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Readers of this blog who are fans of Apple products may be interested in a 27-page report entitled The Lawyer’s Guide to a Well-Appointed iPad (Third Edition), recently published by TechnoLawyer. The report is free, and although it is necessary to sign onto the site to download the PDF, doing so also gives you access to other reports and newsletters in the TechnoLawyer library.

The guide opens by arguing against the notion that iPads (and presumably other tablet computers, although only the iPad is mentioned) are suited exclusively to leisure rather than professional activity, and then goes on to discuss how these devices may be most effectively deployed in support of a legal practice. To create the report, seven lawyers – including Neil J. Squillante, the founder and publisher of TechnoLawyer – contributed their collective knowledge and experience to advise readers about choosing the best iPad from among the various models currently on offer, and then selecting the best apps for use in legal contexts. Three of the authors argue for different apps in each of three categories – document management, PDFs, and handwritten note-taking – and the report leaves readers to come to their own conclusions as to which particular apps they may find most useful in their own practices.

As an avid iPad user myself, I would have liked to have seen the authors mention Notability, a note-taking app I find particularly user friendly; in general, however, the report is comprehensive and likely to be useful to anyone who is looking to add an iPad to their legal-technology repertoire – or wants to learn how to use one more effectively.

I invite your thoughts on this and any other matter related to the law, either in the comments section below or directly via email.