IncreAse
eFFIcIency wIth tech
by tAurus M. BAIley M
aking more money, with less time and less work. It’s the American dream, and in 2013 it has never been easier. Every possible available device is at our disposal
to cut time down. Isn’t that what we all want? Perhaps there are those self-sadistic lawyers out there who enjoy slaving away with the “old ways” of doing things —but I’m not one of them. First, here’s a little information about my practice: I am a
family law and criminal defense attorney. I handle most areas of family law including, but not limited to, divorces, child custody, support, wills, trusts and estates —in this, I bill hours and do flat fees. In criminal defense, I simply handle all kinds and I am also a part-time public defender, which means I am salaried and obligated to provide a minimum of two days per week to handling indigent defense in one of our trial-level courts of Memphis. And oh, I also take appointments to represent federal criminal defendants in trials and appeals for which I must bill the federal government for my hourly time. All of this involves daily court appearances, litigating trials, depositions and hearings…and I don’t really use a secretary. Whew! Yeah. Readers would be surprised to know that even with the nature
of my practice, I am running a largely paperless and virtual office. I rarely miss an appointment, phone call, email and, frankly, I hardly miss a beat. Te best part is this: most days, I have time to spare. Caveat! Quite simply, each individual must tailor a system
that benefits his or her practice. Few days pass that I don’t get a comment about my use of my iPad or iPhone apps. My colleagues often ask about the apps I like, how they compare with others and what benefits they give and I have to explain that what works for me may not be beneficial to them, but I’m always happy to make recommendations. Te benefits are immediate and worth every dime. Moreover, while apps and mobile devices are not difficult to learn, they require an investment of patience, discipline and a
6
nominal amount of money. Te best thing about most of my apps is they are on my phone and tablet and that they sync brilliantly. I prefer devices with wifi and cellular data capability. I also have hotspot capability so that if I’m at that favorite coffee shop and my laptop needs wifi, the iPad or iPhone can provide that. So, what do I use and how do I use them? I prefer Apple
devices, for reliability and user-friendliness. Ideally though, most tablets and phones today will work fine because the concept of efficiency transcends brand names. It’s all about the management system. Remember, you have to engineer a system that works for you, and that requires the least maintenance. My favorite 10 apps for solo or boutique practice:
1) Office2 HD Tis is my favorite word processing app. I can create entire
Microsoft Word compatible documents with this, edit them, and wirelessly upload them from anywhere to my favorite virtual document and file storage space —Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs). I can open complete pleadings or documents in court, edit them and work from my lap.
2) Google Drive Tis is fantastic for file storage in cyberspace. You can use it
for documents, multimedia, spreadsheets, photos and basically anything. You can get 5 gigabytes for free. I pay $20 annually for 80 gigabytes —more than enough for every client I have and their files. Te best thing about this is that I scan everything in a client’s file, and when I get emailed documents, I just save them in the Drive as well. Smooth and easy. Also, you can share a specific file or document with specific people by granting “permission” via their email addresses, and worry not, they cannot see files where permission isn’t granted.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36