The other day I raved about CaseMap, a favorite computer program I used when I worked for lawyers.<\/p>\n
But I hadn\u2019t employed it since 2003 and wanted to make sure that no matter how improved it had become, it still worked as wonderfully, as sweetly as I remembered. So I loaded CaseMap\u2019s try-me-out version and tried it out.<\/p>\n
Since\u2013going against all my own recommendations\u2013I\u2019ve been pretty lazy about the lawsuit I filed on behalf of my broken metatarsal and against the hole in the sidewalk causing the aforementioned broken metatarsal, I flung everything I had on this lawsuit into CaseMap.<\/p>\n
Once again, I am entranced…and slightly disgruntled (I\u2019ll tell you why in a minute). I inserted the entire history into CaseMap, starting with:<\/p>\n
Date & Time\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fact Text<\/strong><\/p>\n Fri 01\/25\/2008 \u223c 4:00 p.m. ET\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Naomi Fein, returning from \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chelsea Market w\/bag…<\/p>\n When you use a neat little function called \u201cdate stamp\u201d to plug in the date and time (with options for rough estimates), CaseMap automatically inserts the day. Love it.<\/p>\n I\u2019d kept fairly good handwritten notes about conversations I\u2019d had with my lawyers. Those conversations went in, too, as well as the visits I made to the lawyers to sign things. (The next time I talk to the lawyers on the phone, I will open CaseMap and \u201ctake my notes\u201d right into my time line.)<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never attended court for this lawsuit and therefore do not know what actually went on. So after I finished putting in all the facts I knew, I entered the Supreme Court records of my case and printed out and inserted all the court dates. It looks like not much went on.<\/p>\n And then, because I have a bunch of receipts in the file\u2013receipts for expenses I would not have had if I hadn\u2019t been immobilized and stuck at home\u2013I put those in, as well. So I now have a record that on Sat 01\/26\/2008, after 7 p.m. ET, I ordered a lot of food from Empire Szechuan, paid $51, including tip.<\/p>\n With any spreadsheet program other than CaseMap, I would have had to scroll through dates, find where I wanted to insert the information, insert a blank row, then plug in Empire Szechuan. Takes a lot of time.<\/p>\n With CaseMap, I just stuck each piece of info into the end of the chart. Then I pressed the \u201crefresh\u201d button and CaseMap put everything into chronology, by itself. Dreamy.<\/p>\n And CaseMap eases you into creating tables for persons, organizations, places, discovery and many more. You can choose or ignore CaseMap’s suggestions, or set up lists on your own. There’s even a tab for questions. (I should start using this.)<\/p>\n So CaseMap pulls together everything you will need when you look for a lawyer: a time line, a cast of characters and a case list.<\/p>\n I notice from both my chart and visits to the Supreme Court case file that settlement negotiations haven\u2019t begun yet\u2013three and half years after I was injured. And this is the source of my disgruntlement.<\/p>\n So not only did I e-mail my lawyer, requesting an update on the status of my lawsuit (and reminding him of things he told me last January\u2014a conversation excerpted in my CaseMap time line\u2014things that have not yet happened), I have now put into CaseMap and my calendar the next court date. This time I will be attending.<\/p>\n I’ve asked the company for the cost of licensing CaseMap and will report it when I get the information. And I\u2019ve put the CaseMap link into my Sites of Interest. Try it. You’ll become addicted…to feeling in control of yourself, your lawyers and your lawsuit.<\/p>\n In fact, if you use CaseMap, you’ll barely need me and my advice.<\/p>\n Barely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The other day I raved about CaseMap, a favorite computer program I used when I worked for lawyers. But I hadn\u2019t employed it since 2003 and wanted to make sure that no matter how improved it had become, it still … Continue reading