Law Technology

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, and here) at The Trial Technologist's View blog from Brett Burney of the eDiscovery Info blog.