Build a Mobile Law Library with GoodReader

Once upon the 1990′s, attorneys stayed current by circulating pocket parts.

These flimsy paperbacks were the size of a Reader’s Digest, printed on tissue paper (or close to it), and often lost to desk drawers and stained with coffee. The first set of updates was still circulating long after the next set had arrived in the mail.

Everything’s now online.  Here is how you can use GoodReader to stay current – and organized – by building a mobile law library for the iPad.

Gather Your Web Resources

Identify what sources are available online. Open your browser, go to each court’s website, and select “Add to Home Screen”:

An icon is saved on your home screen. It is much quicker to access the latest opinions in your jurisdiction with a set of icons, rather than typing through a list of web addresses.

Merge Icons to Create a Home Screen Folder

On your home screen, press and hold the icon. It will shake, allowing you to drag and drop it onto another icon and create a folder. Repeat this process for each of your bookmarks:

Type the name of your folder (e.g. Virginia Law) and hit the home screen button. Now, your legal research icons will be available in one location. I also include other resources, including an app for the U.S. Constitution (Free) and Fastcase (Free; review), by far my favorite legal research app.

Build a Mobile Law Library

As courts release opinions, it makes sense to file electronic copies in GoodReader ($4.99; review), the file management app for the iPad.

GoodReader is the hub where everything is stored – cases, statutes, memoranda,  and notes from other apps, such as NoteTaker HD. It is my electronic law library and case management system.

First, you open a .pdf file of an opinion. It will appear in the iPad’s browser. Save it by tapping the screen and selecting “Open in” to file it with GoodReader:

As a prosecutor, I have a set of folders for criminal offenses, criminal procedure, and evidence law:

When I read an opinion on a particular offense, it is saved accordingly:

Same for cases on Virginia procedure:

An electronic system of saving noteworthy cases replaces your office file cabinet, which is probably too heavy to carry to court anyways. I will often reference a case that I read and filed months earlier, a task that is especially important with a criminal docket of 10-15 cases during the week.

The law is constantly changing, but fortunately, technology makes it easier to keep pace. For new attorneys, building a mobile law library is invaluable.

For questions, comments, or help using the Apple iPad at work, please contact me at redean@gmail.com.