{"id":100047,"date":"2025-01-07T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/07\/setting-up-an-all-mac-law-office\/"},"modified":"2025-01-07T02:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T10:00:00","slug":"setting-up-an-all-mac-law-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/07\/setting-up-an-all-mac-law-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting Up An All-Mac Law Office"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brett Burney tells how you can set up Mac law office: hardware, software, using Microsoft and PDFs, and cloud-based services. Key Takeaways Brett Burney\u2019s primer on what you\u2019ll need to go \u201call Mac\u201d is an Attorney at Work classic must-read. And for those who wonder about bringing a little Apple into your workspace? Come on [\u2026]
\nThe post Setting Up An All-Mac Law Office appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.<\/p>\n

Brett Burney tells how you can set up Mac law office: hardware, software, using Microsoft and PDFs, and cloud-based services.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n
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  1. More Lawyers are Going Mac:<\/strong> More and more lawyers are using Macs in their practice because of their reliability, security and ease of use with other Apple devices. This is especially true for solo practitioners and small firms who have more flexibility in what they can use.<\/li>\n
  2. Mac Compatible Legal Software:<\/strong> Although there isn\u2019t much legal specific Mac native software, lawyers can still manage their practice using a combination of Mac compatible applications and cloud services. Clio for practice management, Microsoft Office for document management are some examples.<\/li>\n
  3. Cost and Performance:<\/strong> While many think Macs are more expensive than Windows PCs, the cost difference disappears when you compare apples to apples. Going Mac can save you money and time in the long run and give you a powerful and efficient setup for lawyers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Brett Burney\u2019s primer on what you\u2019ll need to go \u201call Mac\u201d is an Attorney at Work classic must-read. And for those who wonder about bringing a little Apple into your workspace? Come on in, the water\u2019s fine! \u2014 The Editors<\/em><\/p>\n

    Three years ago, I wrote a primer<\/a> for\u00a0Attorney at Work on setting up an all-Mac law office. For this updated two-part series, in addition to updating that earlier article here, I\u2019ve reached out to four Mac-using lawyers \u2014 Victor Medina, David Sparks, Ben Stevens and Jeremy Worley <\/a>\u2014 for their insight and advice. You can read their full replies in Part 2, here: \u201cLawyers Who Use Macs: Why They Do It and How.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

    How Many Lawyers Are Using Macs?<\/h2>\n

    There are two reasons lawyers contemplate using a Macintosh in their practice. One is because they\u2019re already using an iPhone or iPad and a Mac would complete their Apple-y experience. (Some call this the \u201chalo effect.<\/a>\u201d)<\/p>\n

    The second is that many lawyers have a Mac at home either for their own use or a family member\u2019s (e.g., for offspring attending college). They\u2019ve become enamored with the \u201cit just works\u201d dependability and yearn for the same experience on their work computer.<\/p>\n

    We\u2019re not completely sure of the total number of Mac-using lawyers, but in the 2015 Legal Tech Survey\u00a0conducted by the ABA\u2019s Legal Technology Resource Center<\/a>,\u00a08.1\u00a0percent\u00a0of respondents reported that they use a Mac in their practice. That\u2019s a noteworthy jump from only 5.8\u00a0percent\u00a0in the 2014 survey. The biggest chunk of those Mac users were solo practitioners (15.5 percent), and small firms (2-9 attorneys) were next. Many lawyers find that their law school education did not fully prepare them for the practicalities of managing a law practice, which is why they seek reliable and user-friendly technology like Macs.<\/p>\n

    Why solos and small firms?<\/strong> I suppose because they are more flexible in choosing the equipment they want to run their practice. Larger firms strictly limit what their lawyers use, although the stealthy invasion of BYOD<\/a> is expanding beyond mobile devices to computers as well.<\/p>\n

    A completely separate survey\u00a0by\u00a0Clio<\/a> asked 886 lawyers, paralegals and law students why they chose to use Macs instead of Windows PCs. Fifty-two percent\u00a0of them simply reported that Macs were more reliable and secure. That\u2019s the reason Jeremy Worley says he led his 13-attorney firm to switch from Windows to Macs \u2014\u00a0they wanted the most reliable machines they could buy, which would \u201cpay for themselves in saved IT costs, time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

    So why aren\u2019t all lawyers using Macs?<\/strong> One reason may simply be that their firms won\u2019t let them. Many midsize and large firms provide a computer for their lawyers and they\u2019re certainly not giving out Macs.<\/p>\n

    But the main reason is still the lack of legal-specific, Mac-native software. Legal software developers can\u2019t justify spending time and resources on a product that only 8\u00a0percent\u00a0of their customer base would use.<\/p>\n

    Then there\u2019s still the misguided perception that Macs cost more than Windows computers. The imaginary price gap, however, shrinks dramatically when you compare a Mac and a Windows computer with the exact same components. Sure, you can buy a $400 Windows laptop, but how long will it last? And why subject yourself to the persistent frustration of a low-powered cheap alternative when your computer is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your practice?<\/p>\n

    Which Mac Should You Buy?<\/h2>\n

    For a desktop, I still recommend the 27-inch iMac<\/a>. (Go Retina 5K<\/a> if you can but it\u2019s not necessary.) You can still go for the Mac mini<\/a> but you\u2019ll need to supply your own keyboard, mouse and monitor. Consider a SuperDrive<\/a> if you still need to access CDs and DVDs since no Mac today has an internal drive.<\/p>\n

    The laptop side has gotten a little confusing since my previous article. I still recommend that most folks look first to the 13-inch MacBook Air,<\/a> but consider the 13- or\u00a0\u00a015-inch\u00a0MacBook Pro<\/a> if you want a Retina display. The MacBook Air boasts plenty of power for lawyers, but the Retina display on the MacBook Pro is truly dazzling.<\/p>\n

    In March 2015, an unusual new laptop entry hit the shelves simply called the \u201cMacBook<\/a>\u201d with no additional descriptor. The 12-inch MacBook<\/a> is thinner and lighter than the MacBook Air but boasts a Retina display. Based on reviews so far, you\u2019ll either love it<\/a> or hate it<\/a>. The MacBook probably has the bare minimum of power I recommend for a lawyer, but most folks complain about the keyboard and the single connector (for power, USB and everything else).<\/p>\n

    The absolute best thing you can do is visit an Apple retail store<\/a> and get your hands on all the models to see which works best for you. And if the price is still too scary, consider purchasing an Apple Certified Refurbished<\/a> machine. The right Mac setup can help law firms efficiently manage their operations and better serve both individual clients and businesses.<\/p>\n

    Updates for 2024-2025<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    MacBook Air (M2 or M3):<\/h3>\n