Can a Digital Device Replace the Staid Legal Pad? — Microsoft Surface

Our mission: find the perfect computing device.

It should:

• Run nearly any software.
• Provide remote connection to the office from the wilds of Alaska.
• Be small, but not too small.
• Weigh under (3) pounds and under (2) if possible.
• Run as fast as a desktop computer.
• And, in a pinch, it should be able to make coffee.

So, we did testing and are focusing on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and 4. Although it will not make coffee, we hope using it will help to streamline the work of our attorneys and paralegals.

The adoption of new technology often lends itself to pain and inconvenience; especially for already busy lawyers and some law firms find that timely adoption of new technology turns to sharp skepticism and preference for age-old tools struggling to keep up with the data demands of the modern attorney.  The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 cements the heritage of the legal pad and the assurance of digital technology together, allowing attorneys and paralegals to do business as they always have — but with a new type of legal pad that never runs out of ink or paper and is always (mostly) accessible.

Our lawyers often work on complex cases and the amount of information in our files can be enormous; some on computers and some in paper folders, which go with us back and forth to depositions or the courtroom daily.  Information must be readily available to us at the exact time our attorneys need it.  Today’s demand for ready information does not lend itself to our detailed notes written down on a legal pad in our office.  In most situations access to our data eliminates huge breaks in efficiency.  That was the primary goal when our IT department introduced the Surface Pro 3 back in 2015.

With the Surface Pro 3 and its digital ink on a Microsoft Windows operating system it may be the best tool currently available for attorneys and paralegals.  It’s a full-blown Windows-based PC, with as much computing power as a desktop workstation.  You can work from any location with an Internet connection as if you were sitting at your desk.  We have developed a virtual private network (VPN) that allows you to take your Surface Pro 3 home in the evenings and have access to all of your cases and discovery through our secure VPN remote access.

In the old days it was common to see lawyers yanking at weighed down carts with several boxes home to review at night or elsewhere to work.  Now those files and all the important documents can be accessed at the office and never have to be moved until the case are closed. The Surface Pro 3 provides the possibility of mobile access to data and is, in many opinions, an excellent solution for attorneys and paralegals.

Please look at the following video for a demonstration on how the Surface Pro 3 can help you be more efficient both in and out of the office.