Legal research apps

Fastcase iOS and Android Free, requires FastCase account. Every member of the Georgia bar has a free FastCase account Searchable library of American cases and statutes Browse or search statutes ; Most relevant results first Customizable, sortable search results Search results automatically display number of citing cases Generally cited and Cited Within – how many search results also cite the case Jump to most relevant paragraph of any case or statute Search terms are highlighted Integrated research history Save favorite documents ; no email or save file functionality Cannot navigate to different sections of statutes after a search ; must browse to get to different sections

Lexis Advance iOS and Mobile Site. I couldn’t get the mobile site to load on my Android tablet, so YMMV App is free, but requires subscription to Lexis Advance Simplified interface for Lexis Advance Search without having to select a specific source, delivering relevant results for both text and citation Filter answer sets according to jurisdiction, date, legal topic, key word or court Shepardize Work folders let you save documents and access saved search, citations and Shepard’s results which are shared with Lexis Advance web-based application Quickly find cases being cited by an opponent during oral argument

Westlaw next iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Mobile Site. Used to have Windows App is free, but requies subscription to Westlaw Next Synchronizes across computers and mobile device via account Use WestSearch to research an issue and find or KeyCite documents Add notes and highlighting to documents Save documents for offline reading and annotating Organize and share your folders Access your research History and Favorites Browse and search within content pages Email documents or selected text with a reference

Legal apps

Hours keeper pro $7 for iOS, $2 for Android Tracks multiple clients Record working hours for each client; includes breaks and overtime Generates PDF invoices Tracks billing and payments Weekly and monthly timesheet reports Earnings reports iOS includes the option for exporting data as CSVs

officetime $8 for iOS Popular Track by project and category Tracks time and expenses Can run multiple timers, and run time in the background Smart pausing Offline mode Exports to Numbers or Excel Creates invoices according to customizable templates Works across platforms, both mobile and desktop, for a fee ($47)

ijuror $20 for iOS, $10 for Android Simply tap the seats to add juror information; drag the jurors to reseat them Score Jurors: rate on information, identify who to dismiss, etc. Share information; uses Dropbox integration Print and email information

jurypad $25 for iOS Track detailed information about each juror; email or share information with other jurypad users For some reason, you can put their address in and get a virtual tour of their neighborhood Tracks the challenges of all parties Create, edit, and share custom voir dire templates

transcriptpad $89.99 for iPad Transcript review and documentation app Search across entire case, a single witness, or one deposition Reference exhibits as you read Create a designation and assign an issue code Note important sections for further review Print or email detailed or summary reports Deposition must be in .TXT format ; exhibits must be in PDF format Automatically identifies date and name of deponent To flag significant text, touch the first line number then the last line number, then assign designation ; can assign multiple designations Designations created for a case applied to all of the depositions in a case Designations are tracked in a menu when used in portrait view, on the left hand for landscape After working through a deposition, options: email summary with designations ordered by code PDF report with designated sections PDF with full text and designations in a table

trialpad $89.99 for iPad Trial presentation and legal file management app Definitely pay for the quality ; very large selection of features ; main ones include “Organize and present evidence electronically” ; organize multiple document types into a presentation in a trial Highlight, annotation, redact, and zoom in on documents View documents side by side to compare pages Edit video clips Create “Key Docs” with annotations ; print or email with annotations “Have your expert mark up an exhibit and save it as a Key Doc for closing” Manage multiple cases Supports a fairly wide range of file formats Supports wireless presentations if you have an iPad 2

Productivity apps

Evernote & workflowy Evernote – free for iOS and Android Create and edit text notes, to-dos and task lists Save and sync/share files across devices Record voice and audio notes, as well as picture notes Social media integration (FB and Twitter) Integrates with other apps (calendar, for example) Uses notebooks and tags to organize Recently added handwriting (POS, IMHO)

Evernote & workflowy Free for iOS; Chrome plug-in Note taking app Infinitely nested lists Tag and filter item lists Offline mode Syncs across devices “Notepad with super powers”

mobilit $10 for iOS Display documents and images live to other users through a wireless connection Import from Dropbox, iTunes, iBooks, or email Supports all Apple Works and Microsoft Office formats, as well jpgs, tiffs, PDFs, BMPs, and text files Annotate documents with call-outs, highlighting, underlining, etc

able2doc Free for iOS and Android Converts PDFs to microsoft Word documents Not resource intensive; uses proprietary servers to send convert (files are deleted after 24 hours)

Cloudon & google drive Create and edit Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations Integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Microsoft OneDrive, and Hightail

Cloudon & google drive Word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, forms, and illustrations All stored in Google’s cloud Share documents with other users

Cloud products Software as a Service – the new normal AKA “on-demand software” Been around for a while, but: Hardware is getting better good Bandwidth is getting better (Google Fiber in ATL? – Fingers crossed) and wireless internet everywhere* Websites are getting better (HTML5, CSS, Java, what) Security is getting better (but still kinda sucks) Why go for something in the Cloud? Cheap and Easy – comparatively speaking Easy to push out new features and fixes (fix the server everyone connects to, not every single person) Inherently collaborative Problems with the Cloud No/limited control Requires internets Security sucks

Rocket matter Practice Management Calendaring Task Tracking Phone Messaging Skype Integration Timer – billing Mobile Access – iOS, Android, Palm Pre, Windows, and Blackberries Documents & Data Global Intelligent Search – contacts, tags, matters, documents, etc. Tagging for matters, documents, and tasks Shared document and note taking Contact management Reporting & Analytics Dashboard user management to see all tasks and events Reporting on performance and billing, with Excel exporting Automatic conflict checking Legal Billing Track court fees, travel time, and other expenses Customizable invoices “Batch Billing” to automatically generate bills Adjustable billing structures and user rates

directlaw “A virtual law firm platform that turns your law firm’s web site into an interactive, online law practice” Website service built on a client portal Deliver legal documents online Online invoice payment Stores documents and communications Integrates with your existing website. If you don’t have one, they will make you one (not for free) Includes “Rapidocs”, an automated document and form generation tool. Creates legal documents based on information provided by clients; document is then sent to the firm for review Reasonably customizeable

Bill4time legal Web-based time tracking and billing platform Time and expense tracking Web-based access Desktop widgit for offline access Mobile app for iOS, Android, and Blackberry Of course, billing and invoice Project management – monitor projects and progress, scheduling, document sharing Document storage and management – cloud storage and Box integration Client management Accounting – integrated with QuickBooks Includes features specifically for lawyers: data encryption, local backup, multiple client billing rates

Hardware And operating systems

Chrome os & chromebooks

Windows 8 & surface

phablets

wearables