Today's Tech: A Solo Practitioner And His Surface Pro 3

This solo practitioner says that using the Surface in his practice helps him to be a better lawyer.

Digital TechnologyI’ve written about lawyers using the Surface Pro in the past here on Above the Law, and that column resulted in a good number of emails to me from attorneys seeking to learn more about ways to use this tablet in their practices. So I figured it was high time for a follow-up post on how another solo attorney uses the Surface Pro 3 in his law firm.

William Booth is a solo practitioner in Lexington County, South Carolina, and handles both civil litigation and transactional work, including real estate and business matters. William has been using the Surface in his practice for a few years now and recently upgraded to the Surface Pro 3.

He runs Windows 10 on his Surface and other office computers, making the transition from a computer to his tablet a seamless one: “My Surface is running on Windows 10 and I can use any applications or programs that are currently being used on my desktop computers. The similarity of using Windows 10 on the Surface is really no different than operating Windows 10 on my desktop. This is a big advantage for using the Surface since there is essentially no learning curve.”

He uses a number of different tools with his Surface in order to enhance its capabilities. “I have a MiFi device and a portable charger that I use with my Surface, along with a Miracast wireless adapter that allows my screen and PowerPoint to be shown on a TV screen.  I also use a Bluetooth mouse, a portable charger, and I recently bought equipment that allows me to mount a TV onto a tripod.” He continues, “And, recently, I bought the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID and this is by far a much better cover than the standard SP3 Type Cover.”

He uses his Surface in his practice in a number of different contexts. For example, he often uses his tablet during client meetings. “I’ve used the Surface with clients to get a better idea of property location and to discuss medical terms,” he explains. “And, since the Surface’s screen can be projected onto a TV screen, I often discuss a contract with clients by displaying the contract on a large TV screen in my office.”

His Surface also proves useful during depositions. “I recently handled several video depositions of doctors in a personal injury case.  A TV was setup in their conference or meeting room and I connected using my Miracast adapter,” he says. “Prior to the deposition, I took a few minutes to instruct the videographer on how to move the camera view the TV screen and then briefly discussed the PowerPoint slides with the doctor.  Then, during the video deposition, I asked the doctor to use the image on the TV screen to explain the injury.”

He’s also used his Surface for trial presentation purposes. “I use PowerPoint with my Surface, which allows me to create visual presentations for almost any setting, including trials and negotiations.” He continues, “I use OneNote with my Surface when using it away from the office. That way, when a OneNote file is opened on the Surface before leaving my firm, it is the exact OneNote file contained on the server and I can make changes while out of the office and the changes will be synchronized automatically when the SP3 is reconnected to the network.”

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His advice for lawyers considering using a Surface in their firms is to use it with a docking station: “For lawyers looking to set up a computer in their office, use a docking station so that the Surface can act as both your desktop computer and your tablet.  The docking station allows you to connect the Surface to your large monitor, regular sized keyboard, and mouse.” 

According to William, using the Surface in his practice helps him to be a better lawyer. “Today’s lawyers need to be competent in the use of technology and using the Surface is one way that I do that. Adopting the Surface into my practice was simply a business decision and is also a practical addition to my practice,” he explains. “The bottom line is that the Surface is clearly superior to ‘old school’ methods of transporting your files in a rolling cart or having to carry a legal pad for taking notes.”

So that’s how one solo attorney uses the Surface Pro 3 tablet 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.


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Niki BlackNicole 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 at niki.black@mycase.com.

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