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A Linux Users Group for Professionals?
ir0b0t asks: "I'm a lawyer in a solo divorce practice in Missoula, Montana. I have migrated my office to OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird and Sunbird but want to do more Open Source, yet I have issues that come up nearly every day. The problems I encounter are often unique to running a small law practice. Coders sometimes give me blank looks when I describe what I need. Other lawyers tend to automatically use proprietary solutions and show little interest in Open Source alternatives. I want to eventually use only Open Source code in my office. I am willing to do my homework. Are there others like me out there? Is there a Linux Users Group or other online forum for professionals like me who want more Open Source solutions for our work? Thanks."
PJ over at http://groklaw.net/ might be able to help, or point you to peolple who are doing this. I think she is planning a Linux LiveCD for lawyers.
http://groklaw.net/ has had some discussion about OSS for lawyers in the past, particularly around WordPerfect import/export issues (WP still having something of a stronghold in legal circles) ... there must be some lawyers out there with the same issues as you, and if there isn't a LawLUG why not start one?
Good luck.
Honestly one of the best ways to change the situation is to spend money and complain to the developers - open source or not.
A friend of mine has a company that supports about 8 or 10 law firms. All use more or less amounts of linux (mostly on the backend).
For example many lawyers use time tracking software such as time matters a time tracking and billing package that is windows based.
Postgresql is the database in the back end that Time matters supports. The performance is poor compared with MS SQL Server - mostly due to poor coding. What do you do? Call them up and complain.
It runs mostly under wine on the desktop, or typically we have it run under terminal server.
I would also have a look at www.osafoundation.org/ which will eventually produce a platform to do something like which you probably want to do. That is, easily customize your contact, scheduler and email system.
Another solution I've seen firms use in linux is based on Lotus Domino/Notes. Proprietary but runs in Linux. Often you can get 10 licenses bundled if you buy a new or used IBM server.
I subscribed to the debian lex mailing list a while ago out of curiosity. I can't say I know much more having subscribed, but perhaps there are some subscribers there with other specific ideas or answers to your question. No guarantees. Oh, IANAL.
Debian-lex Project Page
A link to the mailing list archive-- with a couple of messages from this month!-- can be found among other bits of info there.
I understand the problem you're going through; let's face it, most people look at you with a blank stare anytime you say *anything* related to computers.
That said, I worked on the migration of a firm in Billings, MT to OSS. What we found was that there really *is* no replacement for the capstone software, Amicus Attorney, and I couldn't even make it run on Crossover. So we use OpenOffice instead of MS, and Firefox/Thunderbird, but are forced into Windows for one app (usual story). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the legal field just isn't interested in Linux, *because* the big firms (like the Washington Big 10, for instance) are IP lawyers, so they're *defending* Microsoft etc. Tacky to use the competition, it seems.
If you have no need for Amicus, then what software, really, do you need? PM me, we can discuss the issue.
Try this - http://www.smallbizgeeks.com/phpBB2/ They are pretty active and there are good forums, some of which may interest you.