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Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Law - Still more on: Free Fastcase access on iPhone

Updating this ILB entry from Jan. 30, Ted Waggoner of Peterson & Waggoner, LLP, Rochester, IN, wrote early yesterday to report:

Loaded the app over the weekend, and played with it some. Not bad, got the several cases and statutes I tested it on. It can save the matter, but not email or print which is a weakness. Better search than the Indiana Code LSA page I was using for Indiana statutes.
Late yesterday Ted wrote again, to point out a review on a blog that was new to me -- iPhone J.D. A few quotes from the lengthy review:
Fastcase I will start this review with what probably belongs in my conclusion: Every single lawyer using an iPhone should download the Fastcase app. Moreover, the availability of the free Fastcase app is a compelling reason for any attorney not using an iPhone to purchase one today. This app is that useful. * * *

On the iPhone, however, I don't need something as powerful as the full version of Westlaw or Lexis. My research needs on the iPhone usually consist of pulling a case when I am out of the office and have a citation, doing a quick search for recent cases that contain a word or phrase, or pulling a statute. Last week, for example, I was in trial and there were several times when I wanted to quickly pull a case at issue and read it. I accessed Google Scholar using Safari (which I previously discussed here) and for the most part I got what I needed, but it would have been much easier to use a dedicated legal research app. How I wish that Fastcase for the iPhone had been released last Monday instead of last Friday! I would have made extensive use of this app during my time in the courtroom, and the app is so efficient that I would have been much more productive. I know that I will be using this app a lot in the future when I am in court, a meeting, or otherwise out of the office and need to look at the law. * * *

I presume that Fastcase is offering the iPhone app for free in the hopes that attorneys will enjoy using the iPhone version so much that they will sign up for Fastcase on their computer. That's not a bad strategy. My opinion of Fastcase has gone up quite a bit as I have been using this app over the last few days, and I'm sure that I will find myself giving Fastcase a second look on my computer as a result. If Westlaw or Lexis were to come out with a full featured app, then Fastcase would have some serious competition. Lexis already has an iPhone app, and while it is free, it lacks so many important features that I find the current version of the app just plain frustrating. Also, I suspect that at some point, someone will come out with a good iPhone app front end to Google Scholar, which would also give Fastcase some serious competition. But unless and until we see something good and free from Westlaw, Lexis or Google, Fastcase will clearly be the research app of choice for all attorneys with iPhones. Congratulations to Ed Walters and his team at Fastcase for creating an incredibly useful app that every lawyer should get immediately.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 2, 2010 09:20 AM
Posted to General Law Related