I mentioned in my last article that I attended the ABA Law Practice Management Section's TechShow 2000 in March. In this article, I will continue my discussion of new ways of using the Internet to practice law. ASPs take advantage of the increased speed and reliability of the Internet and the fact that most lawyers are now connected to each other through the Internet. ASP's represent a natural evolution of the personal computer. The bottom line is, as long as the speed of transmission between the server and the local computer is fast enough, for the user's purposes, it doesn't matter where the server is located.
ASPs take the next step.
A user logs into the website and posts time records using a browser. The information is stored on the website server. When it's time to send a bill, the user can download the information and print and send it, email it directly from the website or ask the website owner to print and mail it. When the bill is paid, that fact is noted on the site. They are still in the early stages of development.