Today, all the firm’s attorneys carry pocket-sized Olympus DS-4000 digital voice recorders wherever they go — home, office, or on the road. Their voice files can then be downloaded to any Mac via a USB port. “You just name the file, attach it to an email or upload it to an iDisk, and your secretary’s transcribing it in seconds,” says Shea. “It saves time and significantly reduces costs.”
A Passion for Productivity
Over the years, Swike has observed a phenomenon among many who work at the firm, something she calls “the passion of the converted.” Even the most experienced lawyers — people who spent their early careers dictating to secretaries and never touching a keyboard — are now Mac advocates.
“Even the most experienced lawyers — people who spent their early careers dictating to secretaries and never touching a keyboard — are now Mac advocates.”
“Every partner in our firm has a Mac at home, and a .Mac account with iDisk,” she says. They use .Mac to share iCal calendars and Address Book contacts with colleagues and legal staff, making sure all data is up to date with iSync. “The overall effect of Mac technology is subtle yet profound,” she says. “Once you experience the ease of manipulating it — you don’t go back.”
Exploding the Myth
“There’s a myth out there that you need PCs to run a law practice,” says Shea. “But it’s ridiculous.” He points to various icons on his Mac screen and enumerates their powers: One-click access to Westlaw, eliminating the need for printed research material in the office. One-click creation of PDF documents, ideal for archiving documents and e-filing of court papers. Seamless document sharing with clients and partners who use Windows via PDF, or Microsoft Office files. Time tracking of billable hours via the firm’s custom FileMaker database, which was created by Mike Boyle, Lynda Swike’s IT assistant, while working in the office supporting other Macs.
In the back office, Macs handle all the firm’s bookkeeping and accounting needs, including tracking hundreds of escrow accounts, writing several thousand checks per year, and preparing data for tax returns. Seven thousand people receive the firm’s quarterly newsletter, produced and printed in-house with Macs. The firm’s website, www.suffolklaw.com, is also maintained in-house, allowing them to update the site regularly without relying on a vendor. “Whenever you do a cost comparison, it just makes sense to handle tasks internally. At every turn, Mac saves us time and money,” says Twomey.
Onward and Upward
Looking back on his 33 years of practice — and the steady growth of the firm — Twomey is thankful that he’s been able to concentrate far more on being a lawyer than on running a business. “It’s been very gratifying to see the firm prosper and grow, and to keep recruiting more young and talented individuals. In fact, we just finished a major expansion here, making room for 11 new attorneys as we plan for the next 15 or 20 years.
“But there are two things I’m sure of as I look at our future: I’ll still be spending 100 percent of my time practicing law. And whatever we throw at our Mac systems, they’ll be more than able to handle it.”
