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There are two more iPad presentation apps available, in addition to TrialPad, that I wanted to bring to your attention.

First there’s the RLTC Evidence app (website, iTunes link) which costs $9.99. Then there’s Exhibit A (iTunes link), which costs $4.99.

While I haven’t yet had a chance to try out all 3, Ted Brooks—a legal technology trial consultant whose role could arguably be limited by apps like these down the road—provides very extensive reviews of all 3 products here and here.

Given that all 3 of these products are new to the market, there is certainly room for improvement and there are bound to be glitches. That being said, for solo and small firm practitioners, these apps and those that will follow are ideal.

During the first 8 years of my legal career, I spent a lot of time in the courtroom and would have loved to have had tools like this available as I tried cases. This type of technology would have been ideal for criminal trials and for personal injury trials.

Back then, this type of technology wasn’t even feasible. And, even today, for most solos and small firms, hiring a costly trial technology consultant is likewise not feasible in most cases. Most cases tried by most lawyers aren’t multi-million dollar cases—they’re criminal trials, personal injury matters and small business contract disputes. BigLaw can afford expensive trial consultants; most solos and small firms cannot.

These apps fill that void, leveling the playing field and making solos and small firms more competitive. As these apps improve and new features are added, they will undoubtedly become valuable tools in the arsenal of solo and small firm litigators.

I’ve been searching for the perfect iPad annotation app since my iPad arrived in the mail last spring. Sign My iPad (website) is a good option.Much like Zosh, one of my favorite iPhone apps, the app is created with the intention of allowing people to fill out forms, such as contracts. But it works equally well for the purposes of annotating a document such as a pleading or memorandum of law.

To get documents into the app, you either open a PDF that you’ve already saved to your iPad or open a PDF in your email and then save the PDF using Sign My iPad. You can then add typed text, written comments (using the “signature” option), a check box or the date.

To add handwritten annotations, you use the signature function. Unfortunately, even when using a stylus (I use a BoxWave stylus), it’s still not the same as writing on a piece of paper with a pen. The iPad isn’t as responsive as I’d like and it’s more difficult to write accurately and legibly. Nevertheless, it works good enough and is a good alternative to carrying around large, heavy files or loose pieces of paper everywhere you go. Using the typed notes function is a good option, as well.

(Oh, and by the way, should you need it, there are tons of free online services that allow you to convert Word documents into PDF documents, such as pdfonline.com.)

The app costs only $3.99 and you can buy it here on iTunes.

(The app developers recently contacted me and offered me complimentary access to this app, but I’d already purchased it previously with the intent of reviewing it and just hadn’t gotten around to it. I finally got around to it!;)

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