Today's Tech: How A Solo Lawyer Uses A Surface Pro In His Practice

Two of our technology columnists, Nicole Black and Jeff Bennion, talk tablets.

In my continuing quest to share how lawyers are using technology in their law firms, I’ve written about number of lawyers who use mobile devices in their practices, including iPads, Android tablets, iPhones, and Sony Digital Papers. Today I’m going to continue that trend by discussing how one lawyer uses a tablet hybrid: Microsoft’s Surface Pro. And the lawyer I’ll be showcasing? It’s my fellow Above the Law technology columnist, Jeff Bennion.

If you’re not already familiar with Jeff, he is a civil litigation trial attorney who hails from San Diego. Jeff is a solo practitioner who also consults for larger law firms. He explains that he’s often hired by other firms, in large part because of his technology know-how: “I spend 90% of my time consulting on mass tort cases for other firms. I often handle ediscovery or assist in prepping cases for deposition. Firms hire me after hearing through word of mouth that I’m familiar with and can implement a lot of technology shortcuts. So they bring me in on a case to take advantage of that knowledge.”

One of his go-to technology tools is his Surface Pro. According to Jeff, he prefers it over the alternatives because of its power and flexibility. “It’s like an iPad, but for adults. It’s a tablet and has all the functionality of an iPad but runs a full version of Windows. So when I want to install a program I don’t rely on a dumbed-down app version.  I run a full version of Office. And when I access email I use the full version of Outlook, not an app version. So I get all the portability and convenience of an iPad, none of the limitations, and all the power of a desktop.”

For Jeff, one of the differentiating features of the Surface Pro is its note-taking capabilities. The ease of notetaking combined with the functionality and search capabilities of the end product is both convenient and a big time-saver. “One thing that separates a Surface Pro 3 from an iPad is the stylus. It has a fully-functional stylus, while the iPad styluses don’t work well for taking notes. I go to lots of meetings and spend a lot of time taking notes and instead of taking a yellow pad with me I take my Surface Pro 3 and use Onenote. My notes are then synced to the cloud and everything is organized electronically. As a solo, being organized is paramount,” he says. “This system is especially useful during complex litigation since there are often thousands of documents. For example, when I’m taking notes during a deposition I can easily access and search my notes afterwards since everything is organized in one place.”

There are other benefits to using the Surface Pro during depositions. By using OneNote in conjunction with Outlook, Jeff is able to create dynamic notes and ensure that he follows up on important issues: “There are a lot of things I can do with my notetaking that I simply can’t do with a yellow pad. It used to be that before a meeting and I’d grab a yellow pad and write on the first two to three pages and then either file my notes away or add them to my ‘to-do’ pile. With that ‘system,’ it was often a cumbersome task to find my notes. With OneNote I can take notes and then right-click on the note or long-press on it with my stylus and then easily sync it with Outlook. So instead of adding tasks to Outlook afterward, I can add as them as they arise during the meeting. I can also create flags for my notes and star certain sections for follow-up later on during discovery.”

Jeff also finds the Surface Pro comes in handy when meeting with his clients: “I use it all the time when I meet with clients. I upload documents onto it and then hand the Pro to them. So, for example, I’ll show the client the jury instructions and ask them questions. My clients really like it and when I show up for a meeting and have everything scanned in and readily accessible; they are impressed with my organization. And because all my documents are digital, they know that there’s no need to worry about how much I’m billing them for copying expenses or paper, for example.”

According to Jeff, the increased organization definitely gives him an edge over lawyers who aren’t as tech-savvy: “When we’re on trial and I’ve got my entire case file with me on my Surface Pro and everything is indexed in Adobe Acrobat, I can quickly run text searches across tens of thousands of documents. Meanwhile, opposing counsel has three bankers’ boxes, two associates, and a few paralegals, and they’re all frantically searching for a document I’ve already pulled up onto my Surface Pro. My Surface Pro is the ultimate organization tool.”

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His parting advice for lawyers seeking to use more technology in their practices? According to Jeff, it’s simple: be proactive and curious. “The thing with technology is that it’s all about being efficient. So if there’s some part of your day or a project that’s taking up a lot of time every time you do it, think about things you can do to make the process more efficient. Do your research and see if there’s a solution to increase efficiency in your regular menial tasks or activities. There’s probably a better way to do it and you just don’t know about it. Be proactive. Find out what technology is out there. It doesn’t mater what firm you’re from, what you got on the LSAT or what law school you went to, if you’re organized you — and your clients — are better off.”

So that’s how one lawyer uses technology in his practice. As always, if you or an attorney you know is using technology in a creative or unusual way in your law firm, drop me an email at niki.black@mycase.com. I’m always looking for new attorneys — or judges — to feature in this column.


Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikiblack and she can be reached atniki.black@mycase.com.

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