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Category Archives: Mac vs. PC

Reminder :: Free Webinar :: Using Macs in Your Law Firm

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Office Management, Online Resources, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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FREE Webinar! Using Macs in Your Law Firm
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2009
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Space is limited! Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/458254538

Description:
Until recently, law firms needed PC’s to run their practices. No longer. Scanners, software, printers, are now available to practice law on the Mac, and the iPhone is now a powerful business tool.

Ben Stevens, aka The Mac Lawyer, will get us up to speed on how a firm can transition to Macs for legal work. We’ll answer audience questions, conduct interactive polls, and discuss the latest gear and software for the Mac platform.

For those of you on Twitter, follow our conversation with the hashtag “#rmwebinar”!

Your host will be The Mac Lawyer himself, Ben Stevens:
Ben Stevens is a practicing attorney located in Spartanburg, SC. After using Windows machines for over a decade, his office has been all Mac-based since August of 2005. Ben has given presentations on both technology and legal topics at continuing education seminars, and he enjoys speaking on those subjects. Ben’s blog, TheMacLawyer.com, is synonymous with the Mac legal movement as is the Google Group he co-created, Macs In Law Offices (MILO). Ben is also a co-host of the MILO podcast.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements:
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Free Webinar :: Using Macs in Your Law Firm

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Office Management, Online Resources, Switching to Macs, Technology 2 Comments
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Larry Port from Rocket Matter and I will be conducting a free webinar next Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. entitled Using Macs in Your Law Firm.  The webinar description is listed below.  I hope that you can attend, and if you are interested, you can register by clicking HERE.

Until recently, law firms needed PC’s to run their practices. No longer. Scanners, software, printers, are now available to practice law on the Mac, and the iPhone is now a powerful business tool.

Ben Stevens, aka The Mac Lawyer, will get us up to speed on how a firm can transition to Macs for legal work. We’ll answer audience questions, conduct interactive polls, and discuss the latest gear and software for the Mac platform.

 

 

Should You Switch to Macs in Your Law Firm?

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Switching to Macs 2 Comments
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You are probably familiar with TechnoLawyer and the insightful, helpful information that it provides each week to attorneys.  One of its key components is TechnoFeature, a weekly newsletter containing in-depth articles written by leading legal technology and practice management experts.

This week’s TechnoFeature was my article, "Should You Switch to Macs in Your Law Firm?"  You can download a copy of my article in *.pdf format by clicking HERE.  I hope that you find this article helpful, especially if you are considering making the switch from PC to Macs in your law office.

The Mac Lawyer Featured in Mac|Life Article on Reasons Your Business Should Run on Macs

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Switching to Macs, This Blog Leave a comment
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The March 2009 edition of Mac | Life magazine featured an article explaining 10 Reasons Your Small Business Should Run on Macs, which included a profile of me and my law firm.  This article includes discussions of most of the major advantages Macs offer versus PCs, and it includes profiles of several other businesses as well.  If your firm is not already using Macs, you should consider the following factors and make the switch:

  1. Industrial Design
  2. iLife’s Surprising Business Uses
  3. Ability to Run Windows Apps If Necessary
  4. Return on Investment
  5. Security
  6. Time Machine
  7. iWork
  8. Ability to Run Microsoft Office
  9. Cheaper Licensing Fees for Servers
  10. Because It’s a Mac

This article included the following quotes from me:

  • "I got tired of wasting time and money dealing with one problem after another with our PCs and network. It seemed that we were having at least one issue a week that was affecting our ability to most effectively represent our clients, and that was not acceptable."
  • "Anything that can be done on a PC can be done on a Mac, and usually faster, better, and more enjoyably."

Source:  "10 Reasons Your Small Business Should Run on Macs" by Jason Whong, published in Mac | Life magazine.

 

The “Pitfalls” of Switching from a PC to a Mac

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC 2 Comments
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Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I was featured in a Lawyers USA article which discussed "Should you switch to a Mac?"  Part Two of that article has now been published, and you can read it here.  This portion discusses the "pitfalls" of making the move to Macs.

I placed that word in quotation marks, because these "pitfalls" are relatively minor and can easily be accommodated.  The main pitfall mentioned is that "a lot of software is Windows-only."  However, as has been discussed many times on this blog, virtualization software (among other options) allows you to easily run any Windows software on your Mac.

Source:  "Should lawyers switch from their PC to a Mac? Part II: The pitfalls" by Sylvia Hsieh, published in the Wisconsin Law Journal and in Lawyers USA.

The Mac Lawyer Featured in Lawyers USA Article

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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Lawyers USA has begun a series this week on "Should you switch to a Mac?"  In Part One, the article discusses the advantages that Macs offer, and it features interviews with me (The Mac Lawyer), Victor Medina (who publishes Another Thing To Do), and Kevin Morton (who publishes A Mac Lawyer’s Notebook).  

Some of the key quotes from this article are:

"Concededly, you can buy a PC for less, but it wouldn’t operate the way a Mac does.  If you built a Dell machine equivalent to a Mac machine, the price is not far off at all."  ::  Victor Medina

"You can create your own presentations, beyond simple PowerPoints. We can make really dynamic moving video, moving images that are a powerful marketing tool. I don’t outsource marketing to anyone else."  ::  Kevin Morton

"There are a lot of stories of people who have switched from a PC to a Mac, but you don’t find anybody that has switched back, other than one or two odd examples. There’s a reason for that: life is so much easier with a Mac"  ::  Ben Stevens

Source:  "Should You Switch to a Mac? Part I: The Advantages" by Sylvia Hsieh, published in Lawyers USA.

 

The Legal Mac :: Why Macs and Why Now?

Posted on November 25, 2008 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Online Resources, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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The following is the premier The Legal Mac monthly column in the ABA Law Practice Management Section‘s Law Practice Today webzine:

Macs are everywhere these days, including in an ever-growing number of law offices. In recognition of this trend, Law Practice Today is pleased to announce this monthly column, The Legal Mac, which we hope will be helpful to Mac-using attorneys. These articles will be not only from me, but also from other Mac legal experts, and we hope that you enjoy them.

You’ve seen the commercials. “I’m a Mac … and I’m a PC.” The Mac guy is calm, cool, and in control, whereas the PC guy is bungling, insecure, and in trouble. The commercials are not only humorous, but they offer a good insight into these two types of computers. Consider the following and decide which one you are (or which one you should be):

  • Macs are famous for their reliability. As the saying goes, it “just works” whenever you are ready to do so. Virtually all PC users have experienced “freeze-ups” and/or the “blue screen of death.” For some, the infamous control-alt-delete keystroke is almost second nature. With a Mac, you can put those days behind you forever and get more work done with less headaches.
  • You can use your existing peripherals. Macs will work with your existing monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, and other peripherals. Therefore, you won’t need to start from scratch when you decide to make the switch. Of course, when you see how beautiful and functional Apple’s peripherals are, you may want to replace your existing peripherals anyway.
  • If you want a little help, Apple’s support is second to none. AppleCare provides outstanding warranty protection if you encounter any hardware issues, and it also provides answers to any software questions for Apple’s programs. Help is also available in person at all of the Apple Stores through their Geniuses, workshops, and One to One training.
  • Macs are a smart investment. In today’s economy, it is more important than ever to make smart purchases. Whereas many PCs are obsolete after a year or so, the lifespan of most Macs typically runs three or more years. Also, Macs hold their value much better than their PC counterparts. If you want proof, go to eBay and see what used Macs are selling for today. Also, you will save most, if not all, of the money that you have budgeted for your computer support/repair. My firm went from seeing our tech guy in our firm on a monthly basis to occasionally bumping into him at the grocery store.
  • Sleep easier because Macs are more secure than PCs. Lawyers keep secrets for a living, and security is always a primary concern. Macs are built on a UNIX foundation that provides rock solid security. Viruses, trojan horses, and other malware that plague PCs are simply not concerns for Mac users because of the security features built in to OS X.
  • Macs work the way you do. The Mac operating system, OS X, is very intuitive and easy to learn. In fact, most programs are intuitive and do things the way that users would expect them to, without having to waste time searching through manuals. This is just one of the many reasons that Mac users view their computer as a pleasure to use instead of just another necessary tool.
  • Only Macs can run both Windows and OS X. Perhaps there is a program that you need that only runs on Windows or perhaps the rest of your office is still using PCs. No problem, because Macs can run all of the Windows operating systems (including XP and even Vista) using one of the several virtualization options available. Also, Macs can be integrated into Windows networks quickly and seamlessly. You can have the best of both worlds!

Source:  "Why Macs and Why Now?" by Ben Stevens, published in Law Practice Today.

ABA Law Practice Today Now Features “The Legal Mac” Column

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Online Resources 1 Comment
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Law Practice TodayLaw Practice Today, the monthly webzine published by the ABA Law Practice Management Section, has undergone a bit of a facelift, starting with the just released November issue.  Among the new monthly columns are Your Practice Management Advisor, Flying Solo, and The Legal Mac.

As part of my responsibilities as a member of the Board of Editors, I have been given the responsibility for producing The Legal Mac column each month, which will include articles from me and other Mac legal experts from across the country.  This column will focus on the use of Apple computers in the legal workplace, offer information about Macs and their use, and champion their suitability for the legal profession.  

The Legal Mac's initial column is from yours truly, and it's titled "Why Macs and Why Now?"  You can read it by clicking HERE.  I hope that you enjoy reading this column in the coming months and that it is useful to you in your practice.  If you have suggestions for future topics or if you are interested in submitting a column for consideration, please feel free to contact me by simply clicking HERE.

Ross Kodner Gets Taken to Task for Anti-Mac Article

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Ben Stevens Posted in Guest Posts, Mac vs. PC 5 Comments
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Apple logo 2
Last week, 
Ross Kodner published an article on the TechnoLawyer Blog which cautioned against using Macs in your law practice.  As you might imagine, Mr. Kodner's post generated a good bit of discussion in the Macs In Law Offices forum, and I am pleased to present the following response from MILO member Brian Sajdak:

In his recent SmallLaw post entitled "Why Macs Don't Make Sense Once You Look Past the Cool Factor", Ross Kodner concludes that Macs are just not cut-out for the legal marketplace.  I, and thousands of other Mac-using attorneys, couldn't disagree more.  I will respond to the various points Mr. Kodner makes in a moment, but first, a little background.
 
My computing experience started in the mid-1980s with an Apple ][c.  I was in grade school and was the first kid on the block to whose family had a personal computer at home. That was followed quickly by am IBM clone runing Windows, and by 1990 I was well-entrenched into the anti-Mac crowd. I went through high school, college, and law school completely on Windows machines.  

Then in 2002 I started to hear about this new device call an iPod.  After playing with and drooling over my computer-geek brother-in-law's iPod and iBook, I was hooked. I was struck by the way that they just simply worked together, and I would purchase my first iBook in 2004. I write this now on MacBook, my third Apple computer.
 
However, even though I a Mac for personal use at home, my life in a relatively large law firm meant that I was using a PC at work. My house is still home to two Windows machines (although both have been relegated to nothing more than file servers). In June of this year, I swiched to a small firm where my computing choices were not made for me — and I've made the switch to a Mac-based pratice. The bottom line is that I know the pluses and minuses to both systems.
 
Back to Mr. Kodner's conclusion that Macs don't make sense for the law office.  Aside from the fact that this conclusion is directly contrary his his prior opinion on the subject (see his earlier article, "The Legal Mac: A Practical Option for All Lawyers"), it is clear that this post was nothing more than an attempt to get people talking about him.  (There is no such thing as negative publicity, right?)  

Continue reading→

Obama :: The First Mac President?

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC 2 Comments
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Obama - Mac President
Back in February, I wrote an article explaining how the Obama family were Mac-users. TUAW reported last Friday that on election night, the winning ticket was seen using Apple products. Specifically, Vice President-Elect Joe Biden was pictured looking at information on a MacBook Air while holding a 3G iPhone, while President-Elect looked on.

TUAW's article "Obama Team Chose Apple on Election Night" predicts that "the Obama administration could become the most technologically-savvy presidency so far."  I believe that goes without saying, as evidenced by his groundbreaking, innovative use of technology during his campaign. It is encouraging to hear that President-Elect Obama plans to have a Chief Technology Officer, another first.  (And yes, I would gladly serve if asked.)

Since other world leaders, including Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, use Macs, I am glad that soon-to-be President Obama will be using one too.  I would hate for the fate of the free world to be dependent upon a Windows machine.  I mean, a world war breaking out because our leader had to deal with a "blue screen of death" would be tough to swallow, wouldn't it?

Obama Biden Using Macs 

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