Web service helps you find a lawyer
Need a lawyer? You could go to any number of bar association Web sites, depending on where you live, and ask for a referral.
You also could surf www.findgreatlawyers.com. Founded by Evanston resident Mike Helfand, the free online service offers consumers a legal directory of 60,000 licensed lawyers based in Illinois. Practice areas include medical malpractice, personal injury, divorce, criminal and civil matters.
Searches can be made by county and practice area. The site also offers profiles on select attorneys and numerous legal tips and guidance.
Lawyers can post their ads for free and consumers could search for free. If lawyers want an enhanced listing, they'll need to pay a fee.
"While associations do provide some listings they are not all inclusive, nor are they kept very current since they are published only yearly and not in an online listings format," said spokeswoman Jennifer Gordon.
In addition, the site offers free forms to download. Surfers also could e-mail the Web site directly for additional advice on whether they need a lawyer for their situation and for general advice in securing the right lawyer, Gordon said.
The site provides a Web presence for both solo lawyers and firms so they could market themselves in a targeted manner, she said.
"As you know, traditionally attorneys and their practices are not typically at the forefront of technology, nor are they particularly adept at marketing their services," Gordon said.
Surfing: Bannockburn-based Parus Interactive (www.parusinteractive.com), which specializes in speech-enabled unified communications, received a patent for its remotely manage network systems using speech commands. This latest patent is about controlling remote systems connected to the Internet. Users manage and control home-based, office-based and other remote systems using speech commands over a standard, cellular or Internet protocol phone.
• Lincolnshire-based Open Text Corp. (www.opentext.com) will provide its FirstClass messaging and collaboration software to the Chicago Public Schools for use by its 400,000 students and teachers. It offers advanced e-mail capabilities, document sharing and social networking. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• Riverwoods-based Discover Financial Services marked the first anniversary of its ShopDiscover.com, an online shopping portal that allows card members to earn 5 percent to 20 percent cash-back bonuses when they shop through the Web site with such retailers as Blue Nile, Overstock.com and Sears.com. ShopDiscover now has more than 80 participating retailers, more than quadrupling the number of merchants since the site launched.
• Lincolnshire-based Firefly Mobile Inc. (www.fireflymobile.com), a pay-as-you-go mobile phone service for kids, is offering Disney Mobile subscribers a chance to switch by Oct. 31 and Firefly will send your choice of the original Firefly phone or a new, multimedia flyPhone for free. Sign up for Firefly Mobile's Easy Fill airtime program. Once the account is active, customers that choose the flyPhone will get a $10 credit that can be used to download music, games, ring tones, wallpapers and videos from the flyStore, Firefly's exclusive content portal. To access this offer, visit www.fireflymobile.com.
• Downers Grove-based GiftsForYouNow.com is boosting its collection of personalized gifts for the holidays with more than 75 new items, many available in Spanish.