March April 20 Report

I was struck by the most recent International Legal Tech- nology Association survey indicating that 90 percent of all lawyers use free, online resources to start their research and 37 percent of those attorneys start their research using a search engine. Because today’s lawyers are more mobile and spend so much time on their phones and other devices, it’s important to have the right apps at your fingertips to help you with your research. Below are some of my favorite apps to do just that. FastCase (free) This is a great app for accessing free federal and state case law and statutes through a sleek, easy-to-use interface. The case law can be searched using keywords or natural language and the stat- utes may be searched in the same fashion. The app also contains historical versions of state and federal statutes. Search results may be sorted according to date or relevance. A free registration is required to use the app and it’s available on iOS and Android. Legal Dictionaries — Legal Dictionary by Farlex (free) Provides access to over 14,500 legal definitions. This app can be used in an offline or online mode and allows for easy book- marking of terms for future reference. The app also contains audio pronunciations for hard to pronounce legal terms. If you want the gold standard of dictionaries, “Black’s Law Dictionary, 10th edition” is also available as an app. This app contains over 50,000 defined terms along with hyperlinked cross- references which makes finding related terms quick and easy. This app also offers audio pronunciations. The cost of the app is $54.99. Both apps are available on iOS and Android. RuleBook (free and low cost) RuleBook was created by a Utah attorney, Greg Hoole, and is powered by Casemaker. The app offers federal and state rules TOP APPS FOR ATTORNEYS along with several style manuals, including the Bluebook. It also contains the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Code of Judicial Conduct and the ABA Model Rules for Professional Conduct. The federal rules are free but the state rules and the model rules must be purchased separately from within the app. The rules are easy to search and read from your phone. Users may attach notes to the rules and highlight specific text. State rules range in price from $3.99-5.99. The model rules are $21, and the Bluebook is $39.99. The app is available on iOS and Android. GoodReader ($5.99) This app has been around for a long time, but it continues to be a staple for reading, editing, and managing documents on-the- go. The most recent version of the app (version five) allows for easy movement between documents and it creates tabs for your most recent eight documents. The new version also supports the Apple Pencil. New file management features include: drag and drop capabilities for storing documents in folders, additional space for viewing file names, and the restoration of deleted docu- ments. GoodReader also incorporated new security features such as secure photocopy, file encryption, and password protection for files. However, these features are only available if you upgrade to the ProPack edition of the software. The ProPack version requires an extra $5.99 fee. The app is available for iOS and Android devices. Google (free) It may seem obvious, but I am always surprised that most people don’t have the Google app on their phone. If you have not already done so, you might consider downloading the Google app. The app works really well when searching for local information such as hotels and restaurants. The added bonus to this app is you search using Google’s voice command feature. Another helpful search engine is DuckDuckGo. This is one of the best privacy By Mary Lynn Creighton 8 l March/April 2020 CBA REPORT www.CincyBar.org Tech Tip