Using the iPad in your legal practice — 2016 update

It has been over 3 years since I wrote this piece – http://jasonkaykl.blogspot.my/2012/08/using-ipad-in-your-legal-practice.html – I feel an update is in order. What I want to convey is merely what has worked for me, and what hasn't. Let's start with the apps I've been using regularly for work.

For emails, I am still using the native MAIL app but now in tandem with INBOX BY GMAIL. The reason I use the second app is because I need its "defer till later" function which allows me to put aside unimportant emails which will reappear in my inbox later in the day, the next day, the weekend, or to a specific date and time, or (and this is cool but not really useful for me) to a time when I arrive at a particular place (this is useful when I need, say, a batch of emails to reappear in my inbox when I arrive at a particular location for a meeting).

My calendar is still the native CALENDAR app mostly. But since my phone is an Android, I also have the GOOGLE CALENDAR app running because the "schedule" view totally works for me.

For word processing, I use the native NOTES app for quick pieces since basic formatting is now available. I will only use PAGES when the need arises to edit the raw text since anything pasted into PAGES is pasted as raw text, while formatting is maintained when you paste into NOTES. I have not used the MICROSOFT WORD app after trying it out for a month or two. But it is a good app. When collaborating with other lawyers, I use GOOGLE DOCS because it allows for realtime editing with collaborators and we can leave comments for each other. This speeds up work tremendously.

When preparing cases, I work mainly with scanned PDF of my files – annotating them to remind myself of salient points in each case file. I still use PDF EXPERT. It is, to me, the best app on my iPad. For organising the development for each case file, I use EVERNOTE and devote 3 notes (usually) per file – chronology, examination-in-chief/cross-examination flow/questions, and the submission flow. Each case file gets a specific name, and I do not create individual folders for each case file. What I do is use tags to remind me what each case is about, for e.g. statute, court, active or closed case file, area of law, and anything that will help me tap into research already done when preparing a future case. I use the tag function as guideposts.

To convert photos to PDF, I use SCANNER PRO, and I have PDF PRINTER on standby to convert web pages to pdf (this can also be done with the 'save to PDF in iBooks' function now available on the latest iOS).

I still use DROPBOX and GOOGLE DRIVE for my cloud storage needs. iCloud is on by default.

For instant messaging, I have WHATSAPP and TELEGRAM on the phone, and TELEGRAM on the iPad. Having Telegram on both the iPad and phone is liberating because there is the option of typing out longer messages (and it's easier to proofread on the iPad), sending it to myself via Telegram, and then forward to others via WhatsApp (which is the preferred app for most of the people on my contact list). There is less chance of typographical errors. I also use ZELLO on occasion – usually when coordinating large events or outings.

As part of my continuing education, TED talks are still a staple. I use the YOUTUBE app. Channels that I find particularly good are The RSA and The School Of Life.

New things that I currently use: IKEA's ISBERGET tablet stand. Cheap, and works brilliantly when I'm conducting a case at court.

Things/Apps that I do not use anymore: The stylus. iPad works best with fingers. That is its magic. As for all the other apps that I mentioned in the first article but not in this, I don't/rarely use them anymore.

And this article? Written on the iPad with the 2-thumb typing method, and final editing using a laptop.

Explore the apps mentioned in the article:-

• Inbox by Gmail – https://appsto.re/my/gcI81.i
• Google Calendar – https://appsto.re/my/8XXm2.i
• Pages – https://appsto.re/my/EysIv.i
• Microsoft Word – https://appsto.re/my/PWh9I.i
• Google Docs – https://appsto.re/my/qimpY.i
• PDF Expert 5 – https://appsto.re/my/nGcwS.i
• Evernote – https://appsto.re/my/m49Yq.i
• Scanner Pro – https://appsto.re/my/lva5t.i
• PDF Printer – https://appsto.re/my/QHkDz.i
• Dropbox – https://appsto.re/my/63ZHt.i
• Google Drive – https://appsto.re/my/Z2yrE.i
• WhatsApp – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp&hl=en
• Telegram Messenger – https://appsto.re/my/psM6O.i
• Zello – https://appsto.re/my/WcWsE.i
• YouTube – https://appsto.re/my/WxoBG.i

Jason Kay is a lawyer residing in Melaka.  His interests include legal aid (YBGK) (Bar Council LegalAid Centres) and war crimes (Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal).  He blogs at Open Letters, and tweets @JK_mlk

For Malaysia Day 2014

I love my country.
I love the law.
That's why I take the positions/stands that I take.

Malaysians can be stupid, or annoying, or whiny.
Accept them anyway. They are our countrymen.
Talk to them. Gently.
Agree to disagree, if you must, but be POLITE.

Politeness is ketimuran. That's us - you and me.
We are not Americans.
We are not Westerners.
We are not Japanese.
We are not Arabs.
We are South-East Asians. Let's remember to DO and SAY things our way. Gently.

Let's remember that even amongst ourselves, there are differences in the way we communicate.
Allow a wide berth.
Different communities communicate differently.
Mix. Observe. Ask. Learn. Improve.

Stop the noise.
Stop the bickering over petty things.
Stop revisiting issues.

If we want to be treated like adults, stop speaking like spoiled children.
You (and I) change first.
The country will follow.
Maybe not today.
Maybe not this year.
But I'm setting my goal as, "before I die."

I want a strong, smart, resilient, and cultured Malaysia.
I'm aiming for that.
Join me, or ignore me.
But quit it with the doublespeak and sarcasm.
(That time has passed. For me, anyway.)

Evernote

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you really should learn how to use EVERNOTE. It's amazing for work and organizing your life.

Evernote
http://evernote.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/my/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

There are guides to get you started
1. http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2012/10/15/the-one-year-anniversary-of-the-evernote-ambassador-program-and-new-class/
2. http://nerdgap.com/31-evernote-tricks-for-newbies-who-want-to-be-ninjas/

Good luck.

How technology can help your legal practice

"This article was published in Praxis, Chronicle of the Malaysian Bar, and is reproduced herein with the kind permission of their Editor"

How technology can help your legal practice.

by Jason Kay

The landscape of legal practice has changed significantly with the introduction of new technology.  From manual typewriters to electric ones to computers, and the corresponding development of sending information by post or fax and now email, the law office of today is vastly different from that of 30 years ago when many of our current senior practitioner were just coming out of law school.  It may be virtually unrecognizable 30 years from now with the speed technology and science are progressing.

But for now, do take a few minutes from your busy day, and allow me to share with you what changes you can incorporate into your practice that may yield benefits many times over.

The essentials.

Your hand/mobile phone:  

Unless you have a legacy phone which you only use to make calls and handle SMS, yours will probably be a smartphone.  Smartphones are phones which are essentially mini-computers.  If you have this, you have a treasure in your hands.  Your smartphone can access the internet, your emails, and most allow you to do editing on the soft copy of your documents.  Researching and having access to the wealth of information all over the internet with your smartphone is no longer the stuff of science fiction - it is almost as if you have the Star Trek ship’s computer with you at all times.

When used properly (and in tandem with a good legal assistant/personal assistant/paralegal/secretary/clerk back at your office - I’ll use the word “clerk” to denote the whole group from now on), your smartphone can save you valuable time.

For example, when attending court, you do not have to bring your physical diary.  Your diary can be online, synchronized on the ‘cloud^[1]’ and accessible to your clerk to monitor.  You can easily view several diaries (for example the diaries of other lawyers in your firm, or lawyers that you are working with on a particular case, if they grant you viewing access) at once to avoid scheduling conflicts. 

 

After court, while in the canteen or on your way back to your office or your next meeting (I assume you have a driver or take public transport), you can dictate your report letters to your clerk to prepare the draft for you.  That draft can then be emailed to you to check and sign - digitally - without you having to make the trip back to your office.  On days with back-to-back meetings and/or emergencies, this keeps you productive and this minor, but important, work which will not fall through the cracks and be delayed.

Your computer:   

In today’s practice, if you do not have a very capable clerk, you should already have more than a basic working knowledge of word processing software, usually either MSWord or OpenOffice.  Beyond the basic typing and printing, you should already know (or soon learn) how to:

 

• format your document (using tabs, margin stops, and tables),
• use mail merge (useful if you do bulk work with standard-form-type documents),
• index your document (with foot/end-notes for a more eye-catching written submission), and
• annotate your document (with comments when collaborating with others).  

Why should you bother learning all the above?  Well, as a lawyers, our main (if not only) asset is our ideas.  It stands to reason that we should put down our fee-generating ideas in a readable (and, if possible, stylish) manner.  MSWord/OpenOffice is a tool.  If we learn to use it well, the time and effort invested will more than pay for itself in the long run. 

Your fax machine:   

Almost all offices would have a normal fax machine.  They generally come in 3 different versions (from basic to advanced) which are: thermal paper, ink-jet/carbon paper, and powder/laser print.  What you should consider getting/adding to your office is an AIO (all-in-one) machine which combine 3 or more of the following functions: fax, print, scan, email.  With AIOs, you will be able to take advantage of the “scan” function.  This is essential in the process of digitizing your files so that you can have easy access to it wherever you are without actually having to lug the thick heavy physical files.  Just make sure you get one with a scan function that includes OCR (optical character recognition).  This will help a lot when you do your getting up on the digitized documents.

Putting it together:  Convergence and Synergy.

Convergence is a wonderful word that means "the sum is greater than the parts."  Synergy is another word describing a similar concept.  What you already have (handphone, AIO, and computer) can work wonderfully to improve your practice, and ultimately, the quality of your life.  You just need to start using them together to increase their benefit manyfold. 

How you can specifically do so is, unfortunately, beyond the ambit of this introductory article.

The iPad.

One other item that you should serious consider adding to your toolbox is the Apple iPad (or any other tablet with similar capabilities).  I have written on how the iPad can improve your practice - “Using the iPad in your legal practice”^[2].

In brief, the iPad is vastly superior to your computer/laptop when getting up a matter.  Reading from it is a joy.  There is hardly a boot-up delay which allows you to almost instantly put your ideas down in writing.  You can write on it with your finger or a stylus, and if you prefer to type, it’s a simple matter of adding a wireless keyboard.

Conducting trials with the iPad is possible - I have managed to do so with an iPad and a laptop (to take down notes), and with the physical file on the table, just in case.

PDF - a special mention.  

PDF is the acronym for “portable document format”.  In plain-speak, it means what you see on the computer monitor is what you will see when you print it.  This is a powerful format which will be very necessary when you start working with your digitized files.  Working with PDFs require specialize programmes to fully harness its benefits.  For your computer, you should purchase “NitroPDF”^[3] (USD119.99) and on the iPad, the app “PDF Expert”^[4] (USD9.99).

Why should you digitize your files?

By digitizing your files and putting them on the cloud, they are available to you wherever you go.  This allows you to literally have all your office files, and your whole library^[5], with you at all times.  You will be able to do that urgent work while on holiday (if absolutely necessary), or not.  You now have a choice, unlike in days of yore when a holiday really means being cut off.  What if an important and simple task that can greatly benefit your practice (but needs to be done immediately) comes along while you are on holiday?   Would you not be glad that you had the tools and the ability to take that few hours and get the job done?  I would.

Is this change to the landscape of legal practice good?  Absolutely.  The legal profession is a service industry.  The only difference with the other players in this industry is that we are professionals in the truest sense of the word, dealing with very complex and difficult issues and we have very high ethical standards.  At our core, we assist people in what is usually the darkest hours, or the most trying/momentous time, in their lives.  Having the tools and ability to work faster, more efficiently, and effectively is always a good thing.

The learning curve of what I have described in the foregoing is not too steep - it takes 3-8 weeks to master.  After about 2 months, you should be able to start seeing tremendous results. 

The key is to keep practicing to use the tools you already have together.  Good luck with your practice.

And this should be mentioned:  Do not play (too many) games on your handphone/iPad.  They are a waste of time.  A little bit, yes.  But not too much.  Time is precious

 

---

^[1] “Cloud” here is used to mean the storage space for data that is stored on a server connected to the internet and accessible from various devices which have internet access.

^[2] http://www.loyarburok.com/2012/08/21/firing-up-legal-practice-ipad/

^[3] http://www.nitropdf.com/

^[4] http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pdf-expert-fill-forms-annotate/id393316844?mt=8

^[5] if you digitize your books, or subscribe to the online legal reports - do note that there are a wealth of free resources out there, some examples being http://www.kehakiman.gov.my, http://www.federalgazette.agc.gov.my, and statutes - just go to Google and type in this search string, “(name of Act) site:agc.gov.my” without the double quotation marks, and you should be able to download the pdf version of the statute as at 2006.

Using the iPad in your legal practice

The iPad is the single best gadget you could purchase to improve your productivity and effectiveness as a lawyer. This is from a litigation point of view. This aim of this article is to give you a summary of what can be done as well as to provide some guideposts should you take the plunge and join the digital revolution.

First question: Which iPad should I get? Get the latest one with the Retina display. Your eyes will love you for it. The price difference between it and the iPad2 is negligible.

Next, the case / cover: You should get a good case that can double as a stand. I use the Targus Versavu which allows the iPad to stand in both landscape and portrait mode. This versatility is useful. A stylus, that also contains a pen, should be added also because you’ll still need to write on hardcopy documents, and the stylus is absolutely necessary when you’re highlighting or underlining texts – this is especially true if you have large fingers.

An important consideration is whether you should get the wi-fi only version, or the one with the cellular network support. Go with the latter unless you have wi-fi everywhere you go.

Why? Because lawyers get ideas at all times and at all places. Having that light-bulb moment is only as good as the action you can take after that. Certain things require instant action to achieve the maximum effect. An important thing to note here, therefore, is that you should subscribe to a cellular plan which only throttles your speed when you hit your data quota – not one that cuts you off entirely. Ask around before committing to a plan. I cannot overemphasize how crucial this is.

Now that you have your swanky new iPad, do you jailbreak it? On this, I fall on the ‘leave it as it is’ side of the fence. You’re a lawyer, not a tech geek with too much time on your hands. So quit with the experimentation and proceed from the premise that your iPad is a tool for you to be more productive and, hopefully, richer. Not something you want to fiddle around with. Warranty will be voided if you jailbreak it. So my advice: Don’t.

At this point you should create a Google account. This will allow you access to the wealth of fantastic and free services Google offers like email, calendar, word processing, cloud-based storage, RSS reader and maps – to name but a few. I recommend Google because it’s stable and it has worked very well for me the past 7 years. Bonus: Google integrates very well with the iPad’s pre-installed apps.

Your final preliminary task will be to create an Apple ID and register your credit card so that you can buy apps from the App Store. If you don’t want to use your regular credit card, get a prepaid one and load it with RM300. That should be enough to purchase all the apps that I’ll be recommending.

Free apps that you should immediately download are:-

• Dropbox (cloud-based storage)
• Evernote (cloud-based note-taking)
• Skitch (to annotate pictures)
• Skype (audio and video conferencing)
• AppShopper (for alerts on price reduction for apps that you might want to buy)

Free apps that you should seriously consider downloading are:-

• Facebook (social networking)
• Twitter (social networking – but I use it mainly to keep in touch with breaking news)
• Flipboard (news aggregator)
• Zite (news aggregator)
• TED (for inspirational and informative talks)
• TimeCapture (for time billing)
• Wikipanion (this makes Wikipedia very readable)
• TripAdvisor (to book hotels and to find out where to eat when you’re out of town)
• Fit It (to reduce the resolution and size of photos taken with the iPad camera)
• iBooks (to read e-books)

Paid apps that you should buy are:-

• Pages (for word processing)
• Instapaper (to read and organize articles from the web)
• PDF Expert (to read, annotate and sign PDFs – going totally paperless is almost possible with this app)
• CamScanner+ (to take photographs of documents and convert them to PDF)
• ProCamera (to take photos with date and time stamps – it’s a good overall photo app)
• Notability (to take notes if you like taking notes freehand with your finger or stylus – otherwise, get the wireless Bluetooth Apple keyboard for RM229)
• Bento (only if you are very proficient with databases and want to ‘tinker’ – this is a powerful tool)
• WolframAlpha (just trust me on this one)
• Sleep Gadget (for logging your sleep)
• Total Recall (mind mapping tool)
• 360 (to take panorama pictures)
• Money for iPad (to keep track of your money)

How you can use and should use the apps listed above (along with the pre-installed ones like Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Maps, Safari, Mail and YouTube) really depend on your creativity. The key is to first decide what you want to achieve, and then see if you can do it with the existing apps you have. If you cannot, or if you’re stuck, you should head over to the App Store, or do some searches on the web or the Apple forums. Chances are, someone has encountered the same problem and may have already found a solution / shortcut for you. Or maybe there’s an app that does exactly what you desire. The learning curve is not steep, but neither is it easy.

You’ll need about 3-5 weeks of constant ‘messing around’ before you see some positive results in your practice. And it helps if you do not, under any circumstances, download any games – Angry Birds deserves a special mention. Playing games on the iPad will rob you blind of what little time you have. This is the siren song. Listen to it not.

The genius of the iPad is in its design. The touch function is vastly superior to the way we’ve been interacting with computers – keyboard and mouse. This tactile element is the very reason why the iPad works so well for litigators. Our minds work both methodically and in a free-ranging manner, depending on the problem we’re trying to solve. The iPad assists us by nurturing both styles, in a way normal computers simply cannot.

Imagine waking up to a half-formed strategy for a case conceived in a dream. Do you walk to your desktop, boot it up and do your research? You might. Do you reach for your laptop, boot it up, and do your research? Probably, since there might be no walking involved. But if you have an iPad by your bed, or under the pillow, ‘might’ and ‘probably change to ‘most likely’ because there’s no boot up time, no walking, and it’s like holding a magical piece of glass. That simple research could be the key / catalyst that solves the issue for you. I’ve gotten up a case in about 1-2 hours on the iPad that I know would’ve taken me about 2-4 times longer if I had done it on my desktop or laptop. And I’ve fallen asleep while researching / drafting more times than I can remember. All this translates to more work done in small pockets of time that I ‘steal’ for myself during the day. Long bus rides are no longer for naps and listening to podcasts. They now include doing actual work.

Let me end by giving you an example of how I use the iPad on a normal day:-

During my morning shower, I usually get most of my ideas. And it’s very easy to immediately jot them in the Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Total Recall, or Evernote (sometimes after a quick search on the web with Safari or Wikipanion) app. This is after the shower, of course.

While having breakfast, or commuting, I catch up with what’s happening socially on Facebook, and read the news via Flipboard, Zite, or Twitter, or all of them.

Let’s say on this hypothetical day, I’m going to mention a case on behalf of an out-station lawyer. I’d have received all instructions via email and PDF attachments. I view these with Mail and annotate them with PDF Expert. During the mention, I can take down notes with Notability, or fire up Pages, link the keyboard, and type out the notes. These notes I can later incorporate into my report (which I have the option of exporting as a PDF to be signed with PDF Expert); and email to the instructing counsel. Any hardcopy of documents that needs to be sent can first be photographed and converted to PDF using CamScanner+. The scanned copy will take minutes to reach that out-station lawyer. The hard copy, at most, takes a day.

Getting up a case is quite simple now with most law reports available online. Safari, PDF Expert, Instapaper and Dropbox will be your best friends in no time. Drafting of pleadings and submissions is possible with Pages. But if you want more control of the layout, all your work can be exported in MSWord format for final formatting on your desktop / laptop.

Should you need to have a quick face-to-face chat, Skype (works with wi-fi and cellular connections) or FaceTime (only works with a wi-fi connection) saves your time tremendously – no commute, waiting or traffic jams. Just make sure you dress appropriately, have a decent background / backdrop, and frame yourself well.

I’ve yet to conduct a trial solely with the iPad, so I cannot comment on this. (Of course it would be folly to so do if one doesn’t also have the physical file on the bar table, or at least in the car boot, just in case.)

Replacing your physical diary with the Calendar app on the iPad is a no-brainer. Synchronization with Google Calendar is excellent, and you have 2 free iCloud calendars. Creating and rescheduling appointments are so simple and intuitive, you’ll never want to work with a desk diary again.

A note about the price of apps: Depending on the maker of the app, prices can either fluctuate greatly, slightly, or not at all. This is where AppShopper comes in. It allows you to follow certain apps that pique your interest, but not enough that you would buy it immediately at its current price. All you have to do is make a note of it, and when the price drops, AppShopper will notify you.

I’m aware that there are many other good apps that I haven’t mentioned in this article. But I can only recommend what I’ve actually used. I do not recommend willy-nilly. I have received no gratification, neither in cash or in kind, from any of the product developers / makers that I’ve recommended in this article. They’re good products – plain and simple. And, if for some strange reason you wish to thank me, please consider donating to a charity that has a good administration expense ratio – Yes, this is the whole ‘pay it forward’ thing.

If you do plan to get the iPad, I wish you much fun with your new gadget. Remember, it’s not a toy. It’s not a glorified game machine. And it’s not only a media consumption device. It’s a money-making machine that’s both sexy and magical.

Good luck with your practice, with or without the iPad.

Explore these apps by clicking on them:
1. 360
2. AppShopper
3. Bento
4. Camscanner+
5. Dropbox
6. Evernote
7. Facebook
8. Flipboard
9. Fit It
10. Google
11. iBooks
12. Instapaper
13. Money for iPad
14. Notability
15. Pages
16. PDF Expert
17. ProCamera
18. Skitch
19. Skype
20. Sleep Gadget
21. TED
22. TimeCapture
23. Total Recall
24. TripAdvisor
25. Twitter
26. Wikipanion
27. Wolfram Alpha
28. Zite
 

Jason Kay is a lawyer residing in Melaka.  His interests include legal aid (YBGK) (Bar Council LegalAid Centres) and war crimes (Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal).  He blogs at Open Letters, and tweets @JK_mlk


Addendum to article - 06 December 2012

Essential apps

Waze (Free GPS guide with real-time traffic statistics. Excellent)
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8

Tweetbot (Twitter reader. It displays source articles in links embedded in tweets so much faster than the normal Twitter app.  If you tweet, or research via tweets, a lot, this app is a must-have)
https://itunes.apple.com/app/tweetbot-for-twitter-ipad/id498801050?mt=8

MagicalPad (to create BEAUTIFUL workflow charts, mind maps and general notes - quite a steep learning curve)
https://itunes.apple.com/app/magicalpad/id463731782?mt=8 

Timeli (to see all your on-going projects in a timeline)
https://itunes.apple.com/app/timeli/id386890857?mt=8  

Notable apps

Pocket Wavepad HD (to record audio in various formats.  A good standby if you don't have a dedicated mp3 recorder)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-wavepad-hd/id418674227?mt=8 

Zello (walkie-talkie over IP.  Less data consumption than FaceTime/Skype, easier than typing out the chats)
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/zello-walkie-talkie/id508231856?mt=8 

File Manager Pro (Document Reader & File Browser) (if you need to email 2 or more files, not photos, from your iPad, you need this)
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id558270538?mt=8File   

Notes:

After iOS 6, Personal Hotspot works for me.  Pairing my laptop to the iPad gives me the almost perfect office on-the-go - have the chargers nearby, just in case.

Guide to using Evernote better.  Look at the "ambassador guides".

Addendum to article - 09 March 2014

This app is excellent for scanning. Only drawback is that is has no in-app OCR.
Scanner Pro by Readdle

http://readdle.com/products/scannerpro/

Postcode finder - http://www.pos.com.my/pos_bm/appl/viewPostcode.asp

Post Ekspres tracking (Malaysia)  - http://www.pos.com.my/pos/appl/service/sub_express_mail.asp

Note: The apps in YELLOW highlight are the ones that I still find very useful since the initial posting of this article. Special mention for PDF Expert and Waze. They are beyond excellent.