What The iPad 2 Means For Lawyers

Hutchings Court Reporters recognizes the value that tablet technology offers. There are several tablets being introduced currently and in the near future. Hutchings will be watching this technology as it unfolds and will post our thoughts as it pertains to using tablets for your depositions and case work.

Source: Jason Wietholter is the Technology Director at Opveon, a litigation support and consulting firm. Jason and the team at Opveon are making litigation more efficient and effective through the use of technology.


If you haven’t heard yet, Apple announced the iPad 2 on March 2, 2011. The iPad was a revolutionary product when it was first announced, and the iPad 2 continues on with some revolutionary changes of its own. Apple’s little iPad is growing up.

There are two major upgrades that make this iPad a much more effective and useful tool for attorneys and paralegals in virtually every aspect of the legal field. 

The Cameras :: The new iPad 2 has dual cameras, just like the iPhone 4. This opens up a lot of possibilities with Apple’s Face Time software. For example:

1. Impromptu Video Conferences – Speaking with your expert witness is no longer an abstract conversation. Instead, you can see each other face to face from around the globe. You can get a feel for them as a witness and develop a rapport using more than just your voices.

2. Tell AND Show – How many times have you tried to explain something over the phone, only to confirm by saying “See what I mean?” With dual cameras, you can communicate face to face, demonstrate complex ideas, or even use the back-facing camera and show some video of a document, diagram, or demonstrative while it is being marked up.

3. Site Walkthroughs – How many times have you walked through the site of a loss only to leave with a few photographs? Don’t get me wrong, photographs are invaluable, but being able to take video adds temporal/spatial context to the photos. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then video is worth 30000 words... per second.

The HDMI Adapter :: Finally! HDMI monitors and projects are becoming the norm in conference rooms across the world, and now you can interface with those displays very easily. Here are some of the important changes and why they are so darn beneficial:

1. You can charge your iPad while presenting – The new 30-pin to HDMI adapter allows for a standard 30-pin connection for power and video out via HDMI. No more worrying about your iPad’s battery dying. Turn off the sleep function and turn up the brightness!

2. HDMI carries audio and video – One connector makes all of the magic happen. Sharing multimedia presentations is easy because you just need to worry about one cable.

3. 1080p and 720p – You’re not limited to 1024x768 anymore. All of your presentations, photos, and videos get the big screen treatment so you and your audience see every little detail.

4. Video Mirroring – What you see on your iPad screen is what you get on the big screen. Apps, presentations, videos, everything.

If the success and features of the first iPad are any indication, the iPad 2 will definitely bring on some great innovation. The addition of the cameras and the HDMI adapter are huge, but this doesn’t even take into account the faster processors. But, I’m curious, how and why will the iPad 2 change your practice?