A recent article from Legal Blog Watch discusses whether the iPad is an appropriate tool for the legal profession. The consensus in the article is that it is not.   I strongly disagree!  Maybe my fingers are smaller, but I have gotten really fast at typing on my iPad 2.  I also have a wireless keyboard that works with it if I need to do some really fast typing.  I love how quickly I can get through my emails and time entry while I am away from the office.  These two things are the main sources of "busy work" that keep me from being more productive while in the office.  With my iPad, I can get 90 percent of this done before I get to work in the morning each day or at night before I go to sleep.  I also love the small size, it sure beats the clunky laptop.  Finally, even if I only have a few minutes to get a little work done, I can pull out the iPad, whip it open and get work done.  With a laptop, you have to be committed enough to start it up and shut it down each time you want to use it.  I have been amazed how 5 mins here and there add up over the course of a week.  I am much more likely to pull out my iPad for a few mins of work than I am a laptop.  All in all, it has dramatically increased my away from work productivity and it is much easier to type on than a handheld.

I know that many of us will be waiting to see how the Apple iPad takes off before getting our own, but it may be the new hot technology for trial. 9to5mac.com has a great example presentation of the PadNote app for the iPad and it does appear intriguing. PadNote actually allows for annotations to be made within PDFs. A user can highlight in numerous colors, draw directly onto the PDF and type notes into the PDF just as if the file was opened in Acrobat on a computer. All this except instead of using a mouse, you use the touchscreen of the iPad.
The iPad even has a VGA connector accessory which mirrors the iPad’s screen to a projector. This could be a much less expensive way for lawyers to open documents and records and using only their finger, highlight, draw and otherwise annotate the record/document. The highlights and annotations can be removed with a simple push of the button. A lawyer may not even need a paralegal’s help to run this program, it is truly a one man (or woman) show!

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