Author / Brett Burney

by Brett Burney

“60 iOS Apps for Lawyers in 60 Minutes” from ABA TECHSHOW 2012

I had the great pleasure of presenting “60 iOS Apps for Lawyers in 60 Minutes” last Saturday at the ABA TECHSHOW 2012 with Josh Barrett (www.tabletlegal.com) and Jeff Richardson (www.iphonejd.com). I had been looking forward to this for many months, since this popular tradition was started about 3 years ago and I was not disappointed!

60 iOS Apps for Lawyers in 60 Minutes from Brett Burney Josh Barret and Jeff RichardsonI had the great pleasure of presenting “60 iOS Apps for Lawyers in 60 Minutes” last Saturday at the ABA TECHSHOW 2012 with Josh Barrett (www.tabletlegal.com) and Jeff Richardson (www.iphonejd.com). I had been looking forward to this for many months, since this popular tradition was started about 3 years ago.

I figured the room was going to be packed since I saw an AMAZING number of iPads at the TECHSHOW this year. iPads far, FAR outnumbered laptops this year. It was quite the game-changer to look over a room at TECHSHOW and see nothing but iPads everywhere. So I knew that the “60 Apps” session was going to be popular.

Jeff posted his list of apps yesterday and I wanted to mirror the list here, add a little color commentary, and add a few extra apps that didn’t make the final cut for the show.

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by Brett Burney

10 Tips for Using Mobile Safari on an iPad

When Apple first introduced the iPad, they described the web-surfing experience as like “holding the Internet in your hands.” Not only were you literally holding the Internet browser in your hands, you simply touched a link with your finger instead of clicking it with your mouse.

In anticipation of the ABA TECHSHOW coming up this week (March 29-31) I authored this post for the TECHSHOW Blog and I am re-posting it here.

Safari iconWhen Apple first introduced the iPad, they described the web-surfing experience as like “holding the Internet in your hands.” Not only were you literally holding the Internet browser in your hands, you simply touched a link with your finger instead of clicking it with your mouse (although curiously, watch what happens to your mouse cursor when you hover over a link in Internet Explorer or Firefox).

Apple’s web browser for Macs and PCs is called Safari. On the iPad and iPhone, Apple still calls the built-in browser Safari, although most people differentiate the iOS version by calling it “Mobile Safari.”

With iOS 5, Apple significantly upgraded Mobile Safari, offering an even better browsing experience than before. So as long as you have the iOS 5.0 upgrade on your iPad, these tips will help you get the most out Mobile Safari:

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by Brett Burney

Lawyers Learning About Macs at the ABA TECHSHOW – March 29-31

The ABA TECHSHOW comes to Chicago March 29-31, 2012 (next week!). This annual get-together is a tremendous opportunity to learn about new technology, understand how to better use what you already have, and network with other lawyers on how they use technology in their practice.

The Mac Track at the ABA TECHSHOW 2012

The ABA TECHSHOW comes to Chicago March 29-31, 2012 (next week!).

This annual get-together is a tremendous opportunity to learn about new technology, understand how to better use what you already have, and network with other lawyers on how they use technology in their practice.

One of the highlights of TECHSHOW (I may be a little biased) is the “Mac Track” which has grown to a full day’s worth of educational sessions, not too mention the additional sessions that cover iPhones and iPads.

I’ve been honored to serve on the ABA TECHSHOW Planning Board for the past three years and I’ve enjoyed inviting some of the most prolific Mac-using lawyers to speak. The “Mac Track” takes place on Friday, March 30, and features an incredible lineup of sessions and speakers:

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by Brett Burney

LegalTech 2012 Interview: Brett Burney on the iPad & Apps in the Legal Community

We had a standing-room only crowd for the “iLove for the iPad: Tips, Tricks & Apps” session on Monday at LegalTech NYC 2012. Watch the interview with Brett Burney as he discusses how the iPad has been adopted in the legal community and the best apps available.

LXBN Interview Brett Burney of Burney Consultants on the iPad and Apps in the Legal Community

We had a standing-room only crowd for the “iLove for the iPad: Tips, Tricks & Apps” session on Monday at LegalTech NYC 2012.

I had the privilege of speaking with David Neesen, CIO of Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles. David did an excellent job covering some of the challenges in supporting iPads at a large law firm, and I had the pleasure of sharing some of the best apps available for legal professionals on the iPad.

After the presentation, I was interviewed by Colin O’Keefe for the excellent LXBN TV from the LexBlog Network. Colin and his team have been very busy interviewing folks at LTNY and posting information about the conference.

You can view the full interview on LXBN.

by Brett Burney

Brett Burney Presenting “iLove for the iPad: Tips, Tricks & Apps” at LegalTech 2012 (Mon. Jan. 30)

I will be presenting “iLove for the iPad: Tips, Tricks & Apps” at LegalTech New York on Monday, January 30, 2012. I will be joined on stage David Neesn, CIO of Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP.

LegalTech Show 2012

I will be presenting “iLove for the iPad: Tips, Tricks & Apps” at LegalTech New York on Monday, January 30, 2012.

I will be joined on stage David Neesn, CIO of Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP.

David will cover the appeal and proliferation of the iPad in the legal world, as well as the challenges the iPad poses for law firm IT professionals. He’ll also discuss some of the options available for mobile device management (MDM).

I get the “fun stuff” in covering the best and most useful apps for iPad-toting legal professionals – everything from note-taking to document editing to legal research to remote access.

Check out the agenda for LegalTech New York 2012 and I hope to see you there!

by Brett Burney

Comments on the Results of the 2011 Apple in Law Firms Survey from Clio

Clio posted the results of their 2011 Apple in Law Firms Survey in December, and they reveal a continuing slow, but steady, movement in the direction of Apple. I covered 2010 Clio’s Survey that coincided with the MILOfest Conference of that year.

Clio 2011 Apple Law Firms Survey

Clio posted the results of their 2011 Apple in Law Firms Survey in December, and they reveal a continuing slow, but steady, movement in the direction of Apple.

I covered 2010 Clio’s Survey that coincided with the MILOfest Conference of that year.

In 2011, Clio had 763 people participate in the Survey (down slightly from the 835 that participated a year before). Seventy-six percent of the respondents were from firms that had 10 attorneys or less (up from 50% of firms that size last year).

One of the more interesting numbers was that 25.3% of the respondents were Mac “newcomers,” meaning that they had switched to the Mac within the past year. Last year’s survey only reported about 20% of respondents fell into that category, so that certainly reveals that more lawyers are making the switch.

Why are lawyers “going Mac?” The Survey reported that 46.5% of the respondents said they chose Apple hardware over PC options because the technology was more reliable and secure. This was the exact same number in the 2010 Survey.

The next most popular response to “why” was “usability” at 33.8%, up from 27% in 2010. This tells me that lawyers are finding the Mac and iOS devices to be very intuitive. I usually hear the comment “it just works!”

Next was “familiarity due to home use” at 9.8% down from about 11% in 2010. And coming in last was still “aesthetics & design” which hit on 3%, way down from 7% in 2010. That tells me that the idea that Macs are more expensive because they’re so much prettier is getting blasted away. Macs are finally being perceived as the legitimate products that they are.

One of the biggest contingents in the Survey were lawyers using iPhones, which accounted for about 60.9% of the respondents. This number rose from only 50% last year. Jeff Richardson at www.iphonejd.com estimated last summer thatapproximately 300,000 U.S. lawyers use an iPhone based on numbers from the Annual ABA Legal Technology Survey.

Read more about the 2011 Apple in Law Firm Survey results here.

by Brett Burney

Take the 2011 Clio “Apple in Law Offices” Survey – Last Chance This Week!

Last year, the Clio team offered the first “Apple in Law Firms” Survey. There were over 800 respondents to the survey. I gave a full write-up of last year’s results on the blog here, and Clio gave their own write-up, as well as a couple of focused comments. Plus there’s a chance to win an iPad 2!

Take the Clio 2011 Apple in Law Offices SurveyLast year, the Clio team offered the first “Apple in Law Firms” Survey. There were over 800 respondents to the survey and the results were truly fascinating (well, at least for folks like me!). I gave a full write-up of last year’s results on the blog here, and Clio gave their own write-up, as well as a couple of focused comments.

This week is your last chance to participate in the 2011 “Apple in Law Offices” Survey which apparently sports a new name, as well as a chance to win an iPad 2! You don’t have to be a Mac-user to take the survey – the questions cover iOS devices as well as plans for using cloud-based services, etc.

The survey only takes a couple of minutes, and you have the possibility of wining an iPad 2! Click here to get started and I’ll be sure to break-down the results of the survey once it’s completed.

by Brett Burney

Brett Burney Presents “Practicing Law on a Mac” at the Boylston Street Apple Store (Boston) on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7pm

I am thrilled to present “Practicing Law on a Mac” at the Boylston Street Apple Store in Boston this Friday, December 2, 2011 at 7:00pm. I’ll share some of the reasons why lawyers are choosing to use Macs and describe the hardware and software that make it all possible.

Apple Store Boylston Street Boston MA Brett Burney Practicing Law on a Mac

I am thrilled to present “Practicing Law on a Mac” at the Boylston Street Apple Store in Boston this Friday, December 2, 2011 at 7:00pm.

I’ll share some of the reasons why lawyers are choosing to use Macs and describe the hardware and software that make it all possible.

On the software side, I’ll cover options for e-mail & calendaring, legal practice management (e.g. Clio, Rocket Matter, Daylite, etc.), document management, word processing (e.g. Microsoft Office, iWork, etc.), and trial preparation/presentation (e.g. Keynote, TrialSmart, etc.).

I’ll also provide tips on sharing files with your Windows brethren and some of my favorite resources for Mac-using lawyers (websites, groups, blogs, etc.).

I don’t believe there is any reservation required, but you can check the Boylston Store’s website for any updates (scroll down to the schedule for Friday, December 2, 2011).

If you’re able to make it to the presentation, make sure you say hello and tell me that you read about the presentation here on my blog. Thank you!

Apple Store, Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

by Brett Burney

2011 Black Friday Mac & iOS Deals for Lawyers

In looking at the analytics of the site, it’s obvious that you the reader like to see links to good deals. And it’s my pleasure to point you in the right direction.

In looking at the analytics of the site, it’s obvious that you the reader like to see links to good deals. And it’s my pleasure to point you in the right direction.

1Password 2011 Black Friday Deals for Mac Using Lawyers1Password – 50% OFF!

First, AgileBits is taking 50% off all versions of 1Password. If you don’t have 1Password yet, this is an excellent time to pick up the Mac, Windows and iOS versions.

Many folks I talk to tell me that they don’t need a password manager – that they are perfectly fine remembering their own passwords. But then I ask if their password is the word “password” or their spouses name, or their kids names, or the month of the year. And then I’ve made my point – we ALL need a password manager.

And as lawyers, it is especially important for us to take digital precautions to better protect the information on our computer, and better manage the information we all access on the Internet.

So I have 1Password on my Mac, and whenever I log on to a website, I can have 1Password automatically complete my login information (I use the ⌘- keyboard shortcut).

But on top of that, I have my 1Password Keychain sync with Dropbox, which means that 1Password on my iPhone/iPad have access to same information. That means I can visit the same websites on my iPhone & iPad and be able to login with the same information through the 1Password App.

I also use 1Password to keep track of all my software purchases and registration keys. This isn’t such a big problem anymore if I purchase software from the Mac App Store, but for all the other software, 1Password is my central way to manage all those licenses and registration keys.

1Password for Mac (Mac App Store) – $24.99 (reg. $49.99)

1Password Pro Universal for both iPhone & iPad (App Store) – $6.99 (reg. $13.99)

These deals go through Nov. 30.

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by Brett Burney

Thoughts and Highlights from MILOfest 2011

MILOfest 2011 is behind us now but I wanted to share a few thoughts and highlights from the conference. The conference was an absolute delight – meeting new Mac-heads, catching up with friends, listening to awesome presentations, and generally soaking up as much legal-related Mac-ness as possible.

MILOfest 2011 Mac Lovin' Lawyers Victor Medino

MILOfest 2011 is behind us now but I wanted to share a few thoughts and highlights from the conference.

The conference was an absolute delight – meeting new Mac-heads, catching up with friends, listening to awesome presentations, and generally soaking up as much legal-related Mac-ness as possible.

The most substantial takeaway for me was simply the creativity and unique-ness of the presentations at the conference. I attend scores of legal technology conferences and CLE seminars around the country, and nothing comes close to the originality of the presentations I see at MILOfest.

I was so impressed with the presentations that I now declare MILOfest the “TED talks” of the the legal technology world. I was blown away by everyone’s use of Keynote (no PowerPoint bullet points were to be found). The slides didn’t drive the content – the speakers did, and the slides were simply the brilliant framework for each presentation.

Plus the topics that Victor Medina incorporates into the conference are just innovative and refreshing. One hour we’re digging into the guts of PDF files, and the next hour we’re hearing about marketing and podcasting.

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