publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/550988
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JULY 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 51 WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH DOCUMENTS ON AN iPAD EDITING Although many legal IT departments have instituted mobile use policies, we all know lawyers will work how they want to while on the go. As lawyers increasingly integrate mobile devices into their workflows and Microsoft continues to integrate its Office suite into the mobile ecosystem, we can expect the lawyer workflow to transition from simply viewing documents to full-scale editing on mobile devices. Microsoft is perpetuating the mobile editing movement with its announcement of expanded global partnerships with Samsung, Dell and nine other providers to deliver Microsoft mobile productivity services. These hardware partners will pre-install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype on Android devices coming to market later this year. With more of the population having easier access to mobile editing than ever before, what does this mean for our documents, specifically our complex legal documents? How do we effectively make edits on our iPads? We recently sat down with some attorneys and asked about editing documents on an iPad: How often do you edit Word documents on your mobile device? 87% of respondents answered at least once a week, with the high side being more than once a day How do you use your mobile device to work with Word documents? Over 60% of respondents edit content via iPads If you edit Word documents, what types of edits are you making? Adding (92%) and deleting (77%) content were the two most common actions These new technologies and workflows introduce new and potentially detrimental risks to law firms. Adding and deleting track changes, comments and numbering are important features for an editing tool to possess. Here's how these tools stack up: Arm yourself with as much information as possible and know that technology is ever-changing.