The new Apple Watch allows lawyers to communicate easier and faster. Being able to take and make phone calls without your smartphone is a powerful tool.
Receiving and responding to text messages without having your phone also keeps things simple and fast. Setting up quick pre-typed text replies that you can send with a quick tap like, “I’m in court and can’t text right now. I’ll follow up when I get back to the office” keeps everyone happy and satisfies the real-time needs of today’s client.
To check my calendar, all I need to do is look at my watch. I use PracticePanther to run my practice (I’m a Brand Ambassador for the company), and because it syncs with Google Calendar, everything ends up on my watch and wrist.
Apple Watch compatible apps like “Voice Record Pro” by Dayana Networks lets you record quick reminders. It also lets you record conversations, hearings, and almost anything else, and then download or forward the audio using many options like text, email, Dropbox, and Google Docs.
Our overflow and after hours incoming phone calls are all handled by Ruby Receptionists (full disclosure, I’m also a Brand Ambassador for Ruby). What happens is when our live Ruby assistants take a message, they immediately send a text and email to our firm. Now, calls and messages specifically for me are immediately pushed to my Apple Watch. By simply looking down at my wrist, I’m better able to keep better track of my incoming messages and the overall heartbeat of our firm.
I’m speaking at the upcoming Maximum Lawyer Conference in St. Louis and will be using the Keynote or PowerPoint app to navigate my presentation. Many other powerful apps that you and I use on our smartphones are now just a tap or two away on our wrists.
Another benefit I’ve noticed with wearable technology is that it’s a great conversation starter. People will see you using your Apple Watch and ask you about it. What you do and say in response to this question might just be the start of a new long-term client or referral source.
These are just a few of the reasons why I believe the Apple Watch Series 3 is technology that most lawyers should embrace and use. There are also plenty of recreational benefits that I think are pretty cool, but I’ll save those for another post. Right now it’s time to go for a nice long run while listening to The Doobie Brothers through my Apple Air Pods and via my watch. I’ll be leaving my phone in the car.
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Mitch Jackson enjoys combining law, social media, and digital to disrupt, hack, and improve his clients’ companies, causes, and professional relationships. He’s an award-winning 2013 California “Litigation Lawyer of the Year” who speaks around the country about law and technology.
