When I get excited about some new tech or discover new things about an old standby, I tend to skip a few steps in the explanatory chain.

With the iPad, I skipped right to the end with visions of a practice and life unencumbered by logistic and administrative burdens and enabled by astounding new capability.

Now that the dust has settled, I think it might be helpful to take an unassuming look at how the iPad works, what it comes with, what it can do, how much it costs, and answers to a few questions that regularly arise.

Let's start with a few answers to some common questions.

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Both an Island and Bridge means Freedom

A specific computer used to be the center of the work life.  It had contacts, files, and programs that let us be productive.  But it also tethered us to a location and put us at the mercy of that particular machine. 

Cloud Apps have changed all that and are now powerful enough to get work done from any computer so your computer is a preference and not a necessity.    And the Cloud syncs data between machines so your stuff is always here, there, and anywhere you may need it. 

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Just after I declared full-text online the pinnacle of legal materials, iPad and GoodReader have breathed new life into the PDF. Of course, full-text online legal reference materials remains the best way I can think of to share and collaborate on a large amounts of materials with multiple users.

However, the iPad and GoodReader make a PDF library an outstanding option for a single person or for a particular purpose; a trial or deposition come to immediately to mind.

For me, the animating force is the prospect of having thousands of cases, statutes, and reference materials with me and ready to go- it was the "ready to go" part that concerned me.

Acrobat has a range of features to help organize and deal with long documents, including bookmarks, full search, portfolios, and the constellation of commenting tools that each create the functional equivalent of a bookmark in dizzying variety.

Initially, I thought by viewing PDF on the iPad, I would be giving up most if not all of the Acrobat features. And I was right, but not so much so that it really matters in the scheme of things.

Here is a how I use bookmarks, rapidly applied in Acrobat, to create an document outline in iPad's GoodReader. Like most things great things, this is simple.

First. Apply the bookmarks to your PDF in Acrobat and nest them as you desire. See short demo video on bookmarking in Acrobat.

Second. Save your PDF in a convenient place to access it with iPad's GoodReader. I use Dropbox and MobileMe for this. Review of Using Dropbox and GoodReader.

Third, Open your PDF in GoodReader and touch the bookmark button and see the bookmarks saved as an outline. I applaud GoodReader's programmers for doing it this way because it leaves the bookmarks section for case-by-case application.

Now you have an outlined PDF ready for repeated use.

As to the loss of commenting and annotation, iPad has an App for that. It's called iAnnotate PDF- but that's a separate review.

Check out the iPad Screen Shots
 

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I am a collector of legal materials and love to have things close at hand. With the iPad, we can now have thousands of pages, not only close at hand, but actually in one hand. 

There are certainly a number of ways to get this done, here is one way I have tried and found it easy and convenient enough to share with you.

This plan involves two apps:

1. GoodReader

This app is a place to store and read files of all types, I use it for PDF, but it will take MS Office files, video and even audio.  You can transfer files to GoodReader using Wi-Fi, download them from the Internet, from email attachments or connect to a popular server. 

I chose the last option and used Dropbox to load up the iPad with cases and statutes.  As you can see from the screen shots, GoodReader also connects to Mobile Me and Google Docs.

2. Dropbox

After reading a post by Ben Stevens at the Mac Lawyer on Dropbox I wanted to check it out.  Dropbox is a way of sharing files across computers and devices and also makes them available online.  It's just like Mobile Me's iDisk but I think the sync is better...

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It seems that every day more and more is being done on the web and browsers have come a long way to help make that happen.

Here are couple of tips for using browser tabs, new windows, and dragging and dropping links to use the browser more effectively in Westlaw.

In the video, I go over:

1. Opening multiple tabs in a single window- good for keeping related cases and materials together

2. Opening a new window - good for starting a new branch of research and keeping those materials together.

3. Dragging and dropping links-  a great way to open links in new tabs and windows so you have everything you want to look at open at once.

Everything I go over in the video works on every site, and in every browser, it just so happens that the techniques are very handy for legal research.

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When I decided to work with remote clients,  I figured I’d have to know something about computers.  And so I started with what I thought was the beginning; Microsoft Word.

I took training courses, read books and blogs, and played around for hours that now amount to days.  In all that time, one thing stands out as the most important, one thing that can radically alter how Word helps get work done. 

That one thing is understanding and formating your documents using Styles. 

This video is a good overview of styles.  I shot this video using Microsoft Word on a Mac but the exact same principles apply to the PC version.  Learning to format with Styles is worth far more than the time it takes.

• Watch the Rest of The Making Office Letterhead Video Series Here
• Check out Styles at Microsoft
• Legal writing: make yourself understood by making your writing easier to read by Sam Glover (summarizing the 7th Circuit's writing tips and describes learning styles, as the most important tip.)
• For comprehensive computer training I recommend lynda.com

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I have always had trouble dictating memos and letters. For me, the act of typing is a part of the writing experience and thinking process.

But I might try to change that because you can dictate directly to the iPad and that is how I wrote the first draft of this post.

The iPad App is called Dragon and the system is based on their Dragon Naturally Speaking; software I know has been around for some time.

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Here is a little something that I do sometimes that may help you out. 

The Icons on top of  Mac OS X Window can be dragged around to create shortcuts to that file or into the body of an email to attach it. Have a look:

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Many people love the ritual of the paper, the look the feel, and the practice of holding out the news as a curtain blocking out the world. And I can respect that.  Comfort like that can be tough to give up. 

However, after taking a look at the the new AP Mobile App for iPad, the answer is - Yes, paper news is dead to me. The presentation of digital news has taken a quantum leap.

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  "iPad is as Addictive as Oxycontin”  says Mad Money’s Jim Cramer according to Apple Investor. The Business Insider gave it a two-word review “It’s Great.” 

After one day with the iPad, I agree with both themes.

It Feels Natural. It does so much so easily and there is something very right about controlling a computer by touch.

The Execution is Superb....

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