Andrew J. Roman writes in the ABA’s Law Practice Today: “Dragon NaturallySpeaking: A Change In Lifestyle”
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is much more than merely software that replaces the keyboard. The impact of using this software in my law practice over the last decade is so profound that it can only be described as a change in lifestyle. Unfortunately, the nature and the extent of this change is not well understood. Not only by lawyers who do not use it, but by many law firm IT departments, and even by the vendors of the software themselves. . . .
As my practice became busier, it necessitated using more support staff time, eventually reaching 1.5 full-time assistants to keep up with the volume of work. I have been practicing for just over 30 years, and am busier than ever. Yet today, using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, I need only 0.5 of a legal assistant in a sharing arrangement. I now produce more work in less time, with a shorter time lag between the work coming to me from a client and the completion of the relevant documents. This is true whether I am in the office, working at home or on a weekend, or traveling with a laptop. That is only a quick overview of the productivity gain achieved through the use of this remarkable tool. . . .
The productivity improvement with Dragon is so remarkable that it can be compared to the difference between walking along the highway and driving along the highway, or between typing every document afresh on a manual typewriter and editing on a computer. The difference is not merely a quantitative difference in speed between manually typing at a certain speed accurately, versus talking much faster, while still being recorded and transcribed accurately. The difference is also qualitative: the human body and the brain work differently when using Dragon.
Sound interesting? Read more. After a detailed discussion of the benefits of this technology, the author debunks a number of myths he feels prevent greater use of this remarkable product.
I’ve been a faithful and enthusiastic user of Dragon NaturallySpeaking for years. The original content portions of this blawg are generally prepared using it, as is virtually all my billable written work. I agree with everything said in the article. I would be glad to answer questions about it if you e-mail me.
Sphere: Related ContentIf you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing.
Subscribe by RSS
Subscribe by Email
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment