There are a number of electronics that a lawyer really needs and quite a few nice to have items as well. A lot depends upon whether you are working for yourself or with a small law firm or you have latched on with one of the major firms who have big pockets and can afford to splurge on nice to have electronics. Alexander Djerassi recommends checking out such technology to advance any firm. Chances are too, with a big firm, they have already spent a lot of money on a particular type of software system.
Electronics for lawyers can be divided up into two different types, hardware, and software. For example, a small law firm of one or two lawyers are very likely to have Quickbooks to keep track of all their invoices and expenditures but that’s an example of software. Here, we will concentrate on hardware only. Perhaps the top piece of hardware we can think of is to invest in the software that will turn your smartphone into a portable scanner. A very popular form of scanning software for this purpose is Scanbot. And yes, while it does involve downloading software, it the use of an attorney’s ability to scan anywhere with his or her smartphone that makes the Scanbot so handy.
As an alternative, there are small, portable scanners such as the Iris 7 that can do the same thing and allows you to even translate data into up to 30 languages. Here there are several different ways, the easiest of which is to attach a simple HDMI cable from your laptop to your television. If it’s a modern television it will have an HDMI input, and an HDMI cable costs a mere $15 or so. But if an attorney wants to get really fancy, however, use Miracast by Microsoft.
It allows you to ghost your laptop onto a television easily and safely. Be sure to check, however, that both the TV and the laptop are Miracast capable. If an attorney travels away from the office, accepting payments for your service can be awkward. Use a portable credit card system like Square that are small and discreet and allows you to accept those credit card payments instantly.
Another very useful device for attorneys is a portable, hand-held pocket projector. While they do run around $300 or so, you have the ability to project images on virtually any flat surface and are great for impromptu meetings. For some reason too, even though the technology is not magical, pocket projectors make a big impact on people. Although it does come more in the category of software, Hello sign is a great addition to your inventory. Hello sign allows you to request up to 20 signatures at once on documents and when the signatures are all gathered, places a copy to each signatures inbox. Finally, there is a desktop charging station. Attorneys like Alexander Djerassi live and die by their phone, and do not want their phone to die at the least opportune time. Keep all of your devices charged at once for around $35.