THE LAWYERS WEEKLY
May 18, 2012 | 23
BUSINESS
CAREERS
Convenience
Continued From Page 20
pared to all the available free apps.
It’s called TrialPad and it lets lawyers make effective presentations
in the courtroom. With it, one can
project annotated documents,
with selected areas highlighted
and magnified for emphasis. It
also can play video and audio.
TechnoLawyer, an online publisher of legal product reviews,
named TrialPad the No. 1 new
product of 2011.
Toronto criminal lawyer Daniel Brown, who blogs, tweets and
is the developer of Brown Law,
his own free iPad/iPhone app,
sees this technology mostly as a
means of communicating better
with clients. “They want to stay
informed, learn about legal
issues and be directed to information that is relevant to their
apps for lawyers 10
The Lawyers Weekly asked
lawyers and others associated
with the legal profession for apps
that make their work more
efficient and easier.
Not included are apps and
e-books, such as Black’s Legal
Dictionary and Martin’s Criminal
Code of Canada, that replicate
volumes such as codes of
procedure, textbooks and specific
pieces of legislations. Prices are for
the simplest, basic version.
Audiotorium Notes (iPad)
For taking, organizing and sharing notes
as well as storing audio. Text notes can
be backed up instantly on the cloud
when synched with Dropbox (see
below). Uses iPad keyboard. $2.99.
Dragon Dictation (iPad, iPhone)
Voice recognition for dictating
messages that can be stored or
emailed in text form. Free.
situation,” Brown says. “A lot of
them are worried, and easy
access to basic background about
their situation can often let them
sleep better at night.”
His app allows clients to book
appointments, send him e-mails
and provides directions to his office
and local courthouses. Brown says
he uses apps to create a portable
law library, among other things.
“It’s my precedent file that I can
take easily to court,” he adds.
While Brown carries a down-
loaded version of the Criminal
Code, he bemoans the fact that
there is no app version with case
and article annotations. “I would
love to have links to actual deci-
sions, but developing apps is
expensive and the Canadian mar-
ket is too small.”
Becoming more knowledgeable
about the issues through apps and
the Internet is clearly changing the
Dropbox (iPad, iPhone, Android,
BlackBerry)
File-sharing system and repository for
documents, photos and videos.
Eliminates the need to transport
documents. Cloud storage. Free.
Evernote (iPad, BlackBerry,
Android)
Cross-platform note taking that is
easily searchable. Works also for
photos and audio. Recognizes printed
or handwritten text in photos and
documents. Free.
GoodReader (iPad, iPhone)
For organizing and annotating files,
including Excel and PDF. Can
magnify books, maps and photos up
to 50 times. Uses stylus.
Compatible with Dropbox. Similar to
ReaddleDocs. $4.99.
LogMeIn (iPad, iPhone)
Remote access to your office or
home desktops with virtual control.
Works with PCs and Macs. Free.
lawyer-client dynamic. “People
now come into my office and pull
out their iPad, whether to take
notes, review materials or down-
load information,” says W. Ian
Palm, leader of the private equity
group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP.
“Some of them are as savvy as I am
when it comes to new develop-
ments in my field. Lawyers these
days really need to be current.”
To keep up to date, Palm uses
information-aggregator apps
such as Flipboard and Feedler.
He forwards relevant articles to
clients and tweets about recent
developments. “You really have to
be alert if you want to be seen as
the ‘go-to’ person in a particular
sector,” he adds. “If I’m not on top
of things, someone else will be.”
Even with more plugged-in
clients, no one is worried that
lawyers will become superfluous.
“It’s like patients seeking more
Penultimate (iPad, iPhone)
Transforms an iPad into a legal
notepad, using a stylus or fingertip to
write notes, sketch diagrams or even
doodle. $0.99.
ReaddleDocs (iPad, iPhone)
For organizing a wide range of files
and PDFs that can be annotated in
multiple colours. Uses stylus.
Compatible with Dropbox. Similar
to GoodReader. $4.99.
Text’nDrive (iPhone, BlackBerry,
Android)
Listen to e-mail and text messages
while driving and send replies by
voice. Free.
TrialPad (iPad)
Presentation tool developed for
lawyers, especially litigators.
Organizes and annotates legal
documents (including PDFs) and
video. When projected, say in
court, items can be highlighted and
magnified for effect. $89.99.
Trend is to share tax info
Exchange
Continued From Page 21
Further, the country can use
powers that even the requesting
country could not under its own
laws. For example, where the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service refers a
case to its Justice Department for
possible criminal prosecution,
United States investigators cannot
use an administrative summons to
obtain information. Canada could,
however, use its administrative
processes to obtain the informa-
tion even if the U.S. could not. The
United States cannot, however, tell
Canada which of its procedures to
use in a particular case.
Vern Krishna is tax counsel at
Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP and
executive director of the CGA Tax
Research Centre at the University
of Ottawa.
information through the web,”
Brown says. “Once they diagnose
a problem, they still need a pro-
fessional for advice on how to
solve it.”
Brown and the legal profes-
sion, however, are wary about
one critical aspect of the emer-
ging brave new apps world:
security, or the lack thereof.
One piece of cautionary advice
comes from Dan Pinnington, dir-
ector of PracticePRO at the Law-
yers’ Professional Indemnity Co.
“Everyone needs to take steps to
ensure that their devices are safe
and secure, that their passwords
are protected and software up to
date. And everyone needs to
install apps and/or configure
their devices so that all the data
can be remotely wiped if the
device is lost or stolen.”
Another concern is storage of
confidential information. A
cloud-based depository has its
uses, but the information is out-
side the direct control of the law-
yer or firm. In fact, complicating
matters further, many of the serv-
ers hosting storage apps are in
the United States, where they are
subject to different laws. “My big-
gest concern is confidentiality of
client information,” says corpor-
ate lawyer Belovich, echoing the
precautions of others. “I never
put client files in the clouds.” n
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