TurboLaw 2.73 Released
January 14, 2010
We are happy to announce that TurboLaw 2.73, the latest version of our popular automated document assembly software, is now available. If you have TurboLaw, the next time you open it, you should see a notice about the updated version appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen (it may take a short while to appear, depending on your Internet speed).
This new version features a number of changes designed to make it even easier for you to get your work done:
- The TurboLaw Migration Wizard is now bundled with TurboLaw itself, to help make it even easier to move your TurboLaw data from one computer to another (as when you get a new computer or switch computers)
- The registration window has been revised to allow you to try to register online again, instead of only allowing you to click it once
- Text on the registration window has been re-worded to make it more clear
- The Update Utility has been improved to better handle random Internet connection problems that some people encounter (especially when using wireless Internet)
As always, we continue to update TurboLaw based on feedback we hear from our customers – so if you have an idea or suggestion for TurboLaw, we’d love to hear from you!
TurboLaw 2.72 Released
September 14, 2009
As always, we are happy to announce the release of the latest version of TurboLaw – Version 2.72. This new version introduces some new features as well as some improvements that will make TurboLaw even easier to use. Here’s a list of all the new features and changes, as well as a brief explanation:
- Easier Registration - the registration process has been streamlined by replacing the multiple registration option buttons with a single button which simply says “Click here to register.” Since every copy of TurboLaw must be registered, and you must also re-register when you get a new computer, we try to make this process as simple and streamlined as possible.
- Recent Update History - the TurboLaw Update Utility will now keep a record of all the updates (new or changed documents) it has downloaded, so that you can see what has been updated previously, rather than just in the current session. This is useful if you want to see if, for example, your TurboLaw downloaded a new version of a form that came out last week.
- Safer “Alternate Case Folder” Option - previously, it was possible to select folders using the “Alternate Case Folder” option that would cause problems for TurboLaw – for example, the infamous 4160 error. Now, TurboLaw will warn you when you attempt to use a folder that might cause trouble later on.
- Update Timeouts - a small number of users of TurboLaw were reporting that the Update Utility was occasionally (and randomly) “timing out” when trying to download updates, even though their Internet connection was fine. This new version of TurboLaw includes enhancements to prevent this problem from happening.
Although this is a (relatively) minor update, we do encourage all TurboLaw users to download and install this update.
If you have automatic updates turned on in TurboLaw, you will be notified about this update. If you don’t have automatic updates turned on, you will have to check for updates manually by clicking the Update menu in TurboLaw and choosing Check for Updates.
This window will appear on your screen when a new TurboLaw Update is available.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any trouble getting this latest update, or if you have any questions or comments. We welcome your feedback!
Free TurboLaw Wallpapers
July 14, 2009
Everyone likes to have a pretty picture on their desktop (often called “wallpaper”) – and here at TurboLaw we’re no exception. So one of our more artistically-gifted staff members put together a few nice TurboLaw-themed desktop backgrounds, and we’re posting them here for free for anyone who wants to show their support for TurboLaw on their computer.
Just click on any of the small thumbnail-sized images above to see the full-sized image. (Right-click the full-sized image and choose “Save as” to save the image to your computer.)
Feel free to save these images to your computer and set them as your computer’s background image, or share them with friends who also love TurboLaw!
New Guardianship Forms for Massachusetts Probate Law
July 1, 2009
New Probate forms for Guardianships are now in effect for Massachusetts. We will be uploading them for current customers as quickly they become available.
The new guardianship forms are named differently from the old forms. The new forms all start with “MPC.”
TurboLaw is set by default to check for updates and new forms automatically every time you open the program, so if you have not changed this setting, then your TurboLaw will pick up the new forms automatically each time you open the program.
If you have automatic updates turned off (for example, if you have a dial-up connection) you can check for updates manually by clicking the Updates menu in TurboLaw and choosing Check for Updates.
Where are my documents?
May 21, 2009
One of the questions we sometimes get asked in regards to TurboLaw Document Software is “where are my documents actually saved?”
The short answer to this question is “wherever you want them to be saved,” but that’s not necessarily helpful, especially if you’re not paying attention to where you save your documents and are just accepting the default save location. So we’ll go into it in a little bit more detail here.
First though, a little bit of terminology: It’s important to remember that TurboLaw is not really “document management” software – it doesn’t save your documents in some special “repository” that you can only access through TurboLaw itself. In fact, any documents you create with TurboLaw are just saved on your computer as normal Word or Excel files.
It’s a little bit inaccurate to speak of your documents being “in” TurboLaw – they aren’t really “in” TurboLaw, they’re “in” your computer, and you just happen to be looking at them “through” TurboLaw. You can also look at your documents “through” any other program you wish – such as Windows Explorer or Microsoft Word or Excel.
With that out of the way, we can talk about where your documents are actually saved when you create them with TurboLaw. There are 2 different scenarios to consider, depending on what you are doing.
Creating a Blank/Empty Document
Creating a blank/empty document is the simplest and fastest way to bring up a form in TurboLaw – although of course you pay for that speed with the time it takes you to fill out the rest of the form by hand, since a blank/empty form is, by definition, empty – that is, no case or client information is inserted for you automatically.
Whenever you create a blank/empty form, TurboLaw saves it into a “temporary” folder on your computer. (After all, since there’s no case involved here, TurboLaw has no idea where you might want to save the document, so a temporary folder is the best it can do.)
After you’ve created and opened a blank/empty form, you can choose the Save As menu in Word or Excel to save the file anywhere on your computer that you’d like. If you would like to just print the document and be done with it (and never use it again), you don’t need to save it at all – just fill it out, print it, and close it.
If you don’t save your blank/empty form somewhere else, then when you are done with it, TurboLaw will delete it from the temporary folder. After all, that’s why it’s called a “temporary” folder. But as long as you remember to save your files where you want, you don’t have to worry – just don’t save them in the temporary folder!
As a safety precaution, TurboLaw reminds you that your blank/empty document is saved initially in a temporary folder every time you open a blank/empty form (unless you have specifically checked the box to not be shown the reminders).
Creating a Document for a Case
When you create a document for a case, the documents you create are saved into the folder for that case.
If you don’t tell TurboLaw otherwise, it will automatically create a folder for your case and manage it for you. The folders that TurboLaw creates are still saved on your computer, but they are named with the internal “ID number” of the case, so that TurboLaw can find them quickly.
The default location where TurboLaw creates these automatic folders may vary depending on the version of Windows (or the version of TurboLaw) on your computer, but you can see what it will be by clicking the View menu in TurboLaw and choosing TurboLaw Status, then looking for the Cases Path. This is the “root” folder where TurboLaw will create additional folders for each case you create (unless you tell it otherwise). If you are using TurboLaw on a network, this folder will be on your network as well – otherwise, it will be on your computer’s local hard drive.
If you choose to use the Alternate Case Folder option when creating a case, you can tell TurboLaw to save the documents for that case in any folder you want. Once you have done this, TurboLaw will save any documents for that case in the folder you picked.
If you ever want to see where the documents for a particular case are saved, just click the Open this Folder button to see the folder for that case open up in Windows Explorer.
Once the folder is open in Windows Explorer, you can look at the Windows Explorer address bar to see the exact location of that folder.
In the picture above, you can see that this case is saved in one of TurboLaw’s managed folders – that’s the reason why it ends with that really long number. The files are still on your computer, even though TurboLaw is controlling where they are saved – and you can do anything with those files that you want. After all, it’s your computer, and they are your files!
TurboLaw always strives to keep things as simple as possible, letting you get down to the business of creating the documents you need. However, knowing a little bit about where TurboLaw saves your documents – and the power it gives you to control where those documents are saved – can help you be more “in control” of your document workflow, and help you stay on top of your work.
TurboLaw 2.71 Released
April 28, 2009
The latest version of TurboLaw Document Software – version 2.71 – has been released. This new version is a relatively minor update (hence the minor version number change) that contains improvements to the TurboLaw Update Utility for people who connect to the Internet via unusual means or have unusual proxy server configurations.
This update also includes an improvement to the Case Interview Wizard for MA/General Litigation which allows you to change a party from “defendant” to “plaintiff”” (and vice versa), which was previously not possible.
Although this is a minor update, we do recommend that all customers install this update. If you have automatic updates turned on in TurboLaw, you will be notified about this update. If you don’t have automatic updates turned on, you will have to check for updates manually by clicking the Update menu in TurboLaw and choosing Check for Updates.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any trouble getting this latest update, or if you have any questions or comments. We welcome your feedback!
TurboLaw 2.70 Released
March 4, 2009
We are very excited to announce a major new release of TurboLaw Document Software – Version 2.70! The most visible change is the totally new TurboLaw Update Utility, which not only gets a complete face-lift, but has in fact been re-designed completely from scratch to improve your experience while using TurboLaw.
Some of the new features of the completely new TurboLaw Update Utility are:
- Much faster than the old Update Utility – updates now happen faster so you spend less time waiting.
- Greater compatibility with software firewalls – less of a chance that your software firewall will “block” TurboLaw Update from connecting to the Internet in the first place.
- A vastly improved "manual" update mode which allows you to choose specific areas of law to be updated (or not updated – great for users who still have slower Internet connections or dial-up).
- Choices made during the "manual" update mode are saved, so you don’t have to keep un-selecting documents that you don’t want to update.
- New update notification pop-up is less intrusive.
- "Manual" updates now use the new "Aero" style wizard, to match the visual styles used in newer versions of Windows.
- Updates will require fewer reboots of your computer in the future, thanks to the new Update Utility’s method of installing the updates.
Making sure your TurboLaw documents stay up-to-date as they are revised by the courts is very important, which is why we’ve worked so hard to make sure that the experience of updating your TurboLaw software and documents is as simple, easy, and quick as possible.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any trouble getting this latest update. We hope you enjoy it!
TurboLaw Time and Billing National Press Release
January 2, 2009
We are excited to announce our first national press release for TurboLaw Time and Billing!
We are proud and excited that it has been featured in publications from near and far, from the Boston Business Journal to the International Business Times!
You can read the full release below.
New TurboLaw Time and Billing Software Simplifies Important Tasks for Legal Professionals
Running a legal practice requires you to do chores that do not involve giving opinions on the law or arguing a case. Tasks such as keeping track of the time spent for clients and making bills for them, while necessary, can be time-consuming, difficult, and distracting. TurboLaw now offers new Time and Billing Software that makes the work quick and easy.
TurboLaw Time and Billing Software is now available as a free 30-day trial download via the TurboLaw website. This software allows legal professionals to keep records of time spent with each client as well as expenses related to each case. The Time and Billing Software also has features to help any legal practice, with billing aids, performance graphs, productivity charts, and staff reports.
“Our stopwatch tool makes it easy to keep track of time spent on work for each client, including communications such as emails and phone calls. We want legal professionals to try our Time and Billing Software free trial to see just how helpful and easy it is,” Thomas A. Whitestone, CEO of TurboLaw, comments on the new software offer.
The billing features of TurboLaw Time and Billing Software offer assistance in presenting a professional image. Through the time keeping functions and billing choices, bills can be set up to reflect the exact time spent, in hours, quarter hours, or any unit of time that is set. Times can also be broken out into tasks completed, including meetings, phone calls, document preparation and research.
TurboLaw Time and Billing Software gives you the ability to create custom bills and statements. The bills can be printed or saved to PDF or other formats suitable for email. Along with opening and closing balances, statements generated by TurboLaw Time and Billing Software can add finance charges with just a click. The result is a document that looks both orderly and official.
“Your clients take you seriously when you accomplish legal work for them. Using TurboLaw Time and Billing Software encourages them to do the same at billing time,” Thomas A. Whitestone, CEO comments.
When managing a legal practice, it is sometimes the everyday tasks that demand the most of your energy. TurboLaw Time and Billing Software makes it easy to remain productive and professional.
For more information on TurboLaw Time and Billing Software visit www.turbolaw.com.
Transferring TurboLaw to a new computer
December 17, 2008
Note: This article refers to TurboLaw Document Software, not TurboLaw Time and Billing.
Lots of people get new computers around this time of year, and it’s an unfortunate fact of life that when you get a new computer, you have to re-install all of your programs on that new computer – and TurboLaw is no exception.
Of course, here at TurboLaw we try to make the process of moving to a new computer as easy as possible. So if you’ve got (or are going to get) a new computer (either as a gift or because an old computer died), here’s some tips and information to help make it a little bit easier to get your TurboLaw software up and running again.
Lost your TurboLaw CD? No problem!
Just give us a call at (800) 518-8726 and let us know. We’ll give you a special web link you can use to download the software on your new computer.
Using TurboLaw on a Network?
In most cases, if you have TurboLaw’s data saved on a network, you don’t need to “move” anything from your old computer – since all your data (cases, documents, files, etc.) is saved on your network, not on your computer. Just re-install TurboLaw on your new computer, use the Network Setup Assistant to point it to where your data is on the network, and you’re all set!
Need to transfer your cases and documents to a new computer?
Although copying your cases and documents to a new computer is fairly easy, we’ve gone and made it even easier by providing you with a utility to help “migrate” your TurboLaw cases and files to a new computer.
We call it the “Migration Wizard“.
The TurboLaw Migration Wizard
This handy little program will archive all of your TurboLaw cases, documents, and files into one handy little “migration file” which you can easily copy to your new computer using a disk, send via email, copy over your network, save to a USB memory stick, or any other method you want to use.
Once you’ve got the migration file on your new computer, this same little program will help you “un-pack” all of your TurboLaw cases and files into your new computer. Easy!
You can download the Migration Wizard here and read instructions on how to use it here.
Don’t forget to register!
When you install TurboLaw on a new computer, you will have to register it on that computer. TurboLaw will prompt you to do this the first time you open it, although you have up to 30 days before you must register. Once you’re satisfied that all your cases are moved to your new computer, you can un-install TurboLaw from your old computer (Start > All Programs > TurboLaw > Uninstall TurboLaw or use the Add/Remove Programs control panel applet) and register TurboLaw on your new computer. No “codes” or any other information is required to register on-line (just click the “Register Online” button when prompted). If you can’t register on-line for any reason, just give us a call.
Not sure what to do?
If you’re not sure what to do when it comes to transferring your TurboLaw data to a new computer (or if you even need to do this), just contact us – we’re here for you.
TurboLaw 2.67 Released
September 8, 2008
We are very pleased to announce the release of TurboLaw Document Software Version 2.67. This new version includes some important updates that help you find documents faster and help you register and renew your software with the minimum of fuss.
If you have your TurboLaw Automatic Updates enabled, you will receive this update automatically – otherwise, you’ll have to check for updates manually by clicking the Update menu in TurboLaw and then selecting Check for Updates.
Many of the improvements and features in this version were suggested by our users – so if you have comments, questions, or suggestions, please let us know!
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