The Mac Lawyer : Ben Stevens : Using Macs In The Practice Of Law

As you are aware, "Mac v. PC," the ABA Journal article that I co-authored with Rick Georges debating the advantages of Macs vs. PCs went "live" online a couple of days ago. The print version is in the mail and should arrive any day now.  Bloggers from coast to coast have been discussing our little "discussion," including the following:

• "Debating Mac vs. PC in the Legal Environment" by Ernest Svenson, posted at his Ernie the Attorney blog
• "Macs in Law: The "Great Debate" and Squirrelly Statements" by Sheryl Sisk Schelin, published at The Inspired Solo blog
• "On the Cover!" by Aaron Pelley, posted at his Criminal Defense Law with an Apple blog
• "Attorney's debate Mac v. PC" by Blake Boyd, published at The Trial Technologist's View blog
• "ABA Journal covers Rocket Matter" by Larry Port, posted at the Rocket Matter blog
• "Really Simple Competitive Intelligence" by Dennis Kennedy, published at DennisKennedy.com
• "PC-vs-Mac-apedia" by Dan Covington, published at his Covington Client Center blog
• "Dusting Off the Old Debate: Mac v. PC" by Robert Ambrogi, posted at his Legal Blog Watch
• "Mac v. PC | ABA Journal - Law News Now" by Rick Georges, posted at his FutureLawyer blog
• "Mac v. PC - Attorney Style" by Finis Price, published at his TechnoEsq blog
• "Lawyers Jump In on the Mac vs. PC Debate" by David Sparks, published at his MacSparky blog
• "Our Man Ben Advocates for Macs in Law Firms" by Erik Schmidt, published at the Mac Law Students blog
• "On the Cover!" and "The Debate Rages On" by Aaron Pelley, published at Criminal Defense Law with an Apple

The feedback that I have read online and received via email has been almost unanimously positive, and I would like to thank everyone for the great reception that my portion of this article has received.  Of course, I had a much easier position to argue since the facts were so strongly on my side.

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As I previously posted, the second "Using Macs in Trial" will be held this weekend in Dallas, TX.  I am looking forward to hearing the many great presenters scheduled to attend and also to seeing many of my Mac-using lawyer friends from all across the country.

I am pleased to be a last minute addition to the schedule.  The program organizer, Kern Lewis, contacted me last night to ask if I could present a demonstration of how my firm uses the case management program, Daylite, in our office.  I am looking forward to covering that topic and sharing that information with those in attendance.

If you want to get more information about the "Using Macs in Trial 2" seminar, including the topics, location, cost, etc., simply click HERE.

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The cover story in this month's issue of the ABA Journal is "Mac vs. PC" featuring a debate between Rick Georges appearing on behalf of the PC and your very own Mac Lawyer appearing on behalf of the Mac.  The print version should be arriving in the mail any day now, but you can read the article online now by clicking HERE.

While I acknowledge that I am somewhat biased, I am confident that the Mac argument won hands down.  I like Rick a lot, and I think that he did the best he could with the facts with which he was saddled.  He even admitted on his FutureLawyer blog that "arguing the PC side was somewhat like arguing with my hands tied behind my back..."

As a funny but true footnote to this story, the editor of our article wrote me today and told me that he was so convinced by my arguments in favor of the Mac that he has replaced his Dell laptop PC for a MacBook.  I'm just glad to have brought another user into the fold.

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This post is not intended to interject politics into the Mac legal technology arena, but I found it interesting that Barak Obama's wife, Michelle, is apparently a believer in Macs.  The profile of Mrs. Obama in this week's edition of Newsweek says

"To help bridge the physical distance between father and daughters, Michelle recently bought two MacBook laptops, one for Barack and one for the kids, so they could have video chats over the Internet."

If one of the busiest men with one of the busiest families on the planet has said "yes, we can" to the Mac, shouldn't you too?

Source:  "Barack's Rock" by Richard Wolffe, published in Newsweek.

Addendum:

One of my readers, Christopher McDavid, kindly pointed out that the New York Times published an article a few weeks ago that compared Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and concluded that Obama is a Mac and Clinton is a PC, and you can read it by clicking HERE.  If Sen. Obama's surge in the polls continues, he could be our first Mac President.

Source:  "Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?" by Noan Cohen, published in the New York Times.

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New Mac legal blogger Peter Summerill has posted his review of the MacBook Air at his MacLitigator blog.  His pros and cons are listed below, but I urge you to read the whole review to see what one litigator thinks of this new laptop.

Pros :: Light; goes anywhere; super bright and fast screen (almost feels like an instant-on computer); small form fact makes it less obtrusive.

Cons :: Still a laptop; battery life not as advertised; a little bit expensive.

Source:  "MacBook Air - The Litigator's Review" by Peter Summerill, posted at his MacLitigator blog.

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Sheryl Sisk Schelin has published a comprehensive list of resources for lawyers who use Macs or those considering doing so.  The list is certainly worth checking out, and it is broken down into the following categories:

• Law Specific Mac Blogs
• Apple News and Briefs
• Mac Advice and Tips Generally
• Forums and Listservs

Source:  "Macs Practice Law Week: Web Resources for Mac-Using Lawyers and Those Who Want to Be" by Sheryl Sisk Schelin, published at The Inspired Solo blog.

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Just a quick note to thank the Tennessee Bar Association for the great time I had speaking at their annual legal technology seminar.  In particular, I want to thank Steve Weaver of the Music Row Lawyer blog and Dan Berexa TBA Technology Section Chair for their hospitality.

The seminar was great, and I particularly enjoyed getting to hear the presentation by noted legal technology author, Greg Siskind.  You can view his presentation on Internet Marketing 2.0 by clicking here.  Both Greg and I will be speaking at the upcoming ABA TechShow next month, and I look forward to hearing his presentation there as well.

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Yesterday, an exciting new product was formally announced, and it could change the way you practice law.  Rocket Matter has now been launched and is available for you to come aboard.  This product is a Web 2.0 case management and time/billing program, and it looks fantastic. 

Because it is web-based, there is no software to install or load, and it is accessible from anywhere -- including your iPhone.  In my discussions with the developers over the past several months, it is clear to me that (a) they intend to cater to the legal community, (b) they aim to offer the premier legal software possible, and (c) they love the Mac.

I urge you to visit their website at RocketMatter.com, where you can see a preview of their product, or their new blog, where you can monitor the updates to it.  You can also click HERE to view their press release, which contains more details and specifics.  I welcome your feedback about Rocket Matter after you've had a chance to view it.

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I'm on my way to Nashville, TN today for my two presentations tomorrow at the Tennessee Bar Association's Law Technology 2008: Marketing, Management and Techology Solutions for Your Firm.  I will be speaking on "Being a 'Mac' Daddy in a 'PC' World" and "Hardware and Software Options for Mac Lawyers".  I understand that many of my readers are going to be there, and I look forward to meeting you in person and talking with you.  If you see my bright shiny dome, please don't hesitate to introduce yourself and say hello.

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Award-winning legal blogger Jim Calloway published an article last week discussing sites for Mac-using lawyers.  He had several nice things to say about this blog, saying it is "not to be missed."  I sincerely appreciate Jim's comments, as I have read his blog for a long time.  I urge you to check out his post for all of his comments about The Mac Lawyer and some other great blogs too.

Source:  "Sites of the Week: Sites for Mac Lawyers" published at Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog.

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Yesterday afternoon, Apple released the second major update to its Leopard operating system.  This download is fairly large and most of the key components in OS X are updated.  However, it installed itself on my MacBook without any problems whatsoever (as expected).  You can read a complete list of the updated items HERE.

Source:  "Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update" published at AppleInsider.

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Most attorneys have to work with numbers on a fairly regular basis.  Litigation attorneys often have to calculate damages.  Personal injury attorneys must divide by three to calculate their fees.  Family law attorneys (like myself) often need to compute the parties' income and expenses.

Mac OS X comes with a great built=in Calculator (pictured at right), but sometimes it would be nice to be able to do quick calculations on the fly without having to open that program.  Well, thanks to the following tip from the Mac Tricks and Tips blog, now I can do just that.

Spotlight will perform basic calculations without having to open any other programs.  Simply push Command + Space to open Spotlight and then simply type in the desired math function, such as

Source: "Using Spotlight For Quick Calculations" by James Powell, published at his Mac Tricks and Tips blog.

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One of the key components of the anti-Mac propaganda arsenal is the allegation that "there are no programs for the Mac."  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and I enjoy the opportunities that I have to dispel this falsehood.  The interesting new Mac Tricks And Tips blog has an article which discusses 100 helpful applications for the Mac.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

Source:  "Top 100 Essential Mac Applications" by James Powell, posted at his Mac Tricks And Tips blog.

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Two significant items were released this week:

• SuperDuper! v. 2.5  :: One of the best Mac backup programs is now OS X Leopard compatible.  I use this program myself, and it is fantastic.  SuperDuper! allows you to make a fully bootable clone backup of your hard drive.  If you've ever experienced a hard drive failure, you know how important and invaluable this can be. 
• 16 GB iPhone  :: Apple released the larger capacity version this week, priced at $499, which holds twice as much data as the 8 GB version, priced at $399.  If you like to store movies, tv shows, or just a bunch of music, this larger version may be for you.  I have the 8 GB version, and while it's great, it would be nice to have the extra room.

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Not that it should surprise anyone, but it's now official -- Mac users are sexier than Windows users (at least according to the British version of MacWorld).   I say that this is not surprising because let's face it, black turtlenecks are sexy, Bill Gates is not.

I can't vouch for, affirm, or even comment on the "research" methods referenced in the article, but it is interesting (or at least humorous).  Also, while I realize that all of us bald guys probably look alike to those of you with hair, I want it made known (for the record) that I was never a member in the band Right Said Fred (in case anyone was wondering).

Source:  "Mac Owners Officially Sexier Than Windows" by Jonny Evans, published at MacWorld (UK).

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Jeffrey Kabbe has written an excellent article at his Apple Briefs blog titled "Why Use a Mac in Your Law Firm."   His article focuses on the way that Macs work, and it emphasizes how that makes your life easier.  If you have considered using Macs in your office, you should read this article.  Even if you already use Macs in your firm, you may still find some useful information in this article.

Source:  "Why Use a Mac in Your Law Firm" by Jeffrey Kabbe, published at his Apple Briefs blog.

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