You probably know that you can add links to any files on the Documents Brad page of Amicus files. You may also know that you can add folders to the Documents Brad page. So what are the benefits of both methods, and is one better than the other?

Most consultants feel that adding folders to Brad pages makes more sense than adding files. Ask yourself this question: Does everyone remember to add every file that they create to the Brad page of every Amicus file? More than likely, they do not. This means that the list of files on the Brad page is probably not complete. And if users don't realize that it is not complete, they can get very frustrated looking for files.

Here is what we do on our system, and what we recommend to our clients. When a new file is created in Amicus, in addition to creating the file, we also create a main folder for the file on our server. We have a master folder on the server that contains empty folders that are copied to the main case folder on the server. (You do not have to do this, but it makes it easier to assure that you set up all of the appropriate folders for a new case.)

As soon as the sub-folders are created on the server, you can drag and drop them to the new Amicus file Brad. This creates a link to these folders, and means that every file that is saved to the folders on the server are automatically accessible from the Amicus file's Brad page. When you open the Amicus file, and go to the All Documents Brad page, you will see the names of the sub-folders. Double-click on one of the sub-folder names, and click on View. You will see a list of all of the files within the sub-folder, as if you went into My Computer. You can double- click on any file to view and/or modify the file.

One more thing - we have removed all of the Document Groups in the Amicus Administrator for each File Type. That means that the only selection on the Brad is Documents - All. (Again, you do not have to do this, but it may make it easier for users.)

Do you constantly see duplicate contacts in your Amicus contact index or listed on an Amicus file? If so, you are not alone! This is one of the most common problems that we received calls about.

Here are some of the problems that may be causing some of the duplicate contacts: a) improper settings for Team Members' Palm Hot Sync options, b) synchronization problems between Amicus & Outlook, c) improper Team Member Preference settings (see last month's newsletter), and d) Team Members not checking for duplicates every time they enter a new contact.

So what do you do if you have lots of duplicate contacts in Amicus? Your best bet is to contact an Amicus certified consultant. You may be able to do the cleanup yourself, but a certified consultant who has done this type of cleanup can walk you through the steps needed to properly take care of these duplicates problems.

Be prepared - it can be a lengthy process for your firm to go through, but it is very important to get this cleaned up ASAP - to avoid more problems in the future.

You are probably wondering - why can't we just delete the duplicates? Does it hurt to leave them there? Why do we have to go through such a big deal just to delete duplicates? Here are some of the reasons why you should resolve these duplicate problems:

• As Team Members keep track of phone calls, messages, events, time, and other data, they often attach these records to a contact - if there are two contact records with similar information, they may be spending valuable time trying to determine which contact to select.
• If a phone call, message, event, time, or other information is recorded on one contact record, and then other information is recorded on a duplicate record, you will not be able to adequately generate a report that shows all of the information for one contact.
• If Amicus is linked to an accounting system, all of a client/matter's time may not be transferred to the matter, and some of the time may not appear on the invoice - therefore, your firm may be losing valuable billable time.
• If a Team Member tries to delete one of the duplicates, they may accidentally delete important information.
• There are a lot of steps that need to be followed in order to properly delete / combine duplicates - and it is time-consuming. The best way to handle the cleanup is to have all users remain out of Amicus until the cleanup is completed. Many law firms do not have the personnel (and/or time) available to do this cleanup - that's where a certified consultant can help.

This article was originally written by Robert Spotswood, a member of the APCUG (Association of PC Users Groups), and was published in the November, 2004 newsletter for the GCPCUG (Greater Cleveland PC Users Group). I have made minor modifications to the article - mostly for readability.

Bob is a computer technician and tells us about many of the different computer problems that he sees with his clients. We see these problems all the time, and would much rather see our clients spend their money on becoming more productive with their current software!

Here is a list of the top 10 issues that you should be familiar with - to read the complete article, click on the link at the end of this article.

1. Use a Virus Scanner
2. Protect Yourself from Spyware
3. Don't Open Strange E-mail Messages
4. Never Respond to Spam
5. Perform Regular Backups
6. Help the Technician
7. Get Some Computer Training
8. Apply Patches Regularly
9. Pay Attention to Your Computer's Security
10. Give Your Computer Regular Maintenance

The GCPCUG (Greater Cleveland PC Users Group) has a great meeting planned for September 8, 2005. Gene Barlow has been a regular presenter for the last 10 years, and is going to be presenting several products that will help us keep our computers running with minimal problems.

Internet Security: Gene will show us the world of hackers and how they can take advantage of our PC and our data - all of this sometimes happening without our knowledge. Then he will give us some great tips that we can all do to protect our computers from these hackers.

Organizing Your Access to the Internet using Optimal Desktop Pro: This great tool can help us organize the "Access Points" to the information that we all need to find on the Internet, and on our PC's. Gene will show us how to set up and tailor our desktops using Cabinets, Drawers and Sections - by name, icon or color to make things easier to find and remember.

Backing up a hard drive using Acronis True Image: Backing up our computer's hard drive is probably the most important thing we all need to do with our computer. Gene will show us how True Image can help schedule regular backups, both full and incremental. (True Image received the Editors Choice Award from PC Magazine 3 years in a row.)