Practice Tip: Making Your Practice Mobile

Whether you are trying a custody case, presenting a CLE, or negotiating a settlement, mobile devices allow you to access data and resources remotely with ease and speed.

Organize!

Regardless of which operating system you use, a variety of useful apps are available for free or very low cost. But before shopping for family law-friendly apps, organizing your device is important. Apps should be put in folders for ease of reference and to avoid scrolling through multiple screens. Folders, such as Tools, Mail, and Calendars, appear on the top portion of the screen. Maps, calculators, clocks and cameras should be in the Tools folder. A Productivity folder could contain a word processing app (Word or Pages), a presentation template (KeyNote or PowerPoint), a spreadsheet app (Excel or Numbers), a legal research app, and a support calculator. The Mail and Calendar folders can contain all e-mails, personal and professional, with settings for proper display and deletion.

A useful complement to a mobile device is an electronic data storage and delivery system, such as Dropbox, which provides a quick way to transmit large electronic files. This greatly improves discovery exchanges.

'On the Road'

Once your device is organized, you can take your practice on the road. While presenting a paperless case in court may be too progressive for many lawyers and judges, technological resources can highly improve the look and organization of a courtroom presentation. The GoodReader app can be used to project PDF exhibits onto a smart board during court proceedings. The Notebook app can be used for trial outlines for direct and cross examinations, and exhibit and witness lists. The Noteability app allows users to write notes with either their finger or a stylus. Instead of flipping legal pad pages during a hearing, you could scroll through screens.'

Apps can also aid in negotiations. The iSplit app provides a visual spreadsheet that allows users to explore different distribution schemes simply by touching and moving icons (house, financial accounts, car) from one spouse to another. The Numbers app provides a traditional live spreadsheet that can be adjusted to incorporate various distribution schedules. The Zillow app provides estimated real estate values. The Realtor.com app shows homes that are for sale.'

Any slide presentation can be projected from a mobile device. The KeyNote app is useful for slide shows and provides an updated look compared to PowerPoint. Productivity apps can be cost-effective and make daily practice more efficient. The Scanner Pro app allows users to implement their camera as a scanner. The Docket in a Pocket app provides state-specific civil and criminal case searches for any individual. As a final tip, with text messages being the du jour method of communication, taking a screen shot by holding down both the home button and on/off button will preserve the text.

Julia Swain, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP.

Whether you are trying a custody case, presenting a CLE, or negotiating a settlement, mobile devices allow you to access data and resources remotely with ease and speed.

Organize!

Regardless of which operating system you use, a variety of useful apps are available for free or very low cost. But before shopping for family law-friendly apps, organizing your device is important. Apps should be put in folders for ease of reference and to avoid scrolling through multiple screens. Folders, such as Tools, Mail, and Calendars, appear on the top portion of the screen. Maps, calculators, clocks and cameras should be in the Tools folder. A Productivity folder could contain a word processing app (Word or Pages), a presentation template (KeyNote or PowerPoint), a spreadsheet app (Excel or Numbers), a legal research app, and a support calculator. The Mail and Calendar folders can contain all e-mails, personal and professional, with settings for proper display and deletion.

A useful complement to a mobile device is an electronic data storage and delivery system, such as Dropbox, which provides a quick way to transmit large electronic files. This greatly improves discovery exchanges.

'On the Road'

Once your device is organized, you can take your practice on the road. While presenting a paperless case in court may be too progressive for many lawyers and judges, technological resources can highly improve the look and organization of a courtroom presentation. The GoodReader app can be used to project PDF exhibits onto a smart board during court proceedings. The Notebook app can be used for trial outlines for direct and cross examinations, and exhibit and witness lists. The Noteability app allows users to write notes with either their finger or a stylus. Instead of flipping legal pad pages during a hearing, you could scroll through screens.'

Apps can also aid in negotiations. The iSplit app provides a visual spreadsheet that allows users to explore different distribution schemes simply by touching and moving icons (house, financial accounts, car) from one spouse to another. The Numbers app provides a traditional live spreadsheet that can be adjusted to incorporate various distribution schedules. The Zillow app provides estimated real estate values. The Realtor.com app shows homes that are for sale.'

Any slide presentation can be projected from a mobile device. The KeyNote app is useful for slide shows and provides an updated look compared to PowerPoint. Productivity apps can be cost-effective and make daily practice more efficient. The Scanner Pro app allows users to implement their camera as a scanner. The Docket in a Pocket app provides state-specific civil and criminal case searches for any individual. As a final tip, with text messages being the du jour method of communication, taking a screen shot by holding down both the home button and on/off button will preserve the text.

Julia Swain, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP.