OneNote! What is it Good For?
Absolutely…. Well, Quite a Bit.
OneNote remains a mystery to some lawyers. Some folks just can't translate the concept of a three-ring binder from the real world to the virtual. However, those that can find the software transformational.
"When lawyers unfamiliar with OneNote join the team, they say, 'Wow, I can't believe how well -organized all this information is and how fast and easily I can find and edit it .... I organize my job-and my life around OneNote. I really couldn't function without it."
- John Gartman, Principal at Fish & Richardson
Take that concept of the three-ring binder, now expand that mental construction so that it can contain PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, email messages, diagrams, audio and video files. Then make the whole thing text searchable, nearly infinitely expandable, and cloud based so that you can access it from any computer or mobile device. Now, you understand OneNote.
"It seems to be a tool that was made for lawyers to finally organize all of the disparate forms of information that relate to a matter."
- Apryle Kohut, Training Manager at Moore & Van Allen
A OneNote notebook takes all the information anyone might need, takes it out of the dead tree repositories we're used to, and places it closer than we've ever had it, before.
"He sat at a table with loose papers piled haphazardly, manila folders strewn about, and a Bankers Box on the floor, stuffed to overflowing. When my opponent was speaking, he spent as much time shuffling through his papers and folders as he did, addressing the court.
Eventually, his disorganization began to annoy the judge. At one point he simply could not find the case he was looking for. He begged the court's indulgence and promised he would provide the case reference later, after he'd had an opportunity to reorganize his file during a break. The judge was not amused, was not willing to wait, and ruled against him."
- Bruce A. Olson, President of ON LAW Trial Technologies
So, what is OneNote good for?
Keeping the Team on the Same Page
The Lawyers
Posting an OneNote notebook online and sharing it with a team allows for simultaneous contribution. The notes one partner types into the notebook while in the New York office, automagically appear on the iPad of the partner taking notes in Shanghai. That one crucial document no longer needs to live in however many individual inboxes. No one need wonder about which version is current. The notebook provides a single repository for up to date materials and information.
The Legal Professional Assistants
Staff and other folks at a firm find OneNote useful. At Perkins Coie, LPAs construct notebooks outlining the preferences of the lawyers they support. As new members come on to their teams, they can share the notebooks with them, without having to involve Technology. OneNote provides users the power to decide who can see and edit information.
The Clients
The ability for individual file owners to set edit or view permissions allows for increased transparency with clients. Envision these notebooks:
- Family Law/Divorce - Photos of property in dispute, tables showing the assets of each party, links to sites showing the appraised value of various assets ...
- Personal Injury case - How about a OneNote page with photos of the damage, the injuries, copies of the X-rays, photos and diagrams of where the accident occurred, Google Maps showing the site of the accident, links to news stories from the local newspaper archives showing that there have been 11 accidents at that intersection in the last 3 years ...
Once a user can wrap their head around the concept of OneNote, the uses become apparent. It's the notebook you can put nearly anything in and take practically anywhere. It's nearly always up to date and you can control who can see or edit the information. OneNote. What it is good for? Actually, quite a lot!
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