After months of waffling, I finally purchased an iPad 2 last fall. I already had a laptop and an iPhone and feared that an iPad might be technology overkill but was hoping that the iPad would let me leave my laptop bag at home while on vacation. The iPad won't ever replace my laptop but it has become a vital part of my practice. Here are the nine "must-have" iPad apps for attorneys that have changed the way I take notes, prepare for hearings, take and defend depositions, bill, and travel:
1. Dropbox (Available on App Store, FREE) - Dropbox is a cloud storage service used by more than 25 million people. The Dropbox app allows me to use my iPad to access Word, Excel, PDF, and other documents that I've stored "in the cloud." The service offers 2 GB of storage for free, with additional storage available for a fee. If you use this link to sign up for the Dropbox service, you'll receive an extra 250 MB of free storage.
2. Sugarsync (Available on App Store, FREE) - Sugarsync is another cloud storage service with an iPad app. Like Dropbox, both the app and some amount of storage are free but Sugarsync provides more free storage (5 GB) than Dropbox. Like Dropbox, additional storage is available for a fee. If you use this link to sign up for the Sugarsync service, you'll receive an extra 500 MB of free storage.
I use both Dropbox and Sugarsync, so I have a total of 7 GB of free cloud storage accessible from my iPad, iPhone, and work and home computers.
Update (2/1/2012): To receive the extra free storage for Dropbox and Sugarsync, it appears that you must install the PC app in addition to the iPad app. The PC app for each service is also very helpful and, not surprisingly, permits you to directly access your cloud storage from your PC.
Continue reading "Nine Must-Have iPad Apps for Lawyers (Plus One More)" »
