TECH TALK
An App A Day Keeps The Legal Troubles Away?
Honey Shaw 1L, Georgia State University College of Law hshaw10 @ student. gsu. edu
In the new age of global consumerism, it seems like every day we are asked to download a new mobile phone application, or“ app,” as they are most commonly referred to. Apps have looked to mobilize every computer program you could ever want while on the go, and then some. Apple, Inc.’ s trademarked phrase,“ There’ s an app for that!” became a humorous quip following the Apple App Store’ s initial advertising campaign, but now seems more accurate than ever. Mobile ordering via apps takes away the need to wait in line at the counter or drive thru at your favorite junk food spot, Vivino lets you uncork pricing, ratings, reviews and food pairing suggestions with just snapping a photo of a wine label. Facebook and Twitter apps feed us information from our friends, family, and favorite celebrities wherever we are, and there is even an app( RunPee) that lets you know the best time to use the restroom when seeing a new film at the theater!“ There’ s an app for that!” now applies to legal advice as well. The constant development and downloading of new apps means lawsuits galore, but some firms are beginning to roll out their own apps. The content of the app varies from firm to firm. Some have chosen to utilize the app as an easier method of communication and others have provided legal practice area guides by state. Law360 named Baker McKenzie, Eversheds Sutherland, and Latham
& Watkins LLP as having the most comprehensive and forward-thinking mobile apps in the business, and cites a Fliplet survey that reported this year that over 24 % of the top 300 firms in the U. S. and U. K. have at least one application designed for use by the general public or clients via tablet or smartphone. Despite the growing trend, some attorneys remain skeptical.
In a 2013 article published by the American Bar Association’ s Law Practice Magazine, author Erik Mazzone( former director of Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association) gives 10 reasons not to bother with a law firm app. Most of his reasons center on lacking a focus for your app. Many firms may want to keep up with the pack, but will not know what content they want their app to include or what services, if any, they want it to provide. Since apps can be costly, even now, 4 years after Mazzone’ s article, big firms are still the majority using apps.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, and Berkowitz, PC, offers two apps, one for use by the general public, LE-EZ Guide, which is a guide to labor and employment law for 11 states and one federal law overview option, and one for clients, Biz Dev, a business development app. Eversheds Sutherland, LLP, offers six apps: Eversheds Sutherland Events, an itinerary app for attendees of official events; Eversheds Guide to Commercial Contracts; ES Tax SALT Shaker, which provides commentary on the latest state and local tax developments, as well as a feature that lets you view adorable pets belonging to Eversheds employees and the option to submit a photo of your own pet for“ Pet of the Month”; Eversheds Mobile, a general information app for clients; Texas openCourts, an app containing contact information for Texas courts; and Guide to International Employment and Pension Law. One feature offered by Eversheds that sets them apart from the rest is their“ Briefcase” feature, which makes emailing clients and colleagues content from the app simple and easy. Alston & Bird, LLP offers two apps, one general and one finance, which provide advisories, client alerts, attorney biographies, and upcoming events.
So is an app right for your firm? Mazzone’ s article is a good place to start your consideration, but his eighth and tenth reasons may be the only ones you need: 8. Your firm’ s current Web presence is anemic. If you have not done much with your firm website, stop. An app is icing; your firm’ s website is cake. Put your time and energy into the cake first. Then worry about the icing. … 10. You can not explain why building an app makes more sense than a mobile-friendly website. A lot of law firms would be better off foregoing the app and investing in a mobile-friendly website. There is no hard-and-fast rule as to when a project becomes app-worthy,
16 May 2017