internet.
As “cloud” is a common metaphor for the internet, the name explains more now: rather than computing on your own computer and home (or office) network devices, you’re doing your computing work on an outside server, which allows you to store information and access it from any location. SaaS (or “software as a service”)-style cloud computing uses a single browser application to allow users to access the information stored on the “cloud.” This means no additional costs or investment in software or servers for the clients, and the price of an SaaS system is usually quite affordable.
So how can cloud computing benefit a legal practice? With more and more law firms creating a “Virtual Law Office” identity for themselves, SaaS cloud computing is the simplest and most cost-effective way to set up a VLO system. Cloud computing makes this possible by allowing for document storage and tasks on a browser-accessible shared portal. For more information on setting up a virtual law office, visit Legal Web Experts online.
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Posted by Ryan Nelson on July 18, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Updated 7/19/2011 – When we speak with lawyers in our business, which we do every day, we often hear complaints about the mounds of paper that add up in
the office. We also hear that communication is not what it ought to be between employees, clients, and even with judges. The new tablets on today’s market may be changing both of those things substantially.
When the iPad first came out in 2010, it was looked at mostly as a toy for gaming, watching movies, browsing the web and reading books. Now, thanks to its open platform for creating apps, there has been an explosion in useful utilities for business professionals and lawyers to use. Furthermore, with Google’s Android tablet platform, the price of tablets has dropped to where just about anyone can afford one. Google’s Android platform is also open source, so anyone with the programming knowledge of the platform can create a useful app. A recent ABA technology survey estimated that about 130,000 lawyers (or 13%) nationwide use an iPad.
As a legal website design firm, we are beginning to see the desire for attorneys not only to find useful apps for their firm, but also create their own to help out their practice or business. Tablets can not only be used with Virtual Law Offices to access client data, but also with other more conventional software like Microsoft Office. For presentations, attorneys can simply plug in their tablet to show an exhibit in PowerPoint.
Many larger firms are distributing tablets to their employees to allow better inter-firm communication as well as the ability to locate files from anywhere, even sometimes showing documents to judges from a tablet. Having this quick and easy access to such necessary documents in a courtroom is invaluable to those who are utilizing this technology now. Starting from as low as $100, there is no reason every firm does not have at least one tablet to try out in their office.
Two personal injury lawyers in Arizona, Marc Lamber and James Goodnow, give iPads to all of their personal injury clients. The iPads enable clients to contact them 24/7, take photos of accident scenes, videos of injuries, and exchange legal documents over dedicated email addresses.
We make websites in the medical industry as well, where we have seen tablets rise in popularity, even long before the iPad was spoken about. The issue thus far has been that they are cumbersome, slow, and use inefficient software like Windows, which was not made to run on a tablet PC. With Apple and Google’s newer platforms, those issues are resolved. The increase not only of tablets in doctors offices, but also apps to help physicians, has spiked in the past year and is not likely to stop. The great thing about open-source app development is that even if your device is older, you can get the newest apps to make your device better and more valuable to you than the day you bought it.
Bottom line: Go buy a tablet now, you won’t regret it. Our recommendations are the iPad 2 for Apple or the Samsung Galaxy Pad with Google Android.
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Posted by Ryan Nelson on July 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm
If you are looking for ways to increase practice efficiency, de-clutter much of the paper mess that you currently shuffle through, and ultimately increase your bottom line, here is where you should start:
1. Start Using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System
Implementing a CRM is not very expensive, and there are many that are tailored towards lawyers, called Virtual Law Offices (VLOs). In a 2010 ABA survey, 14% of lawyers polled said affirmatively that they use Internet-based software to communicate with clients, and that number is on the rise. VLOs allow you to manage clients from any computer in the world, track billable hours, receive payments, make appointments, etc. Our business operates with one and we wouldn’t dream of life without it now.
2. Build an Attorney Website
It’s simple to get a website up and is affordable for literally everyone. You can create your own site for free, or pay a legal web design company to create a nicer custom one for you. For about $2,000 you can have a great looking site that is built to have you found in Google. If you need more clients, most design companies can do additional marketing to improve your site’s ranking in search engines.
3. Go Paperless.
We know … it’s a daunting task. Converting thousands of your documents can be overwhelming even to think about. In many cases it isn’t even possible, as you will have to present certain documents in court. So start by selecting one process you do now, that can be done paperless. If you don’t already, start using an online calendar like Google’s – you can sync it with your phone and access it from anywhere. The dusty rolodex you’ve had for 12 years? Have someone in the office put it into Outlook or Google contacts…then you can see it wherever you are.
4. Make Yourself Mobile
There are countless numbers of cell phones to choose from, but if you are looking at smartphones, we recommend a Blackberry, an iPhone, or any Android-ready phone. These phones make writing email and general communication easy. One of their strengths is that they are very customizable, so if you have written off ever using a smart phone, you may want to rethink. They can be stripped down to the basics for simple users, and many apps can be added to help productivity. In a recent survey of attorneys, 27% of respondents said they use at least one legal-related app on their phone.
5. Pick Up a Tablet
Tablets aren’t for everyone, but they can be a great way to keep track of just about everything for attorneys. Smaller and lighter than a laptop, but larger and more functional than a phone, tablets allow you to read documents and websites, while easily fitting into your briefcase. 1 in 5 firms says an iPad is available for their employees to use. An iPad or Andriod-enabled tablet is your best bet.
Check back in with us periodically for more tips on how to stay ahead of the game in the legal industry. For more ways to help your firm excel online, contact us.
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Posted by Ryan Nelson on March 4, 2011 at 2:13 pm
What exactly is eDiscovery?
Discovery, of course, is the initial phase in litigation when both parties gather, submit, and exchange any information or evidence that is relevant to the case. E-discovery is the same, except it is specific to any type of data that is stored electronically. This data may include emails, attachments, storage media, text/instant messages, computer logs, and just about anything else held in an electronic device. As people rely more and more on these devices each day, keeping track of it all becomes not only more difficult but also more important.
Fortunately, there are companies who specialize in this. They vary in the specific types of procedures, the methods used, and of course the cost. From industry consensus, hiring one company to handle all aspects (identification, preservation, collection, archiving, analyzing) is generally the best idea. While we at Legal Web Experts do not have experience with the eDiscovery process, we understand the headaches that are alleviated from choosing to deal with one provider. It’s the same in the legal web design and marketing industry, so your best bet here is to pick one good company and stick with it. So, how do you pick one?
Choosing a software provider: 5 tips that can help you choose a provider
1. Don’t break your stride.
The eDiscovery process can take a long time, and the company you hire will need access to a lot of your workers’ files and information. Make sure that the company is flexible and can work around your employees, not disrupting their day-to-day activities. While some companies will do the process remotely, others come on-site to collect the data. One may not necessarily be more effective than the other, but if they are coming on site during normal working hours, it could be disruptive.
2. How is it all sorted?
The necessary data should be easy to find once it is discovered and indexed. Make sure there will be some type of search function and a good, well mapped out index so that it can all be sorted and classified systematically.
3. Tread lightly
The data that is searched for and found must not be altered or harmed in any way. Any company in the legal internet and electronic industry will be very careful in doing this. Ask the provider to explain exactly how they will collect the information and not corrupt it in any way. The Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) is the eDiscovery industry’s standard for procedures. Make sure they are up-to-date on these and fully certified.
4. Integration electronically
While we noted integration into the work day of your employees is important, the system must also–and even more importantly so–integrate into your electronic system. This means support across multiple email platforms, phone software and storage systems. Their software must be able to open and configure any file type. If you have a PC and you’ve ever had trouble with opening a file from a Mac, you know what we mean. It is unacceptable to have this happen in eDiscovery.
5. Turnaround Time
The software and the provider need to be effective right away. Having something that will only provide information after months of discovery is near useless. Ask the provider about time constraints and make sure you can obtain critical information quickly.
For your firm, the discovery process is simple. Choosing a good provider of eDiscovery is crucial and should be done now if you ever envision needing the services. As attorneys need to access electronic data more and more frequently, getting it off the ground now gives you a big advantage.
For any other advice about attorney web design and marketing services, you can contact us from here.
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Posted by Ryan Nelson on February 23, 2011 at 1:19 pm
In working closely with law firms and legal software, legal web design firm Legal Web Experts is reporting an increased trend toward virtual law offices in recent years. A method of delivering legal services from anywhere the client or attorney can access the Internet, virtual law offices are joining a trend set by other industries in taking many primary business functions online.
While a traditional law office requires much face-to-face contact and constant in-person meetings, a virtual law office has the advantage of delivering legal services completely online and over the phone. This is done through an online client portal allowing clients to log in and communicate securely with their attorney. This portal affords the same amount of security as an online bank login, and a similar system (dubbed a “patient portal”) is becoming increasingly popular amongst physician practice and hospital websites.
The legal client portal allows for full interaction between client and attorney up through payment transactions. This is not only a more convenient system for clients; the online access means that they can consult with their attorneys and resolve legal matters without leaving home. Many portals also feature legal document storage, filing, legal forms, organization of legal documents, and other services. Clients of virtual law offices can access their legal documents through an online portal with no need to contact their attorney in advance.
The system also has many advantages for law firms. Virtual law firms are often completely paperless, which saves money, space, and has added environmental benefits. They also enjoy lower overhead expenses, more flexible hours and travel considerations, and the ability to reach out to clients in different locations. “Virtual law offices aren’t just a new opportunity for law firms who are in the market for more clients,” says Ryan Nelson, Director of Operations at legal website design firm Legal Web Experts. “They’re a way to increase the quality of your services and improve the way you run your practice.” With the growing trend of legal practices leveraging technology to improve and streamline services, Legal Web Experts predicts that the American legal community will see an increasing number of virtual law firms offering accessible, online legal services in the coming years.
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