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Category Archives: Switching to Macs

What Do Legal Experts Predict for 2014?

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Office Management, Switching to Macs, Technology Leave a comment
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2014What do the experts predict for the legal industry in 2014? The Make More Rain Blog polled legal technology experts, including Lee Rosen, Sam Glover, Rick Georges, Larry Bodine, and Jeffrey Brandt to get their thoughts on what to expect in the coming year.

This article includes my predictions for 2014 in the area of law firm technology:

I believe that 2014 will see even more attorneys integrating Macs into their practices. Younger attorneys are more likely to already know the many benefits that Macs provide when compared to PCs, and older attorneys will continue to have their interest piqued from their increased usage of iPhones and iPads. The continued development of more specialized apps developed for the legal field will only help.

Some of the other contributors’ predictions were very thought-provoking, particularly Lee Rosen’s (“2014 will bring a bigger gap between winners and losers”) and Sam Glover’s (stressing the importance of lawyers focusing on their professional obligations). I have tremendous respect for Lee and Sam, and I thought their predictions were fascinating and their rationales for same. Check it out for yourself at the link below.

Source: “21 Expert Predictions For The Legal Industry In 2014” by Frank Strong, published at the LexisNexis Make More Rain Blog.

Resources for Attorneys Considering Switching from PCs to Macs

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Ben Stevens Posted in How Do I ...?, Mac vs. PC, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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switching to macThe number of attorneys using Macs has dramatically increased over the last several years. Scan the room at any continuing legal education seminar and you will see glowing Apples everywhere. I attribute this due to a combination of several factors: (1) the residual “gateway drug effect” from the iPhone/iPad invasion; (2) the ever-increasing number of programs/apps available on Macs; and (3) lawyers realizing the many benefits that Macs offer compared to PCs.

What about those in the legal profession who are “Mac-curious” but have not yet made the switch? This term refers to those who have seen or heard about attorneys successfully using Macs in their practices, yet still remain skeptical or hesitant for one reason or another. Are there resources available to help answer their questions and reassure them that yes, they too can make the switch? The answer of course is yes, and the only question that will remain is “why didn’t I make the switch sooner?” Some of the many fantastic resources available include the following:

The Macs in Law Offices (MILO) legal technology forum was created in February 2007 by Ben Stevens and Grant Griffiths to enable attorneys, software developers, consultants, and other experts to discuss and share the best ways to use Macs in the practice of law. Since that time, it has become the largest forum of its kind, with well over 4,300 members – and best of all, it’s free. MILO’s membership roster reads like a virtual who’s who of legal technology, and there’s rarely a question asked that can’t be answered.

The Missing Manual books are generally considered to be the best in class, and Switching to the Mac by David Pogue is incredibly helpful, well written, and easy to follow (even for technophobic lawyers).  It walks readers through the conversion process step-by-step, carefully and thoroughly explaining the differences between PCs and Macs, how to transfer your files, the best way to run Windows programs on your Mac, and other helpful topics. In my opinion, this book is a must have for those making the switch, and it will prove helpful later as a handy resource if questions arise.

Apple has produced a series of helpful videos on a wide variety of topics, including Mac OS X: PC to Mac – The Basics. This video runs just over six minutes, and it explains some of the differences between working in Windows and working in OS X. If you want to go deeper, Lynda.com offers a four hour video course, Switching from Windows to Mac by David Rivers, which thoroughly examines the similarities and differences between the two systems, including the operating system, hardware, and even some applications. 

The Mac Lawyer blog was the first legal technology blog specifically devoted to using Macs in a law practice. One of its primary goals is helping both new converts and longtime users get the most out of technology in their law practices. First published by Ben Stevens in August of 2006, it now contains almost 700 articles on a variety of topics, including a section on Switching to Macs, and its archives are searchable. You can also follow Ben’s thoughts on technology and other issues on Twitter at @TheMacLawyer.

2008 marked the first year of the Mac Track at ABA TECHSHOW, the world’s largest legal technology conference, which is held each Spring in Chicago. This conference features noted speakers and experts from all across the country, from large firms to small firms to everything in between. The Mac Track usually includes a few sessions aimed at switchers or recent converts. You can view the upcoming year’s schedule here. Another popular conference is MiloFest, which is held each Fall in Orlando, FL, though it tends to be aimed at more experienced users.

The following articles should also prove helpful to those in the legal field who are considering making the switch (as well as those who have recently converted):

  • Switching to Mac Isn’t That Hard, Even for a Lifelong Windows User by Sam Glover
  • Switching from Windows to Mac: What I Learned by Owen Williams
  • Hack Attack: A Guide for Switching to a Mac by Adam Pash
  • 50 Reasons to Switch from Microsoft Windows to Apple’s Mac OS X by Chris Pirillo

MILO Surpasses 4,000 Members

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Ben Stevens Posted in Mac vs. PC, Online Resources, Switching to Macs, Technology Leave a comment
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The Macs In Law Offices (MILO) forum is (by far) the largest legal technology forum for Mac-using attorneys. Since its inception over six years ago, it has become the premier source for lawyers who want to maximize the use of Macs in their law practices.

As of today, MILO has well over 4,100 members, with more  joining every day. Its membership roster reads like a virtual who’s who of legal technology, from attorneys to software developers to everyone in between.

If you are not yet a member, you can take advantage of this free resource by clicking HERE.

“The Fine Art of Practicing Law on a Mac” Named One of the Best Articles of 2012

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Ben Stevens Posted in Articles, Office Management, Software, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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“The Fine Art of Practicing Law on a Mac“, the article that Randy Juip and I published in the March/April 2012 issue of Law Practice Magazine, was recently honored by that publication as one of its Best of 2012. In our article, we discussed the hardware and software options available to run a law office on a Mac – whether in the office, on the road, or in the courtroom.  Randy is one of the leading authorities on legal technology, and it is always a great pleasure to write or present with him.  If you haven’t yet read our article, check it out here.

ABA TECHSHOW (Featuring the Mac Track) Opens Next Monday

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Ben Stevens Posted in Offline Resources, Presentations, Switching to Macs, Technology 2 Comments
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Where will you be next Monday? The 25th edition of ABA TECHSHOW will begin on April 11, 2011, in Chicago.  I am pleased to again be a part of the outstanding faculty for the fourth year of the "Mac Track".  The lineup for this full day of Mac-focused education is listed below:   

  • Going Beyond Microsoft Word on the Mac :: 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? :: 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 :: 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 :: 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.

As if those are enough good reasons to attend, there will be additional sessions covering the iPhone and iPad.  Many of the premier Mac-related software vendors (including Rocket Matter, Clio, and Daylite) will be exhibiting and will be glad to discuss their products with you in person.  This year’s keynote speaker is, who is a huge Mac fan and uses Keynote very effectively in his talks.  I hope to see you in Chicago next week.  If you are there and see me, please stop and say hello.

Thanks to Brett Burney for his work on the TECHSHOW planning board and for his post (and the session descriptions above) on this topic.

Guest Post :: Implementing the Updated MacBook Air

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Ben Stevens Posted in Guest Posts, Hardware, Product Reviews, Switching to Macs 4 Comments
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The following Guest Post is from one of my readers, John Millard, an attorney in Texas, in which he explains how he implemented his new MacBook Air into his practice: 

MacBook Air and TrialSmart

I bought my new 13′ MacBook Air three weeks ago at a local Apple Store. I opted for the higher end 2.13 GHz processor and 4GB of memory. I also purchased trial presentation software called TrialSmart made by Clarity Legal Software.  In order to display in high definition, I picked up a DVI connector and long HDMI cable. 

Out of the box, everything worked perfectly. In no time at all, I was able to load exhibits (mostly pdf’s) into the software and present them on our HD display.  TrialSmart is simple to learn, and it’s incredibly easy to mark-up and call out portions of exhibits on the fly. 

I had Clarity Legal synchronize a video deposition to its transcript, which they returned in less than a day at minimal cost. I simply put the transcript (.ptx) and video (.mpg) into the public folder of my Dropbox, and Clarity synched everything up and emailed back a synch file to load into TrialSmart. 

Once the synchronized transcript was loaded into TrialSmart, I was able to easily create video clips for impeachment use and strings of clips for a video deposition offer.  When a video clip is called up for presentation, the screen shows the witness testifying with the synced transcript scrolling directly beneath the witness. I have to tell you, the MacBook Air and TrialSmart combo works very well.  

Putting it to the test

I had a chance to try the new system out last week in mediation. Using my trusty Rubbermaid utility cart, I was able to haul a 40” monitor, case file and backpack containing the MacBook Air and cables to the mediator’s office. Setup was super easy, consisting of connecting a mini display adapter to an HDMI cable and then plugging it into the monitor positioned at the end of a conference table. The MBA immediately recognized the monitor as a secondary display.

During mediation, I was able to seamlessly switch between Keynote and TrialSmart. With a few clicks of the magic mouse, I presented and marked-up emails and medical records while making points during the opening session. The ability to zoom in within a document and underline text using TrialSmart’s annotation tools was especially effective. 

I didn’t have a chance to use video clips at mediation, but intend to do so next week when presenting testimony at a hearing. I’ve practiced playing back impeachment clips enough now that I feel comfortable in my ability to pull up and present video excerpts. Because creating new video clips is as easy as highlighting text on the transcript, I’ll be able to create impeachment clips on the fly. This setup is so simple, I’m confident I’ll have no problem operating everything by myself while examining witnesses.

Conclusion

We use PC’s in the office, but have considered going all Mac when it’s time to replace our existing system. For now, the purchase of the MacBook Air is a great start toward the goal of switching to an all Mac office. 

The MBA is particularly well suited for trial and mediation presentation, so even in an all PC office, this laptop would be an excellent addition to your trial arsenal. Because I’ve found TrialSmart to be easy to learn and dead simple to operate, I’m confident I can use this setup by myself during mediation or while questioning witnesses at trial. It was easy to immediately put the MBA to work in my practice in an effective and practical way. So far, I really love this laptop.

John Millard
Law Office of John Millard, PC
One Sugar Creek Center Blvd, Ste 925
Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.millard-law.com
john@millard-law.com

Handling wrongful death, serious personal injury, auto and trucking accidents, divorce, custody and general civil litigation in the Houston and Sugar Land, Texas region. John Millard is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Guest Post :: Initial Impressions of the Updated MacBook Air

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Ben Stevens Posted in Guest Posts, Hardware, Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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The following Guest Post is from one of my readers, John Millard, an attorney in Texas, in which he explains his impressions of the new MacBook Air:

A little bit about myself

I’m a solo lawyer handling mostly divorce, custody and car wreck cases.  I need the ability to quickly and easily present exhibits and video clips on a court projector or our 40” HD flat panel monitor. I’ve tried Windows trial presentation software before, but it was so complicated, I had zero confidence I’d ever be able to operate it by myself. 

I’m in court a lot and rarely have the luxury of an assistant.  Typically, it’s just me and a client, so I require a system that’s both portable and simple to use.  When the revamped MacBook Air debuted this month, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a new system. 

Impressions about the MacBook Air

My initial impression and thoughts about the MacBook Air are:

  1. It is very fast (I suppose due to the flash hard drive). I was initially concerned about power due to complaints I’d read about the original Airs, but so far I’m impressed with the speed. Startup literally takes seconds and programs open instantaneously;
  2. I haven’t processed video yet, but playing back synchronized video deposition transcripts works beautifully. Playback is immediate with excellent video quality;
  3. The MBA is one great looking laptop, that’s for sure. It’s incredibly light and compact.  It’s perfectly sized for a counsel table;
  4. The MacBook Air is a bit slippery to handle, so caution needs to be exercised if walking around with it. Even though it has an aluminum case, if it were dropped it would likely sustain serious damage (but I guess that’s true of most laptops). I bought a sleeve to give my MBA extra protection while carrying it in my backpack.
  5. The screen has excellent resolution and brightness, but my aging eyes really appreciate how easily you can zoom in the screen by using gestures; 
  6. Battery life is good, but from my very unscientific observation, I haven’t achieved the 7 hour life that’s been advertised (around 5 for me). However, the battery life is much better than on other laptops I’ve owned, and it’s more than adequate for my needs;
  7. The track pad is great. It only took 15 minutes to get used to it and to master gesture commands. Once you’ve used gestures, you’ll wonder how you lived without them. I bought a magic mouse, but I haven’t used it very much. The keyboard is wonderful, although back-lighting would be nice for low light conditions;
  8. I bought the MBA for the specific purpose of trial and mediation presentation.  For that limited purpose, it works exceptionally well. However, I’ve really enjoyed using it around the house (specifically, in bed) for general web surfing and working at home. I really like the iWork package. In fact, I typed up this post using Pages, which is an excellent word processor. 

Later this week, I will explain in a separate post how quickly I was able to implement the MacBook Air into my practice using TrialSmart made by Clarity Legal Software.  Stay tuned…

John Millard
Law Office of John Millard, PC
One Sugar Creek Center Blvd, Ste 925
Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.millard-law.com
john@millard-law.com

Handling wrongful death, serious personal injury, auto and trucking accidents, divorce, custody and general civil litigation in the Houston and Sugar Land, Texas region. John Millard is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

The Mac Lawyer on The Un-Billable Hour

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Ben Stevens Posted in Switching to Macs Leave a comment
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I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on "The Un-Billable Hour" podcast, which is hosted by my friend, Rodney Dowell, director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program.  The description of this episode is listed below, along with links for you to listen online or download the MP3 file:

Title:  Macs in the Law Office

Description:    More attorneys are turning to a MAC instead of a PC for their office needs and want to know more about the critical tools for their practice.  On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, chats with Ben Stevens, from The Stevens Firm, P.A. and a blogger at the MacLawyer, to talk about using a Macintosh computer in your law office.  Rodney and Ben look at the rise in popularity of the Mac in the legal community, how to set up a Mac office and the key software and hardware to make it run efficiently.  

Listen Online:    http://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/un-billable-hour/2010/11/macs-in-the-law-office/

Download MP3:   
 http://websrvr82il.audiovideoweb.com/ny60web16519/LTN/UBH/UBH_102010_Mac.mp3

Why Investing in a Mac Pays Off

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Ben Stevens Posted in Switching to Macs 1 Comment
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The following guest post from Andrew Hall discusses some of the ways that Macs are actually a smart investment for attorneys:

Apple products have developed, over several decades, a reputation for being particularly expensive when compared to non-Apple systems. While this may be partially true, even now, there are many benefits to purchasing Apple computers that don’t necessarily make themselves clear until several months, or several years, after you purchase one.

For example, Mac OS X has far fewer security vulnerabilities than Windows-based systems. Because Apple’s market share is still considerably lower than Microsoft‘s, and because OS X is based on BSD, an outgrowth of Unix, vulnerabilities are revealed far less frequently and their consequences are far less dire; there has never been anything as troublesome as the major Windows-based worms (like Blaster or Sasser) released to bring down Macs. When a vulnerability is discovered, patches often see release very quickly and get delivered via automatic updates to ensure that systems are not brought down.

Additionally, AppleCare is a great value. Though the initial cost adds several hundred dollars within a year of purchase to the system, it extends your warranty to three years for both telephone support and hardware repairs, which would otherwise cost several hundreds of dollars. Failed display panels and motherboards can cost $600-800 out of warranty, but with AppleCare, those or any other hardware issues will be replaced within days of reporting the problem to Apple’s support, which is almost always fast and easy to work with.

Upgrading Mac OS X is also strikingly inexpensive. Compared to new versions of Windows, which often go for hundreds of dollars and require tedious activation processes upon changing hardware, OS X upgrades cost between $30 and $100 and have no tedious security systems to inconvenience you upon completing what’s already been a tedious hardware or software upgrade. If, several years down the line, you need to perform a reinstall, you won’t need to contact anyone to finalize it.

However, if you need to run Windows applications — or applications on almost any PC-based operating system — you have many ways to run them, making it easy to play games that require Windows to run or operate software that needs a specific hardware configuration. By using Wine or its professional cousin CrossOver, you can run almost any Windows application through emulation within Mac OS X.

If, for some reason, this doesn’t work, you can use applications like VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop to run almost any OS as a virtual machine, which will emulate every aspect of the operating system in a perfect reproduction. If you either need to test Windows-based software or run a business application with no Mac OS-based counterpart, this will almost definitely take care of any problems you would otherwise struggle with.

This does come with a reduction in overall system speed, though; to sidestep this, you can run Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 in Boot Camp, turning your Intel-based Mac into a computer capable of dual-booting operating systems. If, for example, you regularly play Windows-based games, you will likely need to do this. Regardless, the stereotype from the 1990s and 2000s that Macs have no software is almost totally incorrect in 2010.

The best thing about Macs as an investment, however, is the fact that the computers retain their value unbelievably well compared to PCs. Whereas even high-end PCs are often rendered almost valueless within a few years, many Macs, especially Mac laptops, will still be worth at least a third of their initial value several years later, making it easy to resell a functional system and easy to turn a profit on parts from one no longer working for users and third-party repair groups.

Andrew Hall is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog.

MILO Chat Podcast, vol. 18

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Ben Stevens Posted in Podcasts, Switching to Macs 1 Comment
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Episode 18 of the MILO Chat Weekly podcast – “iPad, New iPhone and Randy Juip” – is now live and ready for your enjoyment.  In this episode, your hosts  Ben Stevens and Finis Price discuss the new iPhone, the iPad and our guest Randy Juip’s conversion of his law firm to Macs. 

Subscribe to this podcast using iTunes by clicking HERE.

Download the podcast directly by right-clicking and saving HERE.

Comments? Send them to milochat@miloweekly.com

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