Making a Case for CaseMap
This software organizes facts for litigators – and you don’t have to refold it.
Reprinted with permission. As printed in the April 2000 issue of

BY DAVID BECKMAN, ESQ. & DAVID HIRSCH, ESQ.

CaseMap is a new type of software that is designed to make it easier to organize facts, characters, issues, documents and other parts of a case. Issued by Florida-based CaseSoft, the program may be described as a litigation must by at least one of us.

Hirsch: I say it’s a must. It is like a spreadsheet for organizing facts, people and issues, as well as documents and other tangible things. Any lawyer who walks into a courtroom without it would be crazy.

CaseMap looks like a tabbed table with filtered rows and columns containing information cells. It permits a maximum amount of focused information to be viewed on a computer screen. You can home in on different types and categories of information on the fly.

It is cleverly done so that the need to use forms, essential to most database programs, is virtually eliminated. The interface is so good that one hardly ever needs menus, though menus exist for those who prefer them.

Beckman: You are normally hypercritical of software, so your enthusiasm for CaseMap is surprising. While I like it, there is nothing this program does that you could not do a hundred different ways manually, or with other programs.

OnceIsEnough, found at www.onceisenough.com, is one such program. Also, don’t forget TimeLine, our own customized case organization program, discussed in our November 1998 column.

To remind readers: Timeline uses a Lotus Notes template and database. Two drawbacks, however: It is not commercially available, and it requires a Lotus Notes server. CaseMap is built on a Microsoft Access database platform.

Litigator’s Notebook, which is commercially available, also requires Lotus Notes, and costs more than CaseMap’s $500 price tag. Lotus Notes’ structure suits big cases involving large groups. Its replication capabilities and scalability mean different people can be working on the same database simultaneously at different locations. CaseMap’s replication abilities are not as strong, but they suffice for most lawyers. It can replicate databases, allowing it to be used remotely and then synchronized, updating the master file.

Hirsch: CaseMap is inexpensive, easy to set up and smooth to use. I tend to be picky (don’t tell the secretaries), so I effuse when something works well.

I look at it this way: You can pound a nail with pliers and turn a screw with scissors. But there is something special about using the right power tool. CaseMap excels at processing and organizing information. It enables lawyers, who frequently think in terms of documents, to focus on ideas – locate the trees but visualize the forest.

CaseMap does need improvements, some of which will show up in the next version, a spokesperson tells me, including Web access and fields without character limits. The current limit is 10,000.

Also, CaseMap needs to focus more on internal handling of full-text documents and accepting images, rather than linking to them. It should be able to retain its focus and still eliminate the need for outside document management programs for full text.

Even lawyers with little computer experience should be able to use it if they approach the program with an open mind and take it one step at a time.

Beckman: CaseMap advises starting a database with a cast of characters, entering names and filling in fields. Facts are sliced and diced, and links to related items are largely automatic. You can brainstorm entries from the instant a case comes in. The method of data input is designed to minimize inconsistencies, such as the same name appearing in different forms.

A key feature of the program is the construction of timelines. Events may be randomly entered without knowledge of the exact date. Sorting will be properly done even if an entry shows a date of 12/??/98.

Hirsch: This program is relatively young, but there is solid support. I have some doubts whether the current level of support can be maintained when the program takes off, despite assurances to me. Notice I say when, not if. Fortunately, you can figure this program out just from the 156-page manual. A sample database comes with the program. And CaseMap 101 offers an excellent tutorial in the Help menu.

CaseMap can give you an edge. It can keep your client out of jail and keep you out of trouble. Most important, it should assist in expeditiously obtaining results. Many cases are settled because the other side knows you are ready. CaseMap enables trial on a higher level.

Beckman: You’re the litigator. But I still find your enthusiasm surprising given your picky nature. And by the way, the secretaries have already noticed.

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