Author / Brett Burney

by Brett Burney

How to Move Documents From Your Computer to Your iPad and Back Again

My latest TechnoLawyer articles is entitled “”How to Move Documents From Your Computer to Your iPad and Back Again” where I describe the four methods I usually recommend to lawyers who ask: “how do I get my documents on to the iPad?”

TechnoLawyer TechnoFeatures-How to Move Documents From Your Computer to Your iPad and Back Again

The fine folks at TechnoLawyer allowed me to write a TechnoFeature entitled “How to Move Documents From Your Computer to Your iPad and Back Again” where I explain the four methods I usually recommend to lawyers who ask “how do I get my documents on to my iPad?”:

Method #1: E-mailing documents to the iPad

Method #2: Sync documents through iTunes

Method #3: Ad-hoc Wi-Fi Approaches

Method #4: Dropbox

Spoiler Alert: I recommend Dropbox, but the article details each method and explains WHY I believe the Dropbox is the best method for getting documents on to the iPad and keeping them organized.

If you don’t already subscribe to the FREE newsletters from TechnoLawyer, you should do that now.

TechnoLawyer, however, is very generous in allowing me to provide a PDF reprint of my article, and I’ve also posted it on DocsToc below.

 


How to Move Documents From Your Computer to Your iPad and Back Again –

by Brett Burney

Mac Software Deal: TotalFinder Only $9 Today at MacUpdate Promo

I have become a huge fan of TotalFinder since purchasing it the last time MacUpdate Promo had it on sale for $9 back in December. It was one of my “Mac Power User” tips when I presented with Ben Stevens & Finis Price at this year’s ABA TECHSHOW.

TotalFinder on sale today at MacUpdate Promo

I have become a huge fan of TotalFinder since purchasing it the last time MacUpdate Promo had it on sale for $9 back in December. It was one of my “Mac Power User” tips when I presented with Ben Stevens & Finis Price at this year’s ABA TECHSHOW.

TotalFinder Brett Burney ABA TECHSHOW 2011

I like TotalFinder because it’s simple. It adds features that I think should be in Finder by default.

The best feature for me is “tabs.” Do you remember what it was like before we had tabs in web browsers? I had multiple browser windows open all the time.

Before TotalFinder, I had multiple Finder windows open to copy files from one place to another, or to access files in different locations. TotalFinder has completely streamlined my whole workflow with that one feature alone.

Other features I use in TotalFinder are the “cut” button and the fact that I can put “Folders on Top” of my file listing. You can tweak TotelFinder through the icon that it adds in the Finder Preferences.

TotalFinder is regularly $15 which is a deal in itself, but it’s a no-brainer for $9. Just visit www.mupromo.com.

by Brett Burney

LAST DAY to Purchase an Awesome Software Bundle from ProductiveMacs.com

Today (May 31, 2011) is the last day to take advantage of the fantastic software bundle at ProductiveMacs.com. The name alone should clue you in that this is not your typical software bundle with games and filler – this one has serious applications that are beneficial to any Mac-using lawyer.

Productive Macs software bundleToday (May 31, 2011) is the last day to take advantage of the fantastic software bundle at ProductiveMacs.com. The name alone should clue you in that this is not your typical software bundle with games and filler – this one has serious applications that are beneficial to any Mac-using lawyer.

First, you have TextExpander, which is one of the must-have utilities I featured in my TechnoFeature: Nine Mac Utilities That Will Boost Your Law Firm’s Productivity. On the simple end, you can use TextExpander to fill in your e-mail signatures; on the intricate end, TextExpander can become a full-fledged document generation tool. TextExpander costs $35 on its own.

Next, Path Finder is an incredibly powerful add-on for Finder. I prefer using TotalFinder for its simplicity, but Path Finder offers a wealth of features such as dual panes, the “drop stack,” and an integrated Stuffit engine. Path Finder costs $40 on its own.

Next, HoudahSpot is an extremely powerful search tool that makes Spotlight look wimpy. If you find yourself wishing Spotlight could offer more options for searching, then HoudahSpot could be your answer. HoudahSpot costs $30 on its own.

Next, Keyboard Maestro is a powerful tool that lets you program your own macros to control applications, windows, menus, open documents and much more. There are many ways to accomplish these tasks on a Mac, but I know many people that streamline their computing tasks with Keyboard Maestro. It costs $36 on its own.

Lastly, Mail Act-On has become my absolute favorite Mail add-on from Indev Software (who also offer MailTags). Mail Act-On lets you file e-mail messages into folders with a few keystrokes, and gives you more options for creating Mail rules. I can’t really imagine ever going back to the drag-n-drop days of moving e-mail messages around. Mail Act-On costs $25 on its own.

All of these incredible apps (plus three more) are all available for ONLY $29.99!! That’s an incredible price not only because it’s an incredible deal, but most software bundles like this clock in at $50!

Needless to say, I highly recommend you visiting ProductiveMacs.com and picking up this incredible bundle today before the deal ends AT THE END OF THE DAY! I guarantee that you’ll use more than one of these apps and so the deal pays for itself. I recommend starting with Mail Act-On or TextExpander and go from there.

Disclaimer: If you purchase the bundle by clicking my personalized link, I will be reimbursed for the bundle that I purchased. However, if you prefer to visit the site on your own, please feel free to visit www.productivemacs.com. Either way, buy the bundle and enjoy some great software!

by Brett Burney

The “Mac Track” at the ABA TECHSHOW 2011 a Complete Success!

For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing the “Mac Track” at the ABA TECHSHOW. Four years ago, Reid Trautz convinced the TECHSHOW Planning Board to incorporate Macs into the curriculum.

Now, four years later, we’ve more than doubled the number of Mac speakers, and we saw record attendance at every session throughout the first day of TECHSHOW which was Monday, April 11.

The first session was “Going Beyond Microsoft Word on the Mac” with David Sparks and Victor Medina.

David Sparks and Victor Medina ABA TECHSHOW 2011David started the presentation with what he called a “love affair with text”. His tongue-in-cheek series of slides made some powerful points as David described the joys of simple text. It’s nice to be able to apply fancy formatting to text, but David emphasized the importance of getting thoughts down in text first, and then worry about the formatting later.

Victor spent most of his time providing the audience with an excellent overview of Apple’s own Pages, which is part of the iWork suite of software. Victor is a self-professed “Pages junkie” and it showed as he shared his excellent tips with the audience on generating beautiful documents with something other than Microsoft Word.

Victor also talked a little about how he has incorporated the ideas from the Typography for Lawyers book into his practice, which generated a little bit of discussion among the audience.

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by Brett Burney

Interviews About Lawyers Using the iPad 2

I’ve been honored to be interviewed by several reporters asking about how lawyers are adopting and using the iPad 2 in their practice. Lawyers represent a small corner of the greater business world that are finding the iPad to be a useful tool.

Interviews About Lawyers Using the iPad 2I’ve been honored to be interviewed by several reporters asking about how lawyers are adopting and using the iPad 2 in their practice. Lawyers represent a small corner of the greater business world that are finding the iPad to be a useful tool.

First, the Lawyers USA group asked if it was necessary for lawyers to upgrade to the iPad 2. The story entitled “Lawyers cast their verdict on the iPad 2” was published on March 24 and distributed to several outlets (the story now requires a password, but try this link from the Detroit Legal News).

Second, the Youngstown, OH newspaper (with the great name of the “Vindicator“) asked how lawyers and other businesses were incorporating the iPad into their daily life. The story entitled “Valley businesses take note of iPad’s workplace applications” was published on April 3.

And lastly, I’d like to give another shout-out to Christy Burke’s excellent article entitled “Are you an iLawyer yet?” that was published last year on Legal IT Professionals. Christy does a great job of covering the increasing infiltration of Macs and iOS devices into the legal profession.

 

 

by Brett Burney

The Not-To-Be-Missed “Mac Track” at the ABA TECHSHOW on April 11

If you’re hungering for some top-quality legal Mac education, the annual ABA TECHSHOW is the place to be on April 11. This year happens to be the 25th anniversary of ABA TECHSHOW and it’s delivering with a bang.

The

If you’re hungering for some top-quality legal Mac education, the annual ABA TECHSHOW is the place to be on April 11. This year happens to be the 25th anniversary of ABA TECHSHOW and it’s delivering with a bang.

Four years ago, Reid Trautz convinced the TECHSHOW Planning Board to include two sessions that focused on lawyers using Macs.

Four years later, the “Mac Track” has expanded to a whole day of Mac-focused education, with several more sessions now covering the iPhone and iPad.

This year’s “Mac Track” takes place on Monday, April 11 featuring spectacular sessions taught by some the “rock stars” of the Mac-using legal community:

Going Beyond Microsoft Word on the Mac – 8:30-9:30
Focuses on the tools available on the Mac that give you the most power over text and composition. Victor Medina practices in New Jersey and is the tireless organizer of MILOfest. David Sparks (MacSparky) practices in California and just finished a most helpful tome entitled “Macs at Work.”

How Do You Manage Your Practice on a Mac? – 10:30-11:30
Covers the practice management options for Mac-using lawyers presented by Victor Media and Ben Stevens who practices in South Carolina and is the indomitable author of The Mac Lawyer blog.

Managing Your Documents on a Mac – 2:30-3:30
Provides a ton of tips and options for managing your documents on a Mac. Mark Metzger practices in the Chicago suburbs. Finis Price practices in Louisville, KY and also provides trial consulting through TechnoESQ.

Mac Power Users – 4:30-5:30
The last session where Finis Price, Ben Stevens, and myself (Brett Burney) will cover a slew of “power user” tips that will help you go beyond the basics of using your Mac.

The ABA TECHSHOW is just a few days away so if you use a Mac in your practice now, or are considering using a Mac, you should make all possible attempts to get to Chicago at least for Monday, April 11 so you won’t miss the “Mac Track.”

Not too mention that you’ll also have an amazing opportunities to talk face-to-face to folks from Clio, Rocket Matter, Daylite (Marketcirtcle) and more!

That same Monday of TECHSHOW also features the show’s keynote from Larry Lessig, who, by the way, is a huge Mac fan and uses Keynote very effectively in his talks.

 

by Brett Burney

How The iPad 2 Will Appeal To Lawyers…

As many expected, Apple announced the iPad 2 yesterday during a short, but exciting, hour-long presentation. There was nothing really earth-shattering in the announcement, but I wanted to share a few thoughts on how the changes to the iPad 2 are significant for lawyers.

The new iPad 2

As many expected, Apple announced the iPad 2 yesterday during a short, but exciting, hour-long presentation. There was nothing really earth-shattering in the announcement, but I wanted to share a few thoughts on how the changes to the iPad 2 are significant for lawyers.

First, Steve Jobs gave the presentation yesterday, which would not be unusual except for the fact that he left Apple on medical leave in January. That fact that he attended this event in person provides some insight into how much of a personal connection he has with the company and its products.

Regardless of your personal feelings for Mr. Jobs, he is an undisputed luminary in the technology world and it was heart-warming to see him up and moving around. He received a very long, and very warm, standing ovation yesterday when he walked out on stage.

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by Brett Burney

“Mac Attack” at the Georgia ICLE Technology Conference, Feb. 24

I’m honored to be speaking at the Georgie ICLE Technology Show and Tell on February 24, 2011. I’ll be giving one session on “e-discovery trends” and a second session devoted to Macs entitled “Mac Attack: Should Your Firm Move To A Mac Environment?”

"Mac Attack" at the Georgie ICLE Technology Show and Tell February 24, 2011

I’m honored to be speaking at the Georgie ICLE Technology Show and Tell on February 24, 2011. I’ll be giving one session on “e-discovery trends” and a second session devoted to Macs entitled “Mac Attack: Should Your Firm Move To A Mac Environment?”
Now obviously, if you already use Macs in your practice, this may not be all that interesting, although I promise a few nuggets that will make it worth your while.

But if you’ve been contemplating the possibility of moving your practice to Macs away from Windows, this will be an hour well-spent as I’ll cover the differences, the pros & cons, and generally discuss the practicalities of moving to the Mac.

There’s a whole day of great stuff at the Technology Show and Tell and it’s very affordable! Make sure you come by and say hello!

by Brett Burney

Clicking A Button With Your Spacebar

It’s the little things that can make a big difference. When a dialog box pops up asking me to click a button (such as Cancel, Ok, Save, etc.) I hate having to take my hands OFF the keyboard, move over to the mouse or trackpad, move the cursor to the right place, and then finally click the button.

Clicking a button with a spacebar

It’s the little things that can make a big difference. When a dialog box pops up asking me to click a button (such as Cancel, Ok, Save, etc.) I hate having to take my hands OFF the keyboard, move over to the mouse or trackpad, move the cursor to the right place, and then finally click the button.

I know, it’s a small thing, but even just taking that 1 or 2 seconds to perform that action gets annoying if you have to do it 40 or 50 times a day.

In the Windows world, you can use the Tab key to circulate through the different buttons, and when the right one is highlighted, you can hit the Enter key to “select” or “click” the button.

It really annoyed me that this wasn’t a default in Mac OS X, but I was happy to find a fix hidden in the Keyboard Shortcut Pref Pane.

Go to Systems Preferences > Keyboard > and select the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. Down at the bottom under “Full Keyboard Access” you select “All controls.”

Keyboard shortcuts

Once you make that change, you can now use the Tab key to switch the “focus” to another button in the dialog box. The main difference from the Windows world is that you don’t use the Enter/Return key to “click” the button – that will “click” whatever default selection has been programmed into the dialog box, which is usually in the blue color.

Instead, the button with the “focus” will be ENCIRCLED in a blue color, and you’ll need to hit the SPACEBAR to actually “click” that button.

Document save dialog box for Mac OS X

So in the example above, the “Save” button is the default selection, and hitting Enter/Return will automatically “click” that button, even without the use of the Tab key.

The “Don’t Save” button is encircled in blue, and I could use the Tab key to place the “focus” on “Cancel.”

If I hit the spacebar now, I will click the “Don’t Save” button. Or I could hit Tab to shift the focus to “Cance” and then hit the spacebar to click “Cancel.”

I haven’t found this to cause any problems or conflicts with anything else in Mac OS X, and I think it’s a great setting to change to shave off those extra seconds during the day. You will use this more than you think!!

by Brett Burney

What Do I Use To Open A PDF On A Mac?

This may seem like a silly question, but PDFs are indispensable to the practice of law and so it’s important to consider the software you use to open and interact with PDF files.

Adobe PDF Logo for opening PDF files on a MacThis may seem like a silly question, but PDFs are indispensable to the practice of law so this is an important consideration.

As I wrote in my review of Adobe Acrobat 9 for Law.com, PDF has become the lingua franca of legal documents – it is the standard for electronic filing, scanned documents, digital signatures, form distribution and much more. This means lawyers and legal professionals have to open and read a LOT of PDF files every day.

Opening & reading a PDF

About 90% of the time, all we need to do is open and read a PDF – we don’t need to highlight or annotate anything, create bookmarks, or do anything else except just read the content.

So 90% of the time, I’m opening PDFs in Preview, the excellent image viewer that’s built into Mac OS X.

Preview is truly a hidden gem that’s built into Mac OS X. It’s fast, functional and free, and it was designed by Apple to work within the Mac OS. It’s the default viewer for image files such as JPG or TIFF, as well as PDFs. That means out of the box, your Mac will open Preview when you double-click a PDF file.

I choose to leave Preview as my default PDF viewer, even though I have both PDFpen and Adobe Acrobat on my system. I leave Preview as my default PDF viewer because it’s fast and performs admirably when I simply need to open and read a PDF.

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