The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/448505
18 PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA CASE STUDIES At Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C., these were the kinds of questions our on-the-go attorneys were asking in late 2013 and early 2014. We spent much of 2014 trying to find the best solution, examining the Surface Pro and the iPad. LET THE TESTING BEGIN In February 2014, our firm purchased a Surface Pro and an iPad. We started testing with two associates. For a month, one associate had the firm's iPad and the other had the Surface Pro; then they swapped and tested for another month. Both associates were decidedly in favor of the Surface Pro. The firm's technology committee members wanted to conduct additional testing before the firm committed to such an expensive outlay for our mobile attorneys, so we purchased two more Surface Pros and started testing in earnest. Each committee member signed up for a seven-day testing period. We put many apps used on the iPad onto the Surface Pro and ensured that each user's profile was set up properly for testing Users were asked to test the Surface Pro on general functions and various applications. AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE We reached the conclusion that the Surface Pro functions just as well as the iPad for reviewing documents, email messages, etc., and it provides much more capability for lawyers to complete work. When you add the docking station, it acts like a solid desktop when in the office. It also has USB ports, it is fast and there are Windows apps that utilize the touch screen when needed. The Surface Pro can functionally replace our existing laptops and work as a tablet. In the coming year, Surface Pros will replace desktops and laptops for the majority of our mobile attorneys. They will now be free to roam! About the Author Maritta Terrell is serves as Trainer & Application Support at Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C. She has been working in law firms since 1980 and has been active with ILTA since 1992. Maritta enjoys meeting and learning from people involved in law firm technology. Contact her at mterrell@lglawfirm.com. Surface Over the iPad? The Vote Is In! "I need something smaller, more portable for traveling." "I feel foolish opening up my big laptop when all around me folks have little tablets." "Can't we catch up to current technology?" Processing Speed: Remote computing, watching videos, speed Power Supply: Powering up, battery life, charging battery Construction: Case, weight, kick stand, ports Connectivity: Remote to network, local to network, direct access, DMS, Outlook, Internet sites Ease of Use: Keyboard, switching between applications, finding applications Video: Size of screen, resolution, portrait to landscape, brightness control, color, camera Word Processing: Creating/editing, saving locally, saving to the DMS Spreadsheets: Creating, moving around cells PowerPoint: Creating/editing, saving locally Email: Creating, searching, reading, attaching Internet Access: Opening Internet Explorer, searching, playing video over the Internet PDF Access: Open Adobe Acrobat, open and move in a PDF, save to DMS, save locally; same tests with Nuance's PDF Converter GENERAL FUNCTIONS APPLICATIONS