The Best Android Legal Apps for Lawyers (And Everyone Else Too)
Older lawyers and judges are notoriously inept at using new technology. I graduated from law school earlier this year, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear stories about attorneys in their sixties and seventies who refuse to do legal research online and chastise young associates for not using books. Personally, I once had to spend five minutes explaining to older attorney how to attach a Word Document to an email.
But for those of us who grew up using the internet and smartphones, this is a golden age of legal technology. Here are a few Android apps that make the lives of attorneys much easier, and can even be useful their clients.
Lawyer Diary
This free app is a must have for any modern attorney. The first screen is a basic calendar, but clicking on any day brings up a form that lets you type in the case number, court, parties, attorneys and contact numbers. It’s basically everything you need to keep track of a case in one simple app.
For everyone else, you’re probably going to prefer any of the numerous calendar apps out there, but should you ever find yourself involved with the legal system, this is still a great way to have all of your case information on hand at all times.
Law Dictionary/Guide
The law is full of unfamiliar Latin phrases like res ipsa loquiter and per stirpes. Even the worst performing first-year law student should be able to tell you res ipsa loquiter refers to the doctrine that the very nature of an act infers negligence, and per stirpes is a term used in wills to ensure that each branch of a family tree receives an equal share of an estate. But even veteran lawyers still occasionally stumble upon legal terms they haven’t seen before, and that makes this a must-have app.
The list of legal terms here is extensive, accurate, and easily searchable. Clicking on any definition immediately brings up the option to copy it so you can send it in a text or email. And if you can’t find the term you’re looking for, sending suggestions to the developer is a synch.
For everyone else, this is actually a great app. Whether you need to look up a legal term because you’re involved in a lawsuit, see something in a contract you don’t understand, or just because you heard a new word on “Law & Order,” there’s a ton of great information here.
Bankruptcy Helper
For lawyers, there’s not a lot of information here that will necessarily help you represent a client, but for everyone else, this is a great resource for bankruptcy law. The app does an excellent job of walking you through the bankruptcy process, figuring out which type of bankruptcy is right for you, and it will even help get you in touch with a local attorney.
Basics of Law of Torts
This is more of an app for law students than practicing lawyers (unless it’s been a long time since they’ve taken a personal injury case). The information here is accurate but basic, covering a few intentional torts like assault and battery, and of course, negligence. Law students will likely find this invaluable while studying for a torts final though.
For everyone else, the basic information about negligence will be of some use if you ever find yourself in an accident, but you’d also probably find better, and more relevant information on almost any reputable personal injury attorney’s website.
Download Basics of Law of Torts
Statutes and Case Law Library
Your results may vary with this app depending on your practice area and location, but for some attorneys, this app will be a great value. The free version comes with the Federal Rules of Evidence and ready access to Google Scholar. Clicking on one of the rules will also bring up a leading case. For $1.99/month, you can download additional code books, but as of this writing, the only states with any books available are California, Delaware, Florida, New York and Texas, and only Texas has more than a handful of statute books available for purchase.
For an additional 99 cents you can purchase a timer to keep track of billable hours, but given the multitude of other free options out there for keeping time, it’s hard to justify that purchase.
For everyone else, this isn’t the most user-friendly app. Still, if you’ve ever been curious about the Federal Rules of Evidence, it’s a great place to learn the basics.
Download Statutes and Case Law Library
In Conclusion
There’s a lot of room for legal apps to grow on Android, but there are still a handful of great apps out there already to help attorneys organize their caseload and perform better research. Even better, many of these apps are also useful for helping clients better understand the legal process.
This post was first published on LawListings
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