Segments: Slices From the Macintosh Life
How I Got Started with the Mac
July 27, 1997, 11:38 AM
Those entries of exact time and date were made by my word processing program at the click of a
mouse...technology that elicited consternation and awe when Thomas F. Mabry, P.C., obtained its first
Macintosh in March of 1994.
The Mac was user-friendly and welcome because this user thought hardware meant hammers and nails
and software was a cashmere sweater. Gradually, though, I taught myself the nuances of the machine
with several "___________ For Dummies" books and a fair assortment of trials, errors, sweat and
tears. I began learning a new language along the way.
My first foray into the world of online research for my real "trials" occurred when the West
Publishing rep advised that, yes, they did have software for Macintosh, and, yes, they did have
Tennessee law on a CD Rom disk, and yes, it was affordable. Now there was a whole law library at my
fingertips and the means by which to create nifty briefs and terrific pleadings. I won a couple of cases
with unpublished opinions picked from the disk on the way to Court. The computer was remarkable, but
then the hot news became the World Wide Web...
Today, I am wired: not in the sense of an existential reaction to law office tension, but rather in terms
of computer literacy and an Internet connection...a welcome to the Brave New World of electronic law
office technology.
Hooking up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for about $ 20.00 bucks a month for unlimited
access, I used the second telephone line at the office as a part time Internet station, and I could also
access law from the Web at home. The Tennessee Bar Association's acclaimed web site (at a real steal
for $25.00 a year) offered access to case and statutory law and through the acclaimed TBA Link my
firm had access to the e-mail distribution of electronic slip opinions delivered to "our door" each day.
I soon subscribed to free Internet e-mail discussion lists named TBA Talk, the Techno-Lawyers, and
MacAttorneys. From these online sources, I further honed my "cyber-research" skills and from the
marvelous Web gained insight into the use of inexpensive software and research sites which
provided—in a "virtual" blink of an eye—case and statutory law from virtually every jurisdiction.
Query: How has this technology affected my little ole law practice? Much like the car affected
transportation when it was new to the mass consumer. I found that with some ingenuity the solo lawyer
could compete with the big firms on a not so big budget. Valuable time, energy and effort were saved
where inundation and exasperation were fast becoming the rule. I took my Apple Powerbook to seminars
and depositions ("Is that a computer in there?") and my Apple Newton hand held computer to Court
("What's the fancy gizmo, Tom?"). My productivity has increased and now I can actually locate
"most" of my notes.
And the cost has not been unduly prohibitive. Really. Neither in terms of money nor time. Not compared
to what I understand the large firms are expending for their electronic access to the law and
law-related products. Thomas F. Mabry, P.C., through its own inexpensive website and an e-mail
address through the ISP, has contact with clients, attorneys, and legal sources throughout the state,
country and the world.
"They say" that Macs are much more expensive than the Wintel machines. Well, when one shops at
MacMall or MacConnection or MacWarehouse, the prices are inexpensive. And lawyers who use the Mac
are invariably friendly and helpful in presenting information on what types of machines and software
to buy.
"They say" you can't find software for the Macintosh law office. This misconception is apparently
pervasive and, well, erroneous and distorted. Really. All one has to do is to go to Randy Singer's site at
<http://www.mother.com/~randy/law.shtml>. Contact Al Barsocchini at <lawtech@well.com>
and he'll show you where to find some Mac software. I have found everything that I could possibly need
electronically and in word processing needs for the Macintosh.
In general, I'd like to point out that in the course of preparing this article one Friday evening, I asked
the Techno-Lawyers for input. By Saturday morning, more than ten (10) responses had been
generated.
Attorney Alan Arfken of the Chattanooga Bar summed it up:
You've already demonstrated the most effective use of electronic communication for the small or solo firm—instant collaboration and other types of communication such as formal and informal publishing, not to mention research options that are no longer $4.50 per minute.
Harold L. Burstyn, a patent attorney with the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate wrote:
With four lawyers (two military and two civilian), our office is similarly situated to a small firm. I'm on the Internet every day, keeping up with news of intellectual property law, downloading cases (I don't need star page nos.) and govt. docs., and limited patent searching. I also use E-Mail extensively, both internal and external. Our claims people (one lawyer, one paralegal, both military) use the Internet to locate people and to download information for, e.g., medical malpractice claims.
Finally, Wendy Leibowitz, Technology Editor of the National Law Journal, opined:
I think solos and small firms are leveraging the hell out of the technology, and it's a delight. They are able to adapt to technology more quickly than the big firms, compete head-on with the big firms for business from tech-savvy clients like Dupont, and sometimes lead and advise their clients on using technology. Three points to cover: serving your clients from your homepage (at the bottom of this post there's a good url of a sole practitioner); efficient time and billing systems (why should a solo or small firm person waste time with accounting matters?) and creating databases of your previous work to avoid reinventing your own wheel. That's my two cents.
These e-mails were received within thirty (30) minutes of my posting the request on the
Techno-Lawyer listserver.
1:31 PM
That's how long this article took to produce: a token of my gratitude to the electronic age, the Macintosh
computer and Apple Computer products, and the encouragement that I've had to utilize this technology
to its fullest potential in my small firm practice.
By the way, I have also been encouraged to spend the remainder of this Sunday afternoon with my wife...
another obvious advantage of learning without consultants how to practice law with the Macintosh <g>.
I'm heading for the mountains!
Postscript (August 1, 1997)
This revolution in my lawyer life began and ended with the Mac. I have yet to use a consultant. I obtain
all my information on how to network my computers and operate the intricacies of the Macs from sites
like Macfixit
By the way, the new Mac Operating System, the OS 8, is outstanding.
The Segments section is open to anyone. If you have something interesting
to say about life with your Mac, write us at <editor@atpm.com>.
Also in This Series
- About My Particular Macintoshes · May 2012
- From the Darkest Hour · May 2012
- Shrinking Into an Expanding World · May 2012
- Growing Up With Apple · May 2012
- Recollections of ATPM by the Plucky Comic Relief · May 2012
- Making the Leap · March 2012
- Digital > Analog > Digital · February 2012
- An Achievable Dream · February 2012
- Smart Move? · February 2012
- Complete Archive
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