Recently I heard of a solo attorney requiring several days of repair work on an all-important laptop.  The question is, how does work proceed during this interval?

Business Continuity is one of the key advantages of using a product like Rocket Matter.  Cloud computing or Software as a Service (SaaS) provides redundancy to your systems:  If you need to work on another machine, whether temporarily, while traveling, or as part of a hardware upgrade, you need not worry about a work interruption.

Since all your data is available via a web-browser, you can use any machine to continue practicing.  And if the unthinkable happens, and your machine gets stolen, a quick call to us can reset your password and lock out intruders from your confidential information.

For lawyers displaced by this season’s natural disasters, who have lost their office and need to find new digs, we are offering Rocket Matter free of charge.  This offer stands for the remainder of 2008, and we can extend this until a new permanent home is established.

Having gone through four hurricanes and other disasters ourselves, Rocket Matter was designed for these situations.  You may want to talk to your regional Practice Management Advisor to see if it’s a good fit for your situation.

So, after reading a request by Ernie the Attorney to help Displaced Iowa Laywers, we decided to answer the call.  For lawyers displaced by this season’s natural disasters, who have lost their office and need to find new digs, we are offering Rocket Matter free of charge.  This offer stands for the remainder of 2008, and we can extend this until a new permanent home is established.

If you are in this situation, make sure that you are registered as displaced with the Linn County Bar, and feel free to contact me directly at larry (at) rocketmatter (dot) com or at 954.719.1944 x 103.

If you have the ability to help out, please contact the Linn County Bar.  According to Ernie, their PageRank needs a boost, so if you are a blogger, linking to their bar association with the words “Linn County Bar” will also help out.

With Rocket Matter, you don’t have to worry about the safety and security of your legal practice management and time and billing information in case of an unfortunate event. Since all you need is access to the internet, you can relocate to any connected location and you’re up and running again.

Now that June has arrived it’s hurricane season again. And weather in 2008 has already been disastrous. Cedar Rapids, Iowa and other midwestern locations have suffered terrible flooding and violent storms. Fortunately, the ABA Legal Technology and Resource Center offers guidance. They recently posted a recent article on their blog: It Could Happen to You: Disaster Preparedness.

The ABA Journal brings news of two law firms that have been temporarily forced to relocate their offices as a result of the devastating floods throughout Iowa. According to the Journal, the Cedar Rapids office of Simmons Perrine has set up temporary offices for as many as 75 staff and attorneys in a middle school in a neighboring town, while Shuttleworth & Ingersoll has relocated to the Cornell College campus. The official blog of Simmons Perrine notes that the firm has been able to remain “open for business” in part due to “advanced technology” including BlackBerries, cell phones, and the internet.

These stories should serve as notice to attorneys around the country: disasters of all sorts – natural and man-made – have the potential to force you from your office or otherwise interrupt your practice. Developing a thorough disaster preparedness plan in advance of such an event may allow you to remain “open for business” despite the difficult circumstances.

For a wide variety of disaster-related resources, visit the ABA’s Hurricane Katrina Disaster Resources page, assembled in the wake of the devastating 2005 hurricane. Of particular interest may be the Technology Resources section developed by the Legal Technology Resource Center.

With Rocket Matter, a legal web-based practice management and time and billing tool, you get an extra layer of protection just by signing up.