Mobile Apps for Lawyers

by Tom McNichol

If you ever feel like you're chained to your desk, think back to the way things were before wireless computing. It wasn't that long ago that every single morsel of information a lawyer needed for the job was situated somewhere on or around his or her desk. Desks were the great hard drives of their era, cluttered repositories of filings, contacts, research, correspondence, and billing information. If you couldn't find something, it was probably on your desk. Somewhere.

The advent of the personal computer didn't do much to unshackle lawyers from their desks. Even if everything a lawyer needed for working on a matter was now on his computer, the computer was still on the desk. It wasn't until fully functioning computers could be slipped into a pocket and carried around that the chains lashing lawyers to their desks were loosened considerably, if not completely broken. Smartphones have allowed attorneys to work on the go to an extent that was unimaginable even a decade ago, letting them stay in touch with clients and giving them access to a secondary computer when they're away from the office. And lately, a flood of mobile applications useful to lawyers has hit the market, making it easier than ever to be productive from anywhere. Here's a roundup of some of the best.

Cliff Maier Legal Apps
Cliff Maier has published more than three dozen legal reference apps for the iPhone that put the law right in the palm of your hand. The apps include mobile versions of the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Criminal and Civil Procedure, U.S. Codes such as Title 18 and Title 28, bankruptcy statutes, and international patent rules (such as the Northern District of California Patent Local Rules). BlackBerry users can get similar apps from the Law Pod (thelawpod.com) and LawPDA (lawpda.com).

State-specific mobile programs such as the California Evidence Code app also put the Golden State's evidence rules in an easy-to-search format. Once you purchase the app, you can access the information without a network connection, letting you, for example, check opposing counsel's legal citations?even in court with your phone connection disabled. Full-text search lets you find applicable sections of the code and then tap on the citation to see it in context.

These apps range in cost between about $2 and $10, depending on the complexity of the law or code in question. There's a full list of Cliff Maier legal reference apps at the somewhat off-putting WaffleTurtle software website (waffleturtle.com).

Black's Law Dictionary
In a world where most wireless apps cost no more than 99 cents, the Black's Law Dictionary mobile version breaks all the rules, carrying the hefty price of $49.99. But it does put the eighth edition of the world's most widely used legal dictionary on your phone. Many law students and new lawyers find Black's to be an absolute?well, ass-saver. Even veteran attorneys find it useful when wandering into uncharted legal territory.

The Black's app contains more than 43,000 legal definitions and nearly 3,000 quotations from legal authorities on various aspects of the law. Cross-references are hyperlinked, so looking up one word can lead you to related legal concepts.

The app also provides audio pronunciations for more than 7,000 legal terms, which some will view as prima facie evidence of its usefulness. (That's pronounced PRY-muh FAY-shee, of course.) The Black's Law Dictionary App is available through the iPhone App Store or West's website (west.thomson.com). If you use a BlackBerry, Bouvier's Law Dictionary is available for $19.95 through the software publisher Beiks (blackberry.beiks.com).

Time Master
The billable hour may have seen better days, but it's not dead yet, and the Time Master app for the iPhone is among the easiest ways to track your time. It costs $9.95 and can be purchased through the App Store or the publisher On-Core Software (oncore.com). There's a similar time-tracking app for the BlackBerry called BizTrackIt (shrunkenhead.biz), but it has fewer features.

Never mind about hours?Time Master lets you track the time you spend on a matter down to the second, if so desired. If your clients object to being billed for individual seconds of your time, the app can round the time either up or down to the nearest minute. (The "roundup" feature seems destined for widespread popularity.) Time entries are tracked according to client and can be subcategorized by project and even by task for a project. Multiple filters let you sort entries by day, week, month, client, project, expenditure, and invoice status. The app can also be configured to create formal billing statements to send to clients.

DaysFrom Date Calculator
Lawyers have a funny way of viewing time. When they're not thinking in terms of billable hours, they're wondering, "How many days until I have to do something on a matter?" The DaysFrom Date app (qdideas.com) is a simple and cheap (99 cents) calculator that lets you figure out the exact calendar date for a certain number of days in the future?invaluable for coping with the multiple due dates that attorneys routinely face. If pleadings are due 15 days after a complaint is served, for example, the app will pinpoint that date while keeping up with multiple time frames in the future or the past. You can easily change the reference date by tapping on it and picking a new one from the on-screen menu, and all associated timetables will automatically update to reflect the new reference date.

FlightTrack Pro
Several free apps purport to track the progress of airline flights, but if you're willing to shell out $9.99 (the cost of a small tuna croissant sandwich at any major airport), you'll have a full-featured travel aid in the FlightTrack Pro app, published by Mobiata (mobiata.com). The app is integrated with online travel planner TripIt, so you get real-time flight itinerary updates as soon as you forward your airline confirmation email to TripIt from your mobile device. FlightTrack Pro will automatically "push" updates to you, buzzing your phone with schedule changes and gate information, and providing live flight maps and weather info that can help you predict possible delays. The one drawback of FlightTrack Pro-and of every other flight-tracking app, for that matter-is that airlines won't let you connect to the Web with your cell phone for updates while the plane is flying. Once you've taken off, there's nothing to do but sit back, relax, and enjoy your hopelessly delayed flight.

SnapDat
SnapDat (snapdat.com) is a handy free app that lets you exchange digital business cards electronically with a business contact, prospective client, or fellow attorney. If your new acquaintance already has SnapDat installed on his or her mobile phone, you can send your card instantly. If not, you can still email an electronic "vCard" with your contact information instantly through the app. You can choose from more than 40 business card designs, presenting yourself as anything from a simple country lawyer to a flashy, cutting-edge techno-lawyer. A new feature lets you insert your company logo. The app is integrated with the iPhone address book so that all of the contact data on a card is instantly stored in your phone.

Note2Self
This $1.99 app is a one-trick pony, but the trick is pretty useful: Note2Self turns your iPhone into a simple-to-use voice recorder. With the application enabled, you just bring the phone up to your ear and start talking. C'mon, you're a lawyer?this is the easy part! When you're finished speaking (admittedly, the more difficult part), bring the phone back down and the recording automatically stops. You can save your recorded pearls of wisdom to your mobile phone, or email them to your desktop computer or to your beleaguered assistant for transcription. This app's most outstanding feature is its utter lack of features. There's no complicated interface to navigate, no superfluous gewgaws to maneuver around?just put the phone up to your ear and start talking. But don't forget to stop. A BlackBerry version of the Note2Self voice-recording app is available through Web Information Solutions (pocketinformant.com).

Skype
It's hard to image an app that gives you more bang for the buck-or in this case, more bang for no bucks at all. The Skype app for the iPhone is a free application that lets you make free Skype-to-Skype calls anywhere in the world, and cheap international calls (about 2 cents a minute to most countries) to non-Skype phones or mobile devices. If you've used Skype on a desktop or laptop, you will find the same no-frills interface, along with a few extra features for mobile users. If you already have an account, the app will pull up your Skype address book, and it also integrates with your phone's address book so you can make calls directly from your list of contacts. A similar app, called iSkoot for Skype, exists for BlackBerrys and other mobile phones (iskoot.com).

Sadly, there are a few caveats with the Skype app. For one thing, the app works only over Wi-Fi; it doesn't support 3G networks. Secondly, the app has to be up and running for you to receive incoming Skype calls-unless they're forwarded to your mobile phone number. Otherwise, you must either keep the app open all the time, or know when you're likely to receive a Skype call. But these are minor drawbacks when you consider that, for the most part, Skype serves up that rarest of entrees?the free lunch.

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