Have you wanted to become a lawyer since the first time you watched an episode of “Law and Order”? What you don’t see in legally based television shows is how much preparation goes into each case. Tech-savvy lawyers have turned to phone and tablet apps to assist them in both case preparation and presentation of evidence during a trial. Here’s a list of 10 top apps for lawyers who want to use technology to digitize their work.
1. CudaSign
Cost: Starts at $1/month. Premium available for $9/month
Lawyers deal with signed documents on a frequent basis. SignNow is a free app that allows users to capture signatures, fill in PDF files, and access their Dropbox files. This means you can always have a plan B if you need a document resigned while at the courthouse. Available for Android & Apple products.
2. Dragon Dictation
Cost: Free
Taking case notes can get tedious. Dragon Dictation is an app that records your speech and transcribes it into notes. This app can come in handy for documenting discussions among your team. Available for Apple products.
3. LogMeIn
Cost: Free
LogMeIn is an app that lets you access your desktop files from your mobile device. It also syncs with cloud storage services like Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive, and Dropbox. The one catch with this app is it requires an internet connection. This may hinder its usefulness at the courthouse, but it can still be quite useful at the office. Available for Apple products.
4. Google Hangouts
Cost: Free
The Google Hangouts app packages together gchat, Google Voice, and Google Hangouts for mobile use. It allows users to send SMS messages and participate in video chats with up to 12 people, which make it a great app to keep all lawyers working a case on the same page. Available for Android and Apple products.
5. Feedly
Cost: Free
Feedly is a free app that simplifies consumption of information on the Internet. Users can customize which articles they receive on their feeds based on subject and population. This app will help you efficiently gather case research in minimal time. Available for Android, Apple, and Kindle products.
6. iTrackMail
Cost: Free
Have you ever been waiting for a response to an email and wondered if the recipient has even opened your original message? If so, then iTrackMail has you covered. This app allows you to send emails in-app and then see when those emails are opened. One slight drawback of the free version is each email will have “This email sent by iTrackMail” above the signature. If this is a bother, then you can upgrade to the pro version for $4.99 to make it invisible. Available for Apple products.
7. Presentation Clock
Cost: $0.99
Presentation Clock is an app for timing your presentations. It is perfect for timing dry-runs of your opening and closing arguments. Available for Android and Apple products.
8. PDF Expert
Cost: $9.99
PDF Expert lets you mark up PDF files and connects with cloud storage services like Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive. You can highlight and underline text, as well as add comments to specific sections. If most of the documents you have to read come to you in PDF format, then PDF Expert is worth the $9.99 price tag. Available for Apple products.
9. iJuror
Cost: $19.99
iJuror was built to digitize the jury selection process. It allows you to take notes on jurors and easily check them out on public databases. Check out this demo below to see if iJuror is worth the $19.99. Available for Android and Apple products.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2MpRDRSLak
10. TrialPad
Cost: $89.99
TrialPad is the most expensive app on our list of 10 top apps for lawyers, but it is also the most useful. It has tons of features that can make your courtroom presentations come alive. The following video is the first in a series of 7 videos on TrialPad’s YouTube channel. Check those out if you want to see TrialPad’s features in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPITZHtibGw
Do you know of any other apps for lawyers our readers should know about? Let us know on Twitter!
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