.KEYWORD legal
.FLYINGHEAD LEGAL APPLICATIONS
.TITLE Handheld applications for legal eagles
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Thanks to the many handheld applications designed specifically for legal needs, many law firms are finding that Palm devices give their attorneys the advantage they need to get an edge on their opponents. If you’re a legal professional, Robyn Pekowski’s sampling of what’s available for you as you take your handheld into the courtroom is a must read.
.AUTHOR Robyn Pekowski
With the thousands of handheld applications on the market today, designed specifically for legal needs, it’s no wonder legal professionals are jumping on the wireless bandwagon in increasing numbers. Of course, doing so is a dubious proposition without some foreknowledge of the handheld space and how it fits into a legal practice. As a director of legal services for an international handheld software publisher, that’s where I come into the picture. I guide firms through purchase decisions on devices and applications they need. I then show them how to set up a support network for the technology.
Through my interactions with law firms both big and small, I’ve found most organizations don’t have a plan or budget for this new technology. The rapid, almost stealth adoption of handhelds by their attorneys, paralegals, and support staff has left senior partners, management, and IT teams somewhat in the dark. Their first sign of a grassroots handheld movement appears when employees start calling the firm’s IT support desk, which is unprepared to help with things like synchronizing, broken screens, and so forth.
At that point they start looking for help in finding the best handheld enterprise solutions for their team.
.H1 Finding the right solutions
When I consult with legal firms, I’m usually working with the IT staff. They’re the ones bombarded with the support issues and the ones who will have to figure out how to integrate their current system with the handheld technology. I usually start, by asking questions like, "What is your current handheld technology status? Some support? No support? Organization?" or "What percent of your firm’s population has adopted handheld devices individually?" Most importantly, I ask, "What is the main goal?" After we work out the answers, then we move onto software solutions and implementation.
There’s one firm I worked with that can serve as a model for what can be done with Palm devices in a legal firm. This firm is one of the largest in the country with 900 employees nationally, 400 in their headquarters alone. After suddenly finding they were in the middle of a handheld crisis, they took a poll to see what handheld units most of their employees were using. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of Palm units, but Visors, Windows CE devices, and RIM devices were also being used.
When they called us, we were able to arrive at the following goals:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Find a way for the firm to install applications from one place;
.BULLET Prevent applications they didn’t want on their team’s handheld computers from being installed;
.BULLET Gain the ability to HotSync information to the team everyday.
.END_LIST
From there, we walked through the five major categories of software solutions: time and billing, research, productivity, and enterprise solutions. I’ll take you through each of these categories, as I did with that firm, and point out some of the applications that best meet each need.
.H1 Time and billing
Aside from winning the case, accounting for time spent traveling to visit a client, researching, or consulting is an attorney’s most critical task. Those attorneys not using handheld devices to help with this task must enter the time manually or on a time system and then send it to their secretaries for billing. It can be difficult for attorneys to keep up with this process while they’re concentrating more on the case than on their administrative tasks. Usually, they end up slamming their secretary with all the input (i.e., email entries, paper notes) all at once; in the shuffle, about 10-15 hours of billable time fails to get documented.
With large numbers of attorneys spending more and more time out of the office researching and consulting with clients, this method of billing is rapidly becoming antiquated. Firms are finding easier and more comprehensive ways to track billing via handheld computing. A wireless method of time tracking requires less time and effort.
The best solution currently available is a software application called MobileTimeBilling at http://www.wirelessverticals.com/products_and_services/mtb.shtml. It’s pictured in Figure A.
.FIG A Record your billing on the go with MobileTimeBilling.
The software allows attorneys to document their time on the fly with a timer that automatically enters hours and minutes spent. Many attorneys rely on a support staff to input manual records of billable time spent on a case. However, with MobileTimeBilling it’s easier. You’re just two taps away from documentation. Handheld savvy attorneys can take on this chore themselves, making sure they capture all their case time. This also frees up the paralegal and secretary for other tasks.
.H1 Research
Westlaw, a leading commercial legal research database at http://www.westlaw.com, is used by legal professionals to research precedents and tactics used in past documented cases. Attorneys can access this database through the Internet. Now, however, attorneys can access Westlaw through their wireless handheld devices by downloading Wireless Westlaw or even by using their own browsers. While out of the office or even in the courtroom, attorneys can look up a statute and see how to interpret it. This is a legitimate maneuver during a trial, but it can be done less conspicuously with a handheld computer than with a laptop. The advantages are limitless.
Wireless Westlaw is freeware, and it can be found at http://www.westgroup.com/products/software/wlany.wg. It’s pictured in Figure B.
.FIG B Wireless Westlaw gives you legal information on the go.
.H1 Productivity
While applications designed specifically for legal functions are necessary, general productivity tools complete an attorney’s handheld docket. Legal professionals, like everyone, can benefit from spreadsheet applications that’ll allow them to create, edit, and read spreadsheet documents covering everything from organizing information to billing.
Quicksheet from Cutting Edge Software is a good example of a spreadsheet application. It can be found at http://www.cesinc.com, and is pictured in Figure C.
.FIG C Quicksheet lets you view spreadsheets on your Palm device.
In the same vein, all handheld users, especially attorneys, need a good document reader to open up Word and Excel files, as well as email attachments. A good product here is Documents To Go from DataViz. You can find it at http://www.dataviz.com, and it’s pictured in Figure D.
.FIG D Documents To Go lets you use your Palm device to open Word and Excel documents.
More specific to attorneys’ needs would be a printing application that allows the user to print to any printer or fax machine. In the legal world, there are many times when a hard copy of a document is crucial. Having the ability to print out an email, client history, or entry from a legal database from your Palm device can make the difference between a deal and a defeat.
Bachmann Software’s PrintBoy at http://www.bachmannsoftware.com/printboy.htm may be just what you need. It’s pictured in Figure E.
.FIG E PrintBoy prints from your Palm device to any printer.
.H1 Enterprise solutions
Of course, the ultimate goal of any law firm is to get all its employees on the same page. This can be accomplished easily with several applications designed to automatically synchronize calendars, email, contacts, and tasks with personal information management, contact management, and groupware applications. Additionally, there are applications in this category that enable a Palm device to be used as a shared resource in a corporate environment. An administrator can define individual users and assign them various access rights, allowing them to use only designated applications. This aids in the effort to keep everyone in the firm moving together in the right direction.
An application called Enforcer from Haus of Maus is a good example of this type of application. You can find it at http://www.hausofmaus.com/index.php3?page=enforcer, and it’s pictured in Figure F.
.FIG F Enforcer provides multi-user access control for Palm devices.
You might also want to try Pumatech’s Intellisync software at http://www.intellisync.com. It uses patented DSX (Data Synchronization Extensions) to simultaneously synchronize your handheld organizer data with multiple PC applications like Microsoft Outlook and Schedule+, Lotus Notes and Organizer, Novell GroupWise, ACT!, GoldMine, etc.
Another option is Infowave’s Wireless Business Engine at http://www.infowave.com/products/index.htm. Infowave has developed smart "connectors" for the Wireless Business Engine that give you access to email and collaboration tools, corporate intranets, the Internet, and Web-enabled applications.
.H1 Meet your goals
After you arrive at the best software solutions for your law firm, you can apply what you already know to help meet your goals. You can break down your transition into steps, which include: wrangling the most popular three operating systems, standardizing them, and pushing your staff in those directions; providing the applications for those three platforms; and integrating all the information to support one platform. Your firm’s eventual goal will probably be to make all handheld purchases for your staff in order to ensure uniformity.
Obviously, handheld solutions (devices and applications) are powerful tools, but shopping for the right tool isn’t always easy. Device and application selection can be confusing and cumbersome, so I recommend you first figure out what duties need to be automated, then educate yourself on the available solutions. Right now, the Palm platform has the greatest number of applications available for business uses.
So, keep your eye on the technology. In this day and age, staying on top of the game is essential, and emerging handheld technology is the key. Keeping employees informed and cohesive is all it takes to get the most out of the vast amount of information that is just waiting to be embraced.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on MobileTimeBilling, visit http://www.wirelessverticals.com/products_and_services/mtb.shtml.
For more information on Westlaw, visit http://www.westlaw.com.
For more information on Wireless Westlaw, visit http://www.westgroup.com/products/software/wlany.wg.
For more information on Quicksheet, visit http://www.cesinc.com.
For more information on Documents to Go, visit http://www.dataviz.com.
For more information on PrintBoy, visit http://www.bachmannsoftware.com/printboy.htm.
For more information on Infowave, visit http://www.infowave.com/products/index.htm.
For more information on Enforcer, visit http://www.hausofmaus.com/index.php3?page=enforcer.
For more information on Intellisync, visit http://www.intellisync.com.
For more information on how you can purchase handheld devices from Handango preloaded with industry specific software, visit Handango.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Robyn Pekowski is the director of legal services for Handango, Inc. in Hurst, Texas. An experienced Palm device owner, Robyn uses her extensive knowledge of the handheld space and the legal arena to help the system of justice stay balanced. Robyn can be reached at Robyn@Handango.com.
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