The attorneys say that using the iPads has been of particular help with personal injury cases. According to the July 5th usatoday.com article, ''iPad brings new connection to lawyers, clients'', ''while wealthy corporate clients have BlackBerrys and other technology to keep up with their lawyers and track their legal affairs, working-class personal-injury clients often do not.''
Melissa Frankel, a personal injury client of Lamber and Goodnow, received an iPad when she hired the attorneys. She was quoted as saying: ''It was nothing that I ever expected. It is the best way, the easiest way to communicate with them.'' Things she's used the tablet PC for include taking a video of her injuries and using Skype to video conference with the lawyers. This enables her to make fewer trips to the attorneys' actual office, yet she can communicate with them whenever she has a need.
Lamber and Goodnow bought the iPads they are giving to clients with their own money. The pair works at Fennemore Craig, the second largest law firm in Arizona.
However, there are some drawbacks. Formatting certain documents that can be submitted in court is somewhat difficult at the present time. In addition, according to the article, Mighell has the following caveat: ''Lawyers who give tablet PCs to clients would have to find ways to make sure that the information on it remains confidential. The lawyers on the opposing side may look for ways to argue in court that they have a right to view some of the information on the device.''
According to the article Goodnow said ''the issue hadn't come up, but he believed that all of the information exchanged with clients on the iPads is covered by attorney-client privilege.''
