Research Cases, Dictate to a Virtual Legal Assistant and Never Lose Your Way, iPhone JDs Say
Relax iPhone app from SOPODS.com.
The crowning glory of the ABA Techshow’s Mac user track on Thursday, according to presenters Jeff Richardson and Reid Trautz, was a lively display that highlighted the top 60 applications that should be on every lawyer’s iPhone.
The iPhone application store recently surpassed 100,000 apps—and iPhone users are moving in on crackberry lawyers, according to a recent ABAJournal.com poll. New Orleans attorney Richardson, who founded iPhone J.D. a website for lawyers using iPhones, and Virginia-based Trautz, who co-authors The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Success, the companion blog to his and Toronto lawyer Dan Pinnington’s book of the same name, guided the audience through some of the most helpful apps out there (the U.S. Code and Black’s Law Dictionary at your fingertips) to the zaniest (Run Pee Mobile, which finds the best times for movie bathroom breaks).
While many of the apps were free (bonus), most were fairly cheap, and all offered ways to ease the life of a busy attorney, like Zosh, a cool service that allows you to annotate and sign PDF files from your iPhone.
Other useful apps included:
• Fastcase: In the event opposing counsel spontaneously cites an unknown case, you can immediately pull up the citation and determine if the case is distinguishable.
• ScanR Business Center: This app allows you to photograph a document with your iPhone camera and send a clear PDF copy of the documents to your e-mail or a fax machine.
• LogMeIn Ignition: This app allows access to office computers and document management systems from your iPhone.
• Congress in Your Pocket: A great app for government attorneys that includes contact information for officials and staffers.
• Dragon Dictation: This app uses a contact list to identify names and transcribes your dictation. Accuracy is pretty good, expect a typo for one in every 100 words, they say.
• SpeakWrite: This app will send your dictation to a virtual legal assistant with prompt turnaround.
• Skype: A great app that allows you to make inexpensive calls, even internationally, via Wi-Fi connection.
• MotionX GPS Drive: This app ensures you never lose your way during on out-of-town business trips.
• Twitterific and Tweetdeck: These apps help you manage social media.
• Ustream Mobile: This app allows live interactive streaming while on the go.
So what’s the duo’s favorite app for the hardworking, hassled attorney?
Relax, which features high-resolution video and audio scenes (sandy white beaches, anyone?) to help you briefly escape.
