Law Technology

There have been a number of excellent articles published recently by practicing attorney who use Macs in their law practices.  Last week, I mentioned the article by Kern Lewis, and this week I want to feature the one by Aaron Pelley of the Criminal Defense Law With An Apple blog that was published in this month's Law Trends and News.

His article explains why the Mac works for his practice and aims to persuade you to take a look at an Apple for your practice.  He gives the following seven reasons to switch to a Mac:

1. Simplicity  ::  First and foremost, ?It just works.?  Everything on an Apple was made for an Apple, as the same company that made the hardware also made the operating system and much of the software.  As a result, they work together seamlessly.
2. Time  ::  You will save considerable time by not having to worry about things such as virus scans, Trojan scans, spyware, adware, firewall programs, and defragmenting your hard drive. You should spend your time using a computer, not maintaining it.  Also, thanks to Spotlight, your information is much easier to find on your Mac.
3. Price  ::  Macs are not really that much more expensive when you consider the quality components and software that are included. Also, Macs tend to last much longer than "comparable" PCs do. Besides, your data is too important to rish by using a cheap computer.
4. Community  ::  Mac users comprise an incredibly supportive community. If problems do arise, there are great listserves availble, including Macs In the Law Office, which provide sage advice from other Mac-using lawyers, developers, or other experts.
5. Software  ::  Most programs that run on a PC, have a Mac counterpart, including Quickbooks, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office: Word, Outlook (called Entourage), Power Point, and Excel. In addition, with emulation software, Macs can run any Windows program (until you decide to let go).
6. Customer Service  ::  Your Mac comes with excellent customer service if and when problems arise.  If you purchase Apple Care, you get protection for a full three years.  Windows PCs cannot match this type of service and protection.
7. Creativity  ::  People always point out that an Apple computer is for ?creative types.?  Mr. Pelley says that criminal defense is the most creative endeavor one could pursue, and therefore they are just the type of person Macs were made for.

Source:  "Criminal Defense Law With an Apple: Seven Reasons to Switch to an Apple" by Aaron A. Pelley, published in the ABA Law Trends and News Practice Area Newsletter.