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MAC USER

MAC/IOS RESOURCESLITIGATORS

FOR

By Victoria L. Herring

Most litigators arc good researchers. Or they shouldbe. We could all use a little

help, however, so I'm presenting here a collection

of Mac/iOS-based resources I'd suggestto other litigators. Each is accompaniedby a link so you can explore further ony o u r o w n .

One caution: Websites, blogs, etc.on the Internet frequently "die" or failto be updated. When you follow theselinks, or conduct your own research on asearch engine, try to limit your searcheswithin the last one or two years. Thisis not to say that older resources aren'tuseful or valuable—sometimes they areeven better than the newer ones. But,particularly in the realm of technology, ■Siyou need to use the most up-to-date resources possible.

FIRST STOP: ITUNES

Before I present my list, I should notethat when I need to explore and find resources on any topic, I tend to start withApple's iTunes application (apple.com/itunes). iTunes, which can be used bothon Macs and on Windows machines, isa store of free and paid items that can bequite useful. So, first off, I open iTuneson my computer (or iPad, although usually for this I'm sitting with my laptop ordesktop Mac). In all the cases discussedbelow, I sometimes put the term "law,""constitution," "justice," "trial," andsuch in the search box to narrow thefield. Skipping over the entertainmentchoices (Music, Movies, TV Shows), Ihead straight for iTunes U.

iTunes U is a collection of presentations,

Victoria L. Herring (vlh@herringlaw.com)practices in Des Moines, Iowa, in an office thathas used only Apple/Macs since the early 1980s.

seminars, classes, and the like from universities and colleges, associations, andgalleries all over the world—even fromschools in the K-12 range. There are allsorts of categories, and one of them is"Law & Politics," with topics such as"Legal Writing," "Constitutional Law,"etc. There's a wealth of informationthere. It's free (really!) and downloadable and playable on your iPad, iPhone,iPod, or computer.

After that, still searching in iTunes,I head to Podcasts. As with iTunes U,there are all sorts of providers of pod-casts on a variety of topics—and they'refree. Not all are worth listening to, andthere's no similar topic breakdown, butthere are podcasts on "Government &Organizations," "Business," and, ofcourse, "Technology"; you can searchall topics if you want to see if there'ssomething more focused on trials andlitigation.

There is also, of course, iTune's AppStore. There are loads of categories, and

any number might include a relevantand helpful application for your iDevicerelated to trials and litigation. On myiPad are apps for the following generaltopics: reading (Kindle, Zinio, iBooks,Instapaper), messaging (Messages,Skype, Google Voice), access/storage(Files Pro, CrashPlan, LfSB Disk), writing (Pages, Penultimate, Notability),scanning (JotNotPro, AT&T CodeScanner, RedLaser), signing documents (SignEasy, SignNow, DocuSign),printing (Cloud Printer, PrinterPro), conversion (niyConvert, Units,Ruler Plus, iHandy Level), and law(Fastcase, FedCtRecords, LawBox, IowaLawyer magazine). It seems everyone hasan app these days, which is good, andthey're either free or inexpensive enoughto test. And there are apps that follow thewhole topic of applications and scout outother apps to try for a day or two, whichis good to know.

Finally, the Books topic on iTunesincludes many free books, mostly those

7 8 GPSOLO I September/October 2014

long copyright-frce, but a few that arerecent and especially helpful (iPadatWork, business and finance topics, etc.).There are both e-books (readable on iOSdevices or computers using iBooks) andsome audiobooks (which tend to costbetween $10 and $20, but that might beworth it for a long trip).

NOW FOR THAT LIST

Over the years I've collected a list ofnumerous websites, blogs, and onlinearticles that might provide helpful information for lawyers involved in trialwork, particularly related to workingwi th Macs and iOS dev ices. Here are

the ones I've found most useful:■ "Apple TV for Trial Presenta

t i o n : L i m i t a t i o n s a n d P r a c t i c a lUse" (tinyurl.com/m2sj44r): This2013 article by Concetta Mankeris archived on the Center for Legaland Court Technology website(legaltechccnter.net).

■ "Every Legal App for iPhone andiPad" (tinyurl.com/o3w852w):This listing was posted June 16,2014, on the Lawyerist website(lawyerist.com). While you'rethere, check out the Lawyeristwebsite itself, which contains articles on many relevant topics butsome of particular interest to iPadand iPhone users.

■ iPhone J.D. (iphoncjd.com):Founded by New Orleans attorney Jeff Richardson in 2008, thiswebsite bi l ls i tself as "the oldestand largest website for lawyersusing iPhones and iPads."■ MacLitigator (maclitigator.com):This website, operated by Utah-based litigator Peter Summerill,provides a host of Mac-centricinformation focused on litigation.

■ Mac Power Users (macpowcrusers.com; also available on iTunes):This weekly podcast by KatieFloyd and David Sparks featuresinterviews with a variety of peoplediscussing workflows, best practices, and more.

■ Mi Apple Practice (michbar.org/pmrc/applepractice.cfm): This"corner" of the State Bar of Michi

gan website contains practice management resources and all sorts ofhelpful information about iPads,iPhones, and Macs.

■ The Mac Lawyer (themaclawyer.com): Launched by SouthCarolina-based attorney Ben Stevens, this blog is a good all-aroundsource for lawyers using Macs andiOS devices, both in and out of thec o u r t r o o m .

■ The Researching Paralegal"Mac Archives" (tinyurl.com/pr7tpxp): This portion of theResearching Paralegal website

(researchingparalcgal.com), cu-ratcd by registered paralegal CeliaC. Elwell, collects legal articles andlinks for legal professionals specifically related to Macs.

■ "Using iPads for Mediation, Arbitration and Trials"(tinyurl.com/nxy4rjw): This2013 article by William Lathamon the InsideCounsel website(insidccounsel.com) offers a litigator's take on effective presentationapps and strategies.

STILL SEARCHING?The sites above should prove a goodstarting point, but if you're still looking for more, the best advice I can giveis to head back to iTunes and the AppStore and search for highly rated andcurrent information. You'll find a wealthof free and inexpensive (and, if you feellike splurging, some expensive) resourcesthat will help you prepare, participate in,and win trials. ■

J o i n a G P S o l o C o m m i t t e e !Did you set a professional goal to participate more this year? Here is agreat way to fulfill that goal now. Join one or more of our 32 substantivecommittees! It's simple. Go to our GPSolo Committee web page atht t tp: / /www.amer icanbar.org/groups/gpsolo/commit tees.htmland click on any committee for more information.

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Don't miss out. Think of the networking power to be gained fromsharing Insights and ideas with other members. If you have anyquestions, contact us at 312/988-5648.

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