Disclaimer:

I currently use the Blackberry Storm.  Although I am the only one in our company who still does.  There are a couple of reason’s why, but the main one is I have 6 voice-mails I have saved from my (then) 5 and 7 year-old nieces that I will lose if I switch over to the iPhone.    I like to listen to them if I am having a rough day.  One is they’re singing happy birthday to me.  Otherwise, I would probably get the iPhone.

Blackberry

According to the Young Texas Lawyer Blog, the following are the top 10 Blackberry Apps.  The article was written August of 2009, and states “… although the iPhone has started to make its way into the legal marketplace, it still hasn’t seemed to get the job done for what lawyers need on a daily basis.”  Anyone come across any for the iPhone that would challenge this statement?

• The Law Pod – View the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence and the U.S. Constitution all on your phone.
• LawPDA – State statutes for California, Texas, and Florida.
• DateMathica – Helps you figure out the date of a deadline so you don’t miss it. See how many days you have left until a deadline. Easy to use and accurate.
• BizTrackIt – Simple to use, project-based, time tracking tool. Only provides the functionality you really need to track your time painlessly so you don’t miss out on a single billable hour. Just select a project from a list you create, clock in and clock out.
• WikiPock - Allows you to search and read the wiki encyclopedia articles without an internet connection (offline). All the articles are stored in your mobile phone’s memory so there is no need to download anything from the network. Over 2.8 million articles in English
• Evernote – Allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere.
• RDM+ – Remotely access your computer, even through NAT and Firewall from your phone. You can send and receive emails, edit word documents, surf web, manage files and folders and do hundreds of other things that you usually do sitting in front of your home or office computer.
• Google Maps – Offers most of what you love about the desktop version—including satellite views, turn-by-turn directions, and local business searching—and adds a GPS-enabled, location-based search component for use with your BlackBerry.
• WorldMate Live – Lets you check flight status, book hotels, connect with friends, and share your itineraries right from your phone. There’s also a currency converter, a time zone calculator, and BlackBerry Maps integration.
• Quick Pull – Offers the same functionality as pulling your battery and can even be scheduled to do so at predetermined times. Sometimes your Blackberry will begin to slow down and this is a quick way to reset it and start fresh.

iPhone:

According to Nicole Black, Esq. over at Practicing Law in the 21st Century-A Law & Technology Blog, there are currently over 55,000 iPhone apps, a number of which are specifically tailored toward lawyers:  http://21stcenturylaw.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/practicing-law-theres-an-iphone-app-for-that/

Many of these apps consist of databases of federal and state laws, thus allowing lawyers to carry relevant laws and rules in their pockets in an easily accessible format.

technorati claim token: T5F5U765QDVZ

LinkedIn Answers lets you tap the knowledge of your professional network. It also allows you to answer questions, and in the words of LinkedIn “By providing the best answers to questions, you earn expertise.”

One of the goals for any professional seeking a new job opportunity in any online marketing campaign should be to gain “expert status.” Because attorneys are service professionals who deal in the intangible — information and knowledge — it is crucial to “package” oneself in a way that relates to current and potential employers.

One of the best ways to do this is to provide guidance without seeming to blow your own horn too loud.

LinkedIn has provided an opportunity to do just that with their Questions and Answers area

You can browse through Open Questions as well as through different categories — such as Law and Legal Questions. It is important to note that many of the questions are asked by folks who are already in your industry. However, the questions usually focus on some specific area within that industry … an expert’s area.

By participating in such an environment, you are connecting with other like-minded people, creating a network of contacts, and perhaps getting a qualified lead or connection in your job search.

A good strategy is to look at questions in related industries. for example, a corporate attorney may want to look at questions in a business owner related category where legal questions come up. Of course, there will always need to be a disclaimer for most professions to seek out competent advice, etc.

Kevin O’Keefe, owner of LexBlog, makes some great points in a recent blog article titled: Law school students using LinkedIn : It’s a no brainer.  My favorite is:

“As for the placement office telling you to go slow on the use of social media? You know ‘Everything can be used against you, you’ll ruin your career.’

Tell them you’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in tuition and lost income while in school. Tell them traditional methods of gaining employment don’t work as well anymore. Tell them employers are using social networking like LinkedIn in spades.”

Wendy Maynard @ Kinetic Ideas also makes an excellent point that relates well to legal job searching:

People don’t buy things. They buy solutions to problems; they want to fulfill a desire or meet a need. To market your business effectively, you have to KNOW your target audience and what problems they face. In your marketing efforts – whether written, online, or in person – you should be able to provide your audience with a solution that is specific and directly benefits them…AND you should care about their problem.

Other helpful Links about Using LinkedIn to Find an Attorney Job:

• How law students should use LinkedIn

Technorati: 93CC45GCWJ75