Law Department Management
either store the document locally or we have
the ability to store on (a Microsoft) SharePoint (portal). The document isn't stored
on some server in the U.S."
The boundaries of tablet use can also
vary depending on the nature of the organization, Croll says. "If we were a public company, I think we would have a heightened
sense of awareness," he says. "I think we try
to address security on documents on a
case-by-case basis. We'll use passwords
with respect to any documents, but from an
e-mail perspective, we don't draw a big
distinction on running e-mail on a tablet as
opposed to a regular server."
In some ways, it may help that tablets
are becoming more standardized and easier
for corporate users to understand. Though
thinner and lighter models seem to come
out every year, Mighell says the design of
the hardware has begun to mature.
"I won't say we've hit a plateau, but
we've hit a level where there's nothing radically new that's coming out in
terms of tablet computers," he says.
That's fine for users like Readman, who is
not interested in "phablets" or other tablet
designs that look something like a cross
between a phone and an iPad.
"The idea is, you don't want to make
it too small. I like to read, I like to see
things," he says. "If you're using a phone,
it's just too small to read a 50-page document. If they could make it so you can bend
it in half and put it in your pocket, I guess
that might be helpful."
Mirandola says the No. 1 one thing
Apple and other tablet manufacturers can
do to keep in-house lawyers loyal is to
focus more on the internal mechanics that
ensure they perform as good or better than
high-end laptops and PCs. "For lawyers
in particular," he says, "speed is always a
good thing." IH
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