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GAZETTE

DECEMBER 1988

Computers —

where to start

The "P.C. DEAL", details o f which

have been circulated t o the pro-

fession recently is a good place to

start, f ti spossible t o get a good

wordprocessor and a laser printer

for about £3,500.00 (about half the

current retail price). Later you can

expand on the uses of the machine

to encompass accounts o r other

software packages, but i t is a good

idea to start w i th wordprocessing

because i ti ssimple.

Start-up

There are start-up problems and

you have got to organise yourself

for them. The more preparation

done before t h e compu t er i s

installed the smoother it s intro-

duction will be for all. Decide what

will be done on the wordprocessor

initially and set that work aside so

that th e typist can understand

what is expected of her when she

makes th e transition t oword-

processor operator. Discuss w i th

your supplier what you expect o f

the wordprocessor and ask him to

tailor th e training accordingly.

Training i snot cheap (£100/£150

per day) but i ti svital t o have a t

least three days training t oget

the best use out o f your word-

processor.

Ask a colleague

Mo s t peop le app r e c i a te t h e

advantages o f wordprocessing a t

this stage even though they may

not have a wordprocessor. If you do

not, the best way to find out is to

discuss i tw i th a colleague who i s

currently using wordprocessing. He

or she will tell you about th e

increased turnaround time and the

quantum increase in productivity as

well as the initial problems setting

the thing up, and the day the printer

would not work when a lease had

to be re-drafted urgently.

Expansion possibilities

It i s important to become familiar

w i th your computer and to come to

grips w i th words like "operating

system", "storage" and "memo r y"

before moving o n from word-

processing t osoftware, wh i ch

will d other functions such a s

accounting and time recording.

Printers

I would advise that Solicitors

should opt for laser printing despite

the fact that Lasers are about twice

the cost o f th e traditional Do t

Matrix and Daisywheel printers -

they have the advantage o f being

faster, quieter and less accident

prone than th e others. This i s

important i n that we have found

that a t least 5 0% o f our break-

downs o r computer problems are

printer related. A good laser should

last for a t least four years.

Handbook

The

Te c hno l ogy

C omm i t t ee

handbook is an essential tool when

looking for information. A copy of

the handbook was sent t o al l

practices and i thas chapters o n

c o n t r a c t s, r equ i r emen ts o f a

Solicitors practice, how to purchase

a computer, pitfalls and warnings

and i talso contains a recommend-

ed list o f suppliers w i th a thumb-

nail sketch of each. The handbook

is easy t o read and i swritten i n

English (not jargon).

The "Dea l"

Finally, I would like to recommend

the computer deal t oyou. The

memb e rs o f t h e Te c hno l ogy

Committee have examined th e

hardware and software and ar e

satisfied that the computer, printer

and wordprocessing package are of

a good and robust standard and the

computer ha s th e capacity o f

expansion i fmore screens are to be

added at a later stage. Do not wait

around for a better offer - there

may not be one.

COLMAN P. CURRAN

Solicitor

TH E

SOLICITORS '

BENEVOLEN T

ASSOCIATIO N

A CASE IN NEED

Mrs. "X" is in her late 40's, she is the widow

of a Solicitor, has five children under 21. Her

only income is a widow's pension and

family allowance. She has to provide for her

family and maintain a home. She faces this

enormous responsibility alone. Who can she

turn to for help? — The Solicitors'

Benevolent Fund.

The Solicitors' Benevolent Association

assists such cases - and many others where

the age of dependants of members of the

profession ranges from "under 10" to "over

eighty". The Committee of the Association

meets monthly and it s work covers the

entire country, north an d south. Th e

Committee funds come from annual

subscriptions from members o f the Law

Society of Northern Ireland and The Incorpor-

ated Law Society of Ireland, together with

additional subscriptions received from Bar

Associations, and individual Solicitors o r

firms of Solicitors. In recent years the calls

on the Association's resources have become

more numerous and this year the Committee

faces a relatively large deficit. I turgently

needs extra funds. Subscriptions can be

sent to the Secretary, Ms Clare Leonard, The

Solicitors' Benevolent Association, 40 Lr.

Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2, or c/o The Law

Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 .

Dr Keith W Snape

FORENSIC

HANDWRITING

EXPERT

Leaflet available

Highfield, Billinge End Road,

Pleasington, Blackburn, Lanes,

England BB2 6QY

Tel: 03 0254 581555

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