The exponential growth of coronavirus across the globe has impacted virtually every facet of life. The stock markets have tanked, international events are postponed, sports seasons have been cancelled outright, entire countries have been put on lockdown, states of emergency have been declared, and people are waging wars over essential groceries in supermarkets.
To stop the rapid spread, the governments are advising their citizens to stay at home and practice ‘social distancing’ in order to prevent person-to-person contagion. This has forced every individual to work from home and keep their businesses running. We, at Copperpod, are no exception with all our experts working from their dens.
The concept of working from home was never pondered and discussed in such depths until now. Top tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, etc. are forced to build systems and processes in terms of IT infrastructure and HR policies in order to efficiently implement ‘work from home’ for their workforce. For smaller firms, particularly law firms and individual attorneys, working from home is a challenge owing to confidentiality of important documents, frequent travels, meetings and constant legal engagements.
At Copperpod, we realised that our clients need the right tools/services to achieve their targets while working from home, especially in the below mentioned 5 categories.
I. Collaborative Coordination Tools: The tools that allow multiple users to communicate with each other while working in a common document. Primarily, these are file storage services (storing files on cloud) which provide access to multiple users such that they can edit in a file simultaneously.
For instance, a New York based patent attorney has a patent portfolio in which the patents are to be studied and analysed. So, he uploads a spreadsheet onto a file hosting service and shares a secure link to us, Copperpod for performing the analysis. Our experts open the link and edit the spreadsheet by adding our analysis. Meanwhile, the attorney can access the file in real time and see our analysis in the same spreadsheet. He can also discuss with us then and there, if need be. That saves time, money and storage space while everyone is working from home.
Gone are the days when the attorneys used to keep multiple versions of each document locally in their systems and there were numerous emails with attachments. Specially, when attorneys are creating a lot of documents, they need efficient tools for managing them.
For attorneys, it is of prime importance that the files be secure and confidential. Below is a list of tools/services which provide multiple users to collaborate on a document in real time:
● Tresorit (with end-to-end encryption)
● pCloud (with end-to-end encryption)
● IceDrive (with client-side encryption)
● Dropbox (integrates with Microsoft Office Online for editing documents)
● Box
● Egnyte
At times, attorneys may need just a secure storage from where they can just share a document that Few tools/services provide a secure storage and do not provide the feature of multiple users editing a file simultaneously:
● Sync.com (with end-to-end encryption)
● PreVeil Drive (with end-to-end encryption)
● SpiderOak (with end-to-end encryption)
II. Content Protection: The tools and services that make the data secure by adding layers of encryption. For attorneys, this is the most important aspect of their business as a document leakage may lead to huge repercussions. Using one of these services on top of cloud storage is highly recommended.
● Sookasa (end-to-end encryption for Google Drive and Dropbox)
● CloudMask (end-to-end encryption for Google Drive)
● Virtru (end-to-end encryption for Google Drive)
III. Telepresence and Conference Calls: A service implementing video conferencing creating a virtual conference environment for multiple participants. It helps attorneys conduct meetings with anyone from any location.
For instance, a Delaware based patent attorney may want to privately discuss an invention and possible monetization potential with a group of inventors settled in Seattle. This is where a telepresence solution would take charge to create a virtual environment where the three parties can meet and discuss just like in a real conference.
Below is a list of prominent telepresence services that provide best experience for attorneys:
● Highfive
● LifeSize
While the above are solutions (including hardware and software), following are standalone apps for video conferences/meetings which can be used on a personal mobile phone or desktop:
● Zoom
● Zoho
IV. To-Do Lists/Project Planners: Tools that help in managing tasks, setting reminders and schedules. This section includes the tools where multiple users can log in and work as a team.
For instance, an attorney working from home may need to track his tasks and meeting schedules over the next month. He would need his team to work on some of his tasks, such that they can view the tasks in real time and act upon them. Here he needs efficient project planners for his projects to start, execute and complete on time. Additionally, the attorneys can chat with the team, hold discussions and share documents as well.
Following are the services/tools that provide an interface for attorney to log/track his schedule and set reminders to avoid missing crucial deadlines:
● Proofhub
● Airtable
● nTask
● Quire
● Hansoft
● Asana
● Podio
V. Timekeepers: Tools that measure time spent on work. Attorneys can use such tools to track and manage work hours of themselves as well as their assistants/paralegals.
For instance, an attorney working from home may need to track the working hours of paralegals and sales teams to keep his business on track and achieve his targets. This is where he needs timekeepers to virtually see his team at work.
Following are a few easy-to-use apps which an attorney can use on his smartphone:
● Toggl
● Clockify
● ActiTime
● BeeBole
● eBility
● Everhour
● Jibble
● DeskTime
We’ve covered the essential products and services that an attorney can use while working at home such that he can perform all the activities smoothly that he would do otherwise. Infact, we strongly believe that the above tools can help an attorney save more time and money than he would if not working from home.
Note: Copperpod conducts deep technical analysis and helps attorneys substantiate infringement arguments with detailed evidence of use reports, claim charts and other licensing/litigation artifacts - while reducing overall cost of enforcement.
Contact us to know more about our services, expertise and how we can help you to manage, monetize and protect your intellectual property.
