Docket 9.0, our new Windows calendaring program, is here. It starts with all the features you had in our DOS version of Docket now incorporated into a new system designed to run on Windows 98/2000/me/XP/7 computers. Then it takes off from there. Enter appointments, critical deadlines, and things to do. Then make up additional types for entries. Each day on the new Docket calendar can have up to 6 color blocks. Perhaps a new type called Personal for entries such as your child's soccer match or your spouse's birthday, or a type called Office for activities such as office meetings, bar meetings, and CLE courses. You see your calendars quickly and easily. The month and highlighted day are all on one Monthly screen. Then double click a day and see its detail on the Daily screen. It's fast and easy. Use templates to create events on the calendar. Start a stop watch to time an event. Create reminders, repeated events, and put entries on other attorneys' calendars. See at a glance who is the originator of the event and who will be the attendees. Integrate to Verdict and turn completed Docket entries into billable entries for Verdict with the push of a button. Get reports for one day or any range of days, one account, selected types of entries such as only critical deadlines and personal matters, a group of attorneys, or just about anything you can think of. It's all there, in an easy-to-use system. And all old Dos Docket data will automatically translate into Docket 9.

See the month and day at a glance

Docket is arranged so you quickly see your calendar. The Monthly calendar shows the month and the list of events for the highlighted day. It even shows you the status of a highlighted entry at the bottom of the screen. Check off a completed item right then and there! Or go to the Daily screen and see complete information about calendar events for the day. The Daily screen shows the agenda for the day on the left side of the screen and complete detail about the highlighted event on the right side of the screen.

Enter Events

You can type in an Event or choose from a list of Events you create as a permanent list. You can even right click the Event field and add a new Event to your permanent list right as you are working. You also have the option of using a Template of Events that you create - you can enter the major Event and all of its associated Events all at the same time.

Create Places

Docket lets you set up Places where the events take place: Office, Courthouse, 3rd soccer field behind Bob Jones high school, and so forth. It's handy to know where you have to be at a glance so you don't schedule a 9:00 o'clock event in the Federal Courthouse in Birmingham if your 11:00 o'clock appointment is in Huntsville 1-1/2 hours away. You can add places to your Places list on the fly, right on the entry screen. The drop-down list of all the Places you created in Settings has a new feature. Right click Places to add a new Place to your list in Settings.

Start a Timer

Docket lets you time an event. For instance, if you have scheduled an appointment with a client at 2:00 p.m. that will last an hour, when he comes in, you can reset the timer to 0 and Start the timer. When you finish, Stop the timer: you know exactly how much time you spent. At the end of the day, you can even print a report of the day with actual time. Or schedule a Things to Do, like a will for Mrs. Jones. When you begin work on the will, start the timer. When you finish, Stop the timer. You have just recorded how long it took. This is particularly useful when you integrate Docket to Verdict. You can click Make Verdict Entry and send the matter to Verdict for billing.

Check off completed items

If you keep entries on your calendar and check them off as they are completed, then everyone knows the status of a case. We make it easy to check off an item - on the Daily screen or at the bottom of the Monthly screen. Just highlight the event on the day view to the right of the Monthly calendar. You see information about that event at the bottom of the screen. Click the checkmark to mark it completed.

Attendees for an event

If you want a partner to go with you to a deposition, or you need to meet with three partners about the new building, put the event on your calendar. If you are using a networked system, click Attendees at the bottom of the screen. You see who the Originator is - you. Then click the down arrow and select other attorneys who should be there. The entry will be put on their calendars as well. They know who created the event because you are listed as the Originator. And they see exactly who will be there.

Reminders and Repeat dates

You can set up reminders for as many dates as you want. You can also set up Repeats, so that an event you create will automatically be repeated as many times as you decide.

New Free Time Search

There is a Free Time button on every screen. Click it to find a block of free time. You select the calendars to include, the date range you want to look in, and the duration. Then click Find the Time. Docket will find every block of time on the selected calendars within the date range you selected. For example, you can find all 5-hour blocks of time for three attorneys within the next 2 weeks.

Advanced Searches

Go to the Events screen in Docket to do, well - advanced things. Like find all of your Critical Deadlines plus Personal entries (they can be critical!) for the next month and a half. If you are using a networked system, search everyone's calendar next Friday or two attorneys' calendars for the 16th. Or find critical deadlines for all attorneys through the 18th of the month. Or find all entries for a particular client. The search tool makes it easy. You click the Modify button and make a list with your criteria. Double click on an item on the list that you want to exclude.

Use Templates for events

You can build templates of events to make it easy to enter all the things you will need to do for a particular kind of matter. For example, create a template named Complaint. Then enter all the associated events that occur when you file a complaint. The main event is File Complaint. That is set to be at 0 days. Then each associated event is set to be + or - a certain number of days from the main event. Meet with Client could be -20 days from the main event, Law Research could be -15 days, Prepare Interrogatories could be + 30 days, and so forth. You can create as many templates as you want, with as many associated events as you need. Then when you make an entry on your calendar, you can use one of your templates. When you right click the New button at the bottom of your Daily screen, you will see a pop-up list of all your Templates. Pick one. The main event and all associated events automatically go on your calendar. You set holidays for your law firm, and the behavior for events that fall on a holiday (go back to the previous work day, go forward a day, fall as is), so Docket knows to put an associated event on the day before the 4th of July.

Reports

The Reports screen uses the same type of search and quick double-click methods used in Advanced searches on screen. For example, if you are using a networked system and you want to find everything on the calendar for an account from the 1st to the 30th, regardless of whose calendar it is on, it's easy. Just set the criteria. The criteria is all entries for one account on anyone's calendar from the 1st to the 30th. Once you select the criteria, choose the format options. In reports, you have all the standard reports, and you have the ability to create special reports. You can set the criteria for a new report, give it a name and save it. You can also choose format options: Print each calendar separately, mix events on different calendars, print using continuous format, or start a new page for a day or calendar. And last, you can set the number of lines you want for handwritten notes from 0 to as many as needed.

Send Billable entries to Verdict

If you have our Verdict 10 billing program, a Docket calendar entry can be sent to Verdict or saved for Verdict as a billable entry by clicking Make Verdict Entry. Let's say you have a Hearing on a Motion to Dismiss for a client. Account number 4802. When you come back from the hearing, call up your calendar. Change the time to the time it actually took. Mark the Event Completed. Then click the button Make Verdict Entry. You will be taken to the Verdict Entries screen. All information as to the client, account number, and timekeeper for the matter plus the Event (Hearing Motion to Dismiss) and the time (1 hour and 15 minutes) will be on the Verdict Entries screen. You can add information to the description if you like, such as "Motion granted," but all you really need to do is click the Save button. It's now an entry for Verdict.

Two ways to integrate

When you integrate Docket to Verdict, you need Verdict 9 or Verdict 10. Docket 9 does not integrate to Verdict 8. If you integrate Docket to Verdict, you have two choices:

• Live Integration or Synchronized Integration. Live Integration. With Live integration, you either need to have both Verdict and Docket on the same computer, or you need to have access to Verdict and Docket data through a network. You can turn a calendar entry into a billing entry for Verdict just by choosing the client account number from a pop up list, clicking Make Verdict Entry, and saving the billable entry. It's goes into Verdict right away. With Live integration, every time someone adds a new account to Verdict, your Docket can see it immediately.
• Synchronized Integration. Synchronized integration means you are batch posting billable entries and loading them to Verdict later. You still choose the client account number from a pop up list, click Make Verdict Entry, see the Verdict screen, and save the billable entry. Then later you transfer the billable entries out to a floppy disk or network folder, and someone loads your billable entries to Verdict. You also need to Snap in Verdict information so that you have access to the Verdict account numbers in the first place. When someone adds a new account in Verdict, you will need to Snap in again to have access to that new account. One advantage of Synchronized integration is that you can work at home on a laptop and later transfer the billing data into Verdict.

  You can use a combination of Live and Synchronized integration. Your computer at work can be set for Live integration if you have a network. Your laptop can be set for Synchronized integration. The main Verdict operator sets her copy of Docket for Synchronized integration so she can transfer in your laptop entries.

  If you don't have Verdict

  If you don't have Verdict, you create a list of client accounts in Settings. You will want to do this to enable the ability to print Account reports - everything docketed to be done for a particular case. Your Daily screen looks slightly different. It doesn't say Make Verdict Entry, and you just can't turn calendar entries into billing entries for Verdict.

  What you need

  In determining what you need, first decide how you want to work.

• With Multiuser Docket, you can have all the calendars in one database. Each attorney has his own calendar, but potentially he could make entries that can automatically be put on other attorneys' calendars, or he can quickly search other attorneys' calendars to see who can handle a deposition for him. The basic Multiuser Docket system handles 3 simultaneous users. That means three people at any computers with access to Docket can be in Docket at the same time. The fourth user would be told he or she had to wait. For a nominal charge, you can add licenses for additional simultaneous users.
• The single user version of Docket is licensed for one computer. For a nominal charge, you can buy licenses to put Docket on other computers in the office. For example, if you want to put Docket on five computers, you buy the single user version of Docket plus licenses for four more computers.

  With Live integration, you are using one slot for Verdict and one slot for Docket while you are in Docket. Thus, three Docket users who are in Docket have used three Docket simultaneous slots and three Verdict simultaneous slots. If you use Synchronized integration, you set a Docket terminal ID for your copy of the Docket program. Billable entries can be loaded to Verdict from as many computers as you have licenses for.

  If you purchase Multiuser Docket for 3 simultaneous users, you can put Multiuser Docket on more than 3 computers. Only three people can be in Docket at the same time. If you use Live integration, any 3 people can create billable entries for Verdict. If you use Synchronized integration, you can only load Verdict billing entries from three Docket computers who have Docket terminal Ids 1, 2 and 3. You will need to purchase additional licenses to load billing entries to Verdict from more than 3 computers.

  Update to Verdict 10

  If you bought Verdict 9.0 several years ago, you may want to purchase an update to Verdict 10. We have added new features and enhancements in an ongoing program of updating our software. How to tell the date of your version: Call up Verdict, go to Settings, go to Data Toolbox and click Data Utilities. On the Data Utilities screen, click the words to the right of the Update button. You will see the date of your version.