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

As noted here, one of the topics discussed during my presentations at the ABA TechShow was whether or not Macs need to run antivirus software.  I created somewhat of a stir when I adamantly defended my belief that Macs are so secure that antivirus software is not necessary.  Apple touts the Mac's security as one of it's main features, as shown here.

Security expert Rich Mogull seems to agree with me in his article, "Should Mac Users Run Antivirus Software?" published at TidBITS.  He writes that the average Mac user does not need desktop antivirus software. He does recommend additional protection for those users who engage in risky online behavior, such as visiting questionable websites, installing strange software, failing to filter for spam, etc.

I'm interested in your opinions on this subject.  Do you use anti-virus software on your Mac?  Why or why not?  Please submit your comments on this subject, and I look forward to seeing what my readers think.

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This week's eNewsletter from the ABA Section of Family Law contained the following article of tips for better presentations.  I posted this article on my South Carolina Family Law blog, but I believe that these tips can assist any lawyer in making more effective presentations.  Note:  The article focuses on PowerPoint, but I believe that Apple's Keynote is far superior in every way (and most experts seem to agree).

The practice of law is regarded as a writing profession, but many attorneys find that their key professional moments come not in front of a keyboard, but in front of a live audience. Whether presenting an opening argument at an important trial, leading parties through a mediation session, or teaching a continuing legal education course, lawyers are frequently called upon to take a complex subject and compress it into a concise and coherent narrative. To accomplish this, many attorneys turn to Microsoft PowerPoint, the ubiquitous presentation software.

While a well-crafted set of PowerPoint slides can help build and strengthen a presentation, a poorly crafted PowerPoint can leave your audience confused and frustrated. Here are a few tips to make PowerPoint a more effective communication tool in your practice:

• Ditch the bullet points. Slide after slide of bullet points will lead to an audience that's either ignoring the slides or reading the slides and ignoring you. If you need to use text, stick to short words and phrases in large, clear print.
• Avoid overly complex graphics, charts, and screen shots. Even on a large screen, it's unlikely that your audience will be able to decipher and digest the image in the brief time it is shown. If the image is vital, supply a printout.
• Do use relevant photographs or simple graphics. Good, memorable images will help your audience retain what you're saying after they leave the presentation.
• Know your audience. Avoid legal jargon if you're speaking to a lay audience, and avoid over-simplification with an audience of attorneys.
• Know when not to use PowerPoint. PowerPoint creates very linear presentations which can quickly become confusing if the presentation elicits discussion or questions. Also, PowerPoint can seem a bit too polished for some situations; avoid it when you want your presentation to feel unscripted.
• Consider upgrading your software. PowerPoint 2007 (2008 on OS X) is a significant improvement over previous versions of the software, and it will allow you to produce more visually appealing presentations. If you're a Mac user, also consider Apple's Keynote software.
• Most importantly: have something meaningful to say. If a slide isn't meaningful, don't use it.

Source: ABA Legal Technology Resource Center by Joshua Poje, Research Specialist

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Lawyers USA recently published an article addressing Web 2.0 services of interest to attorneys.  The Mac Lawyer was interviewed for this article and cited as a reference with regard to online case management software.  An excerpt containing my quotes is listed below:

Ben Stevens, who practices in a two-lawyer firm in Spartanburg, S.C., touted Rocket Matter's low price and accessibility from anywhere with an Internet connection.

"I think it's a revolutionary product for attorneys," said Stevens, who also blogs as The Mac Lawyer. "It's easy to maintain, easy to access and easy to use."

Stevens said there are other online services that provide billing and other functions, but none that pull together as many features as Rocket Matter.

If you are a subscriber to Lawyers USA, you can access the full article by clicking HERE.  If you are not, you can visit their website for subscription information.

Source:  "User-Friendly Technology Via The Web" by Dick Dahl, published at Lawyers USA.

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Last week I attended the American Bar Association's TechShow 2008, and I had the pleasure of speaking at both sessions of the inaugural "Mac Track."  At the first session "Digital Detente: Using Macs in a  PC-Centric Legal World," and my co-presenter was Ben Weinberger.  The second session was "How Lawyers Practice Law and Serve Clients with Macs ... Really!" and my co-presenter was Jeff Richardson.  Both sessions were virtually standing room only, and the attendees seemed to be fairly evenly divided between those who currently use Macs in their practices and those who are considering doing so.  The feedback I received from those in attendance was very positive, and I hope that the Mac Track will return next year and include even more sessions.

There were over 2,000 attendees at this year's TechShow, and over 800 registered for the CLE seminars.  I was able to attend several other sessions, and some of the better ones were:

• Showtime at the Courthouse: A Demonstration of Courtroom Tech Toys by Paul Unger, Nils Jensen, and Judge Christina Habas
• Technology for the Paperless Mobile Lawyer by Bruce Olson and Reid Trautz
• Beating the Startup Blues: A Tech-Survival Guide for the New Small Office by Carolyn Elefant and David Masters
• 7 Technology Must-Haves for Superlative Client Service by Debbie Foster and Nerino Petro
• Drafting Bills Your Clients Will Rush to Pay by Steve Best and David Bilinsky
• The Virtual Law Office: Is 'Software-as-a-Service' Ready for Prime Time?  ::  Dennis Kennedy and Dan Pinnington
• 60 Tips in 60 Minutes by Barron Henley, Brett Burney, and Sharon Nelson; and
• 60 Sites in 60 Minutes by Tom Mighell, Reid Trautz, and Craig Ball

In addition to the seminars themselves, it was great to be able to spend time and network with such leading legal technologists as Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog, Adriana Linares of LawTech Partners, and Dominic Jaar of Bell Canada.  If you are able, you should make an effort to attend next year's TechShow, as I'm sure that you will find it helpful and informative.

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I am leaving today for Chicago to speak at the inaugural "Mac Track" at this year's TechShow 2008, sponsored by the American Bar Association.  If you are attending, I hope that you will stop me and say hello.  One of my favorite parts of attending and speaking at these seminars is the opportunity to meet and talk with my readers.  I will try to post from Chicago if time permits.  If not, I will definitely do so when I get back home.

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My good friend, David Swanner, reports that his "tech guy is using Apple iMacs to build a more stable, easier to maintain Windows network."  That's right, even some PC tech guys are starting to come around to the many benefits offered by Macs.

Dave lists the following advantages of running Windows on a Mac:

• Nice Hardware at a Reasonable Price - Chrome and glass, 20" monitor, memory, speed, decent memory all in one box. It works well and is attractive.
• Less Desk Space - The Macs are an all in one and leave a small footprint on your desk. It's just the monitor and the keyboard.
• Ease of Maintenance - The entire Parallels Windows file is a single computer file. That's huge. You can install Windows, tweak it to the way you want, install all of the programs that you want and then all of that information will be in a single Parallels file that can be copied and backed up. If your Windows goes down, you can just copy that file back to your iMac and you're up and running. If your entire iMac goes down, you can copy that file to a different iMac and you're up and running. No worrying about file registries, different hardware signatures. No fuss, no muss.
• Portability - Once you have your Parallels backup file, you can copy that to another machine without any problems. You can't do that (easily) with Windows, because of different hardware configurations and the Windows registry.
• Ease of Installation - Once you have a specific set up that you want, for example, WordPerfect, TimeMatters, CaseMap, TimeMap, Sanction, MicroSoft Office, you can save this as a building block and as a base for every installation. Of course, you need to have a site license for each program. You will also have to switch license codes, but that's a lot easier than starting each machine's installation from scratch.

I urge you to visit Dave's post to get his thoughts.  While you are there, you should check out the rest of his blog, as I believe it's one of the best out there.

Source:  "Using iMacs to Build a Better Windows Network" by David Swanner, published at his South Carolina Trial Law Blog.

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Apple recently began shipping its revolutionary Time Capsule within the last week or so.  This product is an automatic wireless backup for your Mac, which combines a 802.11n Wi-Fi base station and a 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive.

Lightening fast networking speed with a huge hard drive that encourages backups -- what's not to like?  I intend to get at least one of these in the coming months, as it enables you to use Time Machine with any connected computers, even notebooks like my MacBook. 

The first round of preliminary (and positive!) reviews of Time Capsule are now online, including:

• "Time Capsule First Impressions" published at Engadget
• "Time Capsule Initial Verdict: Smooth Sailing, No Surprises" published at Gizmodo
• "Time Capsule Ships with Support for USB Drive Backups" published at Tidbits
• "Apple Time Capsule Unboxing and Preview" published at AppleInsider

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A few weeks ago, I posted about Rocket Matter, the recently released web-based case management and time & billing program.  Aaron Pelley has published a more in-depth review of Rocket Matter, and it is well worth a look.  You can read Mr. Pelley's thoughts on this exciting new program by clicking HERE.

Source:  "A Quick Look at Rocket Matter" by Aaron Pelley, published at his Criminal Defense Law with an Apple blog.

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Sheryl Schelin recently published an article, which gives a good, first hand explanation detailing her experience in going from "life-long Windows user" to a Mac enthusiast.  In fact, she was so impressed with her switch that she writes, "It did nothing short of revolutionize the way I look at and use computers. ... Most of all: I'm not sorry, not one bit. I'm only sorry I didn't do it sooner."  If you are considering making the move, check out her article by clicking HERE.

Source: "Macs Practice Law Week: What It's Like to Switch. Really." by Sheryl Sisk Schelin, published at The Inspired Solo blog.

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What happens when you get the two Macs In Law Offices (MILO) founders (Ben Stevens and Grant Griffiths) together with two technology aficionados (Finis Price and Victor Medina) for a no holds barred round table discussion?  You get the first installment of the MILO Chat podcast.  I was honored to be able to participate in this discussion, and you can check it out for yourself by clicking HERE.

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Joey Heape, Director of Media & Tech for the South Carolina Bar wrote the following commentary about the  "Mac v. PC" article featured in this month's ABA Journal:

This is an absolute great article/shootout. Problem is, I see both sides. It's like in the movie "A League of Their Own" when the young kid and Dottie are sitting in a car and he say's, "why don't we jump in the back seat and you make a man out of me"? And Dottie replies, "why don't I slap you around a bit"? And the young boy recants, "Why can't we do both"?

As you know I use both PCs and Macs. I'm a "best tool for the job" person. Macs excel at some things, while PCs excel at others. I think Apple has the right idea on the front side with the notion of "let's offer Windows functionality via Boot Camp" so we can reign in that market and offer Windows users an alternative, which, on the surface, makes Apple look like the guys that want to play well with everyone.

On the underside though, are they tossing in the towel and saying "if you can't beat them join them"? I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is, I'm happy to have the choice. At work, I mostly use a PC because we are running a Windows Active Directory environment, but I have a Mac Pro on my desk as well. However, at home where I do a lot of Bar work, I primarily use a Mac. If I need to use a PC, I remote into one of mine at home or one at the office. They can live and work together. We have eight of them on our network at the SC Bar. I understand that resources are not unlimited to most people, but if can you do both, then do it.

Here's little known secret, Chief Justice Toal's PowerPoint themes that she uses for her presentations (state of the judiciary for Legislature, Bar convention, private speaking engagements) are Keynote themes converted to PowerPoint for her use. I know this because I create them for her. I have even been able to get the Chief's IT director, Joan Assey, to purchase a Mac laptop. Also, all of the Distance Learning programs the CLE Division produces are done on Macs and Final Cut Studio.

For managing networks and websites though, I prefer the Windows boxes. Remote Desktop for the Mac is available and I use it extensively. I think Microsoft is willing to acknowledge the Mac environment (have you checked out Office 2008 for the Mac yet). Microsoft offers several pieces of software for the Mac. Is it going to soon be MACrosoft? Keep up the excellent work and I look forward to your presentation at the Bar convention in 2009.

Joey Heape
Director of Media & Tech
South Carolina Bar

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I just returned from the "Using Macs in Trial 2" seminar in Dallas, Texas.  The seminar was well attended, with roughly double the number of people that were at the first one.  I want to extend my deepest thanks to Kern Lewis, Rafe Foreman, and their firm for organizing and sponsoring this seminar.  It was obvious how much time, planning, and effort was spent on their part with regard to this seminar, and the result was fantastic for those of us fortunate enough to attend.

If you are a Mac-using lawyer, you should make every effort to attend the next one, whether you are a "trial lawyer" or not.  I say that because there were numerous tips and tricks to be learned even if you never go to Court, and there were many other non-trial attorneys in attendance who agreed with me.  In addition, the social interaction with the other lawyers has resulted in close friendships each year, which I believe to be invaluable.

A summary of the presenters and the topics they discussed is listed below to give you an idea of what was covered:

• Rick Borstein from Adobe  ::  encrypting *.pdf documents for security; using binders and packages; best method to compress *.pdf files; using Acrobat for presentations; embedding animation, video, and other items in *.pdf documents; effectively using bookmarks and commenting features; and how to create forms.
• Jayson Adams from Circus Ponies' Notebook  ::  using clipping services feature; creating page bundles; ways to export and sharing Notebook information with non-Notebook users (Mac or PC); effectively using stickers and links; defining page styles and cell characteristics; and a preview of the exciting new features that will be included in version 3.0 which is scheduled to ship in the second quarter of this year.
• Amin Rahmani from Marketcircle and Ben Stevens, The Mac Lawyer  ::  Amin gave a general overview of the features offered in Daylite and Billings, including a preview of the "law template" for Daylite and improved features / options in Billings, both of which are still being actively developed.  I gave a demonstration of how I use Daylite in my office, including the use of SmartLists and Tasks to manage phone messages, tracking incoming and outgoing documents, and other day-to-day practice functions.
• Kern Lewis from Foreman, Lewis & Hutchison  ::  tools and equipment used by him and his firm; brief example of the "pscyho-drama" technique used by Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College; and how to find the story / theme of your case and then translate that information into a Keynote presentation, which can be used during opening and closing statements at trial.
• John Callis from Clarity Legal Software  ::  discussed the many functions and features offered by his DepoSmart and TrialSmart software programs; gave a demonstration of how those programs can be effectively used in trial; and compared and contrasted his programs with other similar programs available to PC users.

I also encourage you to read the excellent guest posts (here, here, here, here, and here) at The Trial Technologist's View blog from Brett Burney of the eDiscovery Info blog.

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