MOBILE COMPUTING
IN THE SMALL FIRM
ob
ing
omput
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by Nathan Smith of McKee, Voorhees &
Sease, P.L.C.
Almost without anyone noticing, a paradigm shift
has occurred in the way we think about mobile
computing. A little over 10 years ago, mobile
computing meant working from a physical place that
was not your office — usually a hotel, home office or
client site. Now, mobile computing means working
virtually anywhere: on the train, in a café or while
waiting at the doctor's office. The BlackBerry started
this shift in our work; anywhere expectations,
new devices, pervasive Wi-Fi, improvements in
cellular data speeds and technologies, power-saving
processors and battery improvements are taking the
idea of mobility to new heights.
RIDING THE MOBILE WAVE
At McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C., a small firm
with fewer than 20 attorneys, we have always put a
value on having some mobility. Originally this meant
laptops with dial-in capability. In the late '90s, we
were quick to adopt the original BlackBerry in the
small pager form-factor, realizing this was a way
to increase client responsiveness. Soon BlackBerry
devices were everywhere in the legal profession,
and increased responsiveness became the norm.
Laptops continue to be a mainstay in our firm. While
some firms have moved away from laptops, we find
