Building a Practice

One of the harder things about starting your own practice is acquiring expensive software and hardware. To help fill that gap for small/new practices, I give you three online tools that can help.

Casetext
Search up-to-date State and Federal Law for free
Annotations and insights by attorneys
Publish case summaries, articles, and other legal commentary, linked to the law in Casetext's library

Logikcull
Makes eDiscovery easy
Upload all your documents, and Logikcull will OCR (Optical Character Recognition) them
Navigate by keyword
(I'm making this sound not so impressive and cool. This person explains it better)

LawGeex
Compare your contract with thousands of others and see how it holds up
Reviewed by real live lawyers
For a new practice or solo lawyer, having access to this many precedents can help free up your time, and let you stress about other things

Onward and Upward Law Scholars. Good luck with finals!

iCivics.org

Run your own firm of lawyers who specialize in constitutional law . . . via this computer game for children.

I got sucked into a Google vortex. While researching the Dean of the Law School at Wayne State University (because of an article about how she ran the Boston Marathon while 8 months pregnant) I saw that she and Sandra Day O'Connor were on the board of iCivics, a nonprofit that Justice O'Connor created to improve civics education throughout the country.

It's kinda cute.

The American Library Association Supports Apple in Dispute with FBI

Direct Dial - Dial in secret without an operator!

On Wednesday 2/17, the ALA publicly showed their support in Apple CEO Tim Cook's refusal to develop new technology that would help the FBI unlock the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Why does this matter to librarians? Because it's part of the American Library Association's Code of Ethics (yes, librarians have a proper, written out Code of Ethics :p ).

"We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted."

Realizing that this case has nothing to do with a library user, the sentiment is the same - people have a right to privacy. Libraries have historically been advocates for privacy rights as a general rule, but as our Law Scholars know, there are always two sides (if not more) to every case. The violence and outright murder committed by Syed Rizwan Farook and  Tashfeen Malik is devastating, but putting millions of Americans freedom at risk would be also. In the spirit of Captain Obvious - both issues must be carefully, carefully considered. And from what I've read, it feels like a rats nest of issues and considerations. But don't take my word for it, check out some of the links below:



Bill Gates on Apple: Unlock Terror Suspect's iPhone - USNews 2/23/16
In Apple Dispute, FBI Director Urges A 'Deep Breath' Over Phone Security - NPR 2/22/16
More Support for Justice Department Than for Apple in Dispute Over Unlocking iPhone - PewResearch 2/22/16 
A Technical Perspective on the Apple iPhone Case - ElectronicFrontierFoundation 2/19/16 
Why Didn’t San Bernardino County Officials Have Access to the Terrorist iPhone? - KTLA 2/18/16

Paul Otlet - Lawyer, Father of Information Science, Grandfather of Search Engines

Otlet (far left) looking like he wants to get back to work already

Today marks the 70th anniversary of Paul Otlet's death. Responsible for the standardization of the 3" x 5" index card for the card catalog, creator of the Universal Decimal System, inventor of analog Google (Repertoire Bibliographique Universel), and pioneer in microfilm's use in the library, Otlet is kind of a big deal. His vision of what a library would and could be has changed the way we research, gather, and store information. Thanks to him, you could do a quick Wikipedia search and learn more about this lawyer turned information scientist!

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part VII: Trial Evidence Prep and Presentation

PowerPoint and KeyNote are popular go-tos for presentations, but there are other, more courtroom oriented ways of presenting your case.

ExhibitView: Useful for organizing case exhibits and presentations. ExhibitView enables users to organize, create sub folders, take notes and create white boards. Presentation tools include call-out features, highlighting, a freehand pen tool, laser pointer, and control of your output to TV or projection device. Additionally, there is a PC version! This is particularly nice, for creating presentations on your PC and saving to an iPad come trial time.

TrialDirector: With TrialDirector you can create a case folder, add exhibits to your case through OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, WebDAV or iTunes, and interact with evidence using annotation and presentation tools. As with ExhibitView, tools include call-out, freehand writing, highlighting, and laser pointer. For being FREE, it's a really powerful app and comparable to some of pricier apps that do the same thing.

TrialPad: TrialPad, obviously works very similarly to TrialDirector and ExhibitView; call-out sections of documents, highlight text, compare documents side-by-side, edit and show video clips, add exhibit stickers to documents, and search document text. File formats supported include PDF, JPG, PNG, TIF, TXT, and all audio/video formats that are supported by iPad. You can import multiple files at once, keeping file and folder structures intact, via Box, Dropbox, Citrix ShareFile, Transporter, WebDAV.

Timeline 3D: Different from the above apps, this one focuses on timelines. Enter events and images, movies, or PDFs, then Timeline 3D does the rest for you. Notes, weblinks, and tags can also be added to timelines. There's a variety of backgrounds or styles to choose from, and timelines can be exported to PowerPoint and Keynote.

And that, wraps it up! I hope that this was helpful, if even just a little. Please, feel free to borrow an iPad from us and give these apps a whirl.


Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part VI: The Jury

Gentlemen of the Jury by John Morgan

Darlings of USD,

Jury selection apps - they make collecting juror information and jury selection a little more organized.

iJuror: It has an intuitive, simple interface. You can navigate your jury either by seating arrangement or name. Adding and dismissing jurors is as easy as "dragging-and-dropping," because that's exactly what you do; drag, and then drop. iJuror allows you to share and email information with colleagues, add notes throughout the trial, and store all your trials in one location.

iJury: Provides you with metrics (graphs) based on how you score each jurors questionnaire responses and demographic information. This can alert you to potential gender, race, wealth bias to help you pick your best jury.

JuryTracker: This is where we deviate from jury selection to jury observation. JuryTracker uses gestures and emoticons to streamline note taking observations. Typed notes can also be added to the report. All notes are time stamped so they can be cross referenced with the transcript to better understand what jurors were reacting to. JuryTracker includes reports that can be saved for later review, or emailed. Reports include juror responses sorted by juror, by party presenting, by type of response and in chronological order.

I don't need to preach to you about the importance of preparation, but as a friendly reminder - keep them tech skills sharp. Learning about and using apps like these can only help as technology in the courtroom changes.

In our next, and final installment of the iPad apps for lawyers series we'll talk about evidence preparation and presentation. Move over PowerPoint!


Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part V: Research Tools

USD Law Library circa 1934

Because for the rest of forever, you'll be doing research, here are some mobile options for your information gathering needs. 

LexisAdvance: If you've already got a subscription with LexisAdvance, you'll probably want the app as well. As always, you can annotate and highlight to your hearts content, but you can also work online or remotely, and sync documents with your other devices. You'll also have access to Shepard's through this app, ensuring "good law" research on the go.


WestlawNext: Basically the same thing as LexisAdvance, but with WestlawNext. (You'll also need to have an account with Westlaw already to use this app.)

LawStack: A FREE LEGAL LIBRARY! LawStack comes with the U.S. Constitution, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. However, should you want even more resources, they offer an embedded collection of  the Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code, and multiple codes from individual states as well. It provides offline access to downloaded doc.s, highlighting capabilities, and "killer full-text search" (their words not mine).

LawLibe: Brought to you by the Legal Information Institute [LII] at Cornell Law School, this app is also a legal library like LawStack. It's free and fully offline. It comes loaded with the U.S. Constitution, and then you can pick and choose what other references to add. One drawback for this app (which is currently being worked on) is that it has limited state code offerings, with only California, New York, and Texas being available thus far.

Fastcase: Is a searchable library of cases and statutes from all 50 U.S. States. One of the features they highlight and that I particularly appreciate is that you can search effectively in Boolean keyword, in natural language, and by citation. It's free, and updated daily.

Fed Courts: Full text of all of the federal rules of procedure and the local rules for every federal court in the country and provides access to PACER. Not a lot of bells, whistles, and features; just basic access to information.




Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part IV: Depositions

Law Scholars,

Deposition of George Rheims from the National Archive

It's time to get down to brass tacks. Below is a modest compilation of deposition apps, and some of their features. As always, if you know of, or are using something you can (or cannot) recommend, please share.

TranscriptPad: Automatically organizes by deponent name and date, making it easy to locate a transcript. Import and highlight, notate, markup, and review transcripts. And you can send along entire case reviews to other TranscriptPad users in PDF, TXT and Excel.

Westlaw Case Notebook Portable E-Transcript: This is a fairly popular app, though it's been a while since its last update, which is needless to say, the cause of some complaint. This app is most useful for those who are using Westlaw Case Notebook, but it would be handy should a .ptx file come your way - immediate access to transcripts without needing access to a PC.

eDepoze:Though eDepoze can do some limited doc review, it really is made specifically for depositions. Users can mark and share exhibits in real time, and those being shared with can review, annotate, and save their own personal copies to their private accounts. You can also chat with team member through eDepoze and view live feed transcription from the court reporter.

iCVNet: Is a bare-bones app for viewing transcription from the court reporter in real-time. There is the ability to mark and highlight within the transcript, but as far as I could tell, no way to annotate. Attorney's gain access to it via a secure WiFi network that is password protected and controlled by the court reporter.

And here's a thing I know nothing about: edepo. If you by chance request and receive an invite, tell us how it is.


Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part III: Reading & Reviewing Files

Alright guys! This is the last of the "these apps are good for everyone not just lawyers," posts. Today/tonight, whenever it is that you are reading this, we will review reviewing files.


Read & Review

How I've forgotten to mention we have this in our collection, I do not know

PDFExpert 5: Read, annotate, edit, merge, sign, and fill out PDFs not only with relative ease, but the site says it will in fact be a "joy" to do all these things using their app. One of its more intriguing features is that PDFExpert 5 enables you to review and edit PDFs with in a mode not entirely unlike MS Word, and its preview mode allows you to see the final version of an edited document.

GoodReader: Touted as THE FIRST app every lawyer should get according to americanbar.org/younglawyer. It supports PDF, TXT, MS Office .doc, ppt, .xls, HTML, ZIP and RAR archives, and audio/video. It is capable of a lot of really cool functions, and has gotten rave reviews. Check out their website for more details, otherwise I'm gonna start sounding like a salesman.

EzPDF:  This basically has all the bells and whistles, cogs and pulleys, that the others have, but this app is the only one bragging about embedded multimedia in PDFs (or maybe I'm just not that observant, and all of them do this). Anyhow, this reader is good not only for regular plain old boring non-moving PDFs, but is great for things like children's books, PDF multimedia EBooks, and other jewels of information that include instructional, animated video.

And this my friends, wraps up the basic useful apps. Next time, we are going to dive into the world of deposition apps! Until then, keep on truckin' but take a break once in a while. . . it's good for ya'!
 
Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part II: Saving & Retrieving Files

Greetings and Salutations, Law Scholars,

Edison's Electric Pen. Fun facts here and here.

Last we met, we looked at handy note taking apps. This time around, we'll be talking about utilizing apps to save and retrieve these documents in their various formats.

Dropbox: I think DropBox has been a "go to" for a while now; you can save any file format, share it easily with all your other devices no matter the operating system, and your files are available on your devices even when you're offline. It's simple and intuitive, plus 2GB storage = Free.

SpiderOak: While similar to Dropbox, the most notable difference is that it has "Zero Knowledge Privacy." All files and their meta-data are encrypted with your password before it is even saved. The password you use is never stored on their servers, thereby making it impossible for SpiderOak or anyone else to decrypt your information. To quote the website, "To us, your files are simply containers of encrypted data."

Box: Super easy to use, great for sharing, but not as inter-operable as Dropbox, and the prices are not competitive for the amount of storage you get when compared to Dropbox or SpiderOak. However, for a personal account, you can get 10 GB of free storage. Not too shabby!

Microsoft OneDrive: If you do everything from managing your calendar, email, report, and records using the Microsoft Office suite, OneDrive if for nothing else but sheer convenience. It also offers more 5GB of free storage while Dropbox offers only 2GB, and SpiderOak only offering free trials

Clearly, I am glossing over a lot of information and doing some serious name-brand-dropping. Hopefully though, this opens you up to some resources and options to help you discover what will work best for your current needs, and perhaps the future ones too.



Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part I: Note Taking

Token Picture of a Dude Using an iPad that isn't an iPad, Bein' All Productive with His Cup of Black Coffee

Dear Readers,

The McKusick Law Library has iPads available to borrow. "Why would I borrow an iPad?" you may or may not be questioning. Well - I'm glad you asked. This is the first in a series of blog posts about iPads, their apps, and how lawyers are using them in their practice.

Firstly, libraries are more than book repositories. They are information centers with the goal of helping you succeed in your endeavors. Information comes in many formats, and to meet our changing needs, librarians want to make as many of these formats as available as is possible.

Enter the iPad as information source and tool.

After scouring other blogs, LibGuides, app stores, presentations, and papers, I have compiled a humble list that I encourage you to add to, because heavens knows I haven't used them all; there's like a trillion of those things!

EverNote: Jot down handwritten notes or typed, take snapshots, and record; everything from lectures, to meetings, to business cards, to clipped web articles organized in one place. Notes and reminders are easily navigable on the device or your desktop when the device is synchronized to the desktop.

OneNote: Works much like EverNote, but is wholly integrated into the Microsoft Office suite.

UPad: Great for those who prefer handwritten notes to typed ones. Word on the street is that its closer to the real thing than other apps for handwriting.

AudioNote: It's super cool. Look back at synced notes and audio recording! At the same time! So if you can't remember why you jotted something down, you'll have the audio to help jump your memory. Of course you can also go back and note or highlight your notes and share them as well.

Scanner Pro by Readdle:  Remember these things? They're basically obsolete now because your phone is a scanner.

Come back next time when we discuss apps for saving these doc.s you keep making.


Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.

Reading in Print v. Digital: What Do You Prefer?

Whether you consider yourself a "print native" or a "digital native", it turns out you might prefer print materials for pleasure and learning.  Research based on student surveys, which was recently published by Naomi S. Baron, an American University linguist who studies digital communication,  reveals that may be the case.

Baron's book, titled Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World, was discussed in a recent article in the Washington Post.  According to the article, Baron's research found that one of the key downsides to digital reading was distraction.  Baron's survey results showed that students were far more likely to "multitask" while reading on-screen (90 percent) than in hard copy (1 percent).

However, the survey results found that students do prefer digital textbooks for classes in which locating information quickly is key, and where using the Ctrl-F function can help them easily find keywords. 

The Law Library continues to offer both print and digital resources.  New print titles are available in the Law Library's New Book Display, directly inside the main double doors to the Library.  New print titles are also added each month to the Law Library's e-book database, available from our Research Databases page.

(H/t to the WisBlawg of the University of Wisconsin Law Library for their recent post on this topic.)

Cool Tools: Free Browser Extensions for Legal Research

During this busy time of the year, who doesn't love a free tool to save them time?  There are a number of free browser extensions available that offer functions to help save you time with your legal research.

Last fall, the Ms. JD blog offered an in-depth post on the Bestlaw browser extension.  This browser extension is available for the Chrome browser and works in conjunction with WestlawNext to offer additional features, such as a Table of Contents feature, a Bluebook citation tool, and links to WestlawNext documents which are available in free databases, such as the Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII).

Speaking of the Legal Information Institute, LII powers the Jureeka browser extension, which turns legal citations in regular webpages into automatic hyperlinks to the text of the statute, rule, or case as it appears on LII's website.  For example, say you were reading this blog and we referenced 5 U.S.C. 6103, the code provision that provides for President's Day (Washington's birthday) as a legal holiday.  If you had Jureeka installed, a hyperlink would automatically appear underlining the code citation, linking you directly to the text.  (Just in case you're curious, we've provided the link here to this code section in LII.)

A number of other browser extensions are available to aid law students and lawyers in their productivity.  Check out a recent article here by the Legal Productivity blog which highlights several other extensions.  An example is Feedly, which allows you to subscribe to an RSS feed or blog (such as the Prairie Law Blog!) with a single click.

(Click here for more information about Ms. JD and their affiliation with the National Women's Law Student Organization.)