|
|
A Day in the Life of a PDA-Enabled Lawyer by Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. Since my first exposure to
computers, the Texas Instruments 99-4a, I have been fascinated with the
potential use of this fascinating technology to make our lives easier and more
efficient. My first job out of
undergrad was as an mutual fund/insurance salesman
with John Hancock Mutual Life. I
remember sitting in front of my TI hammering in the information grid of my
company’s rate card and writing a program to calculate the life insurance
rates. It worked great! I’d plug in the age of the potential client
and the coverage amount, and it would spit out the amount. Success. Of course, after all
that work, it occurred to me that most of the calculations were on the spot in peoples’s homes and where they worked. I couldn’t very well lug around my television
and the wedge that was my CPU. So, from
the very beginning, I longed for a portable solution for my technology. I also started using my
computer from the beginning to keep calendar and contact information. As I moved from my TI-99-4A to the first
laptop, the Toshiba T1000, I was able to export all my contacts into ASCII and
import them into the new system. This is
great, I thought! Again, however, though
the Toshiba was a laptop and very cool at the time, it too was somewhat
cumbersome (although I was the envy of all of those people who lugged around
the “portable” Osbourne suitcases!). So, even though things were improving, I
still encountered the problem of portability. Years went by. Computer after computer, desktop after
desktop, I longed for some device that was really portable. Something that would allow me somehow get the
information from my desktop into my pocket. I looked at the Sharps. I looked at the That was about ten years
ago. Now, I’m an entertainment attorney
in Which
brings me to the somewhat rambling point of this article. As a
lawyer, I realize that I may have a unique perspective on how to use the
PDA. There are other articles available
on the Internet that summarize software and such. One good example is Susan E. Wilson’s article
on Palmsource (http://www.palmsource.com/interests/legal/). These articles, while providing valuable
reference points for those seeking software, really do not juxtapose the
workings of a lawyer with the applications that are available for the PalmOS. So, that’s
why I call this article “A Day in the Life of a PDA-Enabled Lawyer.” In this article, I am seeking to isolate
certain functions of a lawyer, shed light on how I use the PDA to accomplish
those functions or make my performance of them more efficient, and share other
ideas and resources for accomplishing those functions. Before I move into that
topic, however, it is important that I share a bit about my background and job
functions, as that does affect what types of software and resources I
select. I am an intellectual property
attorney, specializing in entertainment, trademark and computer/internet
law. Much of my job function is
transactional in nature, that is to say I negotiate, review and draft contracts
and agreements for entertainers, songwriters, music publishers, web designers
and webmasters, record labels, personal managers and the like. I also am active in the application and
prosecution of trademarks and service marks.
Finally, I also am a litigator specializing in copyright and trademark
infringement, although a smaller percentage of my time is spent doing this,
about 20%. If you’re interested, you can
check me out at www.rowlaw.org. I give you this picture
of my job functions to provide a context.
Most attorneys, regardless of their specialty, spend a great deal of
time doing very similar things. However,
some attorneys might spend very little time performing some of the tasks I
routinely perform. A real estate closing
attorney or an attorney who defends drunk drivers, for example, might choose to
work on a flat-fee basis and never bill a client. Those people would have no use for
time-keeping software. But basically,
the job functions of an attorney can be divided into categories: (1)
Docketing/Calendaring: All attorneys must spend a great deal of time
organizing and tracking their commitments.
That requires docketing and calendaring software that goes beyond the
simplistic and allows for both long term and short term tracking; (2)
Timekeeping & Task Management: Like most professionals, all attorneys also have
tasks which require tracking and completion.
But unlike most other professions, most transactional attorneys must
keep extremely accurate records of the time spent on those various projects. This need, of course, varies greatly
depending on the complexity of one’s chosen specialty. Some specialties may be able to suffice with
the built-in to do list of a PDA while others will require the use of
sophisticated project management software.
In addition, some attorneys will need billing software with which to track
and allocate their time, while others may not; (3)
Contact & Task Management: Since the tools of trade for an attorney are his
words, he or she must spend a great deal of the time communicating with not
only their clients but with opposing counsel, judges and other third
parties. This necessitates good
communication skills and contact management.
That, in turn, requires good tools with which to communicate. (4)
Research, Reference & Retrieval
of Information. Regardless of their specialties, attorneys
also deal extensively with information.
They often conduct intensive research.
This requires the use of vocation specific reference works as well as
database-type programs that allow the attorney to retrieve the information in
the future so that the wheel does not have to be reinvented. Thus, because the issues can sometimes be
duplicative for a practicing attorney, the ability to store and retrieve the
information is paramount. So, an
attorney needs tools to help him or her discover, store, reference and retrieve
valued information. So, with
these broad categories in mind, I’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of a day in
the life of a PDA-enabled lawyer. (NEXT) |
|
