New iPad or Tablet - Here Are Recommended Apps For Lawyers

 I’ve already gotten one request for recommended apps for a new iPad.  Where there’s one, there are more.  Here are my current picks for using an iPad as part of a law practice:

 

1.       If you have an Apple Pencil, then you need GoodNotes.   I’ve tried a lot of note taking apps.  This one is the very best, by far.  You can convert your notes easily to PDF and save them to AIM, too. 

 

2.       Citrix Files.  We already have a subscription for you, so once you log in, you have access to whatever you’ve saved to Citrix Files.  It’s a good way to move files between your laptop and the firm network, too.

 

3.       Get yourself a subscription to Office 365.  This is compatible with Apple, Android, and Microsoft devices, which means that you can draft and edit anything sent to you by others and vice versa.  Apple products come with Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, which work pretty well, but not quite seamlessly.  Google makes totally free products called Docs, Sheets, and Slide.  These also work, but not seamlessly.

 

4.       For litigators, you just have to have TrialPad, TranscriptPad, and DocReviewPad.  TranscriptPad is very good for presentations on the fly for those who do not work in the courtroom frequently.  It’s a little bit clunky to start presenting due to rules at trial about displaying documents, but once you get past that, nothing is better for marking up or calling out key provisions on the fly.

 

5.       Westlaw makes an app that makes research on an iPad or tablet a breeze.

 

6.       Adobe Reader is fine for review.  Don’t buy anything more than that right now as we’re evaluating a firm solution using other products like NitroPDF  or Foxit PhantomPDF.   Those might allow us to get licenses for tablets, too.

 

7.       Graphio 4 is great for creating demonstrative diagrams, flow charts, and more.  Once created, they can be put into a slideshow or TrialPad easily.

 

8.       The YouTube app is a must have.  300 hours of video are uploaded every minute, which means that if you have a question, someone on YouTube has probably answered it.

 

9.       The Concepts app is a tremendous drawing tool.  Import a photo and you can mark it up with layer after layer to help you make your point. 

 

10.   Definitely get some kind of scanner app, like Adobe Scan.  There are lots of them that work well –the idea is to be able to scan a document quickly and send it anywhere, no matter where you’re working.

 

11.   Zoom.  Obviously.

 

12.   RD Client – yes, you can remote into our network from a tablet.  It is not ideal, but it is very useful in a pinch.

 

13.   Todoist – this is the premier to do list in my view.  It’s how I keep track of all my deliverables, by client or matter.  It will even remind me to do something when I arrive at a particular location.  Apple Reminders is similar, but todoist has greater functionality.

 

14.   Bitdefender.  Yes, tablets can be vulnerable to viruses and it’s always a good idea to use a VPN to avoid tracking.  Bitdefender does all of this across all platforms.

 

There are many, many more apps available that might work well for your particular practice or clients.  Microsoft Teams and Citrix Webex are fairly common as an alternative to Zoom.

 

I’m still trying to find a time tracking app that works well for me.  So far, I’ve tried about six of them, but nothing is quite right for me. 

 

Bottom line: if you can think of a problem that you need to solve for the way you work, there’s probably an app for that.  Search for it.  If you find something that is just outstanding, let me know.