This is the second in a series of posts featuring the advice and insight of Carolyn Elefant of MyShingle.com.  Carolyn graciously agreed to speak at our recent Solo by Choice program.  Those in attendance came away with a copy of Carolyn’s book and a lot of great ideas, including these tips on cheap or free tools for a solo practice:

• Time: 59 – Online time and billing software.  ($49.95 per year)
• Freshbooks – Online time and billing software.  (Basic package is free)
• Freelance Switch Hourly Rate Calculator – Just what it says:  an hourly rate calculator. (Free)
• Google Voice  – Available by invitation only.  A single phone number that rings all your phones, with call-forwarding, call screening, call recording, voice to e-mail transcription, and more.  (Free)
• Free Conference Calls – Conference calling services. (Free)
• DimDim Web Conferencing  – Video Web conferencing. (Basic services are free)
• Wufoo – Forms and online client surveys. (Free)
• Box.Net – Online storage and collaboration. (Basic services are free)
• Mail Chimp – E-mail marketing and newsletters. (Free)
• Logo Ease  – Logo design. (Free)
• OpenOffice  – An alternative to Microsoft or Corel Office suites. (Free)
• WordPress and Blogger – Blogging software. (Free)
• Google Scholar – A simple way to search for scholarly literature, including legal opinions and journals.  Read more about Google Scholar here. (Free)

My two cents?  Also check out:

• Dban – Hard drive disk wipe and data cleaning.  Meets DOD standards.  (Free)
• PCDecrapifer – Uninstall unwanted programs and delete temporary or downloaded files you don’t need.  (Free)
• CCCleaner – An aggressive clean up/disk defragmenter tool.  Used in lieu of operating system tools.  (Free)
• LastPass – Online password manager and form filler. (Free)
• ExchangeMyMail – For anyone who wants the functionality of running Microsoft Exchange Server without the hassle or big price tag.  (Starts at $12.99 per month.)
• Acrobat.com – Unlimited file downloads, online office applications, 3-person Web conferencing, and 5 PDF conversions.  (Free. Enhanced services start at $14.99 per month.)
• GOOG-411 – Call 1-800-GOOG-411 for voice-activated 411 service connecting you to businesses in the US and Canada.  (Free)
• ABA Legal Technology Resource Center – Online technology advice, articles, posts, and weekly roundup of practice management blogs.  My favorite part of this site is the FYIs: Technology Overviews.  (Online content is free.  Services available only to ABA members.)
• Survey Monkey – Online client surveys (Basic services are free.)
• Fastcase – Legal research (Free with your Orego State Bar membership.)
• In Brief – 10 years of archived newsletters published by the Professional Liability Fund (PLF).  A great place to start when researching an issue.  Use the site’s Search link or peruse the Subject Matter Index of past articles.  (Free)
• Practice Aids and Forms – Over 270 forms in 40 areas from the PLF.  (Free)
• CLE – 17 Online/downloadable CLEs.  More than 40 on CD/DVD.  All from the PLF.  (All online CLE is free.  Most programs on CD/DVD are free.) 

Carolyn’s presentation and book, Solo by Choice, are available now on the PLF Web site for $30.  Select Programs on Audio or Programs on Video.  I have a few more tips to blog, but if you missed the live program, order the CD/DVD and get Carolyn’s book and handout material from this terrific CLE.