CSI Blog

HOW TO IMPROVE MY DATA SECURITY?

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:34:00 +0200

Data security is gaining ever-increasing interest among information systems users, especially when it comes to classified or sensitive information.

The lately uncovered cyber-attacks on the U.S. government and the crashes of Google’s services certainly do not diminish concerns for your own security. Data leaks in Finland and Sweden are also fresh in memory.

In this post, I will highlight some basic things worth sorting out. There are several things you can do yourself or together with your IT support. In addition to the basics, I'll mention some features of the CSI softwares that can help you further improve your security.

COVID-19 IS FORCING US INTO THE DIGITAL ERA

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 18:58:00 +0300

This spring the worldwide pandemic known as the coronavirus has affected us all. CSI is in a fortunate position comparing to the average company: our clients need our software to manage their assignments and invoicing even during the crisis.

The drastic change in our working environment caused by the pandemic has led to improvements that Legal Tech seminars have pursued for years.

WE RENEWED CSI LAWYER'S USER INTERFACE

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 07:54:00 Z

The first CSI Lawyer version was published already 11 years ago. Since then, we have continuously developed its functionality according to our clients' needs and regulatory changes. The annual version updates have brought, for example, the review process of preliminary invoices, e-invoicing, assignment phases, sub-assignments, dashboards, mailing lists and management of customer identification. The list is long. Fewer changes have taken place in the system's user interface, although customer expectations regarding the usability have also increased.

VQ FORUM 2019 - FROM TRADITIONAL MODEL TO DIGITAL

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 16:01:15 Z

Mid October, CSI participated for the 5th time VQ Forum in Stockholm. It was the last time VQ Forum was organized, but during the last ten years it has become an important legal tech event. This year, the main topic was “Law 2.0”, and the speakers covered e.g. digital transformation of the legal industry, current status of the digitalization process as well as the future of legal services.

FEATURE COMPETITION OR INDUSTRY EXPERTISE?

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 16:09:41 Z

The race on features is tough. You have to offer superior features - or at least they have to be better than your competitors.

That's what we've gotten used to. Cars are sold with the best performance and additional features or with advanced environmental friendliness. Your choice of a computer is either the highest-performing machine, the hottest novelty, or the best value for money. Similarly, different systems are compared based on their functionality, even if most of it might be unnecessary.

I SENT AN INCORRECT INVOICE! HOW DO I FIX IT?

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 08:18:48 Z

Even when the invoice content is verified carefully, an invoice that has already been sent to a customer may sometimes require changes. There is no general guidance on how to make such changes, so it has to be considered case by case. The starting point is always the need for change: do you need to move the due date, change the payer, or perhaps modify the transactions on the invoice?

CLIENT IDENTIFICATION PROCESSES LOOKING FOR THEIR FORM

Tue, 28 May 2019 06:49:55 Z

The Anti-Money Laundering Act, which took effect in July 2017, obliges law firms to know their clients and their business, and report any suspicious transactions or suspicions of terrorist financing. Kristiina Sare, Legal Attorney at the Finnish Bar Association, shared some tips and best practices for client identification at the Finnish Legal Assistant Day, which was arranged in April.

BEST PRACTICES OF SALES LEDGER MANAGEMENT

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 15:04:31 Z

Invoicing and payment related questions have been part of my daily work for years; formerly when managing a sales ledger in a law firm and currently as instructing CSI clients on software use.

Each month there is a period when most of the questions are related to changes in the sales ledger. Such changes can be made in multiple ways, and sometimes it may be hard to see which way is the most optimal and matching with good accounting practices.

In my blog text series, I’ll aim at sharing common good practices for managing the sales ledger in CSI Lawyer. In this article, I focus on the significance of correct dates and on how changes to the sales ledger are reflected in bookkeeping reports.

However, please keep in mind that there might be country-based exceptions to these best practices. Which do not necessarily apply outside Finland. So if required, please check with your accountant.

CYBER-ATTACK - WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 13:29:35 Z

The first time creates an indelible memory. This autumn the CSI Cloud service, well known for its reliability, got to be a collateral target of a Denial-of-Service attack.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR LAW FIRMS WITH LEGAL SCRUM?

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 12:40:30 Z

The legal innovation event Lexpo was a good reason to visit Amsterdam again in May. We found one of its key themes, "Legal Project Management", as the most striking topic.

Law firms put a lot of effort into providing a customer with the best possible price estimate for a new assignment. Often, there is much less focus on ensuring that the actual cost matches with the given estimate. The final invoice is essentially affected by project management skills of the responsible lawyer. In the worst case, the overrun of the agreed price cap is only noticed in the invoicing stage.