If you’re not incorporating an iPad into your law practice today, you are behind the times. An iPad with the right apps is an extremely valuable tool that can empower your practice to be more efficient and streamlined.
For example, the iPad can be your digital manila folder – instead of printing out your documents that are ALREADY in digital form, you can copy them over to your iPad and access them whenever you need them. Your iPad is also an effective legal research tool, and it helps you stay on top of client email and communications.
But one of the primary areas where an iPad excels in a law practice is for giving presentations. You can certainly use your iPad to present a typical “linear” slide presentation using Apple’s Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint, there are several apps that give you the ability to dynamically zoom into a document or image and create annotations on the fly. One of these apps is iTrial from ExhibitView Solutions.
Trial Presentation and More
The primary focus of the iTrial app is to allow you to easily show an image or PDF and then use your finger (or stylus) to create a “call-out” on the document, highlight some text, or freehand draw a circle around a section on the page. And while iTrial does not offer all the bells and whistles you will find in other similar apps, iTrial equips you with a simple, solid, effective, and easy-to-navigate app that accommodates the vast majority of your trial presentation needs (and more!).
There are several apps that give you the ability to dynamically zoom into a document or image and create annotations on the fly. One of these apps is iTrial from ExhibitView Solutions.
In addition, when you purchase iTrial, you receive a free copy of PDF+ from ExhibitView Solutions, which is an $89 value. The PDF+ software can be installed on your Windows PC where you can apply exhibit stickers, bar codes, Bates numbering, and more to your PDF files before you copy them over to the iTrial app.
The essence of iTrial is for trial presentation, although it has been used in a variety of scenarios – really any place where you have a need to direct your audience’s attention to a particular paragraph or section of a document. For example, lawyers use such apps in depositions where they connect their iPad to a monitor and can show exhibits on a screen and precisely focus the attention of everyone in attendance.
Presenting Your Documents
The iTrial app allows you to download files from a variety of sources including cloud-based storage services such as Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive, as well as access the iCloud Drive. You can also connect your iPad to your computer and use the free iTunes software to copy over a variety of files from your computer which works well when you have large audio or video files that you want to show in iTrial.
Once you create a new case in iTrial, and download the files for your case, you can simply tap on a file in the list to bring it up on the screen in front of you. Once you select a file, the file list automatically closes so you can see the document/image in a full-screen setting. You can bring up the file list again by tapping the little “hamburger” icon in the upper left corner. When you open the file list again, the last item that you selected and viewed will be highlighted in a light blue color so you can quickly locate it.
You can also bring up two files side-by-side by simple tapping either the left or right side prior to selecting a file. When you activate the left or right side, you will immediately see it highlighted in a blue glowing border. The selected file will then appear in that side, and you can select another file to appear in the opposite side.
Most folks will use iTrial with their iPad in landscape mode, but the app works just fine in portrait mode as well. You can rotate the iPad to be most helpful for your needs.
Whenever you need to completely clear the screen, simply tap the “Clear Screen” button in the upper right corner. This will remove whatever document(s) you’re viewing and present a blank screen ready for the next file.
When you purchase iTrial, you receive a free copy of PDF+ from ExhibitView Solutions (an $89 value). The PDF+ software can be installed on your Windows PC where you can apply exhibit stickers, bar codes, Bates numbering, and more to your PDF files.
Annotations and Highlights
Once you have a file in front of you, a row of buttons at the top of the screen gives you access to the different annotations available in iTrial.
The first button is a magnifying glass with a plus sign in the middle – this is the “Callout Zoom” feature and will become one of your primary tools when using iTrial. After tapping the Callout Zoom button, you can use your finger to draw a square or rectangle around the section of a document or image that you want to enlarge. You can drag the callout around on the screen and then simply double tap to dismiss the callout.
Unfortunately, you can only have one callout for a document at a time, and if you attempt to create another callout it will simply replace the first callout. If you need to compare two areas of a document, the best thing is to bring up the same document in the side-by-side view and then use the pinch-to-zoom function native to the iPad to pinpoint the sections you want to compare.
Next the Highlight tool allows you to draw a colored transparent box over a section of a document. If you tap and hold on the button you can select from a variety of colors.
The next two buttons are the “Straight Pen Tool” and the “Freehand Pen Tool.” Both of these allow you to draw either a straight line or a freehand scribble respectively. Many people use the Freehand Pen Tool to circle a section of text or draw an arrow. For both of these tools, you can tap and hold on the button at the top to change the color and the thickness of the lines.
Helpfully, there are “Undo” and “Redo” buttons so you can quickly correct any mistakes in highlighting or drawing lines.
iTrial also features a virtual laser pointer that you can use on the screen. There’s also a print option should you have the need to print out a file.
One of the more helpful tools is the “Screenshot/Snapshot” button which looks like a little camera. If you have an annotated document or perhaps allowed a witness to draw on an exhibit, you can simply tap the “Screenshot/Snapshot” button to capture the markups. The screenshot is saved as a JPEG image inside your file listing for the case. The screenshot is also saved into your iPad’s photo library where you can easily email or share the image.
Another helpful feature is the ability to create “Whiteboards” in your case which are basically blank white screens where you can use the annotation tools to draw simple diagrams. You can have multiple whiteboards in a case and pull them up whenever you need them.
iTrial also features a virtual laser pointer that you can use on the screen. There’s also a print option should you have the need to print out a file.
You can also add a “Note” to your case which provides a simplified text editor. This is useful for quickly jotting down some thoughts or ideas.
Connecting to a Projector or TV
The “Projector” button in the upper right corner usually displays the word “OFF” – even when you connect your iPad to a projector, the button will still display “OFF” until you tap it to actually project your screen to the external projector or widescreen TV. Once you tap that button to “ON” your audience (judge, jury, conference room, etc.) will see the file you’re displaying on a black background. Your audience does not see your file listing or the annotation buttons.
Who Is ExhibitView Solutions?
ExhibitView Solutions LLC is made up of long-time legal professionals, IT professionals, and technology experts. As a “media consultant” for trial litigators, Bill Roach dreamed of creating a presentation software package that any lawyer could use to easily show relevant files and media in a courtroom setting, which lead to iTrial.
Why You Should Consider iTrial from ExhibitView Solutions…
- Imported files can easily be renamed and organized into folders for each case.
- A dynamic search bar at the top of your file listing allows you to quickly search the filenames of your exhibits and documents.
- Files and exhibits can be marked as “Admitted” that places a red circle with an “A” in the center next to the file for quick reference.
- You can export an index of all the exhibits/assets in your case to be printed, emailed, or simply saved as a PDF.
Try Out iTrial for Yourself!
You can visit the ExhibitView website for more information on their products including iTrial.
