Apps for Lawyers7th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law ConferencebyNatalie R. Kelly, Georgia State Bar James McKenna, Morrison & FoersterJeffrey Richardson, Adams and Reese LLPJeffery Taylor, Absolute Legal Services, LLCAccording to the latest data from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center released in July of 2013, over 90% of all attorneys use a smartphone and almost half of all attorneys use a tablet computer. These devices typically come with the ability to handle your email and calendar and handle simple documents, but to make the most of your device, you should consider adding third-party apps. Here are some great suggestions to get you started.

Dropbox Dropbox is a free document storage app, and it is available for most devices. The files in Dropbox are accessible from all your computers, smartphone, tablet, and the Dropbox website. Dropbox is capable of storing photos, documents, videos and more. Mark files as favorites for fast offline viewing.GoodReader This $5 iPad app is a great way to load up an iPad with documents and organize those documents into folders. It works with lots of file types including MS Word files, but it works best with PDF files because then you have the option to highlight or annotate your files later. You can use it to store all of the pleading and briefs in your cases. Any documents that you have in PDF format can be easily stored and viewed in this app. The app works great in connection with Dropbox. You can use the Dropbox folder on your computer to organize and save the files, and then by just pressing the sync button in GoodReader those files are transferred to your iPad. Once there, you can read, highlight, annotate, etc.

Pages This is Apples word processing app for the iPhone and iPad. It lets you see track changes (redline edits) in a document and also lets you create track changes. Thus, someone can send you a file, you can mark it up with your edits, and send it back. It can import and export Word documents, but be aware that sometimes you lose some of the formatting (such as styles) when you do so, so it is best to make your redline edits and then send the document to someone who has the original and can just look at your edits and then add them manually (or copy and paste) into the original Microsoft Word document. Note also that Pages cannot display or create Word Comments, if you use that feature. But despite the limitations, Pages is a rock-solid app that most attorneys will want to have on their iPad, or even their iPhone.

Documents to Go This app, available for both iPhone/iPad and Android, does a better job displaying a Word file then the built-in viewer software. It displays track changes and Word Comments, although it does not let you create redline edits or Comments. But if you do make changes to a document, Documents to Go does a fantastic job of preserving all of the formatting of the original document.

Microsoft Office Mobile If you use an iPhone or an Android smartphone, this app lets you view and edit MS Word files. It is pretty bare-bones; you cannot view track changes or footnotes, and while you can view comments you cannot edit them. And while you can view both .doc and .docx files, you can only edit .docx files. However, the app does a great job of preserving all of the original formatting on a document, so if you just need to make a quick change to a Word document on your smartphone, it works well (and given the small size of the smartphone screen, this might be all you ever want to do). Most lawyers will want this app to work with Word documents, but it also lets you work with Excel and PowerPoint documents. Unfortunately, the app is jut for the smartphone, not for tablets. The app itself is free, but it requires a $100/year subscription to Office 365.ScannerPro ScannerPro is an iPhone and iPad app that allows you to scan images as PDFs at excellent quality using camera built into the iPhone and iPad. Its literally as easy as taking photo from within the app, aligning the margins, adjusting the quality (if needed), and voila! After scanning the user can email or upload the document to Dropbox, Google Docs, or Evernote, and password protection is also available if you desire.

PDFpen PDFpen for iPhone and iPad lets you to fill out and sign important documents, store documents to the cloud, and email PDFs. A number of annotation tools are included, such as freehand writing, arrows, and proofreading symbols. Other excellent PDF reader apps that you might consider include PDF Expert and iAnnotate PDF. And everyone should download the free Adobe Reader app; it is a great viewer app, and every once in a while you will run across a PDF file that is handled best with the app made by Adobe (who created the PDF standard).Legal Research It is often useful to pull up a case or a statute on your iPad. There are excellent iPad apps for Westlaw Next and Lexis Advance, so if you use one of those services, you'll want to get the appropriate app. You can also get the free Fastcase app, which makes it easy to pull up a case or statute if you have the citation. (Fastcase is not as good as the Westlaw or Lexis apps when it comes to searching for law.)

Other legal resources for just about every state in which attorneys practice, someone has created an app that contains the text of statutes and rules. These apps are helpful for litigators as they allow you to access the law even when you dont have an Internet connection. The Blacks Law Dictionary app is also excellent, and you can even get The Bluebook on your iPad using an app called Rulebook.Remote access The free LogMeIn app for iPhone/iPad will let you access your computer (as long as you left your computer turned on) from your iPad. This app is also helpful if there is a file on your computer's desktop and you want to e-mail it to yourself so that you can have it on your iPad. If your office uses Citrix, the Citrix Receiver app is great for accessing a virtual machine with all of your office software such as client relationship management software, document management software, etc.Calculator The iPad doesn't come with a calculator like the iPhone does. Consider getting the $2 Digits app, which has big numbers and includes a virtual tape roll.

Weather The iPad doesn't come with a weather app like the iPhone does. The Weather Channel app is a great, free app for checking the weather and viewing a radar map. Check the Weather by Cross Forward Consulting for iPhone/iPad has a clean, easy-to-use interface, plus it integrates the features of another great app called DarkSky that does a great job of predicting any rain over the next hour.

WordPerfect Viewer Every day, fewer and fewer lawyers use WordPerfect, so you may never have the need to view a WordPerfect file on the iPad. But if you do, the WordPerfect Viewer app for iPhone and iPad is the only app that can view those documents.

TrialPad TrialPad is a great solution for organizing case presentations for the courtroom using your iPad. You can use this app to present documents for an audience to view. This easy to use app allows the user to import documents via iTunes, email or Dropbox, and also organize documents into folders. There are a number of annotation tools available to enhance presentations such as highlighting, use of a pen, and redacting. Additional features include a whiteboard, a laser pointer, Key Docs area for important documents, and Callout which allows for the user to pull out and magnify certain sections of a document for easier viewing. This app can be projected by using HDMI or VGA connections, or by using AppleTV wirelessly.TranscriptPad This iPad app imports the text versions of depositions provided by a court reporter and organizes them into cases. You can then use the app to read and annotate the deposition. And instead of simply marking all of the important stuff with a yellow highlighter (although you can do that too), TranscriptPad lets you add issue codes as you review a deposition. So if a Question and Answer are relevant to damages in a case, you can select those lines and apply the "Damages" issue code (or whatever other issue codes you want to create). When you are finished reviewing the deposition, the app creates a handy report organized by issue code so that you can, for example, see all of the key "Damages" testimony at one time, all of the key "Comparative Fault" testimony at one time, etc.

1Password This is a great app for keeping track of your logins and passwords for all of the websites you visit, plus the app can store lots of other confidential data such as credit card information, private notes, social security numbers, etc. The app even includes an integrated web browser making it easy to connect to a secure site because the app fills in the login and password fields automatically.PAGE 1