Rock-hard apps: Practice management tools for attorneys on the move

Listen to this article

By Tony Ogden
Dolan Media Newswires

Practice management apps for smartphones and other portable devices are making it increasingly easier for lawyers to practice on the go.

For an overview of the different apps available, lawyers should check out Mobile Apps for Law, a database that includes more than 750 options. The website can be searched by jurisdiction or subject matter and includes apps for a variety of devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, BlackBerry and Android.

Here is a closer look at some recommendations:

Note taking

For taking notes on a mobile device, lawyers have two options: use a stylus to write by hand or find an app with a traditional keyboard for typing.

For those who want a stylus, Jim Calloway, director of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program, recommends the Adonit Jot Pro, the Kensington Virtuoso and the Wacom Bamboo.

Jeff Richardson, a partner at Adams and Reese in New Orleans and author of the iPhone J.D. blog, also is a fan of the Wacom Bamboo stylus, which “feels good in my hand” and has the thinnest tip of any he has tested, resulting in “a noticeably better writing experience.”

It can be paired with three digital paper apps: Wacom’s Bamboo Paper (free at the iTunes store), NoteShelf ($5.99, but with features such the ability to zoom in) and Penultimate (more paper styles and fewer features, but only 99 cents).

For lawyers looking for the traditional QWERTY-style keypad, try the Elements for Dropbox app, said Westlake Village, Calif., attorney Dan Friedlander. Elements creates and saves notes that are concurrently saved on Dropbox. An attorney can view, edit and send documents from any device, and notes created on a PC device can be saved in Elements for access from a mobile device.

Elements, which is available for the iPad and iPhone for $4.99, also lets users turn notes into a HTML or PDF file.

Reminders

The iPhone app Do Date is a helpful app for solos and small-firm lawyers who may have limited support services.

Do Date functions as a reminder service by counting down the days until an event is scheduled to occur.

Lawyers can use the app for work purposes — just three days until that motion for summary judgment is due — or for personal reasons.

Users create an event by adding a date, typing a name for the event and then using the date wheel to assign the specific date.

The reminders can be found in multiple locations: A list appears within the app, and the information also can be found in the iPhone’s Notification Center.

In addition, and perhaps most valuable, the app posts to a user’s lock screen a new list each day of up to 10 notifications and the number of days left until each event.

Users can select the time of day the reminders are posted to help them remember that a trial is only a week away or that they had better find a gift for grandma’s birthday today. The app defaults to update the phone every day at midnight.

“There are lots of iPhone apps to help you keep track of upcoming events … but Do Date is unique in that it helpfully reminds you, every morning, how many days are left until an event takes place,” Richardson said. “This keeps the event on your radar screen and helps to ensure that you are prepared.”

Do Date costs 99 cents and is available in the iTunes store.