Evan Kline of Katherman, Briggs & Greenberg, has been using LIT SOFTWARE apps for many years. He focuses his practice in helping people with complex injury claims involving serious injury. Here at LIT SOFTWARE we've also gotten to know Evan personally through the ABA TECHSHOW, where he's a knowledgeable part of the faculty and great company at the famous Taste of TECHSHOW dinners. Evan regularly speaks on legal technology, and also authors 40Tech.com. He recently helped create one of the best and most relatable trial technology tutorials we've ever seen, and which fortunately was captured for posterity and posted to YouTube: https://youtu.be/giI2t4Gj_sg
Evan has made LIT SOFTWARE apps a part of his daily practice, and that has aided him in becoming an expert. We spoke a few weeks ago, and he agreed to share some of his tips for using TrialPad and TranscriptPad in the real world. Here they are for your edification:
TIPS1) Practice, Practice, and Use These Apps in Your Practice
Evan has incorporated TrialPad and TranscriptPad into his day to day practice, using TranscriptPad for trial preparation, and TrialPad for client meetings to review their cases, similar cases, and case results.
By using the apps daily, he finds that not only do the apps stay familiar to him, but the features and functions be located and employed with muscle memory.
2) Use TrialPad to Present Anything, Not Just for Trial
Evan thinks TrialPad could more aptly be named PresentationPad. He uses it to present to potential clients, to discuss a case with a current client, to bring up a document in depositions, to make his case in mediation, to present at court, etc. The reason isn't just that TrialPad is easy to use, and makes for a beautiful presentation. It's also practical. In practice Evan has found that you can't count on someone's undivided attention anymore, be they clients or juries. And with the knowledge that retention of visual presentations is much better than anything merely written or heard, and that people are accustomed to getting their information from screens, TrialPad became the best solution for imparting information in nearly any setting.
3)Use TranscriptPad for Trial Preparation
Evan uses TranscriptPad frequently, and believes it was critical to his case organization in a recent case with about 30 depositions. When we spoke, Even mentioned the importance of Impeachment Reports in TranscriptPad.
4)Get to the Courtroom in Advance of Trial
In York County, PA, where Evan regularly is in trial, the courtrooms are pre-wired for plug-and-play presentation. In fact, each courtroom even has an Apple TV for wireless presentation. But that's not the case in every courthouse, or even in the courthouses in the counties that surround York. Going to the courtroom in advance lets you know what is already in place, and gives you a chance to test it as well. Just testing in your office isn't enough, as the actual hardware in place in the courtroom will likely be different.
Evan gave us a couple sub tips in this category: (1) When presenting wirelessly have a backup connection like a VGA cable or an HDMI cable just in case. (2) Create a travel kit with key hardware components for your presentation, this allows you to plug in your own equipment and present no matter what courtroom you're in.
5)Use TrialPad With iPad Pro, and an Apple Pencil
When it comes to trial presentation, bigger is better and the iPad Pro 12.9" (though smaller than a legal pad) offers the real estate you need when presenting. Evan uses the Apple Pencil as his default interface method for precision, and a polished professional appearance.
For more on Evan and his practice, you can follow him on Twitter (@40Tech), find him online at his firm (resultsyoudeserve.com) or his blog (40Tech.com). Thanks for sharing your tips, Evan!